I absolutely adored Tweet Cute! It was witty and the perfect quick read. Fans of any good rom-com will want to add Tweet Cute to their shelves.

Pepper and Jack are an irresistible pair, even before they knew it!

I adored this book. A YA novel reminiscent of You've Got Mail, Tweet Cute was just the lighthearted young adult romcom I was hoping it would be. It was well written with just the right amount of cheese and sweetness. A couple of unexpected twists toward the end kept me engaged and wanting more. The author wraps the story up in the most appropriate way, staying on brand with the characters and plot.

I love multi-POV stories, and the bounce between the main characters, Pepper and Jack, was incredibly well done. I understood each character's feelings, and their viewpoints of the drama that ensued throughout their teenage twitter wars.
I wish there was a bit more depth to Pepper, as we just got to see the surface of her struggle, and were told about her past without digging a bit deeper into her life and the other members of her family.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a sweet YA to binge read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Overachiever Pepper and class clown Jack attend the same elite private school but don't know each other well. They suddenly find themselves in a viral Twitter war over a grilled cheese sandwich. As their battle become personal, the two realize that they are falling for each other and have a shot at an awkward but all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

This book is cheesy and gooey in the best way, just like a grilled cheese sandwich. The book is a fun twist on the snarky social media wars that are commonplace today. I loved the banter between Pepper and Jack which often made me laugh out loud. In their exchanges, you really feel their connection and see how well they come to understand each other. Pepper and Jack's relationship is best part of the book.

Though lighthearted, this book does a great job of addressing some serious issues like the importance of pursing your dreams instead of doing what is expected of you, sibling rivalries, and forgiveness.

I would definitely recommend this book. Team PepperJack!

Rating: 4 Stars

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tweet Cute follows Pepper & Jack, who has one tweet war going on, another anonymous chat room talking to each other, and interactions in real life because they are classmates as well! Lots of ways to interact… lots of ways to fall in love? ;)

I love how this book has all these different set ups for the characters to interact in completely different situations and environments. They also have other things going on in their life, so it is not completely and only focused on the romance. It is very cute, heartwarming, with characters you really care for! The only “problem” I have is that you know everything will be okay, so there is no sense of risk or surprise in the book. But it is chill, and cute and doesn’t need to be “that deep” for it to be an enjoyable book! I really like it and had a great time. 3.5-4/5 stars.

(4.5 stars) - Amusing YA, but with a parental caveat

This YA story is really well done in most respects. The dialogue is witty which is one of my favorite elements.in a book.

Pepper is a parent pleaser. Jack is a parent pleaser. Their parents please themselves? It's complicated.

Pepper & Jack actually seem to be more mature than some of their parents. That was one thing that bugged me - there should have been some serious apologizing to multiple people by some of the grownups before the story's end.

Their relationship develops believably. Well, within their contrived settings it does, anyway. And it is easy to root for them. The ending is happily satisfying.

The worthy message of being careful not to assume that your impressions are the only possible ways to interpret the actions of others is repeated - repeatedly.

Which is ironic since, PARENTAL CAVEAT
though not egregious, the author does insert snippets of her own ideology into the story in unsubtly subtle ways. On the positive side, handled adroitly, it can be a potential opportunity for parents to talk to teens about background bigotry & challenging what others accept unquestioningly in order to better learn to think for themselves

*Clean romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic

2.5-3 Stars.
I’ll be honest, I struggled through the beginning of this story and had to fight my inclination to give up. With the awkward 1st person, present tense narrative, I was feeling that this might not be the story for me. I love a great YA book, but the overall writing was fairly simplistic and lacked the story depth I normally enjoy.

Of the two main characters, I really liked Jack, but Pepper was inconsistent. One moment, striving to maintain her elite academic standards with success and the next kowtowing to her mom's unreasonable requests. I never truly understood this. Her mom wasn't excessively overbearing or demanding, but I kept being told how much Pepper didn't want to disappoint her even though the demands were interfering with Pepper's studies. The story did pick up as it progressed with the last 40% being the strongest with increased character development and intrigue. It was at this point that I was most invested and looking forward to discovering the secrets that were being withheld, as well as getting to the happily ever after.

