I'm always impressed with how perfectly Kemmerer captures the teen emotional state, no matter the circumstance. I think kids really relate to her characters and I am happy to recommend this one, along with the others.

Kemmerer has a talent for writing about damaged teens who are disenfranchised. She sensitively portrays Maegan and Rob, who are both estranged from their normal social circles because of actions on their own part (Maegan) or by others (Rob’s father). As they are drawn to one another, they see a kindred soul dealing with ostracism. 

The one issue with this novel is the similarity to the plot of some of Kemmerer’s other contemporary novels. That being said, the characters are realistic and the situations are unique in their particulars. Alienated teens who seek solace in one another is a compelling storyline that elicits feelings of compassion and empathy. For all who love her other titles, this one should please and add to her popularity.
3.5*

I absolutely LOVE anything and everything Brigid writes and CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT did not disappoint!
With characters you can connect to and a deeply moving storyline this book whizzes bye. I found myself not wanting to to end!

Brigid Kemmerer has been one of my favorite authors for many years.  Starting with her Elemental series she has yet to disappoint.  This book was no exception.  Her characters are always so well written and complex.  Rob and Meagan were just as pragmatic.  Both Rob and Meagan were shouldering the burden of not only their own secrets, but those of their loved ones too,  While Meagan was judged by a single bad choice, Rob was judged by a choice someone close to him made and never given the benefit of the doubt.  The best part about this book was that as the story progressed both characters still made good and bad choices; showing that all choices and their consequences can shape us and help us evolve.    The book illustrates that not everything is always "black & white" and what may be wrong in one person's eyes, may not be in another's.  As with all of Kemmerer's books, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great, contemporary YA read.  
Recommended for 15 & up
Mild to adult situations

For the record, my heart belongs to every single one of Brigid K’s books. I read Letters to the Lost last year and absolutely adored it, so naturally I was thrilled to receive an e-ARC of this through NetGalley.

This book was a mess of emotions and mistakes and broken people trying to make things right. All in all, it was fantastic, and Rob is now mine to protect.

A YA story that is a bit of a blend of contemporary fiction and a love story that 100% captured my heart!

Ugh this book gave me all the feels! I loved the characters' relationships with each other, especially the sisters!

Another cute romance story but with some deeper questions that are worth asking. Kemmerer is such an amazing storyteller that this is a quick read.

Family dynamics is the front and center of Brigid Kemmerer's Call It What You Want. The story is told from dual perspectives, Rob and Maegan, who are grappling with serious and complicated issues. Rob is a former popular student whose father sustained a profound brain injury after a failed suicide attempt after he was turned in for embezzling his investors’ money. Rob now carries the burden to take care for his father. He is also wracked by guilt and constantly reminded that his father’s clients, many of whom are his peers’ families, lost everything. Many people in his community suspect that Rob knew of his father's actions since he interned at his father's company, but Rob adamantly claims he is innocent. Suspicion tracks Rob everywhere and makes him a social pariah until an unsuspected olive branch is presented in the form of a math project. 

  Maegan is the dutiful and caring daughter of a police officer who struggles in the shadow of her lacrosse-star older sister, who is now home from college unexpectedly pregnant. Maegan is dealing with the fallout of last year when she is caught cheating on the SAT a year earlier, causing the scores of everyone in the room to be invalidated. Like Rob, Maegan is also working through her own guilt and never feeling good enough. 

  Kemmerer's has a a knack for creating flawed characters who are complex and real. Rob and Maegan both live in the gray moral boundaries and are trying to remove the taint of their reputation, whether it is by their own action or the actions of others. Both characters are wrestling with questions about ethical responsibility and grief. The romance between Rob and Maegan is a slow burn one where they  slowly become confidants and chip away at one another’s defenses—and their burgeoning attraction causes fallout of its own. There is a lot tackled in this romantic realistic fiction novel that could weigh it down, but the story is well-grounded with funny dialogue. There is also a natural discussion of race and privilege in the book, which I appreciated. This is another winner from Brigid Kemmerer.

I thought this story was a really cute story about some of that good ol’ teen romance! Our main characters Rob and Maegan are both a bit troubled, with baggage and issues they are dealing with in their personal lives from both circumstances and personal choices. When they are paired up for a class project, they start on a journey that will bring them together and help them deal with the challenges that face them. 

I always love any book Brigid writes. I love her characters so much. I can always feel them right in my bones. I also really like that this wasn’t an “instalove” romance. These characters became friends first, and then fell in love. I always love stories like this, because they feel more realistic and believable to me. If you love Brigid’s books, this is a must read for sure!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If loving contemporary young adult novels Is wrong, I don't want to be right! This is a sweet (without being corny) and well done look at the difficulties teens can face. I really enjoy Brigid's Kemmerer's writing, as well as her range. She can write contemporary and fantasy young adult novels, which is very unusual!

In this story, Maegan and Rob are suddenly outcasts at school. Maegan was caught cheating on the SATs, even though she was a straight-A student. Then, her “perfect” sister came back from college, pregnant with her professor’s baby. Rob’s father was caught embezzling money from his financial company, and everyone thinks that Rob knew what was happening. They are brought together in their calculus class, where they form an unlikely friendship.

