Most Likely to Succeed

Superlatives #3

by Jennifer Echols

As vice president of Student Council, Kaye knows the importance of keeping order. Not only in school, but in her personal life. Which is why she and her boyfriend, Aidan, already have their lives mapped out: attend Columbia University together, pursue banking careers, and eventually get married. Everything Kaye has accomplished in high school—student government, cheerleading, stellar grades—has been in preparation for that future.

To his entire class, Sawyer is an irreverent bad boy. His antics on the field as school mascot and his love of partying have earned him total slacker status. But while he and Kaye appear to be opposites on every level, fate—and their friends—keep conspiring to throw them together. Perhaps the seniors see the simmering attraction Kaye and Sawyer are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves…

As the year unfolds, Kaye begins to realize her ideal life is not what she thought. And Sawyer decides it’s finally time to let down the facade and show everyone who he really is. Is a relationship between them most likely to succeed—or will it be their favorite mistake?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, High School, Young Adult Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2015

About the author

Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son.

Reviews

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Echols is back on her game, people! Most Likely to Succeed was an adorably sexy read, perfect for anyone interested in a very shippable ship, angst, and lots of drama.

I typically don't recommend overly dramatic books, but the theatrics in this one fit perfectly with the overall mood the author set. It became easier for me to really feel for the characters, sort of like I knew them personally.

Jennifer Echols' writing helped a lot, too. It was so easy to read, and like I mentioned with the first book in the series, was definitely written for the young adult audience to relate to.

To put it simply, reading this book is like watching one of those addictive drama series. It may not be brilliant objectively, but you can't seem to keep away!

I'm still a bit bummed that the characters are pretty stereotypical--we have the quirky class clown who has a crush on the one with all the straight As. And their gang of not-so-memorable characters.

Unfortunately, while Sawyer's still my favorite character of this series, I have to admit that there were times when his sensitivity bordered on asshole-ity. Yes, that's a thing now. Kaye was one of those characters who you just accepted and didn't really mind--nothing spectacular.

While I didn't like them individually... I SHIPPED THEM SO HARD. Yeah, see, sometimes I just don't make any sense. Every time they came *this* close to kissing or admitting their feelings to each other, I was mentally screaming and clutching my Kindle! They had this awesome chemistry built up by years of pining... My favorite kind of pining, mind you.

So, yes. Feels--DOUBLE TRIPLE QUADRUPLE CHECK ASDFGHJKL. Total win on that aspect.

So if you're still not sure if Most Likely to Succeed is for you, just answer these simple yes or no questions:

a) Do you like swooning so hard you feel like your eyeballs will come out of your sockets?
b) Are you okay with stereotypical characters?
c) Do you like natural writing more than flowery prose?
d) Do you like dramatic romance TV series?

If you answered "yes" to at least two of those, you're good to go!

Deadly Darlings | The Social Potato | The Book Geek | Twitter | Instagram

[Paula M · Rating 4 out of 5]

SAWYER. That is enough explanation.




Reading this book leaves me with a bittersweet feeling. I'm excited that Kaye and Sawyer finally have their story out in the world for people to devour, but at the same time, I'm also so so sad that this series have come to its conclusion. I really enjoyed reading each characters stories and knowing the superlatives, that's why you have to understand that letting series go is kinda hard for me.

From the first book of this series, Sawyer already left a huge dent in my heart although I only see him as this super funny douchebag. I immediately asked for a follow up book that has Sawyer as its main character, I don't even care who will be his love interest, I just want his story. Although I didn't get that at the second book, the little moments between Kaye and Sawyer left me wanting for more. Thank you Jennifer for making it happen. And for surpassing my expectation. Most Likely to Succeed was everything I ever wanted.

Sawyer and Kate were both pure brilliance. Their characterization was over the top and each of them shined in their own way. What I love most about Jennifer Echols is that there's nothing cliche about her. Whether its her characters or her love stories...they're all authentic and pure emotions rolls off from them. Sawyer is mischievous, sexy and very adorable. Kaye was stubborn, conservative and very sweet. They couldn't be more perfect together.

The way their story flowed was perfect for me. There were up and downs, of course, but at the end of the day... they're all necessary. Great pacing, no dull moment, full enjoyment!

I think its pretty obvious that I absolutely LOVED this story. Its far from perfect but that's what makes the book so great. The characters are incredible and the love story will leave you breathless. Jennifer Echols ended this series with a bang! Just a fair warning though: this book will leave you in a mess of swoons and feels.

[nick (the infinite limits of love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saying goodbye to characters that you have grown to love over the course of a series is always a bittersweet experience. I opened Most Likely to Succeed with feelings of excitement, because we were finally getting to Sawyer and Kaye's stories, but also a tiny bit of sadness because I wouldn't be able to see these characters again. Despite that though, I closed the book with feelings of overwhelming happiness because Most Likely To Succeed ended up being my favorite book in the Superlatives series.

One of the greatest things about this series is how realistically Jennifer Echols is able to portray teenage characters. When I read about the whole gang in the series, I find myself transported to my own high school days. With Kaye, my connection was effortless because I was Kaye in high school. She was hardworking, pushed herself to the limits and was driven to the core. What really struck me about Kaye though, was the absolute passion she had for her extracurricular activities. She went to lengths to make the homecoming dance at her school happen and I couldn't help but root for her and her goals, knowing that she wasn't just doing it to have a good college application. Kaye also experienced a staggering amount of pressure from her CEO mom. Having grown up in a poor neighborhood full of drug addicts, she pushed her children to work hard so that they did not have to face what she had to when she was younger, sometimes, exceedingly so. It was easy to feel for Kaye because her mother tried to control every part of her life unknowingly causing her to be unhappy. Over the course of the novel, we do see Kaye grow and mature into someone more outspoken, unafraid to speak out her real feelings to her mom. At the same time, I was glad that while Kaye objected to a lot of what her mom did to her, she was never disrespectful towards her. Even though Kaye's mom was a strict lady, I knew that deep down she did it to help her daughter become a strong and independent woman later in life.

