This quick, light read reminded me a lot of a Kasie West book. Cute and easy. Danielle is supposed to be leaving for college in the fall, but when she fails a class, her admission is revoked. As she enrolls in community college, she meets new friends, gets herself into parent drama and a love triangle, and tries to figure out what it is she really wants to do next. Nice beach read for when you’re in the mood for something light!

I don't know how Maggie Martin managed to capture every feeling I've ever had as an 18-year-old, but she did. From the inner awkward thoughts we manage to filter, the horribly embarrassing things that still manage to sneak through, the frustrations with parents, to finally the insecurities we have with just life in general.

Maggie manages to capture the beginning of adulthood due to the very relatable main character, Danielle. She has all of these relatable thoughts and hilarious humor that had me laughing out loud. I felt like I would be best friends with Danielle in real life!

The overarching plot of Dani not getting accepted into her planned college created smaller plots that I thought really added depth to her as a character and the realness of her life. We as readers get to see her really grow, even from chapter to chapter as she becomes responsible for herself in the way that only college allows us.

This is a total "coming of age" book in my opinion, and it's like nothing I've ever read before. A girl who is setting off on her journey on the wrong foot, learning how to be a college student, working, figuring out boys, and figuring out herself. What more could a girl ask for?

I recommend this book to people who want to their relive college years or to have someone to experience college with. There's best friends, younger brother actors, psychic mothers, boys, and lots of pizza and coffee.

Enjoyable ya read with a character that is hard not to connect with at times. Although very mature for her age the characters growth was enjoyable to be a part of.

"Sometimes your heart makes a shit show out of what you think you want" (Chapter 19)

The Big F starts off with Danielle and her parent's plan for her life being completely derailed because of an F she got in a class she "had no business taking." Her dream college aspirations went clear out the window and she was left with the pieces of her life, trying to figure out how to put them together again. Her mom, being a "college psychic," did not take this failure well, causing she and Danielle to spend most of the book trying to avoid the wall of tension that gets taller every day. Much of the plot takes a look at how one person's life can be affected by a single failure--not even just a failure. The themes look at how one little change in someone's plan can provide a whole world of opportunities unavailable before. Danielle decides to take an english class at her local community college in order to be readmitted into her dream 4-year school. Because of this simple detour in her life plan, she was able to be reconnected with her old crush, Luke, she got a job at the campus bookstore and became close friends with her coworker and Luke's roommate, Porter, and she learned more about who she is and what she is passionate about.

Danielle and Luke's relationship is quick and cute. She already knows everything about him and is friends with his family. It's easy. There are things that frustrate her like the fact that his football takes up so much time--a conflict that is only briefly mentioned and never resolved. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It doesn't feel real. But the little times they do get to spend together are sweet and easy.

I loved how much Danielle grows. She struggles a lot with learning what she actually wants and how she's going to go after them. She struggles with her relationship with her mom and the weird thing that happened with her and Porter. She's a college freshman--she makes mistakes and sometimes doesn't think about consequences. But I really appreciate how much she grows. One little mistake changed her whole life for the better.

Some things that bothered me: I felt like the only characters that got flushed out well were Danielle and Porter, especially when the plot focused on their friendship. Luke is so so flat. He brings up a little internal conflict later in the story, but really, I still feel like I know nothing about him. All the characters in Danielle's life seem to come in just to teach her something--which is wonderful--but adds no depth to the characters. I also was annoyed that the book starts off talking about how Danielle's mom is a psychic who is able to determine what schools are a good fit for prospective college students. But after the first mention, her psychic abilities are nonexistent. It seems more like she is just a good college advisor. That's it. Her being psychic was absolutely useless.

The Big F is a cute, fluffy contemporary about a girl discovering who she can be after one F messes up her whole future. I empathized with both Danielle and Porter quite a bit and was rooting for them through the end. I just wish I felt that way about everyone else.

A good fluffy book! Easy to read with lots of fast-paced action. The characters are easy to attach yourself too, and the themes that the story wish to discuss - failure and family drama and young love - are dealt with in an interesting and enjoyable way.