Morality was a big theme in this book. The main characters and their peers have to ask if Maegan and Rob deserve to be punished for what they did, or what their family members did. Maegan cheated on her test, but it affected everyone else in the testing room whose papers had to be scrapped. Rob’s father stole money from many of his classmate’s families, so they take it out on Rob by ignoring him. They both end up suffering for these actions, until they can open people’s eyes up to the truth.

This book was very touching. Both Maegan and Rob had to look after their family members. Maegan helps her sister deal with her unplanned pregnancy. She ends up stepping up to look after her. Rob’s father attempted suicide, but now he can’t do anything on his own. Rob and his mother have to look after him, including feeding and bathing him. It was heartbreaking to read about his father, and the way that the people he hurt the most had to look after him. This made me sympathetic to Maegan and Rob, even though they had both made mistakes.

This is a great story!

Thank you Bloomsbury YA for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

So Brigid Kemmerer might be a new auto-buy author for me, this book was really great! 

Rob and Maegan are amazing characters who are each struggling with stigmas of some kind. Rob is dealing with the fallout that his father knowingly stole money from his clients and his father's failed suicide attempt, an attempt that resulted in Rob finding his father after the fact. Maegan is dealing with issues at home and the fact that she is thought of as a cheater after she caused a hundred SAT scores to be invalidated. The two are paired up for a class project and find that there is more to each of them than meets the eye.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

I am so broken right now and I really don't want to review this title.  I have been a fan of Kemmerer since her first book came out and this is the first book by her that I just didn't enjoy.  This book was so full of characters that although they acted their ages. They were very mean and hateful.  From the first pages you see one teen playing music so loud his mother tells him to turn it down. Which he doesn't do.  And the reason behind it is so he can irritate his dad whom is paralyzed because he shot himself in the head to try and commit suicide.  This book is just so sad with these characters and I just couldn't do it.

You never know what someone might be struggling with or facing behind the persona they present in public. There is always more to the story than the rumours that swirl, and the truth is usually different than you think it is. Call It What You Want To looks at the ways in which we don't really see others, the ways in which we hide things from others, and how our mistakes don't need to define who we are.

Rob and Maegan, much like all of Kemmerer's other characters, are complex and authentic. They are, for me, a perfect example of what characters in a young adult novel should feel like. They are dealing with issues and problems that are just as complex as they are and that radiates through the characterization. There isn't a perfect solution or answer to the things they are facing. There is no right way to act in their situations and that makes for some interesting, and dynamic relationships. Even though they are going through some pretty adult circumstances these characters always feel like the teenagers they are. They cannot do this alone and that is evident throughout the entire book. There are adults who are there to help them. It was nice to see teen characters not having to deal with everything on their own.

This is about that is partially about mistakes and the ways in which they can define us, but also how the perception of others defines us. Rob's painted with the actions of his father and begins to act out to become what everyone says he is. Maegan made a mistake and is dealing with how it changed people's perspective of her and carrying that with her going forward. It paints these characters and their actions as neither good nor bad. It's this murky middle ground where things are not so easily definable and that resonates into the entire premise of the story.

The theme of things not being black and white weaves itself into all the side characters as well. There are a few characters who could have been cliches. They could have easily been one note villains but care was taken to show them as just as complex and layered as the story around them. People are not all one thing and sometimes perspective matters. The book asks if you can do the wrong thing for the right reason and that is integral to a lot of the plot within these pages. Plenty of the plot points are things that feel like they should have a definitive right or wrong answer, and we are continuously reminded that life doesn't always work that way. Things can be messy and there are varying degrees to things. The book really embraces those nuances and looks at all angles of a situation rather than just presenting it one way.

This could be a book that had an issue with too much going on. There is a lot to unpack here from the aftermath of an attempted suicide, an embezzlement scandal, bullying, teen pregnancy, and academic cheating. It could have easily gone into a territory where it felt too crowded, or unrealistic that it would all be contained within this one story. Kemmerer's writing, however, meshes it together perfectly. Each of these situations is nuanced and layered in a way that make them feel entirely believable.

Those who have read Kemmerer's other contemporary novels will absolutely love this one, as will those who are just reading her for the first time. Her contemporary novels nail a realistic, complex feel that comes naturally. I highly recommend any of her books, but particularly suggest her contemporary to those who love the genre.

Rob and Maegan are both social outcasts at the moment, so being paired to work together on a calculus project might be perfect for them. Rob's dad was caught using his business to embezzle funds from most of their town's retirement savings. Then his dad's failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mom taking care of every basic need while also dealing with the aftermath. Overachiever Maegan was caught cheating on the SAT, and no one else yet knows, but her sister is home from college and is pregnant. As Maegan and Rob get to know each other, they find that it isn't always easy to let others see the hurt they're feeling, but it may help help them heal and move forward. 

THOUGHTS: This heartbreaking romance will have readers rooting for Rob and Maegan, even though they're the school outcasts. Highly recommended for high school libraries.

