Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Meg Williams and her friends were set to have the perfect Junior Year but when rival high schools are forced to merge together, two student bodies are left pranking one another in attempts to "stake their claim" in their new combined school. Meg being the class pesident of her former school has to work together with the other elected president, Chris Chaves to try to unite their classmates.

The premise of this is something that should have completely intrigued me but it fell a bit flat for me but I unfortunatley dnf'd this one. I could see the premise of this playing out but I was not fully invested in the characters as people themselves which made it hard for me to feel connected to their story and to continue reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book was cute if forgettable. I did enjoy the premise of this book, it was the perfect high school read. I loved meg as a main character and enjoyed how head strong she was especially when accomplishing her goals. overall this book was cute and will be loved by those in highschool.

I found this book to be a cute, fun, and fast read! I haven’t picked up too many young adult books as of recently, but I was drawn to this one in particular because with the Fall season comes events like high school football games and Homecoming. Thus I found the characters and pranks in the book to be nostalgic of my own experiences in high school, though with a little bit of a twist of Gen Z, especially Meg’s hobby of collecting vintage sunglasses. The romance was also sweet and just heartwarming to watch grow over the course of the book. All in all, I had an enjoyable reading experience and would recommend this book!

This was a very cute and fluffy read. I enjoyed all the interactions between Chris and Meg. It was fun seeing them start out as rivals and come together for the sake of the junior class getting use to the new combined school. They made me wish I had this kind of experience in high school lol

I love a YA read for a palette cleanser. After super triggering books or extra spicy books, this sweet high school romance was perfect. The story still touched on challenging topics like grief and family expectations but was still absolutely adorable. The two main characters had opposite plans for the relationship but I loved the slow burn which eventually led to the couple finding love in an unexpected place.

This isn’t my first Addie Woolridge book. I love her writing. She does an excellent job of writing characters. You can feel their essence and familiarity jumping off the bag. This story was no different.

I received this book as an ARC for review and I truly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a lighthearted contemporary romance or who like romance YA.

"The Homecoming War" provided a light and adorable reading experience, perfect for a bit of escapism. While the story had its moments of charm and humor, it did hit a bit of a lull in the middle, which affected the pacing. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable YA contemporary featuring endearing characters and, of course, who can resist a good old-fashioned prank war? A cute and entertaining read for those looking for a dose of fun and youthful mischief.

Cute read! It dragged in the middle, and because of my last CPA exam, it took me awhile to finish. But a cute YA contemporary with engaging characters. And I'm always a sucker for a prank war.

great book and loved the mystery through out the book. I loved the characters and how they grew through all of their adventures. I enjoyed this book and this author and will check them out again add them to my reading pile.

I adored this book!!

I work in a high school library and this week was homecoming for our school and this book couldn’t be better timed. I work in a one high school town and couldn’t even imagine this scenario being easy in the slightest.

Meg and Chris are adorable and I lived their characters. It was lighthearted and fun for the most part. And their friends are the best!! I loved this story from the pranks, to the problems, to coming together as one. So cute!! Can’t wait to get this on our library shelf!!

Another great read by Addie Woolridge. This story follows Megan and Chris. They are name co class president after their schools are merged together. Their goal is to squash the beef/ prank war going on between the two combined schools. Sparks fly as the pair spend more time together and their mutual crush turns into a deeper connection. I couldn't put this book down it was so cute!

After being named co-class presidents because their rival schools merged, Meg and Chris must work together for the good of all. You know what happens next – by spending so much time together, they develop a crush on each other. The story is cute and a new premise for me, one that was setup very well. I did struggle with keeping all the characters straight but overall it didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment of reading. There are some subplots going on such as Meg grieving the loss of a parent. Despite the loss, it is a light hearted, fun read. Meg and Chris have a good relationship and it was fun to see it develop.

This is a book I could easily see adapted for TV because it's got everything that makes a tale set in high school have that 'curl up for a couple of hours and lose yourself' moments.

