This book felt very average. It was cute and a fast read, but there wasn't much that was spectacular at all.

Overall, the story was cute but I thought Jordan was extremely pushy with "convincing" Elliot he was gay. The writing was overly detailed in areas, breaching on completely unnecessary.

Well I'm going to be honest with you, this is one of those books where my normal give it 100 pages rule wouldn't have saved it, were it not a ARC which I always try to power through. Makes me think I should change my rule to 150 pages because it certainly picked up just after 100-125 pages, in my opinion. So if you can power through all the background building for Elliot, the set up of the school scene and how Elliot has almost always been bullied and some awkward conversations that don't sound like any conversation I have ever heard out of a teenager's mouth and the friendship building, you golden and the book gets quite entertaining.

Just stick with it and you'll be giggling like a school girl reading this book. I know I certainly was. The 2nd half of the book is ridiculously entertaining. Jordan has to be one of the most confident teenage boys on the planet, and he's completely right about Elliot just being adorable. Holiday, Elliot's friend, may be my new fictional hero.

I cannot fathom what the non-existent supervision schedule of their school must look like. Where are the teachers during lunch? Where are the adults in general during the school hours?!?!?! Yes, bully does unfortunately happen even with adults roaming the place, but this book has it in excess. I'm pretty sure if there was an adult roaming the cafeteria they would zone in on a kid dumping milk over another kid's head. Never mind all the things that happen in the hallway, bathrooms, locker room and outside the school doors. Seriously.

But suspending my disbelief of the lack of adults in favor of a good story did not disappoint! I was just here for a good story with a good message and this is a good story with a good message. Definitely delivered!

Totally recommending this to friends.

I thought this book would be an adorable YA coming-of-age tale. Plus, the cover was cute. The actual contents of the book? Not so much, honestly. It pains me to leave a review like this, and if I hadn't received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, I would have left this one alone without comment.

I couldn't force myself to read any further than I managed to get, and, after reading other reviews, I'm confident I made the right choice to put this one down. The minute detail in which activities are described was painful:

"After washing my hands, I stooped down to look through the pots and pans. I had to shift some things around a bit, but eventually I was able to pull out a large pot for the pasta and a smaller one with a matching lid for the sauce. I held the larger pot in the sink and turned on the water. The pot grew heavier under the running faucet. I watched as the surface of the water inched higher and higher, all the while trying to estimate how much I would need to boil two packages of angel hair pasta."

The description of making spaghetti continued for another two paragraphs. The whole thing read like it was a recipe in narrative form. Kind of like those books teenagers can buy to learn vocabulary words before taking the SAT.

And then we get to hear about someone heating up the spaghetti on square plates that don't fit in a microwave. It was at this point that I started skimming because I just couldn't anymore.

I'll stop writing now before this review becomes as cumbersome and tedious to read as the book itself.

<i>Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I'd like to thank them in letting me read a copy of Lab Partners by Mora Montgomery.</i>

I enjoyed this book a lot, especially for the characters’ love of science. The two main characters are such sweethearts and you just want everything to go well. Since this was an advance reader’s copy, there were some grammatical errors, including the need for commas or semicolons, but other than that, the writing style is very easy to read and to immerse yourself in the story. <spoiler> Although great, there were some aspects of the book worth mentioning. I found it a bit weird that the last name of the coach at Pinecrest (the school) was Hanover, while it mentions Hanover High in New Hampshire. I feel like there should have been another name used, or if it was on purpose, give the reader some reason as to why. Additionally, I would have liked to see a mention of Elliot getting his clothes the next day after they’ve dried. Also, when Jordan kissed Elliot after he had been bruised, all I could think about was how much that would have hurt. Jordan kept making moves on Elliot, and it doesn’t sit right with me. There was a scene when Jordan picked Elliot up, and wouldn’t put him down until Elliot said he would kiss him (Jordan). If Elliot really didn’t want to do anything, I feel like Jordan would have probably let him down because of his character, but still; personally, I’d have a problem with that. Lastly, Elliot just went out to dinner with Jordan, and I think that he should have just sent a quick message to one of his parents where he was going. </spoiler> It was a quick read, and definitely worth checking out.

I will always give a LGBTQ+ a try so this was no different. I'm glad I gave this a try, I really do love friends to lovers stories.

While the start of the book was pretty slow and was giving a play by play of every day, there were some good parts. I really enjoyed the friendship that started between the two boys and how we don't get romance from the start. I liked how we got to know the boy's families and lives outside of each other a little. I enjoyed how these boys didn't have romantic feelings for each other from the start and how they were friends first. I liked watching their friendship develop over time and seeing them get to know each other. I loved that they still were getting to know each other as their relationship went on.

The discussion that Elliot has with his sister regarding sexuality seems out of place and something out of a textbook. The whole thing just doesn't flow and him just kind of accepting himself seems strange when just a few seconds ago he was freaking out. I spent some time thinking about it and realized it's very similar to when I realized I was into girls, all it took was someone putting the thought into my head. I think while it reads strangely for some teenagers it really just kind of clicks the way it does for Elliot.