What started as a somewhat daunting read using duplicity and unnecessary subterfuge through social media as a story device, strengthened as the story progressed. For the right audience (teens who enjoy easy reads and relevant social media,) this will be a great find. In the end, while cute, it just wasn’t the right YA book for me.

What could go wrong when two opposing restaurants start a massive Twitter war on social media?

Naturally, things couldn't get messier or worse when the faces behind the Twitter fiasco are high schoolers who have no idea they are the ones communicating together.

Add in some teenage tensions and eventual crushes, and you have the makings for a fun YA read.

Tweet Cute, by Emma Lord, is a story of love mixed in with a lot of social media. Like all things with social media, it gets messy.... quickly!

In this story, you will meet Pepper and Jack. The two couldn't be more different. Pepper is at the top of her prestigious class. She is known for being smart and doing everything perfectly. Jack, is not at all like Pepper. Jack is the class clown who always seems to be outshined by his popular twin brother. Naturally, the two have nothing in common and struggle to get along when they are both paired together as swim team captains.

Tensions grow even higher when you learn that the two both belong to restaurant families. Pepper's mom and dad started Big League Burger. Once their own little restaurant, Big League Burger is now one of the top food chains in the Nation, and it is planning on crushing Jack's family business called Girl Cheesing. Girl Cheesing is a local favorite, but it doesn't seem to have all the bells and whistles as Big League.

Determined to not let Big League win, Jack calls out Big League's copying of their famous grilled cheese on Twitter. This sparks an all-out Twitter-war when Big League's responses are less than sympathetic.

The stress between the social media feud becomes more and more overwhelming for Jack and Pepper, and they find themselves both confiding on a school app called Weazel. Here, the students of their school can be anonymous, and they can support each other through the everyday pressures of attending a prestigious high school in New York City. Little do either of them know, their lives may soon get even more complicated when they learn who the real identities are behind their Weazel profiles.

Tweet Cute, by Emma Lord, is the perfect story for this fun YA read. I thought the story was predictable, but light. I loved the drama that all conspired with social media because I feel it is so relevant to today's teenagers. The characters of Pepper and Jack were real and complicated. They both struggled with dealing with the pressures of growing up, all the while trying to please the intense demands of their families. Little do these to know, but the answer to all their problems may just be one another.

Tweet Cute was the first book I read in 2020 and unfortunately, it didn’t hit the mark for me. I thought it had the potential to be a cute young adult rom-com book but the story and the characters didn’t deliver for me. The characters, Pepper (classic female overachiever) and Jack (classic male goofball) know each other because they are classmates but unbeknownst to them, are also communicating via Twitter since they are both social media managers for their family’s restaurant’s accounts, and a school-centric app named Weazel. We get to see how their dynamic changes based on how they’re interacting but I just thought it was exhausting keeping up with the three mediums. While there were some sweet moments with supporting characters, Pepper’s mom was overly abrasive for me and I didn’t feel like I got the sense of these characters as individuals. It wasn’t my cup of tea but if you’re looking for a quick read or into young adult, give it a try! Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

This was such a cute read! I loved the back and forth on twitter, the mentions of other social media platforms. However, I don't think I heard a mention of facebook. I feel like younger kids aren't using it as much and that made me feel old, because let's face it, I'm on facebook all the time.

Another aspect I loved was the acquaintances-to-friends-to-lovers romance. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite troupes!

Another thing I loved was Pepper and her sister's love of baking! I used to bake all the time and want to get back into it. This gave me major inspo/motivation!

Pepper and Jack were adorable. They were both funny and witty and so fun to read. I loved the dual pov!

I would definitely recommend if you want a quick, light, fluffy read that will warm your heart.

