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stacyaj's review against another edition
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
redandread_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Racism
thejesster's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Racism
Moderate: Homophobia, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Classism, Death, Bullying, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, and Grief
porkkutletbowl's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Racism
elizabethwb's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Outing, Biphobia, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Blood, Grief, Vomit, and Bullying
rafacolog's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Bullying, and Homophobia
thenovelmaura's review
emotional
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
I've had this book on my radar since its release and I'm so glad I finally prioritized it earlier this year. Here's a short and sweet recommendation that I shared on my Bookstagram account back in February:
Has this book been optioned yet? Because it has the makings of the next big Netflix teen rom-com! It's seriously feel-good, with lots of fun prom shenanigans and a lovable cast of characters. Plus, the struggle of figuring out how to pay for college is (sadly) more relevant every year!
In addition to the sweet sapphic romance, Liz's family and friends were her steadfast supporters. It was touching to see the Lighty family rally around both Liz and her brother Robbie, who has sickle cell disease (a blood disorder that disproportionately affects African Americans). And we love a main character who isn't afraid to take stand against antiquated traditions in her community. Fans of contemporary YA need to add this hilarious, heart-warming story to their TBRs!
Has this book been optioned yet? Because it has the makings of the next big Netflix teen rom-com! It's seriously feel-good, with lots of fun prom shenanigans and a lovable cast of characters. Plus, the struggle of figuring out how to pay for college is (sadly) more relevant every year!
In addition to the sweet sapphic romance, Liz's family and friends were her steadfast supporters. It was touching to see the Lighty family rally around both Liz and her brother Robbie, who has sickle cell disease (a blood disorder that disproportionately affects African Americans). And we love a main character who isn't afraid to take stand against antiquated traditions in her community. Fans of contemporary YA need to add this hilarious, heart-warming story to their TBRs!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Chronic illness and Bullying
acebooknerd_07's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Racism, Outing, and Classism
bookworm_ran's review against another edition
challenging
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Medical content
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.75
This was a good story for a YA audience and did a really nice job of handling heavy topics like racism, classism, and coming out in a gentle way that might be easier to understand for a younger reader or more palatable for someone resistant to engaging in those topics.
The young tone of the book was well done, but I could barely get past the blatant disregard for correct use of personal pronouns. Yeah, I realize how many people don’t understand (or care) whether they should use me or I, but at least have grammatically correct sentences in popular reading material to help them learn. Of course , this is a personal gripe, but it affected my enjoyment of the story because of how frequently I was annoyed by and grumbling to myself about sentences like, “Me and Jim headed over to the cafeteria.”
Although this story is packed full of teen romcom cliches, it was a good story with mostly interesting characters. With that said, the focus was really on the experiences and emotions of the main character, Liz Lighty, and the other characters were not as fully developed, unfortunately. They seemed to be either stereotypical mean kids, goofy kids, misunderstood kids, and the high school relationships were often complicated by misunderstandings. But at the heart of the book were teens, and some adults, who came through for each other in the end and did not share the prejudices of their elders.
In a nutshell, Liz is going through the familiar teen struggles of dealing with the death of a parent, managing her younger brother’s chronic disease, trying to figure out how to pay for her college education, getting past the racial biases in her high school, developing a romantic crush on the cool girl who’s new in the school, and trying to save friendships with both of her best lifelong friends, all while competing for the coveted role of prom queen. Liz is a bright young lady who’s well-liked, but of course when you want to be prom queen, it can become a cutthroat business. But it is a good premise for creating conflicts and resolutions as everyone’s better angels find a way to surface as usually happens in the best teens stories.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Alaska Jackson, did an excellent job.
The young tone of the book was well done, but I could barely get past the blatant disregard for correct use of personal pronouns. Yeah, I realize how many people don’t understand (or care) whether they should use me or I, but at least have grammatically correct sentences in popular reading material to help them learn. Of course , this is a personal gripe, but it affected my enjoyment of the story because of how frequently I was annoyed by and grumbling to myself about sentences like, “Me and Jim headed over to the cafeteria.”
Although this story is packed full of teen romcom cliches, it was a good story with mostly interesting characters. With that said, the focus was really on the experiences and emotions of the main character, Liz Lighty, and the other characters were not as fully developed, unfortunately. They seemed to be either stereotypical mean kids, goofy kids, misunderstood kids, and the high school relationships were often complicated by misunderstandings. But at the heart of the book were teens, and some adults, who came through for each other in the end and did not share the prejudices of their elders.
In a nutshell, Liz is going through the familiar teen struggles of dealing with the death of a parent, managing her younger brother’s chronic disease, trying to figure out how to pay for her college education, getting past the racial biases in her high school, developing a romantic crush on the cool girl who’s new in the school, and trying to save friendships with both of her best lifelong friends, all while competing for the coveted role of prom queen. Liz is a bright young lady who’s well-liked, but of course when you want to be prom queen, it can become a cutthroat business. But it is a good premise for creating conflicts and resolutions as everyone’s better angels find a way to surface as usually happens in the best teens stories.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Alaska Jackson, did an excellent job.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Outing, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, and Racism