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makenna's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book, it was everything I needed for a cute, quick, and addictive book and it did a great job with the enemies to lovers trope aspect, which was a big reason as to why I picked it up. I immediately picked up Tiana's other book upon finishing this because I needed more of her books in my life!
rrpp6's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Great book overall, the ending did seem a bit rushed though
lovesophia's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
an rivals to lovers AND secret pen pals I have a hate/love relationship w/trope trope because it is hardly very done right and often makes me hate the MC. But I really liked this book except the ending haves me serve wipelash
merced's review against another edition
I will never not love cheesy, saccharine Young Adult romance.
laurenl5876's review against another edition
3.0
I'm back to reviewing since I'm in quarantine and my senior year was canceled, so instead of risking infecting others, I'll read books, which is a lovely alternative. Lives are saved, and I take in some cute stories.
As a kid in speech, (and who's state tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus) me reading this book was a little bit of a risk because I knew I would probably nit pick it if it wasn't written accurately. I wouldn't intentionally have done this, but when you are so closely tied with an activity and it's not written realistically or by someone with that similar experience, it's really hard not to gripe. (Maybe I'm just a jerk)
That wasn't an issue with this novel though. Speech and Debate was overall explained very realistically, mostly because the author was in speech and debate, although there were a few things that kind of pissed me off. Here's my short little list.
1) Why the hell are these kids only in one event? Most kids have to do two at most schools, like for me it's Dramatic Interpretation and Impromptu Speaking.
2) I know it is written as abnormal to do, but doing a new speech every week is not how Oratory goes. It takes weeks to perfect one speech, and it is filled with edits, hours of rehearsal. It was painted out to be a lot easier than it actually is.
3) The tournaments weren't really written in, it was more just brushed over.
4) WHERE ARE THE SPEECH AND DEBATE COMPETITORS? Us speech and debate kids are an odd bunch, tournaments are NOT normal at all
5) More interaction with the coach or practices should have been included.
I know those are based upon my experience, but I apologize for the sass. Now to the legitimate review.
The plot was super cute, and the pacing was perfect. It followed a ton of cliches, but this book wasn't looking to be super original, it was written to give speech and debate kids a book where they could see themselves represented, which was really refreshing. Our activity is treated like we are just nerds or like it is super easy, but that is definitely not the case at all! (Well, the nerd part is) The romance had a nice slow build, but everything also moved fast enough to stay interesting.
The characters however were lackluster, which is why I couldn't rate this any higher. The male love interest was basic and the female love interest was irrational a lot of the time which was irritating. Maybe I'm just growing up, but some of their decisions were just really really stupid.
As a kid in speech, (and who's state tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus) me reading this book was a little bit of a risk because I knew I would probably nit pick it if it wasn't written accurately. I wouldn't intentionally have done this, but when you are so closely tied with an activity and it's not written realistically or by someone with that similar experience, it's really hard not to gripe. (Maybe I'm just a jerk)
That wasn't an issue with this novel though. Speech and Debate was overall explained very realistically, mostly because the author was in speech and debate, although there were a few things that kind of pissed me off. Here's my short little list.
1) Why the hell are these kids only in one event? Most kids have to do two at most schools, like for me it's Dramatic Interpretation and Impromptu Speaking.
2) I know it is written as abnormal to do, but doing a new speech every week is not how Oratory goes. It takes weeks to perfect one speech, and it is filled with edits, hours of rehearsal. It was painted out to be a lot easier than it actually is.
3) The tournaments weren't really written in, it was more just brushed over.
4) WHERE ARE THE SPEECH AND DEBATE COMPETITORS? Us speech and debate kids are an odd bunch, tournaments are NOT normal at all
5) More interaction with the coach or practices should have been included.
I know those are based upon my experience, but I apologize for the sass. Now to the legitimate review.
The plot was super cute, and the pacing was perfect. It followed a ton of cliches, but this book wasn't looking to be super original, it was written to give speech and debate kids a book where they could see themselves represented, which was really refreshing. Our activity is treated like we are just nerds or like it is super easy, but that is definitely not the case at all! (Well, the nerd part is) The romance had a nice slow build, but everything also moved fast enough to stay interesting.
The characters however were lackluster, which is why I couldn't rate this any higher. The male love interest was basic and the female love interest was irrational a lot of the time which was irritating. Maybe I'm just growing up, but some of their decisions were just really really stupid.
j_mcd's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
zoeyareads's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andiabcs's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on Andi's ABCs
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I was lucky enough to work with Tiana Smith when her debut novel, Match Me If You Can, came out in 2019. We had a lot of fun talking about OTP for celebrity couples. So I was very excited when I read about her sophomore novel, How to Speak Boy. Tiana has a style about her writing that suits me so I couldn't wait to read what she did next. I am happy to say How to Speak Boy did not disappoint. Once again she nailed super cute characters with chemistry and a story to tell.