It took me a little while to start this book, but as fate would have it, I read it in between two very emotionally heavy YA fantasy books, and this was just the book filler I needed. I had a strong desire to read something that would give me light stomach butterflies and make me swoon, and this was medicine well served! I immediately connected to all the characters, particularly Danielle - she was funny, sassy and very loving - and I also found the story quite refreshing. I have read so many contemporary YA novels set in and around the mid to late high school time, so I really enjoyed getting into a story set right after high school. It has an entirely different set of complications and emotions to deal with, that we all can relate to. Kids no longer have the safety net of high school to protect them from facing the big questions, like "What do I want to do?" This book was great in showing that sometimes those answers really don't come easy, in fact, they're really hard. And you know what? It could take you a while to figure that out, and that is totally okay. It handled the pressure that kids put on themselves (and sometimes pressure that parents can out on them too...) very well. This book surprised me, I really enjoyed it, and I would definitely recommend it!

The first chapter was already so intense that I already had this attachment to the book. I knew I had to read until the end because I’d love to see Danielle redeem herself. Especially because she took responsibility for her actions and she became independent.

I like the love triangle in this book. Both Luke and Porter have qualities to love. But one guy stood out for me. And I’m excited for you to read this book so you can fangirl with me. ❤

There were a lot of cute things in this book. There’s pizza in a bookstore (my favorite part!) and little notebooks filled with quirky observations. There’s even a swoonworthy movie shoot, and more adorable moments to put a smile on your face.

However, there’s also a lot of family drama in this book due to lack of communication. Dani and her mom had a difficult relationship because they wanted different things and didn’t talk about compromise right away.

I followed Danielle’s journey, and thought of my own. It’s true that there will be failures and mistakes in life, but we shouldn’t let those bring us down and keep us from chasing our dreams.

The Big F is a story of standing up after a bad fall and using the scars of failure to fuel your drive to succeed.

I just want to start off saying that I love this book. I’m not a huge contemporary reader, I’m trying to broaden my horizons with more contemporary books, and this one was great. The summary sounded really relatable and fun, especially because I’m a senior in high school this year. It was very entertaining and interesting to move. I read it all in a single day, I never found one part of it boring. I thought Maggie’s delivery on this book was near perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book is about a recently graduated senior, Danielle. She needs to find out what she is going to do about college after being rejected by the only school she planned for. Like me, I’m feeling the stress of applying for colleges along with acceptances and rejections. The story follows Danielle and her love interests and family dilemmas along with appearances from her best friend Zoe.

My favorite part about this book was the romance. Without spoiling anything, I was hesitant at the first indications of a love interest, but then I was totally taken aback and suddenly loving the new developing romance between Danielle and a certain special boy who is now very near and dear to my heart (I love him). Danielle is torn between two beautiful boys, the golden boy-next-door and long lost friend and old crush who radiates sunshine, and then there’s the quiet, snarky beautiful boy who takes every chance he gets to make jabs at Danielle. I was loving both of them and couldn’t pick a side. Maggie’s writing was incredible. I loved how she wrote the end game romance, it is probably one of my new favorites.

I also loved how Maggie wrote about realistic and relatable aspects of life. She talks about family and how “perfect” families have their flaws and overcome obstacles. She deals with the college application processes, and coming from a midwest town where I’ve basically had my college decided since I was born, I understand the pressure of following through with plans. Community college is always seen as a step-back for most people, but it could change the course of someone’s life for the better. The parties and drinking and sex mentioned in the book I found very relatable. It’s nice to see contemporary YA books that mention sex and virginity as a casual thing. Everywhere I read people lose their virginities to their main love interest and continue to stay with that person for the remainder of their lives (or the book/series at least), but that’s literally never the case. First times can be meaningful and serious, but it’s also not the end of the world after losing them. I just appreciated how everything was just so me, I am patiently waiting for the time within the next year that I will meet a cute boy like the one in the book.

There was slow-burn, romance, failure, big decisions, family problems, fun adventures and outings, internships, school, jobs, and everything about teenage life and college. I know it doesn’t sound like the most exciting book, but I loved it. Everything about it was real and fun and cute and hilarious. Seriously, go buy this book now.

Failure is part of life, though it may seem like the end of the world, it can alter it for the better. There’s a path for everyone, it just takes some longer to find it, but it’s worth it in the end.

The writing was fairly simplistic and the characters did not evince much growth throughout the narrative trajectory. With so many contemporary fiction options for teens, it is unlikely that our library will purchase this soon.

The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin felt like a classic, cautionary tale of the overachiever. Danielle has everything pulled together in her life as she plans for college--her grades, her social network, And then she fails senior English and her admission status to Ohio State, her dream school and the only place she applied, is revoked. I think we have all heard the stories about keeping up your grades after you get admitted because your admission is contingent upon your successful completion of all of your remaining courses. It's a real thing.