This book was cute but overwritten and just didn’t connect with me. I wanted to love it but found it a chore to read sadly. If I was in high school, I still think I would have been bored while reading. Cute concept just not executed properly.

I am currently dying of fluff and cutitude. This was absolutely adorable and I 100% loved all of it.

You love double identities? Well I got better! Triple identities!
Jack and Pepper are classmates that annoy each other.
Girl Cheesing and Big League Burger are starting a Twitter war over a stolen recipe.
Wolf and Bluebird are chatting/flirting on a chat app.
Jack is Wolf and is tweeting for Girl Cheesing. Pepper is Bluebird and is tweeting for Big League Burger. And obviously they don't know each other other identities, otherwise it wouldn't be fun.

I loved watching them interact via these different ways while knowing who they were. All the angst and fun and misunderstandings it can bring, daaaamn it way truly amazing to read it.

At first I was a little disappointed because the Twitter reveal was quite early into the story (like, a third of it) but then it was just the end of Part One and Part Two started where they made a deal to keep their war via tweets without holding back and I stopped being disappointed at once because it was even better than I thought it would be?? Honestly I just really loved their relationship but I've also become reaaaally invested in their personal life, with their family and the baking. Gods all the baking I want to eat everything that was mentioned in the book please.

The only little let down was that the texting parts were a little difficult to read, like there wasn't really something to make it distinguished from the narration but I don't know if that's only because it was an Advanced Reading Copy or not

* REVIEW GOES LIVE ON THE BLOG 1/17 *

After their tiny burger joint blew up to nationwide popularity (currently the fourth largest fast food chain in the US with sights on going global), Pepper’s family packed up and left Nashville for the bright lights of New York. At least, it should have been her entire family. One extremely amicable divorce left her dad back in their once-cozy apartment where he genuinely wanted to run their flagship location. It wasn’t long before Paige’s relationship with their mother deteriorated and once she left she college, she was gone, leaving Pepper alone in a too-big, too-glamorous New York sky rise apartment to deal with her ultra elite school (her grades back in Nashville were always great, but the competition is fierce here; one night of slacking off can mean the difference between getting into an Ivy League school) along with running Big League Burger’s Twitter account.

From the moment he was born (eleven minutes after his brother), Jack has always come second. Ethan is outgoing, charismatic, uber popular. Despite having the same face, it’s Ethan everyone knows. Even at Girl Cheesing, their family’s deli, Jack is the one expected to run the register, wipe down tables, even take over one day. Although Jack absolutely loves the deli, his true passion lies in developing apps. His latest, Weazl, is an anonymous chat platform only accessible by those with an email address for his school. Once signed up, members are given an animal for their username, and no one knows who they’re talking to…unless randomly selected by the app to reveal identities. Weazl is Jack’s pride and joy, but no one knows – especially not his brother.

Despite being a New York staple for decades, Girl Cheesing only has a few hundred Twitter followers, nothing like the several million Big League Burger can claim. That is, until BLB announces a new grilled cheese sandwich that’s a little too similar to one off the Girl Cheesing menu, right down to its name. One off-the-cuff Tweet suddenly sparks a viral Twitter war between the two restaurants, a fast food David & Goliath story. Each Tweet racks up hundreds of new followers for Girl Cheesing, suddenly there are hashtags for each side, requests from journalists for comments, bloggers offering their own opinions. All the while, Pepper and Jack have no idea who they’re truly duking it out with.

Tweet Cute immediately caught my eye when I first heard about it. It sounded not only super timely, but also, well, cute. And it is. The reader can instantly sympathize with Pepper and Jack: although her family is loaded, Pepper is thrown into this elite world where her fellow classmates have make-up artists on speed dial and $200 an hour math tutors. A far cry from her worn-out cowboy boots and beloved Monster Cake, a delicious monstrosity of literally any – and every – candy and sweet in the cupboards. Jack is desperate to be seen, not mistaken for Ethan, but actually recognized as his own person.

