Hardcover, 368 pages
Published May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
This book was like 90% the movie « The DUFF » except instead of two hot popular friends it’s one. I still ate it up and really enjoyed it, except for all the brand mentioning, I really don’t like that, at some point it felt like an ad. Liz was very .. annoying but then again they are young, wes was adorable.
I kind of loved everything about this. The man is top tier in a way only a guy in a YA romance can be, the parents are all hilarious in a very “haha I'm Gen X and I’m dead inside let’s talk about it” kind of way, and the settings, THE VIBES, were TOP TEIR. It was the set up for a CUTE LITTLE COMFORT NOVEL. But the main character made me want to put myself into a paper shredder. I know a lot of her behaviors and bad habits are heavily centered around the death of her mother, and that is obviously valid, but her delusions, weird hate of other women just because a guy liked them, and insistence on being quirky, just DID NOT do it for me. I know that there are some pretty extreme Liz fans out there, but for me personally, she just kind …
I kind of loved everything about this. The man is top tier in a way only a guy in a YA romance can be, the parents are all hilarious in a very “haha I'm Gen X and I’m dead inside let’s talk about it” kind of way, and the settings, THE VIBES, were TOP TEIR. It was the set up for a CUTE LITTLE COMFORT NOVEL. But the main character made me want to put myself into a paper shredder. I know a lot of her behaviors and bad habits are heavily centered around the death of her mother, and that is obviously valid, but her delusions, weird hate of other women just because a guy liked them, and insistence on being quirky, just DID NOT do it for me. I know that there are some pretty extreme Liz fans out there, but for me personally, she just kind of brought the book down, and made me WAY angrier than I should have been reading a freaking YA romance novel.
I thought I was going to love this one. I love movies. I love quoting them. I love soundtracks. There was only one likeable character in the book. It was far less relatable and enjoyable than predicted. I try not to expect much. This is an example of why I don't have expectations.
