It was fun to read and it could be a cool teen movie, but still it felt flat to me. I like the idea of this book… a girl that writes many lists and her journal gets lost and she gets blackmail and in order to not reveal her secrets she must complete her “to do list”. I was really excited about her doing a couple challenges but the fact that most of the book felt going at a fast speed and then going really slow was such a let down. I love her awakening of her own self and how she does grow as a character and self confidence.
Also at first the list was cool but then having one or more per chapter was kind of annoying. I never connected neither with Quinn or Carter, I kind of like way more Olivia as a character. And I also think that small part about Matt was kind of irrelevant.
This book for me was a solid 3 stars… I like it but I didn’t love it. It was a fun and fast read but still I think it missed many good points and wanted to focus on others that weren’t that important for the main story in my opinion.

This book struck me as a bit cheesy - but I still really enjoyed it! The premise was so interesting, and I appreciate the way that the book explores racism and being Black in a PWI. The blackmail felt like a bit much to me, and the plot was a bit over-the-top, but I liked Quinn and her exploration of the world.

This was a great YA book! I loved Quinn and Carter. I loved all of Quinn’s lists and her character development through out the story. Carter was so kind and his relationship with his sister was adorable. I smiled every time he connected with Quinn through his own lists. This book tackled topics of racism, cyber bullying, facing your fears, and finding your voice. Definitely great for high schoolers who may be going through similar times but I also thoroughly enjoyed is as a 30 year old.

Two things I wished for:
•A Quinn and Matt heart to heart where she admitted to her crush on him and they dealt with that sexual tension between them
•An epilogue so I could find out what the last thing on Carter’s list was!! Joya how could you leave us hanging like that? I need a sequel now where Carter and Quinn complete his list!

I enjoyed this coming of age YA romance. It took on some difficult subjects such as bullying, racism, teen relationships, and difficult family dinamics yet without feeling too heavy. Some characters seemed a bit stereotypical to me, but all in all I really enjoyed it.

I would like to thank Net Galley for giving me the chance to listen to a recording of this book prior to the publishing day.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney is about a high school senior named Quinn who has a lot of expectations placed on her shoulders. She’s expected to go to Columbia in the Fall. Like most WOC she’s also expected to be better than all those around her to even get a seat at the table that mediocrity would typically bring.

Quinn first and foremost is a relatable character who may not be extremely likeable but the amount of stress put on her it is only fair that she acts the way she does. She’s flawed but sweet.

One thing I really liked about Quinn was her lists in her journal. It really showed so much of her personality and perhaps some aspects of neuro-divergence, which could have been explored more by Goffney in an ideal world.

When Quinn’s journal is stolen and she’s blackmailed for her secrets you do feel for her. To get the journal back she has to do tasks off her lists or else some of her secrets go public. She alongside Carter - an irritatingly attractive boy - endeavour to get the tasks done together and while this is happening there is a lot of racial issues brought up which I am not qualified to say anything about except that I really enjoy that she finally made her boundaries clear in the end with those around her.

Important note: I didn’t feel comfortable with the sexualization of two high schoolers in this book. It felt unnatural and uncomfortable. Definitely took a star off for that.

Trigger Warnings: racism, discussion about being a black person in an all white school. Okay I really liked this! I kind of went in thinking this would be a kind of lighthearted, deep, funny book; and in a way it was, but it also had a lot of heart and emotion in it as well. It dealt with really complex parental relationships, alongside racism in an all white school, alongside really stepping outside your bubble, and again alongside facing things about family you don't feel ready to face. I liked her friendship with Carter, and her friendship with Olivia as well. They were really good her her, and she really grew to respect them both and value them both as friends. I also loved her relationship with Carter romantically. It was super cute and I adored them both together. I wanted to see more them together as a couple in think in the end. But overall I enjoyed what we got of them! Highly recommend this book! It was fantastic and it really blew my socks off! I think this is one of my favorites of the year!

I initially struggled when I first started reading this story, but after reading a friends amazing review, I wanted to press on and I’m so happy I did.
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“Being the exception to Black stereotypes automatically means that you’re not as Black.”
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You wouldn’t believe how many times non Black people have told me “you don’t act Black” and to this day I have no idea why they say that like it’s a good thing. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Repeat after me Black is not monolithic and just because I don’t fit your perceived stereotype doesn’t mean I’m not Black or a lesser Black person.

I knew from the first chapter that I was going to love this book!

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a fun, contemplative story that explores tokenism and privilege, with a refreshing and heart-meltingly cute romance. If you're looking for a quick, fun contemporary, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a must read.

