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!

CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT is an interesting look at right and wrong and all the shades of grey in between. There are a lot of issues packed into one novel, but Kemmerer weaves them together in a way that is both engrossing and thought-provoking.

3.5 stars. I had to take off half a star because I felt like Call It What You Want ended way too abruptly and I needed way more resolution. But otherwise, this third contemporary by rising YA star Brigid Kemmerer is just as gritty and realistic and full of feels as her previous two books.

Rob Lachlan is basically persona non grata at his high school right now. He used to be a big man on campus, a lacrosse star from a rich, privileged family. Until his father scammed a whole bunch of people in their community out of their money, and then attempted suicide, but failed. So yeah. Rob and his mom now live with his dad, who is non-verbal and uncommmunicative, and who needs round-the-clock care. Meanwhile, everyone at school thinks Rob knew about the scam, and Rob has no friends.

Maegan Day is a good girl who infamously cheated on the SAT last year, forcing her whole class to retake the exam. Maegan is usually the nerd who studies hard and gets straight A's, but she succumbed to pressure from her parents and her perfect sister. Now she's living with the whispers and guilt - and it doesn't help that her so-called perfect sister is now back home from college, in danger of losing her scholarship, and oh yeah, pregnant.

So when Rob and Maegan get paired together for a class project, they're surprised to find that they have a lot to talk about. They're both guarded, but also desperate for a connection and someone to tell them that they're worth more than their reputations. What follows is, yes, a romance, but also a story of being there for friends, asking hard questions about what's fair, and questioning what's right in a fairly messed up world.

Even though Call It What You Want alternates between Maegan and Rob's voices, this book felt much more like Rob's story and Rob's book. While Rob and Maegan are both dealing with the fallout from mistakes, I feel like Kemmerer was much more interested in the social and behavioural consequences of Rob, who has a pretty good moral compass but was destroyed because of decisions made NOT by him. Meanwhile, Maegan seems to have gotten away sort of scott-free from her own cheating incident, and actually spends more of the book worried about her sister's pregnancy and Rob than her own guilt and reputation. Because of this, Maegan felt a little less fully formed than Kemmerer's previous heroines. I just didn't feel like I got to know her that well, and she sort of became more of a secondary character. To me, this book would have actually worked better if it had been completely told in Rob's POV. He was, without a doubt, the more compelling character, and I think we could have gotten a really strong single narrative while still getting the romance and all the other parts of the narrative.

That said, the one part I was super on board with in the Maegan sections was the connection she has with her sister and how they shored each other up. To tell more would be spoiling, but the relationship between them felt like the most real and honest part of this book.

There's a ton going on here, from poverty and socio-economic issues to teen pregnancy and respect for women and attempted suicide and pressure on kids. Call It What You Want basically runs a huge gamut of issues and, if it was written by anyone but Brigid Kemmerer, I think it would have fallen apart. Even as it is now, I felt like there were a lot of threads that didn't get fully explored, and I'm not sure the book really knew what it's theme was. But look, if you like gritty YA and strong character work, you'll still like Call It What You Want. It's a compelling read, unique in its issues, but with Kemmerer's trademark romance, and that kept me reading all the way through.

Another great read by Brigid Kemmerer. The story kept me engaged and I really appreciated our character's flaws and how it made them more realistic.

I really enjoyed Kemmerer’s other book Letters to the Lost so I was really excited when I got approved for this one. It did not disappoint. I found the two main characters to both be likable (Rob a little more so for me than Maegan). I thought the book dealt with some tough topics like teen pregnancy, abortion, and race and crime in a really mature, sensitive, and realistic way. The plot wasn’t as cut and dry as it first seemed and I enjoyed the depth there as well. I didn’t feel like the characters’ choices always made a ton of sense, but in the end, the author really made me try to examine how I would react if I were in Rob’s shoes. 4/5

Rob's life falls apart when his father is accused of stealing from clients and becomes seriously disabled as a result of a failed suicide attempt. Since he interned at his father's office, people assume that Rob knew what his father was doing even though he had no idea. Shunned and bullied at school, even by his former best friend, he retreats into himself. He is paired on a math project with Maegan , a girl who was caught cheating on a test and is suffering the consequences of her decision. Rob starts to open up to her, but she is wary to trust him. I really like Brigid Kemmerer's work and enjoyed the book. Rob's growth from an entitled jock from a wealthy family to a more sensitive, thoughtful person is well developed and believable. Maegan's interactions with her family ring true, particularly with her sister who has her own difficult problems. I would recommend this book just to read Rob's story, which is heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful.

*Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/*
I was so distracted by the emotions and sorrow that came off the pages that I did not even realize that this was a contemporary retelling of Robin Hood until I heard the author speak about it at a book event. But of course it is, the book even makes direct references to the classic tale! The main character "Rob" has taken it upon himself to take money or items from his wealthy classmates in order to help the needy in his class, first being Owen who was personally hurt by Rob's father's actions. There were a lot of lessons about morality and actions here that are missing in the Disney version of Robin Hood, and I love the twists and reasoning used to justify actions.

This was such a hard read, filled with the entire spectrum of emotions and a lot of questionable topics such as theft, morally gray areas, teen pregnancy, cheating, bullying, disabilities, abandonment, poverty and suicide all thrown together in a blender to create Call It What You Will. I feel a little like my insides (aka my heart) was being squeezed while I was reading the book and the first good breath I got was once I reached the end. And even in the face of such potentially dark topics that I usually avoid, Brigid makes me emotionally connect to her characters and root for some sort of positive outcome in such a bad situation.

