I’ve always been a fan of Brigid Kemmerer and this book was no difference. I love both her fantasy and contemporary books and I couldn’t recommend her more. Give it a read!

I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

I asked for this book because it sounded like a cheesy teenage love story, full of teenage angst and boooiiii did it provide… and it was sooo much more than what I expected. Got my full attention after the first few lines and couldn`t stop till I finished it (read aall night..but who needs sleep? Am I right? ^-^)
The book is written from the POV of our 2 main characters:
Rob, a once popular high school lacrosse player that had it all – talent, looks, popularity and money- fallen from grace because off his father`s actions and everyone`s suspicions that he was a part of the scam. As everything is taken away from his family, his father attempts suicide and is left in a vegetative state that requires permanent care. As if things weren`t bad enough, Rob also loses his best friend, leaving him with no one to talk to or support him, which leeds to a lot of build up anger and causes Rob to lash out at people around him,
And Maegan, who felt like she spent all her life in the shadows of her older sister, witnessing how easy it was for her to be the best at everything. Feeling under pressure to succeed and become a great as her sister, Maegan cheats at her SATs, causing everyone else`s results to be cancelled and forcing a second examination upon them all. She was branded as a liar and cheater and become a social pariah. Now she`s just trying to hold her head down, without attracting too much attention and finish high school.

When the two of them are paired together by a calculus project, they slowly discover they have more in common than any of them would`ve imagined. They start a complicated but sweet relationship, based on trust and respect, which progresses slowly (not one of those insta-relationships we see everywhere nowadays). But when Rob is planning to fix the damage caused by his father, his actions puts their fragile new relationship in danger and the secrets he`ll uncover might affect other people dear to him, and change his life even more.
The book brings a lot of important topics like loneliness, caring family burdens, the pressure and stress to succeed, what true friendship means, and most important, learning how to forgive yourself and move forward, that mistakes happen, but they don`t define us, we just have to learn from them and improve. The writing is great and it's an easy read.We see great character development and growth and Brigid describes everything so perfect that at times it feels like you're right there, in the same room with the characters, or inside their minds, watching the twitch of the muscles that causes a reaction or feeling the same tumultuous thoughts and sentiments that makes the characters tick. It makes you question your sense of morality and leaves you with an important question : Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?


Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbery for the opportunity to read this early. Loved loved loved it!!

If you’re not an avid follower of my blog than you may not know this but I am a very big fan of Brigid Kemmerer. I have yet to read a book by her that I haven’t instantly fallen in love with. She has a knack for writing characters that steal your soul and just this amazing way of writing her characters that has you feeling for them on a very deep emotional level. It is the kind of writing that truly pulls you into a book and leaves you breathless when you finish. I apologise that this feels like a bit of a gush but I cannot help it. I just simply love every single book that Brigid Kemmerer writes and every single character she writes about. She brings them to life in such a unique and amazing way. Add to that compelling, addictive, heart-wrenching and intense stories and you might just see why I absolutely love all of her books.

So it should come to no surprise for you to find out that I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it. I was in the midst of a reading slump but this book kept calling to me and once I started, I struggled to stop. I simply had to continue reading. I was hooked on the story and I needed to know how Megan and Rob’s lives were going to pan out. Both of them had so much to deal with in the course of the book and I just loved how it all came together, how they helped and hindered each other. Once again, Brigid Kemmerer has created a book with such amazing chemistry between the characters. Characters that you find yourself instantly rooting for and crying for. This story is complex, moving and intense and I simply raced my way through it, my heart hammering in my chest.

In case it still isn’t clear – I highly recommend this book. (And all of her other books too!) It is one that will make you feel deeply. It is dark and full of depth but it is also light and full of love. And somehow Brigid Kemmerer pulls that off perfectly. I honestly cannot speak more highly of her as an author or of this book.

So if you’re still reading this, stop. Go and pick up this book!

