An entitled teenager, Quinn, gets to see the world as it really is. She experiences many things, which allows her to improve and create real and meaningful connections with those around her.
The book is light-hearted, while also touching on some important topics for high-schoolers (college admission, parent troubles, popularity, etc.). Typical high school teenagers shenanigans.
While I started the book unsure whether I would like Quinn, I ended up loving her. The character growth is amazing and you really start to feel and to care for her. She becomes someone you can really get behind.
I also really appreciated how the ending was done. Without getting into spoilers, the author dealt with the feelings who came out of the final conflict in the best and realest way possible.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has left me with mixed emotions. While I loved some of the themes explored in this story such as racism, bullying, and finding/staying true to oneself; I also didn’t really like Quinn as a character. She was cowardly, self centered and judgmental,. Many of the criticisms and judgments that people placed on her she often thought about other people. I understand this can be attributed to internalized racism and the whole point of the book is Quinn coming into her own and finding her “voice” I still found it very hard to sympathize with her. I did however, find Carter to be super endearing and I loved whenever his character was on page because he would usually get Quinn together. The plot of the story seemed to wrap up too neat and clean which I turn made it seem super unrealistic. Overall, this was an okay story and I wouldn’t mind reading from this author again. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Follow along as Quinn finds herself after losing her journal. As a black mailer force her to do things off her “To do List” she builds an relationship with Carter, Auden, and Olivia. This book was an eye opening experience about what it’s like to be the struggling African American student in a predominantly white private school in the Texas. Joya Goffney writes in the most respectful way to show the struggles that plague the African American community both within the community and externally.

QOTD: If you had to choose one, would it be Christmas music or Christmas movies?

First of all, this personalized Starbucks cup 🤩🤩🤩 is compliments of my friend Ashley (shop owner of KalawaiCo @etsy)

Second of all, this book 😍 it’s been a while since I’ve read a contemporary YA that I’ve actually really liked, but Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was actually pretty engaging and dealt with some relevant topics for an adult and YA audience.

There’s this developing relationship, but it isn’t just a cheesy high school romance. Quinn’s journal gets misplaced which is full of her most embarrassing thoughts and secrets, and in real gossip-girl fashion, someone finds it and begins blackmailing her over social media over it. Throughout the story, @joya.goffney explores some of the expectations that parents have on kids (especially the pressures on some students of color to succeed), kids dealing with racism and racial identity and maturing through (and away from) young friendship.

I 💯 recommend this book for anyone that enjoys a good YA read, is looking to diversify their shelves and/or enjoys #ownvoices stories. Joya has a passion for black psychology, according to her goodreads bio, and it is reflected so well in this debut novel. I will definitely be picking up whatever she does in the future!

Thank you @netgalley for this (synthetic voiced) audiobook version, pub date May 4, 2021

#netgalley #excusemewhileiuglycry #ownvoicesbooks #ownvoice #yabooks #yareads #yabook #yabookstagram #yabookstagrammer #yareader #yaread #youngadultbooks #youngadultbook #youngadultfiction #yafiction #ya #blackauthors #blackliterature #blacklit #diversifyyourbookshelf #diversereads #amplifyblackstories #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramcommunity #arcreader #bookreview #bookreviewer #advancedreaderscopy

A relatable book for all humans because we all ugly cry and we all have secrets we wish wouldn’t get out.

When I first picked up the book Quinn was exactly my favorite character. I found her list making to be draining but.... and a big but, they make sense. 15% in I completely understood the list making. The need to put your thoughts down in a nice clean format. And I’m going to start my own list making in hope to clear the clutter of my mind.

Excuse While I Ugly Cry is a coming of age story. It’s creative and spontaneous. I enjoyed the dialogue and the authenticity of the characters. The growth of not just Quinn but of all the characters. I found it impressive that Goffeny was able to show this in all the cast. From the parents, friends and siblings.

EMWIUC is perfect for fans of To all the Boys I Loved Before (Jenny Han) and Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell).

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is what has been missing from YA Romance.
I have always created lists -- and the fact that the main character is a list-maker whose journal of lists are stolen and held for ransom as there is a threat to leak lists on social media -- is what drew me to the story.
RACE... Among the race against time to track down the blackmailer/social media bully, there are important race/ethnicity issues being brought to our attention. The story includes a diverse cast from a variety of families. The romance is predictable but not the main element; being honest with one's self, coming to terms with your truths, and establishing your boundaries are all topics addressed.