How to Speak Boy is the quintessential rivals to love story. It is the story of Quinn and Grayson, two speech and debate rivals that are determined to take the other down. Unfortunately they become more intertwined than ever when they are both selected as co-captains of the debate team. Now they are stuck working together. But when their history teachers makes a mistake and puts the wrong test in the wrong cubby, they unknowingly start exchanging notes with each other and find themselves falling for the one person they swore they would always be against. Soon the two of them find out that not all is fair in love and debate, especially when feelings are involved.
Quinn was so completely clueless for about 90% of this book. I swear she was so focused on taking Grayson down she didn't even notice that he was more into flirting with her and riling her up than he was with winning. He thrived on getting a reaction out of her but not in a mean way. It was almost like he was trying to make her better. And in the long run that is what they did for each other. They made one another better and that is what I loved about them. Their chemistry was off the charts, but I really loved how they played off one each other. And honestly anytime you add letter writing to this dynamic I am hooked.
How to Speak Boy was a strong YA Rom-Com. It had a lot of heart and humor. The banter between Quinn and Grayson had me laughing at times and I think It would have you chucking too. I was entertained with every turn of the page. If you haven't already picked this one up, do so now! I can't wait to see what else Tiana Smith has in store for us.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I was lucky enough to work with Tiana Smith when her debut novel, Match Me If You Can, came out in 2019. We had a lot of fun talking about OTP for celebrity couples. So I was very excited when I read about her sophomore novel, How to Speak Boy. Tiana has a style about her writing that suits me so I couldn't wait to read what she did next. I am happy to say How to Speak Boy did not disappoint. Once again she nailed super cute characters with chemistry and a story to tell.
How to Speak Boy is the quintessential rivals to love story. It is the story of Quinn and Grayson, two speech and debate rivals that are determined to take the other down. Unfortunately they become more intertwined than ever when they are both selected as co-captains of the debate team. Now they are stuck working together. But when their history teachers makes a mistake and puts the wrong test in the wrong cubby, they unknowingly start exchanging notes with each other and find themselves falling for the one person they swore they would always be against. Soon the two of them find out that not all is fair in love and debate, especially when feelings are involved.
Quinn was so completely clueless for about 90% of this book. I swear she was so focused on taking Grayson down she didn't even notice that he was more into flirting with her and riling her up than he was with winning. He thrived on getting a reaction out of her but not in a mean way. It was almost like he was trying to make her better. And in the long run that is what they did for each other. They made one another better and that is what I loved about them. Their chemistry was off the charts, but I really loved how they played off one each other. And honestly anytime you add letter writing to this dynamic I am hooked.
How to Speak Boy was a strong YA Rom-Com. It had a lot of heart and humor. The banter between Quinn and Grayson had me laughing at times and I think It would have you chucking too. I was entertained with every turn of the page. If you haven't already picked this one up, do so now! I can't wait to see what else Tiana Smith has in store for us.
rj921's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a high school, speech-club-rivals take on You've Got Mail, where the MCs start exchanging notes because of swapped assignments and continue writing to each other. However, it did not live up to my expectations.
I have not personally ever been part of the speech and debate club in school, nor have I attended American high school, but I liked how it was depicted well enough. However, I did not like Quinn, the main character much. Apart from basing her entire opinion of Grayson because of one incident, she also treats her male friend Carter very badly. I mean, I understand - I too was 17 once, and I too treated my friend badly. But that doesn't mean I condone the way she led Carter on and even lied to him, causing him to make a rash mistake that nearly had irrevocable consequences for Quinn. I liked Grayson and I understood his reason for not revealing his identity at the first rendezvous. He puts in a lot of effort to make Quinn like him. Towards the end, he puts his own chances of winning to seek her out. He is part of the speech club, not because he is particularly interested in it, but simply because he's pretty damn good at it (those people are annoying, amirite?). But Quinn's passion encourages him to give some thought to what his passions actually are. Both the MCs have confident and strong mothers, however, Grayson's relationship with his mother is a little reserved because she is a politician and has a lot on her plate.
Overall it was an ok read, but I would've liked it to be a little more nuanced, or the very least, for Quinn to understand her part in what went wrong.
I have not personally ever been part of the speech and debate club in school, nor have I attended American high school, but I liked how it was depicted well enough. However, I did not like Quinn, the main character much. Apart from basing her entire opinion of Grayson because of one incident, she also treats her male friend Carter very badly. I mean, I understand - I too was 17 once, and I too treated my friend badly. But that doesn't mean I condone the way she led Carter on and even lied to him, causing him to make a rash mistake that nearly had irrevocable consequences for Quinn. I liked Grayson and I understood his reason for not revealing his identity at the first rendezvous. He puts in a lot of effort to make Quinn like him. Towards the end, he puts his own chances of winning to seek her out. He is part of the speech club, not because he is particularly interested in it, but simply because he's pretty damn good at it (those people are annoying, amirite?). But Quinn's passion encourages him to give some thought to what his passions actually are. Both the MCs have confident and strong mothers, however, Grayson's relationship with his mother is a little reserved because she is a politician and has a lot on her plate.
Overall it was an ok read, but I would've liked it to be a little more nuanced, or the very least, for Quinn to understand her part in what went wrong.