This was such an interesting read, going deep into the idea of morality and the shades of grey that go with it. It follows the path of two teenagers, one who made a mistake and cheated on her SAT exam and another who has to deal with his father having cheated a lot of people out of a lot of money. It shows how the community sees these people and how they can recover from what happened. There's also the story of Meagan's sister who has to deal with a pregnancy and the fall out from that/ the power that the father of the child has over her.

It also looks into the Robin Hood-esque concept of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. It debates whether stealing to help your friends buy food or expensive shoes that their mother needs for her job is okay if the people who have the money won't notice. It really looks deep into the issue and the opposing sides of the argument.

It was most interesting to see Rob's side of things, with his father having been the one to do the crimes, but Rob having to suffer through the repercussions. Having lost all his families money, all his friends and having to help look after his father after the failed suicide attempt. It was really interesting to so how much Rob was seen as the villain by his classmates when it was his father who had done the crimes.

A great read with deep complex issues.

I don't know what it is with Brigid Kemmerer Contemporary books, but they always pack a punch with me.

The characters are all so well developed, I loved learning more about Rob and Meagan and the back stories on what happened with both of them.

Robs character Arc and journey was so compelling to read, and the unexpected thing that I thoroughly enjoyed reading was his friendship with Connor. I genuinely never ever EVER thought I would feel anything towards Connor because I thought he was a piece of trash, but here we are!

I genuinely loved this!

Also side note... that ending was so so so satisfying! I NEED MORE!

I really enjoyed this read and Brigid’s writing as a whole. I loved the explorations between the charactor relationships.

(I was provided with an early look through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Bloomsbury for the opportunity!)

I've been a fan of Brigid for a couple of years now and love the way she writes and creates her characters! This is no different for 'Call It What You Want'! You get thrown into the action almost immediately and, while part of me loved getting right into it, another ended up being quite badly triggered.

I suffer with depression and anxiety so when it came to learning about Rob's dad in the way we did...I wish some sort of trigger warning had been enforced so I'd had some sort of heads-up. It broke my immersion for a while and had me putting it down for a few days. Thankfully I did pick it up again and I'm really glad I did.

I loved the relationship between Rob and Maegan! You could tell they were opposites but so many things connected with them even after a really rough start. Rob was struggling with the guilt of something he had no control over and he couldn't help his mum when she was suffering. Maegan also had a secret to hide for her sister and you could tell how much it was eating away at her especially with the added guilt she carried.

Rob's father made a mistake. Rob's living with the aftermath.
Meagan has a secret, and has no one she can turn to after she majorly stuffed up.
So when they get paired together for a calculus project, their defenses are at an all time high... But as they break them down, Rob's plan to fix what his father destroyed puts their new-found friendship through the biggest test of all.


Like many people, I fell in love with Brigid Kemmerer's work at the start of this year with the amazing A Curse So Dark and Lonely. Her writing is so beautiful, and easy to fall into, and her characters are so thoroughly fleshed out, they leave a lasting impression.

Rob and Meagan are thrown together during some difficult times in their lives. Meagan cheated on the SAT, disqualifying all of the students in the same exam, and Robs father made half the town bankrupt. They're both social outcasts, and struggling to cope with their respective home lives, but together, they develop a friendship (and maybe a relationship) that is so utterly relateable.

Personally, I've never experienced either issue, but I still found myself reflected in their characters, and desperate to see where their story was going. Brigid's writing calls to me, and it was made even more obvious in this book that she has quickly become one of my favourite authors. ACSDAL is a completely different style, but the writing is so familiar and captivating that CIWYW stands completely apart from everything I've read.
I've always been a sucker for a complicated contemporary, and this one definitely stands out from the crowd. Rob was conflicted and complicated, whilst simultaneously being caring and compassionate. Meagan wanted nothing more than to make her father proud, and so used to growing up in her sisters shadow, finally found her feet and purpose.

I can't mention much of the plot without giving the entire premise away, but consider this a contemporary crossed with a mild thriller/mystery. It grips you from the start, throws you through a whirlwind and chucks you out the other side, completely satisfied.

