This was such an adorable book! I do feel very old reading a book inspired by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off starring characters who weren’t even born in the decade after that that movie came out.

Now this might come as a shock but I really liked the miscommunication in this book. It felt really natural & not just put into the book for the heck of it. In fact all the characters felt very natural & fleshed out.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

YA is a tricky genre for someone in their 30s to read. I often really enjoy it but, of course, sometimes it will seem too immature.

My lukewarm reception of this book is more about it being intended for a different audience than anything about the actual quality of writing.

While We're Young has all the ingredients for a great, feel-good read: romance, friendship, and some classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”-inspired antics. It’s a whirlwind of a story that brings together four friends with messy love lives, broken hearts, and lots of secrets. And while I enjoyed the adventurous vibe and the strong sense of nostalgia, the book ultimately felt like it tried to do too much without fully resolving some of the emotional weight behind it.

Grace, Isa, and Everett’s complicated relationships are at the center of the story, and I appreciated the author’s attempt to explore the intricacies of their friendship and romantic entanglements. The tension between Grace’s secret feelings for Everett and Isa’s history with him creates a lot of drama, and I found myself rooting for Grace throughout. However, some of the emotional moments didn’t land as well as I hoped—partially because the plot felt rushed at times, especially during the chaotic senior skip day.

The day itself is packed with hijinks, like racing up the Rocky steps and crashing a wedding, which definitely adds to the fun. However, I couldn’t help but feel like the book became a bit too distracted with these side adventures, leaving some of the deeper emotional conflicts underexplored.

Overall, While We're Young is a light, quick read with some heartwarming moments, but it didn’t quite have the emotional depth or cohesion I was hoping for. If you’re in the mood for something breezy and fun, it might hit the spot—but don’t expect it to completely satisfy on the emotional front.

While We're Young introduces Grace, her brother James and her best friends Isa and Everett. They used to be inseparable until Isa and Everett had a short-lived romance with a messy breakup. In the last month of their senior year Grace orchestrates a “day off” to Philadelphia to repair relationships but leaves James behind. She and Everett are secretly in love and Isa is with James, but each couple is afraid to go public. Reenacting their favorite Philly experiences, with James hot on their trail, they deal with grief, family secrets and mental health issues. Told in four points of view, this joyride through Philadelphia playfully reenacts the shenanigans from the classic movie. .

**Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!**

4 Stars - "You're my true home Ev. You and Isa and James. No matter where we move, you're not going anywhere."

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I simply love K.L. Walther and her books. Something about them is just so fun to read, but also so nostalgic. For this book especially, as someone who just graduated high school last year, this book was so nostalgic. One thing I will say before I get into my review, I do feel like I'm starting to outgrow K.L. Walther's writing style a bit (age wise, not that her style is bad), but I think I will always continue to read her books.

Plot: Grace, Isa, and Everett used to be an inseparable trio before their love lives became a tangled mess. For starters, Grace is secretly in love with Everett, who used to go out with Isa before breaking her heart in the infamous Freshman Year Fracture. And, oh yeah, no one knows that Isa has been hanging out with James, Grace’s brother—and if Grace finds out, it could ruin their friendship. With graduation fast approaching, Grace decides an unsanctioned senior skip day in Philadelphia might be just what they need to fix things. All she has to do is convince Isa to help her kidnap Everett and outmaneuver James, who’s certain his sister is up to something. In an epic day that includes racing up the famous Rocky steps, taste-testing Philly's finest cheesesteaks, and even crashing a wedding, their secrets are bound to collide. But can their hearts withstand the wreckage?

Review: I had so much fun with this book, seriously, so much fun. It was so fast paced and kept me engaged the WHOLE time. I was a bit skeptical of the four different POVs since I can sometimes have trouble differentiating different POVs, but I found that I really enjoyed them. I also really loved the emotional depth to the story. K.L. Walther is known for adding emotional elements into her stories and this is no exception. Ev's character and his emotional turmoil along with Grace, Isa, and James' trouble really helped to keep my engaged. Now, I've never seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off so I can't compare these two, but I did pick up on some outright references to the movie (in terms of lines), which I thought was cool. Overall, this book is fun, fresh, and perfect for this season. I can't recommend it enough! Happy reading!

