The premise of this book was interesting, but in reality proved to be a major disappointment. I'd never read a book with a marketing campaign that touted it as a "Wattpad sensation", given the generally poor reputation of Wattpad stories, and going forward I'm unlikely to ever pick up a Wattpad-originating book again. Unlikable characters, cliche after cliche after cliche in the settings and plot points and supporting characters... I had to force myself to finish, and am only grateful I didn't pay money to read this. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

This one was really cute and made for an enjoyable escape when I read it over a weekend. I love a story about a character returning to their hometown after being gone a long time and even better that Ellie is back in town for her ten year reunion. Ellie was a frustrating character, she’s pretty immature about many things, specifically emotional issues but she was fun to read about still. There were plenty of additional characters in the story too, her old classmates mostly, but I really enjoyed her friendship with her two work besties and would’ve like to see even more of them. In the end Ellie did so a little bit of growth which was nice and overall I did think this was a light, breezy read.

Ellie is a writer for a popular TV show set about the popular kids in a high school. But Ellie was NOT popular back when she was a high schooler. To help Ellie get a fresh perspective (and to help her secure a big promotion at work), she is tasked with attending her 10 year high school reunion and to complete a list of things with her former classmates, something Ellie is absolutely dreading.

My thoughts:
I identified with Ellie in a lot of ways and I really sympathized with her various feelings as the plot moved forward. Ellie was able to learn to be confident in herself and her abilities and I felt like that really came through as she navigated through all her interactions with her former classmates.

I did feel like the plot was a big slow or stagnant at times. I felt like the characters were a bit immature at various times throughout the story. There were some really likable moments and none that were completely cringy, but nothing wowed me. This was a solid 3-star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (GrandCentral) Publishing for the digital copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

This book gave me mixed feelings. I liked the overall storyline but I found the majority of the characters to be pretty unlikeable. Even at the age of 28, Ellie was unable to come to terms with her feelings and act like an adult when communicating them. Her behavior towards Mark as a teenager is justifiable, because who isn't awkward and intimidated in middle/high school, but it is pretty inexcusable to leave Mark without a word when you're almost 30 years old. Roxy had a lot of issues. While addiction is not something to be taken lightly and support is needed for those going through it, I thought Roxy was brash & rude and I understand when going through addiction, your personally and character is affected, but it seemed that she was always like that, even when sober. There are the other many high school reunion characters that irked me but the only character from Ellie's past that was remotely decent was Mark. Despite him jumping into bed with her only a week after ending his engagement, he treated Ellie the right way and then followed her to LA to continue their relationship. I think he could've handled the broken engagement a little better, but nonetheless, his attitude and treatment towards Ellie was nothing less than gentlemanly.
Like I said at the beginning of this review, the premise of the story was very clever I just wish the characters were a little different and acted more their age.

This is the first book I read from this author. She's a great storyteller and keeps you engage with humor. It was a lighthearted and quick read. We all dread high school reunions, so I felt for Ellie! But I didn't quite connect with her character, she came off immature. Overall, it a fun read .

I want to say this book was a cute quick read and for the most part it was. The book started off strong and I was interested in the story and the idea about returning to your reunion in a better place but just kind of fell flat for me. I didn't really like the main characters too much one especially coming out of a long term relationship and ready to move on pretty quickly. The side characters at the reunion also not great all the mean people in high school were still mean and successful with the only nice person the main character mentions running into has cancer. I wanted this book to be a little lighter and more fun while it had its moments just wasn't a hit for me. Also felt like it dragged at the end while also wrapping up a little too easy. This one was 3 stars for me rounded up from 2.5. Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute, sweet and entertaining. I did feel a tad bit old reading it, but I think we can all identify with the dreaded class reunion, going/not going, showing everyone up or being honest with who you are.

Again, cute, sweet, entertaining and endearing!

This is a fun and sweet book, I really liked the way the authors develop the story, Ellie our heroine has to attend her ten high school reunion, she is not very interested in going but her boss forces her to go to get promoted at work.

The story is entertaining, and I liked seeing Ellie with her friends from her past and the way they all evolved ten years later. Thanks a Netgalley for the ARC!

Ellie comes home a successful rebranded person, for her class reunion. One of the first people she meets is her one time crush, Mark who is definitely not succeeding. In fact, most of the people she went to school with seem to be stuck in immaturity.

I think anyone who is about this age (28) or younger will identify and enjoy this book, but someone who is of my age (49) just shakes their heads and stops reading.

🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝒞𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝑅𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝟚𝟙, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Ellie Jenkins is a TV writer in LA on a hit show about popular high school kids. She is up for a promotion to become a Co- Executive Producer under one condition, she attends her high school reunion. She still has flash backs and dreadful memories about what life was like as a not so cool teenager. In order to get her dream job she takes on the challenge of going back to her home town in Ohio to complete tasks on the “Ellie is Now Cool” list. We join her on her adventure as she unexpectedly rekindles relationships with her ex best friend and high school crush and figures out how to change all of her high school bad karma.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
Let me start off by saying that this book was entertaining. The concept was great and some thing we can all probably connect with. I’m sure we all have memories of high school and many of them might even line up with the things that occur in this book. However, it just didn’t completely work for me. I wish I could better explain why, but I think it comes down to the characters and the feeling that the story was rushed. I felt like the characters were 28 year olds stuck as 16 year olds. I felt like they had little to no growth and many of them were pretty annoying. They were all lacking the depth that I was craving. This book will do the trick if you are looking for a fun and light read. I was just left feeling a little unsatisfied.

