The title alone elicited a chuckle, so I had to see what this book was all about.

When Carissa suddenly breaks up with Brad, all he’s left with are questions and a sudden urge to be the boyfriend she wants and deserves. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Carissa’s sister, Rose, Carissa entered her into a weight loss competition – on national television – and she’s chosen to be on the show. This isn’t turning to be the senior year Brad and Rose were initially anticipating!

As you can imagine, high school drama and emotions ensue. This book is a dual POV between Brad and Rose and provides a light-hearted YA novel that deals with self-discovery, miscommunication, and self-confidence.

Thanks to NetGalley and Immortal Works for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was a fun and cute read that definitely brings you back to those high school days.

Brad gets dumped by his girlfriend Carissa and this starts a chain of events that urge Brad to try to win her back. The more he pursues to reinvent himself, the more he gets to thinking about the situation and know his true feelings. He starts to become very introspective and in turn this causes him to ask himself “Is this what I really want, or whom I want?” I think pretty quickly you can figure out how it’s going to go, but it’s fun to read how they’ll get there.

Carissa has a twin sister Rose. Rose feels she is inadequate and can’t compete with her gorgeous sister Carissa, who in her eyes is perfect. Rose gets sent to a camp to lose weight and your heart just goes out to her. I just wanted to hug her especially when reading her internal thoughts. I think her character development was my favorite of the book. She really saw people for who they were and had a very caring heart.

You will definitely not like Carissa throughout the book as she is manipulative, aloof, and seems to regard every situation with only how it affects her.

What I loved about the book? Rose and Brad’s characters, and the multiple points of view. What I didn’t love was the miscommunication towards the end. It went on for a substantial amount of time where I just wanted one of them to say something! The truth is that it makes sense for teenagers and I can completely see this happening, so it definitely lends itself in a way to the book because that’s what teenagers do. I give this book 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and synopsis of this book immediately caught my attention, and I was excited to read a cute YA romance that talked about body positivity and self love. Unfortunately, it was kind of a disappointment. My biggest issue was the amount of problematic themes in this book.

From the moment I met Carissa, I immediately got red flags. She seems to have this controlling personality and this incessant need to control everyone around her, and if they don’t live up to what she believes is right, they’re either dumped, or she tries to change them without asking the other person what they want or need. While I get that she was written to come off as sort of an unlivable character, my issue was with the way she treated Rose. I hated how Carissa not only entered Rose onto a tv show without asking her, which is a problem in and of itself, but that it was a weight loss show. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if that’s what someone wants to do, but it’s obvious that Rose isn’t comfortable with it, and tries to express that, but is completely ignored. Plus, the fact that Carissa just assumes Rose can’t be happy, and her misery is tied to her being obese, is problematic. Weight has nothing to do with someone’s happiness, unless it’s a health concern, but I didn’t get the sense that it was the case here.

I wasn’t a fan of Brad either. It wasn’t so much his character (not that there was much there), but his actions were what bothered me. When Carissa broke up with him, that should have been it, he should have respected her decision. However, he ignored her wishes and kept trying to get back with her, despite her telling him that she wasn’t interested. The scene where he starts dancing with her at the part made me so uncomfortable because it was clear she didn’t want to once she pushed away, but Brad wouldn’t let it go. I feel like Brad’s just another character to perpetuate the idea that if someone tells you no, instead of respecting their answer like a decent human being, you should keep pushing until you get what you want because you’re certain that you’re right, even though you’re the only one in that situation who thinks it.

Rose was the only good character in this book, and I sometimes enjoyed her POVs, but I feel like even her character feel flat sometimes. However, I didn’t love how in the end, she ended up losing weight and finally finding her happiness, as if the whole message of the book about body positivity and self love was just thrown out the window, and in the end, Rose did have to lose weight in order to be happy. The way that the story progressed and how it ended, in terms of the intended message, just didn’t quite sit right with me.

Otherwise, I feel like my other issues were more technical things, like sometimes that pacing felt off, or the dialogue felt too stiff or just seemed out of place.

Overall, I feel like this could have the potential to be a cute story, but there are some problematic issues that have to be fixed, and more development with the main characters.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for a gifted arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thanks, Carissa is a coming-of-age story that I found delightfully charming with relatable characters and heartfelt life lessons. It features a dual pov format through which we follow Rose and Brad’s respective journeys of self-discovery and acceptance in their senior year of high school.

