I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!! Natalie is me. All the body image issues. Social issues. Family issues. I am her! She is me. I really didn't want her story to end I felt the ending was a bit too rushed. Lots of tension and awkwardness. I even enjoyed the miscommunications and those things usually annoy me the most. Why couldn't the book have been longer??!!

This debit novel was an absolutely enjoyable read. I found Natalie highly relatable even though I'm in my thirties because this novel took me right back to my teen years.

What I loved about this book:

1. The friendship between Natalie, Lucy, and Zach is what every simi awkward teen needs in their lives.

2. The awareness this book brings to PCOS is everything. PCOS is so prevalent in our population and it can have devastating effects on the happiness and self esteem of those who suffer. I've been dealing with hormone issues myself and their effects can be both exhausting and isolating.

3. The romance in this book is adorable, awkward, and 100% swoon worthy. Natalie initially sees Alex as the hot guy, but he was so much more. He was so sweet and ultimately just as insecure as she was. As they navigate their relationship Alex was sure to make sure she was always comfortable where they were going and what they were doing. The only heartbreaking part of their relationship was seeing how others discounted it.

Natalie was the type of character you'll be able to root for and her growth throughout the novel in inspirational. This book is so relatable and talks about the issues we rarely see spoken about so honestly in novels. I absolutely enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.

Such a fun YA Debut! Perfect for anyone who loves a coming of age story with an unexpected romance. "It Sounded Better in My Head" brings you back to the excitement and cringy-ness of falling in love for the first time.

This was such a cute YA coming of age story. Nina Kenwood does such a great job with capturing the insecurities and social awkwardness that many of us experience in life growing up. Natalie’s fixation on her skin issues is such a relatable topic. I still did with my own insecurities and I’m 32! This is such a sweet and heartwarming story that will remind you to just be you!

I really enjoyed this debut novel. I felt very connected with Natalie’s inner dialogue. I liked the romance and the friendships. I just had a few quibbles. First of all these people were too old. They acted like 15 and 16 year olds but were headed to university. It didn’t feel right. And the book was too short. Things were kind of scrunched together near the end.

Natalie is on the precipice of adulthood. She's about to head off to 'uni' (though she's not sure where), her family life has just made a dramatic shift (despite their most undramatic existence thus far), and her best friends, Zack and Lucy have paired off. Natalie's hormones have put her through the wringer the past few, acne, weight gain, and overall malaise, and her confidence has taken a staggering hit because of it. She can't see herself the way that everyone around her sees her. Enter Alex, Zack's older brother. He's only a year older than Natalie, a little wilder, a little rough around the edges, but fate has thrown them together a bit.
What I loved about this book:
Kenwood's inner dialogue for Natalie rings true. It's humorous, obsessive, sometimes heartbreaking, but so believable and above all else, relatable. No matter what physical, emotional, or mental struggle a teen has in adolescence, they can find a connection to Natalie and her challenges.
Love Triangle? Not exactly. Definitely not the typical writing style where each person is head over heels in love. No, Kenwood takes the more honest, realistic approach, which gives the reader permission to be okay with whatever conclusion is made. Have you ever become more obsessed with someone, be it a musician or a class crush due to peer pressure? Often I find YA novels fall into this same realm. The 'all-consuming' love. I think teens do go through that emotionally, but there are also all the other grey areas that come together to help each person learn more about themselves. I really love that about this book.
I stayed up far too long, reading this in one sitting. Then I read it again the next day, just to absorb more of the characters and dynamics.
What a great read!

this was such a cute book! it really resonated with the friends to lovers aspect and i loved that it was a coming of age novel. would recommend for library purchase.

I got an ARC of this book.

I needed a bit of fluff, some feel good romance after the last book I read. So I figured it was the perfect time for this book. I have such high hopes for romance. Things like a likable lead, a romance that made sense, and a fully fleshed out character. 

Did this book have a likable lead? Nope. Not at all. She was so obsessed with her skin and herself that at no point could I even get a sense of her personality or how she had any friends at all. I understand hating your body and it being on your mind all the time. I get it to a degree that this flimsy excuse for a character was extra painful to read. Her only trait was that she had bad skin when she started puberty. That is it. She is nothing else. Why do her friends even like her? I couldn't stand her and I was only with her for a few hours. She was toxic and damaged in ways that just weren't interesting to read or fun or even all that compelling. She is a big walking red flag non-stop.

