5 reasons why Finding Felicity is for fans of Felicity AND everyone else!

1. Finding Felicity is set during a key transitional period in a young adult’s lifetime - the transition to college & freshman year. Felicity fans know this is a key element during the show!
2. Main character Caroline is one of the most realistic, relatable characters I’ve ever read. Stacey found unique ways to make her one of us while also showing us what makes her the person she is. I loved that we saw her ongoing mental health process through the story.
3. There are lots of secondary characters who need their own book! I would read stories about any of them. It’s like having a full cast!
4. There are 3 Supernatural references. Did Stacey write this just for me? 🤣
5. You don’t have to have watched Felicity to get it but there are enough references that will make you want to watch it for the first time or once again!

Loved the references to Felicity--one of my favorite shows. The book fell a little flat for me, but i enjoyed the read.

This will be a huge draw for any fans of the show Felicity - that is exactly what got my attention. I love how the plot of the show is woven into the story and a love the presentation of everyone struggling to find themselves in their new college setting. I think this would be a tremendous book for teens heading off to college in the fall. I enjoyed many of the characters, but I found the main character to be a bit annoying. 3/5 stars, appropriate for ages 16+

Five Things I Loved About Finding Felicity

Premise

Caroline is very awkward/shy and has a difficult time making friends. After her parents divorce, her mom moves them to a new town, making things even harder on Caroline. When her mother starts questioning (& pushing – but we’ll talk more about that in a minute) she offhandedly gives her mom names of her “friends”, who are actually characters from her favorite tv show, Felicity. Things spiral out of control and Caroline, again inspired by Felicity, follows the boy she’s crushing hard on to college, in a new state hoping to reinvent herself and snag the guy of her dreams.

It’s a fun, original, premise that takes place in that transitional period of time – between graduating HS and moving on to adulthood - that isn’t often explored in YA.

Anxiety

I know everyone experiences it differently, but as someone who suffers from social anxiety and panic attacks, Stacey Kade nailed it. She has been quite open about her own issues with anxiety, so it’s no surprise that she’s written it so well here.

Caroline feels like everyone around her gets life in a way that she doesn’t. Everything seems so easy for everyone else while she struggles just to wear the right hing, find her new classrooms or not say something stupid while meeting new people. I related to her SO much!

I think some readers might get annoyed her. She can be frustrating with the way she retreats and breaks down so easily. She can also come off as self absorbed, but it felt so real and authentic to me. When you’re stuck in the panic it seems like no one understands and you can’t get the simplest of thing right.

I also love that Caroline does fight her way through the anxiety and becomes a better version of herself but doesn’t miraculously become this outgoing prom queen type. She’s still quiet and introspective but also takes more risks and let’s people in to her life.

Mom/therapy

I actually really disliked Caroline’s mom. She’s outgoing and friendly and doesn’t understand why Caroline isn’t. She’s the type to push Caroline into situations she knows are uncomfortable for her as a way to help her "get over it". Which is the worst thing you can do to someone going through it.

But – I got it and I was happy to see a parent who at least cares and is present. Even if she wasn’t the perfect parent. I would be afraid for my daughter if she created an entire made up world too.

She also makes Caroline go into therapy – another thing that’s usually glossed over and was nice to see. It would have been better if her mom went too but I was happy to see both an interested parent and therapy included.

Friendships

Now THIS is where Finding Felicity shines! Once Caroline is off at college she meets people from all walks of life and despite her goal to make herself over, make friends and win the guy – she falls into the same patterns as before. The few times she does break out, following a crowd that has her doing things that really aren’t her, she fails miserably.

What Caroline learns though, is that every one is just winging it and putting forth an image, hoping to to fit in or fly under the radar. She begins to form solid friendships and Kade did an amazing job giving the supporting cast (mostly girls) their own stories and nuance, in particular, her prickly roommate, Lexie.

YA/NA with very little romance

Yes, Caroline follows a boy to college and there is a touch of romance but this is not a romance novel.

Getting the guy is not the point of this story. Finding yourself, standing up for what you believe, letting go of what’s not good for you and embracing friends who help make you better is.

*You do not have to have watched Felicity to read or understand this book. I have a basic knowledge of the show but I’ve never seen an episode and it didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all. Felicity is a jumping off point for Caroline. She may want to follow in Felicity’s shoes but she forges her own path.

This is a quieter, character driven, sort of novel. If that’s your jam then I highly recommend Finding Felicity!