I felt awful for Rose that not only her sister Carissa, but her best friend and parents, went behind her back and submitted her name for a weight loss tv show without first consulting her. That kind of unsolicited exposure can really damage one’s self-esteem and psyche, and Rose was an absolute champ for not only going but having the drive to participate and make the best of her situation. The other main character, Brad, was probably my favorite and I loved his transformation from a person who was image-obsessed to someone who found self-worth by learning to put others first.

The titular character of Carissa was one that I loved to hate. She consistently put down everyone around her, and did it in ways that were so manipulative and self-serving that I struggled to sympathize with her at any parts of the book. While I did enjoy her characterization, I wish there’d been more of a redeeming factor for her other than one small sub-plot at the end of the story. I would’ve liked a few hints earlier in the book that she was more than the mean girl persona that she exuded for the first 80% of the plot.

I questioned the romance in this story a bit because the main characters are apart for much of the plot, but I liked all the internal musings from both of them so I found the friends to lovers narrative still relatively enjoyable. Overall I liked the themes that were explored and the premise was intriguing. The writing style was easy to follow and this was a quick but enjoyable read.

This was cute! I enjoyed reading it. However, my biggest issue was that, even though the author was attempting to send a message about being comfortable in your body, Rose still lost what sounded like a significant amount of wait on this Biggest Loser type reality show and the book still ends up sending a message that you need to lose weight to be happy and loved. Like I said, the author was clearly going for the body positivity angle, but it didn't quite land. Other than that, the romance was sweet!

I'd like to start by saying thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read this e-book Arc copy of Thanks Carissa for ruining my life.
Now for my review...so this book had/has a lot of promise, but for me i really did struggle to read this whole book. I did make it all the way to the end of the book but it was hard going, i found that throughout the book there were F's and I's or L's missing from the beginning and/or end of words, which made it very difficult to understand and work out what on earth the words are meant to say. I disliked all of the characters at various points (I did however warm to them at times), but they all acted so needy and whiny for the majority of the book.
That being said I did enjoy the story that was being portrayed, it was such a heart warming message sent through the book.

The title of ‘Thanks, Carissa, for ruining my life’ caught my eye. I was so overjoyed when I found it in my Netgalley shelf just waiting to be read.

This is a sweet contemporary read about Brad and Rose. It’s light-hearted, makes you laugh, easy do read and dual perspective.

The story starts with Carissa signing her twin plus-sized sister Rose up for a weight loss camp in Texas. Around the same time she breaks up with her boyfriend Brad. Both Rose and Brad are absolutely mad at Carissa and for reasons justified.

I really liked Rose’s character, right from the start. She was such a nice person, perfect for a protagonist. Brad’s character was also good as a male lead. But something that bothered me was Carissa. I was starting to get into her being a mean girl, and to be honest, the oh so not surprising character redemption ruined her for me.

I’m not one to say that a mean character deserves to stay mean, but the whole book was based up on Carissa being super selfish. That kindof downplayed it for me.

One thing that I really liked about this was Rose’s character development. Admitting to yourself can be hard, and this book actually showed how hard it is. It wasn’t a god sent realisation, it took time and effort. I really liked that. Not many ya protagonists are plus sized, so Rose was definitely a breath of fresh air.

The plot developed good. It had me questioning how Rose and Brad would end up together, but then that plot twist was SO SUDDEN.

This book also had a TON of misunderstandings. The whole circle of ‘if she likes me then why is she with him’ and ‘he couldn’t like me, he dated HER’.

I did find Brad adorable, and his and Rose’s backstory was really really cute.

I think the book served it’s purpose. It was a light, fluffy, ya contemporary read.

This isn’t my typical genre, but I did actually enjoy it! It was a sweet read about finding yourself and falling in love. I just wanted to keep reading and see what happened. It's a slow burn romance and told through the POVs of both Brad and Rose which I really enjoy and loved the coming of age aspect of them learning to accept themselves for who they are, I also loved the chemistry between them.

