1.5 stars

I thought the idea for this book was fun. but the execution fell flat for me. Following students for their freshman year seemed really interesting. You have no idea what is going on and you've been given all of this freedom you don't know what to do with. Because this book was set in the UK, I didn't really identify with much of the college experience. I was not a partier in college either so I didn't really identify with them in that regard either. However, I did like the fact that they added female friendships and didn't pit the girls against each other the whole time. That was a positive for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacourte Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun reading this and thinking about my Freshers experience! (Spoiler: it involved zero drinking and a lot more Netflix!) It reminded me a lot of my fave graphic novels series of all time, Giant Days, and the female friendship in 'Freshers' was equally strong. I laughed out loud a lot, too, which hardly ever happens, so it must be funny! Also, I need to applaud that ending because I didn't see it coming but I respect it SO MUCH.

If you're 18 and are looking for a YA that represents you better than most of the high school books on shelves, I'd totally recommend it, and if you're looking for a glimpse of early uni life, this is perfect too!

I ended up DNFing this one and wasn’t a big fan of the story. Although it had potential, i think it just wasn’t a good fit for me personally.

I read this 3 years ago and don’t remember much about it but didn’t want to just not give feedback on it now that I’m back to using NG. This was a pretty forgettable contemporary book, in my opinion. It played into a lot of silly tropes of what someone who’s detached from college envisions college to be. I think younger teens and young adults would find this enjoyable but it just wasn’t for me which is okay

I really enjoyed this book!

It was a fun depiction of the first year of college and all the doubts and anxiety that come with it, the things we leave behind, the new things we face. The questionable choices we made when we are gifted all this freedom for the first time, and the consequences . Especially when it comes to how we treat people.

There are not enough books about college in the YA space, and I loved Freshmen so much. Really brought me back to the uncertainty I felt during my freshman year.

I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand I loved Phoebe and most of her people. On the other Luke was the WORST. He was a terrible human disguised as a nice guy. And I loved Josh and there was not nearly enough of him. All in all a fun read, but I want more Phoebe and Josh in my life.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book. I might not have been the target audience but hope the appropriate demographic will find some enjoyment and connection!

I think more ya should focus on the start of college. There are so many about starting new chapters in life, and the jump to college is a huge change and not enough lit is centered around that.

While this was a decent read, I admit I got bored and it often seemed like an aimless story. There was some great humor and snappy writing, but overall I don’t think this will be very memorable for me.

A little too much drama for my tastes, but I think it's a fun story especially for teens about to graduate high school. It'll get you excited for college life, but only if you haven't lived the college life already. Does that make sense? I know I'm not the target age for this book, but I really felt it. I've read a lot of YA and NA, so it's not like I'm a stranger to these genres. I really felt like I did not belong. And that's ok! It was funny in places and a quick read.

This was a really fun read. Parts of it were seriously hilarious. It really did remind me a bit of Broad City.

It's an easy read but I found it a bit boring. The characters were just ok. I've read many books like this.

Oh my god I loved this book! Books set in college are the best, and good ones are hard to find. Following these two through their freshman year was great, and I'm dying for sequels for their next three years!

I found this book a year before it was released in America. I love that it was a story about college students and how they are trying to live their own life’s now. Cute little contemporary and would for sure read more by these authors.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I haven’t really read any books from the perspective of students in college. It’s always been graduating from high school, or about to enter college. This story was so fun to read, and I enjoyed the romance of the novel.

I feel extremely satisfied with my experience reading Freshmen because I had an expectation of what it was going to be, and the book met my expectation EXACTLY. Freshman is fun and funny and low-stakes and honest and just a good read.

One thing I really loved about Freshman is how much it captures the sense of loneliness and confusion college brings. Sure, you meet really interesting people, and there are always a ton of parties, but it's hard to not feel like you don't quite measure up and to feel directionless for a bit. I really appreciate how Luke in particular feel unmoored. I wish someone had prepared me for that feeling, and I love that there's this movement in YA to show more of the early college experience.

Additionally, Freshmen has a great realistic, honest approach to romance & hooking up & friends with benefits that you don't see often. I LOVE romance. Love love LOVE! Buuuut the notion of The One and finding them really early in your life is not applicable for like 98% of the population. Freshmen shows that a great high relationship sometimes can't last through the changes brought on by adulthood and college and long distance. Also... it's okay to have great chemistry with someone when you first meet but then realize you're not compatible later on or realize you're better off as friends or that it's not meant to be Right Now But Maybe Later. And it's not just romantic relationships that were explored honestly. There are so many different kinds of friendships explored in this book that it would literally take a paragraph to describe them all, but they were approached with a sense of acceptance and truth that really resonated with me.

I also love the relatively low stakes of this book. There is a plot point regarding the posting of sleeping girls' faces in a group chat, and readers see the consequences for both one of the victims and the primary perpetrator, but it's very personal to them. It doesn't explode into a media frenzy. It's just about these students handling this situation at their university. And that's OKAY. And again: the relationships are more fluid so there's not a huge YOU MUST PICK THE ONE moment. But it also made me think about the responsibilities we have if our friends are dicks. Like a few people know that a certain character is a heinous festering wound of a person and say things like, "uhhh, he, uhhhh, yeah, so...." and I was like, "JUST TELL [character] HE IS HORRIBLE. STOP DANCING AROUND IT". Do you betray your friend or do you protect someone who is unwittingly setting themselves up for trouble?

I definitely agree with Selena Falcon, who hosted yesterday's tour stop, that there could absolutely be a sequel to Freshmen or a companion. Although it would probably age out of YA, I would absolutely be down with Tom & Lucy writing Sophomores and Juniors. It wouldn't even have to be from Phoebe & Luke's pov this time because the friend groups of the B Dorm and D Dorm are so wide and intriguing that I'd love to see more from any of the characters: Frankie (obviously my fave) and Ed, Negin, Connor Arthur, Josh (JOSH *heart eyes emoji*), Becky, Liberty, Stephanie. So many great characters that I enjoyed seeing from both Phoebe and Luke's pov that it would be fun to see them again in another book as a supporting or even main character.

Freshmen is a fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It can stand alone, which is great, but I'd love to see more of these characters and their ridiculous York Met shenanigans. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something lighter and humorous.

What a fun read! I really enjoyed this entertaining novel and it brought me back to my college days. I thought it was a pretty realistic view of what the college life is like and it was pretty true to what happens in those four years. The characters were well developed and I loved the way the authors switched between voices with ease.

All in all, it was entertaining and kept me reading late into the night. It brought back fun memories and I think it was a very relatable novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Rating 4/5

I really could not get into this book. Between requesting and being approved for this book, I had decided to stop drinking and being around those drinking. Thus, this book really won't be a great one for me to read due to triggering themes. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

I was super excited to receive this book and then forgot all about it. When I finally got around to picking it up I was bitterly disappointed by it. I could not connect with the characters and it felt more like a timeline of activities rather than a story about the two of them.

I was really looking forward to reading this one, but I couldn't get into it. When I read a book I like to some way or another feel like I can relate, but sadly this book didn't have anything for me.