As a huge fan of the show Felicity, this novel really struck a chord with me. However, I think it can speak to people even if they have never seen the show. I love how the book dealt with a young adult not knowing how she really is. I think most people can identify with that, and the ending is a positive one. Overall, I enjoyed the book very much.

I never watched the TV show Felicity but I always meant to, as I was living in New York when it began and I always enjoyed stories set at college (a subset of the school story), so was interested in the concept behind this book (also was curious because I remembered one of the actors turned up on Scandal). Finding Felicity is a poignant story about a young woman whose natural shyness has been exacerbated by the departure of her father with his second wife, while Caroline moved across the country and had to start her sophomore year of high school at a new school in Arizona. She is so lacking in self confidence that she literally becomes speechless when confronted by the cool kids at school. Her obsession with the TV show Felicity is an understandable way to escape from the casual cruelties of adolescence (even if she takes it to unbelievable extremes) and I faulted the mother for failing to recognize how miserable her daughter was.

Surely we have all anticipated new beginnings, whether at school, work, or a new home, and yearned to be perceived differently, and I have enjoyed many books with this theme such as Emily of Deep Valley, Don’t Call Me Katie Rose, This Adventure Ends, and a hilariously funny book that turns the theme upside down called How Not to Be Popular in which the heroine/new girl in town tries NOT to make friends because it is so painful when one has to move. However, I did get tired of Caroline’s abject misery and lack of self-esteem. Her story becomes more interesting when she stops moaning and – with the help of her new roommate - starts making an effort to find out who she really is instead of pretending to be someone else.

I liked the character of Lexi, the daughter of the college janitor, who has (with some justification) a chip on her shoulder about being a scholarship student at a college full of rich kids but comes through when Caroline really needs a friend. Even Liam, the boy Caroline foolishly follows to Ashmore, is extremely convincing: the kind of young man who is carelessly kind when he remembers and it does not inconvenience him but ultimately will not consider the feelings of anyone but himself – the best moment of the book is when Caroline turns down his invitation to play Beer Pong. Luckily, there turn out to be some kindred spirits for Caroline and Lexi and, refreshingly, the book ends with the promise of friendship rather than a romance cure-all. And I think a less cluttered cover would have worked better.

I'll admit that this author is one I have always liked. Her Ghost and the Goth series took me strongly by surprise when, before even giving it a try, I was judging it by the horrid cover (I'm sorry, but some covers just need to not exist-people DO tend to judge a book by it's cover). I absolutely adored it, of course. It was cute, fun, quirky, and a fun play on the hierarchy of high school. This book? It was the opposite. I didn't judge it in the least when I saw who the author was when the blog tour was offered to me. I immediately was all in. And, while it had it's moments where I really connected with the main character and the people surrounding her (these were FAR and FEW between, mostly), there is only one way I could describe this book as a whole: Cringey. This book, with it's out of reality narrator, was beyond cringe-worthy.

I just....it was SO hard for me to connect. The story itself seemed adorable. I've loved these types of stories before, where the main character latches onto a fictional thing (tv show, fanfic, books, drawings, etc.) and then they slowly learn to live in reality. But here? It went a step too far, in my opinion, where even my suspension for disbelief couldn't handle it. I'm sorry...but this girl? She broke my heart with how pathetic she was.

And I'm not trying to be mean, here. The fact is this: She latched onto the show Felicity where the girl meets a guy who is nice to her. Where he makes her believe she can be more. Now, hold up, this doesn't bother me in the least. In fact, I do think people, as a whole, can inspire others to make more of themselves through inspiration and kind words or what have you. But, and this is where I just couldn't with this girl, when she takes the same step that her idol does, following someone to college....I just. WHAT?

I'm sorry, but it made me gag and-actually-made my heart stop. How could that possibly lead to anything good? I won't spoil anything, seeing as that is the opposite of what I like to do in my reviews, but I found myself wondering if we should actually like the male in this story or brace ourselves.

I will admit that I had my bout of stupidity (in HIGH SCHOOL) where I deluded myself into thinking all the hot guys that flirted with me truly wanted to make it into a relationship. A lot of them did, for sure, but did I ever choose the right one??? Ummmm. I'll get back to you on that. lol. I will say-before I get too judged-I did end up choosing the right guy, in the end. In High School, that is. We're married. So...I think I did okay-after too many flirty boys, I found the right flirty boy. HA. Depending on the day, that is. ;)

My point remains, however, that though I did many stupid things...I never ONCE would have considered following a guy I didn't know to a college halfway across the country. I'm not here to judge completely, though.