Danielle, however, has failed and she can't fix it except to move on to community college, improve her grade again, and then reapply. She wants her life to get back on track.

The good message in this book is that you don't have to meet everyone else's expectations of you to be happy. The other good message is that if you want to go to your dream school, you should stay focused on your academics. But another good message is that you can always turn things around. She'll never know what her life could have been if she had passed English and gone on to Ohio State without any issues. Instead, Danielle has to find a way through new obstacles, to identify new goals, and work hard for them.

This book is a breezy read, easy to complete in one sitting. It is light, contemporary young adult fiction. Though it is a bit predictable, sometimes that is what you want in a book. And while at first it seems like a cautionary tale, by the end you realize that her character has grown so much that she almost needed the set back to move forward as a person. Even still... for anyone thinking about letting their grades slip senior year... don't do it, if you can help it.

Recommended to readers who enjoy Kasie West and Morgan Matson, this is an enjoyable ya contemporary romance.

Maggie Ann Martin does a fantastic job of including all the the classic YA contemporary romance cliches that we've all come to know in love in The Big F, but altering them ever so slightly to give it a completely different feel from most other YA high school romances. The closest thing that I feel I can compare it to is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because both Daniella and Kath are college freshmen, but thats pretty much where the similarities end. It was such a fun, quick read that I highly enjoyed--I especially loved the theme of failure and how it doesn't mean the end of the world.

The story itself was intriguing, but it was the characters who truly brought the story to life for me. Dani being fresh out of high school instead of 16 or 17 was what really made this story unique for me. The way Martin wrote her was so realistic, and I found myself connecting to her trough out the story. Luke is the classic, adorable boy next door, and I loved him to pieces. I liked how the boy next door cliche wasn't the main focus of the story, but rather a tool used to push along the main plot. Zoe is one of the greatest best friends a girl can have, and I honestly wish that I could reach through the pages and pull her into my life to help me out during times of crisis. Porter reminds me so much of a lot of my guy friends who constantly like to push my buttons, but are always sweet and charming when they need to be--and I absolutely loved him! Martin did a fantastic job in writing relatable characters who develop well throughout the story, and find a special place in the reader's heart.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin, and recommend this book to any high school junior or senior who's worried about the future, or anyone who wants a fresh take on the classic YA romance.

This is how it's done! This book has it all; confused main character, parent drama, blast from the past, cryptic new person, awesome best friend and BLAM! Five star book....must read!!!

This book wasn’t entirely what I expected, in a good way. I thought this book was simply going to be a second chance romance type of book but it was much more than that. It really went into a lot of things that you feel around the age of 18, fresh into adulthood. When you are an adult but still feel like you’re being treated like a child, when you second guess things you do. This book realistically portrays that moment when you feel like you’ve disappointed you’re parents and you don’t know what to do about it and are overwhelmed with it. I did feel this book was a little bit predictable but honestly I’m really good at predicting books (like really good) so don’t let that hold to much weight. As a debut author I think Maggie Ann Martin did a really good job at building the characters and making the relationships in this book seem realistic.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

It's basically every YA book ever, but still, it was cute. It's well written and that's what matters. I had fun with this and fans of YA contemporary probably would too. Give it a shot.

The Big F is author Maggie Ann Martin’s debut novel, and I have to say, I loved it! The Big F is a young adult contemporary romance that is sure to put a smile on your face. This book gave me major Kasie West vibes…obviously in a great way! I honestly enjoyed everything about this book. Right from the moment I picked it up, to the very last page, I had a great time reading The Big F. Can we also talk about the awesome cover for a moment. I love it! I think it is so perfect for this story. I love the doodling on the cover as well.

The Big F is the story of Dani and Luke. Dani thought she had her future planned out, until an F got her rejected from her dream college. Can I first just say, this would have sent me into a tailspin when I was in high school, so I really related to Dani. I liked her character a lot. And I really loved Luke. I am such a sucker for a guy next door romance that I was rooting for them from the moment I read the summary. And Luke lived up to every bit of expectation I had for him.

One of my favorite things about The Big F, is that initially Dani is painted out to be a big overachiever. Totally type A, and this is a plot line path that I have seen explored in tons of ways. But I loved the direction that Maggie Ann Martin took this story in. Dani’s journey takes a detour through community college, and in this detour she really finds herself. I loved it. I loved her journey and I loved seeing this story told. I haven’t see it in young adult before, which was a big plus for me.

