Ellie Is Cool Now by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren is a movie in the making. In a high school reunion-themed rom-com, Ellie goes back to Ohio from L.A. for her 10 year high school reunion where she has a run in with her estranged best friend Roxy and former crush Mark. It feels like a Romy and Michelle High School reunion remake and if you loved that movie as much as I did, you'll LOVE this book! Highly recommend!

This is the story of Ellie who is working as a writer for a teen show in LA and is challenged by her boss to go to her high school 10 year reunion to gain some "perspective" and maybe get a promotion. With the challenge and the list her two best friends put together Ellie heads to Ohio for a weekend back home and shenanigans ensue.

What I liked:
Mark, Ellie's high school crush who seems to be a good guy who made some mistakes but wants to get to a better place
Ellie's friends, Vic and Tina seem to be a fun pair to be around and are pushing Ellie outside her comfort zone when she refuses to. Not to mention they seem super supportive and sometimes know what is best for Ellie better than she does
The List, Vic and Tina create an "Ellie is Cool Now" list and if I ever go to one of my high school reunions I might try to check off a few of the items since they seemed like fun
Diffusion Tactic, Ellie gets herself in a lot of odd spots throughout her time back in Ohio and I really enjoy that her being a writer for a popular show seems to diffuse every situation she seems to be herself into

I would give this one a 3.5 out of 5 stars, I think the concept was there but some of it just missed the mark for me. I didn't like the subplot with Mark since it ruined the romance for me and how Ellie treated her childhood friend was really frustrating and made her more unlikeable than I think she should have been.

I wouldn't say this was a terrible book, but overall I am not sure if I would recommend it to all of my reader friends. There are definitely a group that I know would love it and I will absolutely tell them about it but for me this is not a recommend for all type of read.

This book was like a mix of Never Been Kissed and that episode of 30 Rock where Tina Fey goes to her high school reunion - and I was here for it!

After a terrible high school experience as a nerd, Ellie escaped her small Ohio town and now lives in LA, working in TV on a hit show about popular teens. She has no interest in going home for her high school reunion. But her boss thinks it’s the perfect opportunity for Ellie to shake off her cynicism and reframe her high school experience - and offers the promotion of Ellie’s dreams if she attends. Armed with a list of tasks to complete based on yearbook superlatives, Ellie goes back home to encounter her past, including the popular kids, her estranged rebel best friend, and the boy who got away.

I enjoyed this! Ellie was super relatable; right off the bat, I was giggling at Ellie’s internal monologue, and loving her cynicism and judgmental nature. The whole book had a nostalgic feel, and read like all my favourite 90s/00s movies - complete with an overtly unprofessional work assignment, hilarious side characters (including the ultra supportive best friends), a lesson resulting in personal growth, and a romantic grand gesture at the end.

This was an interesting reading experience because the book had some elements that I typically don’t love, but in the context of the story, they worked. For example, many of the side characters didn’t have a whole lot of depth, effectively defined by one character trait - but in context of the superlative-framed plot, this made sense. The same lack of depth characterized the romance for me, but again, this fit with the “one that got away” framing, particularly where it primarily served to exemplify Ellie’s own misperceptions and personal shift in perspective. It’s possible I’m reading too much into some of this, but for me, the character development fit well with the purpose and structure of the plot.

Basically, if you miss the height of the Drew Barrymore rom com era (which I definitely do), this could be for you!

Thank you to Forever & NetGalley for the free advance copy of this book! Opinions are all my own.

Ellie is Cool Now takes me right back to high school. The ups, the many downs and all the in between. As I was reading, I felt like Ellie’s emotional maturity got stunted in high school. I found her to be a fun, if not mature character. There were laugh out loud moments, which I appreciated. If the tropes you enjoy are friends to lovers and small towns, this light hearted story, will be for you.

This was such a cute read! I absolutely loved the story and the updates from the Wattpad version. I can't wait to read more from this duo, and would love to read more stories in this world too!

Ellie is a successful almost co-exec producer in LA and her boss wants her to go to get HS reunion so she can get in touch with her HS roots, since her show is based on HS storyline.
Her besties made a list of items she needed to complete which her boss intercepted in her work email. The only problem is her crush and her ex best friend might be there. And she left and never looked back cause of what happened.
This was such a funny, sweet, sad and crazy adventure. I could totally see this happening to my HS class so much drama. No matter how old you are you sometimes revert back to hs like muscle memory with a group of hs people. But there were lessons learned in hindsight and hearing others stories. I was an eclectic high schooler which means I was a weirdo but somehow popular cause as much as I paid attention I acted like I didn't gaf.

