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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Thank you so much to Wednesday/St Martin's Press for the advance copy!
Thank you so much to MacMillan for the advance copy of the audio!
This book will be out on March 26th, 2024.
If Sophie Gonzales writes it, I will read it. With that being said this was such a cute YA rom com and thought this was quite different compared to other books by her that I have read. It was so unserious and silly but still had a lot of heart! I like that each chapter were broken up between the past and the present and thought it moved pretty quickly.
Everything always starts with a thunderstorm so when the storm occurred and suddenly the next morning Ivy's favorite character from her favorite tv show comes to life. And not only that but he is in LOVE with her! West Weston was such a fun character and I love how devoted to Ivy he was on that first day. I thought Gonzales was having a good time with his character and you could tell.
"Sometimes, you really just need to say scary truths out loud to someone you trust."
If you are looking for this to be romance centric, this is not it. This definitely is more about the fall of a friendship and trying to rebuild it back together again. What I felt Sophie did a good job with is getting the feeling across at how complicated friendships are especially when you are in high school. They had to work through their issues with one another and had a couple conversations until they came to a resolution. And then Ivy & Mack recognizing that they had feelings for one another in the last bit of the book.
Chapter 13 really hit me in the feels as I know I was the perpetrator in a friendship break up & the guilt that followed from it. Sadly unlike Ivy & Mack, there has been no resolution.
Henry was probably my favorite character in the book. I thought he was so funny and several times I found myself chuckling at the things he was saying.
I thought the narrator Jeremy Carlisle Parker did a great job with all the characters. Her tone and inflections sounded juvenile (not in a bad way) for Ivy's character. She was a new narrator to me and I would listen to her read other books.
While some of Sophie's book gear towards the older YA/New Adult age range, I would say this one is more towards middle school & high school.
I am already looking forward to the next!
If you want a cute, YA book on friendship and a smidge of romance and fan fic focus with lots of representation - check this out!!
Thank you so much to MacMillan for the advance copy of the audio!
This book will be out on March 26th, 2024.
If Sophie Gonzales writes it, I will read it. With that being said this was such a cute YA rom com and thought this was quite different compared to other books by her that I have read. It was so unserious and silly but still had a lot of heart! I like that each chapter were broken up between the past and the present and thought it moved pretty quickly.
Everything always starts with a thunderstorm so when the storm occurred and suddenly the next morning Ivy's favorite character from her favorite tv show comes to life. And not only that but he is in LOVE with her! West Weston was such a fun character and I love how devoted to Ivy he was on that first day. I thought Gonzales was having a good time with his character and you could tell.
"Sometimes, you really just need to say scary truths out loud to someone you trust."
If you are looking for this to be romance centric, this is not it. This definitely is more about the fall of a friendship and trying to rebuild it back together again. What I felt Sophie did a good job with is getting the feeling across at how complicated friendships are especially when you are in high school. They had to work through their issues with one another and had a couple conversations until they came to a resolution. And then Ivy & Mack recognizing that they had feelings for one another in the last bit of the book.
Chapter 13 really hit me in the feels as I know I was the perpetrator in a friendship break up & the guilt that followed from it. Sadly unlike Ivy & Mack, there has been no resolution.
Henry was probably my favorite character in the book. I thought he was so funny and several times I found myself chuckling at the things he was saying.
I thought the narrator Jeremy Carlisle Parker did a great job with all the characters. Her tone and inflections sounded juvenile (not in a bad way) for Ivy's character. She was a new narrator to me and I would listen to her read other books.
While some of Sophie's book gear towards the older YA/New Adult age range, I would say this one is more towards middle school & high school.
I am already looking forward to the next!
If you want a cute, YA book on friendship and a smidge of romance and fan fic focus with lots of representation - check this out!!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
When things aren't going your way it's easy to imagine what your perfect world would look like. For Ivy, our main character, this gets a little too much when she inadvertently ends up bringing one of her TV heroes to life - or at least the version of him that she wishes she could have.
I found the moving backwards and forwards through time a little off-putting initially. Ivy and Mack were great friends and we could see Ivy's obsession with this show was forming a barrier between them. Perhaps the biggest barrier was each of them having feelings for the other but not feeling able to share this. So, before we know it, things have altered significantly, they aren't talking and the atmosphere is decidedly frosty.
