Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. This is not as good as the book that came before it, but it is good. Young people need to read this because it is real and funny. Dunn and Raskin occasionally drift into crazytown here, but they always pull it back. There is a big heart in this book. If you have anyone in your life who is in college or who is just venturing out into the world, give that person this book and the one before it.

Since I read and (mostly) enjoyed the previous installment with these characters, I really looked forward to Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin’s sophomore effort, Please Send Help. Having now graduated from college, Gen and Ava struggle to maintain their long-distance friendship as they’re propelled into 20-something chaos. Their texts and emails were hilarious to read, and their experiences were relatable for anyone who’s ever struggled at adulting.

what I liked
• the two different voices from the first book are well-maintained in the second
• the use of text threads & emails to convey plot through the two friends telling each other about their lives
• highly relatable 20-something content: life is messy and painful, and I loved seeing that portrayed here
• frank discussion of toxic relationships and STIs
• Ava’s awkwardness & anxiety were so relatable to read
• Gen’s openness about her bisexuality is incredibly affirming
• getting to watch both characters grow through their experiences

what left me hanging
• I felt like neither of the authors really took their material seriously; the whole story reads like a joke, and I wanted a small dose of seriousness when it comes to the topic of mental health & toxic relationships in particular
• both characters just felt like projections of their respective authors
• sometimes the content felt too timely, with the constant references to pop culture, memes, emojis, etc.

Overall, I flew through this book in only a few hours, but I wasn’t left with any strong feelings about it. Because of the light-hearted nature of the storytelling, I was left without much sense of the serious nature of a lot of the stuff Ava and Gen deal with in the story. While I enjoyed reading the book (and probably would’ve enjoyed it much more if I were 22), I was left with some expectations that just weren’t met. That being said, I’d still recommend this if you’re looking for a light read that deals with millennial 20-something angst.

I'm in the middle of reading tons of book this year that are told in alternate form (letters, emails, lists, etc.) This book falls into the emails and text category. I found it a quick, readable, enjoyable story about two friends newly making their way in the working world. Their friendship felt believable. I wish that rather than little icons for the texts the authors had chosen to use the characters' names instead. Otherwise, was easy to follow.

Fun, if light and insubstantial. Not necessarily my genre, but I appreciated the realistic characters, aspirational friendship, and good message about relationships.

Reading Please Send Help is like being part of an ongoing conversation between two best friends. It picks up four years after I Hate Everyone But You, but you never feel lost. You could probably read this one as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it--these girls are too much fun! Told entirely through emails and text messages, it reminded me completely of my own college days when my best friend and I were separated by the east coast and still managed to talk all day through AOL Instant Messenger. Anyway, Ava and Gen have definitely grown emotionally since the first book. They resolve fights faster, and have more empathy. But their humor is still right on pitch!

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

I was a little surprised to find out this was a sequel and almost didn't read it because I hate reading books out of order. I felt like the characters were introduced enough for me to understand-however, there were references such as " you know how I am" or "you remember how I was in high school" and that made me miss the information from the first book, It overall was an easy read but didn't grab me and keep me engaged. I also didn't like that it was sometimes hard to tell who was writing. The ending also seemed abrupt.

The story is about besties Ava and Gen navigating life after college. Ava is an intern for a late night tv show. Ava is a little bit high-strung, she handles her anxiety on the daily, and sometimes it gets the better of her. Gen is the outgoing half of this duo. A bisexual young journalist ready to take on the injustices of the world, or even just the injustices at Fernandino Beach, Florida.



One of my favorite things about this novel was the format - it's an epistolary novel so it's entirely email and texting conversations. It's a breeze to read and it kind of feels like you're a part of the conversation.



Both characters are witty beyond measure. They're clever and funny and... well I don't think I can use the word woke because I'm pretty sure I'm too old to, but they're progressive and aware.

Trust me, you'll fly through this one, I'm hoping there will be a third installment of Ava & Gen's chronicles because I am eager to find out what happens next.

Super cute YA book that follows Gen and Ava's hilarious lives 1,000 miles apart while they embark to new places with roommates. Very quick read and light content. Definitely recommend.

Gen and Ava are the best of friends; they have been since high school. Anyone who reads their emails and texts can see that. They share their confusion and their heartbreaks, their jokes and their insecurities. They spill all about their hookups and their bosses, and even about hookups with their bosses. And they do it all with spirit, humor, and intelligence.

Ava is in New York City, rooming with a wannabe comic and working as an intern for a female talk show host who is not known for her emotional stability. Gen is in Florida, working at a small newspaper and trying to make inroads in getting recognition for her fellow LGBTQ individuals in the small Southern town. But despite their distance, they keep in touch daily.