A lot of things kind of were skimmed over or just taken foregranted through the story and just felt out of place. I felt that some of the moments that should've taken more time were rushed through leaving little room for the reader to feel anything. I wanted there to be more room for Elliot to process things that were happening to him.

The ending just kind of infuriates me, I feel that there was a better way to deal with these bullies. I keep seeing YA books that deal with bullying in a similar manner, where the adults are useless so they seek revenge. I'm not a fan of this being the way to deal with things and the revenge sought in this book is a bit distasteful. I felt that the third thing they did was the only thing that should've been done and the rest was too much.

Once the problem of bullying is resolved the book kind of quickly speeds through. Each chapter is pretty short and reads like a slice of Elliot's life rather than the ending of a book. The ending really made me not enjoy the book as I wanted it to have more of a closing.

This book was amazing. I LOVED it so much. Eli and Jordon are such great characters and I liked the plot of the story. This book however does contain trigger warnings for bullying and being bullied because you are gay. I liked how this book dealt with topics of sexuality and bullying. That even though bullying is NOT OKAY but it tackles the subject why people do bully. What makes them do it. The main character Eli has been bullied by the same guys since middle school and it kept getting worse then he meets Jordon who is a new kid plus his new lab partner. A great friendship builds between them. I loved how the book ended and plus there are times when this book made me laugh and times when I feel sorry for Eli and hope he gets the courage he needs.

It was adorable! Honestly, there isn’t much for me to say in terms of negatives. If I’m being really specific, I did find it slightly weird that Eli was so much of an outcast that he had no friends other than Holly (mainly his sister’s friend) and Jordan. I read books where similar things happen a lot, but I’ve never seen that happen in real life, so it’s a bit strange.

Other than that, it was perfect. The writing is amazing and the whole time I really felt like I was in the mind of a teenage boy. And I absolutely Ellie. She’s a lot like my older sister and she really is important to the story. I love that she wasn’t just thrown in there to have more characters. She’s amazing and sweet and caring; exactly what a sister should be.

Overall, this book gets a million stars. Seriously, I read it in one sitting. Lab Partners is one of the best ARCs I’ve ever gotten to read. Pick it up March 10, 2020!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ three stars
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Thank you @netgalley and Wattpad Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. Publication day : March 10th 2020.
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Simply put, this book was cute. I think fans of To All The Boys I Loved Before and similar stories, will like this book. Lab Partners was an easy and quick read. Over all it’s was... fine?
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Similar to other contemporary books, it didn’t have the courage to explore deeper themes. Why bring up the topics of homophobia, bullying and depression if you aren’t going to flesh them out? Let those topics breath life and meaning into the book...because what we were stuck with was a cookie cutter after-school special. Which is sad, this book had so much potential.

Yeah, I didn't really like this book. The romance just happened to quickly and didn't get developed at all. I also just didn't like the love interest. I think in the beginning of their relationship he just pushed himself on the main character and it made me feel icky. The characters were also very one dimensional. They all just felt so cookie cutter. I didn't like how the bullies were dealt with either. You don't fight fire with fire, especially not like this. I also just wasn't a fan of the writing. The book would just go on and on about things that didn't matter. I don't need to know every single detail about the chemistry experiment the main character is doing in class. It just dragged the story for a bit. I honestly think you could have cut this book down to novella size and miss absolutely nothing. It was a very quick read though, so it has that going for it I guess.

3.5/5⭐

Lab Partners tells the story of high school senior Elliot Goldman. Like most high schoolers he's worried about making a decision on college and is just trying to survive his final year of high school. He's the victim of bullying but his motto is 'better him than someone else'. However, his days are about to change when he is assigned a new lab partner. Jordan Hughes, the new kid in school and also Elliot's new lab partner quickly becomes a friend. Then Jordan kisses him and makes Elliot question everything he thought he knew about himself. Now Elliot has to figure out his feelings on top of everything else in his teenage life.

Lab Partners has an enjoyable plot line with likable characters. Elliot was an incredible character who put himself in the way of a group of violent bullies to keep other kids off their radar. It hurt that he felt so isolated when in reality he had some strong support in his family if only he reached out for it. Jordan's character didn't fully sit well with me, at times I felt like he came on way to strong with Elliot and forced him to confront his feelings in a way I found off-putting. The writing itself was decent. I felt in the beginning it was a bit rigid and instructional but as the story progressed it seemed to read more fluidly.

Overall, this young adult contemporary novel had good LGBT representation and a realistic approach to the dark reality of bullying. I wouldn't mind reading more from author Mora Montgomery in the future.

They start spending more time together outside of school and Elliot realizes he’s never met anyone quite like Jordan. And then everything changes one night when Jordan kisses him, making Elliot question everything about their relationship and about himself. The butterflies start to make sense―the trouble is, right now, nothing else does.

