Oops, I lied about sex with my stepbrother

starring: CAILIN PELUSO & NICK MILONE

When Ivy impulsively lies that she has slept with campus golden boy Mason, to boost her own popularity, she soon ends up in a complicated fake relationship with Mason, who is also her new step brother.

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐

There are a huge amount of YA verts at the moment, and I usually try and dodge the stepbrother trope but thought I would give this one a try.

And there are the bones of a really good vertical here

Firstly @dramabox_us have clearly taken pity on Evan Adams, one of the hardest working leads in verts, and been looking for new talent to be YA pin ups. @nick.milone is a great find, and brings a good mix of golden boy confidence and then vulnerability as we find out about his injury.

And @cailinpeluso has been steadily working in verts, but I hadn't managed to watch a project. It's a tricky role as Ivy isn't always that likeable here, as Mason points out she does just use him to get the mystical popularity she thinks matters. Making her feel naive is a good choice, and we see Ivy grow a bit, and come through for Mason when it really matters

@alyssa_heyer serves as on the many bad girl minions, and this is where we run into issues

Because part of this vertical is wonderful, with Mason recognizing when Ivy isn't ready, some powerful points about how an injury totally changes Mason's life, a super paint scene that sizzles, and the whole panic attack thing. Some really great moments

But then we go vertical nonsense. OTT bullying.

I mean come on chewing gum in the hair, Ivy spitting is disgusting, the whole thing with the dildo.

And the step brother thing, I know it is put in as the forbidden love but makes no sense.

For most of the vertical the fear is of them getting caught and Mason's rep being tarnished. When it is found out there is only a brief repercussion before the parents are fine and no one at school is bothered.

It's just odd writing. Make the forbidden relationship something new! Come on writers. I know how amazing you all are. Apps please let them come up with more interesting reasons why our star crossed lovers can't be together.

And I think a lot of creatives will be quite relieved to leave the step brother trope behind.

It's frustrating at this could have been a super vertical but it swerves and misses the target.

I appreciate the nods to 10 Things and hopefully we can keep moving towards great YA verticals coming out on every platform.

💖 Top swoonworthy moment:

Well look the whole stepbrother stuff is tricky - I know it is there for the 'forbidden romance' part, wish writers would find a new plot device. Moving on - there are super moments, when Mason helps Ivy with a panic attack, Mason's essay and the whole paint situation at the end. The nods to 10 Things I Hate About You are appreciated.

🦹🏼‍♂️ Top villain award:

Usual mean girl trio - Jessica leading the way here.

😂 Comedy gold:

A few good moments when Mum comes back and discovers the party - wish this has been leant into even more, thinking Sixteen Candles here!

🎺 Unsung hero:

Quite like the romanceometer - a fun change from lots of internal dialogue voice overs. It's cute, and works really well.

✍🏼 DETAILS

2026

Available on Dramabox