Cancelled is a story that explores how messy high school can be especially when there's untrue things spread widely on social media. Brynn, our text expert has been falsely accused of having relationship with her ex best friend's boyfriend. It caused huge damage to her part-time job, scholarship and her dream of going to university.

I appreciate the female empowerment in here, and how it critics the double standard that woman has to go through (where they take all the blame whereas man can just go freely without any guilt).

But, some parts are kind of boring for me, it started off strong at the beginning but halfway throughout the story is messy. I don't even feel the chemistry between her and the love interest.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.

What a great story!! I loved the character development, I was feeling so many emotions with each character. Brynn is awesome. Such a strong person, I don’t know if I could handle everything she had to go through. I loved each of her friends, especially Cadence. Charlie is my new book boyfriend, what a great character added to Brynn’s world.

I felt I was in this book every step along with Brynn.

I loved this book and sat up into the wee hours reading this because I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for the advanced reader copy.

Brynn is finishing up her senior year making some extra cash as a flirt expert. She is well liked and respected at her school. Until she is accused to hooking up with her ex-best friend’s boyfriend and a video is sent around. She knows it’s not her but no one else does.

Fans of Moxie, here’s your next favorite read! This was a very empowering tale of taking back power from shame. I don’t enjoy a lot of young adult, unless it’s clever, mature, or witty; this one was all three. The main character was funny and despite all the drama she was going through, made me laugh out loud several times.

“The more we came together to break down double standards and unlearn the stupid spiral construct bullshit we’ve been fed all our lives, the more empowered we felt.”

Cancelled comes out 3/12.

This book was just to young for me. I did not enjoy this one. I felt like I could not relate to any of the characters and I found myself bored at points.

Last year of HiGh School. Lots of emotions, feelings. Friendship, family. A so much more. Brynn’s life will change for the worst when a sexual video goes viral after a Hallowing party. All her hard work to fit in High School is destroyed. But with the help of her mismatched friends she is set to find the truth. And in the process start a feminist and self conscious revolution between her peers and finally open her heart to love.

Main Characters:
-- Brynn Whitaker – a senior on scholarship at upscale Greenlough Academy, wants to study product design at Stanford, known around school as the Flirt Coach because she knows how to help other students talk to one another,
-- Tahlia Nasiff and Marlowe – Brynn’s best friends
-- Cadence Frazenberg – Charlie’s twin, comes from an extremely wealthy family, ostracized once it was discovered she is pregnant
-- Charlie Frazenberg – Cadence’s twin, an artist, stays out of the limelight
-- Lenora Kahue – Brynn’s former best friend, the school sweetheart, Duncan’s girlfriend
-- Faith Tobinson and Katie Delcavo – called “The Holy Crew,” started a club called Abstinence Angels, Katie went to “Jesus camp” with Faith one summer and then stopped being Brynn’s friend
-- Duncan Rowe – Lenora’s (cheating) boyfriend, school jock, runs with the popular crowd

Farrah Penn’s sophomore novel tackles head-on the impossible double standards evident in any high school. I love young adult novels for the same reason I love watching teen shows on television with my daughter. They’re in-your-face honest and deal with situations every parent should be aware of because I think a lot of us forget how emotionally charged high school can be.

Set in California’s luxurious Pacific Palisades, this first-person narrative from Brynn’s point of view starts with her coaching someone about text flirting. She’s on an academic scholarship and the daughter of a divorced mom and an absent father, so Brynn earns extra money by helping students talk to their crushes. Her mother thinks she’s tutoring, which I suppose she is…just not the way her mom thinks.

Brynn’s client sees something on his phone and becomes extremely uncomfortable and takes off. As it turns out, someone posted a video from a recent Halloween party where it looks like Brynn is hooking up with Lenora’s boyfriend Duncan. And to make matters worse, someone sends a photo of Brynn from the Halloween dance drinking from a flask, and the Dean rethinks whether to send a letter of recommendation for Brynn to Stanford.

The entire book revolves around Brynn trying to find out who could be out to get her since she is not the person in the video. She makes a lot of missteps trying to defend her honor and really just ends up making things worse. Over the course of the school year, Brynn, Cadence, Tahlia, Marlowe, and Charlie are determined to get to the truth, and while they attempt to get there, they expose the double standards so prevalent in high school.

While people look down on Brynn for allegedly hooking up with Duncan, no one makes a peep about Duncan. Lenora doesn’t even break up with him. Cadence is ostracized for being a pregnant teenager, but the boy who got her pregnant goes about his senior year unscathed. Even the Dean doubts Brynn’s credibility because she’s historically kind of toed right up to the line. He accuses her of making a fake online profile to make it look like someone else Airdropped an old risqué picture of her to everyone in school, and he does nothing when someone trashes her uniform sweater and the books in her locker. The story lines are painfully realistic, and I was eager to see how the final months played out.

