Natalie is feeling unmoored. Her parents are getting divorced and don't seem to care. Her best friends have hooked up and since she's always imagined herself ending up with Zach in the end, it's making things awkward. If there's one thing Natalie doesn't need it's more awkwardness. When Zach's brother Alex invites her to a party she accidentally develops a crush on him. They couldn't be more different, is it possible they can make a go of things?

This coming-of-age story is cute and sweet. You'll revel in Natalie's sarcastic wit. The book reads like a teen movie with all of the classic trappings in the best way. If you like light, realistic romance with just a little self-doubt and drama, you'll love It Sounded Better in My Head.

This is a great book about love and loss, and everything in between. I love books where the character has to find herself in order to figure out their own happiness.

It took me a couple tries to get into this book but I'm really glad I came back to it. The protagonist takes some getting used to but I really loved both her and the story in the end. Natalie can be self-absorbed in the way that teenagers often are but is aware of her faults. She transitions to college, deals with her parents divorce, and navigates trying not to let her insecurities and anxieties tank her relationships, both existing and budding. I love books that acknowledge that letting people in is terrifying, and especially not easy the first time you fall for someone.

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After several chapters I knew it would not appeal to my students and do not plan to purchase it. Thank you for the opportunity to read it for preview purposes.

This is a great YA book. I would recommend it for older readers due to the content that involves talk about sex and going to parties. I feel like the characters were relatable and parts of the book reminded me of some of my own high school/early college years struggles. I liked the trio of friends and how the book shows the obstacles that come from one friend dating another. It also covered the topic of dating a friend's brother, which was an interesting part of the story. It was just overall a great story.

The story has a good flow to it and a good ending. The author wraps up the story without leaving you wanting more and wondering what happened. This is something I love finding in books of this genre. I like the story to be interesting, but wrapped up nicely at the end.

What an unexpected delight! Obviously I knew I wanted to read this one, but I never imagined how much I would love it. First it was a pleasant surprise it took place in Australia. I'm not sure how I missed it but I was very happy when I realized it. Second, Natalie felt like me or someone I know, or a mix of both, when I was her age, honestly sometimes even now. She had a very familiar voice and that made me love her even more. Not to mention her relationship with her best friends and with Alex. All. together the book was a chef's kiss and I wish I could give it more stars and read it for the first time again. It was a bright stop in a long 2020 and a book I recommend everyone reading,

This book was a lovely, distracting, first-love romance. I think teens struggling with their own friend and parent issues will find solace in it, but there was something missing too. It is very surface- the stakes are not high and the characters are not rich. I wanted more!! However, this was a great, fun, easy read- I just think there would be better things to recommend to a teen looking for a book.

Insightful and incisive, IT SOUNDED BETTER IN MY HEAD was one of the best YA books I’ve read in a while. Natalie has just graduated high school, and everything is changing. Her parents tell her they are getting separated, her best friends (and only friends) are dating, and she’s waiting to find out what university she’ll go to. She is incredibly introverted and socially anxious after years of terrible acne. Kenwood does an amazing job of capturing Natalie’s voice—the anxiousness over every decision and social interaction, the knowledge that she should love herself along with the exasperation as to how hard it is, grappling with femininity in this shallow world, wanting independence but also fearful of the future. The writing is so funny and painfully sincere. Natalie is a character with so much humanity she leaps off the page and it’s hard to imagine she doesn’t exist somewhere, getting ready for college now. I loved all the subplots in this book—the unexpected romance (which is treated with as much awkward, humor, and swinging emotions as any relationship at 18 years old), the parents separation, and the friendships. I’m looking forward to Nina Kenwood’s future work.

