Tweet Cute is a really sweet YA romance that while being completely sweet and cute, manages to be occasionally surprising, and also deal with some of the challenges teen face regarding family expectations, relationships between siblings and parents, and of course some of the benefits and pitfalls of social media.

I really appreciated the opportunity for social media to be both a blessing and a curse, and how the narrative deals with the fast turn around on social media and how quickly things can change, as well as asking questions about the benefits and/or pitfalls of anonymity.

Spoiler alert, but also a content note - this is also the first book YA book I think I've read this year, where the protagonists only go so far as kissing in the narrative, which honestly was a nice switch. I sometimes recommend for religious schools and religious teens, where while I'm not bothered by teenage sexuality and/or language use, I do think twice if there's a lot of language or sex within a story, and this is one that I'd feel very comfortable handing to a younger teen, or recommending in a setting where content is more restricted. It's also, frankly, nice to have diversity in novels in the YA genre. I believe there was a little bit of language, but it was mild, again - particularly comparatively to some of the things I've seen in YA novels I've read this year.

Overall, recommend to those who love romance, who want a cute story that's a little cheesy and a little sweet, but definitely satisfying.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book has been on my radar ever since it was first announced. When the email came through asking if I would like to take part in the blog tour, I jumped at the chance, and actually read the book the very next day, after my copy arrived. Tweet Cute is a sort of You've Got Mail spin on YA contemporary. Both of our main characters, Pepper and Jack, are the children of burger chain owners, and find themselves in charge of the social media accounts for the companies. When Big League Burger, the company owned by Pepper's parents, introduce a new Grilled Cheese sandwich that is neigh on identical to the one that Girl Cheese have been selling for years, down to the name, it's on. Soon, a twitter spat is started, and to make matter's worse, Pepper and Jack are actually school mates, who have to work together as respective captains of the swim and dive teams. To add another layer to the story, both have been communicating with each other, unknowingly, through the anonymous Weazel app that Jack created for the school, and have been falling for each. With the gloves are on, and the gauntlet thrown, they will stop at nothing to win, and not even their budding feeling will get in the way (even with the world shipping them)

When I mean I read the book the next day, I mean that I spent two hours doing nothing but reading, and wouldn't move or do anything until I was finished - everything about the book was outstanding, and I refused to miss a minute until I was done. If I hadn't already known this was a debut, I would've expected this to have been the author's tenth published work, or something. The plot line was phenomenal, with the action gripping you on every page, and the characters were so relatable, and real, that I wish I actually know them.

To start with Jack, he's a twin, but not the 'popular' twin. His brother Ethan is beloved by all, and most people can't tell them apart, and when they realise Jack is not his brother, they're clearly disappointed. Pepper, however, has always been able to tell them apart, and this has partly endeared her to him from the first time they met in freshmen year. He seems to think his family prefer Ethan, as he's always allowed to skive off from working in the restaurant, whereas Jack always picks up the slack, and they don't understand his love of app development and coding. Pepper, on the other hand, is focused, and really really smart, too. She moved from Nashville to New York the summer before freshman year, and her first day at the exclusive school was an eye opener. Within a few weeks, she learnt how to fit in, and is now wading like a swan through life, juggling her school work, her swimming, the pressure her mam places on her with the twitter stuff, and her family's disfunctionality. Her only saving grace is talking to Wolf via Weazel, and the thrill that is coming from the interactions with Jack via twitter.

The romance in this book was second to none. Jack and Pepper might just be my ship of 2020, and this is currently the only 2020 book I've read. From the first interaction, the chemistry is off the page, and once we add the tension of school and twitter, I felt like screaming at them to kiss. They've both been the only people to really see the other, and not see the facade or public persona they put on. Even with the tension of the twitter spat, they lean on each other, and try to make sure it never goes really personal. Each reveal parts of themselves to the other, and there are some really sweet moments between them, that have nothing to do with their relationship or anything else.

