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haley_lott's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t know Brigid Kemmerer wrote contemporary ya books too! I thought she was just fantasy. I really enjoyed this one and wish she had more!
maryamsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
“One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”
4.5 stars.
If I had a nickel for every time I read a YA book in which there’s a character named Owen and the male MC’s father commits embezzlement, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice? The other book being [b:The Lying Woods|33803125|The Lying Woods|Ashley Elston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523631705l/33803125._SY75_.jpg|54704813] by the iconic [a:Ashley Elston|5317545|Ashley Elston|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1643044188p2/5317545.jpg]. And both are amazing :’)
Call It What You Want‘s synopsis calls it “captivating” and “heartfelt”— and that’s exactly how I would describe it. I absolutely adored it. This book brings the broody, loving, kind-hearted Rob and the overachieving, brave, and thoughtful Maegan together to form a beautiful coming of age novel.
It’s a story of navigating friendship and family dynamics, dealing with trauma and loneliness, fighting between what’s right and wrong, finding your true self, and embracing your mistakes. It’ll make you smile, cry, and simply feel seen with its relatability.
[a:Brigid Kemmerer|4629194|Brigid Kemmerer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563651388p2/4629194.jpg] writes in such a beautiful style, not to mention how real her characters and their lives seem, and I can’t believe this is the first book of hers that I read. Can’t wait to read the next one, [b:Letters to the Lost|30038855|Letters to the Lost (Letters to the Lost, #1)|Brigid Kemmerer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464361740l/30038855._SY75_.jpg|45042926].
It goes without saying that I highly recommend reading this if you’re looking for a wonderful YA contemporary book.
tasneem44's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 stars; Bridgid Kemmers contemporary books ALWAYS HIT like I literally cried
miyadileva's review against another edition
5.0
Very cute and light hearted
Love the plot twist but I wish they wrote more about it
Overall loved it !!
Love the plot twist but I wish they wrote more about it
Overall loved it !!
christinaschronicles's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved [b:Letters to the Lost|30038855|Letters to the Lost (Letters to the Lost, #1)|Brigid Kemmerer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464361740s/30038855.jpg|45042926] and [b:More Than We Can Tell|34236194|More Than We Can Tell (Letters to the Lost, #2)|Brigid Kemmerer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497531108s/34236194.jpg|55294131] by Brigid Kemmerer, so when I saw she had a new YA book coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it.
I read the first half yesterday and the second half today. When I read Letters to the Lost, I could not put the book down. I started it, went to sleep, and woke up to finish it. However, I didn't feel that same lust for Call It What You Want.
This book is based around Robin Hood and the morally gray area of if your stealing for the good of others, does it make it wrong?
Rob is an outcast because of something his father did. Maegan is an outcast because of something she did. Rob and Maegan get assigned to do a project together and quickly form a bond. While trying to escape their lives, Rob and Maegan start to develop feelings for each other.
This book kept me interested, the climax of a mystery getting solved definitely helped me make it to the end of this book. The one and biggest problem with this book is I felt like I've read it before.
This book correlates so much with Letters to the Lost that I think it held me from fully immersing myself in this book and loving it as much as I wanted it too. The plots of both books are essentially the same. The two main characters both have a "dark past" they want to run away from and they come together to form a romantic bond. The male main character has an unlikely friendship with another outcast and the girl character had a loving family at home.
It all just felt too familiar.
I wanted to be in love with Rob. He was sweet, respectful, and stayed up all night reading fantasy. I mean, hello? Need I say more? However, his character just didn't quite do it for me. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I just like more of a sarcastic ass hole. Ok, not maybe, I do. SUE ME. I want a sarcastic ass hole that also reads fantasy. ANYWAYS. Rob didn't want to be anything like his dad, but I feel like as a way to deal with what happened in his life, he started turning into his dad. It was sad to see, but I'm glad he finally came around to his senses.
