Lauren Barnholdt - Fake Me a Match

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ADVANCE REVIEWER COPY

TITLE: Fake Me a Match

AUTHOR: Lauren Barnholdt

IMPRINT: Aladdin

ON-SALE DATE: 10/4/11

ISBN: 978-1-4424-2258-2

FORMAT: Hardcover

PRICE: $15.99 / $18.99 CAN

AGES: 912

PAGES: 288

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Designed by Jessica Handleman

The text of this book was set in Lomba Book.

Manufactured in the United States of America TKTK XXX

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data TK

ISBN 978-1-4424-2258-2

ISBN 978-1-4424-2260-5 (eBook)

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AC K N OW L E D G M E N T S

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one

SO IM KIND OF IN THE MARKET FOR A new best friend. Reasons:

1. My old best friend, Sophie Burns, has apparently decided that we are not friends anymore. Im still not clear on the exact reasons for this, but from what I can tell, it has something to do with us starting seventh grade. At the beginning of the year she found some new, more popular friends (Kaci Mitchell and K.J. Reynolds), who love to do nothing except talk about boys, boys, boys. And when theyre not talking about boys, theyre texting them, following them, or getting their hair highlighted in order to be noticed by them.

L A U R E N B A R N H O L DT

Dont get me wrong, I like boys as much as the next person. (Especially Kevin Hudson, who, as far as Im concerned, is the cutest boy at Heights Middle School, so totally cuter than Sam Humphrey, who everyone thinks is the cutest boy, but who definitely isnt due to his arrogant personality.) I just dont think they should be talked about and obsessed over all the time.

2. Everyone needs a best friend. Under normal circumstances, getting a best friend this late in the game would be almost impossible. I mean, everyone at my school either already has a best friend from elementary school, or theyve already found their new middle school best friend and ditched their old best friend for no reason (read: Sophie Burns).

Which is why its totally lucky that Im getting a new sister. And not a baby sister either. (Which would actually be a disaster, since who wants a baby crying and screaming and making messes all over the house?) No, Im getting a real, honest-to-goodness thirteen-year-old stepsister. Her name is Blake (I know! How cool is that name for a girl?), and shes coming to live with us.

Like, today.

FA K E M E A M ATC H

Do you think she likes green? I ask my mom as I brush some green paint onto the wall of my room. Well, our room. Me and Blake are sharing until my mom can get all her fitness equipment cleaned out of our third bedroom. (Not like she minds. I mean, she used her treadmill maybe once, and her elliptical, like, twice. So really theyre just these big dust magnets that are taking up space.)

Anyway, I decided to paint before Blake got here, and I picked this super-pretty, sea-foam green that makes the whole room open up and look bright and airy. (I heard that on a home improvement show. I know its weird that I watch home improvement shows. But really, theyre pretty interesting. Like, did you know you can paint your refrigerator? Seriously, how cool is that? I tried to get my mom to let us paint ours red, but she was totally not having it.)

Im not sure, my mom says, all distracted. Shes over in the corner, sitting at my desk and looking at menus for her wedding. Its in three weeks. And she

just got engaged to Blakes dad, Will, like, two months ago. Its been totally crazy, especially for my mom, who likes to have everything done, like, five million years ahead of time.

What do you mean youre not sure? I say now. I take 3

L A U R E N B A R N H O L DT

a step back and look at the wall. Dont you think this color is gorgeous? Its called Sea-Foam Shell. How can that not be gorgeous? A drip of paint slides down the wall, and I reach over and try to blot it up with the little foam brush they gave me at Home Depot. But I guess the paint must be super fast drying or something, because it kind of just, uh, glops onto the foam. Hmmm. Well, whatever. Im sure some touch-ups are to be expected.

Even the pros cant just get it all smooth and perfect on the first try.

No, it is gorgeous, my mom says. Sorry, honey, Im just distracted. She holds up two menus. Do you think Italian food would be okay for a wedding? This place has an opening, but Im not sure if Italian food is a good choice.