Kasie West writes YA contemporary and I’ve enjoyed quite a few of them, so I was really excited when I saw I was going to be able to interview Kasie about her newest release: Borrow My Heart. Today is my stop on the tour for Borrow My Heart hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. Keep on reading to find out more about this book and author!

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing Date: June 13, 2023

When a girl overhears a guy getting verbally destroyed by his friends for being catfished, she jumps in to save the day—and pretends to be his online crush. A young adult romance from the critically acclaimed author of Places We’ve Never Been.

Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.

Asher is cute, charming . . . and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he’s waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. And it’s . . . amazing.

It’s not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules. But will he forgive her when he finds out she’s not who she says she is? Wren’s not so sure. . . . After all, rules exist for a reason.

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Author Interview

What inspired you to write Borrow My Heart?

I love the fake dating trope (which is featured in this story) and, also, I’ve been wanting to write a book where the main character works in an animal shelter for a long time. When I started writing this book, our rescue dog Harley, was about ten years old and he brought so much joy to our lives that I wanted to write a book that focused on rescues. It was so fun to write.

What has been the favorite part of your publishing journey so far?

I love meeting fellow readers and writers. I’m such a big reader and it never occurred to me growing up that I could have a career where I would interact with other book lovers on a regular basis. It has been a dream career for me and I’m so happy I get to do it.

If you were a character in Borrow My Heart, what kind of character would you be?

I would definitely work in the animal shelter. I would want to be in the cat room and just pet cats all day long. My husband is very allergic to cats so I haven’t been able to own one in many many years. So I love to love on them.

Describe Borrow My Heart in five words or less.

Girl saves boy and dog. (Five words or less is hard!)

What is your favorite quote from Borrow My Heart?

Here is quote that I love because it is fun and doesn’t give anything away and shows a little bit of Asher’s (the love interest) personality:

“You named the cookies?” Asher asked, taking them and ushering us inside. “Individually or is that what they’re known as collectively?”

What do you hope readers take away from your story?

I hope readers will open their hearts to love (romance, friendship, pets). Even if it has been hurt before. Sometimes we protect ourselves from future hurt because of past hurt. But in so doing, we also protect ourselves from future possibilities and future love.

Could you give us 5 random facts about Borrow My Heart (think the story, writing, publishing, anything that comes to mind)?

My younger sister is deathly afraid of the ocean. It goes back to her getting a mysterious bite on her ankle when she was young from something in the ocean. It got all big and bruised and the doctors could never figure out exactly what happened. You’ll know how this fact relates to the book when you read it. Lol

I am obsessed with tiny houses. Especially buses turned into houses. I think they are so cool and I fancy myself living in a tiny house one day. It will probably never happen, but a girl can dream. Again, you will understand why this is relevant when you read.

Ray, the cover designer, loves corgis. That’s why there is a corgi on the cover and why I added one in the book as well. And I agree with Ray, they are cute!

Speaking of covers, the first concept was all dogs, and it was adorable, but didn’t exactly reflect the romance aspect.

There are some TikTok references in this book and yes, it is a direct result of me having a TikTok addiction.

Tour Schedule

If you’re curious about Borrow My Heart after reading this interview, click here for the full tour schedule. Amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers have been talking about Borrow My Heart this week.

About the Author

Kasie West is the author of many YA novels, including The Fill-in Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Lucky in Love, and Listen to Your Heart. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, JLG selections, and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. When she’s not writing, she’s binge-watching television, devouring books, or bury-ing her toes in the sand of the Central Coast. Kasie lives in Fresno, California, with her family. You can find her online at kasiewest.com

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I just got the Borrow My Heart audiobook on Audible and I can’t wait to listen to it next week. A big thank you to Kasie for taking time to answer my questions for this interview!