Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry: The hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom

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Did I talk about the characters? Let's talk about the characters. We shall talk about the characters now. Let me just finish trying to remember them. Books like this one are why I doubt I'll ever "grow out" of YA. They're a joy to read at any age. And now I think I sound older than 22-MOVING ON. The characters all seem like real people so it's not hard to connect with their struggles and (ugly) cry along with them. And I did cry. A lot. Book Genre: Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Contemporary, Young Adult Romance I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read this one, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and Goffney does a wonderful job introducing some complex themes and character development.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney | Goodreads

This whole book felt so relatable and I’m obsessed. The plot managed to be simultaneously fast paced and engaging, while still maintaining depth and feeling well developed. It was a really fun read and I think the formatting was done perfectly, it wasn’t too journal heavy, but the lists still played a significant role, and they were perfectly executed. I also liked the little hint of mystery in here, I genuinely couldn’t actually predict what was coming next which made it all the more enjoyable for me. I also really liked the family dynamics in the story. It was really interesting about how different families have different expectations and how suffocating that can sometimes be.

There were also many side characters, good and bad, that contributed to Quinn’s growth. We had some flat out racist characters and some characters who were not so obviously racist but made some questionable decisions. Some other friends, are actually really good to her, but are they who they seem? How is Quinn going to realize who her real friends are and will she be able to stand up for herself and call out terrible behavior when she notices them? Read to find out. An adorable enemies-to-lovers romance unfolds as the two leads work together and get closer. Several relatable moments keep the story engaging and make the characters easy to connect with. Also, themes surrounding race, identity, dementia and bullying are skillfully woven into the storyline without making the narrative heavy or intense. However, once Quinn's journal is found towards the end of the story, my interest waned as the remaining loose ends are leisurely tied to give a satisfying ending. Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud,” to all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing…

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry - Common Sense Media

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the digital review copy. As a note, this audio was a synthetic voice and was actually quite good! After the first few minutes, for the most part, I forgot that I was listening to a synthetic voice altogether and was wholly impressed with the quality and would definitely recommend this digital review copy to those who are interested. This book likes to explain things in lists and wow, I loved every single time Goffrey did this. In fact, I was tempted to write this review as a list and start with “Reasons why I love this book,” but I am too unorganized with my thoughts to do that. Quinn was such a great main character. She’s afraid to admit what she really wants and to show who she really is, at first, but as the story goes on, she grows so much, gains confidence and I loved rooting for her SO much. Starting with the things I liked and then bombarding everyone with unwanted opinions of things I didn't in fact appreciate. This book comes out in May 2021, so be sure to add it to your TBR. There is no better palate cleanser than a good sweet young adult contemporary.I liked how he had these flaws that almost broke the romance, especially making him realistic (not, I have never met someone like him. But to be honest, I go out once every two months) I wanted to shake him so badly because some things he did were close to unforgivable, and THEN he would proceed to insert his gorgeous face into the argument and say a few words and bam, Booksy forgives. I'm seriously not this forgivable in real life. He is making me soft, and I hate it. The rough yet gentle tone of his voice, combined with descriptions of his ethereal being- okay, I'll stop. Too many compliments, he already has a big enough head without my wonderful input.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney Review: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney

Quinn’s relationship with her parents was definitely a great part in the book but she struggles with being open to her parents about a lot of things. How is this family’s relationship going to grow and what will be each person’s role in doing just that? Read to find out. Note, this was intended to be a spoiler free review so if there’s anything you feel is a spoiler please let me know and I’ll take it out right away. Thank you so much! The fact that she's older is also very apparent by how her parents treat her. They still have restrictions, but they're trusting her that she's an adult now, for the most part. Big thank you to Harper Teen & Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney Summary

Auden, Hattie and Imani are close behind on the love-love-love train. After them it's everyone else. Gia at the very bottom because I can't stand her. But I appreciate her character. I've come to realize, that the more unrealistic, over the top, and basically all over the place a rom com is, the better chance there is of me loving it. See, when you first start a book such as this one you already know what's gonna happen. The plot is obvious, the romance is slightly predictable, you basically guess every twist. Overall you're not expecting much. However, you probably end up reading said book, and falling endlessly in love with it. Why? Well, because to be honest, we are all trash for romance. And that comes from a girl who abhors useless romance where it's not needed, or tolerable. What happens when a teenage girl’s journal that includes all of her most personal thoughts goes missing? In short, he was outrageously charismatic, indecently smexy and dosed with 'I wish I could have you, you moronic donut'. And yes, I meant that with affection. He needed a certain slap, is all.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry: The most anticipated YA romcom Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry: The most anticipated YA romcom

This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry still manages to leave a nice, important place to family relationships. Everything isn’t all sunshine and rainbows in Quinn’s family, between her parents’ fights and her grandmother dealing with Alzheimer. I really appreciated the inclusion of these family dynamics in the story and liked how they shaped Quinn and the plot itself, just as well. Yes there is romance in this book and it was so cuutttte. It personally didn’t feel like instant love, which is so important for me because that kind of romance tends to be so unrealistic and a major turn off for me. I wouldn’t consider this a slow burn romance either. Anyway, this is a book about conquering your fears and it shows you that you can be a warrior like Quinn and deal with everything that's bugging you, one step at a time. I won't continue on with him because 1.) it's a spoiler and 2.) I'm still writing fanfiction about his life in my head. Because I'm the only one in this book who actually cared even a smidgen for him.

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As for the romance it was heartwarming and I loved it. There's definitely more than kissing going on though, like this one scene that I won't spoil but it's nice for the upper YA crowd since Quinn is 18. This book felt like a warm hug. I honestly don’t have a single bad thing to say about it. I literally couldn’t put it down and managed to read it in just two sittings – I was that obsessed. This just exceeded all of my expectations and then some. A beautiful reminder of why I love YA contemporary so much. After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. The writing was adorable, witty and just plain entertaining. Overall, this book was extremely fun to binge and if I had thought of being swallowed by blankets and with a cup of tea beforehand, it would've been the perfect setting to read this in and experience the sweet nothings of the romance and friendship included within it. Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun, onto THE thing I despised with every single ounce of life source swimming within me.