Through Weazl, Wolf and Bluebird have formed an easy friendship. In reality, however, Jack and Pepper are anything but. After Jack offers to take on his brother’s dive team captain responsibilities (organize a fundraiser, set a schedule with the swim team’s captain – Pepper – for lane use), the pair begin an uneasy acquaintance that, over time, slowly develops into a full-fledged friendship. Until Pepper leaves her phone unlocked one day and Jack sees a drafted Tweet from BLB’s account.

Tweet Cute clocks in at over 360 pages and the story feels it. Although I was enjoying the book, every time I would check my progress, I couldn’t help but feel shocked to see I had only moved forward a percent or two. There’s definitely a fair amount that can be edited…starting with the Tweets. Yep. The whole reason the book exists! Instead of being jokey and in good humor, some of the tweets came off as brutal and vicious, turning downright malicious by the end. As a McDonald’s and Burger King competitor, Big League Burger would have had ample resources at their disposal to hire an entire team to run their social media. It struck me as odd that Pepper, the founder’s 17-year-old daughter, would be the one seemingly forced to keep up with it, particularly once it clearly began affecting her grades. Although Girl Cheesing had been around for decades, it was still a family-run deli, so it made complete sense for Ethan and Jack to be the ones handling what few Tweets the account had. Also, to go back to BLB, at one point the account is hacked on a Friday. Again, this is a nationwide chain that is in talks to take their burgers to the international market. Their tech guys? Shrugged it all off and said it can wait until Monday. Um.

While Tweet Cute had me scratching my head a few times and felt overly long, I did enjoy reading it. The romance between Pepper and Jack – and their couple name, PepperJack – really was cute and the desserts Pepper and her sister bake sounded downright heavenly. To the point where I wished the book included recipes!

I don’t know what I was expecting with this novel, but I ended up really loving it.

It has a very definite You’ve Got Mail feel to it, but instead of bookstores it centers on two warring restaurants (think McDonalds vs. a mom n’ pop burger joint) caught up in a Twitter war, and the budding relationship between the teens behind the account.

It did find it started a bit slow, but soon I found myself totally wrapped up in Pepper and Jack’s world, wishing they would just figure everything out, and really liking the witty banter between them. I found both characters were mature without being too ‘adult’ which really helped make this story likeable and engaging.

My only note, is to not read it while hungry as all the mentions of the Deli, Big League Burger and the delectable desserts, left me craving a great grilled cheese and all of the baked goods

I was granted a copy of this book to take part in the blog tour later this month. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story! It quickly became one of those books I didn't want to put down, I think Emma Lord has a real talent for creating character chemistry that draws readers in and also leaves them wondering what will happen next at the end of each chapter. Through the ups and downs of Pepper and Jack's story, I was always on the edge of my seat, excited about what twist would come next. I look forward to reading more of Emma Lord's fiction in the future.

First, thank you to NetGalley for this digital ARC. My review is not influenced whatsoever because of receiving an advanced copy.

Have you ever gotten a book that you were so looking forward to, but it didn't live up to the hype? I wanted to love this book so badly, but I just couldn't. As a result, I struggled with rating this book, and also because I hate reviewing debut novels badly.

We have Pepper and Jack in this narrative. Pepper is the daughter of the CEO of the fourth largest fast-food chain in the US. Jack is the son of a local New York deli owner. Jack's family accuses Pepper's family's company of stealing one of their signature sandwiches, his grandmother's grilled cheese. This prompts a huge Twitter war between the two eateries, and it turns out that Pepper and Jack are the ones running the rival accounts, even if it's unknown to one another.

Another subplot of the book is an app that Jack has built and it's very popular among all the students at his school -- even with the vice principal. Throughout the book, the vice principal is looking for the student who's built it, but nobody even close to Jack suspects him, and it's probably because his twin brother is the more popular twin, so Jack is left in his shadow.