Thank you foreverpub for the gifted copy

In need of inspiration to write her TV drama about high schoolers (since she hated high school), Ellie has been asked to attend her class reunion. As incentive, her producer suggests she will get a promotion if everything goes well. Her friends compile an "Ellie is Cool Now" list for her to complete.

This was a lighthearted story about the awkwardness of our teenage years and having to relive moments we'd rather forget..

This book made me laugh. Ellie was so relatable and awkward. She tackled her 𝘌𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘕𝘰𝘸 list in so many creative and entertaining ways, and I ate it up!

Poor Ellie started as an insecure 18 year old in a 28 year old’s body. Her indecisiveness and inability to talk to her high school crush was so hard to watch, but I loved watching her confidence and maturity develop throughout the book.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥

Ellie really needs her high school reunion to work out. Her promotion in LA as a show writer depends on whether she can complete a list of tasks while she attends the reunion. It is too bad that she is still holding on to trauma from that awful, awful time.

Now she is back in Ohio, and she is learning quickly that life cannot be scripted.

I had high expectations for this read. The description was giving me updated vibes for Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. What I got did not quite hit the mark.

The premise was enjoyable, and I liked the lightness and pacing of the read. There were some fun comedic elements nicely balanced with more serious themes like self-acceptance and moving on.

The downside is that I could not relate to any of the characters. I get high school trauma. I was totally Ellie at high school, but just like we advise people who peaked in high school and refused to let go, people who equally hold on to that trauma need to let go also. Her crush Mark was not very charismatic, and how he approaches relationships (more like dalliances) leaves much to be desired. Her ex-best friend Roxy is not a very good friend. What had me cheering for Ellie to go back home and find some closure quickly had me hoping she just goes back to LA and finds some closure there.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Victoria Fulton, Faith McClaren, Forever Publishing, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

Ellie didn't have a great high school experience, so writing scripts for a tv show set in a high school is a bit of a challenge for her. She's up for a promotion, but her boss wants her to get over her disdain and come back fresh and less jaded. Luckily, her ten-year reunion is coming up and the perfect time to reconnect with her former peers.

I can understand not having fond memories of high school, but Ellie's wasn't really so terrible and I felt like she blew it way out of proportion. She wasn't popular, but also didn't make attempts to make friends other than her bff Roxy. Ellie was bullied, just more of a background player. She had a crush, but instead of talking to Mark, she was pretty mean to him and ran away. What did you expect then??

I also thought Ellie was a terrible friend to Roxy. She was clearly struggling with abuse at home and turning to drinking, drugs, and sex as coping mechanisms. Ellie just distanced herself instead of trying to be there for Roxy or asking an adult for help. Then ten years later, Ellie still treats Roxy like crap. Did you learn anything?

The idea of the story wasn't bad and I like crossing off the list of superlatives, but Ellie was too unlikeable for me, down to the very end I thought she was selfish and cowardly. Not my cup of tea.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the copy.

A contemporary romance full of funny moments with a lighthearted tone!

Ellie Jenkins is a TV producer in LA and when her boss dangles a promotion in front of her she’s ecstatic. However, there’s a catch, she has to attend her 10 year high school reunion back in her small hometown in Ohio. Ellie most certainly didn’t peak in high school and now that she’s faced with the collision of her past and present, will she be able to right the wrongs of the past and move forward with her new life in LA?

Ellie’s disdain for high school was ultimately so relatable for me. Like Ellie, I certainly didn’t peak in high school, and found her banter around the reunion hilarious. I thought the book was paced really well and had a really fun and unique premise. My favorite thing about this book, though, was that it kept things lighthearted throughout yet still was able to discuss some really heavy issues. The romance was fun (I do love a good second chance!) and the message really hit home for me. Overall, this was an excellent read and I will certainly recommend it to those who are looking for a fun, quick read!

Thank you to Forever for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This one was giving me “Never Been Kissed” movie vibes. I loved the read overall it was quick, quirky, and fun.

If you’re a fan of second Chance romances, and one where the once geeky girl gets the guy, you’ll want to pick this up.

It’s a perfect beach read!

I loved the premise of Ellie Is Cool Now. I didn’t enjoy high school so I thought I’d be able to relate with Ellie but I didn’t.

Ellie and all of her classmates seemed really immature for being 28. Sure, maybe they were just acting that way because of the class reunion but it didn’t come across that way.

The book felt like a YA book just with a lot of swearing and sex.