Call It What You Want tells the story of Rob and Maegan, both of which are struggling at school. Rob, once the most popular kid in school, is dealing with his father embezzling money from all his friend's parents and everything thinks he was involved. Maegen, the daughter of a cop, made a big mistake last year and has some big family drama at home. Both students are having a really tough time at school, and when they're made to work on a project together, they form an unlikely friendship.

Call It What You Want is the first of Brigid's novels that I've read and I'll certainly be investing in her back catalogue after this. She perfectly captured the struggle of being a social outcast at school and balanced it out with young love. I loved this novel and will be recommending it to everyone I know!

What a heartbreaking story.... It’s a long time I cried that much reading a book. I felt so bad for Rob and Maeghan. And it reminded me that I’m glad my school years are over. I hope I would have had the courage to stand up for Rob. If you’re in search for a good book with honest characters and are prepared for an emotional roller coaster, this is the book you should read!

I loved this book so much! The dual perspective really revealed the character development and I am in love with all the characters. You cannot go wrong with Brigid Kemmerer! A must read for contemporary fans of romance! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Honestly, this book was so good I finished it in a day. I loved the nature of the story, the main characters and how much it resonated that one decision does not define you & that you are not your parents.

The way the narrative's perspective is split between the two main characters is so refreshing. You get to experience the story from both sets of eyes as they learn more about each other and the world around them.

The storyline was gripping from page one and I felt intrigued the entire way through. This was helped by the split perspective because although Rob & Maegan do have some shared experiences throughout the novel, it was really enchanting to be able to see what else was going on in both of their lives; to see exactly what else they were dealing with.

I truly loved this book and am definitely going to be looking for previously released books by this author. It was so easy and enjoyable to read and if I could rate it higher than 5 stars I would.

More than just your average YA love story, this story follows two complex characters and their emotional journey to understanding that things aren't always right or wrong. Instead their is a grey area in which they are drawn together.

This book was beautifully written and paced with enough questions to keep you hooked. I loved how when reading the books we got to know the characters as they got to know themselves. It really was a journey that made me laugh, cry and fall in love alongside them

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Told from a dual perspective, Call It What You Want follows two teenagers, who after personal misfortunes, are trying to get through high school.

This is a wonderful story of friendship and the importance of being there for someone when they need it. It’s about not letting other people’s mistakes take control of your life and not letting your own mistakes define you as long as you’re willing to learn and improve from them. Most importantly I think it highlights the idea that you should seek help when you need it.

The story touches on some hard-hitting topics, though it is done in a realistic and thought-provoking manner. Kemmerer has a knack for portraying characters who are struggling with inner conflicts and there are some wonderfully written character relationships within this story. I love that even the side characters are quite involved in the main narrative.

All in all this is a contemporary that I would definitely consider re-reading.
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars

Call It What You Want is the fourth book that I've read from Brigid Kemmerer. I first fell in love with her writing style in Letters To The Lost. That was the first contemporary that I honestly thoroughly enjoyed but, before that the contemporary genre was a mystery to me. And since then I've vowed to pick up everyone of her new releases and she has done me no wrong so far, this book being no exception to that. Kemmerer just knows how to suck you in and make you care for her characters so much that it hurts. That's what made this this story in particular even more heart wrenching. There are a number of contemporary authors that could write a story like this and write it well, but it would never feel like this book feels. 

Call It What You Want follows two teens who are currently struggling through hard home-life situations and who have both been seemingly isolated by their classmates due to other circumstances. And so when they are forced into being partners for a school project they are also forced to learn more about each other and that everything isn't always what it looks like on the outside. From there they slowly begin to earn each others trust. 

I absolutely adored the set up of this plot. One of my favourite tropes that I love is characters being put in a situation where they are forced to work together even though they don't really want to. It is the perfect set up of a not necessarily hate to love but definitely dislike/indifference to love. Which I find is more realistic and enjoyable when it comes to contemporary. These characters in particular really find a trusting friendship with each other first which I thought was great and meant for a more slow-burn romance to really get the feels going. And damn were there feels!