Maegan was ok.. again, didn't love her didn't hate her. I'm glad she grew a backbone and started standing up for herself. Overall though, she was a pretty boring character. Extremely close with her parents and tells them everything, has one friend (who sucks btw), no hobbies... nothing.
I loved Maegan's sister, Samantha, and her story line, as well as Rob's friend Owen. They were both sarcastic and funny, adding a fun dimension to the story line. Literally the only sarcasm we got was from these two and I lived for their scenes in the book.
I feel like the book was a climax of multiple story lines making a decision about an end result. However, all of the characters resolutions happened at the very end of the book and all of the sudden it was over. No thought processes on why they were choosing that route or what would happen after. This is a big peeve of mine. I don't like when a book is leading up to an end goal and then skimps on the facts. I've read this book for hours to find out what this is! I need more details!!
The Robin Hood concept of this book is an interesting way of looking at stealing. What if you were stealing to help others who needed it more? Is it still wrong? What if you felt it was what was owed to you? I'm happy that Owen's mom finally addressed that it isn't up to you to decide who owes you what, that it is still wrong.
The book was good and had a thought provoking story line in a lot of different aspects. It shows that no matter how people act on the outside, you have no idea what's going on in their life. If you like YA contemporary romance and are a fan on Letters to the Lost, then you will really enjoy this new novel by Brigid Kemmerer.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved [b:Letters to the Lost|30038855|Letters to the Lost (Letters to the Lost, #1)|Brigid Kemmerer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464361740s/30038855.jpg|45042926] and [b:More Than We Can Tell|34236194|More Than We Can Tell (Letters to the Lost, #2)|Brigid Kemmerer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497531108s/34236194.jpg|55294131] by Brigid Kemmerer, so when I saw she had a new YA book coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it.
I read the first half yesterday and the second half today. When I read Letters to the Lost, I could not put the book down. I started it, went to sleep, and woke up to finish it. However, I didn't feel that same lust for Call It What You Want.
This book is based around Robin Hood and the morally gray area of if your stealing for the good of others, does it make it wrong?
Rob is an outcast because of something his father did. Maegan is an outcast because of something she did. Rob and Maegan get assigned to do a project together and quickly form a bond. While trying to escape their lives, Rob and Maegan start to develop feelings for each other.
This book kept me interested, the climax of a mystery getting solved definitely helped me make it to the end of this book. The one and biggest problem with this book is I felt like I've read it before.
This book correlates so much with Letters to the Lost that I think it held me from fully immersing myself in this book and loving it as much as I wanted it too. The plots of both books are essentially the same. The two main characters both have a "dark past" they want to run away from and they come together to form a romantic bond. The male main character has an unlikely friendship with another outcast and the girl character had a loving family at home.
It all just felt too familiar.
I wanted to be in love with Rob. He was sweet, respectful, and stayed up all night reading fantasy. I mean, hello? Need I say more? However, his character just didn't quite do it for me. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I just like more of a sarcastic ass hole. Ok, not maybe, I do. SUE ME. I want a sarcastic ass hole that also reads fantasy. ANYWAYS. Rob didn't want to be anything like his dad, but I feel like as a way to deal with what happened in his life, he started turning into his dad. It was sad to see, but I'm glad he finally came around to his senses.
Spoiler
And if I didn't see him get caught putting the diamond earrings back from a mile away...smhMaegan was ok.. again, didn't love her didn't hate her. I'm glad she grew a backbone and started standing up for herself. Overall though, she was a pretty boring character. Extremely close with her parents and tells them everything, has one friend (who sucks btw), no hobbies... nothing.
I loved Maegan's sister, Samantha, and her story line, as well as Rob's friend Owen. They were both sarcastic and funny, adding a fun dimension to the story line. Literally the only sarcasm we got was from these two and I lived for their scenes in the book.
I feel like the book was a climax of multiple story lines making a decision about an end result. However, all of the characters resolutions happened at the very end of the book and all of the sudden it was over. No thought processes on why they were choosing that route or what would happen after. This is a big peeve of mine. I don't like when a book is leading up to an end goal and then skimps on the facts. I've read this book for hours to find out what this is! I need more details!!