I couldn’t get over Ellie’s boss sending her to her high school reunion with a list of tasks to complete in order to get a promotion.

The storyline wasn’t awful and I really wanted to like it more than I did. This one just fell flat for me.

💭Thoughts:
I just got the invitation to my 20 year high school reunion in August, so this was the perfect read for me! I’m so glad we didn’t do superlatives at graduation.

Ellie is a bit of an annoying character. She is funny, but also cringy at times. I definitely appreciated her dislike of high school, but I also felt like she was old enough to have gotten past some of those feelings.

I did enjoy the flow and the progression of the story. The story kept me engaged, as I wanted to know how it would all work out in the end. Overall, I feel like this book had a lot of promise, but I really disliked most of the characters.

I devoured this book in a day and can definitely see why it was such a phenomenon on Wattpad! Ellie and Roxy were borh infuriating but you couldn't help but root for them and for Mark. Livin in a small town in Ohio is very familiar to me and i also hated high school but 10 years later am married to someone from my graduating class and extended friend group in a plot twist i never saw coming so I loved seeing Ellie experience the same thing. Having her complete the list of things Vic and Tina came up with was just a cherry on top!

More Like 3 and a half Stars ✨.

I enjoyed this!

Please do not be discouraged by the star rating. It’s the one and two star ratings you need to be weary of when it comes to my reviews. Three and above is the green light to pick up a book.

Ellie is Cool Now was a fun fast read. I can see this book as something that could easily get a reader out of a reading slump.

I enjoyed the premise and the fact that it centers around a high school reunion. It takes place in the fall. Fall is my favorite time of year. There’s a small town setting. Unique and flawed characters and a List.

Why This Wasn’t a 5 Star Read- Mainly the romance. I wasn’t invested. I didn’t care for the way that the heroine treats the love interest. In the past and in the present. Ellie recognizes a pattern of behavior but doesn’t fix it. There was just no growth. I was a tad frustrated.

Overall- I still recommend this book. I’d definitely give this author duo another read.

Ellie is so close to her dream job after being stuck writing for a soul numbing teen reality show. The only thing standing in her way according to her boss is her cynicism. And he has the perfect way to change her perspective. He’s going to make her to go to her high school reunion. Her work friends come up with a list of things she needs to do at the reunion to prove she’s finally made it.

But there’s a reason Ellie never wanted to return home. She was a nobody in high school and when she left town she had lost her best friend and her long time crush. Will getting a second change her perspective or prove that she’s still the invisible girl.

Ellie’s entire vibe and general snarky inner monologue gave me life. I don’t know what it says about me as a person but I related to Ellie’s cynicism on a deep level. I think anyone who found themselves after high school could relate to her character especially if you feel like you missed your big chance with the one.

I don’t know what it was about this one that sucked me in but I binged this one in a little over a day staying up way past my bedtime to get in just one more chapter. My only complaint is I thought the ending wrapped up just a little too quickly for my liking and I would have loved an epilogue to see where these two ended up.

If you’re looking for a low stakes rom com that will keep you entertained from start to finish and you like your romance with just a little bit of spice then I think you’ll love this one.

I received an early copy via netgalley to review.

The heroine is a writer for a TV show that showcased high schoolers. The heroine is forced to go to her high school reunion after her boss dangled a promotion if she attended it. After her friends came up with a bucket list that the heroine should do during the high school reunion. And as the heroine attends the reunion, she is determined to accomplish everything in the bucket list and become a 'cool' person.

The premise of this book sounded amazing, but there were some details that made the book not be amazing. Firstly, I couldn't get behind the female main character. At the first chapter, her dislike of her high school years was so overwhelming that it didn't endear her to me at all. I can commiserate about the high school label, but her feelings about it was a turnoff. I did like the friendship between the female main character and her childhood best friend, and how that relationship turned around in this book. As for the romance, I was not a fan with the relationship between the female main character and her love interest. I did like the bucket list aspect and how that came about. Overall, I liked the cover and the story could have been better.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

I loved the beginning of this story. It was hilarious and I had high hopes but as the story goes on it sort of slows down and it feels like Ellie doesn’t have that much to do. The romance isn’t all that cute and the characters don’t change all that much. So the beginning of the story is very similar to the ending but with one twist. I just wish we saw more growth from all the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for a copy of this book. I think we all put a lot of pressure to be our best self for high school reunion. I can see why Ellie doesn't want to go and the idea of a to do list during her reunion was a fun premise. This felt more like a women's fiction with some romance. Parts of the story was fun and parts got me scratching my head with the characters actions. Overall, this was a fun and kept me interested.