Not going to lie, my main reason for looking forward to Most Likely to Succeed is Sawyer. I fell in love with this misunderstood goofball, who also enjoys wearing his pelican costume as a mascot, from the very first. There was just something about him that was so endearing despite his player ways. In Most Likely to Succeed, we get to know more about his backstory involving his broken home and his shaky relationship with his father. Despite everything though, Sawyer continued to be the funny dork that he was and put on a happy face, never once complaining about his situation. Believe it or not, I fell even harder in love with the boy than I did in Biggest Flirts. I also loved how Sawyer wasn't just a flirty goof, he was also someone who worked as hard as Kaye, but wasn't expressive about it. The phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover" definitely applied to Sawyer. The romance between Sawyer and Kaye was just so cute. They were an unlikely couple because of their constant teasing of each other, but we all know that made them perfect candidates to be a couple. Kaye has a jerk of a boyfriend for about 30% of the book, but they break up and there's no cheating involved. One of my favorite things about the romance was how Sawyer constantly made Kaye feel beautiful. He appreciated her and her natural afro hair and constantly complimented her on it. I thought it was so sweet. These two had me grinning like a fool when they were together. Most Likely to Succeed was also incredibly sex positive. Jennifer Echols' sex scenes are always classy and authentic. Besides great characters and a great romance, Most Likely to Succeed also had a positive depiction of genuine female friendships and it has diversity without being stereotypical, that I wholeheartedly adored.

There are many reasons I love the Superlatives series, but to name a few, it's fun, romantic and has some of the most authentic portrayals of teenagers that I have ever read about without relying on cliches. Sawyer and Kane's romance was the perfect way to end this series and while I'm a little sad to say goodbye to them, I couldn't be happier with the way the story wrapped up! Definitely check out this series if you like books that have humor and are just in the need for a cute and fluffy romance book!

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Most Likely to Succeed by Jennifer Echols
Book Three of the Superlatives series
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

In this sexy conclusion to The Superlatives trilogy from Endless Summer author Jennifer Echols, Sawyer and Kaye might just be perfect for each other—if only they could admit it.

As vice president of Student Council, Kaye knows the importance of keeping order. Not only in school, but in her personal life. Which is why she and her boyfriend, Aidan, already have their lives mapped out: attend Columbia University together, pursue banking careers, and eventually get married. Everything Kaye has accomplished in high school—student government, cheerleading, stellar grades—has been in preparation for that future.

To his entire class, Sawyer is an irreverent bad boy. His antics on the field as school mascot and his love of partying have earned him total slacker status. But while he and Kaye appear to be opposites on every level, fate—and their friends—keep conspiring to throw them together. Perhaps the seniors see the simmering attraction Kaye and Sawyer are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves…

As the year unfolds, Kaye begins to realize her ideal life is not what she thought. And Sawyer decides it’s finally time to let down the facade and show everyone who he really is. Is a relationship between them most likely to succeed—or will it be their favorite mistake?

What I Liked:

Ahhh, this book was a bit of a disappointment. It was good, but disappointing compared to Biggest Flirts or Perfect Couple. I really, really enjoyed those two, and could not wait to experience Sawyer's story. I liked Kaye in the previous books, but Sawyer was who I was concerned about. Also you really can't go wrong with Echols.

Kaye is a model student - perfect grades, perfect transcript, perfect extracurricular activities (including student government AND a sport - cheer-leading!). To be honest, she is very much like me in high school - I was also the same meticulous, slightly obsessive, perfect person. I would say that I still am, but everyone here at Hopkins is, so who knows. Anyway. Kaye is dating Aidan, the student government president, valedictorian in the running (against Kaye), and a general pain in the butt. Kaye has been annoyed with him for a while... and then she hears about her and Sawyer getting the vote as Perfect Couple That Never Was. Kaye develops feelings for Sawyer, feelings that were already there... on both sides.

This series is cute, but this book is probably the cutest. For most of the book, Kaye is "dating" Aidan - I have that in quotes because they're a couple, but Kaye can't stand him. He is demanding and controlling and doesn't like it when he doesn't get his way or when someone else has a great idea. Too bad his girlfriend goes toe-to-toe with him, in academics, student government, etc. Kaye eventually grows a backbone and speaks her mind to him (she usually let things go). And then things go way south with Aidan.

All the while, her issues with Aidan open up opportunities for her and Sawyer to get closer. Sawyer has a reputation for hooking up with girls left and right - he's the high school's "bad boy". In a pelican suit at games (he dresses as the school's mascot). I'm not sure if I liked Swayer in this book. He didn't seem like himself, from what I saw in Biggest Flirts and Perfect Couple. In this book, he seemed a bit juvenile. I didn't find much depth to him, even with his sob story.

But Sawyer was an interesting character, even if I found him to be a bit juvenile/immature. He has been through a lot, with no mother, deadbeat father, and no other family. He bounces around in terms of shelter (we can't even call it homes), and eventually ends up staying in Harper's mom's B&B restaurant (there are rooms there to live in!). I felt bad for him!

Kaye and Sawyer are a great couple! It takes them forever for them to realize that they are good together and good for each other (really, it takes KAYE forever - Sawyer already seemed to realize that he likes her a lot, from the beginning). You'd think the romance would be weird since Kaye is dating someone for a good portion of the book, but their breakup is inevitable. You could feel it from the first and second book in the series! Anyway, the romance is sweet (and bumpy too though), and there is a little bit of chemistry, though I wouldn't say much.

Overall, the book was okay... stay tuned for the big things that I didn't like about the book, that really detracted from my overall opinion of the book.

What I Did Not Like:

Kaye in general kind of bothered me. Something about her, I didn't like. Maybe because she was basically a doormat for most of the book? And not only in terms of her boyfriend (ex-boyfriend), but also in terms of her parents (specifically, her mother). I'm not saying I would be defiant at every turn and fight with my mother, but I would VOICE my opinions and concerns, even if it wouldn't make a difference. Kaye never voices her opinions with her mother - she never pushes for her mother to listen to her. She just silently hates how her mother is, but does nothing about it. Girl, you are not mute.

On the subject of Kaye's mother - let me tell you. I understand parents like her mother. Overbearing, controlling, domineering, loud, rude, stubborn, know-it-all. My mom is kind of like that (or used to be). I get it, and I know this type of parent is real. But Kaye's mother really, REALLY bothered me. I HATED her, and if I were her child, I probably would have launched a vase at her by age seven or something. Kaye's mother's attitude very much took away from the story, and made the book worse. Yes, she is (somewhat realistic). But including her and her negativity and borderline verbal harassment (disguised as tough-luck, no-nonsense mother) was not amusing, and really brought the story down. This book was no fun to read, with Kaye's mother. The mother has a serious attitude, hates Sawyer, hates Kaye's choices, controls where Kaye applies to college, what extracurricular activities she does, how much time she spends on homework, who she dates... again, I know this type of parent exists (my mom used to be like that), but this CRAP really brought the story down. And the fact that Kaye always kept silent (beginning to end) and didn't stick up for herself, let alone Sawyer? Pathetic. Also very detracting from the quality of the story, as well as how much I enjoyed it.