This story really was a sense of finding yourself, a journey of self-discovery-and she did grow throughout the book-absolutely. Of course, this was after one of the most awkward moments in the history of awkwardness.

I don't think this story truly offered a full look at all the extra characters like it could have, but I still really grew to like her roommate, Lexi. She was actually my favorite character. So, I'll wrap this up because I keep saying 'so' and 'actually' a lot lol. My point is this: This book was not a romance, it was a story of self discovery and learning who you can be if you put yourself out there. I did tear up once, because, ouch. I DO know how some of this feels-many girls do-but not near in the same dumb situation she put herself in. (view spoiler) TMI. I KNOW. Whatever. That is all. Read it, don't read it, it was a cute read...albeit, cringey.

I do think this quote was really good, though:

"The mistake, I think," she says. "Is believing that once someone else checks the 'yes' box on you, then you'll have what you need. Then you'll be happy, then you'll be okay with yourself. I don't think it works like that."


YES.

A YA book set in college, with a premise that involves one of my favorite 90’s TV shows? As soon as I heard about Finding Felicity, I was excited to read it. Ultimately, though, while I flew through it in a matter of hours, this book had some issues I couldn’t look past.

Finding Felicity follows our main character, Caroline, as she heads to college and attempts to make a new start for herself. The book opens at Caroline’s high school graduation party, where her mom finds out that Caroline has woven an intricate web of lies about her life and her friends ever since they’ve moved to their new home in Arizona. Caroline has made up friends and experiences for herself based on her favorite television show, Felicity. For some reason, after all this, her mom still allows her to go off to college halfway across the country on the basis that it will be a fresh start for Caroline, and that she’ll make an effort to make actual friends and put herself out there this time.

The twist, though? The only reason Caroline has chosen to attend this particular university is because she’s decided to follow her unrequited crush from high school there, just like Felicity Porter does with her high school crush, Ben, in the TV series.

The thing that both made this book difficult to read and, at the same time, made me like it, was how realistic Caroline felt. I related to her an uncomfortable amount. Even though I didn’t make the same mistakes she did, I think every new college student has this grand idea in their head of college being a fresh start, a chance to completely reinvent yourself and be everything you weren’t in high school. While there are some merits to this, I think everyone eventually realizes that… all of that doesn’t work. Being yourself is the best option from the start, because who you are will show, no matter how hard you try to hide it. It’s HARD to be vulnerable, and seeing Caroline grapple with this over the course of Finding Felicity was one of my favorite parts of reading this book. She’s deeply flawed, and it takes her making so many mistakes for things to finally “click” for her, but this felt real and human and true to my own experiences.

One thing that REALLY, REALLY bothered me about this book was the portrayal of Caroline’s mental health. I’m not a mental health professional, but Caroline’s therapist in this book diagnosed her with “anxious introversion,” and throughout the book she constantly chalked her problems up to her “introversion” and the fact that she’s a highly sensitive person. CAN WE PLEASE STOP CONFLATING INTROVERSION AND SOCIAL ANXIETY??? As someone who both 1.) is an introvert and 2.) has diagnosed social anxiety, this infuriates me. These are not the same thing. Introversion is not an excuse to be an asshole. Introversion also does not equal a complete inability to interact with others. I’m an introvert, but I also love socializing and networking. However, sometimes my social anxiety prevents me from reaching out to people. Introversion and social anxiety are not the same thing. Being one of these things does not mean you are the other. You can be both introverted and socially anxious, BUT THEY ARE DIFFERENT THINGS. Basically, this book presented a great opportunity to start a discussion about mental health, and instead it used pseudo-science and showed a glaring lack of research or understanding on the author’s part. *climbs down from soapbox*

Other than that, the characters were a bit lackluster, as was the setting. I was so excited to read a YA book set in college, because I think so many teens would benefit from reading about 18/19 year-old protagonists grappling with life immediately after high school, but it was a bit underwhelming. Caroline’s new friends, though they all seem like great people, were all very formulaic characters and tired tropes.

I will say, I loved the undercurrent of Felicity throughout this book. Sure, the show itself is ridiculous and unrealistic and filled with drama, but it’s also a great reflection of growing up (… pretty much exactly like this book).

Overall, though I loved Caroline’s character journey and the focus on a beloved 90’s TV favorite, the rest of this book was, at best, underwhelming, and at worst, problematic and harmful.

Have you read Finding Felicity? What YA books set in college would you recommend instead of this one?

