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readandwright's review
4.0
Thank you Simon and Schuster for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
I have always loved reading YA and Marissa Kanter has become one of my favorite authors in the subgenres! Her last book, As If On Cue, so perfectly captured what it means to be a theatre kid that it remains a book I think about often! I was so excited for a summery NYC book and oh my gosh, did I love it. If you love New York, this book is a love letter to the city. It’s full of sticky, sweaty subway rides and finding the hidden gems within the bustling streets. It made me miss New York so much!
Synopsis:
“Ava “Fitz” Fitzgerald has worked hard to create the picture-perfect life she’s always wanted. She spent her junior year transforming her passion for sustainable fashion and upcycling into a viral online platform, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and spending every free second with her soon-to-graduate girlfriend, Danica. And this summer she plans to take it all to the next level by attending a prestigious summer fashion program in New York City and convincing Dani that they can survive a year of long distance.
But when Dani dumps her before classes even start, accusing Fitz of being more invested in growing her online persona than deepening their relationship, she’s left not only heartbroken, but also creatively blocked.
Fitz will do anything to win Dani back, even if that means taking a break from the platform that she’s worked so hard to build. But just as she decides to go all-in on a hiatus, a chance encounter reunites her with Levi Berkowitz, her childhood best friend that she hasn’t seen since elementary school. Levi is struggling with heartbreak of his own, and this cosmic coincidence sparks a new use for her social media savvy. Fitz offers to help Levi craft a fake relationship online to make his person jealous…if in return he can pretend to be her boyfriend in front of Dani to make her jealous. If all goes according to plan, by the end of the summer they’ll both be reunited with their perfect partners and get to rekindle their friendship in the process.
Sometimes even the most carefully designed plans can come apart at the seams, though. And when real history leads to not-so-fake feelings, Fitz will have to decide if she’s finally willing to let go of what she thought was picture-perfect and choose what might actually be right for her.” —NetGalley
But when Dani dumps her before classes even start, accusing Fitz of being more invested in growing her online persona than deepening their relationship, she’s left not only heartbroken, but also creatively blocked.
Fitz will do anything to win Dani back, even if that means taking a break from the platform that she’s worked so hard to build. But just as she decides to go all-in on a hiatus, a chance encounter reunites her with Levi Berkowitz, her childhood best friend that she hasn’t seen since elementary school. Levi is struggling with heartbreak of his own, and this cosmic coincidence sparks a new use for her social media savvy. Fitz offers to help Levi craft a fake relationship online to make his person jealous…if in return he can pretend to be her boyfriend in front of Dani to make her jealous. If all goes according to plan, by the end of the summer they’ll both be reunited with their perfect partners and get to rekindle their friendship in the process.
Sometimes even the most carefully designed plans can come apart at the seams, though. And when real history leads to not-so-fake feelings, Fitz will have to decide if she’s finally willing to let go of what she thought was picture-perfect and choose what might actually be right for her.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
- The Setting—This book is so New York and I loved it so much. I missing living in NYC every single day so I loved getting to visit through these pages. I know the author used to live in the city too and the love was so evident.
- The Banter—One of my favorite parts of Marisa’s writing is the banter between the characters! I loved how sweet and gentle Levi was and Fitz was so fun.
- The Sister Relationships—I loved that Fitz had to navigate how it feels to be the youngest sibling and moving away, not wanting to viewed as a child as she grew up, and figuring out how to best communicate.
- The Lessons Learned—YA can be tough to read as an adult because we often forget how it feels to be young. But that is exactly why I love reading it! It reminds me how things feel so big when we’re young but it’s because we’re experiencing things for the first time.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Needed More of the Summer Program—I wish we’d spent more time with Fitz at FIT. I feel like the reason she was there got lost in the shuffle, which happened to the character but I wanted to see more of her passion.
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Overall Rating: 4/5
Content Warnings:
absent parents, bi-phobia
battyaboutbooks's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
🦇 Book Review 🦇
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
❓ #QOTD If you have a plant, what type is it and what would you name it OR what's the story behind your Insta handle?❓
🦇 When Ava "Fitz" Fitzgerald travels to New York with her girlfriend, Danica, she's ready for the perfect summer attending a prestigious summer fashion program that will take her upcycling Insta account to the next level. Unfortunately, Danica upends her plans by dumping her before classes even start, blaming Fitz's obsession with her online persona. To show she's willing to do anything to win Danica back, Fitz takes a break from social media. After reuniting with her long-lost, childhood best friend Levi, she strikes up a plan to win Dani back by making her jealous. Unfortunately, even the most carefully designed plans can come apart at the seams.