Seriously, this book is losing stars because of Kaye and her mother. Not fun to read. Not a good character arc - or plot arc. Making the mother a villain like that? Didn't work for me. It's an okay story, but it's really bogged down by the parent llama drama. Kaye's mother hates everything and everyone, including Sawyer. So... this story wasn't fun to read, though everything not tainted by the mother was very lighthearted. Towards the end, the mother plays a more and more important role in the story, and it just goes straight to the garbage by the end of the book. I didn't like the ending - too much drama, and then too much happy.

And then there was the fact that I found Sawyer to be immature. Yes, he was a goofball in the first two books. But now that we have him up close and personal, I expected... more. Well, I guess I can say that he is an IMMATURE goofball. The "player" side of him doesn't seem to fit at all.

Would I Recommend It:

Nah. I mean, maybe. I liked this series, and I thought this book was okay, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. I'd highly recommend Perfect Couple though, that book was good. And Biggest Flirts was good too! But this one is worth skipping. I know, I know, Sawyer. But he was so flat, as a character! And Kaye's personality - I didn't really like her much. So, there's that. This book was a bit of a disappointment!

Rating:

2.5 stars -> rounded up to 3 stars. Disappointing, but good enough to get 3 stars. But it's more on the negative side of 3 stars. Echols could have done so much with this book! I didn't like how she portrayed Sawyer (immature boy!), or how big of a deal she made Kaye's mother. Find/utilize a different plot arc!

[Siiri (Little Pieces of Imagination) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have liked the previous books in this series a lot: they’re great reads that I’ve read during a night or two and they're always filled with so many fun moments. This one I had looked forward to a whole lot, because it’s about my otp of the series whom I have been rooting for since day one. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint! I loved it from start to finish.


"My mother had told me a million times that because I was a woman, I had to work twice as hard as a man for the same amount of respect. And I was black, so I had to work four times as hard. To get twice as much respect, I had to work eight times as hard, and that's what she expected of me."
(— taken from the ARC, 27%)


Kaye is such a great character and so is Sawyer. They’re different in a lot of ways, but also similar in the way that they’re trying to break free of the life set for them by other people. Sawyer comes from a very problematic family and past, yet he is incredibly sweet, caring and I just can’t help but fall in love with him more with each book I read. Kaye is a POC heroine who comes from a family that “has it all”. They’re rich and well-respected in the community, but since they're POC, it's definitely harder to gain that sort of respect than it is for white people, hence it’s expected of Kaye to always bring her A-game, never anything less, which could take a toll on even the toughest people. Seeing these two start fighting for their dreams was very endearing.

With this book Echols tackled some of the very important issues such as misogyny, sexism, feminism, racism, discovering one’s identity, exploring one’s sexuality etc. The author also talks about sex in a YA book which is almost always a no-show in this entire genre. It’s very important to tackle these topics and it was done in a great way. In addition to discussing these topics, this book is filled with awesome sisterhood moments and a lot of swoon! I got very emotional as well, but me crying over almost every other books is no surprise to anyone.

I really, really enjoyed this one and I can’t recommend this book enough (I also can't wait to obtain a US paperback edition of this pretty; /waits impatiently for it to come out next year)! Most Likely to Succeed is a great book to end the summer with or extend your summer in the fall that seems to be arriving at lighting speed. So yes, go pick this up, my friends!

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

Thank you to Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for providing an ARC. My thoughts are my own and in no way did the review copy affect my opinion on the book.
________

original thoughts:

after reading: loved this one so much! definitely my favorite out of the series and my otp didn't disappoint. full review to come!

pre-reading: OTP OF THE SERIES -cough- I AM READY FOR THIS

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved this whole series, with fun likable and realistic characters, humor and romance around every corner and storyline that just got better, this series has quickly become a favorite. And even though I loved book one and two, book three was the one I was more excited about.

I have loved Sawyer from the get go and was so very excited to finally see that book three, would be all about him! I just knew there was so much more depth to him and his beach bum ways. It wasn't hard to tell who he was in love with and to see that, behind all that flirting, truly lurked an amazing guy.

And I am so happy to report that I wasn't wrong! Sawyer was every bit as great as I knew he would be and my heart went out to him as we learned more about him, his past, and his relationship with his family.

In fact, I am going to go so far as to say that this was by far my favorite book of the series, simply because of him. Sawyer is the type of guy in high school that we probably all knew and if we were lucky, could call a friend as well.

And while I loved every minute of this read, I couldn't help but feel sad at the ending. It wasn't a bad ending by any stretch of the imagination but I wasn't ready for it to be over and I just wanted more.

While all the main character's stories have been told, I would so love a book that shows them all after graduation. Where they are, who they are with. I doubt we will get one but I would absolutely love it if we did because this series has been so much fun to read, a sign that Echols really knows her stuff.

[✨ deanna ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars

Biggest Flirts was the book that introduced me to my guilty pleasure author: Jennifer Echols. Because of that book, I spent weeks reading ALL of her books.
So when I finally read Perfect Couple (book 2 of the Superlative trilogy), I was underwhelmed and felt let down. It wasn't a bad book, and as its own book--it was fine. Just, when compared to the first book (and comparing Harper and Brody to the amazing Tia and the swoonworthy and sweet Will), Perfect Couple didn't live up to its preceder.

Which was why I was scared Most Likely To Succeed wasn't going to live up to Biggest Flirts. There was so much "hype" already being built for Kaye Gordon and Sawyer De Luca since book 1, to the point where I was scared I was going to be disappointed again.

I wasn't.


This is a story about a boy from the "wrong side of the track", a boy who comes from nothing, a boy who struggles through many jobs and does whatever it take to survive falling in love with a girl who comes from everything and struggles with the stress of the future, her responsibilities, and her conflicted feelings between wanting to have a normal life and what her mother expects from her.

Sawyer De Luca has been in love with Kaye Gordon for two years, smitten and enamored by her from the moment he met her.
It seems impossible that the boy who's reputation as a flirty player with a dictionary where the word "commitment" doesn't exist would have feelings like that, but this book managed to pull it off well.

Sawyer De Luca, you are the world's most hopeless boy ever.

This book was touching, sweet, and heartbreaking (at times). Sawyer is endearing, sweet, kind, protective, and caring toward Kaye.

I cried a few times (because I'm a softy for hopeless and endearing characters who've gone through the rough).

Kaye surprised me as a character. She wasn't as childish as Harper, and she wasn't as aloof and flirty as Tia. I was scared I might not like her, since she was pegged as the judgmental one in the trio.

