I wasn't expecting this read to be so cute. I love that it challenges the idea of blackness and of course the romance happening with the characters. Definitely a fun read!

Awwww, I loved this book.
High school can be such a harsh time.
I absolutely loved Quinn, she is so full of emotions and energy which she documents in her journal, when then, unfortunately, goes missing.
Everything from that point on has Quinn facing her fears.
The romance was a bit predictable but these are high school kids so I felt like it matches the character's maturity.
I was thorough;y engrossed with this book and appreciated some of the topics which were discussed.
I loved absolutely everything about this book and can't wait to read more from this author, well done!!!

This was a delightful listen with characters that were easy to love (and hate when you are supposed to.!) Even if you aren't the age of the characters you will relate to the themes of pressure to succeed, difficult conversations on race, marital issues and navigating your first love all in the age of social media and cyber bullying. And the lists! I love Quinn's lists,. I might just start making them myself!

Thanks to Net Galley for the audiobook in exchange for a review.

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I enjoyed this one and think students will too-relatable characters and a satisfying conclusion. I just purchased for my library and look forward to hearing what students think.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher (HarperAudio) for the chance to listen to the audio galley of this book. I really enjoyed the narration for the most part. I was wrapped up in the story in no time.

Quinn has lived a pretty charmed life and seems like she is almost out of touch with the realities of the "real world". She is super organized and keeps a list for EVERYTHING. Literally everything. She has been in love with her neighbor/best friend for most of her life but the new guy in school, Carter, starts to pique her interest. She's annoyed with him mostly but in secret she keeps a list with his name on the top as "Someone She'd Like to Kiss". Her lists help her deal with her fears and insecurities but then her journal goes missing and suddenly the whole school knows some of her biggest fears and deepest, darkest secrets.

Carter, Quinn, and a couple of their friends begin searching for the missing journal and try to figure out who would set up the Instagram account that's used to post all the lists. The closer they get to finding the thief, the closer they get to each other and facing a reality that might be very different than either had imagined.

This would be an easy transition to any CW show or even as a movie. It covers some pretty big issues from bullying to racism in a way that I feel will resonate with all different ages. I related more to the characters than I had ever thought I would.

I had to wait until this book was available at my local library before I could give an honest review. To be completely transparent the audiobook narrator don’t sound all that great when listening to at 2x speed, It was almost robotic unfortunately. That being said, while it did slightly affect my overall enjoyment of this book I still had a great time reading it. Racism and family expectations were really what encompassed this book and I’m sure my younger self would have loved to have grown up reading books with character alike Quinn and Olivia.

Quinn’s journal of lists is missing! Quinn is in a panic because it holds all her deep thoughts and secrets. Relieved after finding out her group project partner, Carter accidentally took hers, believing it was his, she is nervously awaiting its return at school the next day. Before Carter can, the journal is stolen from his backpack. Quinn receives a blackmailer’s message that she must complete her top 10 things to do before college list before the journal will be safely delivered back to her and if she fails to complete the items, the blackmailer will release all her lists.

Quinn teams up with Carter on a hilarious, dramatic journey of self discovery to recover her journal. I liked the sweet romance that buds between Quinn and Carter along the way, along with her blossoming friendship with Olivia. I was annoyed at Quinn for her whiny, entitled privilege thinking her world was ending because of some embarrassment, even though she had so much to be thankful for in her wealthy, loving life with parents who spoil and adore her.

"To Do Before I Graduate:
1. Visit the two universities I got accepted into.
2. Admit my love for Matthew Radd.
3. Experience Austin's supposedly incredible nightlife.
4. Tell my parents I didn't get into Columbia.
5. Visit Grandma Hattie.
6. Tell Destany the real reason I ghosted her.
7. Save for last. You know what you have to do."

Quinn keeps a notebook filled with lists. Lists for things to do, things she's thinking about, and people she does (or doesn't) like. Her notebook is her lifeline and Quinn doesn't go anywhere without it. When her notebook goes missing, Quinn knows her classmate Carter accidentally grabbed her notebook when they were packing up after working on a group project. Quinn immediately goes to Carter to get her notebook back, but Carter lost the notebook. The next thing Quinn knows, she's been contacted by an anonymous blackmailer who not only tells her she has to complete the list of things to do before she graduates - this list is also published online - or some of Quinn's other lists will be published online. Quinn partners up with Carter to retrace his steps and figure out what happened to her notebook. Along the way Quinn makes some new friends while checking off the things on her list of things to do before she graduates.