Call It What You Want was a beautifully, emotional story. If you're looking for something that will consume you, pull your emotions every which way and will stay with you for a long time to come, then definitely pick this one up. I easily became obsessed with Rob and Maegan's lives. And I'm so happy I fell madly in love with another book by Brigid Kemmerer.

    We were from two different worlds once: popular boy and nerdy girl. We’re still from two different worlds: cop’s daughter and criminal’s son. 


This story started off with an emotional bang and we get brought right into Rob's life. His dad betrayed his family in multiple ways and he and his mother were left with the damage and fall out from it all. There was no escaping it and I could feel Rob's heart bleeding from the pages. And in the next chapter we were dropped right into Maegan's world. Her sister came home from college pregnant, and if that wasn't enough to push the tension in her house through the roof, Maegan did something that labeled her a cheater at school.

    “I’m sorry,” I say. “Maybe . . . we can start over.”
    His eyes search my face. “Fine.” He puts out a hand like a businessman. “Rob Lachlan. Non-slacker.”
    “Maegan Day.” I shake his hand. Most boys at school shake hands with the passivity of a trained cocker spaniel, but Rob’s fingers close around mine securely. I can feel the strength in his grip. I have to swallow. “Overly judgmental.” 


Rob and Maegan had both been branded at their school. They became outcasts and their classmates had no problem saying horrible things to their faces. They were both drowning in their own problems and pain, and it felt like they were both so alone. So when Rob and Maegan got partnered together in math class, to work on a project, I had so much hope. But right from the start they got off on the wrong foot and were completely awkward around each other.

    I pull a slip of loose-leaf out of my binder and write a quick note to him.
    Are you okay
    When I slide it on top of his notebook, he stares at the words for the longest time.
    I wish I could crawl inside his head and figure him out. Then he gives me a brief nod, folds the note in half, and tucks it into his backpack.
    And then, for the rest of the period, he keeps his eyes focused forward and never once turns to look at me. 


But as they met more and more, they started to talk with each. When Rob gave little peaks of his life to Maegan, my eyes would sting with tears. His world was pain and I hurt so bad listening to him. But Maegan's world was extremely emotional too. Even just a family dinner at her house was a mine field. The tension was horrific and drama and emotions were always running high. Rob and Maegan both wanted to escape their houses and who they were. So when they were next to each other, not even talking, it seemed like they felt a little less alone.

    I don’t deserve her friendship. I don’t deserve kindness. Not from anyone.
    But her fingers were so warm on mine. The air so quiet between us. The beginning of trust.
    Then her friends showed up.
    We know who he is. 


If you're a sucker for tortured characters, you're going to love Rob. His thoughts were dark, deep and brutally honest. I quickly connected and was consumed by Rob. But I desperately wanted to protect him since he was so immersed with his hurt and it felt suffocating at times. And when obstacles were thrown in his path, I just wanted him to find some happiness or peace. He deserved it and I hoped he'd find that with Maegan, while also helping her with her pain.

    “One mistake doesn’t define you.”
    She sniffs and carefully swipes at her eyes. “You’re going to wreck all of Sam’s handiwork.”
    That makes me smile. I want to touch her so badly that my hand aches , but I still can’t tell if she feels the same way, or if she’s saying these things out of kindness. 


On top of Meagan and Rob, there were two side characters I became attached to also. Samantha, was Maegan's sister, and I I loved watching their relationship play out. And Owen, who seemed like a possible friend to Rob. Watching both of those relationships transform added so much depth to this story, especially since Samantha and Owen shined so brightly. So YES, I definitely recommend this book. If you love YA, emotional stories and deep characters then definitely pick this one up!

Brigid has an uncanny ability to open your heart up, make you feel, and then violently rip it out, set it on fire, tie it to a brick and throw it over a cliff -- her words, ya'll -- not mine! Call it What You Want was no exception. This review is going to be short, because I feel like if I do I will spill so much of the story and spoil it.

The story centers around Meg and Rob, two kids that really don't interact with each other. Rob, once a popular kid, and Meg, an overachiever who made a huge mistake. The two are thrown together during a school assignment and all that changes. 

Kemmerer literally punches you in the face from the first page, making you fall completely into Rob's world. That pace does not slow down when we are introduced to Maegan either. They both are dealing with such tragedies in their lives, whether personally or academically, These characters, and the supporting ones around them - Maegan's sister and friends, Owen - were brilliantly crafted, layered and flawed. They were relatable in a way that I hadn't found connectable in a long time. 

Between the writing, the characters, the plot and the OH SO WONDERFULLY satisfying ending - this novel was an easy 5/5! 

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book very consistently flips back and forth between both Rob and Maegan's perspectives and their individual storylines - even once their worlds overlap. Despite being a young adult novel, they are both struggling with some serious situations. I love the friendship they are able to form and eventual romance. The resolution for both their situations and that of their families isn't glossed over and perfect, its messy but with good sprinkled throughout and all in all I was happy with the ending. The chapters are short and easy to read, their romance is clean - I would definitely recommend reading it!