I am a sucker for Brigid books and I love that this was a standalone, making this the perfect emotional, devastating yet heart-breakingly wonderful romance read. The relationship dynamics between Rob and Owen, Rob and Meagan, and Meagan and Stephanie were the highlights of the story. I highly recommend this as well as any of her other books for anyone looking for great characters, sweet stolen moments and a long lasting impact on your heart.

I had fully expected to only read a chapter or two and then need to set the book down. What ended up happening was me devouring the first half of the book in just that first sitting. Actually, if it wasn’t for the fact that I was trying to go to bed at a somewhat responsible hour, I would have just stayed up super late and finished it all in one day.

I just got so hooked into the lives of both Rob and Maegan, and I needed to know what was going to happen with them. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, this book is sort of a modern take on the story of Robin Hood…which I didn’t realize at the time, but I know now and it should have been obvious to me with Rob Lachlan’s name, because it is fairly similar to Robin Locksley.

Also, this YA book has parents that are actually active and present in the story, and the lives of their teen children. That is sadly a rarity in YA, but I’ve started to see a few more books like this one, so hopefully the culture is shifting a little. My favorite adult figure in Rob’s life actually has to be the school librarian. He was seriously my favorite character in the whole story.

The character relationships in this book were so interesting to me, and it was probably the strongest element to this story. The characters and their relationships and the dynamics between them all helped to build the story up and move the plot forward.

I continue to be a big Brigid Kemmerer fan, whether it is her contemporary or fantasy books, and I look forward to reading a lot more of her books in the future.

Kemmerer certainly isn't afraid to examine moral grey areas. This book examines guilt, responsibility, secrets, and judgement. Obviously that last item takes up a fair amount of space. We have these things that have happened prior to the novel's start and the assumptions people make about characters based on those events. So the protagonists are victims. But we also see the ways they judge and make assumptions about others. I liked that at first we see guilt as cut and dry but as elements are revealed we see that in many cases it's not that simple, that there are influences behind the scenes that we never knew about. We're prompted to consider what people deserve and what "right" really means.

I've been hearing a lot of great things about Brigid Kemmerer so I wanted to try her out and I'm glad that I did. It was a lot more angsty than I was prepared for or even in the mood for but I pushed through and am glad that I did because this book was good. Brigid Kemmerer's writing style is compelling and I couldn't stop reading it.

So this book follows Rob and Maegan. Both characters aren't wildly popular at school because they've fallen from grace. Maegan fell from grace over a cheating incident from last year that had consequences for everyone while Rob's fall from grace was more repercussions from the shitty things that his father did. People swear up and down that Rob knew all along so they're holding him just as responsible as his father.

When Rob and Maegan are paired up to work on a project together, they're not too happy with the situation but the project needs to get done so they work together. While they're working together, they get to know each other and I thought Brigid Kemmerer handled bringing them together rather well. Sure they had a complication relationship and things weren't always easy but Kemmerer tells their story really well. She does teenage angst really well. There was a lot of things tackled in this book and I thought Kemmerer handled all aspects of the story well. Even though there was a bit of a lag in the beginning, the pacing really picks up and the story, along with the characters really shine the more you read, if that makes any sense. I loved the message that carried throughout the story. One decision isn't going to determine your entire future. Your future is made up of a bunch of decisions that you make so if you get off track, you have the power to get back on track.

This book was a lot deeper than I was anticipating and it was a lot more angsty than I was in the mood for but that didn't stop me from reading every word. There were parts of the book that were a little slow, mostly in the beginning but I was glad that I stuck with the book because, in the end, I was a happy camper. I will definitely be reading more books from Brigid Kemmerer in the future.

<strong>Grade: 3.75 out of 5</strong>

I really didn't know that I needed this book until I started it. This book was absolutely perfect. The characters, the plot, the discussions and themes, the hints toward the Robin Hood story-- everything was masterfully done. I'm so glad that I could read this. Brigid Kemmerer's contemporary/romance novels just keep getting better and better. I cannot wait to read more from her. She's absolutely a new favorite writer and an auto-buy author. I need more!

This very compelling story is told from two points of view, Rob and Meg are each dealing with some pretty big issues and both of them are trying to do it by keeping their heads down and plowing through, but it's not working very well. Through a math project, they end up being friends and being able to support each as the mystery of each of their issues becomes clearer. It's a sad story with an upbeat ending and I think a lot of high school students will enjoy the mystery and the unfolding of the story. There are a lot of social issues that come up in the story including teen pregnancy, honesty, and friendship. Highly recommend for high school students.

As someone who reads as much YA contemporary as I do, this was nothing new. That does not mean I did not enjoy it or it's a bad book. I read this in one sitting and it made me cry. Kemmerer writes this narrative beautifully and authentically. I love the trope of two damaged souls finding each other at the same time. There is not much about the plot that is unique, but the writing elevates this into being a really solid YA contemporary.

Maegan's character was a bit flat for me, but I did enjoy her relationship with her sister and seeing that grow. Rob was an interesting character and my heart hurt for him. I did like his character ARC more than Maegan's. I did like seeing them together, but their romance faded to the background (which can be good or bad depending on preference).

My favorite part was the librarian and the VERY DETAILED An Ember in the Ashes reference. We love when modern YA actually shoutouts other modern YA.

Overall, this is a very good book and if I had not seen the tropes before I probably would have been able to rate it 5 stars.