While Kaye and Sawyer were polar opposites (just like Tia and Will or Brody and Harper), they understood each other better than anybody else. They saw through each other's facade. They cared for each other more than they'd like to admit.
And as a reader, watching their relationship grow and change for the better is sweet.

I've been rooting for these two since Biggest Flirts and I can now say that they're perfect. So freaking perfect together that I can understand why everybody at their school voted for them as "perfect couple that never was".

Overall, I'm so happy that this book blew me away. And I'm sad that this trilogy is over.
(Also, can I give a shoutout to Echols for having two of the three girls in this series as people of color? And there's so many minorities minor characters too!)

I just loved seeing how crazy Tia was in different perspectives, and I loved catching up with other characters: Harper, Brody, Will and so on (this includes the band teacher, who was such a hilarious source of comic relief in Will and Tia's book).


I'm so sad that this book ended, because it was clearly just the beginning of so much more.

Will/Tia and Sawyer/Kaye are my two favorite couples from the Superlative series. (I'm so sorry to Harper and Brody, because they were adorable on their own rights--but compared to Will/Tia and Sawyer/Kaye--they never stood a chance).

Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Would I recommend this series? HELL YES.
5/5 stars. (This is definitely going to be reread by me again one day).

[Jasprit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Superlatives series by Echols is one of my favourite series yet, in the two previous books Echols has created endearing characters which have been hard not to fall for, I love how each book so far has focused on one couple, but still kept the secondary characters an integral part of the story. Sawyer was the class clown, always goofing off or getting on people’s nerves, but on occasion he was known to show a softer side and this was one side that I couldn’t wait to see more of in Most Likely to Succeed.

Sawyer had had his eyes on Kaye for the last two years, although he was found messing around with a different girl so often, it was clear to tell that around Kaye he was a totally different person, he could be sincere, considerate and most of all he was completely vulnerable. It was strange seeing him like this as before I’d never taken him seriously, but I loved how with this book we got to know the real Sawyer underneath the pelican costume a whole lot more. Kaye like her friend Harper found herself in the situation where things weren’t really working out with her boyfriend and she was sort of getting conflicted feelings about somebody else. Like Harper’s ex Kennedy, Kaye’s boyfriend Aidan was a right piece of work, he liked to have control and dominate most situations as he was class president. It was awful how he felt he could say whatever he wanted to Kaye. Boyfriends are meant to be supportive, cheer you up when you’ve had a crap day and just be your pillar of support, Aidan was neither of these things and so I really couldn’t wait for Kaye to stand up to him and end things with him. Kaye could do so much better, and although she didn’t know where she stood with Sawyer, I wanted her to find out.

Sawyer and Kaye’s relationships wasn’t one of the easiest ones, there was a lot of hot and cold signs, parents getting involved when they didn’t need to and Sawyer of course was a totally different person when he was dressed as the mascot pelican and when he was being himself. I couldn’t understand how Sawyer and Kaye’s feelings were genuine for one another, but they were just scared about wrecking things. In some of the sweet scenes we got to see between them, it was obvious they were made for one another, I wish so much crap and miscommunication didn’t have to get in the way. Sawyer had so much of his own stuff to deal with in this book, and so I could understand why he was scared about getting his heart trampled on.

Family once again played a big part in this book and it was one aspect I truly appreciated. Kaye had such a great family, yes her mother could be a little over bearing at times, but she only wanted what was best for her daughter, she wanted to give her the best life possible, something which she really had to fight for when she was younger. I loved how Kaye’s parents always balanced each other out, how Kaye’s mum would get vexed in a instant and her dad would help her simmer down, even though there was a lot of tension whenever Kaye’s family popped up in a scene, you knew it would never be a dull moment!

Alongside the family aspect, I was grateful to be back again with the great set of characters that Echols had introduced to us in the previous books, especially my favourite Brody. All six characters: Sawyer, Kaye, Harper, Brody, Tia and Will had such great personalities that they were characters that could cheer you up in no time, they were certainly friends that I wish I had by my side when I was in high school, it actually makes me kind of sad that this will be the last that we will see of them! *cries* (just a hint Jennifer, I would totally read a book following these wonderful characters to college if you wanted to go there)

Most Likely to Succeed was another fantastic instalment for the amazing Superlative series. I loved the character growth that Echols showed in this series, but most of all the wonderful relationships amongst friends and family that Echols was able to explore. I never usually end up liking all the books in a series, but I have loved every single book in this series, so honestly I can’t recommend this series highly enough!

This review can be found on: The Readers Den

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third and last book in the superlatives follows the third friend, Kaye, and Sawyer. Kaye is the overachiever, student council rise president, level headed, and the most goal oriented of the three friends. She's already dating Aidan and everyone thinks of them as the perfect couple. Yes, I know I know.. you guessed it right, now enter the bad boy, Sawyer in this case. However I highly enjoyed this novel because I really liked Sawyer in the previous two books as as secondary character. I also never really get sick of the good girl bad boy plot line. As long as it's written well, who am I to complain about it? Jennifer Echols nailed it right and I loved the conflict she created within this book and just how real and faulty and frustratingly teenager-y this characters are.

I really liked Kaye. The thing I liked the most about her is that she didn't feel obligated to meet everyone's expectations. The moment she felt that this or that isn't right for her, that was the end of it. Her mother is very controlling and I was happy that she was able to respectfully stick up to herself from time to time. Sometimes parents don't understand exactly how different the world runs from when they were back in high school.. and I'm sure we won't understand that when we have kids too. Sawyer though, he was just so adorable and cute. I generally don't like the bad boy/class clown characters but Sawyer's was endearing. I loved how vulnerable Echols made him to be.. and not the typical "oh he's a bad boy because he has issues and that's why he's lashing out". Sawyer isn't really a bad boy per say, but he does have a reputation that preceded him when he transferred to this current school. I just loved how different his character was from usual love interests.

Most Likely to Succeed is my second favourite book after Biggest Flirts. I was in the biggest reading slump due to my school stress but once I started it, I ended up finishing it in two days. I definitely recommend The Superlatives trilogy, and you can also read them out of order, however I recommend you read them in order and purchase all three at the same time, or atleast after you read and liked the first one, because you're going to want to binge read them all.

[Gisbelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to Simon Pulse & Edelweiss

------------------------------------------------------------------
Point of View: Single (Katherine, aka Kaye)
Writing: First Person | Past Tense
Setting: Florida
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary Romance
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* This book contains some slightly mature scenes which might not be appropriate for readers below 16.

Since I loved Sawyer so much, I was extremely excited to read this book. While Sawyer was still a pretty interesting (and hilarious) character, but I felt like I loved him more in previous books than in this one. Besides, the story itself wasn't as good as I had expected. However, it was still way better than the first book.