The book starts off relatively slow. Because I was reading an e-version, I was able to track my progress in terms of what percent I had finished. While the plot was slowly building up to the main conflict, nothing really happened until I was finished with 20% of the book. At that point, it was an internal debate on whether I should put the book down or not, but I continued reading it anyway. My excitement for it "beginning," so to speak, was short-lived because the plot slowed down again. And then it sped up. Then it slowed down . . . again . . . until 80% of the book was finished. Something else that irked me was how cheesy the plot was (bad grilled cheese pun?). Most of what happened was way too predictable (with the exception of one twist at the end).

The last 20% of the book was better, in my opinion, because that's when the plot stops slowing down. Here, Emma Lord doesn't fail to deliver and gives the characters the ending they both deserve. Another thing I liked was that her characters were relatable (they had familial pressure on both of them, for example). She also does a fantastic job with the end twist, and it did make me think of some of the characters in a different light.

I should note that aside from the ending, it was also a lighthearted and fluffy book, with a somewhat cute rom-com plot to it, so if you tend to gravitate towards those, you might like this one for its aspects. It's also a quick read, and for that, and its ending, it was okay.

You can follow me on Twitter @humnahmemon or on my blog: www.humnahreads.wixsite.com/home.

Happy Reading!

Tweet Cute was a book that surprised me. If I hadn't been approached to be part of the tour, I don't think I would have picked this one up. The family issues and Twitter war wouldn't normally pique my interest and I think the synopsis doesn't do the romance element justice. I think it seems to address the Twitter war better and doesn't suggest the romance and connection element as much as it should have bee. I would argue these elements mean more for the book than the Twitter war and that instead the synopsis should have mixed the two more evenly.


It was a pleasant surprise in the end because while I wouldn't have normally picked this one up or thought I would enjoy it, I ended up decently enjoying it and finding moments that gave me feels I haven't had in a while.


Romance

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The times I really connected with the romance were during Wolf/Bluebird's chats and the moments where Jack and Pepper were able to be themselves. In those moments, there weren't any jabs or Twitter feuds clouding the connection and I think they were able to just be and connect on a more personal level. During the chats they really got personal and that's where I started to ship them and towards the end, I did start to get the feels.


Twitter War

The Twitter war was uncomfortable at times for me because it seemed like it was going too far, but that aside it also has reasoning behind it that we see more and more towards the end. As for the puns, I don't feel I connected with them like I know a lot of others did and I think part of that was due to the fact that I thought some just went too far.


Odd Points for Me

There were a couple points in the book that felt like stopping points and when I turned the page, I had a ??? moment because it kept going. At those times, I found myself questioning what else could the characters do next because it felt like everything was wrapped up.


The Baked Goodies

The baked goodies were another part of the book that I enjoyed, especially the mentions of grilled cheese.


The Relationships Along the Way

I really liked seeing Paige's social circle grow as the book progressed, especially regarding her friendship with Pooja. In the beginning, she pretty much only had Wolf when he would respond and as the book progressed, Paige grew more confident and connected to those around her.

I brie-leave this has gouda-be the best cheesiest book I have ever stumbled upon. These are the types of YA books I enjoy. Where the story is captivating and entertaining, the characters are relatable and diverse, and the writing is effortlessly good. It has a bit of everything ranging from sass to emotional.

Pepper is the type of girl who is trying to be everything at once, constantly pushing herself to be the top of her class or the perfect daughter. She is always putting others’ needs before her own and is slowly drowning in the process.

Sweet, sweet Jack. He’s got an innocents behind that devilish grin he’s perfected and I love how he’s able to be both the devil and the saint. He reminds me a lot of Pacey Witter from Dawson’s Creek. The guy who plays the class clown to hide his vulnerable side, but once you get to know him, it’s amazing what you will find. He’s got a wicked sense of humor, a huge heart, and is incredibly smart.