Ivy's new best friend Henry shares her love of the show, but even he is somewhat lost for words when a version of their favourite character suddenly wakes up in Ivy's room.
The whole set-up was bizarre. You are never going to satisfactorily explain how that happened, but the relationship and interactions were entertaining, and the overall message of the story was enough to keep your focus.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this in advance of publication.
I found the moving backwards and forwards through time a little off-putting initially. Ivy and Mack were great friends and we could see Ivy's obsession with this show was forming a barrier between them. Perhaps the biggest barrier was each of them having feelings for the other but not feeling able to share this. So, before we know it, things have altered significantly, they aren't talking and the atmosphere is decidedly frosty.
Ivy's new best friend Henry shares her love of the show, but even he is somewhat lost for words when a version of their favourite character suddenly wakes up in Ivy's room.
The whole set-up was bizarre. You are never going to satisfactorily explain how that happened, but the relationship and interactions were entertaining, and the overall message of the story was enough to keep your focus.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this in advance of publication.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this! It was every “what if…” come to life. Imagine your fanfic comes to life and at first it’s great, but then you don’t know what’s real and what’s not. It’s such a great concept. I was a little annoyed at a certain point, which took it down a Star, but other than that, I really enjoyed it!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
With a minor rewrite, this book would make a perfect Tina side-plot in an episode of Bob’s Burgers— in the best way possible.
As a former teenage fanfiction lover and writer, this book called out to me. This story was super fun and unique. The fictional universe and fandom Gonzales created felt so real. Oftentimes I find YA books to be too whiny and immature, but this book did not feel that way. It did feel a touch creepy at times, a little like Coraline. There was the stress of needing to figure out what to do next to resolve everything. I liked that everything wasn’t just easy though.
Do I think the couple in this book belongs together? Heck no. But they’ll go to college and break up, so it’s fine.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.
I sat down yesterday afternoon and wound up reading this in one sitting! It's simply an adorable, queer romcom that I thoroughly enjoyed. Add in that it's friends to enemies to lovers, and that's basically all I need ya'll!!! It's a fun and light read, perfect for a day off!
Out March 26, 2024!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
Out March 26, 2024!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
When Ivy’s parents take a trip, Ivy is left home alone under the watchful eye of her neighbors. One stormy night later, Ivy wakes up to find that her favorite fanfiction character to write about has come to life and is in her house. As Ivy scrambles to uncover what is going on and why Weston is here, she must deal with her ex-best friend Mack with whom she never got closure. Ivy once had feelings for Mack and the situation with Weston brings all those feelings to the surface again. Can Ivy figure out what (and who) she really wants?
Sophie Gonzales is such a talented author! The premise for this book could have easily become too silly, but Gonzales creates a heartfelt and comedic story. Fanfiction hero Weston is delightfully obtuse and fulfills all the tropes. I really connected with Ivy and the way she used fanfiction to escape. Writing is Ivy’s safe place and a way for her to explore her identity. Ivy has excellent character growth and the pacing makes it difficult to put this down. Mack and Ivy have lots of sapphic tension and history between them. I loved the discussion and revelations about fanfiction. Gonzales crafts a beautiful portrayal of the power of stories and fanfiction. I also loved the hilarious dialogue from side characters like Henry.
Readers who enjoy Emma Lord, Gabe Cole Novoa, and Casey McQuiston should check out The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist.
Thank you to Sophie Gonzales, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie Gonzales is such a talented author! The premise for this book could have easily become too silly, but Gonzales creates a heartfelt and comedic story. Fanfiction hero Weston is delightfully obtuse and fulfills all the tropes. I really connected with Ivy and the way she used fanfiction to escape. Writing is Ivy’s safe place and a way for her to explore her identity. Ivy has excellent character growth and the pacing makes it difficult to put this down. Mack and Ivy have lots of sapphic tension and history between them. I loved the discussion and revelations about fanfiction. Gonzales crafts a beautiful portrayal of the power of stories and fanfiction. I also loved the hilarious dialogue from side characters like Henry.
Readers who enjoy Emma Lord, Gabe Cole Novoa, and Casey McQuiston should check out The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist.
Thank you to Sophie Gonzales, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
funny
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