However I really enjoyed how much focus of the story was based on the characters home-situations and school life. It wasn't just a light-hearted romance. It had deep points of importance and as a whole was a hard-hitting story that I won't forget. Also there was a fair amount of excitement and gasp worthy moments, which made this rather addicting to read and also meant that I finished it in less than a day. Although the one thing that annoyed me a little was that the ending was wrapped up a little too quickly for my liking, but of course that didn't take away from the story at all, it's just a personal preference.

My last point is that the book also confronts important topics about judging people and also shows how easily it is to misunderstand what someone says or does. Therefor leading to the discussion of whether or not one mistake can define your life. And also the fact that even if you are brought up in a certain situation, that does not mean you have to follow in your parents footsteps. Everyone is their own self and the only expectations you should care for are your own.

As always Brigid Kemmerer blew me away with this latest release and am so very excited to read more from her in the future.

(Advance review copy provided by Bloomsbury in exchange for my honest thoughts.)

4.5 Stars!

Rob and Maegan have never really crossed paths until both begin to deal with major family issues. Rob’s father was caught embezzling funds from half of the town causing Rob’s social status to drop from the most popular boy at school to a nobody. Rob now spends his days reading alone and looking after his father who’s failed suicide attempt left him needing 24/7 care.

Meagan is a straight A student who is struggling under the pressure to live up to her family’s expectation. After being caught cheating on a test, Meagan is trying to ignore the disappoint she feels from her parents and her peers. As if things couldn’t get worse her sister comes home from college pregnant and won’t utter a word about what she’s going to do and who the father is.

This is my second book by Brigid Kemmerer, the first being A Curse So Dark and Lonely which was a fantasy re-telling. I was incredibly on the fence about reading a contemporary novel by Brigid but I really enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely and loved the world she created so I decided to take a shot with this one when I saw it on Netgalley.

I’m glad I did decide to read this because I really enjoyed it. This isn’t just your average teen romance. This is a coming of age story. It’s about two teens who have been dealt a horrible hand and realising that one mistake does not define you. It focuses on the choices we make everyday and how far these two characters are willing to go, especially Rob who is trying to protect his family.

The romance was very organic which I liked and the book was actually written in a dual POV which is always my favourite. Each side of the story was detailed and equally focused on in this story. Each of the characters was flawed but they were realistic and I found myself really liking all of the main characters in this book. Another thing I loved was the YA references, for me it made me feel more connected with the book.

This book does have a lot of heavy content but the message of the story is incredibly important. It shows that even at your lowest things can get better and that just your future isn’t set in stone due to a mistake you’ve made. People make mistakes, it’s human nature.

The only reason that I haven’t given this book a five star rating is because I felt like the ending was incredibly rushed. Everything just happened so quickly and I felt like the story deserved more.

"Sometimes when we're trying to protect the people closest to us, doing the right thing doesn't always look so clear."

I really really enjoyed this book. It's exactly the kind of young adult contemporary that I love, further cementing that I have a bit of a thing for the 'two completely different high schoolers get paired up and fall in love' trope. This book is very similar to All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven which is a really good thing as it's one of my favourite books. It's got a resembling storyline and elements but whilst All The Bright Places focuses a lot more on grief and mental illness, Call It What You Want is very family orientated.

Both Rob and Meagan are dealing with major family issues. Rob's dad stole money from pretty much their entire town having severe consequences on their family and ultimately turning Rob into a social pariah. He's gone from being a popular athlete to being incredibly isolated. Meagan is trying to handle living up to her family's high expectations and a mistake she made last summer, who's family is in a bit of turmoil after her sister comes home from college pregnant. Both of these characters were very well written and even though this is a dual POV book, both sides of the story were fleshed out and detailed in pretty equal amounts.