This book was super cute! It was an easy read because I just wanted to keep reading. I liked that it was more than one point of view, as it kept me interested. I fell in love with the characters and by the time I reached the end I wanted more!! I would definitely recommend that people read it.

I am a really big K.L. Walther fan but this one didn't quite work for me. I felt like the characters were interesting and the writing was compelling but I struggled a bit with rooting for the characters. I would have loved to seen more flashbacks in this book. I didn't feel like I fully grasped the characters history and why the romances made sense. I did find the skipping school aspect fun but I will give a small warning that this one starts with a description of someone seeming to have the stomach flu. If anyone else is not a fan of descriptions of that (like me) be prepared.

This story felt like an overall fun concept that unfortunately didn't quite work. I particularly struggled with the ending which felt quite abrupt and the miscommunication.

Oh, what a fun book! I loved every minute of it, from cover to cover. This wonderfully written novel is inspired by and reimagines Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the quintessential 1980s film that was such a memorable part of my childhood.

I appreciated how the story was modernized with elements that didn’t exist when the film was released, such as social media, hashtags, Uber, Teslas, and cell phones. Unlike Ferris Bueller, this book features a female protagonist who serves as Ferris’ counterpart—just as mischievous and full of charm! Along with her two best friends and her brother, she embarks on an unforgettable ditch day adventure through Philadelphia.

Beyond the humor and wild escapades, the book thoughtfully explores themes like mental health, parental loss, infidelity, and the pressures of college—issues that feel incredibly relevant to teens today. The balance between comedy and emotional depth was masterfully done. I also loved the clever nods to the original film, from naming the dog Rooney to a TV anchor named Ferris, plus plenty of other fun Easter eggs for fans.

Finally, I found it heartwarming how the four friends tied their childhood trips to Philly to their present-day adventure, making their journey even more meaningful. An excellent book—highly recommended!

I struggled to figure out what about this book was familiar until I saw another review that mentioned Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It definitely had many strong correlations to that movie.
The story was interesting and the road trip was fun but my favorite part was the brother's story. He was the one that was the great comic relief.
The conflicts and character's angsts were a bit contrived and could have been resolved with a few words. Instead it was revisited time and again to the point where I lost interest in whether things would be resolved.
If this story is new to you, you will be entertained. It is written in a lighthearted fun way.
Enjoy!

Four different perspectives with a definite hint of ferris bueller with a twist or two. I would recommend it for 14 yr olds and up.

What fun!! This is a fun, gender bent, love letter to Ferris Bueller's Day Off! The little nods to the original characters were so cute! If you love the classic movie, then you'll love this book!! I have such a fun time when I read a Walther book, and this one did not disappoint! I can't wait to read more by her! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this book! K.L. Walther books all read in a very similar fashion so I can guarantee if you like one of her books, you’ll like her other ones. This was overall a lighthearted YA book that maybe didn’t have an insane plot line but was a fun time. Not to mention the cover of this book is also stunning and fits with her overall book aesthetic. If you need a quick read this might be for you!

What starts out as fun and a whirlwind fantasy of a day doing all the things they have loved and wanted to do forever, friends spend a day in Philadelphia following traditional and wildly personal tributes to one another, a time in life, their relationships, and the futures gleaming in the not-so-distant horizon in K. L. Walther's excellent WHILE WE'RE YOUNG. Because you are young only once, with the fresh hearts, wild imaginations, and wide open possibilities intriguing enough to tempt you to be who you've always wanted to be -- even when you also have to face yourself in the mirror in all your imperfections. I loved it, appreciated the allusions to movies, and even as I knew I was missing Easter eggs, didn't care because it was such a well-written, fast-paced romp. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

A modern day role reversal on Ferris Bueller’s day off with lots of heart and teenage emotions. Class president and straight A student Grace has decided that she needs to mend the fractured relationship between her two best friends, Isa and Evan, before they all go their separate ways to college. Her plan: a senior ditch day to all their favorite spots in the city but getting her friends to go along with the plan was the easy part. As they explore the city, they each confront past emotions and new secrets they have been keeping from each other.

