4.5 rounded up!

I thought this was a really cute YA novel! This was the authors debut novel and I thought it was super well done! The characters were so sweet and cute, centered around fashion and theatre. I wish I had this cute book when I was in high school!

I do wish it was a tiny bit longer and more flushed out, as I wasn't ready for it to end but maybe we'll get a squeal!?

This book was really original. That's what I like. Scarlett is an awesome young lady and an amazing character. The idea of fashion is a good idea and well used. I really liked it.

I felt the story was good but a little predictable. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better and felt that this would have been something I would have enjoyed alot at a younger age, and this might be why I didn't quite hit it off with the book.
It was really lovely to read a book with a different story, musical theatre and dressmaking are absolute loves of mine and that is what drew me in straight away to this book. The cover is so beautiful and makes you want to read it.
I have suggested this book to a few friends who I know will love it.

Chapter one was interesting but the rest just didn’t make it for me.
Despite the way too insta love from the fmc, it overall felt a but boring for me. Rushed in some way and it looks like a high school first romance, which isn’t bad, but it’s usually not what I look for.
Would probably recommend for ya first readers looking for something cute.

I want to begin by stating that all these opinions are my own, and I recognise some people may really like this book and rate it 4/5 stars, but it just wasn’t for me.

I know this is a teen/ya novel but my goodness, I felt like I was reading the inner monologue of a 13 year old, rather than 17. I genuinely couldn’t believe some of the sentences I read, for example, ‘jealousy hit me like a splash of water to the face.’ … yeah, I know. This is really YA, and I honestly skipped half of the writing on 80% of the pages because it was just useless, it was unnecessary and probably just filler to lengthen the book.

Scarlett was interesting to say the least, I understand she is 17, but at points she felt like a literal child, and some of her thoughts were so stupid like?? Why are you acting so childish for no reason? This girl was gifted a sewing machine and instead of going onto youtube or something like a normal human being, she decided instead she would wait a few months until someone decided to teach her. Please, I was so frustrated it’s ridiculous.

The main love interest, Nathaniel, was actually rarely in the book because it consisted of Scarlett droning on about how he can’t like her or her friendship issues with Macie, or her need to get into FIT, and other useless thoughts that I definitely do not recall thinking when I was 17. There were so many unrealistic and face-palming moments but it’s one of those books you need to finish even if you can’t stand it.

The ending? I really feel like all of my patience and persevering was really for nothing, because I could have screamed at how the author ended the book. Honestly?! Like how can you end a book like that and agree it’s for the best. So honestly, if you’re looking for a feel happy book with a happy ending. This is not it. Though, saying that, I do think I would read a sequel if it came out. Only if it was about the same two characters so I suppose it wasn’t all that bad in the end.

Spoiler Free Review:

Finished reading 14 - 29 January 2023

Your Dream for Me is a cute and compelling story about first love, and following your heart and dreams.

Schaffir's debut novel centers on Scarlett, a high schooler and aspiring fashion designer whose world changes when she meets the talented, kind, and handsome aspiring actor Nathaniel Wilder. Their romance is tested by unforeseen events, one of them being Scarlett's best friend's unfortunate occurrence, that they could never expect.

The writing is both fun and excellent.
The characters are an intriguing blend of likeable and complex.

Recommended to those who enjoy:
*Theatre
*Fashion
*Slow burn romances
*Sisterhood dynamics
*Rival who also likes the love interest

Thank you so much NetGalley, Level Best Books, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for this awesome E-ARC. I really appreciate it.

Probably closer to 2.5 stars than 2.

I was close to DNFing this book, but I was getting through it pretty quickly so I decided to power through.

I liked Nathaniel and Scarlett's chemistry from the start, but I could not stand the "will they/won't they," it was too much back and forth for me. I understand that there needs to be some conflict, but it felt like it just kept coming. It is more of a personal preference for me; too much conflict makes me anxious, and this book made me a bit anxious while I was waiting for the building conflict to come.

I also could not really stand Scarlett. She's young, and she did learn throughout the book, but I was just not here for it.

A fun YA book that's maybe not a typical as it seems. Scarlett dreams of going to Fashion School, and embeds herself into her school theatre production to garner some experience, where she meets her Love Interest Nathaniel. Scarlett is a slightly different than normal protagonist, the author displays her flaws and selfishness throughout the novel, in the way she acts and feels and behaves towards everyone, her family, her peers, her best friend Macie and even Nathaniel.

As the story progresses it defiantly took some turns I wasn't expecting. The premise of the novel, the setting and the core of it had real potential, but I feel like these characters weren't given the best opportunities to flourish.
An easy YA read, I would still recommend, but left me craving more from this world.


Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for my honest review via netgalley :)

I can not believe how well this book showed teen life, all the feelings of growing up, the anxiousness of your figure with college, and dream jobs, and relationships. This book showed it all perfectly.
I can’t explain my love for this book, all the sewing and fashion, the theatre, dinners, old movies, 50s inspired things and romance tropes- I loved it all.
Scarlett has always dreamed of being a fashion designer, she draws sketches, plans designs but she has never gotten the opportunity to actually create until she was gifted a sewing machine, and was urged to help and learn from the school theater. Throughout the book you see her grow as a designer, a person and a friend, and balances her feelings for the lead of the musical (and studiedly hot, and supportive) Nathanial. It felt like a hallway crush and I love it so much.
I loved the ending, it was super realistic yet super satisfying.

After reading this book I went back and read the blurb, just in case I got it wrong to start with... I didn't.

This book is listed as a romance, with strong elements of fashion and theatre. It's why I wanted to read it, as that ticked all the boxes for me. If i am going to be honest, the book did not live up to any of the promise.

The fashion design part is felt like a bit of a stitch-up. She dreams of becoming a designer, but at no time at all does she act like that. And even getting a sewing machine as a gift, and she just puts it aside because she doesnt know how to use one? Luckily with no effort on her part she becomes an expert in five minutes in what seems like months later when someone shows her how to thread a bobbin.

And is she really seventeen? This reads a lot like a middle-grade book to me, totally lacking in any real emotional detail.

The biggest issue for me is the promoting of this book as a romance when it is not. A coming of age story, sure, but a romance has a promise of a happy ending, or at least happy for now, but this didn't have either.

This book was quick read, and I enjoyed some of the theatre kid vibes, but in general this story was a chaotic mess. The plot was all over the place and so many unrelated things happened in such a short amount of time, it was impossible to track. I honestly don’t even know what the goal of the story was as the plot was just jumbled and the ending was really a sort of non-ending. It’s a no from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a very sweet young adult romance book. It brought me back to my high school days when just a mere conversation with someone that you find cute makes you all of a sudden develop a crush. Or when there’s a simply misunderstanding and people rush to judgments about what they think you did or didn’t do. Schaffir really hit the nail on the head, as if she was just in high school! This was a slow burn kind of romance, but I do wish there was a little more romance to it. The characters were well developed so that I knew their personalities well. The ending is a bit of a shocker for me, something I didn’t see coming. I wanted to be able to talk to the characters at the end, and give them advice. This book is perfect book to be made into a movie! I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes young adult romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett, unlike her theatrically gifted parents, is not one to spend time near a spotlight. Scarlett dreams of becoming a renowned fashion designer, where she can flex her creative talents away from a crowd. So it's no surprise when she sneaks into her school's costume shop to explore the racks. Unexpected, however, is coming face-to-face with Nathaniel Wilder, a talented theater student who piques a new interest. With fashion still as her main priority, Scarlett vows to learn how to make a 50s-inspired dress for her best friend, Macie. After all, she needs a strong portfolio of work to help her get into her dream school, the Fashion Institute of Technology. The one problem? She has no idea how to operate a sewing machine. Thanks to Nathaniel's encouragement, Scarlett decides to shadow the school's drama teacher to practice her skills, hoping to fuse her passion for fashion with theater...and be closer to him for the spring play. Scarlett's designs are unfolding, but a distressing event involving Macie shakes everyone in Scarlett's world—causing their friendship to falter and Nathaniel to unexpectedly pull away. With building stressors threatening the rest of the year, including a rival who wants to tarnish Scarlett's reputation, Scarlett must rely on her determined spirit and newfound sewing skills to keep her fashion dreams—and her most important relationships—from unraveling.

Scarlett is meant to be a 17 year old young lady but feels incredibly immature instead. Her thoughts and feelings were so scattered that it was hard to keep up with what was going on. She expressed this massive love for fashion and desire to be a designer and yet we saw so little of her actively doing it. The one time she did, she miraculously made a perfect dress. There is such a thing as raw talent but I think this feat of Scarlett’s is impossible. There was no development of her character across the book as I had hoped to see. A rather disappointing character to me, I’m afraid. The only redeemable thing going for her was her friendship with Macie - but even then, when that was rocky, I didn’t like the way she handled it at all.
Nathaniel seems like he could be a promising character but just didn’t do it for me. He gradually seemed to become cockier and more interested in his wants. He felt rather creepy at times actually. I really thought I’d like him considering my love for the arts but he just did not appeal in any way to me.

Unfortunately, this book did not tickle my fancy. It drew me in initially with its synopsis but the story just fell incredibly flat in my eyes. The pacing felt off - too quick and glossing over details that should have been embellished to really allow the story to shine - and that, in turn, meant the story just didn’t flow from one event to another. It seems rather stilted and bitty. The characters felt very one dimensional and had very little substance to them. I can understand it with smaller side characters like Scarlett’s parents who scarcely feature, but even Macie who is meant to be the narrator’s best friend had very little to her. The insta-love was too much for me. I don’t mind a story where there are instant heart eyes and a great connection but this isn’t one of them. We went from nothing but embarrassment to suddenly “I’m in love with everything that makes you.” It just didn’t make sense in my mind. The ending just felt off too, like it didn’t work with the rest of the plot. If the story weren’t so short, I would have DNF’d this one early on. Sadly, this isn’t a book I will be recommending.