One of the things I liked about this book was the easy and light flow of the story. It wasn't too cutesy or fluffy, but it wasn't all that intense and dark either. The plots did progress nicely, too.

The main character, Kaye, was just okay in my opinion. She didn't make me what to slap her a few times like I did Tia back when I was reading Biggest Flirts; however, she didn't make me love her like I did Harper in Perfect Couple. She was a little all over the place, and sometimes, I didn't understand her.

To me, the tagline was a little misleading. Because the one doing most of the chasing was Kaye, not Sawyer. Nonetheless, I was happy that it worked out in the end.

The ending kind of disappointment me somehow. I've never been a big fan when a book ends abruptly. I NEED A PROPER ENDING!

All in all, it was a fun and light read, though it didn't live up to my expectation, I did have a good time reading.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this series so much!!! Much thanks to Simon Teen for giving me a copy for review! For all the three books.

Okay, why do I like this series so much? Apart from being able to somehow live vicariously through the characters' lives? And somehow feel like I'm on of them and I'm in High school again. And in our class, we didn't do the Superlatives! We should have (I was part of our yearbook committee) but I don't know why we didn't. I was sure there was no voting that happened though. If I'm going to be a teacher in high school, I'll surely suggest this Superlatives thing. It's fun!

Anyway, to the story! The first book, Biggest Flirts, started with Tia and Will. The second, Perfect Couple, Harper and Brody. And this last one! Kaye and Sawyer. I was honestly waiting for Kaye and Sawyer's story because even from book 1, you'll kind of guess they're going to end up with each other.

Now I know not everyone who pair up in high school end up together, but it's just so cool to think they would! At least in this series. There's something magical and at the same time realistic, with how Jennifer Echols paired up the team and made them serious about each other. Most especially with...actually equally for the 3 pairs. It's just so obvious it's fiction when she paired all of them in the span of only two weeks or three weeks in between each story. And all three girlfriends get their happy endings? Lols. But story-wise, each couple somehow work together. Tia and Will. Will, the new transfer from Minessota, overall great guy with great academics and extracurricular. Tia who is like their class' 'biggest flirt' but is actually hiding her inner smart self. Like she's really smart and she doesn't even make too much effort. Yeah, she's that kind of classmate who doesn't even need to study but somehow gets better grades than you. lol. And even if they're opposite. They work! Then there's Harper and Brody. Another polar opposites. The jock and the geeky girl. But she's really beautiful, she just doesn't see it. They started dating because they got voted "Perfect Couple" then it turns out they weren't really the winner there. But they still liked each other and they do work somehow. They match.

Then there's Sawyer and Kaye. With a very different story than the last two. Sawyer's been in love with Kaye for the last two years, but Kaye is in a relationship (for 3 years) with Aidan. Aidan and Kaye were voted "Most likely to succeed" but turns out it was a mistake and Sawyer and Kaye were actually voted the "Perfect couple that never was". What's funny about their Superlatives is that because of what other people voted, or what other people perceived you guys to be, you start to get curious, and you're brain won't leave you out of that big "WHAT IF" questions. With Will and Tia, it also started there. Then Harper and Brody. Then Sawyer and Kaye. It's both positive and negative. Positive in the sense that you get to see what others see that you don't see. Negative, because it may not be really true and it just fools with you. And who you know yourself to be with. If you let yourself swirl around that vortex, you might end up losing yourself.

So, Sawyer and Kaye! I love Sawyer period. lol! He's this enigmatic guy who has so many baggages he carry with himself but at school he is this Pelican mascot who makes everyone happy. The life of the party. The incredible teaser and every girl's go to guy to make out with. He shows himself to be a douche but in reality he is really this great guy with high grades! I can actually see him succeeding in life because of what he is: responsible and smart. He works so much and still manages to do extracurricular activities and manage to get good grades. But judgement and stereotype of him (his dad was in prison for 15 years) made him defensive. Meanwhile, Kaye is this smart girl running for valedictorian, who has a mom as stiff and strict as a mummy. I liked their story, I only had one issue, the book ended up so abruptly and I rather think their conflict didn't get solved like "conclusion" kind of solved. Sawyer and Kaye fought a lot but I really won't label it as "huge fight". They're just confused little teenagers at times. But when their maturity level meets halfway, they're so serious and it makes the story rise all the better.

I just kind of wished there was some kind of epilogue for the story. Hoping the final copy has it. OVerall, this is a great and fun and light series that will surely warm your hearts and keep your boredom at bay.

Note: Thanks to Simonteen for approving my request. :) My opinions of this review are my own and were not influenced by any. No compensation received for this honest review. :)

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a cute, light, quick read that overall lifted spirits and intrigued me. However, there were points when I felt the characters' emotions were one-layered and jumped from feeling to feeling without reason or exploration. This left me with one-dimensional chapters that always succeeded in being unrelatable. Overall 3/5 stars; I love Jenn's other books, this one just was not for me.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe I started this series back in 2017 and I only ever wrote a review for two of the books. Maybe one day I will dive back into the first one and write something. Maybe.

Most Likely to Succeed is the third and final book in the Superlatives series. Just like the previous two, it flew by for me. Unfortunately, it started off pretty interesting but then sort of fell flat for me. The pacing was fine but I just couldn't connect with the characters this time around. Plus the ending didn't really feel finished to me which is weird since I don't see another book being written.

I will say that this didn't shy away from the drama. I was honestly really intrigued to get to know Sawyer a bit more. Plus these two had their cute moments even if it took them forever to realize that they should - I don't know - date one another. I just wished that I liked Kaye more because out of the two - I liked Sawyer.

In the end, I'm glad that I finished another series that I ghosted back in 2017. Go me!

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the entire trilogy I found this book to be the second best. Perfect couple was definitely the better of the three. Now out of the three books I have been talking about Sawyer a lot. He was definitely one of the more interesting male characters in this whole trilogy.I was really looking forward to this story where he finally got his happy ending. I think that the ending for this book wrapped up a little too well. It still had a lot of things that needed to be discussed between the characters but that would have made this book like 50 more pages. It was told from Kaye's perspective but I would have enjoyed reading this from both Kaye and Sawyer's perspectives. As for the romance it was good. It really had a Romeo and Juliet feel ( beautiful and tragic ) that was nice if a bit cliche. Overall it was still a great read and even though I said it in my first review of this series that I wasn't going to continue, I'm glad I did.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good but I felt the ending was rushed.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I just didn't connect to this the way I wanted to. I was really excited about the potential for Sawyer and Kaye, but then it happened and it just didn't make sense to me. I don't get why Sawyer has been in love with Kaye for years. I have a better sense of why Kaye wants to be with him, but it still wasn't great. The mom was an interesting, but very frustrating character to read. The dad I found frustrating, because even if you don't worry about your daughter, it's not a reason to not parent her except to be the go-between for mother and daughter. And I still don't understand being so goddamn obsessed with the superlatives things. Do people really take those seriously???

