Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced copy!

I fell in love with @klwalther9 after reading The Summer of Broken Rules, and I was so excited to get this ARC! It also publishes on my birthday, so it felt like a nice gift. Walther does such a great job with YA books, and While We’re Young is no exception. My favorite theme in her books is family. She has an amazing way of building these wonderful families that you just want to be a part of!

The four characters in this book are all heading to college soon, and decide to have a senior skip day and head into Philly. There’s unresolved friendship drama, grief, and unspoken love that all take part on this day. These characters, despite being young, were so complex and well-written. I honestly just had so much fun reading, and I loved it!

3.25 stars!! i loved the ferris bueller’s day off vibes of this and the nostalgia of being in high school. i relate to grace and isa a lot with putting pressure on myself to do good and be successful. this was a fun read!

This young adult novel is a perfect read for fans of Ferris Bueller's Day Off or anyone looking to relive their high school years. K.L. Walther has created a huge homage to the movie, or possible rip off depending on how you feel about the plot. There are a number of easter eggs filtered in, but the story is also a bit original with 4 high school seniors playing hooky for a day. They decide they need one moment to live it up and visit Philly for the afternoon.

This novel is a fun read that can be covered in a weekend. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for the chance to review this novel.

It’s hard to capture teenaged angst and make it feel just as heart wrenching as it did at the time, but K. L. Walther knocks it out of the park every single time. In a book reminiscent of Ferris Bueler’s Day Off, Walther delivers a tale that will stand the test of time for high school students everywhere. This book is perfect for fans of Jenna Evans Welch, Jenny Han, and Becky Albertali. I look forward to continuing to follow Walther’s writing journey.

I always get so sucked in with K.L. Walther’s writing. She always makes me want to be best friends with all the characters because it always feels like they have such a fun time. In the books I’ve read she typically has deeper topics that may be triggering for some, but it’s always in a very respectful way of the harder topics that get brought up. In true fashion I ate this book up so fast and honestly didn’t want it to be over! I loved our four main characters! And it was so cool to be able to see the story from everyone’s perspective. I felt like it was super important to have certain things told from their perspective that way you could get the full emotions and understand it on a deeper level. I will forever recommend these books and I can’t wait to read the next one! I seriously cannot thank NetGalley enough for allowing me to read this Arc!

This was such a fun retelling of Ferris Bueller’s Day Out! I love a book that covers only one day! This one made me laugh and cheer. It also had done lovely emotional moments as week. I am so, so glad there are still authors writing meaningful young adult contemporaries!

I was so excited to get the arc for K.L Walther’s new book. She is so good at lighthearted YA stories, and this Ferris Bueller retelling looked so fun. Unfortunately, it’s now my least favorite of Walther’s. I never grew to really like any of the four characters, it felt very drawn out, and I didn’t emotionally connect to anything. It’s also sooo young feeling. I know that it is YA, but when the characters are 17/18, I expect a bit more maturity.

While We’re Young
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I’m going to keep this review very short and sweet. I simply don’t think this author is for me and that’s okay, I know so many people love her books! I like her writing in general, but this is the second book I’ve read by this author and they both have been misses for me, I just think they’re too YA for my liking and this one especially feels VERY YA so keep that in mind. If she were to write an adult book I would definitely try it because again I like her writing, pacing of the books, and characters in general! I unfortunately found myself getting a bit bored and wanting to skim, it just felt really really young. If you love her past books or Ferris Bueller then give it a try, you never know!

As a lifelong Philadelphian, I loved this book. It felt like such a love letter to the city. It was also a beautiful story about young love and grief. The characters were so much fun and I really enjoyed the changing points of view. I do think there was a bit too much pro Mets propaganda for my diehard Phillies fan self but I will let Everett slide because he truly was just the sweetest boy. The dynamics of the Grace, Everett, James, and Isa as they healed from their past and dealt with their current challenges were really well written. This book quickly skyrocketed to one of my favorite YA romances.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

This was a fun, simple read heavily inspired by Ferris Bueller’s day off. I loved Isa and James, Grace just really bothered me as a main character. I think this book was a lil too YA for me, also now that I’m 22, it’s kinda hard for me to connect to HS romances ig.

I definitely want to read her other stuff!

I loved this gender-swapped modern take of Ferris Bueller's Day Off! As a fan of the movie, I enjoyed all the little easter eggs and call backs the author wove into the story (like the news team).

This book showed the challenges of growing up and the pressures that can come with it well. I loved all of the different dynamics between Grace, Isa, Everett, and James. It also felt like a good homage to the city of Philly.

The chemistry felt natural amongst the group. Whether platonic or romantic, the connections were good! The plot was enjoyable, and the adventures and mishaps were fun. I will say the sex in the last chapter felt odd (very vague! Not graphic or explicit! Mentions condoms and tangled limbs, really nothing horrible), but it felt unnecessary for the plot, ya know? Especially since it was tagged on at the end. Personally, I don't love the mirco-trope of "We're in love! To prove it, we must have sex now!" But I can be a grandma like that so *shrugs*.