Their emails and texts include lots of snark and emojis, a homeless man, a possible mentorship, a feral cat, an unpaid intern, a barre class, psychotherapy, catfishing, and a sexually transmitted disease. As Ava and Gen try to navigate their first real jobs, apartments and roommates, and relationships after college, will their friendship be able to last? Or is the distance just too far between New York and Florida?

Please Send Help is the latest novel from authors Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin, whose previous I Hate Everyone But You introduced these characters in their first year of college. Do you have to read the first novel before this one? Nope. I know this for sure because I have no yet read I Hate Everyone But You. But now I have to, because I have fallen in love with these characters.

Almost immediately, I felt a kinship with these fun, wacky, clueless woman who are just trying to live their best lives by sharing everything with their best friends. The epistolary format makes Please Send Help so easy to read, and the honesty between these friends make it a joy to experience. As their stories unfolded and they found themselves getting into and out of sticky situations, I just found myself more and more drawn to these women. These are the best kind of friends to have.

So while this book ended way too soon for my liking, I am happy to know that I can catch up with the first one, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed for a third one coming my way in the near future!

Galleys for Please Send Help were provided by Wednesday Books and St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Please Send Help is the sequel to I Hate Everyone But You. Like the latter, it is told through written communication such as emails and texts. It tells the story of two best friends, Gen and Ava who just finished Uni and moved for job opportunities, one to Florida, the other to New-York. We get to see what they discuss and only that.

To be honest, I didn't remember I Hate Everyone But You all that well, but I didn't really mind. I still enjoyed this. I liked how it was told. It kept me engaged and I could picture a lot of the scene without really going through them. It made my imagination work even more than with usual storytelling styles. I liked the characters a lot, even when they were infuriating and fucking up. They are both very endearing and I related to them a lot on some stuff and not at all on others. It was interesting. The end was so frustrating though. I didn't feel like I got a proper ending but I guess it makes sense considering how it ended. Anyway, I enjoyed this quite a lot, I had fun reading it and it was such a quick read too.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Wednesday Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Please Send Help. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Please Send Help continues the saga of lifelong friends Ava and Gen, as they suffer through the pitfalls of being separated by miles. Their internships are in different cities in different states, so the pair provide each other a running commentary on their daily lives. In between the quips and the sarcasm, the real friendship of Ava and Gen takes shape.

The first book, I Hate Everyone But You, was unique in its format, as Gen and Ava communicate via text message and emails. Unfortunately, Please Send Help is more of the same and, with the newness worn off, the story becomes stagnant. There is nothing really new here, so readers of the first book with not discover anything earth shattering. Please Send Help was a quick read that may appeal, in particular, to those who meet the target demographic. Texting and social media loving teens will enjoy the banter between friends, especially because of the familiarity of the chosen communication format.

Please Send Help made me smile and was a super quick read. I really enjoyed the banter between Ava and Gen, and it was clear they knew each other really well. Their conversations felt realistic and their situations were relatable. They had their disagreements and fights, but those never lasted very long. Their friendship was more important to them than whatever they were fighting about, and I liked how self-aware they seemed to be. They apologized when they did something wrong, and they were quick to forgive for the sake of their friendship.

I've rewritten this paragraph ten times trying not be too spoilery, but I feel like it's an aspect that should be addressed. Okay, eleventh time's the charm... one of the characters has sex and gets more than they bargained for (stop here if you don't want specifics). I think it's great the author's chose to address sexually transmitted diseases, because it's something that real people deal with every day. It's also not a topic I've personally come across while reading YA, likely because it's not an issue most people want to discuss. I thought it was handled well and offered a different perspective.

I liked the overall story, and seeing how the two main characters progressed over time, but I never felt connected to them. They're both struggling with serious issues (mental health, alcoholism, depression, anxiety), and I wish those things had been expanded on a little more. I appreciate what they authors were trying to do, but I also felt overwhelmed my how much was going on throughout the book. It was like they tried to take every touchy subject and cram them all into one book (therapy, boss hitting on an intern, LGBTQ, homelessness, corruption in politics, family bias in business, a ménage, plus the things I mentioned earlier, and others I've already forgotten).

As far as connecting with the characters... it's just hard to do when you're only reading text messages and emails. There's very little depth to those, and we don't really see how the characters are feeling, just what they say they're feeling (and we all know that our perceptions of ourselves can be a little skewed). It also felt like the topics were all over the place, and sometimes I got lost in their conversations.

Please Send Help was an interesting read that I often found humorous, although I wish it had delved deeper into the characters and their individual stories. Also, the ending felt rushed and a little too convenient. There's an epilogue that's super short, but somehow manages to tie all of the loose ends together. Maybe if this had been more than just conversations, it would have worked better for me, but in the end I felt like the story just stopped without really going anywhere (a problem I seem to be having with a lot of books lately). It didn't feel open-ended, just open.

Side note: I didn't read the first book, but I don't think you need to.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on July 16, 2019.

