My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan (review)

What's a chubby gay boy to do when the whole school hates him and he has a crush on the most popular jock in school? What Justin does is pretend to be Becky's boyfriend so that her controlling father won't know she's still dating Chuck, the guy Justin's crushing on. Justin figures that pretend-dating Becky will get him close to Chuck, who will of course dump Becky once he figures out how much Justin likes him. After all, crossing over the popularity divide was unthinkable in the days before before he and Becky started hanging out, and now he's changed from bully bait to a fixture at the cool lunch table; why should crossing the gay/straight divide to get a kiss from Chuck be any more difficult? Of course, Justin's plan goes sadly awry, as Becky starts to like Justin as more than a pretend boyfriend, Chuck turns out to be a major jerk, and Justin's best friend and conscience, Spencer, refuses to talk to Justin because of the sneaky plan. The layers of self-delusion necessary for Justin to think his plan has any merit at all will certainly strain reader credulity beyond reasonable limits, but his hopeful romanticism and underdog appeal may ultimately win their hearts. His exuberant narration speaks with the familiar hyperbolic rhythms of afternoon teen sitcoms on cable, which is also where this silly, feel-good plot would feel most at home.