“I was too scared to be myself and try to find people who might like me, because what if they didn’t? What would that say about me?”
Finding Felicity is the perfect story about finding yourself and where you belong in a sea of original and unoriginal people in the world. How do you stand apart, how do you know who you truly are? Sometimes you just have to risk being seen and finding your place. This book is absolutely perfect for high school seniors and college freshman; it fills the void of young adult books focused on what college could be like. Caroline’s experiences are universal and most will relate to the pressures that not only others put upon you but what expectations you put upon yourself.

Caroline moved to a new high school a few years back and just never made any true friends, in fact she convinced her mother she had a whole group of friends…they just happened to be the characters of an old TV show she was watching online. She manufactured her whole life, and now she actually has to make friends and real life experiences, except she has no idea how to just be herself and accomplish this task.

Everything Caroline goes through may seem a little extreme, but her anxiety is so true and real. Anyone heading off to college, those experiences of being in charge of yourself and your future are almost always riddled with fear and the unknown. However, determining how you tackle these new challenges are life skills every person needs in navigating the real world.

Stacey Kade is a master of character driven stories. You almost immediately connect and relate to each and every one of them, even the side characters. They all have such stand out personalities and experiences. I absolutely loved the dichotomy between Caroline, her mother, and Lexi (her party-girl roommate).

You may think you can reinvent yourself around a bunch of strangers but it is rather idealistic and in theory harder than it sounds. Caroline has many obstacles to tackle, and one of them is truly determining who she is – and accepting that life isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. Speaking of TV, if you have seen Felicity, the TV show, I think you will get some fun inside jokes as to what Caroline is thinking and planning, If you have never seen the show, it doesn’t hinder your ability to enjoy and pull the message from this very poignant novel about growing up and finding yourself.

Before I get started, I would just like to share a super-funny coincidence that relates to this book. I literally I *just* started watching Felicity (the TV show) with my mom! She first mentioned it to me about a month ago (she was actually fairly addicted to the series when it aired back in the 90s) and since then it’s kind of become like a routine to come home from school and watch an episode together. So imagine my total and complete surprise to be checking email one day only to get a notification about a book literally centering around my new favorite TV series! But the coincidences don’t end there: I think I’ve actually found my literary doppelgänger (but more on that later).

Anyways, this story starts off with Caroline leaving for college, and while I would’ve liked to see a little more of her in high school, I actually really enjoyed reading about her college experience. It’s funny, because when I was younger, I would “read up” (read books about characters older than me), but after I finally got to reading YA, I kind of stopped because the majority of NA books only deal with sex, and that has never really interested me. But this book was definitely YA, and I really liked that even though there was a minor sex scene, the story was more focused on Carollne’s personal growth and development. I hope this is a continuing trend in YA, because I really miss the ability to read up like I did before!

What I think I liked most about this book, though, was how much I connected to Caroline. I’ve read books with characters that are similar to me (like Emma from “The Mother-Daughter Book Club” and Delilah from “Between the Lines”) but I’ve never felt like I could just point to a character and say “Oh my gosh, that is so me!”. But Caroline was exactly that. We both have the same personality (socially anxious but longs for friends), share similar experiences (both transferring to a new high school sophomore year and having family abandonment issues to name a few), are both addicted to the same TV show (Felicity) and literally have the same dream (to be able to live a fictional life). So just saying that I related to her is an understatement. I don’t know how the author managed to do it, but I would like to give a major kudos to her for doing this. I’ve never felt so connected to a character in my life, and given the amount of books I read, that is a *major* feat!

Another thing that I would just like to touch upon would be the pacing of the book. Even though it’s nearly 300 pages I think I was actually able to finish it in around 2-3 hours, which makes it a very quick and easy read.

Overall, I would give this book a full four-and-a-half stars and I would highly recommend not only for fans of Felicity, but also for any readers who want to get a realistic taste of a typical college experience!

Finding Felicity by Stacey Kade is the perfect read for those who are preparing to go to college. The story is written through the eyes of Caroline, a character that goes through some considerable growth as she struggles with her social anxiety. The connections to the TV show, Felicity, and the interesting side characters make the book an entertaining and engaging read.

Caroline is a main character who has had many personal struggles making friends and dealing with her parents’ divorce. She is looking forward to college as a way to reinvent herself and break out of her introverted shell. This character has some mental health issues that she is working on with the help of a therapist, which is something that I have not seen much of in YA.

