The Boyfriend Whisperer
Linda Budzinski
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: November 15th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
As President and CEO of Boyfriend Whisperer Enterprises, Lexi Malloy is Grand View High Schoolâs undercover Cupid. One problem: Sheâs stuck in the friend zone when it comes to her own crush, Chris Broder. She and Chris have been best friends since the third grade, and he doesnât even seem to realize sheâs is a member of the opposite sex.
When pretty and popular cheerleader Lindsay LaRouche hires Lexi to whisper Chris, she has to decide whether to place her commitment to her companyâand Chrisâs happinessâbefore herself.
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EXCERPT:
I crank up Mumford & Sons on my iPod and pull up the Boyfriend Whisperer Enterprises files on my tablet. With Valentineâs ten days away, I need to plot out some big moves for my clients.
I start with Jolene. I watched Brendon staring at her this afternoon during the pep rally. Heâs falling hard. No need to play it subtle. He likes spicy food, so Red Hots are an obvious choice, in a heart-shaped tin. What should the card say? Something super flirty. âLetâs heat it up on Valentineâs.â No ⌠âspice it up.â I jot that down and move on to my next client.
Just as Iâm picking out a sweet YouTube link I want her to send her BF-to-be, Coach Reilly pulls my earbud out and scares me half to death.
âMalloy! Iâm talking to you. What are you working on?â
I slam my tablet shut. âWhat? Homework. Sorry. What do you need?â
She shoves my backpack to the floor and plops down beside me. âLetâs talk about tomorrow. Weâre expecting scouts from all over. Rumor has it someone from U Conn might even turn up.â
She pauses as if to gauge my reaction, so I force a smile. âU Conn? Wow. Thatâs great.â
She leans in. âThereâll be a lot of buzz in that arena. Parents, coaches, other players. Theyâll all be talking about the scouts and about you and your future. Hereâs the thing: You need to ignore them.â
âIgnore them.â
âExactly. You have one job tomorrow, and thatâs to play the best game Alexis Malloy knows how to play. Run, pass, shoot, rebound. Thatâs it. The rest is static. Ignore the static.â
âGot it. Static.â
Coach furrows her brow. âYou nervous?â
âMaybe a little.â
She pats my arm as she stands. âA little nervousness is good. Youâve got this, Malloy. You can do it.â
I smile and slump back into my seat. The fact is, Iâm not at all nervous. I only said that so she wouldnât launch into a lecture about being too cocky. Sheâs forever vacillating between warning me not to be too nervous and not to be too cocky, when in reality, Iâm neither. The truth is, when it comes to college scouts, I just wish theyâd leave me alone.
Author Bio:
My young adult novels, EM & EM (2015) and THE FUNERAL SINGER (2013), were both published by Swoon Romance YA. My upcoming novel, THE BOYFRIEND WHISPERER, scheduled for publication in fall of 2016 by Swoon, received the Romance Writers of America Young Adult Chapterâs 2015 Rosemary Award and the Virginia Chapterâs 2015 Fool for Love Award.
I live in Northern Virginia with my husband, Joe, and our feisty chihuahua, Demitria (also known as Dee Dee, The Puppy, and Killer). Iâm a sucker for romance and reality TV and have been known to turn off my phoneâs ringer when watching âThe Bachelor.â
My favorite flower is the daisy, my favorite food is chocolate, and my favorite song is âAmazing Grace.â
When Iâm not writing, I work in nonprofit management. Iâm represented by the amazing Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger Inc.
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