Did the romance make sense? No. They went from never talking to an awkward party invite from someone else (that plot was never explored either) to making out in secret in a week. None of this makes any sense at all. They had no reason to interact. They had no reasons to like each other. She was so flat that her only character trait was bad skin, so what did he see in her? There was no reason that he would want to date her. He might have wanted to hook-up, but dating doesn't make any sense at all. They don't know each other, they don't communicate. What little relationship they have is so damaged and unhealthy because of the MC that I just couldn't ship it. I ship EVERYTHING. I have long conversations with everyone about my ships. Trust me, shipping comes easily to me and this still couldn't cut it. 

Was there even a single fleshed out character? No. The MC was just bad skin. The love interest was just the older brother/screw up with a heart of gold trope. Her parents were just awkward silhouettes of parents. The best friends were boring. Did they even really have personalities? I am so lost at where the characters were in this one. The most fleshed out character was the ex-girlfriend. She was still just an ex-girlfriend. She was just starting to get a character when the book ended. 

The book was just a flop for me. There was nothing compelling me to read, but an ever shrinking hope that I would enjoy it. I gave up hope the first tease at queer content that was never actualized.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 STARS

I thought this debut novel was super cute! The main character Natalie reminded me a lot of myself at her age, though I struggled with differing issues from her. I found the romance aspect of the book to be so lovely, deep and genuine, which I find uncommon in YA novels.

The only reason I knocked it down a star is because at times, being inside Natalie’s head, with all her teen angst, got to be slightly repetitive which came across as annoying occasionally. Other than that, I really enjoyed this one!

*Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing a review copy via NetGalley in exchange only for my honest thoughts and review.*

One of my favorite things about this book was that all of the characters, from the parents down to the kids, had flaws and insecurities. And I think it is important to see we ALL have then. No one is immune. We all have our own demons. I never thought about acne being so challenging in regards to physical pain, self esteem and the reaction of others. The author did a good job portraying this..
I liked having everyone’s futures being messy and uncertain. That is reality and it is nice to see an author acknowledge this.

This coming of age New Adult story was just what I needed during this crazy pandemic.

In the book we travel to Australia and meet Natalie. Her life appears to be falling to pieces. Her parents are splitting up, her two closest friends are in love, and she doesnt know what the future holds. More importantly to an 18 year old, she is lonely.

I liked the way that I was transported back to my own teenage years as I read through some of Natalie's struggles. I shared some of her similar issues and just wanted to reach in and tell her that it gets better.

She forms her first relationship also and on paper that is a hot mess. I kept thinking, "oh honey." I then realized though that this is exactly how first relationships are. The author did a brilliant job at reminding me how obsessive new love can be.

This was fantastic. One of my few coms would be that at times the book was over-detailed. I found myself skimming at some points. I also am confused at the title. I didnt find the title in the book, but that is definitely not a deal-breaker for me.

Thank you to Flatiron and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. The opinions shared are my own.

It Sounded Better in My Head covers all the insecurities almost every girl goes through during their teenage years. Acne, weight gain, stretch marks, self-doubt, relationship struggles, etc. While the main character, Natalie, was unforgivably whiney at times, I absolutely adored her. Every character has such good personalities that I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. The jokes were quick and subtle but they pack a punch that catches you off guard. While Natalie and I have very different problems as teens, I feel like she is a very relatable character. Actually, I feel like all the characters are very relatable. Each character has a personal struggle that they go through, but rather than everything working out peachy-keen, their problems wrap-up like every day problems, unfinished and open-ended.

If you’re looking for a light, easy read that does has some depth to it, I’d recommend picking this book up!

4.8

This story was something that I adored and was looking for! The characters are relatable to any young adult, who's life is currenlty in a predicament and they're still trying to figure out what they want. The story was cute and simple. There was barely any drama that you might think that would be available in the story but nonetheless it was a short but fun read to begin with.

This was a good YA contemporary novel and it was something that my mushy brain wouldn't mind reading and enjoying again. I love the context and the characters are likeable as well.

I would to thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving an e-book arc for this book!!!

I loved this novel! It has everything you look for in a YA book: awkward (but adorable) first loves, relatable insecurities, strong friendships, and a dash of witty humor. Natalie, our female protagonist, is an incredibly introspective character. She struggled with severe acne for most of her teens, which has left scarred in more ways than one. Although my own physical insecurities as a teen were different, I have never related to a character more. Nina Kenwood captures exactly what it feels like to not trust your body, and how living with body dysmorphia and intense self-awareness feels like.