If you are familiar with the late 1990s TV show set in college, Felicity, you will have no problem understanding the concept of the book. I have only seen a handful of episodes, but it is a unique way to tie the story together. It is Caroline’s favourite show and she really strives to emulate Felicity’s personality. However, Finding Felicity is the story of how real life is not always like our favourite TV show.

The setting of Finding Felicity is a mix of high school and college. I really enjoyed all of the details that Kade provides her readers about the experiences of not only heading off to college, but the process of checking in, getting settled, and what to expect from dorm life. Also, the side characters are well-developed and fun to read. Caroline’s roommate is one that is easy to relate to and I loved the way their friendship blossomed.

Finding Felicity is the perfect read for those considering going to college. While Caroline’s struggles are probably more extreme than most, the anxiety she feels in the story is very relatable. This book is an Upper YA novel that has a really unique concept and has an entertaining cast of characters.

I have to admit, I was super happy that I decided to start the show before reading the book. There are a LOT of comparisons and references to it, and I would have been completely lost without watching it. You find out early on that Caroline pulled the same stunt as Felicity, in that she followed Liam (Felicity’s Ben) to college, even though they weren’t friends. On top of that, she pretended all of the characters from Felicity were her friends in high school and lied to her mom for years. In other words… this book is obviously FULL of Felicity references.

Caroline was very similar to Felicity as well. She had a lot of cringeworthy internal thoughts that made me wonder what the hell she was thinking sometimes. Stacey Kade did a really great job of making the two seem similar (so you could understand why Caroline related to the character and the show) but also different (because Caroline was a little more awkward and unsure compared to Felicity). Caroline mostly grew on me throughout the book when she shook off the weirdness.

I didn’t really ship Caroline and Liam together, which is exactly how I felt about Felicity and Ben. I was told to wait and see about Felicity/Ben so I was wondering if the same thing was going to happen with Caroline/Liam. I’m happy with where things went for that situation but won’t spoil anything.

The callbacks to the show were really great, but not overbearing. It was nice to see Caroline slowly realize she didn’t need to use the show as a crutch. Despite questioning a lot of her decisions (again, like I do with Felicity on the show), I really ended up enjoying this one by the end. The frustrating moments with Caroline were really just her experiencing some growing pains and trying to figure herself out.

I had an amazing time reading this book and one of the reasons why I joined this blog tour was because I wanted to read and review more college YA books.

Finding Felicity revolves around Caroline Sands who, after her parents’ divorce and her move to Arizona, isn’t particularly good at making friends. Being the new girl was hard enough and her social awkwardness didn’t help her case. Out of desperation, Caroline invented a whole life for herself with characters from the old show Felicity to assure her mother that she was okay.

But Caroline’s secret gets exposed right before she goes off to college and she’s left with an ultimatum: Prove in first semester that she can make friends (of the nonfictional variety) and thrive in a new environment or else she’s to come back to living at home and therapy.

Caroline accepts the challenge, hoping college will let Caroline leave her old “life” behind and build something real. But she’ll realize that the real world isn’t as simple as her Felicity-inspired plan made it out to be.

4.5 stars

I had such an awesome time reading this book. I have been searching for something like it for years now and I’m so glad that this book is getting published because it’s just so important and something I think a lot of teens really need.

There’s tons of YA out there talking about the high school experience and making friends and all sorts of things like that. But college YA is severely lacking and a lot of teens end up heading into that territory unprepared.

The only books that are very college-focused on the experience that I’ve read are Fangirl and Freshmen, and while Nice Try, Jane Sinner and American Panda and The Big F have a college setting, the focus does lie in other places besides the college experience.

So being able to add Finding Felicity onto the lists makes me so happy. This is something I related a lot to and I know a lot of other teens will be able to also relate to.

It’s basically every teen’s fears of college–whether than can make friends, are they wearing the right thing, what activities should you join, do you have to go to this frat party–jammed together into one book.

It was amazing.

Caroline’s journey is just something so relatable and it’s those high school fears that are put into one book. And I know for some people (you very fortunate people) her fears might seem super extreme, but for many others, they’re legitimate worries.

Caroline does take it much farther than a lot of people–making up fictional friends–but the things she learns on the way really help shape the narrative. I found her to be wholly relatable and a very good representation of the anxious high school senior soon to be college student.

What I really loved was the timing of this novel. Kade could have told this story in a high school setting–writing about Caroline as she tries to keep the secret of her fictional friends–but she didn’t and I think this made it to be a much more impactful novel.