I really love the premise of this enemies who are totally crushing on each other in both real life and online but they just don’t know it. There’s a honesty you get a feel for with both characters because they are hiding behind virtual names. The anonymity of using chat room names allowed these characters to truly be themselves and allowed the reader to see depths in each character that wouldn’t have come out if it wasn’t for this plot. It felt like because of that, it allowed them to open up more in their everyday lives.

I love the bickering between Pepper and Jack. It’s like an entertaining old married couple. You can instantly tell the spark between them, and between that hate there’s a mutual understanding. I love that they are invading each others lives one grilled cheese burn at a time. I was totally shipping PepperJack along with the rest of the virtual world.

The flow of the book was great, the story kept me totally invested, and the writing kept me interested even though the intended audience was for the younger readers. I was cheesing the whole time and didn’t want to put this down.

What a great debut! I loved everything about this multi-layered contemporary that was both parts dramatic and hilarious.

Emma Lord did a really great job of integrating social media into the story without it being overdone or overused. I loved how much our two characters grew and developed not only with each other and their families, but within themselves. Pepper and Jack (yes, like that Pepper Jack) slowly became friends before anything else romantic happened—truly hate-to-friends-to-lovers. This isn't something you see all that often, usually the friendship step gets skipped over. 

This could have easily been a corny YA romance that lacked substance, but this was just so lovely and I really really loved it.  

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Tweet Cute by Emma Lord. All opinions are my own!

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! It is truly the perfect YA romance and I loved every part of it. The characters were interesting, quirky and adorable. I'm in charge of YA ordering at my branch and I've already ordered two copies of this book in hopes to push it on to some of my YA lovers like myself!

I enjoy hanging out on Twitter, but I’ve also seen more than a few kerfuffles and outright flame wars going on there. That’s part of why Tweet Cute appealed to me. I was lucky enough to win an ARC on Goodreads, and this tale of love and social media was adorable. It was definitely a winning way to start the year.

The heroine of this piece is Pepper Evans. Her parents’ Big League Burger business went from local Nashville sensation to nationwide powerhouse, and her mother has moved Pepper and her sister to New York City to keep expanding the chain. Behind the scenes, Pepper is running Big League Burger’s Twitter account while trying not to crack under the pressure put on her by her mother, her demanding swim schedule, and fitting in at her elite private school.

All of this brings her into contact with Jack, member of the diving team, class clown and unbeknownst to Pepper, her rival in the fast food world. His family’s local deli Girl Cheesing has an iconic grilled cheese sandwich recipe handed down from his grandmother – and somehow Big League Burger has stolen it. The Twitter wars begin!

In the beginning, Jack and Pepper’s spats online feel more than a bit juvenile, which, as they're teenagers, isn't too surprising. Offline, neither knows that the other is the voice behind the rival restaurant Twitter accounts. And strangely enough, life keeps on throwing them together. They have to figure out ways to share the swim/dive practice pool, they keep crossing paths at school and oh yeah, even if they don’t realize it, they are also building a connection on an anonymous messaging app.

As the Twitter wars go viral, the plot becomes more than a little bit over the top. It works, though, because the author never loses the feeling of fun and friendly rivalry that runs through the book. Pepper and Jack are sometimes immature and they do on occasion hurt one another, but there’s no bitter vindictiveness there. In fact, as the story progresses, we see them learning from one another and forgiving one another. There’s good-natured humor running through much of the back and forth between the leads, both online and off, and they build a deep sense of connection which made the book really work for me.

The focus of the action in this novel stays on the alternating viewpoints of Pepper and Jack, so secondary characters don’t play so large a role here. However, the ones that appear are likeable and I enjoyed seeing Jack and Pepper interact with their friends. Jack, as he crafts his own identity after being in the shadow of his super-popular twin, and Pepper, still finding her way in a place very different from where she spent her early life.

If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted read, Tweet Cute is a delight. Some of the revelations from the leads’ parents strain credulity, but otherwise I found it an entertaining, funny début.

Buy it at: Amazon
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