I really couldn't get into this one. I felt so indifferent to it all that I just had to call it. It wasn't the book for me.

500 words of Less follows Nic who refuses to spend her senior year label as someone who cheated on her loveable boyfriend. To redefine her reputation she began writing college admissions essays for her classmates but the more she writes them the harder it is for her to find herself. Will she learn to follow the moral paths of what's right.


This is a 373 pages book, there were parts I enjoyed and parts that I didn't. I liked the parts of her writing the college essays and her learning how we'll she does know her fellow classmate. I didn't like how obsessed she is with him, in an unhealthy way. I would have liked the characters to be more fleshed out.

This is written in verse and I did enjoy the writing and will be looking into other books by Juleah del Rosario.

500 Words or Less was a beautifully structured novel about what it truly means to discover who you are and what you stand for, despite all of the odds stacked against you.

This book was extremely unique in format, and I truly enjoyed it. It was also great in that it was a quick read, which is the whole concept (500 words or less) and I like that a lot!

I’m a huge fan of books written in verse, so I’m very drawn to them. The synopsis of this one had me immediately interested. I was thinking this would be a beautifully written coming of age story, which would just be light hearted and easy to read.

At first I was very annoyed with Nic, she was very self absorbed in my opinion, but as I thought this was more of a coming of age story. I loved the person Nic was slowly turning in to. I almost wondered why the author decided to tell Nic’s story in verse, I didn’t really see what it added.

Throughout the first 3/4 of the book I found it ok, nothing outstanding but enjoyable. I was convinced I was going to rate it a solid 3 stars. Suddenly the story turned, it was heart-breaking and I felt connected to the characters in a way I felt I was missing through the whole beginning (mostly the whole book). Once that happened I felt like I was missing the whole potential this book had. Overall, I enjoyed it and feel it was worth the read.

I picked up this book because I knew that it was written in verse, but unfortunately that was the part that didn't work for me. I think this story would have been better served in regular prose, but it could have been especially amazing in essay format. Alas, the format really didn't work for me and the story was just okay. I don't think I'll be picking up anything else by this author, and I'm rather disappointed with my experience with this book.

I went into 500 Words or Less not knowing it was written in verse. It’s not a style I gravitate towards (despite my love of poetry) but I wanted to give it a shot because I like the premise of her story. It’s about Nic Chen, who is dealing with the aftermath of cheating on her boyfriend, a very popular and beloved guy at her school. To distract people from her new and very much unwanted reputation, she uses her excellent writing skills to write her classmates’ college essays. I actually really enjoyed the essays and while they’re about her classmates, if you read between the lines they say a lot about her too. But I still never felt as if I truly got to know Nic or feel invested in her circumstances. That said, I wanted to. I wanted to know more about her, this “perfect” ex-boyfriend and the guy she cheated on. And while we do eventually learn about what happened and who was involved, there was still a huge disconnect for me. I think that might’ve been attributed to the verse format, which didn’t seem necessary or conducive to telling this particular story.

Do I recommend? If you enjoy verse, I think it’s worth giving a shot but if you’re on the fence like I am, I might pass on this one.

I know that I enjoyed the essays and how the main character was able to come to terms with her own identity by exploring the representation of others.

A confused narrator does little to elucidate the events of this novel, which is primarily told in verse. With a non-sequential timeline and a lack of clarity as to which characters are speaking or performing various action, this is a hot mess.

Honestly, this one was just meh. Creating a good narrative with prose poetry is tricky and this one was sort of a miss. It was overly maudlin, I didn't really care about the characters, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason for any of the decisions that the main character made. I just really really didn't care for this book. I wanted to! And I liked some parts of it--it was really interesting to see the story from the main character's point of view, but that wasn't enough for me to like it.

Rosario's 500 Words or Less is a poignant, raw look into the heart of one young woman's senior high school year. Told entirely through free verse poetry, Nic Chen's story is one of unbearable loneliness and devastating loss. Two years ago, Nic and her best friend Ben became more than just friends. In one drunken night, all that changes. In the aftermath, Ben leaves, transferring to a different school. Throughout senior year, Nic remembers the past, consumed with what might have been. With Ben. With her own broken family. With the friends she lost. In writing college essays for classmates, Nic discovers things about herself, things that let her slowly begin to heal. Come second semester, Nic learns Ben has returned to her school. As she's learning to adjust to these changes, the unthinkable happens, and Nic is never able to find a reconciliation with Ben.

