I am a HUGE Eric Smith fan and this book did not disappoint. It was so sweet and funny and absolutely perfect. The enemies-to-lovers trope was really well done. I couldn't put the book down, because I had to know how Adam and Whitney wind up falling for each other. This book had great romantic tension.

This was such a cute book. I love a friends-to-enemies-to-friends plot and this book delivered that so well. The plot revolved around a pinball arcade and family run businesses within a tight-knit community, and it reminded me of small town romances that I've read and loved. I thought the author did a great job of bringing that kind of spirit to the page. The whole vibe of the book with the pinball really gave off 90s vibes to me, which I enjoyed. Overall, just a really cute book.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for sending me an e-ARC of Eric Smith's "You Can Go Your Own Way"...even if it did take me over a year to pick it up (it's not you, it's me).

"You Can Go Your Own Way" is a cute story centered around two teenagers in Philly - Adam and Whitney are both involved with gaming, Adam through his family's pinball arcade and Whitney through her dad's esports cafe chain. However, the two do not get along due to family tensions - this modern day twist on Romeo and Juliet almost rings true, but falls just short of it as the two fall in insta-love.
Honestly, I did not vibe with YCGYOW as much as I wanted to - this is definitely a title to read for vibes and not for plot, as I had prepared for. I am absolutely sure that if I had picked it up another time, I would have enjoyed it much more, but alas I read it now. Pick it up for cool Philly vibes, the "oops, we got snowed in, time to cuddle" trope, and runaway bookstore dogs.

3.5 stars but rounding down.

This isn't a light read as it has TW: Grief, losing a loved one, toxic friendship and neglect emotionally from parents, but it is a lighter plot read which is nice!
We follow two teens who were friends before High school but grew apart due to one losing a parent and the other becoming wealthier. Leading up to a storm that traps them in one's family arcade, they finally have a heart to heart and begin to fall for each other.

Simple plot with some honest emotional reactions; I wouldn't say just teen reactions because I still react first without thinking on occasion.
Also not going to lie the title referencing to Fleetwood Mac hooked me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I definitely did not hate this book—but I did not fall in love with it either. Ultimately while a fun concept, I just felt like it lacked a little diversity among its core cast, and even moreso, that I had essentially read this story and encountered these themes before…but done better.

That said, the themes are ones worth exploring and there were some super cute moments! And it is not that I would never recommend this—I would just recommend other titles first. Hence: 🌟🌟🌟

This is just a really cute book, and I was just the feel good book that everyone needs right now. This book was really well written, and you just fall in love with all the characters and that what you want with a book.

I thought a potential couple being trapped in an arcade during a snowstorm would be a good read. But I ended up not wanting to read further than the first chapter.

I decided not to continue reading because of the themes of grief and loss. I experienced that too, and I was afraid if I read it further, it'd make me sad. But it might be a fun read for someone who can handle those strong subjects.

Generally a good book, kept my attention. The story was great, characters well thought out, and the pacing was good. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would read more by this author!! Thank you so much for the ARC!

This was such a cute book. I'm obsessed with Eric's books and so glad I was able to read this one! Full review to come on bookstagram soon.

This one was a cute read. I do feel like it was on the younger side of the YA spectrum than what I normally like. There was a lot of drama between Whitney and her friends. Definitely not for me at my age (34) but I’m sure younger, age appropriate readers will enjoy! I did feel for Adam and his feelings for his father. Overall a decent read!

You Can Go Your Own is a sweet and quirky young adult romance centered around one family's arcade and the memories held within. Full of fun and interesting characters, a blizzard, and enough arcade trivia to make you an expert, this novel is an absolute delight.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This is a super cute read! Full of pop culture references from my generation. Pinball machines and Swedish fish, friends growing away from each other and reuniting, and being snowed in together. I really enjoyed this one.

I really wanted to like this. But it was pitched as the idea of "friends to enemies to lovers" and the enemies bit was more just two people who sort of fell out because they stopped having things in common, and that didn't stop just because they were stuck together. I just didn't feel their chemistry at all.

This is a pretty run-of-the-mill teen romance where the MCs have very specific interests and those interests do not include each other. I did like the childhood friends angle, but I don't think the song lyrics added anything to the plot (including the title).

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I wish I could get more into this story than I ended up doing. I just unfortunately couldn't bring myself to care enough about the characters to care about how their story developped.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. The blurb and overall concept had me hooked, but I unfortunately didn't like it. I felt like the narrative pushed too hard on the reader rooting for Whitney and Adam to be together, where I felt like the actual story would have made more sense if they ended as friends. I hate to say it, but Whitney's character truly feels like the "written by a man" stereotype, which was a little disappointing considering she is a woman in STEM. :(

I thought the pacing of the story was a little off, and some of it at the end felt a bit rushed.

I think my biggest issue is that the Whitney x Dad issue was never resolved properly. I think it would have been great for Whitney if she and her dad ended on a good note. I thought that was where the book was going with Whitney's big speech at the end, so I was a little let down when it wasn't what I expected.

Overall, I really thought this was a heartwarming story with Adam and his dad. I almost wish the entire book was just about them.

3/5 stars :)

3.5 stars. Interesting depictions of grieving and of friends growing apart as they get older and hit high school. I found it interesting too that the 2 main characters in the book were often not very likable. Or was that just me? Also several examples of seriously questionable, if not outright bad parenting in this book. Too much time spent explaining the concept of who was REO Speedwagon - blargh. And that damn Fleetwood Mac was in my head for WAY too much of the time. Okay, sorry: tangents. I think teens will like it though, and many will relate to the concept of putting way too much pressure on themselves due to perceived parental intent.

Fun, sweet, quirky, pinball, Swedish fish, snowstorm, Philadelphia

This was a fun read, especially on a snow day. Adam @Old City Pinball and Whitney @West Philly esports are estranged best friends who only talk through a bitter social media war. This story is much more than a teenage romance and dives into family, friendship, loss, letting go, and making sure you make time and space for yourself and what you want. This was a great read full of fun pop culture references and I absolutely loved all the quotes from “The Art and Zen of Pinball Repair” by James Watts. I’ve never been to Philadelphia but you could feel the city seeping up through the pages and now I really want to visit!

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #EricSmith and #InkyardPress for sharing this digital copy for my honest thoughts on #YouCanGoYourOwnWay

I was lucky enough to meet Eric Smith at a conference a couple of years ago when I was looking for an agent. While he very kindly and graciously passed on my novel, I was super excited to read his book and find out that his book is just as delightful as he was in person. This is such a fun and sweet story, with lovable characters.

I found myself quite bored throughout and therefor had to put it down for awhile.
Maybe I'll pick it back up in the future when I'm more in the mood but there was just something about this that just was not holding my interest.

Put on hold at about 35%