TWEET CUTE is a delightful and fun modern update of "You've Got Mail" for Gen X. Emma Lord does an excellent job exploring important topics many teens face: divorce, strained familial relationships, college admissions, friendship, social media, and crushes. TWEET CUTE is definitely filled with fluff and lots of laughs but is heartfelt in exploring the characters' emotions and anxieties.
Pepper and Jack, two classmates at an elite private school in New York City, are polar opposites; the former is the overachieving captain of the swim team, the latter, a class clown who often feels like he is in the shadow of his class president twin brother Ethan. As a twin, Jack's relationship with Ethan was very relatable; it's hard to share the same space as your sibling and it's really hard to not compare yourselves! Pepper also deals with family issues as her mom and sister aren't speaking after her parents' divorce. Both Jack and Pepper have been chatting anonymously on an app created by Jack and feel like they have found someone at their cutthroat school who gets them.
The two start feuding over Twitter because of a disagreement between Pepper's family's burger chain and Jack's parents' small restaurant. Lord does a good job hinting at class dynamics and does an excellent job exploring gentrification in New York. The Twitter battle starts to help bring in business to Jack's family shop and so he and Pepper keep the GIF-war going. Unlike everyone around them, Pepper and Jack are oblivious to the feelings they have for each other.
If you've seen "You've Got Mail," you'll have a sense of the how the plot unfolds. There are parts of TWEET CUTE that are incredibly fanciful - Pepper's Upper East Side life - but that's part of the novel's escapism. There are also tons of references to "Mean Girls" and "Gossip Girl" which is fun for readers young and old alike. I would have liked to see more diversity in the cast but there is good LGBTQ representation as Jack's twin Ethan is gay.
TWEET CUTE is a fun read and you'll be rooting for Pepper and Jack to just kiss already throughout the book! As mentioned at the beginning of this review, Lord does an excellent job balancing a fun rom-com plot with important real world issues that teens face in their daily lives.

What a sweet romance!

I’ve been reading less and less YA contemporary lately, mostly because I feel like I am diving deeper into adult romance and I can’t seem to connect to teens as much anymore, but this was an awesome surprise!!! I absolutely loved it from start to finish and will be reading more books by this author in the future for sure!

GEEZ this was adorable. Tweet Cute is a really fun, lighthearted YA rom-com that had great characters and a setting I could see. The plot is a bit wacky, and I was here for it.

Picture a modern retelling of You've Got Mail, throw in some NYC private high school seniors, add Twitter and an anonymous messaging app, and a bit of ... cheese...and you've got this book. While a bit predictable, I was so entertained I didn't mind that. The pop culture references might not age well, but so what?

The story is told in dual point-of-views, bouncing between Pepper and Jack (though not always alternating). I enjoyed the banter and the Twitter feud, but I would have liked a tiny bit less of the Twitter and more of the relationships with the main characters and side characters. I also wanted a little more of a reckoning when things came to a head.

Some swearing, but that's the only caution, so I'd say this is a YA that would be appropriate for 12+. I'm definitely reading her next book, whatever that will be.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy in exchange for my honest review. Tweet Cute will be published on 21 Jan 2020.

Definitely a cute idea, but just not my style. A little too modern for me, BUT i can definitely tell why this book is loved by so many others. If you're looking for a modern day romcom sort of book, this would be an easy sell!

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

For me, this is YA rom com GOLD! I thoroughly enjoyed Pepper and Jack. I love YA even though I am not YA- I'm actually the mom of two teenage boys :-) . I must admit I had to google what it meant to 'ship' someone (for you other moms- it means to put people in a relation'ship'.). I am also not too familiar with social media (apparently I"m the FB generation and I'm just figuring out Instagram (b/c Bookstagram!) and I only have twitter account for when I vote on The Voice... :-)). But I'm curious about all the different platforms and apps and enjoyed getting a glimpse into the generation that are considered digital natives.

I loved Emma and Jack's relationship on all the different levels and I enjoyed the different tropes (enemies to lovers and whatever it's called when you don't know who you are communicating with but falling for).