The Robin Hood concept of this book is an interesting way of looking at stealing. What if you were stealing to help others who needed it more? Is it still wrong? What if you felt it was what was owed to you? I'm happy that Owen's mom finally addressed that it isn't up to you to decide who owes you what, that it is still wrong.
The book was good and had a thought provoking story line in a lot of different aspects. It shows that no matter how people act on the outside, you have no idea what's going on in their life. If you like YA contemporary romance and are a fan on Letters to the Lost, then you will really enjoy this new novel by Brigid Kemmerer.
sammiril's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars. Brigid Kemmerer books never fail to be my favorite
slrtwps's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars.
Another book that was doing well until the last 20%...
It took a second to get used to the writing—the method of exposition at the beginning was one I didn't like, but that's not uncommon and once that was over it was easy to read. I'm not sure what it was about the story, because I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but I didn't want to put it down and had no trouble reading for long periods without even realising I had been reading for so long—something that doesn't usually happen for me anymore. So I enjoyed my time reading it and thought it was going to be at least 4 stars, depending on the ending.
And then the last 20% happened. I've read a string of books in the last few months where I'm loving them and maybe even thinking they'll be 5 stars, only for the last 10-30% to ruin it all. I was hoping this wouldn't be one of them, but it was. Although in its defence, there's nothing really wrong with how it ended, it's just my preference.
The whole book was fairly predictable, but I don't mind predictable if it isn't also frustrating. Reading characters making decisions and doing things that I know are going to end badly is something I find frustrating. Which is why I put the book down when I got to chapter 35 and went to bed last night instead of staying up to finish it because I knew how that was going to go. And then everything after it was equally as frustratingly predictable. I skimmed most of everything beyond that point because I was eye-rolling too hard.
The end was rushed and unrealistic. To be fair, a lot of the book was unrealistic, but the end especially.
And then they have a happily ever after. Everything works out in the end, down to his school librarian having a basement apartment for him to stay in while his mother serves her 90 days. I find nothing more infuriating than a bad guy getting away with screwing people over and there's nothing that can be done about it (which is funny considering I just read and loved the Six of Crows duology), but having it all work out so perfectly isn't any more satisfying.
Same goes for Samantha. She's in this awful situation and it's all resolved with one public confrontation. All that drama and it's over in a chapter. Except that, we don't even get a proper resolution there because what happened to the professor? And she got drunk while pregnant, what were the consequences for that? Or maybe I missed it in my skimming. ***END SPOILERS***
I don't like parties in YA because it almost always leads to unnecessary confrontation and consequences, and this one was no exception. I skimmed parts of those scenes too.
There was insta-love involved between the main characters, but I was in the mood for a romance so I didn't totally mind. They're sort-of-friends and then they're at a party and she realises she really likes him and all of a sudden they're making out and undressing in a stranger's house. They were cute together, Rob was really sweet with her and was big on consent—always checking that Maegan was okay with what was happening—which was refreshing to read, but it felt so fast. I was worried something worse was going to happen between them because there was so much time left in the book and it's pretty rare for a couple to get together so early and not have something go wrong before the end. But it wasn't too much of a fallout.
Rachel cares about Maegan and is worried about her, but also stops all contact with her after one confrontation—a confrontation in which she and her boyfriend were assholes to Maegan and the guy she likes? I don't understand the thought process there, it makes no sense. At least it wasn't all completely forgiven and back to normal with them, I appreciated that Maegan still needed time.
And what happened to the calculus project? All the times they met up to do homework, did they ever actually work on it?
In the end, I liked this way more than Letter to the Lost, although that isn't much of an accomplishment considering how much I disliked Letters to the Lost. This is only the second book I've read from this author but I noticed it followed a similar formula. At least I didn't dislike the characters in this one.