💜 Fitz is adorably chaotic and entirely too realistic. A perfectionist with three sisters and parents too busy to pay her much notice, Fitz connects to her older sisters by upcycling their old clothes, turning them into new creations. Unfortunately, that perfectionism causes her to become creatively blocked, leading Fitz to realize there's just as much beauty in imperfections and being authentically yourself, sans filter.
💜 There are so many adorable tropes in Finally Fitz, giving it elements of a comforting, familiar rom-com. I loved Fitz's dynamic with her sisters (I'm the oldest of four girls, and she's the youngest), who always felt shut out and disconnected as the baby among them. The underlying mental health topics of self-worth, authenticity, and work-life balance gave this story the extra layer of depth it needed. I also appreciated the normalcy around queerness (and the touch on biophobia/bi-erasure) for both Fitz and Levi.
💙 Fitzy. Oh, sweet, sweet Fitzy. Fake kissing your childhood best friend and plotting a curated, fake relationship to make your ex jealous is not okay. Not respecting someone's boundaries or desire for a healthier relationship (by their definition) is not okay. The moment Fitz started down that route, I disconnected from her, even as a fellow messy bi. Everything that Danika considered a red flag was entirely valid, and Fitz only made things worse for herself.
🦇 Recommended for fans of She Gets the Girl or To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Great if you love a messy fake-dating rom-com.
✨ The Vibes ✨
🪡 Second Chance Romance
🪴 Friends to Lovers
🪡 Mental Health Rep
🪴 Bi FMC + Bi4Bi Romance
🪡 Young Adult/Coming-of-Age
🪴 Queer Supporting Cast
🪡 Jewish FMC
🦇 Major thanks to the author @marisakanter and publisher @simonteen for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FinallyFitz
💬 Quotes
❝ But if I’m a person who never shows people less than their best . . . how is it possible to still feel like my best is never enough? ❞
❝ Because it’s one thing when queerphobic trash invalidate your identity. It’s another thing entirely to experience biphobia from within the queer community. ❞
❝ Because everyone deserves clothes that empower them to feel like the best, most authentic versions of themselves. ❞
❝ I just want to bottle the feeling that’s finding the one person in this universe who gets you and sees you—the whole unfiltered truth of you— and loves you anyway. ❞
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
❓ #QOTD If you have a plant, what type is it and what would you name it OR what's the story behind your Insta handle?❓
🦇 When Ava "Fitz" Fitzgerald travels to New York with her girlfriend, Danica, she's ready for the perfect summer attending a prestigious summer fashion program that will take her upcycling Insta account to the next level. Unfortunately, Danica upends her plans by dumping her before classes even start, blaming Fitz's obsession with her online persona. To show she's willing to do anything to win Danica back, Fitz takes a break from social media. After reuniting with her long-lost, childhood best friend Levi, she strikes up a plan to win Dani back by making her jealous. Unfortunately, even the most carefully designed plans can come apart at the seams.
💜 Fitz is adorably chaotic and entirely too realistic. A perfectionist with three sisters and parents too busy to pay her much notice, Fitz connects to her older sisters by upcycling their old clothes, turning them into new creations. Unfortunately, that perfectionism causes her to become creatively blocked, leading Fitz to realize there's just as much beauty in imperfections and being authentically yourself, sans filter.
💜 There are so many adorable tropes in Finally Fitz, giving it elements of a comforting, familiar rom-com. I loved Fitz's dynamic with her sisters (I'm the oldest of four girls, and she's the youngest), who always felt shut out and disconnected as the baby among them. The underlying mental health topics of self-worth, authenticity, and work-life balance gave this story the extra layer of depth it needed. I also appreciated the normalcy around queerness (and the touch on biophobia/bi-erasure) for both Fitz and Levi.
💙 Fitzy. Oh, sweet, sweet Fitzy. Fake kissing your childhood best friend and plotting a curated, fake relationship to make your ex jealous is not okay. Not respecting someone's boundaries or desire for a healthier relationship (by their definition) is not okay. The moment Fitz started down that route, I disconnected from her, even as a fellow messy bi. Everything that Danika considered a red flag was entirely valid, and Fitz only made things worse for herself.
🦇 Recommended for fans of She Gets the Girl or To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Great if you love a messy fake-dating rom-com.