Not only were Dani and Luke great, I also liked the cast of secondary characters, including Dani’s family. I thought it was so refreshing to see a well adjusted family dynamic represented a young adult book. (You guys know how nasty parents can be a pet peeve of mine.) But I loved how Dani’s parents, brother and friends were portrayed. The Big F had excellent friendships, a great self journey for Dani and a really sweet romance. It was an overall really fun read. I cannot wait for more from Maggie Ann Martin. I am going to read her next novel for sure! The Big F was a hit with me!

When Danielle doesn't get into the college of her dreams, she considers herself a failure. She enrolls in the local community college, hoping to transfer out as soon as she can. But plans change. First, she reunites with Luke, her childhood crush. Then, she gets a job at the bookstore and meets Porter, who happens to be Luke's roommate. Finally, she gets an internship with a conservationist organization and discovers her true passion. Meanwhile, she struggles to connect with her mother and clashes with her perfect cousin. Danielle has a whole lot of growing up to do, and she discovers that you can't always plan your life.

In keeping with the F theme of the book title, the chapter titles are all F words: Failure, Fate, Final, Friendship, Fluke, Fun, Future, Fire, Family, Firsts, Foreboding, Fame, Faster, Festivities, Formal, Feast, Fever, Fortune, Frustration, Fracture, and Feeling; this is a cute and clever way of presenting the major premise of each chapter. Danielle is snarky and sarcastic and the perfect foil for Porter. I also love her interactions with her fourteen-year-old brother, Noah, but the exchanges with her mother seem a bit forced and unnatural, while her father's input is practically non-existent. I could see the author expanding this book into a series, and I'd be especially interested in learning more about Noah and Danielle's best friend, Zoe.

A fun, easy read.

Warnings: heavy alcohol consumption, sexual references. Technically, this is a new adult book, as the characters are eighteen years old and attending college. However, while there is (quite) a bit of drinking, there is no coarse language, and the sex scenes are only implied, making it suitable for young adult readers.

Note: the copy I read contained some editing errors and a few poorly constructed sentences.

OHMAHGOSH this book… I breezed through this one in less than 24 hours and absolutely loved every moment. The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin is such a heartwarming story about self-discovery, family, friendship, and love. It’s completely adorable, sweet, and just the perfect summer read that will leave a smile on your face.

The romance in this book so stinkin’ cute and I could not get enough. There’s plenty of sweet moments, spine tingling kisses, and boy drama to last your for days. Also, there's a love triangle... and for the most part I really don't like them. BUT this one just worked and it was absolutely swoony and perfect in every way. Not to mention there were definitely A LOT OF FEELS with both of the guys. Luke and Porter are such great love interests. They both played a specific role in Danielle’s life that affected her in different ways but no less important than the other. I’m obviously not going to spoil anything more, but I walked away feeling satisfied with how both relationships played out.

Th characters are complex and flawed, but fabulous in their own ways. I could totally see myself hanging out with them and sharing a pizza or two.

• Danielle messed up big time, but she eventually owns up to it and makes a plan. I love that she takes responsibility and doesn’t ask anyone for help even if she could. She still makes mistakes here and there – she is human after all. But she is trying to learn, to grow, and to figure out what she really wants.

• Zoe is just the BEST best friend anyone can have and I completely adore her. She’s always there to tell you how it is and still be supportive as ever. Seriously, everyone needs a Zoe.

• Luke is the handsome boy next door and childhood crush you dream about being your boyfriend. He’s athletic, outgoing, and fun, but you realize he isn’t as perfect as you imagine him to be and that’s okay.

• And then there's Porter... He’s kind of a mystery, so you’re immediately drawn to him. He pushes your buttons quite a bit, but then he’s also really nice, super sweet, funny and so charming that you can’t help but fall head over heels for him.

There are so many things I love about this book – terrific writing, realistic characters, great family dynamics, awesome friendships, and sweet romance. But what I love most is the coming of age aspect and the many life lessons Martin weaves throughout the story. Failure doesn’t mean the end of everything. Life may not always go according to plan, but that’s okay. You can always create new goals, new plans, and new paths.

If you’re looking for a light, funny, and endearing YA contemporary, then I highly recommend you pick this up!

To read more of my reviews, visit sincerelykarenjo.wordpress.com

The Big F is Maggie Ann Martin’s debut novel with Swoon Reads. I love this imprint, and The Big F was not a disappointment! I was expecting something different, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this story.