Besides the excellent attention to this particular detail, the romance between Natalie and Alex was also very cute and believable. I feel like a lot of YA books tend to go the insta-love route, which is not my favorite. But IT SOUNDED BETTER IN MY HEAD takes a slow-burn approach, and I absolutely loved watching Natalie and Alex figure things out in a realistic (and often funny) way. Definitely a quality YA romance not to be missed!

This review will be posted to my main platform, http://instagram.com/inquisitivebookworm, closer to the release date on April 7, 2020.

Nina Kenwood’s debut is an absolute gem! Charming and authentic, an entertaining story about first love, figuring out what you want to do with your life, and who you really are. Natalie is an introverted, awkward, smart, and sassy 18-year-old who has just graduated from high school and is about to find out where her future is headed. Natalie has no idea what she really wants to do in the future and this concerns her. Not only that she is extremely self-conscious most of that stemming from having struggled with terrible acne for most of her teens.

This book will bring you back to your teenage years and your own first love. It is so witty and hilarious, Natalie‘s inner monologues are priceless. There was the most awkward,real, hilarious ever party and almost sex scene in this book, I was laughing and cringing so hard. Natalie it’s such an endearing and relatable character that you will definitely get behind. I loved her friendships with her Besties Lucy and Zach, and totally understood the third wheel struggle. The romance was so innocent, sweet, awkward, and adorable. This is a can’t miss for all teens and anyone who has ever been a teen. What a dazzling debut, looking forward to what’s next from Miss Kenwood.

This book in emojis: 🇦🇺 🤳🏼 🛀🏼 🏖 💅🏻

*** Big thank you to Flatiron Books for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

It Sounded Better in My Head is a really cute Young Adult novel. Natalie is an 18 year old girl dealing with her parents' surprise divorce and her two best friends dating each other. Unexpectedly, she find romance in the most unlikely person. The romance in this book is cute but not overbearing. Natalie has terrible self-esteem, but this seems like the moment where it starts to grow a bit. I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

This isn't a book where a lot happens. The issues - body image/self esteem, divorcing parents, social anxiety, apprehension over moving on from the familiarity of high school and the friends you've made, a new crush on someone who isn't the person you would have expected - are relatively pedestrian (excepting the description of how noticeably terrible skin can affect your self-perception for years, which was new to me in YA work and nicely discussed). But I found this to be a story which was sweet and funny and overall extremely relatable. Kenwood truly brings the cast of characters, particularly narrator Natalie, to life, in this simple but engaging read.

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood--This is a fun read for high school girls who may have felt "ugly" at one point or another (and who hasn't?). Natalie had an issue with acne, a really, really terrible issue with acne. It was so bad, people felt justified in commenting on her face all the time. Now that she has it under control, she is left with the scars, literally and figuratively. She is pretty, but has never had a boyfriend or even someone to chat her up. Her parents have been living a lie and have only just now told her (after 10 months) that they are separating. Her best friends became a couple behind her back, which lends to her trust issues as well, and they are absolutely perfect together. Suddenly she finds herself in a weird place: her best friend's older brother has taken an interest in her, but why? She has a hard time believing anyone would like her, and what do you do if someone really does like you? This is a good read for anyone trying to navigate becoming a young adult and all the relationship drama that comes with it. #Netgalley #ItSoundedBetterInMyHead #NinaKenwood
Publish date: April 7th, 2020

Maybe I'm being too critical, but I wasn't a fan of this book. I could relate to the main character Natalie and her thoughts, but that's about it. The supporting characters and the drama were too much for me. Also, the romance was completely wrong and I wasn't a fan of Alex and his actions. I really didn't want them together.

All in all, It didn't work for me as much it did for other readers.

It Sounded Better in My Head is about relationships--teens & parents; teen friendships; romantic relationships; relationships with people you shouldn't have relationships with (best friend's brother, boyfriend's ex, etc). It is also about that waiting period between the end of high school and what comes next. Navigating these relationships during this emotionally tense time is a potential minefield; one small misstep could change everything.
This is a relatable story that will be popular in high school libraries. However, the Australian references could be a little confusing for US teens.