I loved the romance between Rob and Maegan. It was well developed and organic, none of that insta-love that I hate and their scenes together were filled with chemistry. They really did give me the warm and fuzzies due to just how adorable they are. Rob is gorgeous and so respectful and sweet, made me wonder where all the guys like him were when I was in high school! I liked how realistic the relationship was portrayed as well, teenage relationships can sometimes be portrayed as a big cheesy lovefest but Kemmerer balances the romance with pure teenage lust which I think is important to show in young adult books. Sex in teenage relationships is normal and whilst nothing graphic happened it did have a great passionate scene that had my heart going (at a high school party, nonetheless!).

Don't be fooled by the sweet looking cover though, this book definitely packs a punch when it comes to the more complex issues our characters are facing. Kemmerer brings up a lot of questions relating to moral choices and if it's right to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Rob, especially has to face up to his actions and has to decide just how far he's willing to go to protect his family amid their worsening situation. It also looks at how the choices we make shape us into who we are and how much our mistakes define our future as Maegan spends a lot of time thinking about this during the book. This book has a lot of heavy content but ultimately it highlights how two lonely people find each other during their lowest points and begin to move forward again.

The only thing stopping me from giving this a full 5 stars is the fact that the end felt the tiniest bit rushed for me. I liked the ending but it was all wrapped up pretty quickly and I also felt that the last small section focused a lot more on Rob then it did on Maegan, I would've liked a little more detail regarding Meagan's situation. Overall though I really enjoyed this book and I'm going to seek out more by this author in the future.

“One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”

I’m really loving contemporary romance at the moment and this YA contemporary was no exception!

After reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely earlier this year, and loving it, I was eager to read more books by Brigid Kemmerer. I was also interested to see how she navigated a different genre. Well the answer to that is - brilliantly!

Call it What You Want is very character driven and packed full of emotion.
Each of the main characters has a huge amount to contend with and this book tackles some sensitive topics making it a tough read at times. It also asks the question: is it ever ok to do the wrong thing for the right reasons?

After his dad was caught embezzling funds from half the families in town, Rob is desperately trying to keep his head down until he can graduate. He has gone from school legend to a social outcast. The worse part: everyone thinks he was in on it.

Maegan has always done the right thing, until she gets caught cheating on a test. After disappointing her parents, she just wants to make them proud. But with her sister back from college and pregnant, she’s torn between telling her parents the truth and betraying her sister’s trust.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together to complete a school project, they develop an unexpected connection, lowering the barriers they’ve built around themselves. Through each other they realise that life isn’t always black and white. But will Rob’s determination to put things right bring them closer together or rip them apart?

Call it What You Want is a coming of age story about two lonely teens learning an important lesson: one mistake does not define you.

Fantastic read 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 5).

Trigger Warnings: suicide, abortion, violence, academic cheating, criminal activity.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Call it what you want is a look at how life looks different depending on your circumstances and whether or not something bad is always bad. I enjoyed it, but it felt a little more heavy handed in some of the themes when compared to Letters to the Lost. Especially Meagan who is trying not to be judgemental but still has a very black and white view of right and wrong. This works well for her sister but less so for Rob.

Also the way she struggles with secrets and pressure felt a bit stretched. I didn’t think the cheated substory was really needed? We didn’t really get enough for me to justify what she did (or how, or how she got caught).

Rob’s guilt and shame is beautifully handled though - as are people’s views on it. The lack of understanding that he’s ashamed of his fathers actions instead of guilty that he knew is really well played out.

Overall I did enjoy this, but Letters to the Lost remains my favourite of her contemporary books. 3.5 stars.

I think Brigid could write a menu and I'd read it. I lover her writing, it really resonates for me, and Call It What You Want was no different.

The two points of view is something that works really well for contemporary especially and I love how well Brigid writes them. The characters have their own distinct voices and it's always nice to read the other side of the story.

Maegan is paying for a stupid mistake she made last year; and Rob is still paying for a not so little mistake his father made. Two different people, two very different mistakes and one maths project made for a very good read. I thought that the story was very well written, I really liked both characters, though I did want to smack Rob upside his head a couple of times for his stupidity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.