On the whole, this series was sort of a mess. Started with a lot of promise for me, but nothing really lived up to the first book.

[Paige]

I love, love the Superlatives series. (2 of the 3 girls are WoC, there's so much sex-positivity in these books, and they're hilarious.) Sawyer/Kaye have always been my favorite of the couples, and I adored their book. I especially liked that we got to see Sawyer's more vulnerable side in this book (especially because in the other books, he was mostly comedic relief) and I really didn't want to say goodbye to the Superlatives gang. (Seriously, I'd read a bonus short story about what goes on at senior prom.) Jennifer Echols's books aren't super well recognized in YA, which is a shame. Overall: if you want to read sex-positive and feminist romantic comedies, read this series.

[Anatea Oroz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this SO MUCH! Is it possible to like Sawyer even more than I did before? It seems so...

Review to come closer to release date.

[Sam Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars!

This was my favorite of Jennifer Echols' bind up, for sure. The pressure Kaye was under was relatable, and I could understand her struggles. The relationship between Kaye and Sawyer was so sweet, I just adore them. And once again, the high school experience was well represented.

Another wonderful beach read!

Read as part of the Biggest Flirts/Perfect Couple/Most Likely to Succeed bind up. Catch my review for the bind up here!

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Likely to Succeed is the final book in the Superlatives trilogy by Jennifer Echols. Having read the first two, I was most excited for this book for one reason – Sawyer. Sawyer has been a character who has been present since the first book, Biggest Flirts. As such, the series feels as if it has been building towards this book from the get-go. I’m not going to lie, knowing that a book was going to be about him had my interest from day one. He’s just such a great character.

In Most Likely to Succeed, we get Kaye’s point-of-view for the first time. Kaye is the student council vice president and overall super-driven good-girl of the Superlatives girl trio. Kaye has always obeyed her mom’s severe parenting style and followed the path of least resistance, throwing herself into studies and school activities alike to make her college applications better rounded. Her only point of rebellion is in joining the cheerleaders, which her mother views as an extreme waste of her time. If only her mother knew that Kaye’s heart is drifting away from her three-year-long-ivy-school-bound-student-council-presidential boyfriend, Aidan, and towards the school’s bad boy, Sawyer, then her mother might have more to worry about. If cheerleading is a waste of time than what is Sawyer, the man voted most likely to go to jail just like his no-good Father?

Kaye has a troubled relationship with Aidan from which she cannot escape. That Sawyer is the school mascot means that she spends even more time with him during cheerleading practice and games. They spend so much time together, with the council meetings and the advanced classes, that she doesn’t know how to deal with her burgeoning feelings. When it becomes obvious that Sawyer may be reciprocating her own desires, it’s all Kaye can do to concentrate on school and remember that she has a relationship of her own without him.

Something that I have noticed with this book, and the previous title Perfect Couple, is Echols ability to capture the day-to-day drudgery of realistic relationships that are going to hell. She has this knack for writing long-term domestic enmity with a polish that I envy. To see her characters brewing with such scathing hatred is a real knack. It takes a subtlety that really speaks of her skills to create realistic characterization that springs from very little; gestures, sentiments, and well-developed scorn. There is a fine line between love and hate and Echols captures it magically.

On the other side of the coin is a sweet and sentimental relationship that is everything that I wanted from Sawyer. He’s complex, he’s complicated, and he’s entirely captivating. He’s exactly what I want for a book boyfriend. To watch him and Kay go through everything that they go through, to see the sparks and the fizzles… well, it’s pretty damned good. There is a bit of predictability that goes along with the romance formula but the characters are so engaging that I can overlook that. It’s fantastic to see the ups and downs of this book. It was exactly what and how I wanted this series to end.

Fun books. 4 out of 5 stars.

- review courtesy of www.bibliopunkkreads.com

[Whispering Chapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was first published on Latte Nights Reviews.

If you read my short review for  Perfect Couple , the second book in the Superlatives series, then you know that I have been waiting for Most Likely to Succeed because I have been crushing on Sawyer and I wanted him to have his own story and eeeeek! I liked it so much!

We know from the previous books that Sawyer is the clown and the one who gets around with girls, if you get my drift here. What we got to read in this book was how vulnerable and how real he truly is as a person and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel for him throughout the book. I want to hug him and tell him that things will get better for him because I don't want him sad! He is much more than people at school give him credit for—he's very school smart! I think Kaye brought out the Sawyer that wants to have a better future. He wants to be good enough for her and we all know that Kaye is thriving to have good grades to go to Columbia.

The thing with Kaye is that she has this awful boyfriend *shudders* and I can't comprehend why she stayed with him for so long. Seriously, this guy puts her down all the time and ugh, I don't like him. Point is that Kaye would get ordered around a lot by her boyfriend and by her mom, a whole lot more than a teen should. I felt for her but was also frustrated with her because she wouldn't stick up for herself as much as she should have but Sawyer would be there for her and he loved her curls a lot, which in my opinion is points in favor for this guy.

In this final installment, we get to see all of the amazing characters from the previous books, which I must admit I will miss, but not as much as Sawyer. I will miss his character a lot! I missed his funny character a bit in this book. I wish there had been a balance between his vulnerable side and his funny side but I still enjoyed the book! This was a great ending to a great series and I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did :)

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 5 out of 5]

No joke but I started this hours ago and I'm just done, like minutes ago. I can't believe this but I can? I was 1000% sure I would like this book. Siiri rec it well and told me all the nice things happening and that the ship was glorious, more or less. Well let me tell you that she was *** right and I want to say all the wonders and magical things about Siiri because she sure knows what she's recommending so listen to her when she does.

Most Likely to Succeed is so damn cute I bled cupcapkes when I cried. Kaye amd Sawyer made me ship them since the very first page to be honest and I haven't stopped. I love the high school life and there are these scenes that you just think "yeah this is high school and these friends are just talking about boys and hanging out" and it's wonderful. Like I kind of miss high school because of these books and I love it. + it's about the Superlatives they give to the seniors and the unlikely people thrust together and that end up being 100% perfect.