Thanks, Carissa, For Ruining My Life is a fun, young adult novel about falling in love and dealing with wild cards in the game of life.
After being dumped by his long-time girlfriend the weekend before his senior year of school starts, Brad vows to make some major changes to his life to get Carissa back. He follows through pretty well with those plans, but he begins to notice some things about himself that makes him question his original goal.
Carissa's sister, Rose, is also experiencing a very different start to her senior year. She is missing the first half of senior year to be on a reality show. On this show, participants live at a camp with the goal of losing weight and getting healthy. In her isolation from her normal life, Rose too begins to realize truths about herself and those around her. Brad and Rose eventually connect through letters while Rose is away at camp. As they learn about themselves and each other, Brad and Rose find that maybe their lives weren't completely ruined, after all.
This was a fun young adult romance. I felt that it went a little slow at times, and the miscommunication going on started to get on my nerves a bit - but without it, we wouldn't have the story. I like that it showed both main characters succeeding in (most) of their personal goals, before the romance. I think this is a good novel for young teens who are starting to enjoy romance, as well as older teens. I definitely would have enjoyed this when I was that age.
I received a complimentary e-copy of the book from publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is really sweet and also has a wonderful message. The main character is struggling with overweight and and no self-esteem, but when her sister sends her to fat camp she learns how to love herself. Would recommend this book to anyone who has self-esteem issues or anyone who likes book with self-grouth.

There was a lot happening in this novel, but I feel like the competing storylines worked fairly well. Brad and Rose are cute. Carissa is the perfect amount of foil in the story. The ending felt a bit rushed and undeserved, but overall it’s a solid YA romantic novel that tackles some heavier issues.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my voluntary review.

This book was too childish for me. I liked that it touches on the idea of body shaming and I thought it was also about self-acceptance, but that end changed my mind. The author made Carissa really unbearable and I liked that, but at the same time it annoyed me.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me review it tho!

It was a cute YA novel. It is a classic highschool romance read with all the drama that comes with high school. I usually love dual POV novels but in this case, I had a hard time. Brad didn’t seem like a teenage boy, in fact he seemed like a whinier version of Rose. My issue was that they were both whiny I think and that the development of their feelings couldn’t really be seen anywhere but their minds.

I think I might have enjoyed this more in between emotional reads.

Thank you to the publisher for this arc!

In Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life, we follow Brad and Rose, two teenagers navigating their senior year of high school, and all that entails: friendships, break-ups, and popular girls. Both Rose and Brad are intimately familiar with dealing with popular girls, namely Carissa. As a twin sister to Rose and a girlfriend then not to Brad, Carissa has a huge impact on both of their lives, and neither of them like it.

In the beginning of the story, we get to dive in to Brad’s perspective, and it’s not pretty. Carissa is breaking up with him, and his perfect start to high school is falling to pieces. He decides to take these pieces and build himself into a better Brad, one worthy of Carissa. On the other hand, Rose’s high school experience was never perfect, and this year is not different. Instead of starting the year alongside her best friend Holly, Rose is getting shipped off to the reality TV show version of Fat Camp, courtesy of her sister’s secret nomination.

As someone who loves dual perspective novels, I found this story difficult to get into, especially through Brad’s point of view. He didn’t seem to talk like a teenage boy; his voice and Rose’s voice were almost identical. Because of this, Brad just seemed like a whiny, flat version of Rose. Her perspective seemed a bit more fleshed out, and I wish I only had to read her story. Although reading Rose was better than reading Brad, both characters didn’t read like teenagers, and I think they would have been slightly easier to read if I didn’t have to suspend my imagination and believe they were in high school.

Another limitation of the dual perspective is understanding the stakes for both Brad and Rose. They somehow develop feelings for each other during the three months they’re apart. The reason we know they like each other is through reading their minds. Neither of their actions really reflect their crush; many times, It also seems at times they are thinking the exact same thing at the exact same time. Perhaps this was meant to reinforce their feelings, but instead it serves to discount their apparent feelings even more.

Although I loved Rose as a character, her whole plot of going to this fitness makeover show a la Biggest Loser and gaining confidence in herself is a little bleh. I also thought her and Brad would run a 10k together at the end because it was a goal they both mentioned and could have been something that the reader got to see them have in common. As it stands now, the whole arc of the fitness journey Rose goes on and her diatribe near the end about lover her body for what it is doesn’t really make up for the problematic undertones.

Despite the qualms I have about this story, I think a teenager would enjoy reading it. It’s a light sweet story with the happy ending we crave from a romance novel.

