Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was my first audiobook listen of 2021 and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from the moment the red notebook came into play. I listened to it within one day and was not disappointed. I cannot wait for the official audiobook to be released. I also cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book in May 2021. I would highly recommend this read to anyone and everyone.

I couldn't get into "Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry" audiobooks voice enough to really start it. I did enjoy the beginning half, but after that, the voice became tedious.

Very cute story. Talked about bullying and racial problems. I love the main characters growth throughout the book. How she grew strength and finished her list as well as learned from her mistakes.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
Trigger warning ⚠️ talk about cyber bullying and racism

Quinn Jackson, a senior in high school seems to have the perfect life. Her mother is a lawyer, her father is a surgeon and they live quite comfortably. She even drives a Mercedes that was a gift from her parents for getting accepted to Columbia, their alma matter. A classmate of hers even refers to her as Hillary Banks, remarking she is just like the character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After working on a school project with two other students, Quinn is horrified to discover her journal is missing. Her raw secrets and desires left for someone to read and discover the real Quinn Jackson. What happens next is enough to put anyone into a tailspin. Her journal has fallen into the hands of an unknown person who is set on making her work to get it back. The tasks she is to complete? She is to go through every item on her checklist that she has written down on things to do before she graduates. Seven items, and only eight weeks to complete them. Is this for real? Who does this person think they are? She immediately finds they mean business when she tries to be a badass and decline doing any such thing and they immediately post one of her lists on social media, tagging all the school to see. Just how far will the blackmailed go? Can she muster up the courage to get everything checked off on her list before her entire journal is exposed for the whole school to see?
This was an audio ARC book that I received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I seriously loved this story and read it in not even 24 hours. I devoured it! At first I just thought it was a book about a girl whose journal went missing, but the issues and challenges that Quinn faced were bigger than a little piddly high school crush.  They were lists of her inner thoughts and feelings that she was too scared to face. She faces the challenges of stress from college acceptances, relationships, scorn friendships, stereotypes, and so much more.I definitely recommend this book. I rate it ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

*𝙄 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣*

This was a fun, cute book to read. The cover was pretty and corresponded well to the overall plot of the story. I like that the story explored colorism as well as stereotypes about people of color and how misconceptions and assumptions that can occur regardless of ethnicity. The story also did a good job of exploring the pressure of figuring out what ones goals are when graduating from high school and applying to college. The only dislike that I had was the list concept only because there were so many of them. I also understand that having many lists was just an aspect of the main character's personality.

Quinn loves lists. Well, maybe “love” isn’t the right word. Quinn hides behind lists. There, that’s better.

Everything she doesn’t say out loud gets put into her journal. Every lie she’s told. And there have been some big ones.

Every fantasy she’s had. Regrets she’s had. They’re in there too. Why she ghosted her best friend. There are even hints of thoughts and opinions in that journal that even Quinn isn’t wholly aware of … yet.

“Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry” is described as an “own voices story,” which essentially means there is authenticity because the author knows what they’re talking about, due to personal experience, background, etc. In her Goodreads profile, author Joya Goffney’s bio says: “Joya Goffney grew up in New Waverly, a small town in East Texas. In high school, she challenged herself with to-do lists full of risk-taking items like ‘hug a random boy’ and ‘eat a cricket,’ which inspired her debut novel.”

So much gratitude for “own voices” novels. Authenticity is important and when a book has it, there’s an extra layer of magic that’s really special.

* What I love *

- Authentic teenager voices. Characters who talk like kids their age talk? Yes to that.

- It’s so important to see yourself in books, movies, etc. It helps you feel seen and let’s face it, being a kid/young adult/teenager/heck even adult is hard and can feel lonesome. Books that show characters with similar backgrounds and experiences are vital to making people feel less alone.

- I appreciate that there are flawed characters, some who redeem themselves, others who don’t, and others who are just at the start of that journey to redemption.

- I appreciate the growth the dad went on especially. It’s nice to see a stubborn, ‘set in his ways’ adult adjust and admit when his prejudices took hold.

