Brooks dreams the impossible dream: make it out of Jersey and into Columbia University, and then somehow afford tuition as the only son of a comic-book collecting, perpetually stoned mail carrier. He realizes his weekend job at a sub shop with his buddy Murph won't cut it, but then stumbles into something much more lucrative as a hired date for the daughters of social climbing, overinvolved, wealthy helicopter parents. Brooks works his charming smile and suave dance moves into a five-figure savings account while alienating his old friends, deceiving his new ones, and getting way too wrapped up with an intolerable client who is almost a knockout. Ultimately he grapples with the question: in this race for social, academic, and economic achievement, who's been exploiting whom and at what real cost? The breakneck pace and snappy writing keeps this humorous caper moving; the regular guy perspective on the lives of the rich and privileged frames the story well, and the sometimes crass but good-hearted hero at its center is worth rooting for.--Booth, Heather Copyright 2016 Booklist

A smart-aleck teenager who yearns to escape his dilapidated New Jersey town becomes a high school escort in Blooms debut novel.Brooks Rattigana superficial yet hardworking letter carriers son in his final year of high schoolis desperate to attain upper-middle-class comfort. After the white teen offers to take a schoolmates dateless cousin to homecoming and scores over 300 bucks from the girls grateful parents in the process, he decides to expand his impromptu dating service to secure his path to Columbia University. Soon, Brooks is in the stand-in business, offering himself to girls from affluent families for senior years most important social events. Complications come in the form of two girls: Celia Lieberman, a girl with overbearing parents, and Shelby Pace, a socialite goddess. Though the setup seems entertaining enough, the narrative fails to capitalize on its promise to dissect high-class society, underserving its satirical wit in favor of high-strung melodrama. As Brooks slips deeper into the evidently all-white world of the superrich, he finds it hard to balance his demanding, college-bound life with the lies he spins to fit in. Brooks starts off a likable character, but his progressively less-than-admirable behavior is exhausting after 200 pages. And thats halfway through the novel. A half-funny, half-tired novel with a fine protagonist to half-root for. (Fiction. 14-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A pity date with a friend's rich cousin leads high school senior Brooks Rattigan into a lucrative line of work, escorting young women to formal events. His clients are generally high-society nerds and social outcasts, a stark reminder of Brooks's blue-collar New Jersey upbringing and the future at Columbia University he's desperate to secure. In his debut novel, screenwriter Bloom gives Brooks a strikingly irreverent narrative voice, weaving a tale built around standard rom-com moments. As a classic antihero, Brooks proves himself to be shallow and deceptive time and again. His infatuation with gorgeous Shelby Pace is the stuff of teenage fantasies, but he's at his best with faux-date Celia Lieberman, who storms into his life like a cyclone. "Pretend you like me!" she pleads, worried her classmates will find out the truth about her date with Brooks. "I can't!" he protests. "It's beyond my range!" Heightened antics abound, but the jokes begin to languish as Bloom ticks off familiar boxes, including a makeover for Celia and a final scene of prom-night dance-floor harmony. Ages 13-up. Agent: Beth Davey, Davey Literary & Media. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Brooks Rattigan longs to escape his working-class New Jersey roots. Trying to raise cash for an SAT tutor, Brooks stumbles into an unusual but lucrative gig: he becomes an escort-for-hire for wealthy teen girls. Formal dates become episodic misadventures along Brooks's path to Columbia University. Brooks is a brashly funny narrator, but characterization beyond his brazenly single-minded pursuit of the Ivy League is lacking. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 10 Up-Brooks Rattigan has a plan: do everything in his power to get into Columbia University and out of Pritchard, NJ. When Brooks overhears a classmate trying to find a date for his cousin to homecoming, he offers to take her and becomes The Stand-In. He quits his job at the local sub shop, and what started out as a onetime gesture of goodwill becomes a lucrative business. The teen spends his weekends taking girls to their dances and parties in an attempt to make them feel special and build his college fund. Will Brooks be able to handle college applications, a stoner dad, a slacker best friend, difficult clients, and the girl of his dreams? This tale will resonate with young adults looking for a unique coming-of-age story. The interactions between Brooks and his dates provide humor, hope, and a bit of romance. Plotlines about relationships with parents and friends offer additional depth to the narrative. Some of the threads are resolved a little too neatly and easily. Frequent drug use, language, and sexual content make this a book more suited for older teens. VERDICT A purchase for libraries where realistic fiction and coming-of-age titles are in demand.-Ashley Leffel, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.