This book was a lot of fun! It reminded me of One of Us Is Lying because of the anonymous blackmailer but I also got some A Walk to Remember vibes due to Quinn working to check everything off her list. Kind of an odd combination, I know. I really enjoyed getting to know Quinn as a character, despite her flaws. She's a well-written character and I can certainly relate to wanting to stay in your own comfort bubble. I enjoyed that Quinn was pushed to experience some things she wasn't necessarily ready for. I also enjoyed seeing Quinn branch out from her friends from the beginning of the story. She really deserves better than her former friends.

This was a really enjoyable book that covered some difficult topics but did so in a way that didn't come across as preachy or over the top. I'm glad I gave this book a chance as I will gladly read anything else author Joya Goffney writes.

TW: blackmail, cyberbullying, microaggressions, racism, slut shaming

This is your typical ya contemporary read. It didn’t blow me away but it was enjoyable to listen to. Great friendships and character development.

Loved this book! I'll be posting a longer review on my blog, but I had to say this was an unexpectedly good read!

This was a cute YA contemporary. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought it was well done.

This book touches on a variety of themes from bullying, racism, and peer pressure. I felt it was realistic in the changes that take place between friends during the high school years. I am glad she found her voice by the end and realized that life isn't about lists. Quinn wasn't the most likeable in the beginning of the book but over time she really matured and got much better. I think she learned a lot about herself and the friendships that are important to her.

Carter was the cutest. I think he really balanced out Quinn's harder exterior and helped her realize a lot about herself. I enjoyed the relationship development between the two as the story progressed.

I do recommend this to anyone looking for their next YA contemporary.

Quinn keeps a journal full of lists as a way to organize her thoughts and structure her life. When she loses the journal she is faced with the challenge to not only find whomever took it, and is now blackmailing her, but also learn to survive without it. She ends up turning to arch rival / recent crush Carter in her quests.

This book was surprising in the number of topics it tackled and the way something simple turned into a story with several layers to pull back on. Every time I thought I understood what was happening a new layer was added. The only issue I ended up having was that the ending wasn't satisfying enough. The conflict and resolution felt thin in comparison to everything that was happening.

Overall still a very good book.

I really enjoyed this YA. At first I found the main character very frustrating I found myself upset with her and her actions. Once I got past that and she began to open up more I sped through this story. I loved the friendships she built. I would like a sequel

The reader gets to know Quinn at the same time that Quinn gets to know herself. The slow burn between Quinn and Carter is realistic, though the development of the friendships is even better.

I enjoyed this audiobook and would recommend it as a good listen. You will not be disappointed. A+.

There are fluffy, lighthearted, YA romances, and then there are thought provoking, anxiety inducing romance reads that leave you biting your nails when the book isn't in your hand, because you have to know what will happen next. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is the latter. As Quinn suffers through cyberbullying, she also confronts other thought-provoking issues such as gender and racism, and heavy issues such as dementia and family woe. She never breaks though, gaining strength as she confronts the things she thought would break her, while a sweet enemy to lovers romance buds to support her.

I was quite pleased with one of my first audiobooks. It was very enjoyable and the plot was amazing! I would highly reccomend

This was a fun contemporary about Quinn, a young Black girl who makes lists in her journal to organise just about everything in her life. But when her journal disappears, she has to team up with a guy she doesn't particularly like to try and get it back.

I enjoyed the messages of growth and development in this story, and the focus on each character to try and become a better person, but I didn't find the two main characters very likeable. I also didn't feel particularly gripped by the story because the pacing was slow and not many key moments happened until later on.

But my main issue was with the automated narrative (computer generated rather than being read by a narrator). Because this wasn't read by a real narrator, the automation made some words and phrases sound awkward and odd and it unfortunately tainted my reading experience. Moments that should have been profound ended up making me laugh because of the stilted way the automated narrator read them out and moments that should have been funny weren't because there wasn't a person performing them.

Sadly, this didn't quite live up to my expectations on several counts.

I was unable to finish the audiobook due to the robotic nature of the narrator. I think I might have liked this better if the narrator was less robotic. I have friends who read the print book and loved it. Will give that a try.

3.5

I enjoyed this book! The writing style was amazing and the storylines were intriguing. However, I feel as though the lead’s friendship/crush on Matt was rushed and I wish it was more developed. I also wish that we got to see more of Olivia’s life. Overall, cute read and I am excited to read more from Joya Goffney!