Side note: I love the cover, it was one of the main reasons I picked it up. The other was that it shares a name with one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs.
Review Date: June 27, 2020
Another book that was doing well until the last 20%...
It took a second to get used to the writing—the method of exposition at the beginning was one I didn't like, but that's not uncommon and once that was over it was easy to read. I'm not sure what it was about the story, because I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but I didn't want to put it down and had no trouble reading for long periods without even realising I had been reading for so long—something that doesn't usually happen for me anymore. So I enjoyed my time reading it and thought it was going to be at least 4 stars, depending on the ending.
And then the last 20% happened. I've read a string of books in the last few months where I'm loving them and maybe even thinking they'll be 5 stars, only for the last 10-30% to ruin it all. I was hoping this wouldn't be one of them, but it was. Although in its defence, there's nothing really wrong with how it ended, it's just my preference.
The whole book was fairly predictable, but I don't mind predictable if it isn't also frustrating. Reading characters making decisions and doing things that I know are going to end badly is something I find frustrating. Which is why I put the book down when I got to chapter 35 and went to bed last night instead of staying up to finish it because I knew how that was going to go. And then everything after it was equally as frustratingly predictable. I skimmed most of everything beyond that point because I was eye-rolling too hard.
The end was rushed and unrealistic. To be fair, a lot of the book was unrealistic, but the end especially.
Spoiler
***SPOILERS*** You have a guy clever enough to scam dozens of people while making sure to cover his tracks and set up his friend to take the fall if anything goes wrong, get away with all of it and carry on like the hero even after the police were crawling over everything, only to be thwarted by his teenage son? The guy literally says, "Rob, if the feds didn't find anything when they came after your dad, they're not going to find anything now." But his son goes into the office and magically finds the exact files that prove what his father has been doing?And then they have a happily ever after. Everything works out in the end, down to his school librarian having a basement apartment for him to stay in while his mother serves her 90 days. I find nothing more infuriating than a bad guy getting away with screwing people over and there's nothing that can be done about it (which is funny considering I just read and loved the Six of Crows duology), but having it all work out so perfectly isn't any more satisfying.
Same goes for Samantha. She's in this awful situation and it's all resolved with one public confrontation. All that drama and it's over in a chapter. Except that, we don't even get a proper resolution there because what happened to the professor? And she got drunk while pregnant, what were the consequences for that? Or maybe I missed it in my skimming. ***END SPOILERS***
I don't like parties in YA because it almost always leads to unnecessary confrontation and consequences, and this one was no exception. I skimmed parts of those scenes too.
There was insta-love involved between the main characters, but I was in the mood for a romance so I didn't totally mind. They're sort-of-friends and then they're at a party and she realises she really likes him and all of a sudden they're making out and undressing in a stranger's house. They were cute together, Rob was really sweet with her and was big on consent—always checking that Maegan was okay with what was happening—which was refreshing to read, but it felt so fast. I was worried something worse was going to happen between them because there was so much time left in the book and it's pretty rare for a couple to get together so early and not have something go wrong before the end. But it wasn't too much of a fallout.
Rachel cares about Maegan and is worried about her, but also stops all contact with her after one confrontation—a confrontation in which she and her boyfriend were assholes to Maegan and the guy she likes? I don't understand the thought process there, it makes no sense. At least it wasn't all completely forgiven and back to normal with them, I appreciated that Maegan still needed time.
And what happened to the calculus project? All the times they met up to do homework, did they ever actually work on it?
In the end, I liked this way more than Letter to the Lost, although that isn't much of an accomplishment considering how much I disliked Letters to the Lost. This is only the second book I've read from this author but I noticed it followed a similar formula. At least I didn't dislike the characters in this one.
Side note: I love the cover, it was one of the main reasons I picked it up. The other was that it shares a name with one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs.
Review Date: June 27, 2020
abandonedquests's review against another edition
5.0
Emotional, thoughtful teen romance with a great cast of flawed, relatable characters. So much fun to read.