This was cute, engaging, and had me thinking about perseverance and how hard it is to sometimes differentiate what we want to do for ourselves versus meeting external expectations (family, society, etc). Also, YA romance! If this is a genre you enjoy, I recommend this one!

Thanks for NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounding up…

What happens when teens take over a Twitter war, for the sake of protecting their own families’ legacies? ‘Tweet Cute’ is the hypothetical answer, it seems, in a very, very updated version of ‘You’ve Got Mail’ where ‘enemies’ in real life are actually forging a deeper and meaningful connection over an anonymous school app.

There’s a bit more complexity than that of course, even as Jack and Pepper duke it all out over their family food business, while balancing their own issues and insecurities that do in fact, capture these angsty years on the cusp of adulthood pretty well. The Twitter food war takes up a lot of the story as do the secret identity bits—it did admittedly get a little too much at times and made me cringe at the never-ending oneupmanship—and it’s so picture-perfect of the internet’s fickleness and its viral power that you can’t help but smile and get swept up with the ride, milking it for as long as it lasts. That this is also about food made me wonder if Emma Lord should have also included all the recipes in her appendix.

There’s enough of a YA romance if you squint—romantic feelings are talked about in an oblique way, as discomfort, as awareness, but never as the overt type of sexiness you’d find in a typical adult romance—but ‘Tweet Cute’ stays on safe-ish ground, very above the belt and very focused on friendship that might turn into more. Emma Lord juggles this with the impending train wreck that you can see coming a mile away with admirable ease, as Jack and Pepper move from adversaries to friends to something a little more. Though this doesn’t happen without a lot of reflection and realisation along the way about themselves, their relationships and their own families.

However, it’s also peppered with enough self-awareness in the character voices that sometimes surpass the maturity of a teen which gave me a bit of pause. Lord does write Pepper/Jack adopting a certain wry distance of stepping away from the action and then commenting on their own behaviour, giving a slight bit of meta that sometimes translate into longer than necessary inner monologues that sometimes keeps the momentum from going forward. I did take a few days with ‘Tweet Cute’ as a result, putting it down then taking it up again when I had the time; it wasn’t as ‘unputdownable’ as I’d hoped it would be, though each time I did continue however, its entertainment value never failed.

(Review will be posted on my blog on 12/22/19)

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Pepper is the over achieving good girl from Nashville and her family owns Big League Burgers, a franchise that is basically found all over the world. Jack is the class clown, born and raised New Yorker, who’s family owns a deli. And the two companies are in a war…a twitter war.

And who is coming up with these tweets in this twitter war? The teens, Pepper and Jack who are both attending the same private school and trying to get into Ivy League colleges. They have lives filled with school activities, and so much homework, but they help the family business by attacking one another on social media! And it’s overtaking their lives.

But with this twitter war, Pepper and Jack, actually get to know each other, they actually become friends and maybe even something more.

What I Liked:

*Pepper and Jack are two teens in NYC just trying to survive high school and get into ivy league colleges while both trying to help with their family businesses. Pepper is over-achieving, and Jack is the opposite which makes this an opposites attract story. Jack helps Pepper lighten up and I think Pepper grounds Jack. Their characters are fleshed and we see them deal with expectations from their families. Pepper is dealing with a broken family, Jack is dealing with feeling inadequate and in competition with his twin brother – they have a lot of common but they don’t know that until secrets are revealed. Pepper is also top of her class and a swimmer. Jack is a diver but the class clown.

*There was a lot going on in this story but it worked. I was never overwhelmed with the drama of school and family life in Pepper and Jack’s life. I was invested in Pepper’s story and was hoping she’d stand up to her mother. As for Jack, I felt for him and wish he didn’t feel like he was disappointing his family because they did seem like cool parents. This story gives us family drama, teenage drama, lots of food and a little romance too!

*The romance is an opposites-attract, slow burn, which was nice, you could see the growing attraction between Pepper and Jack during their twitter war. When they finally do make a move it’s so sweet an awkward but totally how I’d have imagine their first kiss because of who they are.

