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 review

5 out of 5 pepperjacks

Bluebird
SHIT.
Not again
Wolf
XOXO gossip wolf

FINALLY! A book that contains situations that revolve around teens using the internet that’s NOT TOO CRINGY TO READ! THE CUTE TEXTING MADE ME FEEL LIKE IT WAS REAL LIKE ACTUAL YOUNG ADULTS TEXTING N BEING CUTE!
anyways it was cute but moving onto the actual story.....

How do I even explain this one......
let’s just do a check list to see what we got
A twitter rivalry?
Check.
An anonymous messaging app that contains many many cute texts from our leads?
Check.
A whole lotta baking and food talk?
Check.
An amazing friends/online enemies-to-lovers romance?
CHECK.

Basically, read this book and thank me later.

“I’ve started dreaming in memes.”

*chefs kiss*

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley <3 Thank you!

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.

Thank you netgalley for granting my wish for this book!
I really enjoyed reading Tweet Cute. The characters were fun and they each had their own, emotional arc to follow. I like that there are a lot of layers to the story, so it didn't feel totally formulaic. I didn't like that some of the conflict in Pepper's chapters was fixed off the page, like the stuff between her mom and sister, so it felt unfinished in that regard. Overall, though, it's a fun read!

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!

This book is so stinking cute and un-brie-lievably cheesy.

4.5/5 stars

We have two POVs:
JACK: the self-identified "class clown" (really he seems more like an apathetic teen who enjoys banter than a class clown), he's a twin (but not the "golden one"), app enthusiast, and son of mom and pop sandwich shop owners
Jack usually uses a ton of similes, sarcasm, and other quips in his narration (while a tad overdone in the beginning chapters, it mellowed out to a more enjoyable level as the book went on), all while nailing that mild teen self-loathing, constant tinge of sadness.

PEPPER: her picture shows up as the first image when you google "Type A", part-time baking blogger, full-time over achiever, and daughter of burger empire owners
Pepper's POV you can practically feel her nervous energy and near constant state of anxiety over trying to meet all of her commitments, while still be the best daughter and sister she can be.

Both teens are super relatable in today's high stress, "need" to go to college, U.S. education system in a joke, sleep is for the weak, just let teens be teens. It's something a lot of Gen Z kids can relate to.

Things I adored about this book:
• the level of absolute cheese (i mean, come on the two MCs are named PEPPER + JACK what else would you expect?!?!?!!?)
• the sarcastic banter (three ways: Weazel, Twitter, and in person)
• Jack is a sarcastic and nerdy boy. but also makes an app where any and all bullying is shut down so fast (he's a softie)
• Pepper is so sweet, she stress bakes and names her treats the most outrageous names, and can literally shut people up with cake
• it's a pretty relatable book (two teens just want to fit in with their peers, not let down their parents, and be supportive siblings, all while trying to figure out their own dreams)
• the romance is adorable
• the book shows readers not to judge someone based on your own limited viewpoint. which was amazing, and sweet, and i love fully.

I will warn you that the pop culture references seem more geared at people born in the later 1990s rather than kids born in 2003 (a lot of Mean Girls, High School Musical, and other sort of "dated" pop culture references). BUT Paige (Pepper's older sister) is in her early 20s and I can definitely see an older sibling force the younger one into watching that mid-2000s goldmine of tv and film. Also, some things are resolved a tad quicker than I expected with fewer consequences than I imagined they would in real life.

All in all: this is a cute, fluffy rom-com that delivers all that it promises.

Content and Trigger Warnings: emesis, mentions of bullying

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.