This book left me wanting more of these characters I had fallen in love with. I could have read 100 more pages of Quinn, Carter and their friends just hanging out. The plot was simplistic, but led to some of my favorite character moments. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the references, from 90's R&B to the sanctity of grandma's house. Every reference felt genuine to the story and to the characters, and left me feeling nostalgic. The romance of this book was EVERYTHING! I loved every interaction between Quinn and Carter. It was cute and swoon-worthy while still being realistic.

This book is definitely going on my "favorites of the year" list!

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing me this ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I stan for any author and book that evokes memories of Texas! This novel was easy to listen to and grabbed my attention early. I was able to complete it in a few days.
As an African American female, I could relate to some of the things Quinn experienced as a senior in high school. The character evolvement of Quinn and Carter felt natural. I was disappointed in how Quinn's relationship with Matt disappeared as the storyline continued, given he was such an integral person in her life at the beginning of the novel. We never learned who created the social media posts. This would have been nice to know.

Such a strong debut! This book brought up some really important conversations regarding class, race, and family. Quinn is a privileged black senior in high school who deals with her issues and anxiety by writing lists in her journal about absolutely everything. When that journal gets in the wrong hands, her life unravels.

The chemistry between Quinn and Carter was out of this world, it just oozed off the page. Every time they were together, it was like everyone else faded away—so intensely intimate without a lot of physical contact. By spending more time with Carter, Quinn learns that she shouldn't have to take the routine racism she experiences on the daily by people who are supposed to be her friends.

The one thing that bothered me about the book and why I knocked off a star was the disappearance of Matt, Quinn supposed best friend, neighbor, and big time crush. She has been in love with him for years and once Carter shows the smallest bit of interest, Matt is gone—even just as a friend, or a person in general. He is no longer spoken of for the last third of the book. I feel like the author could have wrapped up that plot hole much better.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The lists in the book make for the read to be very different than other young adult books. The main character's fears from getting into college to boyfriends and parents' relationships are highly relatable. I love how the story centered a Black girl as the main character and worked against microaggressions and other racist structures.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry tells the story of Quinn after having lost her journal. This journal contains lists of her most secretive and inner thoughts and she is adamant to find it before those secrets come out. However, she is not that lucky and is eventually black mailed. This leads her to a journey to figuring out who has her journal.

First of all, for an audiobook with a synthetic voice, this was really good! I have heard other audioboks narrated by people and thought thise felt more robotic than this. I can honestly say at times I even forgot there was no formal narrator for this audiobook. Kudos there!

This story felt like a feel good, coming of age high school read. The adventure of watching Quinn face her fears and well as figuring out who has her journal made for a fun story that kept me wanting to know what happens next. While reading this book, I could not help but feel like it played in my head as a feel good summer movie.

I really enjoyed how the story dealt with race and seeing how Quinn navigated that within her original group of friends at the start of the story. It was a good to see Quinn feel validated for her feelings of how her original friend group treated her on her "blackness" after talking about it with her new friends, and to see that develop into her growing a backbone to telling her original friend group what was not okay.

I really liked Quinn's new friendships, and how she took the time to examine herself and her feelings after learning some truths before fully diving into a relationship.

This book had really good pacing and had very little moments where it felt like the story was dragging. This is definitely a book where you can expect positive vibes by the end of it with many aspects getting a happy ending. A good book for getting out of a reading slump, for a beach read, or simply to escape into a world that brings you back to your teenage days (speaking as an adult 😂) where everything felt high stake.

I don’t read a whole lot of YA books but I do read them occasionally if I’m intrigued by the book like I was with Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. It was fun, cute and romantic. I loved the characters, especially Olivia. She did not take crap from anyone and ended up becoming a great friend to Quinn. This was a voice galley, and I did not care for the robotic, synthetic voice that was used. I would have enjoyed it even more had there been an actual narrator, although it did not take anything away from the actual story. Overall, I found it very enjoyable.

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the voice galley.

What a wonderful debut. I love a story with a journal as a center piece, especially bucket-list esque items. Overall, I really enjoyed Quinn as a character and following her journey trying to tick items off in order to get her beloved journal back.

Quinn is an avid list maker of everything including all the days she has ugly cried to the boys she’d like to kiss. In the beginning of this book her notebook full of all her lists- and her biggest secrets- is stolen and someone begins to blackmail her online into completing her list of biggest fears. Or else the anonymous blackmailer will post her entire private journal for everyone to see.

This is a young adult contemporary perfect for fans of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda! The storyline is super easy to get into and is about friends, family, and facing your fears.

I really enjoyed the racial commentary between friends and family. It really gives us readers something to think about.

**I’m super grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an audiobook copy that I could listen to!

I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for my complimentary copy of "Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry". I Loved this book. I should note my version was an audiobook.