*Pepper’s talent for baking made me hungry for all the desserts she baked in the story. I LOVED all the dessert names she and sister came up with. It felt so much more genuine than Big League Burger and their food empire. Honestly when the book ended, I wished for a sequel about Pepper and her sister Paige opening up their own bakery, because that would make a fun story! Maybe a sequel but this time about Paige? 🤔 I’d read it for sure!

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*Pepper’s mom was a little much. She really expected her daughter to put time and effort helping the social media side of their family business AND keep up her grades and be the best daughter ever? Like give Pepper a break! Her mom also had a secret and one that was a surprise. I wondered how it would be resolved in the end, and like I said it’s happily ever after but it makes me wonder how her mom got over that hurdle of forgiveness because that twitter war got pretty petty quick. The way Pepper’s mom is…well she doesn’t seem like someone who would let that go. She was not my favorite character.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Tweet Cute. The romance is slow building and super cute. By the end of the story I was cheering Pepper and Jack on! It’s also a story about family, loving them (with all their flaws) and trying so hard not to disappoint them. Pepper and Jack are juggling so much and I was impressed at how they pretty much kept it together, with a breakdown here and there. It’s a feel good story that made me laugh and filled my heart with happiness at the end. This is great debut from Emma Lord and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Oh my goodness this was so cute. i loved reading this book.

I was contacted by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My full review will be posted closer to the release date.

This was an adorable YA romance. Going back and forth between Pepper and Jack’s perspectives was fun. They were characters you just want to root for. I recommend this as a fun palate cleanser. You’ll breeze through it and enjoy the story.

YES👏🏻👏🏻 This was soooo cute!! The witty banter and sassiness that is this book was just pure perfection. An adorable romance, real family dynamics, and the pressure that comes with being a teenage in today’s society encompass this YA contemporary and you just NEED to add this to your must-haves of 2020.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

So I don't normally love YA books. I like them, but don't love them...but this book was the exception. I LOVED IT. Emma Lord, you wrote a gem of a book here!

I constantly think about how lucky I am that we didn't have cell phones and social media when I was a teenager. Between the twitter war and the Weazel app, plus texting, the technology available to the characters played a huge role in the plot. I liked how it was realistic and contemporary without being futuristic.

I loved the characters so much. Jack and Pepper...Pepperjack, if you will, were adorable. Their banter, their hate to love (like?) friendship, their stories. I liked the supporting characters too and felt that they were great additions to the story without being overpowering or not around enough.

My favorite thing about the book was the creativity with the plot and the conflicts between the characters. Not only did Pepper and Jack have the issue of being on opposite sides of the grilled cheese war, and finding out they were each the ones behind the tweeting for their respective restaurants, which was bad enough. There was also the issue of the hidden identities between their Weazel personas...They were chatting on the app without knowing who the other was, and kind of falling for the other - but they were growing closer and falling for each other in real life too! What was going to happen when Pepper realized Jack is Wolf - or when Jack realized Pepper was Bluebird? I got worried that the conflicts were going to overlap too much, but somehow the author wove everything together perfectly.

Very well done, very cute story!

This was cute! I enjoyed the Twitter war and I could see this being a hit for younger readers with all the pop culture references and social media playing a big part in the book.

While this was cute, this does tackle a few serious topics. I also liked that it talks about the dreaded what’s next after high school question. I hated that question and I hate that people still expect teens to automatically know what they want to do. I’m going to move on because I could go on about that forever.

“Apparently in the vast arsenal of useless talents that aren’t going to help me get into college, I am really good at being snarky on Twitter.”

We have our main characters Jack and Pepper who are both going through different things in their life. This relationship between these two was a mix of enemies to friends to lovers. I enjoyed the ride through all of it! Their banter in person and on Twitter made me laugh quite a bit while reading. These two were honestly perfect for each other.

What really took me out of the story was Pepper’s mom. She was kind of the worst in my opinion. The way she pushed Pepper into the taking over the Twitter account even though she said her schoolwork was suffering really made me upset. She treated her Pepper like her employee than her daughter. Even once we got the reason that was behind her actions, I still couldn’t be swayed to forgive her. This really dragged my rating down.