I also loved how present the side characters are and how real they were. They didn’t end up being just two dimensional clichés–the bad girl roommate, the party girl, etc.–but they had their nuances and backstories that helped really make them dynamic characters as well.

I sped through this novel in what felt like was only an hour. In twenty minutes, I seemed to have flipped through 75 pages. I thought it was paced really well and even though the plot is mostly character based, it had a very good balance of things that were happening in the real world and introspection.

I do think that some readers who can’t relate to this as much as I could would definitely be less inclined towards this novel, but I think that it’s a really great book. My only criticism would be that I kind of wished it was longer, which is something that I don’t say often, but I wished there were more trials for Caroline to go through to give an even wider view of the college experience.

I feel like if this is a novel that seems like something you could relate to, you should definitely check it out. Finding Felicity should become a staple for all high school students as its message is a very good one that helps effectively emphasize that your hopes of a “new you” in college might not be the most stable idea. You can’t just reinvent yourself in that way.

I expected more from this, more in depth characterization of our main character. Instead she was reduced to a crying, whimpering mess every other page. I loved Felicity, but the constant references to the TV show didn't add much to a story that relies so much on it.

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The first thing that drew me to the book was the interesting concept of Caroline (main character) creating a fantasy world for herself using characters from her favorite WB show, Felicity (I have to admit, heard of but never watched the show). Then her having to prove to her mom she could make friends at college.

I enjoyed the story...for the most part. I'm not a fan of books that have the S and F words in it. And I wasn't a big fan of some of the side characters, like Tory and Derek. But I did like Lexi. She was a surprising character (not going to say why because of spoilers).

This story, I felt, was one about self discovery. Nobody has their life perfectly planned out, and Caroline learns that. But the journey to how is a must-read.

Recommended for older YA fans.

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The first thing that drew me to the book was the interesting concept of Caroline (main character) creating a fantasy world for herself using characters from her favorite WB show, Felicity (I have to admit, heard of but never watched the show). Then her having to prove to her mom she could make friends at college.

I enjoyed the story...for the most part. I'm not a fan of books that have the S and F words in it. And I wasn't a big fan of some of the side characters, like Tory and Derek. But I did like Lexi. She was a surprising character (not going to say why because of spoilers).

This story, I felt, was one about self discovery. Nobody has their life perfectly planned out, and Caroline learns that. But the journey to how is a must-read.

Recommended for older YA fans.

Finding it difficult to make friends after a cross-country move, Caroline seeks solace in “Felicity,” the old TV show about a college girl following her dreams. She even tells stories that lead her mom to believe Felicity’s friends are her own. But Caroline is exposed when only one real friend shows up to her graduation party. Mom is pissed, and Caroline has another secret. She’s imitating Felicity once again — by following her high school dream boy to college.

Part of a small trend of YA books looking back toward the 90s, FINDING FELICITY stands out because it’s the main character’s interest, rather than the setting, that’s a throwback. “Felicity” is a good backdrop for the story of a character adjusting to college, but it’s a bit hard to relate to Caroline’s overwhelming obsession. At mom’s insistence, she does see a counselor, but their sessions don’t go very deep, and I kept waiting for a diagnosis or more concrete reason why Caroline is so socially awkward. It was often easier to identify with the supporting characters who found Caroline a bit odd.

Recommended for true-blue “Felicity” fans or readers looking for college stories.

I remember Felicity fondly and was accused of following my own Ben to college (very untrue, but he was there), so this book held a lot of nostalgia for me. I liked the echoes of the show in the characters, but I do wish some of them had been given more time and prominence before the end. Isn't that the way it goes, though? When you enjoy something, you want more.

This book was different from what I expected, but it really worked for me. I loved the show Felicity and thought the references to the TV show wonderful! I was expecting this to be more of a romance and kept trying to figure out if I liked Liam or not. When it turned out that this book was more about Caroline's self-discovery and becoming comfortable with herself, it was even better than I expected. Caroline's growth throughout the book was a slow discovery which I felt to be completely believable. I enjoyed the different relationships that Caroline made throughout the book.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review from Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing via NetGalley.

I expected a little more from this book than what I ended up getting from it. As a person who has often used fictional characters to work through problems I expected to relate to Caroline's struggle to find herself in college more, but in the end it just felt fake. Which is entirely the point. Caroline's introverted nature is something of which I have a little of, and what made it easier to root for her, but ultimately I wished for more ambition from Caroline outside of her social life.

This is a quick read about a girl obsessed with reliving her fictional hero and realizes its never as easy as it seems.