This is such a sad story! It really captures the feel of crushing loneliness that can come from been different, and being shunned. It really made me sit back and recall my own high school/college friends. And how we hurt one another rather badly, in different ways. I thought about what might’ve been, how we could have done things differently. I tend to get stuck in the past, with the might have beens. I don't like change, even though I know it is inevitable. It is the way of all things. Everyone has to grow up, has to change, to evolve.

And quite often, that change around, and to, us is immutable, irreversible. We can go with it, or be crushed by it. The choice is ours. Reading this prompted me to reconnect with someone who was once my best friend, someone who betrayed me badly, yet who I forgave. Someone I hurt badly because I was not mature enough to process my deepest inculcated behaviours, to act from a place of calm, instead of react in the moment. When a simple, yet deep, story can affect the reader so, well you know it must be a good one! Highly recommended!!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster/ Simon Pulse for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

500 WORDS OR LESS by Juleah del Rosario is absolutely a new favorite young adult novel of mine. I am looking forward to introducing students, other librarians, and even parents to this novel which is written in verse. Del Rosario's debut is a relatively quick and engaging read and I sincerely hope that it is nominated for state awards because I think that students will relate to the characters. Big themes have to do with loneliness, forgiveness, and especially with identity and discovering who we are, particularly when in high school. There is plenty of drama and shunning after a hook-up between biracial Nic Chen and her boyfriend's best friend, Jordan. Del Rosario explores the double standard: "Was there even a male equivalent / to the word 'whore'? .... He didn't have to wear/ Ra-Bans or Chuck Taylors, / or fluorescent-colored anything, / because the way he wore / his arrogance / was enough / to attract / his admirers."

And when an unrelated video is edited and posted online, another female classmate says, "For a month, / every time I saw / a guy staring as his phone / for more than two minutes, / I thought he was watching / my video, watching / me." In response, Nic asks, "How many of us / had walked through these halls / and felt / exactly the same / as Miranda?"

500 WORDS OR LESS could be used as a One Room One Read book for advisees (homeroom students) and their parents, especially given some of the trauma related to issues of abandonment, of sexual relationships, and of alcohol abuse by both students and a parent. Overall, Del Rosario exhibits a fantastic ability to manipulate words, as shown by both the main text and the inclusion of college application essays which Nic writes for a variety of classmates. In addition to the quotes above, I highlighted many sections to discuss, like: "Why didn't anyone tell me / how difficult / senior year would be? / How difficult it was to / sit in AP class after AP class, / swallowing facts / by the handful / until you just wanted to vomit / up your entire education." OR "I should have known / a boy's shrug / meant apathy, / not answers. / But I wanted so badly / to be / all his answers." Look for 500 WORDS OR LESS in the library; del Rosario's acknowledgments include one more key quote: "let's keep making the world a place where stories can thrive, knowledge is created, and everyone has access to both."

Nic is tired of being the girl with a bad reputation in school, especially since it's her senior year of high school. When several students approach her and ask her to write their college application essays, she reluctantly agrees with the hope that it will improve her reputation. As Nic writes about people she doesn't know very well, she comes to realize that she knows even less about herself. Can she fix what happened in the past, or must she learn to just move on?
This book is written almost entirely in verse, except for the essays. I think the format works well for the subject matter and for Nic's unique voice. This is such a sad story, yet I think it holds valuable lessons for people in all stages of life. What does it mean to know yourself? How do my decisions impact others? What is the most important in life and relationships? This was a quick read, yet an impactful one. I didn't agree with some of the views expressed, and I didn't care for the profanity or sexual promiscuity. I do agree with the way the characters' bad decisions were dealt with and I think this is a valuable read with good lessons included.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

3.5⭐️
Nic Chen is seen in a negative light since a party that caused her then-boyfriend to transfer schools and her best friend to stop talking to her. In an effort to change everyone’s minds, she starts writing her classmates’ college application essays (hence the title), that leads her on a journey of self-discovery.