I was tempted to give this only one star, but I did like the way this book (briefly) talked about the fluidity of sexuality. Other than that, there was nothing else in this book that stood out for me.

The story just felt unoriginal and cliche. I feel like I've read a lot of stories like this already. The characters are a bit interesting, but they're uninspiring. They had the potential to be awesome characters for me, characters that will affect me and move me. Sad to say that didn't happen. Also, Jordan bothered me quite a few times when he kept implying/saying that he'll make Elliot realize he's gay. Uhm?? Maybe let the guy come to terms with it himself? It seemed so off and pushy. Oh and, at the start of the story, Elliot was having some inner problems about his future/college plans and his family. I would have loved to see that get resolved, but it was like Eli forgot about those the minute the love story presented itself in the story. The minor character Holiday was pretty awesome, though, but that was it. At the end, I was only left unsatisfied.

CW: Bullying, homophobia

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Had I realized this was a WattPad novel, I probably would not have requested it. It HEAVILY needs an editor. Great concept, but just FAR too long.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a story, I found this book quite drab. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really like it either. After a certain point I couldn’t help but think “Wow, that escalated quickly.” I didn’t like the romance, it was really shallow and had no depth or meaning whatsoever and I just couldn’t find myself rooting for Elliot. I haven’t met any who teenager talks like those in this book, and I didn’t find much of it very relatable or even believable.
Personality-wise, all characters were quite dull. There was no real plot and nothing that excited me, and nothing at all that made this book special. I tried very hard to like this but... I didn’t. :\

Elliot is the classically written high school misfit who through no fault of his own hasn’t found a click to fall in to or realized his own true identity. He’s unmotivated due to his familial circumstance and clueless about most interpersonal relationships. He doesn’t admit when he is being bullied but recognizes it happening to others. He has an extremely uncomfortable and unwarranted exchange with a teacher who uses derogatory language towards herself. There is no flow and no causality in this book. No story arch. Elliot (Eli) and Jordan’s love story was sweet, a very tentative high school romance. Honestly, their interactions saved the last half of this book. I was only able to connect to the characters after they begin to open up about themselves. This book needed another go around or more beta’ing before being published.

unfortunately had to DNF Lab Partners by Mora Montgomery very early on, despite the cute premise. There was a lot of stilted writing, too many unnecessary details, and other reviews made me very skeptical that I would enjoy the rest of it. Also not into the trope of LGBTQ people being forced to come out, and try to avoid reading it when I can.

Ok so I give this a 3.5 because I really do like this book a lot, but I also felt like we needed more and need somethings taken out. This book is a simple cute quick read and follows very similar formats you see pertaining to love, bullying, high school, etc. but that didn’t bother me. I was still surprised when Elliot and Jordan liked each other and I was surprised that his friend had so much dirt on Cole and the boys, but some scenes were just unnecessary. I also wish we had more interaction with him talking to his parents and him and Jordan being more of a couple. I feel like it lightly touch on depression, bullying, and being gay and didn’t really give more then “this is happening” oh and Holiday is the best.


I do really like Jordan, but I didn't like the way he pushed Elliott. I feel like he was convincing him to be gay and didn’t give Elliott the time and space for him to think and decide. But he was there to get him out of him comfortable zone and to feel safe and loved. I wish the school and Elliott's parents would have intervened sooner before things got worse. I don’t understand why they just let it go and act like nothing is going on. I mean I know there are some parents who do that but it’s crazy.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this. The cover is cute and the premise sounded interesting. However it fell flat.

The characters were flat and most, especially the bullies, stereotypical. I couldn’t feel the chemistry between Elliot and Jordan but they had some really cute moments.

This is a prime example of telling and now showing. Everything was over described - there was a full page to making spaghetti. There were so many descriptions for every little thing.

I’m not a fan of how the bullying was handled at all. There was so much bullying and yet no teacher or parent did anything? Why? And the way Eliot was discovering his sexuality, not a fan. I loved Holly for most of the book, until she completely changed my opinion.

I have to admit I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover and the synopsis but found parts of it problematic.

Elliot is a senior at Pinecrest who gets randomly paired up with the new student Jordan in AP Chemistry. What follows is a tale of bullying, self-acceptance, and discovering your sexuality.

One of the main things i have an issue with is how Jordan got Elliot to confront and admit his sexuality. Without giving spoilers I feel like it could have been handled more delicately.

The second issue is with how adults in this book handle bullying. Everyone basically turns a blind eye even when it is obvious there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

This was a cute read that I finished in less than a day. I just wish it focused more on the getting to know each phase of the friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for this ARC, which will be available for purchase March 10, 2020

I got about 15% through Lab Partners and unfortunately had to put it down. The writing is so clunky - extremely simple structure and 100% tell 0% show, and the characters and their dialogue are so flat. It read like a 5th grader's report of what they did over summer break. I'm sorry that I couldn't finish this one and didn't like it, as the premise did sound interesting.