Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this title! I loved the taylor swift references throughout the book. I was drawn to this story because of the title. I think the idea of writing a love story that’s based on a situationship is interesting. The story didn’t end in the typical way. It’s relatable in some ways to my own life. I would’ve liked to hear more about Ethan’s life story. I would’ve liked Sloane to bring up his past at some point. The book could use some polishing but I did enjoy it overall. (3.5)

I'm sorry, but what 😭 was 😭 that 😭? My 5-star rating of this book is not for what you think.

I rated this book 5 stars because as I read it, I couldn't help but reflect on my experiences as a college student. To be honest, I resonated so much (my freshman year instead of the book's senior year) because all we want is to be loved and to find affection.

Sometimes our brain and heart do not align. While we know something may be toxic or not worth our time, our heart keeps us daydreaming for something that isn't there. Love is a two-way street and can be even more harmful if not treaded carefully.

If you read this, you will experience a raw journey, and to be honest, you will literally appreciate every little lesson you learn in college. That's what it did for me. 5 freaking stars, I have no other words.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookmarked & Alissa DeRogatis for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.post-reading vibes⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
this books made me realize all the things i learn as a girl trying to find unconditional love in college — my heart hurts of how beautiful the author made me resonate so much with the fmc experience.

The idea was great but it all comes down to execution. the plot was so repetitive, it felt like i was re-reading the same thing all over again. i understand what message was trying to be sent, but we were just going around in circles. there wasn't any backstory either so i was honestly just getting frustrated. it just feels like a bunch of been there, done that.
I could recommend to someone who's been in a situation like this and can relate to it more than me. there were some good parts about this book, it just was definitely not for me.

Despite the author’s beautiful contemporary writing, this novel lacked significant plot building and personality in its main characters. What would have made it stronger would have been more backstory and chemistry between the main love interest characters. Additionally, this book could have been strengthened by the inclusion of the deeper emotions of the protagonist, instead of solely focusing on the narrative and events.

Thanks all for the e-arc!

If you love the 00's romcom movies where you follow the fmc going through major life issues, this one will be for you! Right up my street, thank you!

This book was everything I needed! I love this cover and was super excited to dive into this. Definitely recommend

Nostalgic romance at it's finest. The book explores all kinds of relationships, from parenthood to first lover - accurately relatable for a lot of people. Loved it and am keen to see other DeRogatis novels.

→1.5✰

lets get right to it why don't we?

"did you sleep with him?"..."but to answer your question, yes, i did. eight times."
╰ and how many STD's do you have? hm?

"that new chainsmokers song!" jordan pleaded. "i'm obsessed!" "'closer'! yes!" lauren reiterated. "from your roomate back in boulder, we ain't never getting older!"
╰ shush! be quiet! im getting flashbacks

"i hated sleeping with clothes on."
╰ ew ew ew ick ick ick get away from me u weirdo

"his reply was dismissive. "it was nothing, sloane."
╰ ERRRRR red flag. don't trust a man who waves off ur questions like they're not valid

"seriously?" he rolled his eyes. "why do you always have to make everything into a bigger deal than it is?"
╰ wow! another red flag! dont walk run

"i would do anything for him to give me just the slightest bit of attention"
╰ babes he should be giving u all the attention

"things between us escalated so fast and became something i can't do. i should have never let it get this far. i think we should stop seeing each other."
╰ the fact that when he said this it had been months of them hooking up and they hadn't even dated yet

"jamie, you're with me." i blurted out, trying to channel some sort of alpha vibe. girls loved a guy who took control."
╰ you are not an alpha special guy!

"we probably need a res. it's a friday."
╰ stop abbreviating reservation when you're having a real life face-to-face conversation thanks <3

"happy thanksgiving, turkey. can't wait to get home and gobble you up 😉"
╰ kill me

"i can't do this anymore, sloane. i think this needs to end."
╰ i'm not over exaggerating when i tell you this is the third time this has happened

"both have been reminders of how beautiful, sometimes sad but mostly beautiful, life is."
╰ can we get an editor?

the end
[thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!]

p.s. everything i have stated is my opinion. this review is not meant to be offensive. happy reading! <3

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity.

First and foremost, this cover is everything! It’s so fun and would definitely catch my attention in a bookstore. The title, ‘Call It What You Want’ is also super cute!