Each chapter starts with three comments that we assume are Snapchat or Instagram or some other social media and show attitudes changing. I’m not entirely sure they worked since they didn’t always relate to the chapters, and it was pretty obvious from the way things played out that attitudes were changing. I think the book would be fine without them. That said, I also like that Brynn’s happily ever after isn’t all puppies and rainbows. It’s not perfect, and that’s life.

I would read Farrah Penn in the future, and I might go back and read her debut the next time I’m in the mood for a good young adult novel.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I feel that I really liked the writing style and the flow the author had.
I do think I may not have been the target audience for this book and for that reason it fell a bit flat for me.
I loved the main character and Charlie, but the other characters felt extremely forced and out of place. I think the author was really pushing a certain political agenda in this book and it just didn’t fit and really took away from the storyline. If that wasn’t a part of this book I think my rating would have been higher.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but I don’t think I will be reading anything else from this author anytime soon.
I received my arc copy from NetGalley, thank you and I am leaving this review on my own.

I thought the main character Brynn was the stereotypical over achiever who is extremely worried of anything jeopardizing her getting into college. She deals with some real life, and relatable, issues (daddy issues, brother who is an addict, drama at school). And it sounds like she has a great group of friends who are supporting her. I really liked the feminist group that they started and how welcoming they were to anyone and everyone joining them.

This one is a quick read filled with wit and humor. It had a lot of character growth which is great and I think the pressures that these teens are feeling was real. It's relatable to those getting ready for college and navigating the pressures of that all.

Cancelled by Farrah Penn is a humorous and daring novel that delves into the relatable challenges and memorable experiences of high school. This entertaining story features a diverse array of characters who are sure to capture your heart.

Our FMC Brynn, overachiever high school senior, finds herself in the center of a scandal after a video from a party is leamed and blame is placed on her for being one of the people in the video in a compromising position. While it's not her in the video, all attempts she makes to clear her name end up ultimately making things worse.

She has a heck of a friend group who has her back whole heartedly, and friends to crush situation (I won't name names, but he was the sweetest!!)

The content, while important and it was probably a realistic portrayal of what kids are going through in high school, it felt a little heavy for a YA book. I'm a little torn between 3 and 4 stars mostly because I was expecting, based on the description of if you like Emma Lord books (which I LOVE and are very heartwarming/make you melt a little) and this wasn't quite as innocent as I was expecting, but on the other hand I couldn't put it down because I wanted to get to the mystery of the video.

If you, like me, binged through the show gossip girl while you were in high school (and it's one of your secret guilty pleasures today) then you'll definitely enjoy this story!


Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Cancelled finds serial dater Brynn Whitaker giving advice to fellow high schools on how best to communicate with their crushes and score dates. Her much-needed income as a flirting coach is threatened when she goes to a Halloween party dressed in a banana costume, and an anonymous video surfaces of a person in the same costume hooking up with her ex-best friend's boyfriend. Being ostracized at school, she is determined to find the identity of the actual person in the video. As she gets closer to the truth, she realizes she doesn't want to slut shame another girl, but rather turn the tables on the misogynistic attitude that exonerates the male cheater. She and her friends form a "femolution" club, denouncing sexism in the school. Her social group includes a trans girl, a pansexual hijabi wearing girl, a pregnant classmate and her swoon worthy twin brother. With her income, her scholarship and college recommendations on the line, Brynn must prove her innocence once and for all.

Brynn Whitaker, a high school senior, is cancelled after a compromising video goes viral via SnapChat. The story explores how messy high school can be especially when you add social media. Ultimately Brynn and her friends ban together to fight back, with an emphasis on female empowerment.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC..

I was mixed on Cancelled. I liked the portrayal of high school friendships and all of their complexities. I didn't connect well with the plot - it felt very feminism 101 and could be a bit heavy handed at times (i.e., the three quotes at the start of each chapter to set the current tone felt unnecessary).

I often love and can find some connection to YA novels even though I'm 30 and outside the YA age range. Despite that not being the case this time, I think Cancelled will resonate and be more empowering for those in the intended demographic.

This book hits on what's going on now, especially at schools. Brynn is canceled (all hate her) over a video gone viral. To get her back in the graces of the students, she starts a feminist/diversity club. Brynn has a lot of spunk and great friends to help her through it all and discover who's to blame. Basically the story has a little of everything: a failing romance, great friendships, an addicted brother and feminism (Me,Too).

Fast paced and hard to put down YA novel.