😎 𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾😎
⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E S: “ I believe that the stories we consume on TV and in film and in books can truly changed the way we think. Stories bring people together and shape the culture.”

“ It makes me wonder. Does growing up turn you into a different person, or do you just become more you?”

🙏Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Victoria Fulton, and Faith McClaren for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💕

Oh, this book was a lot of fun to read!! I enjoyed the premise and loved the ending, which rarely happens for me!!

Ellie maybe cynical but I really understood her and related to a lot of her feelings. High school wasn't idyllic for me either (although better than Ellie's experience) and that isolation and pain really takes a toll on you.

How Ellie treats Mark, her crush for so many years in school, was hilarious!! Not everyone is gifted in the art of flirtation and love and Ellie could've used a few lessons for sure.

Ultimately this book was a love story x 3 for me. The main love story was with Ellie herself and understanding who she was/is and what she needs from the people in her life.

The obvious love story with Mark was complicated, for sure, but satisfying, to say the least. They definitely seem to fit together and I love it.

I feel the most important love story was with Roxy. High school friendships are tough, especially for girls, and Roxy was so defiant in everything she did and trying to prove she didn't care that she betrayed Ellie. The two of them coming together throughout the reunion weekend was really heartbreaking at first and then heartwarming. You can forgive and find that love again.

I would recommend this book and I really hope there's a sequel!!!

Ellie was living her best life (sort of) in LA when an invitation to her ten year reunion arrives. She had no interest in returning to the scene of some of her more painful moments, but her boss has other plans. He believes she is a very talented writer, but could use a different perspective. And how will she acquire said perspective? By attending her high school reunion and completing a list of tasks from The Ellie is Cool Now list.

I am definitely team hated high school, but I found the premise to be a lot of fun. Ellie was given an opportunity to view people without the teenage lens, but best of all, she reconnected with some important people from her past.

I feel like a broken record, but the romance was one of my favorite parts. Her long-time crushes romantic situation was a bit sticky, but the authors did a good job building the case for why Ellie was the better choice. I liked the love interest a lot and found he balanced out Ellie.

I laughed a lot as I read this book, and the ending put the BIGGEST smile on my face. This was a fun one.

No matter what you do, who you become, or where you're going you will always be, in some way a part of who you were in high school. Ellie is going to discover that she is the sum of all her parts in Ellie Is So Coll Now by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren. I loved the evolution and the throwbacks to her high school days. She's about to discover she's not at all who she thought she was and that the other kids weren't as great as they pretended to be. Ellie is definitely cooler now that she has an understanding, not only of herself but, of the people she once called friends and those she deemed enemies. I truly hope this is just the beginning of a new series. There are so many characters that I am longing for a deeper look into. It really is the perfect setup.

~Tanja

I think my want to like this book was greater than my ability to actually like it. A 3rd tier purchase for most libraries.

Ellie is Cool Now is a really fast read. Concept is rather cliche with a bit of a twist: person doesn’t enjoy high school and high tale’s it out of town asap after graduating to not look back. Twist: for a job promotion, boss makes person go to 10-year reunion.

What ensues is a list of things to “accomplish” with some of the superlatives from the class as well as reconnecting with the HS crush. Again, many cliches that occur. Felt that a lot of what occurred was obvious that it was about to happen in the pages so nothing was surprising. But if you are looking for something that is light and easy to pass your time, this is a quick book to do that.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

Even though the quality of the writing is fine and it does have a happy ending, I just found this book depressing. None of the characters are very likeable. The main character’s best friend from high school is troubled, but also just a jerk. This was not a fun, light book, even though it feels like that was the intention. The love interest has been broken up from his fiancé for a week, so even though there’s no cheating going on, it still feels icky. This book could have used some really good editing to change the tone of the story as it seemed initially like an interesting premise. Lastly, I found it odd that this book takes place in 2020 (they’re having the 10 year reunion for the class of 2010), but this book is being published in 2023. It would have made more sense to have them be the graduating class of 2013.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

This book was so cute and definitely gave me cute rom-com movie vibes!! I loved how fun it was and how easy it was to read! Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Ellie Is Cool Now before its release!

This collaborative book is a treat. I enjoy the reunited love story, and Fulton and McClaren offer a unique perspective in Ellie Is Cool Now

this book was so incredible!! i can't believe i got to read this one early! it was so much fun and such a delight! i truly hope every one of you picks this one up. and soon!!

This book truly fits the rom-com genre. Some self-identified rom-coms are skimpy on the comedy, but not this one! Hijinks and hilarity along with a sweet ending. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.