I absolutely loved this sweet YA romance (friends to lovers). Carissa is a popular girl at school and she’s dating Brad initially. Early in the book, she ends the relationship and Brad vows to “change” to win Carissa back. At the same time this is happening, Carissa’s twin sister, Rose, is getting ready to leave home for a spot on a weight loss reality TV show that Carissa’s applied to for Rose. Needless to say, both Brad and Rose are feeling bad towards Carissa. “Thanks Carissa for Ruining My Life” is a fun, easy and sweet read.

Thank you for this eARC reading opportunity for my honest opinion. I would definitely recommend this book!

There is an issue with the Kindle version where all the fi's are missing making it really hard to read and follow so I didn't finish it

Round up to 3.5 stars⭐️
Siri play you belong with me by Taylor Swift.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy of this sweet and charming book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Love, real love isn’t striving. It isn’t hard. Real love is feeling comfortable around someone. Like you can be your true self, because that person gets you, and underneath everything else they’re your best friend.”

I was drawn to this book because of the title and it did not disappoint! Carissa is something straight out of a Mean Girls movie and really did a number on two close people in her life. Namely her twin sister Rose, and her now ex-boyfriend Brad. Jump on this wild YA romance and watch how the one person who ruined their lives is the same one who draws them closer to each other.

Brad just had his heartbroken by Carissa and immediately starts planning how to get her back. She is his everything. Plan? A to-do-list to get his life in order so she can see he is a changed man and come running back into his arms.With Carissa going to every length to ignore him, making him uncomfortable among is own friends and even losing his gig as the morning announcer at school, all he can think to himself is: Thanks for ruining my life Carissa. Brad slowly starts checking down every set goal and soon realizes this self-improvement is more for him than anyone else. With this new found confidence and a head clear of Clarissa, he discovers he is feeling butterflies in his stomach again, but for Carissa’s twin…


Rose has been sent of to Texas Fat Camp(aka reality TV show Help me lose weight and live again)by none other than her gorgeous skinny twin, Clarissa. Embarrassed and humiliated with camera’s documenting her every horrible exercising marathon and calorie counting move, she can’t help but curse Clarissa for butting in.Being overshadowed by your own twin is bad enough,and collapsing on a treadmill for everyone to see isn’t helping either. Neither is her thinking of Brad constantly doing much for her heart knowing he only sees her as a friend and only wants Clarissa. Thanks, Clarissa, for ruining my life.

This book contains everything from friends-to-lovers, self-improvement to dealing with fat-shamming culture and body acceptance. Its so simply and beautifully written. You will find yourself cheering these characters on page after page and feel wholly satisfied with the ending. Quick and super enjoyable read, this book offers an insightful look into the value of friendships and the journey of self-discovery.

Highly entertaining, highly recommended!

This book starts off with Brad getting dumped by Carissa. He has a whole plan of how he wants to get her back, meanwhile Carissa has signed her overweight twin sister, Rose, up for a TV show to better her life. Throughout this process both Rose and Brad undergo their own transformations and in the end does Brad want Carissa back? Catchy story and told from the perspectives of Rose and Brad.

* Thank You Net Galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review
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This book was so much fun. I found Rose and Brad to be super fun and likable characters. This book is filled with miscommunication and misunderstanding which was a fun element that kept me entertained and rooting for the main characters. I love how much Rose and Brad grew throughout the novel and all of the lessons that they learned about themselves and others.

Brad is starting senior year with the almost perfect girlfriend, Carissa. Unfortunately she dumps him, because Brad is not 'her type'. Rose, Carissa's twin, is also starting senior year, but her sister signs her up for a reality show about loosing weight. Both are thinking that Carissa has ruined their lives.
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It was a cute YA novel about self-discovery. It was an easy read and I loved both POV. It's a slow burner, and the relationships were pretty messed up. Like Rose was with Daniel, but still she was thinking about Brad. And uggh, Brad was a bit annoying in the first half. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, there could be more character development. I think it is perfect for any mid teens. It felt a bit repetitive at times. The cover and synopsis was so nice that's why I was looking forward to reading this story but sadly it kinda slightly disappointed me. There wasn’t any proper moments in between Brad and Rose. But it was lovely to see Rose’s journey to self love.

Oh, the reality show reminded me of MTV Splitsvilla xD

I received a free copy via NetGalley from the author in exchange for an honest review.