Please send Help by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin is the 2nd book in the I Hate Everyone But You series. I really enjoyed this book, I often found myself laughing out loud. I did not read the first book in the series, but did not feel lost. This whole book is made up of texts and email between two best friends. Ava and Gen, one located in Florida, the other in New York City. One is rich with supportive parents, the other one has dysfunctional parents. One is straight the other is gay, bi, or both. I did not love every word of this book, but isn't that how it is between friends? There were times I want to shake both of them, and yell, wake up. I am so glad I read this book, and I will be going back to read the 1st book in the series, I hate everyone but you. I highly recommend this quarks book for an unique read.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

In theory, Please Send Help is a story I would love. It’s an epistolary novel about two best friends right out of college who have to figure out their path into the world. However, this book really did not work for me on a number of levels.


Please Send Help CoverIn this hilarious follow-up novel to the New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You, long distance best friends Ava and Gen have finally made it to the same time zone (although they’re still over a thousand miles apart).

Through their hilarious, sometimes emotional, but always relatable conversations, Ava and Gen are each other’s support systems through internships, relationship troubles, questionable roommates, undercover reporting, and whether or not it’s a good idea to take in a feral cat. Please Send Help perfectly captures the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world and how no matter how desperate things seem, you always have your best friend to tell it like it is and pick you back up.(Goodreads)
Goodreads

Please Send Help needs trigger warnings for discussions of alcoholism, heavy drinking in the main character, catfishing, homophobia, sex without disclosing STD, sex with direct supervisor, and shitty bosses.

I’d like to start with what I liked about Please Send Help. The voices in both main characters really felt like they were two women who’d just graduated college. They were young and true to themselves, even if I didn’t actually like either of them. They were both entirely self-centered and didn’t actually listen to each other even though they didn’t really ask for advice from anyone else that might have been able to help.

I liked the conversation about STDs that they had, and that it turned out well enough for Ava. I also liked that her parents were like “well, okay, here’s how we can help. What do you need?” It was wonderful.

Everything Gen did just made me want to ask her “what the fuck?” Like, literally everything. Ava was a more reasonable person, but neither of them were very good for each other. That was my main issue with this book. It was about how they were supposed to be perfect friends for each other because they both screw up, but honestly, even around the screw ups they weren’t good friends to each other.

I really didn’t love the entire plotline with Coralee. Gen basically outed her at a party with her boyfriend and then had a threesome and expected them to invite her to stay the night. Then she threw a lamp, and then threw away her entire career. It’s a whole mess. I honestly do not recommend this book unless you’re into very, very immature adults making terrible life choices.


ABOUT PLEASE SEND HELP
Title: Please Send Help

Series: I Hate Everyone But You Book 2

Author: Gaby Dunn, Alison Raskin

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Length: 320 Pages

Release Date: July 16, 2019

Rating: Not Recommended

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Fiction

Representation: queer main character, character with STDs

I didn't like this book as well as I liked the first one, but I did like Ava better in this book. She definitely came into her own and had more of a unique voice. I didn't feel Gen changed at all, and that's terrible considering this book takes place during their first year post college.

There's so much of a double standard in these books I don't even know where to start. Everything liberal = good and desirable, everything even faintly conservative = bad and terrible. How dare a church run homeless shelter not allow two lesbians to share a twin bed there! (No, I don't believe in conversion therapy, but that part of the book was super muddled, especially since the authors picked on the Methodist church, and if they had done ANY research they would know that the Methodists are probably one of the most gay friendly denominations out there). So many of Gen's views are hypocritical, and that's what she blames everyone else of being throughout both books.

I know lots of people don't like the format, but I love epistolary books and find them fast, fun reads. I think if the authors would have stuck with the humorous, more endearing parts of these books rather than trying to cram an agenda down readers' throats, these would have been much more enjoyable reads overall and I would have been able to recommend them to people. As it is, unless you are a firm believer in the kool-aid these authors are promoting, I don't think you'll enjoy these books very much.

First things first: When I requested this book from NetGalley, I had no idea it was a sequel. Despite my qualms, I decided to read it anyway, and I"m glad I did. While it might have been nice to have read the first book, not having read it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this cute, quirky, quick read. (More on this later...)

<em>Please Send Help</em> is written entirely in texts and emails between two best friends, Ava and Gen. Recent college grads, both are now facing grown-up life as they pursue their career dreams. Ava, in New York, is interning with a comedy show, dying to gain real-life experience as a writer while working her (unpaid) butt off. Gen, in Florida, is trying to break into serious journalism, but the only job she could find is at a small-town newspaper with nothing much at all to cover and no room for advancement at the family-run paper.