With that being said, I struggled with this book... The first time I read it, I got about 20% in and had to set it aside, thinking maybe I just wasn’t “in the mood” to read it (I’m a mood reader). When I picked it back up, nothing had changed.

I couldn’t connect with Sloane; I couldn’t connect with any of the characters really, but especially Sloane. Maybe the character just isn’t for me, and that’s okay.
For me, to enjoy a book, I have to feel a connection to the person’s mind that I’m in and, unfortunately, that connection was missing.

My inability to enjoy this book, and connect with the characters, has everything to do with my personal reading preferences and nothing to do with the author herself.

Taking a peek at the genres listed on Goodreads: Self Help, New Adult, Young Adult, College… I just don’t think this book was written for me.

I do feel like this book would be better received by a younger (YA) audience. Wishing the author nothing but success on release day!

This book was so good and so cute! Perfect spring read, made me cry, laugh, and giggle. A Taylor Swift fans dream book. Alissa Derogatis killed it!

im really unhappy with this book. it's understandable that it is about a failed situationship but i found myself enthrawled by the side characters rather than the main characters. a lot of incomplete sentences and thoughts could have been executed better though, unsure as to why publishers let this book get out.

I found that this book was repetitive and I couldn't really connect with the characters because of it. I found myself a little confused by the plot, but I think overall, there will be people at my library that would be interested in this book.

The book held so much promise, and as someone who's walked a similar path, I eagerly delved into its pages. I appreciated the resonance of Sloane's emotions—waiting, expecting, hoping—but alas, the book fell short of my expectations. 📚

Rather than an engaging plot, I found repetition reigning supreme. Sloane's perspective mirrored Ethan's too closely, leaving me longing for more depth. Ethan's backstory, in particular, begged for exploration; Sloane's omission of this crucial topic despite her longing for him left a void. 🕳️

While some conversations between Sloane and Ethan meandered unnecessarily, certain sensitive subjects cried out for discussion. If I were in her shoes, I'd have broached those topics, hopeful for a deeper connection. Perhaps then, Ethan might have revealed more of himself. 🗣️💬

Overall, while the book didn't quite meet my expectations, my admiration for Lauren prompted me to award an extra star. 🌟🌟🫶🏻

The main character frustrated me a lot, but having been in a similar situation when I was younger I can understand her thought process. It's definitely heartbreaking and does a great job at showing a woman's POV when in a toxic relationship. As someone who works in the domestic violence prevention field, I can say that there are many reasons someone doesn't want to leave a toxic relationship/situationship and too often other people make those people out to be not so smart when that just isn't the case. I love that the author went for a more unconventional love story to write. It felt very realistic and I think many women will resonate with this story if they've ever been in a somewhat similar situation. I was a bit bothered by a lot of the spelling mistakes, there were a few too many for me, but I know this is an ARC and will most likely be fixed before pub date!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. If you’ve ever had a toxic first love, you will love this book. It was so real and raw and I could totally relate to the man character

I liked the concept but overall I didn’t enjoy it. I couldn’t connect to the characters and found the story a bit repetitive at times.

I like the concept of the book, but I felt the book itself was repetitive.

Good debut novel though!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved that I could feel the writer's emotions through the page, but I didn't feel connected to the characters! The emotions and feelings were all there and the writer did amazing portraying them. However, I feel as though I was not in the right place for this book when I read it. Despite this, I feel that everyone in their early 20's should give this one a read. It tackles so many situations and feelings that we go through and allows readers to understand that they are not alone.

this is my second time reading this book and i liked a lot more the second time however, i still feel very disconnected from it.
the premise is everything i love but the writing wasn’t there for me.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book!!

to say i have conflicting feelings about this book is an understatement. sloane is an overall boring character. the main things we learn about her is that she enjoys writing, but she’s mediocre at best. she isn’t a character with many defining traits. while the author dives into ethan’s backstory, it isn’t well done. ethan is supposed to be a complex character, and he ends up just being a jumbled mess. throughout the story, ethan and sloane didn’t seem to share very many conversations unless they consisted of sloane’s pleading for more out of ethan.

while i think most people can relate to the intense hurt that comes from a one sided situationship, this story isn’t very unique. the sentence structure seems to fall short in many ways. the side characters held my interest more than sloane and ethan did.

this story is okay for what it was, but overall falls short in many ways.