I admittedly should've read this book several years ago when I received it - and my tastes have changed a lot over the years so my thoughts now may not reflect how I would've felt when I initially read it. This is technically the second book in a series but it's been stated that it can be read as a standalone. I believe that to be the case, however, there may be more of a connection to the story after reading book 1.
This book would be great for teens coming-of-age, looking for themselves. It's a nice way for younger people to understand their goals and aspirations and what it might take to reach them. I did find it to be a tad slow for a YA book.

I unfortunately was not able to read and review this book before the digital ecopy expired. The synopsis sounds great though, so I will be buying a copy of my own to read soon!

I have so much respect for artists, because no one in their right mind would possibly want to work so hard and struggle so much to make a living

I've had this one on my Netgalley shelf for a long time. In the end I DNF'd it. I was so excited for it, but I tried several times to get into it and I just couldn't get into the story or the writing style. Unfortunately, this one was not for me.

DNF - I gave this book a little longer than I normally give books to draw me in, I got to around 50% and just had to put it down. I am just going to say that maybe this author isn't right for me because I did this with another one of her books, too.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this title. Kayla is a friend of mine and I was so grateful to have the chance to read this book early. I absolutely LOVED it. I love Piper and her voice, and this book is a fantastic story about discovering your identity as an artist. I would wholeheartedly recommend to all of my friends.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. I however did not enjoy the story of the first book, and I will not be continuing on with the story after this book. It wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I will, however, finish reading this authors other works as they are more my speed.

I just didn't like the story line or the characters in this book. I was really hopeful that there would be more improvement and growing up within the story.

I found that I didn't like Art Boss as much as I liked Piper Perish. I missed the characters from the first book. It felt like without them that we were really lacking some fun in the story. I found that this was was a bit too slow for me. I really love all the little drawings and doodles through the story.

This will appeal to fans of the first book by the author. You do really need to read Piper Perish in order to fully understand this book/appreciate it greater. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that when I started this.

I could see my students enjoying this, but it didn’t speak to me. I’m not a big fan of big city life.

I LOVED Piper Perish so I was really excited when Chronicle sent me a copy of Art Boss. I was so excited to see where Piper's career would take her in New York! unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I felt like Piper's character was a little more annoying than I remembered and I felt like she complained a lot. I wasn't a huge fan of the other characters either. The drama between Piper and the other characters felt a little forced and silly.

All in all, it was entertaining enough, but it just didn't keep my attention. I think if Piper's character was toned down a little, I might have enjoyed it more. Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review, so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book.
Whatever you make,
Make.
It.
Matter.

Artist Piper Perish has finally moved away from her hometown, Houston, Texas to New York City—her lifelong dream. But the city isn’t as glamorous as it looks from afar. She’s working as an assistant to famous modern artist, making plans for art school in the spring, and navigating a new relationship with a difficult future classmate and a challenging friendship with a fellow budding activist.

Through it all, Piper must figure out what it means to live as a working artist—and how to make art that matters. A must-read for any creative teen or adults who were.
This was my first book by this author. It was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
3.5 star rating!

I saw this gorgeous cover and the synopsis and was really excited to request this book for Fall reading ... sadly I was disappointed and I could not finish it.

If you don't know, Art Boss is actually a follow up novel to Piper Perish, another book by this author. I didn't realize this until I started writing this review and doing some more research, so that may have been the biggest and first flaw. I found the main character to be pretty flat, I didn't really click with her and I didn't feel the need to keep reading about her experiences. I also felt like I was missing a lot of information.

Since I had no idea that this was a sequel, I didn't know about Piper or her artwork, so when the author jumps right in talking about art pieces she assumes that I know which ones she is talking about (I am guess that was in the first book), but I had no clue and immediately felt lost. I was thinking that it was being kept secretive for a reason, but then the character starts to reproduce them and then I got more information but the full one never came. I made it through a quarter of the book before I gave up, between the lack of information that I felt like I needed, and my lack of connection to the main character I just had to put it down.

I was also feeling some strong anxiety about what was to come in the plot, and while that is normally a good thing for a book to do, since I was not enthralled with the book itself, I felt like I was riling myself up for nothing.

I always feel bad about not finishing a book, but this one just was not for me, maybe if you have read Piper Perish and really enjoyed it this would be a good one for you, either way, I would suggest reading that book first so you have more context if you pick this one up.

Art Boss is an enjoyable book but limited in its audience. I think an ambitious girl in any of the arts would enjoy it. I will not be writing about it on my blog because of this limitation, but I will recommend it verbally to anyone I think would fit this profile.

I didn't realize this story continued off of another book so I was confused for the longest time. If I had known it was a sequel or if the description said it was a sequel, I never would have requested it.

when I required this book I did not know it was a continuation so I had no idea it was written in a journal form which made it difficult for me to read sometimes.
The plot revolves around Piper who is in New York to study Arts, searching an old dream. There she makes new friends and tries to conquer an even bigger dream that is to have her art valued.
On her journey, she learns more than she imagined, made great friends and met the Big Apple. I found the story a bit slow, just near the end that gets a little more dynamic.

I love the cover and her friend Joe.

cute fun and deeper than i expected; but nothing new from this type of story. i'd read more by this author tho

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I just couldn't get into it and finally gave up. I found the journal format a bit odd, and really did not enjoy the characters. Didn't work for me but could work for others.

The idea of this book really appealed to me but I had a lot of issues getting into this story. I just couldn't connect with the characters or the plot. It could be a it's not you, its me thing with this story. I think a lot of people will really love it.

One of the most enjoyable parts of reading "Piper Perish" was how cool of a book it was. The illustrations, the lettering of the chapters, the cover art, etc. It had the feel of picking up someone's actual journal, but without the worry they were going to walk through the door and catch you red handed at any second. I couldn't get a feel for that aspect of "Art Boss" reading it as an e-galley, but my hope is that the finished print product will be just as captivating as "Piper Perish" was. My fingers are crossed!

While "Art Boss" still focuses on Piper Perish, everything else has changed. She has graduated from high school and Texas to her first job in New York City. The book could almost be used as a tour guide to NYC - from the historic Webster Apartments for single women to various museums. The supporting characters have been recast as well. With the exception of Silas, all of Piper's best friends, overbearing unstable sisters, and failed romantic partners have been replaced. They're still there, but only by brief mention. It mirrors the real life transition of leaving your hometown and childhood friends for your first year of independence. That's right, Piper. Leave those ex-boyfriends in Texas where they belong.

While Piper has grown up a bit, I don't think the target age of the book has. I would put it on the younger side of YA. Art Boss does not work well as standalone novel, but it doesn't seem as if it was meant to. However, it's a good extension of "Piper Perish," although it is missing some of the more detailed descriptions of her outfits. If I don't know exactly what type of shoes Piper is wearing, is she even clothed?