What I wanted to see more of:

- Honestly, the characters and their journey. I really wasn’t ready to let them go at the end of the book. We know that there is still so much they have to learn about themselves and others, and I didn’t want the book to end when it did.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to listen to this voice galley. A voice galley is not a preview of the audiobook but is created with a synthetic voice for the purposes of early reviewing.

A coming of age story that will appeal to many teen readers as the main character works towards knowing more of herself and how her friends should behave around her. I enjoyed learning how she comes into her own with the support of people who support her. - there is definitely growth in this character This diverse read also suggests that we need to be more aware of how we treat people of other races.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute book! I listened to this audiobook in 1 day, so that says something! I think it was an easy read that covered a lot of important topics. The idea of being an "oreo" is super interesting to me as someone who is biracial, I can somewhat relate to Quinn in a way. While I may look like I'm from a certain part of the world, how I behave and feel is completely can seem completely different because I connect with my other half more. This is an internal struggle I had a lot as a kid, so reading Quinn's perspective as she became more immersed in her culture was super interesting to me. I highly recommend if you're looking for a cute contemporary with a hint of serious.

Joya Goffney was very entuned to the high school psyche in this YA book. Quinn's fragile heart and insecurities heighten through high school and cause her to start shutting down and not speaking the truth about her feelings or her desires. Her journaling creates a safe space to calm her nerves until it ends up being a tool of blackmail from some unknown person at her school. Quinn is going to be exposed of all of her secret thoughts if she doesn't complete all the items on her first list. She learns who she can count on and how to face her worst nightmares.

I enjoyed the book, but there were spots that seemed simplistic in the dialogue of the characters. By the end, you were rooting for Quinn to feel whole again and not to be so anxiety driven.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook for an honest review. This is a great book for a middle school or high school student.

First, thank you to HarperCollins and Net Galley for this audiobook ARC of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry!

I love, love, love, LOVE this book! I’m extremely excited for the release day so I can buy my physical copy!

This book is about Quinn, a young woman who’s a senior in high school. Quinn has a compulsion to make lists about the things in her life and when her journal falls into the wrong hands, she is at the mercy of her blackmailer. What I loved most about this book is Quinn’s blackness as defined by the white people around her. As a black woman who also grew up in white suburbia and had very few black friends growing up, I really resonated with Quinn’s struggle of her black identity.

“I believe there comes a time when you have to learn what it means to have our skin. It’s like an awakening.” Quinn learned this at 18. I learned this at 20. It was weird to listen to African American Vernacular English being spoken by a Siri-sounding computer and I can’t wait to listen to the official audiobook as well as read it for myself in just a few short months. I’m really glad this was my final book of 2020 because with everything race-related that has happened this year, I’ve been finding myself more drawn to books, TV shows, and movies by and containing black people and other people of color. Quinn could be annoying at times, and made a lot of stupid mistakes, but I just reminded myself that she’s an 18-year-old young woman and at that age, we all made mistakes. This book explores racism, cyber bullying, stereotypes, and the pressure put on young adults so early in life.

Wow this book covered a lot of topics that I wasn't expecting. It talked about racism, stereotypes, cyber bullying, troubled marriage, romance, aging grandparents, stress about college acceptances, learning to loves ones self, rich vs. poor, etc. It may seem like too many topics being covered but I found it was handled nicely. The author gave each topic enough attention that it felt part of the story in that it actually added something to it instead of just being there.
While I did find the story predictable, I did not mind it. I was more focused on what the main character was going through mentally and emotionally.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this! It was a great debut novel. The robot narrator took some getting used to. But the story had great flow and a great ending.

I need to stop accidentally requesting audiobooks that have synthetic voices. I can't get into them, theres a lack of emotion which makes it hard to follow. I will keep an eye out for the final version of this one.

