Okay I’ll admit, I was first interested in this book because of the cover and the title, but I can confidently say that the story inside is so much better. Part of it is expected elements of YA, exes and new relationships, new and old friendships, potential drama with exes and ex-friends, but I think Farrah Penn has really managed to tackle these things through the lens of the misogyny that is rampant, even and especially in high school (or like the Bowling For Soup song says, high school never ends). But this isn’t just a technical takedown of anti-feminist rhetoric in a fictional (but all too real high school), it’s done through the journeys of nuanced and flawed characters. There’s a level of the morally grey in the way that most things are, letting characters make mistakes without inherently being a bad person, but also making sure misogyny is called out. The characters and all their relationships were probably my favourite part, but I think the overall storyline and the message was also great. It’s definitely worth the read and I would recommend it.

I was truly such a fan of the characters in this book (not the ones who were jerks but they were still well-written), and the way Penn gives us unique characters that feel developed instead of just checking off certain boxes. Brynn, the MC, can be someone who’s dated a lot and doesn’t deserve the way people are treating her, and her friends can be multifaceted human beings who are fun and even reckless sometimes when a character archetype might have kept them in a box. The character growth was also top notch, and I think Brynn’s mental and emotional journeys really made this book so much more fun to read.

With the characters comes a great storyline and relationships. I think this book does a really good job of including a lot of different kinds of relationships, and giving them fair priority within the storyline (truly fleshing out Brynn’s familial and platonic relationships while also having room for a romance that doesn’t overshadow the entire story). CANCELLED was readable and worth the time spent as it balances serious topics with the fun of watching characters grow and develop relationships.

This one ended up being blah for me I guess that's because I'm not the target audience for YA any more. And I'm not one for teenage drama anymore. But I'm pretty sure teens will love this one.

n Cancelled, I got to revisit some high school angst. It is the story of Brynn, a high school senior on scholarship at a fancy private school in LA (the second book that I read in the past few weeks that takes place in the Palisades!), who gets exposed on social media. Except, it isn’t her. The whole book had such an Easy A feeling about it. Brynn was smart, witty, oozing with sarcasm and not afraid to challenge the bureaucracy at her school and social norms of her fellow classmates. I loved Brynn’s gaggle of friends, I loved how she stood up for herself, I loved her banter, I loved the realistic way her stress and emotions were revealed and how she dealt with everything thrown at her. It was a fun and yet emotional look at high school life in 2024. Out now!

I slowly started falling in love with YA books again. I was skeptical to read any YA books because I was afraid I would judge them too harshly.

I’m in my late 20’s now, so I didn’t believe I would be able to relate to YA characters anymore, or enjoy most books in that demographic.

I’m so glad I decided to take the chance anyway. This book was enjoyable, and I found myself immersed in the story. I recommend you give this book a chance, regardless of your age.

If you’re like me, and you’re afraid of not relating to books for a specific age group, just go ahead and give the book an opportunity. You might be surprised of how much you enjoy a book.

I loved cancelled, it gives me mean girls x easy a vibes, but I really pulled for Brynn! But I also really loved the mystery behind this while also asking about some serious topics.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This book felt similar to Moxie with starting a femolution and fighting back against misogyny which is always fun to read about. It was super cute and was like a 2000s teen movie with how the plot rolls along and the ending which reminds me of my youth and is quite fun. I stayed up late reading it because I was engaged with the writing and the plot. If you are looking for a teen move throwback, check this out. 3.75 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

High school is tough and little decisions people make can change your life in the blink of an eye. In the "cancel culture" we live in there is a thin line between inclusivity and diversity and how it will be excepted. Cancelled follows a student named Brynn who is a scholarship student at a prestige high school where she has to have a "side hustle" to help her mom pay the bills. A mistaken identity threatens Brynn's scholarship and her side job and she even loses friends because of it. Until she takes her own life back.

I love the girl power in this book. How the author dealt with double standards, brought them to light, and changed how we thought of them. Great YA book.

Brynn's world is turned upside down with the circulation of one video on Snapchat-- a video she isn't even in! It looks like she has been caught in a stolen moment with her ex-bestie's boyfriend, but there was someone else in that banana costume, and that person isn't talking. Brynn navigates this disaster as only she can: by finding the REAL banana-wearer. Brynn is inspired to start a club to end "Cancel Culture" and change the way we all judge women in particular for the choices they make. She is able to make deeper connections with her friends by including them in her club; she has a chance to change the culture of her exclusive private school; and even revives her side-hustle as a 'flirt coach.' Brynn has a lot of heart, and a true knack for bringing people together, even if she ends up on the Dean's radar as an instigator. There's enough humor to keep the book from becoming too heavy, and there are plenty of swoon-worthy moments to keep readers coming back for more.