Ava and Gen have history together, and their bond is immediately apparent. Ava is coping with anxiety that stops her in her tracks from time to time, and because of Ava's previous experiences related to mental health, Gen tends to worry about her well-being -- especially once Ava gets disastrously involved with her older boss, who's so clearly a player who preys on young interns. Meanwhile, Gen is bi, out and proud, from a dysfunctional family and with no parental support whatsoever, trying to find connections as well as a juicy story in a backwards, socially conservative town where she has no chance of fitting in.

I loved the humor of the texts. Both Ava and Gen are wickedly, crassly funny, even when freaking out, making absurd decisions, or talking about insane events in their lives.
<blockquote>Tabby finally gave in to her gluttony and came inside. I jumped up and shut the door. She did NOT like that but I have put vodka on all of my scratches so I'm sure I'm fine.</blockquote>
These two are definitely not perfect. But they get one another, and they're there for one another -- and even when they ignore good advice or act out in particularly questionable ways, they still are there to comfort, pick each other up, and kick a little ass if that's what needed to shake some reality into each other's minds and hearts.

Genre/library shelf-wise, I'm not quite sure where I'd put this one. NetGalley lists it as teen/YA, but since the characters are 22-ish (I think), I wouldn't have thought to consider this young adult. (Side note -- why are young adult novels mostly about teens and not about actual young adults -- which is what Ava and Gen are?) So sure, put it on the YA shelf if you want, but just know that it's about women in their 20s figuring out life, sex, STDs, and more. Not what I'd typically consider teen fare!

<em>Please Send Help</em> is heaps of fun. I'm glad I wasn't put off by finding out it's book #2. Now that I've finished it, I think I'll try to track down the first book (<em>I Hate Everyone But You</em>, set during Ava and Gen's college years). I'd imagine that the topics of the girls' families, mental health, sexuality, and more are explored in greater depth in that book, whereas here they're mostly backstory to the struggle to be independent and start a career and a life in a new city.

BUT, please don't feel that you can't read <em>Please Send Help</em> without reading the first book! <em>Please Send Help</em> works perfectly well as a standalone. I'm living proof that you can read this book without any prior knowledge of the characters and their stories. I really did feel like I got to know Ava and Gen through this book, and would love to hear what happens next in their lives! *fingers crossed for a book #3*

3.5 stars
I had a good time reading the first book in this series, and as continued fans of Gaby and Allison I was intrigued by the next book. This one was unfortunately not quite as good as the first one, but I did still enjoy reading it.

The choice to age them up so much for this second book was unexpected. I thought it would've been fun to read a book where they are comfortable in their college experiences and to see them deal with sophomore/junior year. It also might have helped the feeling of "missing out" you kind of get with this book. Gen and Ava reference a bunch of things that happened in between this book and the last that we never got to see, and that coupled with the fact that this is completely told in emails/instant messages where we are told things after the fact just makes you feel a bit removed from the story.

As for the characters themselves, I appreciated their diversity where both of them are Jewish & Ava deals with anxiety and depression, while Genevieve is bisexual. However, Genevieve is kind of the worst? I don't remember being quite so annoyed with her in the first book, but in this one HOO boy. The way she treats Ava is so annoying and hypocritical, and her level of self sabotage is something else. Both scenarios the characters were put in were kind of ridiculous, but I could believe Ava's to some extent. Gen literally moves a homeless person INTO HER HOUSE!? Which to be honest made for a fun reading experience but also the words "what the heck" were just playing in a loop as I was reading.

Overall while this does deal with some heavier topics this was a fun, light, read with a bit ridiculousness added for *charm*. If you liked the first one, I say continue on although you might not love this one. If you didn't like the first one, probably skip it.

More like a 3.5 star read. I thought this was a fun read and I loved the focus on friendship, especially long-distance friendships. I also loved the email/text format, which made the book a really quick read. My primary issue was that I didn't realize this book was a sequel until I started reading. I still enjoyed Ava and Gen very much, but I felt like I was missing some of their backstory, etc. Please Send Help is definitely readable without having read the first book, but I think I would have felt more of a connection with them if I had read it.

Upon first looking at this book; the title and what it was about, I was thinking it would’ve been more of a Mental Health’s contemporary kind of thing… which is not. I also wasn’t prepared for this book to be entirely written on the email & text-messaging format; which I do like however, as it make it easier and quicker to read.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get myself to move on much onto the book.. even if I do kinda relate to the MCs as I did move out 3hours away from my bestfriend before attending High school; we did just that. Though in our time it wasn’t emails; but texts, MSN chatting (boy is that old..) and videochats – we even mailed each other a letter every month of all that we doodled while in class.

The book in itself was not a bad book, I would’ve been able to finish it.. and I do plan to come back to it, it’s not a throw-onto-the-dnf-not-to-be-seen-again case here; it’s just that i’m being a mood reader and what I really feel like reading at the moment isn’t that specifically ..