She's the girl next door and he's rich, popular, and from a famous political family. Brendon's the guy in high school everyone wants to date, and sparks fly when the two are paired together in class. 

Emme feels out of her comfort zone in Brendon's world and it doesn't help that his picture-perfect ex seems determined to get back into his life, along with every other girl who wants to be the future Mrs. Agretti. Emme is already uneasy due to the fact her last boyfriend dumped her and her whole world is off kilter with her grandparents' health issues. Life suddenly seems easier pushing Brendon away and relying on horoscopes to guide her. Emme soon starts to realize she needs to focus less on the stars and more on her senses. Can Emme get over her insecurities and make her relationship work? Life sure is complicated when you're dating the it guy.

A book with teen romance, a message of self-love and acceptance, and a sweet sense of family ties.

This updated re-release includes a brand new epilogue that let's you see what happens to Brendon and Emme years later when Emme graduates from college. 
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From Natural Bri: www.goodreads.com/review/show/2108764626

I love Hager’s ability to bring real life issues into a story, bring it to life and then teach you not only a life lesson, but how to trust and love. She always has a way with words and this book is just further proof to that. I am so glad I read this latest book of hers and cannot wait until the next. 

The characters are easy to connect with, especially our main character. Like most of us growing up, she has insecurities, dwells on the what-ifs and wonders what the future holds. At such a young and vulnerable age, this young lady has been through enough to ensure she has the strength to survive, but she has yet to begin to realise this, so she struggles, pushes through the problems thrown at her and tries to run from things she can’t fix. We can all relate to this, and to the things she learns as the story progresses. 

The pace is perfect, as it allows plenty of time to really get to know all of the characters, what is happening and truly understand what the main character is experiencing. I love that We have time to grow along with her and feel all the emotions of the read. 

This is truly a wonderful read, for all ages, but particularly for teens. I highly recommend it! 

From YA and Wine:

DATING THE GUY is a poignant story that delves deeply into the spectrum of human emotion and really focuses in on how deeply we feel those emotions as teenagers experiencing them for the first time.

From the title and cover, I was expecting something light and fluffy but was pleasantly surprised by the emotional depth of the story and Hager's ability to draw such feeling from her readers. There's plenty of teen angst and drama, but Hager doesn't shy away from delving into some darker, heartbreaking story elements as well.

There really are plenty of swoony moments in this book as well, so readers looking for a little contemporary romance will certainly not be disappointed. While I loved Brendon, I also really loved Hager's exploration of some of the insecurities that we sometimes feel in relationships. For Emme dating the "it guy" is a dream come true, but truly believing that he is superior to her opens her up to a lot of negative thoughts and emotions, and I felt like this book had a great underlying message about the importance of self love.

I really enjoyed this book, and I will certainly be reading books from Hager in the future.

www.goodreads.com/review/show/1991907506

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