The Bad Boy & the Tomboy

One of the most important things Macy’s mother instilled in her was the love of soccer. After her mom died when Macy was nine, Macy has used soccer to help heal this loss. She is now the rising star of the Wellington High’s soccer team, the boys’ soccer team. And she is the captain. Grade 12 is important to Macy, and her eye is on her studies and a soccer scholarship. Apart from her best friend Jasmine, all of Macy’s friends and confidants are her teammates – boys. In her sweat pants and hoodie, playing games, eating and hanging out, Macy, the proverbial tomboy, is most comfortable with these boys. This “tomboy” moniker is fuel for negative attention from the school bully, Beatrice, who has also targeted Jasmine, calling her an ‘Oreo’, black on the outside and white on the inside. Jasmine’s parents begin fighting, and her ability to cope with Beatrice’s jibes is very low. Macy knows she needs to step up and support her friend. As if one jerk isn’t enough, when Macy meets Sam Cahill, the cocky, handsome bad boy from the UK who has been sent to live with his cousin Cedric’s family, her immediate reaction is, ‘Jerk’.

Cedric, a boy Macy has had a crush on since eighth grade, is completely different. He is attractive, well-mannered and has asked her out. When Cedric becomes her boyfriend, he wonders about Macy’s unexpected growing friendship with his cousin Sam. At first, the friendship was evidenced by informal soccer practices after school, but soon it became obvious that there is something simmering beneath surface. There is no love lost between the cousins, and Macy begins to understand there is a deeper reason for the conflict. Upon finding out Sam’s twin sister Bethany died in car accident, Macy tries to reach out to him via their shared losses. When their friendship turns intimate, the two vow to call it quits. Sam is convinced he is going to hurt Macy, and she knows she needs to make it right with Cedric. When the anniversary of Bethany’s death spirals Sam into a depression, he takes off, leaving everyone concerned for his safety. Macy knows she has the key to bring Sam back – a deep understanding of guilt and loss.

Author Nwosu has a busy cast of characters that make up the story of The Bad Boy & the Tomboy. Instead of being confused, the reader accepts the swirl of strife, friendship, family trauma, and everyday conflicts against a backdrop of high school life. It feels normal, and the reader will be absorbed into Macy’s and her friends’ lives. The problems are real; divorce, racism, loss and love. Nwosu has woven these themes in seamlessly, and, rather than being forced, they are the layers that hold up the plot and move the story along to a very satisfying conclusion.

Nicole Nwosu started writing The Bad Boy & the Tomboy when she was only 14-years-old, posting each chapter on Wattpad. When the story gained over a hundred million reads on the online platform, it won a 2015 “Cover-to-Cover” Watty Award. Nwosu has written other stories on Wattpad including 68 Days and Counting, The Artist and the Dancer, and Everything Happens at 2:04 AM. Currently, Nwosu author is studying at Western University and working on her new novel called “There She Goes”.