Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Fresh

Two standout things about this book is its breaking-the-fourth-wall narration, which is so refreshing and captivating, and its fun college vibes, which definitely made me nostalgic for my first year at uni. But unfortunately there were three major issues that I couldn't get past and which inevitably dropped my rating to 3.5 stars.

The first is the romance. I just couldn't get behind it, because an RA/fresher romance is just weird to me. There's a power dynamic there that I don't like, and having been in halls myself it's kind of gross to think of someone who is supposed to be your mentor/older sibling figure (and is also being paid to do the job) being in a relationship with a resident.

My second issue was with Elliot herself. I started off absolutely loving her but then she started really annoying me and some of her words and phrases were cringey to me, like tender chicken (it made me feel sick).

My third issue was that for a book that calls itself sex-positive, there were some decidedly not sex-positive things in there. For example, it doesn't dismantle the social concept of virginity when there is opportunity to do so, it doesn't use anatomical names for genitals, it calls people who don't have sex boring, and it uses the term "prostitution."

I really wish I had gotten on with this book more! Its new adult + sapphic which is RIGHT up my alley, but sadly we weren't a match.

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bookcrushin's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The award for the most bi-positive cover & book goes to...Fresh! Seriously this book is laugh out loud funny, sexy, and still helps us not fuck up future relationships. College age books and protagonists are still some of my favorite books on the market. This one is good, friends, it's really good.

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make_believer's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

utopiastateofmind's review against another edition

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5.0

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Fresh immediately hooked me with such a unique narrative voice. With plenty of footnotes, Fresh feels interactive and almost self-reflective. It feels like your best friend is confiding directly to you, like a lovely story time. Because of this persuasive, charming, and vulnerable voice I was immediately hooked. Fresh is dynamic and fast paced, with new, but striking, faces amongst the pages. It's the perfect book to close out your summer and for all college anticipating teens.

While Fresh feels almost like an adrenaline fueled sugar high, at the same time Wood delivers a story about sexual assault, forgiveness, and vulnerability. There's humor, family scenes that had me tearing up, and emotional heart break. Wood is able to encompass the full spectrum of emotions within these pages. Because we've fallen in love with the complex and detailed characters in Fresh and Wood is unafraid to show us their messy, complicated, and flawed sides. All the mistakes, fears we try to hide, and doubts we can't help but fixate on.

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