And Echols doesn't shy away from sex. I LOVE THIS ABOUT YA CONTEMPS MORE AND MORE. More authors should do this. It's okay for high school students to have sex and talk about it and whatever the hell they want to do with it. Most YA Contemps shy away and it's like they never speak about it or like they black out when they're about to do it? I know that most of YA are read for younger audiences but it's important for girls/boys to know about it and not keep it hidden like it's forbidden to even have it in your mind.

I needed a cute, fluffy, amazing book right now after that last one I read. I'm sorry but you get to my heart with cute romances in books okay? I don't care LOL I'm weak for them and if you have a rec for me, send it my way - I'm ready to attack whatever comes my way. Thanks Siiri for knowing what I'd like and telling me to get this book. I'm so happy I got it in paperback so I can just sigh in love whenever I see it.

[Kim at Divergent Gryffindor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for giving me a copy of this book!

Kaye and Aiden, her boyfriend, have been nominated for Most Likely to Succeed by the senior class, which is just as well because Aiden is the president of the student council, while Kaye is the vice president. But ever since Kaye learned that there was a glitch in the results and Kaye and Sawyer were actually voted for Perfect Couple That Never Was, Kaye has been giving Sawyer more attention, and Kaye and Aiden's relationship has been going downhill. The attraction between Kaye and Sawyer is undeniable, and everyone knows it besides the two of them.

Most Likely to Succeed was one of my most anticipated books of 2015. Ever since I read Perfect Couple (the first book I read in the series), I have loved Sawyer and I was curious regarding his and Kaye's relationship. So of course, I was looking forward to this book. But when I read it, I was sadly disappointed. I must say, this is my least favorite out of the three books.

I have loved Sawyer's character since Perfect Couple and I continued to love him in this book. He was funny, charming, caring, hardworking, responsible and there's more to him than what meets the eye. Kaye, on the other hand, was whiny, annoying and bitchy, and I just couldn't help but hate her. There were times when I couldn't help rolling my eyes at Kaye's behavior because she was just too much!

The pacing of this book was moderate, but when it got to the ending, it became rushed. The whole thing happened so fast, and I was really annoyed at how it ended. Nevertheless, there were still some parts of this book that I enjoyed, especially those time that I was able to look deeper into Sawyer's character, and those times when the four from the first two books were present.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book. I’m conflicted because I really enjoyed the romance between Sawyer and Kaye, it gave me this sense of nostalgia for my high school years (and dude, that NEVER happens when I read YA). The way that Sawyer woos Kaye, and his behavior when he’s in his pelican costume…it really clicked for me.
Kaye’s hair, though? Felt off. Kaye wears her hair naturally but every time her hair process was described I felt this disconnect. The words that were used felt clunky and off.
Honestly, I don’t like the way Echols tackles race/racism. Which is to say: BADLY. In this book alone, we’ve got the black character encouraging her white boyfriend to move back in with his dad who said something racist (I’m going out on a limb here since Echols obscured whatever the dad said to Sawyer to the vaguest of ideas of something resembling racism shhhh). In both this book and another with a Japanese hero, Echols has a white character tell a POC character that something that they perceived to be racist isn’t in fact racist. And then the POC has a learning moment or whatever.
Come in a little closer, I want to whisper something in your ear: DON’T EVER DO THIS EVER STOP IT

[Fatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

lmfao this was such a shit show, and the author HAS got to know that...I don't know if this is just this series or all her books, but they always feel so shallow. Like really really shallow. Like not even in the water shallow.

[Eri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read and many thanks to my friend Siiri for reccing me this book.

Review to come.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars! A fantastic conclusion to a series that started off rocky, but became quickly awesome.

Wow, I was really looking forward to this last part in the series and I am not disappointed. Of course there were some things that I didn't like and that is why I didn't give it the full 5 stars. But I have to say that this one is the best one of the series. After a really disappointing first book, I was actually worried to continue with this series, but I found out that each book is from the POV of another friend (first was Tia, then Harper and now Kaye), of course stuff from the previous books pop up, as this is still a continuation on the previous stories, but at least it had different characters, which was a huge relief. And I can also honestly say that after finishing this series that I am liking Tia and Will more and more, unlike the first book where I didn't like them that much, especially Tia was one that I didn't like. Maybe I will reread the first book and see if I like it better now that I have seen the characters from other perspectives and found out more about them and their lives.

Now back to this last book. This one focusses on Kaye and Sawyer. Kaye our vice-president, long girlfriend of the terrible Aidan (sorry, never liked him, and after this book that dislike turned to hate), awesome cheerleader, great friend and overachiever (though that is mostly to blame to her parents (more on them later)). Kaye is a fantastic character and she felt truly real. Her struggles with her parents, her trials with Sawyer and Aidan, her insecurity about so many things. A lot of time I don't like characters who keep staying insecure, even if people tell them they are totally awesome and that they rock. But for some reason I only had a few times that I wanted to shake Kaye, other than that? I just felt sorry for the girl, and she did her best to improve, to see the world around her, to stand up for herself, to figure out where she stood. Kaye is really a terrific character and I truly liked her. Of course she makes some mistakes, things that she wish she could take back, but that is OK. It also made her see her life could be different, that her life didn't need to run perfectly.
I loved how she stood her ground with Aidan. I am glad that she finally had guts to do that, as Aidan was one manipulative little screw-up. I was just cheering and applauding when she just had the guts to say no, to say what she wanted to say and then just turn away. Go Girl! \o/

Sawyer, I still remember that I didn't always like him from the first book, but as the books progress we see him change. I think out of all the characters he is the one to change the most. From a guy who is misunderstood, uses drugs and drinks, has sex (or at least hops from one girl to the next), he is now a guy who is trying his best in school, who tries his best doing what he loves, tries to earn money, he stopped with drinking and drugs, and he changed his diet (though he truly needs to do more research on that topic, as I am wondering how he is still alive if that is the only thing he eats). In this book we see even more of him, we see him at his most vulnerable, we find out more and more about his parents, about his life, and how he turned out to be what he was in the beginning of the series.
We also see even more of the sweet Sawyer that I love, the sweet and kind Sawyer who is acting all tough and secure, but is actually insecure, is worried and actually wishes to be with that one girl he has been looking forward to having as his girlfriend for several years. It was just adorable to see him like this and I was just sighing in happiness to see him open up, to find out more about Sawyer. Because Sawyer is truly my favourite character from this series now. He is funny, smart, great, sweet and adorable.

Kaye and Sawyer? I won't spoil anything, but let me just tell you that at times it will frustrate you (the drama!) but it will also make you swoon and sigh happily at the sweet moments.