✨ The Vibes ✨
🪡 Second Chance Romance
🪴 Friends to Lovers
🪡 Mental Health Rep
🪴 Bi FMC + Bi4Bi Romance
🪡 Young Adult/Coming-of-Age
🪴 Queer Supporting Cast
🪡 Jewish FMC
🦇 Major thanks to the author @marisakanter and publisher @simonteen for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FinallyFitz
💬 Quotes
❝ But if I’m a person who never shows people less than their best . . . how is it possible to still feel like my best is never enough? ❞
❝ Because it’s one thing when queerphobic trash invalidate your identity. It’s another thing entirely to experience biphobia from within the queer community. ❞
❝ Because everyone deserves clothes that empower them to feel like the best, most authentic versions of themselves. ❞
❝ I just want to bottle the feeling that’s finding the one person in this universe who gets you and sees you—the whole unfiltered truth of you— and loves you anyway. ❞
yapha's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the perfect summer romance read! Fitz and her girlfriend Dani are both spending the summer in NYC on different programs. On the same night that Fitz decides to say, "I Love You," Dani breaks up with her. Spiraling into depression and unable to create for her fashion program, Fitz bumps into her best friend who moved away when they were both 10. They decide to fake a romance to encourage jealousy in both of their exes. We all know how that usually turns out. ;) All in all this was a super sweet book about being true to yourself, fighting perfectionism and anxiety, and how a good relationship should make you feel. Highly recommended for grades 8 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
telltalelakej's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was really cute and sweet and I loved that the characters were so messy and complex. It’s always interesting to read about characters figuring out their feelings when you already have a pretty good guess of where the story is going.
Some critiques I have are the amount of pop culture references felt a little much and the end of the book kind of got a little messy and rushed in my opinion. I think pop culture references can be done well, especially if they help along the plot, but these just felt like they stood out too much and interrupted the flow of the narrative.
Other than that, I think it was a nice cozy read for those who are fans of fake dating.
I thought this book was really cute and sweet and I loved that the characters were so messy and complex. It’s always interesting to read about characters figuring out their feelings when you already have a pretty good guess of where the story is going.
Some critiques I have are the amount of pop culture references felt a little much and the end of the book kind of got a little messy and rushed in my opinion. I think pop culture references can be done well, especially if they help along the plot, but these just felt like they stood out too much and interrupted the flow of the narrative.
Other than that, I think it was a nice cozy read for those who are fans of fake dating.
sapphoslibrarycard's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What a cute falling in love story! It's the perfect cozy book about teenage love and falling for your best friend.
It starts off as an attempt by Fitz to get back together with her ex-girlfriend, and it quickly turns into an adventure through New York of Fitz rekindling her friendship with her childhood best friend and watching the two of them fall in love. The representation in this book is ample and beautifully written. The main characters are both bi, as well as Jewish. It was refreshing to read a book about bisexuality where there is love and support and normalcy around the sexuality - no internal or external conflict, just silly teenage love.
This book caters to a large audience, and many readers will find something to identify with, whether it's love story, the family relationships, the identity questioning with Jewishness, falling in and out of love with your passions, or simply finding friendship in New York. Also, Levi's plant parent journey is adorable!
What a cute falling in love story! It's the perfect cozy book about teenage love and falling for your best friend.
It starts off as an attempt by Fitz to get back together with her ex-girlfriend, and it quickly turns into an adventure through New York of Fitz rekindling her friendship with her childhood best friend and watching the two of them fall in love. The representation in this book is ample and beautifully written. The main characters are both bi, as well as Jewish. It was refreshing to read a book about bisexuality where there is love and support and normalcy around the sexuality - no internal or external conflict, just silly teenage love.
This book caters to a large audience, and many readers will find something to identify with, whether it's love story, the family relationships, the identity questioning with Jewishness, falling in and out of love with your passions, or simply finding friendship in New York. Also, Levi's plant parent journey is adorable!
leahjanespeare's review
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A cute queer, Jewish rom com of errors. Fitz deals with creative burnout, perfectionism, and messy fake-dating feelings, and it is quite the ride to be on with her and in her head. I loved the plantscapades and focus on sustainable fashion, and the bisexual representation for both leads in a straight-passing relationship. I have loved all of Kanter's books so far and am glad to see her solidifying her place in YA contemporary romance!
mousewitched's review
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC!
I want to start off by saying I am always happy for more bi rep, especially in YA, especially especially that addresses biphobia directly. As a bi woman my identity is questioned constantly, and affirming media for young people is proven to be beneficial. I really enjoyed Fitz, flaws and all; I think she's someone people at any age could relate to. Her burnout felt like what I've gone through as a recovering perfectionist and I'm sure her journey would speak to just about anyone who experienced the same thing. I also loved Levi quite a bit, but while Fitz felt like an actual teenager trying to figure shit out, Levi didn't feel like a real person. He seemed to be an idealized version of the perfect teenage boy, which took away from Fitz. He was always doing the right thing or the best thing while Fitz stumbled along.