The story focuses on Quinn and her journal of lists. Quinn keeps personal lists on everything from her sexual fantasies to her to-do list by graduation. Her journal is private and for her eyes only. It's holds all of her secrets and lies she has told to everyone around her. When her journal goes missing it ends up in the wrong hands and she becomes the victim of blackmail. One of her lists is revealed to her entire school by the blackmailer and now her secrets and lies are exposed.

Quinn teams up with Connor and a few of his friends to track down her journal and bring the blackmailer to justice. In order to do this though, Quinn must complete one of her lists or more of her private life will be revealed. She is required to complete the to be completed before graduation list. Connor and her new friends will help her complete the list all while working together to determine who is putting Quinn's life in ruins.

On her journey to complete her list, Quinn learns much about herself, she learns to place trust in others, and she learns the importance of honesty. The book touches on some racial topics and brings forth the significance of the troubles still faced by African Americans in today's modern society.

"Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry" is a fantastic coming of age book of a young woman trying to find herself and shape her future. Her search for her missing journal will take her out of her comfort zone and force her to make some tough decisions. The book offers a cute love story, and endearing friendships. It's a perfect book for those looking for a heartfelt, charming story.

I couldn't listen to this audiobook without a real narrator. I just couldn't concentrate with the robotic voice. Hopefully I'll be able to pick this one up when it's released in it's final form.

What happens when a notebook that has all your secrets written in it goes missing? What happens when that journal is found, and the person that finds it uses it to blackmail you? Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney is a relatable book because we all ugly cry and have secrets we wish wouldn’t get out. This book also touches upon so many important topics from racism, cyber bullying, and the high pressure teens face from parents. The only thing that held me back from giving it 5 stars is that I wish it was longer - I wish the ending had been more developed, but it is truly a book I think everyone should read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Harper Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Quinn makes lists to calm her anxiety. She makes many lists in her journal. One afternoon, while working on a group project, Quinn’s journal and Carter’s notebook get mixed up. Quinn’s journal ends up in the hands of someone who ends up blackmailing her with the information contained inside it, her greatest fears. Teaming up with Carter to find out who has her journal and tackling her fears, Quinn sets out on a journey she did not expect.
I really liked how the use of lists were used throughout this book. It helped with the characterization of Quinn and the pacing of the story. It was a really get device to depart information to the reader that may not have been there in the scene otherwise. Also, some of them were funny.
My favorite character was Olivia. She was a badass. While Quinn just took the casual racism her classmates dealt out, Olivia did not put up with much. She was the opposite of Quinn. Olivia was honest about who she was while Quinn had layers of secrets.
Quinn herself was kind of unlikeable at the beginning. She was pretty whiny. She gets better when she starts sticking up for herself. Carter has a positive influence on Quinn. He’s a good guy.
This was a well written book that anyone looking for a coming of age, romantic, young adult book to spend a lazy afternoon with will enjoy. 4/5

I was given this to listen to from Netgalley. The actual version with the narrator has not been released yet so I had to take this with a grain of salt while listening.

The story follows Quinn who has always kept a journal with a list of everything in her life. From the days she has ugly cried...to the boys she would want to kiss....to the things she needs to do.....things she needs to fix....and so forth. The day her journal goes missing her life will be forever changed. An anonymous account posts one of her lists for the whole school to see, she finds her self at the mercy of this mystery person who blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears or they will post the rest of her journal. In desperation, she teams up with Carter who was the last known person to have her journal. Together they journey through everything Quinn has been too afraid to face.

I really, really, realllllllllly liked this!! Even with the auto voice I was hooked. It bugged me at first, but I got used to it and I really had to know what was going to happen next.

It did take me a while to like Carter....I guess I was like Quinn and didn't trust him because he was the last one who had seen the journal and plus he was really mean to Quinn at the beginning. He was a jerk-face...but once he started opening up and seemed to care for Quinn then I began to trust and like him.

Even though the blackmailer is a jerkface...I am glad it happened. Quinn really needed a huge force to face her fears. Sure it sucked and it was uncool, but she needed that push. She was scared of her own shadow. I felt so bad for her. She had crappy friends who walked all over her. Her parents are always at each other's throats. And her poor granny. UGH. Broke my heart.

Someday I want to re-listen to this with the actual narrator. I think this would be amazing and great with the right voice. I have someone in mind that did Alyssa Cole's book. Oooooo or they should get Gabrielle Union as a cute nod to the 'Bring It On' references. How fun!

I liked the way the author dealt with the racism and racist issues here. It felt organic and natural and not forced or overdone. It brought a couple tears to my eye at one point. Gah! I wanted to shake some people!!!!! Can't name names in fear of spoilers but UGH!!!

Anywayyyyyyyyyss. Yes. This was good. I recommend it for sure. It had a lot of good life messages that everyone should heed. A great set of characters! This really was a good one that I would love to re-listen to or read one day.

5 stars.