*disclaimer; I love “the summer of broken rules” + wholesome coming of age, ya, teen drama ok so obviously I liked this. This truly read like a teen rom-com movie and I loved every bit of it! The storyline follows 4 best friends participating in a skip day during their senior year before they go separate ways for college - the awkwardness and suspense, it was so cute & nostalgic.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, & K. L. Walther for this gifted copy for an honest review ◡̈

While We're Young is a story of an epic senior skip day based loosely on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In it, three friends, Grace, Isa, and Everett were an inseparable group who drifted apart. Grace schemes to reunite them through the perfect adventure in the city of Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Grace’s brother, James, is suspicious of his sister’s illness, much like in the movie, and plans to figure out what these three are up to.

As someone who spends a lot of time in Philadelphia, I enjoyed the setting and the familiar landmarks. Being able to picture where the adventure was happening added a lot to the experience for me. This reads firmly as YA. I did enjoy the nostalgic vibe that came via the homage to the classic movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It was a cute, but lacked the depth of Walther's favorite of mine, The Summer of Broken Rules which had a much fuller and adult leaning story. I would have loved a bit more, especially regarding the ending. I think it will appeal more to its intended audience!

Grace, Isa, and Everett are seniors in high school and are all best friends. Things started getting a bit messy with all of their love lives, which caused their friendship to take a hit. So they skipped school to explore the city of Philadelphia which I really enjoyed.

I loved that the story was told through multiple POV’s with each character. Each chapter was based on another character which flowed really well.

The description says the book is inspired by the 1980’s classic movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I think it more than inspired it, the majority of the book reminded me of the movie with just a few modern tweaks to it. I am still going back and forth on how I feel about that. I love the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but I think I just wish the book was more loosely based on it.

Overall, I did enjoy this YA romance and I loved them repairing friendships and fixing things with one another.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars. In this “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” inspired story, four friend embark on an epic senior skip day. Grace, Isa, and Everett were an inseparable trio that drifted apart, so Grace plans to reunite them through the perfect adventure in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Grace’s brother James is suspicious of his sister’s “illness”, and plans to figure out what these three are truly up to while missing school.

This book is set in Philadelphia, so as someone from the area I really enjoyed the setting and all the familiar landmarks. While this is for sure a very YA book geared towards Gen Z, it does offer a nostalgic vibe to those of an older generation {like myself} with the retelling of the classic movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It was a cute story, but I would have loved a bit more, especially in terms of the ending. Overall, it was a quick, fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Underlined, and Delacorte Romance for my gifted physical copy + e-ARC!

What an enjoyable YA read! Perfect beach book. Did not think I could love anything more than her first novel and Martha’s Vineyard but this did not disappoint teenage girls will love this book. I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance & KL Walther for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As an elder millennial- this was SUCH a fun read. It's truly a completely different take on Ferris Bueller's Day Off- but the nods and easter eggs were sooooo exciting to come across!

As a romance reader- I found this book to be rife with the miscommunication trope- but as it should be for YOUTHS! They don't know how to communicate! Especially as they are processing coming of age issues- as simple as dating within the friend group (we've all been there! Girl code to a teen is sooo legit but when they are 30+ they will look back and laugh)- and as complex as grieving the loss of a parent and/or discovering your parent's infidelity. Add in heading to college soon and going separate ways-- these kids are all over the place- as most are.

I was a little taken aback that this YA was more open door than most closed door Adult Romances. So if that matters to you when choosing YA- please be aware!

I would love an epilogue to see where they end up- and some of the fallout of their actions. But I'm pretty sure that's not as common in YA as it is in Romance. Again- they are young- anything can happen!

Teens who are looking for a fairly mindless, mostly fun book about being a senior in high school with a little bit of romance, should like this. The book takes place on one day and is an ode to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Because it takes place in one day, the writing is sometimes hindered because a lot of backstory needs to be included. The change between the four narrators is also a bit clunky at times. This has over-the-top scenes (just like the movie) but has a few serious issues included in the storyline. This won't win any awards but it should be a good escape for teens - and could be a good suggestion for those who prefer watching screens to reading books.

“While We’re Young” is the perfect escapist, fast-paced story of friends skipping school together. I loved the juxtaposition of these 4 friends, as they live out this one day together. Many different friend and family dynamics unravel, and it’s sweet to see how this friend group puts it all back together. Walther always does the best job of pulling the reader in, and keeping them invested through the fun adventures and romance!

For those who love:
🚘One day timeframe
🚘Fast-paced
🚘Two Romances
🚘Friends-to-Lovers
🚘Multi-POV
🚘”Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
🚘Philadelphia, PA Setting

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I thought this was a cute story about a group of friends skipping school during the end of their senior year to go on a day of adventures. This story began with the main character Grace pretending to be sick so that she could skip school and "kidnap" her friends Ethan and Isa for the day. I feel as if the story immediately drew you into the storyline, though there were parts throughout where I felt as is if the story drug on a little bit too long.

Overall, it was a cute story about friendship mixed with romance and some comedy. It definitely gave the Ferris Bueller’s day off vibes. I feel if you like Lynn Painters YA novels this book might be right up your alley.