There is a bit of angst in the book - understandably - and the hints of a love triangle, but it's nothing to worry about. All in all, this book was just outstanding, to repeat myself, and if I can't convince you to buy a copy, I don't know what will.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, 336 pages.
St. Martin’s Press, 2020. $18.
Language: R (144 swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Pepper’s mom is being ridiculous by adding yet another thing for Pepper to be doing with her extremely-full schedule: answering the family business tweets about cheese sandwiches. Jack is getting similar pressure from his dad, except that his dad doesn’t want Jack to do anything with that fancy social media stuff. Despite the Twitter war going on, these two teens find themselves becoming friends in real life -- until secrets and stress pile up and threaten to ruin the careful lives they were trying to build.
I knew that I was going to enjoy reading this story as soon as I started reading the synopsis, but I didn’t know that I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. Yes, the book is cheesy (no pun intended), but it wasn’t as predictable as I expected. I literally laughed out loud at the quips and antics of the characters, and I was absurdly touched by the kindness of the main characters and their classmates. I couldn’t get enough as the characters kept surprising me and taking me in directions I wasn’t expecting. The high swear count is the only reason this book is “optional” instead of “advisable” or “essential.”
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! A refreshing take on an old story (Romeo-and-Juliet-esque), I loved the friendship development between Pepper and Jack and the interesting point on perspectives and how easy it is to make assumptions about people that you’ve known even your whole life. The language was intelligent and descriptive in a way that allowed me to feel like I was there in the story or in the characters head in that moment. So well written. It was a bit on the longer side but again, the authors writing style was so engaging, I didn’t quite mind it. I would definitely read another book by Emma Lord.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This has been, by far, one of the cutest YAs I've read this year. I wasn't sure how I'd feel when I started, but by the time I got a few chapters in, I was hooked. I adored the characters, Pepper and Jack, and I loved how there was a natural progress from acquaintances to friends to more. I will definitely by the printed version when it's released. And Emma Lord is super nice on Twitter, too.

So fresh and relatable. I absolutely adored this book. Pepper and Jack have a depth that you don't always see in YA Rom-Com. They both have flaws, makes mistakes, and learn so much about themselves throughout the book. I loved how the book also showed how perspectives can do easily be skewed, and simple communication and conversation can clear up misunderstandings instead of allowing hurt feelings or anger to take root without knowing the full story.

Lord's writing is strong. The story flows beautifully and I loved her use of texts, apps, and, of course, a Twitter war, to keep the peace moving quickly. I can't say enough great things about Tweet Cute. Certainly one of the best YA books of the year!

this book was soo cute! I loved the banter between the two main characters the most. I will read more by this author in the future.

It's been months and I'm honestly still thinking about Tweet Cute. I first heard about it from Twitter (the author's promo tweets are pure gold honestly), so when my wish on Netgalley was granted, I immediately jumped in. Tweet Cute is already one of my favorite releases of 2020, and it's barely a month into the year.

This book was exactly my kind of humor and the writing was honestly my thought process. I actually typically hate You've Got Mail-comped books because they get so old so fast; however that was not the case with this one!

Tweet Cute is perfectly paced. I liked how the secret chats were two-fold: They're talking to each other on an app Weazel AND fighting on Twitter behind their respective brands. It made their interactions even more interesting. That being said, I was glad that the Twitter side was revealed really quickly because there was a chance of it turning too toxic. From there it delved into a prank war that I found funnier and more amusing.

And how they gradually grow to like each other in real life even without knowing they're talking to each other on Weazel . . . maybe I do like You've Got Mail books. Just a little bit. This book restored my faith in them.

I really loved Pepper and Jack, both together and as separate characters. Pepper wanting to be perfect to fit in with her prep school classmates was very relatable, as well as her inability to say no to her mom about writing tweets for their popular fast food chain Big League Burger. Similarly, I liked reading Jack's thoughts, how he feels inferior to his twin and thinks how everyone prefers Ethan to him.

Jack and Ethan's sibling relationship was very realistic; Jack thinks he's lesser than Ethan, but Ethan also has insecurities compared to his brother. The fact that they have these fears but don't voice them to each other . . . A+ sibling interaction.

Pretty much anything I had an issue with (basically anything that seemingly could have headed into a toxic area) was resolved eventually, and I'm so grateful. Emma Lord really thought of everything! The fact that this is her debut makes me so happy knowing that we'll hopefully be getting more great books from her!

Tweet Cute was all at once heartwarming and hilarious. It's a love story in the modern age of social media and streaming; in fact, I think this is one of the only books I've read that I think accurately captures meme-culture and everything else teens are enmeshed in today. Lord captures a humor unique to today's culture while also unveiling the hopes and insecurities of teenagers that everyone has felt. Tweet Cute is not to be missed.

**This review will be posted on my blog as a part of the blog tour on January 14, 2020.**

Tweet Cute was quite the ride. I loved the format, surprisingly, of having two narrators. Normally that annoys me, but in this case, it made sense to see it from both Pepper and Jack’s perspectives. Essentially, the story is this: two teens end up running the Twitter accounts of two businesses (that, whoops, belong to their parents, no potential grounding there) and they wreak havoc. And then at some point, two rivals become something other than enemies. I wanted to give it 5 stars, but at times it did feel slightly predictable, or occasionally the teenagers just didn’t seem totally believable as their age.