Welcome to Huntersville High the setting for The Homecoming War, a book I couldn't put down. I was far too invested in the chaotic lives of the students from the former Hirono and Davies High Schools as they find themselves forced into being one school. Two schools whose rivalry thats lasted generations.

Two schools means two student governing bodies, and that means trouble. For Meg Williams, our sweet hardworking Junior Class President? That means she doesn't quite know what to do because of course everyone from Hirano wants her to lead them and to make sure the Davies High students don't rule the school. I loved Meg, she's the earnest girl who is constantly focusing on everything and everyone around her, so much so that it's subtly implied she forgets to look to what truly makes her happy for her and not others.

She's Miss Responsible in the same way Chris Chaves , the Golden Boy and Junior Class President of Davies High is. Forced into working together, along with other members of the Junior class representatives are, the two go from animosity to trying to placate their respective school mates before a war between them all leads to all out chaos and no Homecoming Dance.

Now, I maybe in the UK but I love movies ranging from Pretty in Pink all the way through to She's All That etc so I know just how important a school dance is. That's not to say I didn't love some of the exploits of the troublemakers, Addie Woolridge's creativity shines especially with a certain incident in the school pool. I fell about giggling over it, and got many a strange look.

Alongside the prank wars, we're given insight into both Meg and Chris's lives and it was so well done by being both relatable and handled with care. For Meg, there is the grief of the death of her father and how no one in her family is managing well. I felt for her so much in how she desperately needed to simply acknowledge that he once existed but the weight of her Mother's pain has overshadowed everyone else's and no one knows what to do. Meg's need to be perfect and caring for others is whilst genuine, a displacement for her grief and the author is so good at expressing the confusion a teenager goes through without proper guidance.

The Golden Boy who seems to have everything is also floundering and Woolridge is so good at again showing the weight he's carrying. His is the responsibility to carry on a family legacy that he doesn't want and has seen others try to flee and fail, and a suppression of who he truly is and what makes him happy.

Both Meg and Chris bring out the best in one another from their initial friendship that Meg doesn't even realise is happening! To the two becoming the Sweethearts of their Junior class. I loved every moment of it, even the sad times which didn't overshadow the story but provide depth to their character and help to expand the world building around them.

There are some lovely moments in The Homecoming War, a fantastic support cast of characters with their own tales some fun, some thought provoking. We have a class clown, a mean girl or three and the most supportive best friend a girl could ask for. (Like I said perfect teen romance page to screen tale I've read in a while.)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story follows Megan and Chris ( so thought of the family guy when I started reading this). They are name co class president after their schools are merged together. Their goal is to squash the beef/ prank war going on between the two combined schools. Sparks fly as the pair spend more time together and their mutual crush turns into more. This was my first read from this author and it did not disappoint. It was super cute and I definitely can see myself reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you Random House Children's, Underlined and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Homecoming War by Addie Woolridge was a sweet, high-school YA story about co-class presidents coming together as their schools combine into one large school. Meg and Chris started out as rivals but became friends as they guided their friends and classmates through the transition of combining schools. I loved the supporting characters/friends that were there for both Meg and Chris. The story itself was relatively light-hearted, but there was some deeper emotions both of them were dealing with, that the author handled very well and in tune with how teenagers would handle them. I truly enjoyed this story! It was a perfect break into what I've been reading lately, and I am grateful to Netgalley, Author Addie Woolridge and Random House for the ARC! *slight spoiler ahead*.....my only wish would have been to see if Chris' issue had any resolution.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Addie Woolridge book and I really enjoyed it. The cover and the book description intrigued me especially it being about two schools merging together, something I haven't read in a book before. This was a light-hearted read and definitely can be seen as what some might call, a palate cleanser, after reading heavier or boring books.
Meg can be someone really relatable, as she's class president and is a stem major, but also someone who is grieving the loss of a parent. Even with this in mind, it never gets too emotional when someone stops reading it from being too heavy. I loved seeing Meg and Chris' relationship blossom and see how they come together for the same ultimate goal.
Overall I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a YA read that is lighthearted romance!