There is a lot of good stuff here: Tough issues like teen pregnancy and trans acceptance are explored with a gentle touch, and the characters all get a chance to grow into better people. Not all of them do grow, but the decision is theirs to make.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguins Young Readers Group for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. The views in this review are expressly my own.

I try to keep my reviews spoiler free...

Cancel culture and Mean girls collide in this coming of age, taking back power story set at a prestigious (and toxic) private school in Sunny California.

Brynn is a scholarship student scraping by with a neat side hustle of flirt coaching her classmates into communication and relationship success! Until one fateful Halloween party (and total privacy violation) upends everything.

Brynn and the friends that stand beside her, including the "pregnant teen outcast" (really a stunning and confident character) work, with sometimes backwards results, to clear Brynn's name.

Brynn and her friends even start a femolution club on campus to try to flip the toxic masculinity of the school on its head.

This was the most realistic portrait of how toxic school culture can affect teenagers. The snarky writing style reminded me of Maureen Johnson, and I felt that the the characters were all really fleshed out well, despite some stereotypical character tropes.

This would be a great book for high school juniors and seniors to read to build more empathy, as I am sure similar issues are unfolding in high schools today.

A solid 4-star book. I cannot wait to read whatever Farrah Penn writes next!

Brynn is going into her senior year at the top of her game. Her “Flirt Coach” business is doing well, and she has the grades to get that letter of recommendation she so desperately needs to get into her #1 choice school. Halloween approaches and she goes to a party in a banana costume. Soon thereafter, a picture of a person in a compromising position is posted on social media, everyone assumes it is Brynn. When push comes to shove, the girl is getting the bad rap, and what is the boyfriend getting for cheating on his girlfriend; nothing. Brynn and her friends form a group and work to change the misogynistic aura at school, while working to figure out who is in the banana suit. Funny at times and very realistic feeling about social media and how it can change a person’s life. Thank you to Ms. Penn, Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own. Great book! Going to buy a copy for the classroom.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This was interesting. I felt really bad for the bullying concepts and it showed me how powerful social media is and how prevalent the shaming can be in high schools. I was proud of Brynn for not letting it get to her.

"Cancelled" by Farrah Penn is a timely and thought-provoking novel that delves into the complexities of social media culture, the consequences of our online actions, and the possibility of redemption in the digital age. Penn masterfully navigates these themes with a delicate balance of humor, heartache, and hope, crafting a narrative that is not only engaging but also deeply resonant with the current social landscape.

One of the novel's greatest strengths is its authentic depiction of teenage life in the era of social media. Penn captures the pressure to curate a perfect online persona, the instant gratification of likes and shares, and the harsh reality of online backlash with sharp insight and authenticity. The characters' online interactions are as compelling and complex as their real-life ones, highlighting the blurring lines between our digital and physical selves.

"Cancelled" also excels in its exploration of the phenomenon of cancel culture. Penn invites readers to consider the ramifications of public shaming, the potential for change and growth in individuals, and the importance of empathy in our judgments of others. The novel prompts important conversations about accountability, the permanence of online actions, and the humanity behind the screen names and profiles.

Farrah Penn has a knack for writing dialogue that crackles with wit and sincerity, making the characters' interactions a highlight of the novel. The pacing is brisk, with each chapter propelling the story forward and keeping readers hooked until the very end. Despite its serious themes, the book is infused with moments of levity and humor, showcasing Penn's versatility as a writer.

In conclusion, "Cancelled" by Farrah Penn is a compelling, insightful, and ultimately uplifting read that tackles the challenges of growing up in the digital age with grace and wisdom. It's a must-read for anyone who has ever felt the sting of online judgment or questioned the impact of their digital footprint. With its engaging plot, relatable characters, and timely themes, "Cancelled" is a standout novel that resonates with the zeitgeist of our times.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to review for my honest opinion.