Pepper seems to be the protagonist, at the beginning, but at various parts in the story, it’s easy to shift sympathies between the two. They’re both likable, fleshed-out characters with their own quirks. Pepper is a swim-team captain with an eye for writing pointed Tweets and baking otherworldly desserts. Jack is secretly much more driven than people give him credit for, but also feels tied to the world he’s known his whole life.

The book really digs into themes of family loyalty, first love, social media (and what it’s like to be constantly connected), and expectations. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a refreshing young adult read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into this story, because the beginning was a bit slow. However, once we had met the characters and knew more about them, I fond myself really enjoying this story and the banter between the characters. It is a great YA book, it deals with family problems and rivalry between businesses.

Too cute for words!

I always loved "You've got Mail" and Tweet Cute does a great retelling of that story for a YA audience. The story moves quickly and the characters are very well crafted and realistic. The only worrying bit is the references are all over 10 years old (gossip girl, mean girls, cat memes) and focuses more on twitter than instagram or other more current social media platforms.

But still cute and something that will be enjoyable for those who buy YA books: 30+ year-old women.

I stayed up until 2am reading and finishing this book. It was <strong>SO </strong>cute and adorable, and very modern with the use of social media. I could definitely see how this could happen in real life, with a crazy twist of fate.

I really loved both Pepper and Jack's characters. They both had their own issues in life, but ended up working them out with each other in the most unique, but helpful ways. I felt like their relationship grew very organically, even with the twist of the anonymous app. It was so funny to see them falling for each other in person and on screen, without them knowing it was the same person. It isn't quite an enemies to lovers trope, but it is pretty close. They aren't exactly friends before they're thrown together.

This is a true YA Contemporary novel, you've got high school characters and high school problems. Bonus, you've got their PARENT'S problems as well, because of course it impacts them. I found this to be a very light and easy read that sucked me in very quickly. It's the kind of book I like to read when I need refreshing from a string of YA Fantasy novels.

I can give no critiques for this book, as I didn't see anything that could be improved as I was reading it. The writing was clear and well-constructed, the plot flowed as one would expect from a rom-com contemporary, and there was even a fun epilogue set a few weeks after the end of the book.

If you're looking for a light and easy read, or a beachy read to get you through this January... Tweet Cute will be for you!

Even though this book had a nice premise, the plot in my opinion was not very well developed. It took way too long for things to really start happening and when they did, they did not live up to my expectations and everything became very boring.
I know that we were dealing with a story that involves teens and their angst, such as insecurities, lack of communication, awkwardness when socializing, which are very interesting subjects to be discussed and shown on a book. However, not only things took too long to happen, but also the way things happen... too much infinite drama and all that twitter banter, which was something that could have been nice and could have brought the book to another level, made me hate Twitter for a bit.

I still gave two stars in recognition for the author's first title, but I can't really say that I understood what was the purpose in here.

Thanks a lot to the publisher for granting my wish for this book via Netgalley! I really enjoyed the story. It was funny, witty and took a very interesting approach to the premise we get in the blurb. Jack and Pepper are great together and it's impossible not to root for them. I loved Jack instantly and Pepper found her way to my heart pretty soon too, once I started understanding where she was coming from. They both experience some of the typical fears and insecurities of their age and that makes them very relatable. It totally took me back to my high school years and my own dealings with first love, uncertainties about the future, school and family drama, and I loved the ride. :) All in all, it was a very entertaining book and I totally recommend it.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

This book has several romantic tropes going on simultaneously: new girl getting teased by her cute classmate, two strangers in love talking anonymously online, and then, the best part, the social media shenanigans of two restaurants publicly feuding. At times it was a little too much (did we even need the anonymous app?), but it was a still a fun, cute read that I enjoyed. Props for diversity in terms of sexuality.

This reminded me of a modern day teen version of You’ve Got Mail/Shop Around the Corner. Set in NYC behind apps, tweets and 2 restaraunts. I thought both characters were interesting and likable. I would have liked to see their romance develop a little bit further with some more sweet moments, but it was still adorable with a satisfying ending.

Friends. This book is EVERYTHING.

I remember the first time I heard about Tweet Cute – ironically, it was on Twitter, and the premise immediately had me hooked. We’ve all borne witness to jokey rivalries on corporate social media accounts, with franchises making sassy retorts and getting thousands of retweets on their posts. This story follows high school students Pepper and Jack, who are in charge of the Twitter accounts for their parents’ respective restaurants. At first, their Twitter rivalry is all business, but as the war escalates, so do their feelings for one another – and it was so. Damn. Cute.