All in all, this was a good debut that had some minor issues for me. The relationship was the cutest and I think it will make a great summer contemporary next year!

Where do i start with this book? it cheesy as hell ( in a good way) and pun attended. it a twist on the classic Romeo and Juliet story, but we get the ending we want no death. Now coming from someone who doesn't have a twitter account i don't get the whole twitter thing, but i do get the war I kind of saw that the mom was getting out of line at points and being blinded by something, but i didn't see it until later why. Overall it a cheesy fun rom-com type of a book and i loved it even though it kept me up reading way past my bedtime some nights

Tweet Cute is a solid young adult romance novel. There aren't many unexpected twists, it's the kind of book where you see the uncomfortable scenes coming from a mile away and are cringing the entire way up to them, knowing the inevitable before the characters can realize it. This romance has wonderful elements of self-discovery embedded in its pages.
While the beginning of this book was slow, Lord really picked up the place and kept the witty quips coming. Tweet Cute was nostalgic for me in the way the young high-schoolers interacted with each other. Jack and Pepper became friends so quickly and easily, and soon found themselves wanting to spend more and more time together, just as I felt that my own high school friendships developed quickly.
However relevant the internet was to this drama, there is no way to keep up with the trends, and therefore this book will not stand the test of time. There's also not much in the way of inherent struggle for these characters, their lives seemed relatively straight forward and they have good networks of people who support and care about them, even if it may not feel that way for Pepper or Jack at times. It's very light hearted.

Loved this book. Super cute, easy read, light hearted and realistic with twitter and social media awkwardness in schools.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TO Wednesday Books for the privilege of granting me early access to this title. I can assure you this book will be a complete HIT!

LOVED the whole concept. In this social media era, anything and everything counts to make your business thrive and it's more than obvious Pepper and Jack (Pepperjack? LOL) learned their lesson early on because the fight IS ON and IT'S LIT!!! I loved their fierce love for their family's respective businesses. At some point it does become a full blown #TweetWar, but there is no denying the chemistry and fun banter between MC's. I am of the opinion that the best love stories always happen in New York, and this one only confirmed my theory.

Grilled Cheese and Hamburgers, Tweets and Fast Food Joints. All in a cute, sweet fun and absolutely adorable story that indeed is one of the best ones to start the new year with.

Okay so this book was really cute and I love the main characters a little too much for my own good. Like their relationship had a lot of different layers, just because they interacted through a few different platforms and the dynamics were always a bit different.

But if you're up for a witty and sweet YA book, this one is literally the definition for that, I think. Though the supporting characters created so much unnecessary drama and the maturity level of some of the parents got very annoying for me, I love how the characters and plot incorporate a lot of different elements that intertwine as nicely as they do.

The cliché aspect was inevitable, of course. But the whole hidden identities A Cinderella Story esque trope makes me really weak because I just love that so it worked for me. I don't know if the same would hold true for others, just because maybe a few too many nice coincidences worked out for the main pairing.

In the end, just a fun and wholesome read that whisked me into a world of baking, secrets, and sharp roasts. My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the lovable ARC!

If you're a fan of romcoms you should definitely check out Tweet Cute. This YA romance is perfect for all ages and you'll find yourself swooning and laughing way more than you expected. This book definitely lived up to the hype for me.

What I loved about this book:
1. It was a cute fun read that was both fast paced and addictive.
2. I found both characters enjoyable and was instantly invested in their outcome, but the banter back and forth is what makes this book so good. It's whitty, sassy, and will have you laughing out loud as you read along.
3. This is an enemies to lovers romance (my favorite trope) and their chemistry is undeniable. There are two different interactions between Jack and Pepper, but one platform is anonymous. This gives you insight into who they both are and how perfect they are for each other.
I definitely recommend you pick up a copy of your own when it publishes this January. This is one debut author you won't want to miss.

This was one of the most delightful romances I've read in a LONG time! The twitter framing is a creative hook, the two voices of the narrators are distinct and fresh, and the ending is totally heartwarming. I devoured this like a particularly great grilled cheese sandwich! ;)