All that being said, the most important relationship to me in this book was Fitz and her sisters. I'm an older sister and I know what it's like to think you're doing the right thing by your sibling, but seeing how badly Fitz wanted her older sisters to just include her actually felt a bit like a punch to the gut. Without spoiling anything, the resolution of this storyline meant everything to me (I may have actually teared up).
The plot is where things started to fall apart for me.
To be fair, it wasn't the plot itself, but the circumstances surrounding the romance part of the plot. (I love an unrealistic fake dating scenario!) The whole situation with Dani just felt weird to me as the plot progressed - it reminded me slightly of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, arguably the worst bi rep I've ever read. Sophie was not even a person, just an idea. I did love all the amazing New York locations and their not-dates and while obviously it didn't work for the plot, some more Boston location dropping as well would've been so fun for me. (As a slight aside, depending on when you leave Boston and which route you take, it can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours to get to Falmouth for the ferry to Martha's Vineyard! Signed, a current Bostonian, former Cape Codder)
Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a trend in bi rep fiction, especially in YA bi rep fiction, where inevitably the FMC ends up choosing the the male love interest instead of the female love interest. I can think of several books where this is the case and not one the opposite. This is not necessarily on the author but part of an ongoing larger discussion to me; the takeaway from this trend could easily become being bisexual is okay as long as you end up with a man, and then the inevitable bisexual people don't belong in queer spaces if they're in heterosexual passing relationships... I just personally think it's something we as readers should point out.
I am not a fashion person so I can't speak to the specifics in accuracy beyond little details about sewing satin is difficult and the like were great in making it feel real. I'm also not Jewish, so I will defer to Jewish reviewers on that storyline. I AM a musical theater nerd, but I will keep my opinions on their musical tastes to myself.
I clearly had a lot of feelings about this book, and I really did enjoy it! Even if it looks like I didn't. It was fun and will resonate a lot with readers.
I want to start off by saying I am always happy for more bi rep, especially in YA, especially especially that addresses biphobia directly. As a bi woman my identity is questioned constantly, and affirming media for young people is proven to be beneficial. I really enjoyed Fitz, flaws and all; I think she's someone people at any age could relate to. Her burnout felt like what I've gone through as a recovering perfectionist and I'm sure her journey would speak to just about anyone who experienced the same thing. I also loved Levi quite a bit, but while Fitz felt like an actual teenager trying to figure shit out, Levi didn't feel like a real person. He seemed to be an idealized version of the perfect teenage boy, which took away from Fitz. He was always doing the right thing or the best thing while Fitz stumbled along.
All that being said, the most important relationship to me in this book was Fitz and her sisters. I'm an older sister and I know what it's like to think you're doing the right thing by your sibling, but seeing how badly Fitz wanted her older sisters to just include her actually felt a bit like a punch to the gut. Without spoiling anything, the resolution of this storyline meant everything to me (I may have actually teared up).
The plot is where things started to fall apart for me.
To be fair, it wasn't the plot itself, but the circumstances surrounding the romance part of the plot. (I love an unrealistic fake dating scenario!) The whole situation with Dani just felt weird to me as the plot progressed - it reminded me slightly of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, arguably the worst bi rep I've ever read. Sophie was not even a person, just an idea. I did love all the amazing New York locations and their not-dates and while obviously it didn't work for the plot, some more Boston location dropping as well would've been so fun for me. (As a slight aside, depending on when you leave Boston and which route you take, it can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours to get to Falmouth for the ferry to Martha's Vineyard! Signed, a current Bostonian, former Cape Codder)
Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a trend in bi rep fiction, especially in YA bi rep fiction, where inevitably the FMC ends up choosing the the male love interest instead of the female love interest. I can think of several books where this is the case and not one the opposite. This is not necessarily on the author but part of an ongoing larger discussion to me; the takeaway from this trend could easily become being bisexual is okay as long as you end up with a man, and then the inevitable bisexual people don't belong in queer spaces if they're in heterosexual passing relationships... I just personally think it's something we as readers should point out.
I am not a fashion person so I can't speak to the specifics in accuracy beyond little details about sewing satin is difficult and the like were great in making it feel real. I'm also not Jewish, so I will defer to Jewish reviewers on that storyline. I AM a musical theater nerd, but I will keep my opinions on their musical tastes to myself.
I clearly had a lot of feelings about this book, and I really did enjoy it! Even if it looks like I didn't. It was fun and will resonate a lot with readers.
lberestecki's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
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