This book has so many fantastic ingredients (pun absolutely intended) and they all cumulate to make an absolutely beautiful story. We have an adorable romance, memes galore, discussions of academic pressure and uncertainty, complicated family relationships and some serious drama, all of which make Tweet Cute impossible to put down, and have led it to be one of my favourite books of 2019… even though it doesn’t come out until 2020.

There was so much going on throughout the story, with so many different dynamics to keep track of, but it never once felt overwhelming. Every subplot had me totally invested, and I liked that there was a great mix of predictability and mystery, allowing me to enjoy the comfort of familiar tropes while also having some surprises in store. There’s also a great mix of light-heartedness and some more difficult themes – Tweet Cute illustrates the good and bad sides of the internet, as well as highlighting some interesting grey areas in other aspects of the story.

The characters were incredible – I have such a soft spot for Jack and Pepper, and I kind of wanted to protect them from the other characters because NOBODY ELSE IS WORTHY. (Except for Grandma Belly, my new favourite fictional family member.) I love that the main characters have so much going on in their lives, that they’re allowed to realistically struggle but still have hope. I teared up at the end because I was so satisfied and happy to see things work out for these characters, and I was so happy to get to spend time with them.

All in all, I loved this story. It felt wholesome, sweet and relevant, and I’m so grateful I had the chance to read it.

Tweet Cute was exactly the fun-loving book that I needed this weekend. Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press,
Wednesday Books, and author Emma Lord for this Advanced Reader Copy.

First, we meet Pepper, daughter of the owners of the ever popular Big League Burger. When BLB grew, Pepper was moved from her happy home in Nashville to the crowded streets of New York. Though BLB has a social media specialist, Pepper is asked to help out with her quick wits and snarky responses.

Then comes Jack, son of to the owners of New York's very own Girl Cheesing. When BLB releases their very own grilled cheese special, Jack can't sit around and take it. So where does he go? Social media of course. Who will win this tweeting battle? Will this be all fun and games or will someone get hurt in the process?

I truly fell in love with Jack and Pepper (PepperJack), and I hope that you do too!

I loved this book. The characters were great and realistic. Their relationship developed organically and believably. And it had a happy ending. It was a lot of fun to read. Thank you!

Earlier this week, I had the incredible luck of being randomly selected to receive a wish-copy of "Tweet Cute," one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, on NetGalley. suffice to say that it did not disappoint.


SUMMARY

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.


Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.


All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.


As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.



REVIEW


WOW. I had high expectations for this one - the premise alone is squee material - but they were absolutely smashed. Let me explain why.


1. Jack and Pepper are pure smols and their relationship was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Pepper reminds me of myself to no end and Jack is a total sweetheart and both of them are fleshed-out and have depth and heart and real motivations and their chemistry is so !!! that I'm typing in extensive run-on sentences just to convey HOW FREAKING AWESOME THEY WERE. The high dive scene? Per-freaking-fection. 


2. The Twitter war and their subsequent internet fame was not only sheer perfection but something I could totally see happening irl. It's a little bit out there but Twitter is consistently a platform for ridiculous drama and I can 100% see a showdown between rival restaurants going down on Twitter. Plus, the Hub Seed articles and the Pepperjack fandom were so perfectly in tune with the sheer insanity of today's internet culture - and so delightful - that I couldn't not love them. 


3. The whole book is very Gen Z. Contemporary novels that reference a specific era in painstaking detail often don't have a lot of staying power, but as a Gen Z teen, the fact that "Tweet Cute" goes there completely works. The author clearly knows what it's like to be a teenager today - the meme and fandom culture and the slang and the intense competition for college admissions and the utter dominance of social media - and I felt heard for it. I left the book feeling as if Lord knew exactly what it was like growing up in the environment that I did. (Sadly, though, no Vine references. It would have been absolutely WONDERFUL if Girl Cheesing had put out a "Fr esh Avo Ca Do" grilled cheese or if someone had fired off a "WHAT WAS THE REASON?!?" GIF during the twitter battle.) 


4. The family dynamics. They're not the focus of the story, but both Pepper and Jack's families have a lot of baggage that is gradually worked through as the story unfolds. The fact that those dynamics were explored at all, even if not in intense detail, added a lot of depth. 



5. THE FOOD. It made me hungry, okay? 

Bottom line? Book very good. Buy book. Buy multiple copies of book so is profitable and get sequel. 
(I know, I know, but...pleeeeease?) 


Rating: 5/5 Befuddled Giraffes


Tweet Cute will be released on January 21, 2020.