Quinn is living a life with many secrets. These secrets are written down in Quinn’s journal. When that journal goes missing, Quinn panicles. Then she receives a text telling her to do the things on her list. With the help of Carter and Olivia, Quinn goes about getting her journal (and life) back.
Opinion
To say I loved this book would be an understatement. The growth that Quinn goes through in this book is inspirational. She goes through all of the hard stuff but carries herself with grace. Even though she does “ugly cry” in the book, she is such a strong character that you can’t help but love her.
Olivia, is a strong character too. She goes through just as much stuff but it seems to roll off her back.
The conversation Quinn has with her former best friend at the end about race is so open and honest that it would behoove many people to read it.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A thought provoking young adult contemporary brimming with humor and heart. Joya Goffney’s debut addresses issues such as racism and bullying with a thoughtful and gentle hand. Quinn is a list maker. She has a list for everything in her journal -The boys she wants to kiss, the bad things she has done, the things she wants to do before she graduates high school, her hopes, her dreams.... When Quinn‘s journal goes missing she is convinced it must be Carter (a boy she’s not sure of) who has it, after all he was the last one with her before it went missing. BUT then Quinn is blackmailed and Carter is determined to help her. Can she trust him though? what follows is a sweet story about coming to terms with who you really are, learning that you cannot judge people at first sight, and taking responsibility for your actions.

In honor of Quinn here is a list of reasons why you should read this book:

Quin is a likable relatable character, flaws and all.
Carter is a sweet guy that will steal your heart.
The subject of race and racism is handled particularly well in the story. It is never preachy but betrayed very realistically. Gave me a lot to think about.
I also really liked the family dynamics in the story. It was really interesting about how different families have different expectations and how suffocating that can sometimes be.
The Romance in the Story was super adorable. Nothing better than first love.
Quinn and Carter had some pretty fabulous friends.

This book comes out in May 2021, so be sure to add it to your TBR. There is no better palate cleanser than a good sweet young adult contemporary.

*** Big thank you to Harper Teen & Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

🎧 The audio version I was given of this book was narrated by a synthetic voice, therefore I will not be offering any feedback on the narration in particular. However I do have to say this is a pretty good synthetic voice for anyone who reviews audios.

I listened to it as an audiobook. This read had pretty deep topics: skin color, stereotypes, assumptions, being a child in a trouble marriage and being a teen and a very current topic: cyber bullying. It was a bit repetitive, but if you like lists, this read is definitely for you! Quinn LOVES lists, she lists everything!

I was able to get an advanced copy of the audiobook with Netgalley and Harper Collins publishers. I am not the typical demographic for a YA novel but was excited to dive into this book. I appreciated the first person narrative of Quinn learning to embrace and love her blackness in her white world. The message of finding true friendship, self love, and confidence was refreshing. This book encompassed so many important messages while following relatable characters. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

Have you ever lied about something and hope to God no one ever found out, but you wrote it down in a journal thinking your secret’s safe? That was Quinn’s dilemma. Her world was turned upside down when her list journal went missing and fell into the wrong hand. The perpetrator told Quinn to complete a set of tasks and threatened to expose her secrets if she fails. When she protested, the blackmail began, and some of the secrets got leaked in her school.
This book covered quite a bit of grounds, racism, high school drama, rich people problems, blackmail, secrets, cyberbullying, facing fears, trust, loyalty, etc. In the end, It all tied together neatly.
I like the storyline/idea and the awareness of how some of the things we are less conscious about could affect people around us negatively, and regardless of our differences, race, gender, status, etc. We are first and foremost human beings and should treat each other well.
🌟Four stars.🌟
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of the audiobook for an unbiased review.

This was such a cute romance. I liked that it was also a coming of age story that also covered racism and stereotypes. The characters were flawed but believable. I enjoyed how the protagonist categorized her life into lists and how those lists contributed to the overall plot. Very enjoyable read!

This was really fun listening I loved all the characters and how the solved the problems. The diversity and the message at the end is amazing.
The tittle makes a lot sense to me now. Carter and Quinn especially Quinn. They had a crazy ride to get where they are right now which was fun and interesting to listen to. I hipe I can get a copy of the book because I really need this book in my hands.
I felt really identify with Quinn about something that happen in our life which I don't see in a lot of the book. Another thing is we learn how people who think just because they have you as friend if you are that makes theme less racist.