A review by eringonz
This Might Get Awkward by Kara McDowell

3.0

Awkward is an Understatement

I love the fact that this was a WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING revamp for a younger audience. Gemma has a longtime crush on Beau, the beautiful, popular jock of her high school; he barely knows her name. When he falls off a boat and nearly dies, Gemma swoops in to save him. While he’s recovering in a coma, a misunderstanding about their relationship status snowballs into Gemma dodging a reporter, lying to Beau’s friends and family, and growing closer with Beau’s wayward older brother, Griff, who has come home in swirl of rumors and grief. Gemma and Griff are drawn to each other immediately. Gemma, usually trapped by her social anxiety disorder, feels comfortable with Griff in ways she never has around anyone else. Griff is a lovable bad boy with an even worse reputation. He helps Gemma come into her own and she softens him up into looking at their hometown with fresh eyes. But what will happen when Beau wakes up?

For the most part, I really like a lot about this book. Gemma’s social anxiety was done so well, and offered a very nuanced look at how those intrusive thoughts can be so hard to overcome. What kept me from loving this story was Beau and Griff’s relationship. I wish we had gotten more of a heart to heart from them resolving their issues that were such a main part of conflict.