I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney Published by HarperTeen on 5/4/21
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud” and 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 . . .
Then an anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal—in a race against time to track down the blackmailer.
Together, they journey through everything Quinn’s been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love.
Short and Sweet
Quinn has a journal that she writes lists that consists of general things to a list of boys she’d like to kiss. But when her journal is misplaced and an anonymous account is blackmailing her Quinn has no choice but to face her fears and complete the items on her things to do before graduation list otherwise her whole journal could be posted online. Quinn teams up with Carter the last person known to have her journal and together they try to track the blackmailer and help Quinn face some of her fears.
Characters
Quinn: Quinn is our main character and she’s in high school. Quinn is filled with hope and fear and she places most of those in her journal. The journal is basically her life, it’s almost as if she doesn’t know who to be without her journal to guide her. Quinn had a lot of growth over the course of the book she began to face her fears and break out of her comfort zone. I loved seeing her become more comfortable and I appreciated the people she started to surround herself with because they brought out the best in her.
Romance
Quinn and Carter: Quinn has had a crush on Carter since he moved to Austin, but after there first group study session she’s put off. After the whole journal debacle Quinn reluctantly teams up with Carter to find who has her journal. After all the time they spent together we can see that they do care for each other. I like how protective Carter is over Quinn and how much he genuinely cares about her feelings and takes her concerns seriously although sometimes he has to make her think logically.
Quotes
~ “I’m so mad. And when I get this mad, I cry. And if I let it get too far, I ugly cry.”
~ “That’s what the journal’s all about: getting all my feelings out so I never have to talk about them.”
My Thoughts
Quinn’s journal holds everything that’s important to her. Once her journal goes missing she feels like she’s lost a part of herself and understandably she’s freaking out. Quinn teams up with Carter the last person known to have her journal and together they begin to tackle things on Quinn’s list of things to do before graduation. Quinn is fearful but with the help of Carter, Auden, and Olivia she begins to cross things off her list. I love that Quinn made new friends, especially Olivia. Olivia is one of those ride or die friends. We follow Quinn as she figures out who she truly is and realizes she never needed the journal to tell her. I also loved seeing all the lists Quinn would write.
Overall
This book is heartfelt and funny and tackles a lot of issues. In the end I was just so happy with how much Quinn grew and how much she learned to face her fears and have more confidence in herself. This was a book I couldn’t put down I loved the characters and the journey of self discovery!
Speak Your Mind