This was so cute! Normally YA isn’t my thing but I really enjoyed this. There was a lot of representation in this novel. I liked that it felt like a book about real teenagers at a real school. I like that the book went in-depth about the different struggles a Black teenager can face in high school.

Solid book!

4/5 stars

This book is a perfect YA book... it will be one of the best of 2021 for sure! I am so impressed by this debut book!

The plot surrounds a high school senior’s journal being stolen, and an anonymous bully blackmailing her. The story continues to explore deep themes like coming of age, racism, forgiveness & friendship. This book is all about overcoming deep fears and discovering who you want to be.

The characters are extremely likable. The storyline is typical, but not done in the same way you have seen before.

ARC provided by NetGalley.
I listenned to the audiobook version and other than the robotic voice (probably because it was an ARC), the story is beautiful and funny at some point.
It has black representation and it deals with family issues, friendship, bettrayal, high school gossips, bullying and racism.
Quinn's notebook list was something really personal to me, and i appreciated this story even more. Even with her struggles, we saw her grown, develepped frienships and inpower herself. The romance was really cute, kinda ennemies to lovers and I really enjoyed how it evolved.
i'm so glad i had the chance to listen to an advance copy, it was such a nice reading, it was education, very touching and moving.

Wow, this book was absolutely stunning. If you liked To All the Boys I've Loved Before, you need to read this one. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry follows Quinn, a senior in high school, as she loses her journal with all her secrets inside, and consequently gets blackmailed. Along the way, there is romance, heartbreak, new friendships, and family drama. Although this is considered YA, there are a lot of adult themes/plot lines (i.e. racism) that adds depth, which is something I enjoy and appreciate in books usually considered "lighter" or less serious. The writing is amazing, keeping me wanting more until it was over. I'm gonna need Joya Goffney to write another book ASAP because I genuinely cannot get enough.

I just could not get into this book. I tried but was not successful. I don’t know if it was the authors writing style or the plot, but it wasn’t a book that I would enjoy reading throughout the whole thing.

Bittersweet YA romance novel with heavy emphasis on high school bullying.

Quinn is a quirky, ambitious high schooler with a unique obsession with making lists. That itself is super cute, but Quinn has a lot more character to offer. Especially when her journal with one of her embarrassing lists goes missing and now the whole school and the world of Instagram has seen it!! If this wasn't enough, the publisher blackmails our main character under the threat of publishing the entire journal.

I felt so bad for Quinn - and thought that she really had too much on her plate. A traumatizing event like this on top of bullying, being a Black girl in a predominantly white high school, parent and friendship problems and more. All relationships in her life seem to be complicated. I think this could have been a separate book, but here comes a key part: the enemies to lovers romance.

I liked this book a lot (I mean did you see the cover and the title?!) and totally fell for Quinn as a character. However, it felt like some of the difficult issues in her life weren't given enough attention.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As usual I want to start out by saying  I am not an own voices reviewer so please seek those out first!
Alright so I didn't really know what to expect with this book but I was very pleasantly surprised. I can't speak about how realistic this book was but in honor of the list all though this book I shall list the things I personally really liked that this book addressed.

1. A black girl in a mostly all white school
2. Family troubles
3. Bullying
4. An enemies to lovers romance
If any of those things are something that catch your attention then this is the book for you!

Book 262 towards my goal of 280! 4.5/5 stars for this YA Contemporary read! This book is so cute! I loved the characters, and the setting. This book is great for fans of To All the Boys I Loved Before! I really hope this book makes it to screen one day as well. Very well written. Highly recommend!

I was able to listen to Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry via NetGalley. While I was able to listen to this novel earlier than its publication it was also recorded with a synthetic voice so it left a little to be desired. That being said, I enjoyed the story! I appreciated the premise of Quinn's most personal thoughts coming out in true high school fashion via mean girls and social media. I appreciated the romance -- I'm a sucker for a good romantic connection. I enjoyed Quinn's evolution the most, how she confronts her struggles and how we slowly see what is at the heart of her different struggles. If I had a criticism it would be that there might be too many issues for Quinn to tackle -- parents fighting, relationship with an ailing grandmother, friendship struggles, lying, race, bullying, etc. I think all of these issues are meaningful and important, it just seemed like not enough book to do them all justice.

Since my galley used a synthetic voice I can't speak to the narration of the audiobook but I found the story very easy to listen to. I liked how there were little lists throughout since the lead Quinn loves making lists in her journal.

So the premise of this story is that Quinn accidentally loses her journal after a session for a group project. She keeps lists of everything in her journal from her favorite music to her deepest darkest secrets. The journal falls into the wrong hands and she ends up receiving texts blackmailing her to completing seven of her greatest fears or they will reveal all her secrets. The most important one she's harboring is the fact that she did not get into Columbia University and has been faking acceptance for months to please her parents. Desperate to get her journal back she teams up with Carter Bennet, the last known person to have had it. Carter and Quinn don't exactly get along despite being two of the fee Black people in their school thanks to some preconceived notions. Quinn comes from a wealthy and successful two-parent household and Carter comes from a single-parent household.

I think this will be a very relatable book for Black teen girls navigating predominantly white high schools. Speaking from experience there were times I felt like Quinn. And Black friends are amazing and do help you feel whole. Quinn has to confront dropping racist friends and being the Black but not too Black person. There's the wondering if you should speak up about certain things or just let them slide to keep the peace.

Her father has some self-hating tendencies and they both have to confront the pre-conceived notions he has of Black people outside of their social class. She hasn't really been around Black people outside of her family so it's a new experience.

So if you're interested or you know a teen who is interested in a coming of age story about a Black girl who is navigating college decisions, learning to speak out against racism, conquering her fears, and falling in love; this is one to pick up.