I really wanted to like this book. It sounded really cute but I found myself bored majority of the time. I just finished it the other day and I can barley remember what I read. I also feel like a lot of the book was showing but not actually telling. I mean the author could have had so much fun with the 90s themed roller party but I feel it wasn't really described. Also, a big portion of this book is pranks but you kind of find out about them and then it's on to the next one. There even was one that Meg helped out with and I don't remember reading how they actually did the prank it was just described after the fact. I think it would have been to go into more detail. Overall, I really wanted more out of this book.

When two rival high schools are merged into one, two class presidents must work together to make sure that their schools can unite... and maybe a mutual crush might happen as they try to navigate prank works, baking together, and going to homecoming. Meg Williams is still dealing with the grief of her father's death, she's had her life planned out and enjoys being class president as well as collecting vintage sunglasses. She loves Hirono High School and is determined to get good grades so she an finally leave California and her ghosts behind. Chris Chaves is the class president of Davies High School, he's charming, handsome, and great at baseball. When Chris and Meg meet and are made co presidents, they have to find a way to stop all the prank wars and rivalries going on between their schools because their schools are now merged as one. Yet the more time they spend together the more they are beginning to fall for each other, yet with both their schools pulling them in their own directions, where will their loyalties lie and what will happen to their feelings. This was a sweet high school romance with cute pranks and it definitely felt like a 2000's high school romance movie. Meg is dealing with grief and trying to find herself as things in her control are beginning to change, but it was great seeing her grow and open herself up. Overall, it was a cute read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Underlined for sending me an ac in exchange for an honest review*

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I have never read anything by Addie Woolridge before, but I was charmed by the cover and premise of The Homecoming War, especially the concept of two schools merging, something I had never heard of happening before. The book itself is lighthearted fun, and exactly what I needed, following a somewhat lackluster read.
Meg is a solid, fairly relatable protagonist. She’s class president, and desires to leave town upon graduation. While it could have been easy for her to be the typical overachiever character, I liked how her reasons for wanting to leave stem from grief from the loss of a parent, and while the book never loses its overall light, fun nature, this is a nice dose of heart that grounded it for me, and added a little something extra to complement the fluffiness. And while she has her own motivations, I do like that she has good intentions, and wants to do what’s best for the students of her school.
The romance itself was quite cute as well. While there is an initial rivalry, she and Chris do have common goals in their desires as the class presidents, and once they get out of their own heads, I like how they’re able to not only put the other students first, but bond over what they do have in common.
And while there are a lot of people in the supporting cast, and it can bog down the story a little, I liked that the cast was colorful and diverse, making the story feel authentic to the California setting, as well as giving names and faces to the people that Meg and Chris are meant to advocate for.
The one thing I didn’t care for was the pacing. It started off quite slow, and I did feel like there were quite a few moving parts, from the prank war to the rivalry to the romance, that often left the story feeling a little scattered. But once the story found its rhythm, I was invested.
This is a cute book, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a fun, lighthearted YA contemporary romance.

The Homecoming War was a fun prank-wars filled book following two rival class presidents, Meg and Chris! This was my first book by Addie Woolridge, and I think she did a great job of capturing the teen experience at a local high school in CA. Firstly, speaking to the student body depicted at Hirono and Davies, I think the portrayal of the diverse student population (seeing Meg have a Bengali best friend meant so much to me!), the interests among teens, and the liveliness at high school was very accurate to my experience being born and raised in CA as well. I loved Meg and Chris's interactions, seeing them slowly grow feelings for each other, and also seeing their leadership and interactions with their friends and peers.

Aside from the teen rom-com plot, this book also features a subplot of Meg navigating life after the death of her father and now living in an "unconventional" household with her widowed mother and her grandmother. I think the exploration of how teens deal with grief was very thoughtfully done and I liked seeing the parental and grandparental dynamic between Meg and her mother & grandmother.

Overall, this was an enjoyable YA read that I'm sure many young readers will enjoy!