Then we have the mom, dear Lord, what a horrendous bitch that woman is. At times I just wanted to shout at my book, shout at that piece of crap of a mother. Sorry for my language, but I hate people like this. Who expect everything to follow the lines they set, to follow everything, and then if their kid decides to do something else, get angry, put her down, burn her to the ground and make remarks that NO parent should EVER EVER make. The things she said to Kaye over the course of the book were disgusting. And not only to Kaye but also to Kaye's brother, to her husband, to frankly everyone who didn't meet her sky high standards.
And sure, she had a fucked-up youth, her family is gone, she lived in the slums and what ever more, but is that any reason to treat your kids like this? To treat them like shit and expecting them to do all kinds of things because you are worried they might just go the way you yourself prevented back when you were younger? You know, it is funny, from what I generally see, this kind of shit actually makes kids go do the wrong things, or make them more sneakier, and otherwise they will just wait until they are gone and out of the house. Do you want that? Do you want your kids to be so stressed and so scared around you? Because this is what you will get if you act this way.
I also hated that she would drive her KIDS to the slum she lived in. A fucking slum filled with drugs users, drugs dealers, prostitutes and God knows what else. She would endanger them to learn them a lesson. What the hell is wrong with you woman? That is not the way to teach your children. That just shows them you are one messed up woman.
And no I don't care what happened at the end, nice redeeming arc, but I wasn't interested in that woman by then and I don't believe for one bit that she would just do a 180 degree turnaround to change. :|

Aidan, I already didn't particularly like him, but this book. Dear Lord, what is wrong with that guy. Putting down Kaye constantly, or if she dared to score higher then him, dared to defy him, dared to be better than him, making rotten remarks. And then we find out other stuff about Aidan and I was just so disgusted with this guy. Of course I was pissed at Kaye as well for going along with this for so long, but as the book progressed I could see why she would stay with that guy. Still I wish she had just dumped him. No one deserves a guy who treats his girlfriend as shit. Who wants the woman to be lower than him on the scale, who wants a woman who will just nod and listen to him quietly without resistance. A woman he could just use. Sick. So very sick.

The dad, I didn't like him a lot, I found him too passive, and I while he spoke up quite a bit or tried to calm his wife, I am still not sure why they are together. Mismatch is one thing, but this was just weird and awkward. At times I was happy that he was there for Kaye, but the times where he was needed he often stayed quiet or just tried to calm his wife. :\

Phew, now that is off my chest. The story was perfect, there was lots of swoony romance, lots of snarky remarks between Sawyer and Kaye, there was lots of friendship (it is so nice to see Tia and Harper again) and in overall it was just a fantastic and fun book that I really loved. The ending was perfect! I will be sure to add this book to my collection. And I would recommend this and the second book to everyone. Be sure to read this series! I will just keep hoping that maybe we will get some more books, just this time from the guy's point of view. I would love a Sawyer or a Will book. Or maybe a college book about our girls and their boyfriends! I want to see how everyone is doing!

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Madeline Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling in line with the a lot of other reviews for this series and this book, this one was probably my favourite of the three. This series was super cute overall, but this particular story had a lot more going on. The romance felt very real and made me happy like the previous books did. Sawyer is one of my favourite characters in the series so I loved hearing more about him. I also loved the character development in this book and was very happy overall with the message of doing what you love and not what you feel someone else wants you to do. I think each book had a really important message in addition to some really cute romance.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

From my series review of THE SUPERLATIVES trilogy:

In all honesty, I didn’t think that The Superlatives trilogy by Jennifer Echols would blow me away much at all; I read my first Echols book, Going Too Far, and thought it was pretty good and fun. However, I wasn’t completely SOLD on Echols’ writing or her books in general. Sadly, while The Superlatives trilogy is certainly entertaining, I’m still not considered a huge fan, and probably never will be.

This series follows the lives of three high school girls in Florida, and the titles of these three books are based on their senior awards, or as they call it, their Senior Superlative title.

The first book, Biggest Flirts, is my least favorite in the trilogy. The main character was not one that I could easily relate to. Tia Cruz is a girl who is incredibly smart, but purposely underwhelms her intelligence and doesn’t particularly like to form close romantic relationships: a no-strings-attached kind of girl. She entices the new boy from Minnesota, Will, and they get Biggest Flirts. From there, their story takes off. I think it’s a little crazy that these high schoolers are so obsessed with their Senior Superlative title and base their lives around it. It’s not that big of a deal, y’all.

Following Tia’s story is Harper’s story with Perfect Couple. I enjoyed this one a bit more just because Harper is more me: studious, artsy, and hard-working. Harper gets voted the Perfect Couple that Never Was with the most popular jock at school, Brody. They get together in this book because of their Senior Superlative title (again, their lives revolve around these things? Why?). It’s a pretty cute story though, and I enjoyed the plot twist that is thrown in.

Finally, there is Most Likely to Succeed, my favorite book in the trilogy. The characters just grew on me over time, because characters from book one and two make some appearances in this final book. For me, Kaye’s story in this conclusion contained the most substance and conflict and was overall more well-written.

The Superlatives trilogy is a little wonky and over-exaggerated, considering the fact that high schoolers in real life would never base their senior year by their senior awards, but it’s overall pretty fun. Tia, Harper, and Kaye are best friends, so their presence in each other’s stories are pretty prominent over all three books, which I liked. The Superlatives trilogy is not one I’m going to particularly recommend however, unless you like fun high school dramas with a touch of steamier-than-average YA romances.

Check out this review and more at Books and Other Happy Ever Afters

[Haraiah Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

I should be disappointed but I'm honestly not, considering my thoughts on the previous books in this series. I love Sawyer still. That hasn't changed. He is amazing. The rest of the book is pretty weak though. I guess part of it is due to the fact that the scenes were so abrupt. I mean, how can you feel the moment if it happens so fast? And there is no chemistry between Kaye and Sawyer. Which is weird because I loved them both and got really excited when I read Biggest Flirts.

Kaye is whiny. The problem with her is she doesn't LISTEN. There is a big, big difference between hearing and listening. She blames her mom for driving Sawyer away when, in fact, it's her fault. Her mom's mean, sure, whatever. But when it actually comes to Sawyer, Kaye's form of caring for him comes off as really condescending and she wonders why Sawyer would suddenly get mad when she says something!

And WHAT THE FCK IS THAT ENDING? Is that how an issue is resolved? They don't see or talk to each other for a day after a fight and Kaye cries the whole time. The next time they see each other they hug. Problem solved. Then the book ends. Ummm. It caught me off guard because, again, super abrupt.



Aside from Sawyer, the only thing I loved in this book is how protective Tia is of him :D

I have two words to sum this up. NOTHING. HAPPENS.