Danielle messed up big time. She was all set to attend Ohio State until she failed her high school AP Lit class. Instead of letting her mother, the college psychic, know and use her connections to get Danielle reaccepted, she keeps it a secret well into summer. When her debacle is revealed, she must earn her parents’ trust back. Luckily, Danielle has a plan. She’s going to enroll at the local community college, take a literature class that will make up for her failed class, and get a job. What she wasn’t planning on was reconnecting with her old neighbor and childhood crush, Luke.

I really enjoyed being inside Danielle’s head. I thought she was a well-developed character and I loved watching her learn to own her mistakes and take on the responsibility to fix them herself. It was great seeing her figure out her passion and how that differed from her mother’s plan. I also appreciated the friendship Danielle had with her best friend, Zoe. It really did feel like they were best friends who hung out with each other on a regular basis and supported each other. I would’ve liked to seen more about Zoe, though! I have questions about her background, and I hope Maggie plans to write her story one day.

What I was not expecting was for this book to turn into a love triangle. I guessed I assumed from the synopsis that Danielle was going to flirt and work towards a relationship with Luke. However, they started dating within the first couple of chapters. I liked that this wasn’t drawn out, but I felt like we didn’t really get to know him at all. We were introduced to Porter, Danielle’s coworker and Luke’s roommate, and really got to know him well. I really loved the friendship that developed between the two of them and how Porter encouraged Danielle to follow her passions.

Overall, The Big F surprised me in the best way possible and I ended up really enjoying it.

**4.5 Out Of 5 Stars**
Danielle had her life all figured out, but when she failed her English class, she was declined from her dream school, which just so happened to be the only school she applied to. Dreading telling her parents, she waits until her cousin aka enemy forces her hand and she spills the truth. Deciding to take her floundering future into her own hands, Danielle enrolls in the local community college where she learns lessons on how to grow up, what she wants out of life and who she really is.

​I was a big fan of the fact the main character goes to a community college. This is such a nice change of pace from all the other teen books out there where the high school student has their life all planned and gets into one of their top college choices. As someone who wanted to safe money and attended a community college first, I think it is great that this book shows that it is ok. Life doesn't have to be 100% figured out by the time you are 18, there are LOTS of other options and this was such a positive spin on what at first appeared to be the end of the world. Mad props to Maggie for creating an out of the box approach to the mainstream growing up story and showing that life has so many possibilities.

This story was about Danielle's journey to becoming more than she was, every awkward encounter along the way helped to shape her path, including the guys she interacted with. Beware, there is a love triangle here. One boy just so happens to be Danielle's childhood fantasy come to life, yet they have basically have nothing in common and barely interact, they kind of just fell into a relationship- I personally feel he was more of an idea to her than a real person. And the other, well, Porter was one of my favorite people in the book in general. He was so fleshed out and developed as a character, he challenged Danielle to be better, to think about what she wanted and helped her figure out how to get it. I rooted hard for him and every time they could have the possibility of getting together I wanted to cheer. Stupid stubborn people who refused to talk or see the truth right in front of them!

The relationship dynamics between all the characters were really what made the story for me. We have the best friend Zoe who has her own life going on but still was able to support Danielle when she needed it and give her an ear to vent (I would love a story about Zoe!). There was the younger aspiring actor brother who was another close friend and confidant to Danielle. There was the tension filled relationship with her mother, making every interaction a challenge or battle. The ever so easy, yet boring relationship between her and Luke. And the teasing, provoking interactions with Porter. Everything came together to create the story and show the growth that Danielle went through in the story.

​I thought this was such a cute feel good story and I enjoyed every minute Danielle's awkward, clumsy journey. There were moments where I wanted to shake sense into Danielle, but she needed to find her own way and she did. I highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a cute fast growing-up/romance with an endearing group of people.

I received this title in return for my honest review. Visit my blog at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ to participate in the tour for the book!

WOW WOW WOW

I loved this so much. I was not sure what to expect going in. I thought we would be following a downward spiral of Danielle but what I got was so much better. This was such a great coming of age story. I loved watching Danielle grow into the person she wanted to be. Learning to trust herself and not bend to the whims of others.

The male leads where amazing. They both had different things going for them. Luke with his connection to her past. He also trying to figure out who is in this world. Along the way we see his family and learn the expectations on him.

Porter. I LOVED HIM. He was so unapologetically him throughout the whole story. I loved the way he kept notes in his notepads. It gave him this amazingly real way to see the world. I loved that he found a way to remember even the small things life had to offer.

If you love a good coming of age rom com this is so for you. Five big freaking stars for this amazing debut novel!