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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
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
I really enjoyed Amanda DeWitt’s first book, and I was excited for whatever she’d write next. And while Wren Martin Ruins it All was a bit of a pivot from her first book, I’m a sucker for a romcom with ace rep, and this delivered.
Wren is a pretty relatable protagonist. While I didn’t have the same reasoning, I totally wish I had people like him in student government in middle and high school pushing for less of a romantic emphasis on dances and other events like that, as there’s a lot of stigma and pressure. But he also has a lot of growing and evolving to do, as do many teens, and I loved going on that journey with him. There were some points where his narration was a little cringe, like his tendency toward making lists, and there were a few times where it would feel like he’d sarcastically say something, like “I hate Halloween,” and then a line or two later, be like “Nope, just kidding, I love it,” which kind of got on my nerves a bit. But overall, the conversational tone works for the story and perfectly captures who Wren is as a person.
I’ve been loving seeing how the rivals/enemies-in-real-life, friends/lovers-online trope has been resurrected in modern YA romcoms, and this one was no exception. It was pretty obvious the direction it was taking, but it didn’t make the reveal any less worth waiting for. And while there are times when I question the protagonist’s intelligence, not realizing who they’re talking to, there was enough here for me to suspend my disbelief. And his relationship with his love interest evolves in real life as his online relationship develops, so the reveal is more sweet than shocking.
This was such a sweet read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a YA romcom with an asexual lead.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
I really enjoyed this latest queer YA #ownvoices romantic comedy by Amanda DeWitt that features an Ace teen boy who hates nothing more than school dances and ends up becoming Student Council President alongside his nemesis, Leo.
Forced to work together to plan a series of events in order to help raise money to fix the drama stage, Leo and Wren find themselves learning to appreciate each other in a new light. There's also an element of You've got mail where both boys match on an anonymous 'friend' app. Mistaken identities abound in this story full of grief, friendship and new love.
Perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice and great on audio narrated by Mark Sanderlin. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
CW: death of a parent from cancer, sibling with cancer
Forced to work together to plan a series of events in order to help raise money to fix the drama stage, Leo and Wren find themselves learning to appreciate each other in a new light. There's also an element of You've got mail where both boys match on an anonymous 'friend' app. Mistaken identities abound in this story full of grief, friendship and new love.
Perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice and great on audio narrated by Mark Sanderlin. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
CW: death of a parent from cancer, sibling with cancer
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun and nice asexual representation. It would have been nice to see more of their relationship after they found out about each other.
full review to come but one of the BEST ace books i’ve EVER read, tbh probably the best. i love wren, i love leo i love the chickens, just everything is so good
funny
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
This was a really warm, fuzzy read for a “dislike this guy to friends to lovers” story rife with high school chaos and an ace boy simply trying to live his life. I love this, it was fun, it was sweet, definitely recommended if you need a palate cleanser. My brain feels happy after reading this.
So, so good! Wren is a curmudgeonly high school senior who hates the romance obsessed Valentine's Day dance due to his own asexuality (though he's totally a sucker for romance himself), and after becoming student president due to a series of unfortunate events (which happen off screen), almost commits social suicide by canceling the dance altogether. Luckily he is saved by Leo, a coding wiz who is beloved by all (but hated by Wren) and proposes having a dating/social media app named Buddy sponsor the dance. The rest of the book follows Wren and Leo as they plan the dance and do typical high school senior type things.
During the course of this, Wren secretly signs up for Buddy (despite loudly proclaiming he hates it) and starts falling for his anonymous match (who of course is also a senior at their high school). A lot of the twists and turns are rather predictable, and the drama in this book is pretty mild. It doesn't hit significant highs or lows, any kind of conflict is usually resolved pretty quickly, and nothing is especially high stakes.
Where the book does shine is in the character's voice (the book is single POV so we stay with Wren the entire time), and the bigger non-romance questions that come up throughout, like how to plan for your future when it feels like your world is falling apart, and whether it's worth dating while asexual, and do people actually deserve a second chance after a bad first impression. I really enjoyed Wren's prickliness throughout, hints about Leo's pining, and even the app interactions, which I'm usually not a fan of. The ending is also pretty satisfying - it doesn't tie up everything neatly or answer all possible questions, but we see the characters in a good place and ready to face whatever comes next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree for the ARC.
During the course of this, Wren secretly signs up for Buddy (despite loudly proclaiming he hates it) and starts falling for his anonymous match (who of course is also a senior at their high school). A lot of the twists and turns are rather predictable, and the drama in this book is pretty mild. It doesn't hit significant highs or lows, any kind of conflict is usually resolved pretty quickly, and nothing is especially high stakes.
Where the book does shine is in the character's voice (the book is single POV so we stay with Wren the entire time), and the bigger non-romance questions that come up throughout, like how to plan for your future when it feels like your world is falling apart, and whether it's worth dating while asexual, and do people actually deserve a second chance after a bad first impression. I really enjoyed Wren's prickliness throughout, hints about Leo's pining, and even the app interactions, which I'm usually not a fan of. The ending is also pretty satisfying - it doesn't tie up everything neatly or answer all possible questions, but we see the characters in a good place and ready to face whatever comes next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree for the ARC.