This was a very fun and cute YA novel but also had some serious moments that made the characters two dimensional. Told from four points of view, this story intertwines each person's perspective, thoughts and views in a clever way that lets you see the entire story unfold as the day goes on. Like a Shakespearean play, this had drama, friendship, adventure and thrills.

The Target audience is YA but I still had fun reading this! I loved all the nods to Ferris Bueller: reporter's name is Sloan, Twist and Shout song at the outdoor wedding, the dog named Rooney! It was fun to find all the easter eggs sprinkled into the story.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book through a digital ARC from NetGalley
Author: K.L. Walther
Genre: YA

Another fun YA adventure from K.L. Walther! Ive enjoyed the other books from this author and will forever have a soft spot for a YA novel.

This one takes us on a senior skip adventure day with Grace trying to reunite the friendship between her two besties, Everett and Isa, all while her brother James ends up getting caught up in covering for them, even though he doesn't totally know it.

I loved the multiple POV, it helped be as immersed as possible, I loved how intentional the day that Grace had planned for them, that they desperately needed it. I loved the glimpses of all the feels that were under wraps and which couples we as the reader got to root for.

This was easily a 4 🌟 read buuuut, the ending felt a little abrupt and there were a few plot points that felt incredibly unresolved (Isa's family, Are Grace and James' parents moving, gaps in what we learn about Everett's dad, the avoiding of the principal). But regardless, this was a fun trip down memory lane in thinking about all the shenanigans I got up to with high school and college besties and I cannot wait to pick up this author's next book!


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance for the ARC in exchange for my review!

The beginning was a bit confusing only because I had four different points of views to keep up with but after a bit I got used to it. I ended up enjoying see all the different reactions and seeing things through each characters point of view. This was such a fun book. I enjoyed it so much! It was definitely modern Ferris Bueler vibes. I think my only compliment was that i wanted more lol. The ending was good I just wanted like a bonus chapter or a bit more to tie up some loose ends.

I have never seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off but I really enjoyed the story of these kids skipping school and rekindling their friendship.

K. L. Walther always knows exactly how to hit me in the feels. I absolutely tore through this book, finishing it in less than 24 hours. I know the inspiration for the story was Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, but this book had such a life of its own that I barely even noticed the parallels.

So, what worked? I loved how well thought out each character was and how we got perfect glimpses into how their lives all intertwined together. I’ll admit, when I first read the blurb for this book and realized I’d be reading four different POVs, I was a little skeptical. But truly, it was done so well. Every POV felt like a puzzle piece and they all sorta clicked together. We also got to know each character and it was easy to see the different personalities play a part in the ditch-day story line. I especially loved Isa’s POVs, and she had the most growth in my opinion. Her change in attitude just felt so natural once we reached the end of the book.

Now, what I didn’t like. Given that I’m still rating the book 4 stars, there isn’t a lot to mention here. The main issue I had was that the relationship between James and Grace wasn’t explored enough. I thought the romance was super cute, and it was nice to see those story lines come together, but I think the book needed more of the sibling dynamic to balance it out. It would’ve been nice to see James join in on the adventure with his sister rather than immediately splitting off with Isa.

Overall, this is such a great read! I would definitely recommend to all of my romance lovers and people who just want a quick story that they can immerse themselves in.

This was a really cute and fun read! I loved the summer of broken rules by k.l. walther so it was exciting to receive this arc!!

Thank you Netgalley!

Grace organizes a road trip for her, Isabel, and Everett to help fix the other two's friendship after they broke up.
James, Grace's brother, is left out, and figures out where they went. What follows is a fun, nostalgia filled day as they come to terms with growing up and getting ready to separate and go off to college.
A super cute and funny read!

I would have loved to get more at the end of the book about where the characters were after the end of the story.

Tropes:
Road trip
Friends to lovers
Second chances
Multi-pov