3.5 stars

This book took a little bit of time to get in to and attach to the main character but I think it’s because the main character, Quinn is one that it takes time to warm up to anyway. This is definitely a coming of age story but with a new twist. I enjoyed this book. My only complaint is the computer narration since it’s not the official audiobook yet but it was still a good read!

The story is worth a read. I enjoyed reading her lists and the discoveries she made as she continued to seek her journal. I would recommend this story to others.

I adore this book! The characters are well written and the plot is engaging. I love the information given about respecting the black community for the people they are and not who the white population seems to want to make them. It also calls upon the angst of being teenager while dropping important life lessons. This is a wonderful book that I would gladly recommend to book groups and school libraries!

I first wanted to say thank you to the author for giving me an arc of this book on NetGalley!
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did since the description sounds a bit cheesy, but it was anything but. It had great characters, and believable hardships they had to go through. I wasn't expecting the book to delve as deeply as it did into racism and how difficult and confusing it is to be a Black person around mostly white people and how it feels to be an outsider. I found myself actually relating to some of the instances Quinn went through.
I also loved the character growth of Quinn. It was very visible and I feel like instead of just being told that she was changing we could actually observe that on our own.
Ultimately I would recommend this book!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to author, netgalley, and the publisher for the arc of this book. I started out really enjoying this book and then the more it went on the worse it got. The overall plot of the book was a good idea, I just wish it would have been executed differently. The bash on the people with the Trump sign was not needed. It was judgmental and stereotypical while trying to preach about judgment and stereotypes. At that point in the book I was still planning to give it a 3/4 star review but it slowly went down hill after that.

I really loved this book. The characters were great and it covered such important topics, yet still remained a fun book. The writing was definitely top notch. While I don’t read a ton of YA, this book is definitely worth a read even if YA isn’t your thing.

Perfect for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Quinn’s journal with all her secrets and embarrassing lists (including one of all the times she’s ugly cried) goes missing and she’s being blackmailed while she’s trying to get it back.

It’s a cute story of finding yourself, making your own path, and facing your fears!

Thanks to NetGalley for an early audiobook!!

Stars: 5 ⭐️
Steam: 1 🔥
Audiobook: N/A

This book was everything. I enjoyed it so much! The writing was incredible and the characters are so lovable!

This book was the perfect coming of age story that I needed as a teen. Being able to see these social situations through the eyes of someone with a different perspective is so necessary.

Watching Quinn grow and learn to love herself was beautiful. She is such a strong character. I loved seeing her burst through her comfort zone and become a strong young woman. It was amazing to see her find friends that truly loved her for who she is.

Carter is so dreamy! He’s so sweet to Quinn and I loved the scenes with his sister. I love that he helped Quinn feel comfortable in her skin and encouraged her to feel her emotions fully.

This book also had incredible side characters. From family to friends, the side characters added so much to the story without taking away from main character.

This book touches on a lot of racial issues that were written so well and in a way that, hopefully, will open many eyes in the future. It was amazing to see characters owning their mistakes and trying to make amends.

My favorite quote from the book was:

“I don’t think white people should say the friendly version of that word knowing that someone, somewhere is still using it as hate speech. Doesn’t seem fair to black people that every time they hear it, they have to figure out whether or not they’re being insulted.”

I felt like this quote did such an amazing job explaining something I always struggle to explain! These two sentences say so much!

✨ Thank you Joya for writing such a wonderful book 🥰

Audiobook: Although this was an audio arc I will not being rating the audio since it was a computer generated voice and does not reflect the official audio to come ♥️

I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley & the publish in exchange for an honest review. Please note that this is an advanced copy and all quotes may change before time of publishing.

This was a great read! It explored so many things like racism, bullying, and the pressures teenagers face from their parents. I also loved that Quinn wasn't perfect and as she conquered some of her fears, she matured and became a strong person.

One of the fun parts of this book are Quinn's lists. She makes them for guys she likes, fears she has, and things she wants to accomplish. They change throughout the story and are a good gauge of how Quinn is evolving. One of the lists is used to blackmail Quinn at the beginning, but it has some positive outcomes when she's able to make real friends and have honest talks with her family.