Overall, Your Dream For Me is a story that fell very flat for me.

⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Level Best Books for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! I usually love YA novels for a quick escape to reminisce about simpler times. While the premise of this book was sweet and I loved the theatrical aspect of it ( Musical Theatre dork right here) this fell short for me. The ending both surprised me and disappointed me since I was rooting for the happy ending.

Its light and calm book maybe because i read so many drama and plot twist book i feel like wait to another shoe too drop. Not in this book tho. Lol.

The story is about Scarlett who have a dream to be fashion designer. She work hard for her dream, she know what she want to be, have vision, have courage to make it happend, have supporterd parents and Best friend, i really adore her. There is Nathaniel they meet cute lead to getting know each other, support each other dream, little bit love triangel, best friend drama. Reading this book feel like walking in memory line. What a sweet memory. Okay i feel old now (its been 14 years..)

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#YourDreamForMe #AlisonSchaffir #LevelBestBooks #IndependentBookPublishersAssociation #IBPA #NetGalley #ARC

Ever since she can remember, Scarlett has wanted to become a world-famous fashion designer. So, it’s not surprising that she often sneaks into the school’s drama department to look at their costumes. What she doesn’t expect is to run into Nathaniel, the school’s newest drama star.

With Nathaniel’s encouragement, Scarlett decides to try to make her best friend Macie a 50s inspired dress. Even though she’s never worked a sewing machine. But she’ll need a portfolio to get into fashion school, right? And if a little romance happened along that way, that would be a bonus. When a something happens at a party, it seems like everything is falling apart. And it's up to Scarlett to fix it.

Thanks to Level Best Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Your Dream for Me by Alison Schaffir to review! If you’re looking for a lighthearted, drama-themed romance, this will definitely be the book for you. It’s quick, easy to read, and full of costumes and acting!

While the romance in this one is a bit of a slow burn, I can tell you it’s worth it by the end of the book. The cast of characters is vibrant and makes for fun reading, even if they read a little young at times. This book would be a great way to introduce younger teens to the young adult genre for sure.

Schaffir also does a good job capturing the feeling of high school, the general day-to-day aspect of it. You’re easily transported to Scarlett’s world, and I think teens will enjoy it!

Schaffer has written a cute book about teenagers and issues they face as they move through high school.. The book is a quick read with an easy plot to follow and characters that are adorable.. Despite all of this, the ending of the book is anti-climatic and simply leaves the reader wishing for something else all together.

3.75

Take loads of friendship, love, cute romance, and dreams, mix it a little, and you get Your Dream for Me.

I had a great time reading this one. It definitely transported me back to when I was in high school reading my first romance novels all the while navigating how to deal with my little high school problems. It was overall a feel-good story.

I think that it is a bit of a younger YA but it shouldn't stop you for reaching for this one when it comes out, if you're looking for something that felt a bit like High School Musical, except the MMC is 100% into acting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book really didn't do it for me. It really felt like an 80's after school special complete with the requisite bad acting. I read a lot of YA and have 3 teenagers in my house, so I can honestly say that this book was not in tune with today's high school scene. Very little texting going on and lots of notes in lockers. Yes, notes. Kids today use ipads and chrome books; they don't even have paper to write notes on. Texting replaced leaving notes a long time ago. Plus, leaving out texting is a missed opportunity for banter and character development. The 17 and 18 year olds really behaved like middle schoolers in their relationships and I found it to all be quite juvenile.

There was also some pacing issues as one semester in high school went really fast, yet the character's relationships hardly grew at all. Very little actually happened. I really wanted to like this, but the writing was stilted and the characters were flat. And don't get me started on the ending. OMG, I was really let down by the ending.

2.5 ⭐

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

t's hard to start this review because despite my rating, I feel like this book had the potential to be something more.

I think it was not a book that I would read at this point in my life. That is to say, it is set in the school world and some of the book's problems are focused on it and having left that stage behind, I do not feel identified with the plot or the problems of the protagonist.

There are other issues that are also discussed, but I don't feel like they're well resolved, as is the case with what happened to Scarlett's best friend.

Another point that did not quite convince me was the sudden relationship and "connection" of Nathaniel and Scar. I saw her very forced. I didn't feel the chemistry and it was all very rushed.

I know this is the author's debut book and I congratulate her on it. But, in my case, I don't think it's a book I would read again. I felt it very simple and without much depth.

Since the content I do is in Spanish, I usually recommend books to start reading in English and I think this is appropriate for this case. It is easy to read and it is not very difficult to understand the plot and what is happening.

To whom would I recommend this book? For those people who are beginning to read in English and for those who want to read a book with a school setting.

PS: Being Back to the Future one of my favorite movies, I loved that the author integrated it into the story.