This story highlights how tough it is to navigate in this new cancel culture we are in and how thin the lines between diversity and inclusion are. Though the setting is in a high school, the themes are relatable in other areas of adulthood. While I finished this book in a weekend, I feel like it could have been a lot shorter in length, as a number of pages were repetitive in content and just reworded. Cancelled is a good way to learn how quickly things can become negative and how every decision we make not only impacts ourselves but others.

Love, love, loved!

Girl power at its snarkiest. I loved Brynn and how she handles life. We can all learn a thing or two. And Charlie 😍

Definitely will be highly recommending this to my students!

This book is amazing, I think it might actually be one of my favorites for the year. It reminded me of the movies Saved! and Moxie with a sprinkle of Olivia Rodrigo’s song Get Him Back. Brynn was an incredible main character and her journey dealing with her personal and family issues were so relatable. I think the author did such an amazing job at capturing the impact that cancel culture can have on people and this story did a wonderful job at depicting.

I REALLY enjoyed this YA and would definitely recommend it!

Cancelled by @farrahpenn follows Brynn as she navigates her senior year, which has turned out to be a lot more challenging than she would have previously thought. Seen by her peers as the flirt expert, she even runs a small business helping classmates flirt with their crushes or problem solve disastrous text convos, in an effort to get would-be couples back on track. When a sexual act at a party is caught on video featuring someone wearing the same Halloween costume Brynn wore, and then goes viral, Brynn's reputation suddenly takes a turn.

Cancelled takes on Cancel Culture in a really relatable way. It also handled a lot of mature themes in a serious but also fairly light way, which I think might help teens reading it to remember that there are serious consequences for things like sexting and teen pregnancy but the ostracization that can occur, especially in high school, is something that you can have some control over handling. I also appreciated the LGBTQ+ themes within the book and the discussions of feminism and gender equality both in heteronormative culture (ie. men getting approval for sex acts while women get shamed) and also in the LGBTQ+ community. I also appreciated discussions around sex ed and healthy sexuality.

This is the kind of book the YA genre needs, and one that I know YA readers will love. I'm looking forward to reading what Penn comes out with next! Cancelled is available now. Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher @penguinteen for giving me the chance to read and review this awesome book!

I was a little skeptical at the start of this novel - I felt like the author was trying a little hard to be “edgy” with some themes and dialogue, but I ended up really liking this. I think the idea of revenge could have gone is so many directions and this was done well. I would definitely recommend to my students!

Deliciously snarky style and a wickedly fast paced story covers a tale that resonates with some hard looks at the double standard still in play even in the twenty first century.

This felt like a standard YA novel for me. There were times where I kept thinking, "Why doesn't Brynn just do X?" For such a smart protagonist, it surprised me that she missed some obvious questions and clues that she could have been asking (like about who was wearing the banana costume in the video that goes viral.)

Also, I had a hard time buying into the fact that Brynn and her mother were really hurting for money. There are a couple of instances where things broke and there was an immediate need for cash. But other than that, I never really got the sense that there wasn't, say, enough food in the house or that Brynn and her mom had to give up on necessities in order to survive. Were their budgets tighter than the people around them? Yes, but everything is relative. Brynn and her mom live in a fancy town with fancy cars and uber-rich people. I got the sense that their "money troubles" were actually more what normal middle-class life is like. Again, this is just based on what the narration and Brynn herself share.

I was confused, too, about Brynn's personal philosophy. At one point, she talks about how she can't count on anyone but herself. About three pages later, she says she can count on her mom and herself. Which is it?

Lastly, I felt like this book was another one of those YA novels trying to solve all of society's problems all at once. The result is that all the of the issues in the story feel like watered-down versions of themselves. And even though the questions Brynn and her friends raise are good talking points, occasionally the way they dealt with those questions -- the actions they took to address them or to bring about change -- felt flippant. They felt, for lack of a better descriptor, very stereotypically "California."

This one wasn't for me, although I'm sure there are others who will enjoy it.

Thank you to #NEtGalley, Farrah Penn, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Brynn is having an amazing senior year. Her grades are great and she has a thriving business as a flirt coach that she hopes to use the funds to pay for her dream school, Standford University. Everything comes to a screeching halt though when a video goes viral at the first school party, Brynn finds herself in the middle of a huge mess. No one believes that it is not her in the video and she has to find a way to prove it is not her, so she doesn't lose the chance to go to her dream school. Will Brynn find out who's in the video or will she let it go?

A good YA read about being yourself, but also understanding the dangers and issues that come with cyberbullying.