Carter is such a sweet male lead. Quinn judges him at the beginning, but there's a lot she doesn't know about him. He's a good son and great older brother, he's smart and has a future planned, and he also encounters racism and knows how Quinn feels being surrounded by people who don't understand you. He may have made a mistake at some point, but I really liked him and definitely ship Quinn and him!

This is definitely a fun time and I'm looking forward to this being released in May!

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is being compared to To All the Boys I've Loved Before and while I understand it, I can't help but think that I enjoyed this book a lot more than the one it's compared to.

In this book, you'll follow Quinn, a girl who writes list just about everything in her journal. From all the days she ugly cried, to her to-do list before graduation but also all her fantasies about her friend who she's been in love with for a while now. So when her notebook goes missing, everything will change. Especially when someone contacts her trying to blackmail her, telling her she needs to do something from her list or else, everybody will learn her secrets, including her parents. Who is it, we don't know but Carter, the boy who misplaced the notebook by error is willing to help her even though they didn't seem to really get along.

Overall, I really liked this book. I loved the romance and the way it evolved, from the first signs of a new crush to the ending which made me happy and not just in the romance department. I'm glad I got to read this book in advance and I'll be interested to see if Joya Goffney publishes another book in the future.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC)

This book follows Quinn who after working on a group project for school her prized journal ends up missing. Well turns out her journal ends up in the wrong hands and Quinn ends up getting blackmailed.

This book was so much fun! I loved following Quinn as she is trying to find her journal as well as figure out who is behind the social media account that is blackmailing her. It also deals with racism and commentary on other important topics. I think this book is very important for teens, especially teens of color to read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry in exchange for an honest review.

There is so much I loved here, but only real complaint is that I wish it was longer.

On the outside, Quinn's life looks like its perfect. She and her friends are popular. The whole school knows that she got into her dream college. She is the picture perfect American teenager. Inside though, Quinn is a mess of the lies she tells herself and others and the dreams she won't let herself achieve. To cope, she makes lists of everything in her life. Until her journal goes missing.

Blackmailed into completing one of her near impossible lists, Quinn teams up with former crush turned enemy turned possible blackmailer, Carter, to try and complete it before her secrets are revealed to the world. Along the way she learns about her identity, her race and what it means to her, family, friendship, love, and self acceptance.

The narration is fun and quick and Quinn feels like an actual teenager which is always a treat. I liked the way the journal plotline played out and how Quinn develops throughout the story. I wish we'd spent more time with various characters that Quinn supposedly forms really strong friendships with by the end of the novel because she shares a handful of scenes with a few of them and then ends off the novel talking about how important those newfound friendships are to her which felt really off. The romance also progressed a little too quickly for my taste. The character Quinn has the most of an arch and the most on-page chemistry with is a platonic friend which while it's always delightful to read strong female friendships in YA, the romance was clearly supposed to be the focus here so it was odd that the book sets you up to be more invested in a platonic one.

I really loved this book. I was lucky enough to be chosen to listen to the audiobook arc!

Quinn loses her journal with all of her deepest darkest secrets in it. The story follows her around as she’s being blackmailed to accomplish things in her to do before she graduates.

It’s hard to find books with such dimensional characters with actual details that aren’t over doing it - not to mention realistic character growth. The style of writing also made the transition to listening as an audiobook absolutely seamless. I sat down and started this this morning and wasn’t able to put it down. I can’t wait until it’s released!

This book was way deeper than expected. I was expecting to read about bullying and the woes of a girl who lost her journal.

In fact, the issue that is highlighted things that are so relevant and real it was refreshing to read this narrative.
The struggles of a black girl in a mostly white school, knowing when/how to speak up and stand up for yourself and your blackness. Quinn has many things to deal with besides navigating the scary world of race. such as grades, college, family, crushes, and bullies.

Quinn's way of dealing with this is by writing lists in her journal which is stolen and used to blackmail her. But the moral of the story is - everything happens for a reason and sometimes the worst thing can turn into the best things. Quinn has struggles and many " come to Jesus" moments but all in all, I think it made her better and enhanced her life.

I truly enjoyed being a part of Quinn's growth into a better person.