This was so painful, I just don't even know where to begin really. I just wanted to finish it, so I could forget about it and never read it again.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was disappointed in this book. I thought that it would be a great read, but it wasn't. The plot seemed unrealistic to me. No one has as much happen to them as the main character.

This book needs to be read. Alexander is such a relatable character. All the mess she witnessed and goes through made for an amazing story!! Truly couldn’t put this down.

I did not finish this book. It just was not for me. Wasn’t what I was expecting. I will not be doing a full review as I did not finish the book.

The simple cover, the title, and the synopsis drew me to this book. Unfortunately, once I started reading all my interest in the book vanished. It just wasn't for me. From what I read (44 pages) I can make the following observations:

The paragraphs are LONG. Block of text after block of text and it felt like I was reading an essay from a college composition class.

I couldn't push myself to care about the main character. I felt like she was written at a basic level without any depth which didn't let me connect with her even in the slightest. If I can't draw some sort of connection to the characters that I'm reading about, I just can't get into the plot.

I know I didn't get to the basic storyline nor did I read enough to see any character growth. However, the writing style just couldn't hook me long enough to see if the story improved. Sadly, I will be marking this as DNF.

The synopsis and cover screamed intrigue and interest at me, so I just had to request this.

I really enjoyed Lillian, her story was interesting. It was refreshing and humorous in some parts. Issues weren't sugar-coated and were faced head-on, no hiding from anything.
But what I didn't like was the writing and the narration, which made this book feel incredibly far-fetched and unrealistic and /some/ representations weren't convincing. Language and certain references made this read more as a NA book than YA.
TBH, mixed opinions on this book, but I always seem to edge on attachments to characters than attachments to plot, so for me character won me over the writing. I'd give this 2.5 stars.

In short this contemporary YA debut novel is thought-provoking, emotional and touches on many issues.  Lillian is a likeable protagonist and I enjoyed reading her story.  I especially liked the way that the story is told and that it doesn't shy away from the trials that Lillian faces.  Due to the references of drug use/drug dealing/sex and mature language and themes, I would say that this book is marketed at the NA market and would suit 16+ readers

I'm usually a sucker for a good coming-of-age novel and this one was good, but not one of my favorites. Lillian finishes her last year of high school in a small town in Mississippi, her best friends become pregnant, and she searches for love (well, at least friends with benefits) with boys from "the hood." The friendships with the girls are the real highlight of her life as romances either fizzle out or end in tragedy. Fortunately, at the end she finds a nascent talent and we realize she has the potential to find her way out of the small town that may be hindering her. Some fairly explicit and graphic language about sex but nothing I couldn't handle. Give this one a try if you like the premise!

I initially got this book because of both - the cover art and the interesting synopsis.
And I still like the cover art and the interesting synopsis. But sadly the writing didn't deliver much more. I mostly skipped over parts that I felt to be a bit snoozy and more or less celebrated getting to the last page.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm was intrigued by the premise of this book but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Even for a YA, which can often get away with more far fetched storylines, this book seemed unrealistic in all the wrong ways. I am interested to learn more about the author and her background because the writing about the "hood" seemed inauthentic and even at times offensive. Unfortunately this was not for me.

I completely and totally fell in love with this book because of the refreshing humor and honestly of the main character, Lillian. She is drawn to African American men in small Palmyra, Mississippi and this is the story of one year in her life of painful growth as she finishes high school, enters college and tries to figure out her future. Along the way, she is forced to face difficult situations, heartache, chaos, disillusionment, and pain which all buffet her along her journey to insight about herself and her life.

I couldn't get into/finish this book. Right from the start the characters felt more like caricatures, and the narration was very dry and dull. I was excited about the premise of the book but it turns out it wasn't for me.