Here’s the thing...I think I could have loved this book if it wasn’t written in verse. To be frank, I just couldn’t find the reason for it being written in that manner. Perhaps I just missed it; however, I would have connected so much more with the characters and gotten more out of the story if it had been written traditionally. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some amazing messages in here that work well in verse, because there are...but, it just felt unnecessary for the whole book to be written that way. There were also quite a few parts where I was super confused on who was speaking and who was being talked about which could have been clarified if not in verse. Overall, there were great messages, and it’s definitely worth a read!

.. I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this book?
It was a lot more heartbreaking than I thought it'd be that's for sure..
The topics Juleah del Rosario chose to tackle made me enjoy this book. Racism, double standards when it comes to cheating, and finding your true self. And I enjoyed the main character, Nic. She was different than the typical YA heroine and I appreciated this. She was not perfect or even likable at times but she was honest and incredibly human. In the end she wanted what we all do, to be accepted and loved.
.. There were a lot of things I didn't enjoy about this book though. It mostly had to do with Nic's ex-boyfriend and the strange love triangle. I guess I hated it and loved it? On one side it was realistic in a lot of ways because in high school I knew a Nic, Ben, and Jordan.. On the other side it was just really extra? The ending.. Yikes. It was too heartbreaking. I don't think it has anything to do with Juleah del Rosario's writing but more to do with my reading preferences.. I just wasn't a fan of all that mess.
I guess this book just goes to show that you can fall hard and come out alive at the end of the day, and hopefully it's as the person you're meant to be.

500 Words or Less is a beautiful read that draws you in from the beginning and holds your attention until the very end. A lovely written and creative story that will leave you wanting more

I liked this novel about high school angst and imperfect families. Nic, Ben, and Jordan are best friends until Ben and Nic started dating. Then one night, Nic and Jordan betray Ben. None of them are the same. To find herself and her purpose, Nic begins writing admission essays for her classmates. In 500 words or less, she shows them to us, scars and all. I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the writing style of this book and the way the story was told. It was a nice change from a lot of the other books I have read lately which is why I think I enjoyed it so much. Will definitely recommend to school librarian for purchase.

This book was very hard for me to rate. I don't normally like books written in verse, but I liked this one. I think it had a good flow and it made the words more impactful. I think that this book had a powerful look at racism and how it affects everyone, those white and those not. The underlying theme and privilege and where it can take you was another powerful message.

However, the main character fell very flat for me. There was no resolution to her story. I have no idea who she was as a person or what she saw in Ben. Granted, she didn't know who she was as a person either so I wasn't shocked that I didn't know. Ben and Nic confused me. I wasn't ever clear on why they were together or why she was pinning after him to come back to her. There seemed to be no substance to their relationship. I didn't know what made it tick or how it kept ticking that long.

The plot twist at the end seemed dramatic and not like it fit the story. I wanted more from all of the side characters as I hardly knew them. But neither did Nic, and we were seeing the story through her eyes.

Overall, this book had powerful messages but left me feeling empty. There was no substance, no meat. But then again, there was no substance to Nic either.

I love, love, love the idea of this novel; I'm slightly less in love with its execution. The story of Nic (and Jordan, and Ben, and Kitty, and Ashok, and and and) is a good story, and one I would almost certainly enjoyed more had it been in prose and not verse. Nic's voice felt real, her story felt real, her life felt real. Everything felt real, and honest, and vulnerable, and I love that. I think what's bothering me the most is that there isn't an ending the way I want there to be. There was no cliffhanger, but it still left me wanting more. I feel like I know Nic, and I'm glad I got to see her story and how she changed, but I wish I had gotten to see who everyone else was a little more. Ben and Jordan read like stock characters, and Kitty and Ashok feel like they have so much potential, but- what exactly do we know about them? Not much. Not enough. Not for me.

I wish I could have read this when I was trying to write my own college admissions essay, and I will definitely recommend it to anyone looking for examples and tips on writing their own, but I don't think I'll read this again.

3.5/5 stars (Rounded up to 4 on NetGalley and Goodreads)