Reviews

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

xannylikesbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

There aren't words in the english dictionary to describe how much I loved this book

jazblackthorn22's review against another edition

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4.0

Leí este libro solo por su título en ingles? obvio
Fue una gran decisión? Definitivamente

fairpersephone's review against another edition

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3.0

Having really enjoyed Kemmerer's A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I was excited to read Call It What You Want, but sadly, I think this one missed the mark for me.

The story is fast-paced and absorbing, but I couldn't connect with any of our lead characters and so wasn't particularly invested in the progression of the romance. There are scarce moments to breathe; characters rush headlong into one drama after another without a satisfying emotional resolution to either.

My main quibble is that the pregnancy storyline in this novel is handled very poorly. Sam, Maegan's older sister, comes home pregnant, and we later learn that this pregnancy is the result of her sleeping with her married professor. While abortion is brought up, what really soured the story for me was that the girls' mother and Maegan both cried to one another about the prospect of Sam making that choice for herself, which gave the entire book a very uncomfortable pro-life slant. Politics aside, it really did feel like this pregnancy was handled with no gravity whatsoever; Sam goes out drinking on one occasion, then essentially procrastinates for weeks on end and seems to only half-heartedly decide to continue with it. We don't know how Sam feels, or how her family feels, which seems like a plot thread left hanging when Maegan's half of the plot centred around her sister.

One thing I did really like was how respectful Rob was when it came to his and Maegan's blossoming romance. Too often, male leads in romances are the aggressive party; I liked that Maegan was given the opportunity to firmly define her boundaries as far as physical intimacy goes.

Hopefully, this one was just a fluke, and I'll adore the next Kemmerer novel I read!

poppybookdragon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.5

reads_cats's review against another edition

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3.75

“One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”

amyp2's review against another edition

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4.0

The kitchen sink approach to YA. Thankfully the novel respects its reader; all issues are handled with care and intelligence.

lieslstachm's review against another edition

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5.0

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley.

I loved the whole book, but for me the best part were the characters. Kemmerer excellently portrays real emotions through her characters' difficult decisions and complex thoughts. I loved the friendships, familial relationships, and romances between them. This was a joy to read.

mayajoelle's review against another edition

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2.0

Kemmerer is a fine writer, but the unnecessary mature content (loads of it in this book) ruined it for me. Will not reread.

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read 7/13/2020

erinhmm's review against another edition

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4.0

I ate this book up in a day. Very easy read between the two main narrations. It had a bit of mystery and a lot of honesty. It’s also very in the time with word choice and references. Several sweet moments happen at Wegman’s grocery and it just warms my heart.

anoukbakker's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A

2.0