Brynn has a lot going for her in her senior year- good grades, a lucrative side hustle helping her fellow students communicate with their crushes, and her sights set on Stanford. When a scandalous video is sent out after Halloween of someone in a banana costume having…relations with Brynn’s ex best friend’s current boyfriend. Brynn was a banana at the Halloween party but it wasn’t her. She hopes to find out who it was and still be in good standing for her dream college.

I love a book about a group of people taking on the patriarchy! This was fun. It had Easy A vibes with the snarky fun quips and group of religious teens trying to take down the mc. It was a fun YA book but definitely had topics that are needed for teens but may be on the older side of YA.

Overall enjoyable and quick to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC.

I love a good drama-filled angsty book. This checked those boxes. It had a relatable situation with Brynn the main character needing income but finding herself in a gnarly situation on social media. Video is shared of someone who looks like Brynn messing around with a friend's boyfriend. She needs to try to clear her name.
Unfortunately, I didn't really care about Brynn, which made me not care too much whether she cleared her name. She was pretty unlikable in some situations.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the book, but because I didn't love the characters, it wasn't a perfect fit for me.

Brynn is cancelled when a video of someone wearing the exact same costume as her and her ex-best friend's boyfriend is spread to all her school. Seeing the imbalance in how she, whose face isn't even on camera after all that wasn't her, and he, who is the actual cheater, are treated, she gets together with her friend and form a club against misogyny to try and cancel the cancel culture.

It's not that I had the best of times reading it. A lot of the approach of feminism was shallow, some of the plot was more of the same, so this is more like a 3.5 rounded up to 4. It's not the incredible read that will be added to the pantheon of the unforgettable YA's. However, I never even expected it to be amazing, and it's got some great moments to make up for it.

One thing I loved to hate was how unfair everything was to Brynn, and how the unfairness was basically unavoidable. Her mother needs to devote herself to her older brother, who is always in rehabs, the principal is never on her side, but Brynn does overdo things, making it hard for someone who clearly doesn't like her to fight her battles, and well, her ex-best friend has no reason not to believe that she isn't the one her boyfriend cheated her on with, but she's also got no reason to believe it either. This frustration made me connect to the story more than anything. I really needed to see things get fixed or I wouldn't ever get a full night's sleep again.

Another thing I loved is Charlie, the boy who helps her. I loved that he's no savior, she's got some great friends for that, and yet he's made me swoon in a couple of scenes. It's been a while a YA has last managed to do that, actually. Romances in YAs seem to have gotten a little lazy lately, it's either too much or too little. So, YES! We've got some properly romantic scenes that have made my heart beat faster.

There's a good side to how shallow they approach feminism. With a strong character like Brynn, it could have easily gotten preachy, and the message would have been lost. I feel it does enough calling out the situation, though of course I can see it if someone says otherwise. It is supposed to play a major part of the plot when you put the topic on the title, right? For me, that was okay at least; easy to understand and to support. I'd say the number of side characters and subplots were more messy than that.

This is a recommended read to anyone who is a fan of contemporary YA's, and I'd love to read more from Farrah Penn.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

This was ok, but some YA books just feel too immature and ridiculous to me. I think actual teenagers might like it though.

This book is why I still love YA, despite growing further and further away from the Y aspect of this genre. Cancelled reminded me of Moxie, but funnier. Also how is it that it’s 2024 and that shit is still going on? That feminist clubs to educate others are even still needed? But I digress.

I loved all the great points this book makes, similar to Moxie, but this addresses trans issues and more racial issues, as well. And like I said, it’s got great humor in it- the main character Brynn is super witty. She also is just a great person in general and is a wonderful role model for any actual young adults reading this.

Aside from all the important lessons this book has, it has a sweet romance blooming in it, too. I loved the slow-burn love story between Charlie and Brynn. And to keep the book extra interesting, there’s a mystery that needs solving, as well.

Overall, a fantastic book! Read if you like YA, especially ones with a little mystery and romance. And if you want to join the #femolution!

I loved everything about this book. The plot, the characters, the humor, the FEMALE RAGE. Everything was amazing. Brynn was such a complex character. I loved how simultaneously confident and vulnerable she was. I loved her friendships with Talia, Marlowe and Cadence. They were such a great and supportive group. I also loved the look at her family life and how she felt second best to her brother who got more attention from their mom due to his addiction. And CHARLIE. Ugh, don’t even get me started on how much I loved Charlie. Of all the things I loved about this book, the look at the double standards between boys and girls in terms of sexuality and sexual experience was probably my favorite. I loved the Femolution club Brynn and her friends started to not only try and clear Brynn’s name, but bring to light all the sexism religious bigotry and misogyny that can run rampant in a high school. This book definitely infuriated me at times (as it’s supposed to), but the ending was excellent and I thought it gave so much closure to everyone. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

CW: slut shaming, religious bigotry, bullying, mentions of drug addiction, underage drinking

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.