Divorce is a common topic in fiction. We get plenty of aggressive, abandoning divorce. Not as much sensible, reasoned divorce. Probably because its less interesting. Its not the central conflict but rather an element that serves to influence Natalie's behavior. She's confused and upset and struggles with her parents' utter lack of emotion on the subject. That divorce also serves as a parallel for the other relationships in the book, instructing the reader to question the idea of the "perfect" relationship. I like Natalie's relationship with her appearance. She wants to be above vanity, to embrace her flawed body. Intellectually she knows that her ideas are influence by the media and internalized misogyny and all. But knowing this doesn't changer her sense of shame about her skin. It's realistic.

the thing about natalie is that she is, and everyone in the world around her is, terribly self-absorbed. and on the one hand, she is a teenager, and the main characters are all teenagers, but the adults are also just as guilty of self-absorption here. it sounded better in my head spends a lot of time in natalie's head. and sometimes even if she thinks it sounded better, it really didn't.

natalie is charming, and you root for her, even when you know she is being dense. she's a teenager. and acts like it. and since this is a story written for teenagers, it's all good. i promise. i just wanted to like natalie more than i did. this is undoubtedly her story, and so if you aren't fully engaged with her voice and all her foibles, it makes for some tough going.

this didn't quite grab me, but it doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable.

**it sounded better in my head will publish on april 7, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/flatiron books in exchange for my honest review.

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood.

Nina Kenwood is an author to keep you eye on for the amazing writing, great characterization and an exceptionally well written Contemporary YA book. The story is outstanding and quite relatable for many of our teens. Themes included divorce, first love, issues with self esteem and body shaming. Kenwood writes an emotionally rich story with relatable characters that we could all stand behind. I kept thinking about our protagonist, Natalie and how she would enjoy being socially isolated during this time of the pandemic and would absolutely love it - playing the antisocial game for as long as possible if she could help it.

I highly recommend this book for an amazing read by a debut author. One of the best YA book I have read this year hands' down.

I just finished reading It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood I gave this 4 stars and I liked book I felt like relate to the main character so much because their were some similarities she had that I can relate to. I recommend this book it was nice and fluffy read.

It Sounded Better in My Head is a different kind of romance. Once that starts with turning all the expectations of what being a teen is really like and how to make your own HAE come true. For Natalie the difference between her teenage life and a TV show was getting paid. When she realizes she isn't living in her own rom-com she has to adjust. Maybe this is how she reorganizes her priorities and discovers what she actually wants.

This was incredibly easy to read and brought the same kind of nostalgia as other teenage romance novels like To All the Boys I've Loved Before or Sarah Dessen's books.

This is a totally cute, fluffy rom-commy YA from Nina Kenwood. The main character, Natalie, is Aussie, eighteen, and anxiously awaiting news of her Uni placement. Her life is in somewhat of an upheaval period as her parents told her on Christmas Day that oh, by the way, Nat, we're getting divorced and we've known for, oh, TEN MONTHS.

In addition to her shock at finding her perfect family is not so perfect after all, she's continuing to feel a little third-wheelie now that her two besties, Zach and Lucy, are a full-fledged couple. Natalie is introverted primarily due to bad acne in her youth that left her figuratively and literally scarred. She hasn't dated nor had a boyfriend. Until one afternoon at Zach's house, his older brother Alex and Alex's friend Owen decide to hang out with the trio. Before the older boys leave, Owen invites Natalie to go to a party with him.

Despite her angst, Natalie goes, and what transpires is a discovery that she is actually attracted to Zach's older brother. A romance begins to bloom, but Natalie doesn't want to confess it to Zach and Lucy. And when the truth comes out, Zach blows his stack and he and Natalie have a major fight.

Kenwood tells the story in a sweet way that makes the reader want to root for Natalie to find the happiness she sees in Zach and Lucy. She interweaves the character relationships strongly with depth; even the character of Alex's ex-girlfriend Vanessa isn't a caricature. This was an enjoyable read.

In Nina Kendwood’s debut novel, main character Natalie overcomes the struggles of teenage years with her best friends and an unexpected romance along the way. When Nina unexpectedly learns of her parents pending divorce, life seems completely upside down. On top of that, her two best friends, Zach and Lucy, are dating, when Natalie had always pictured herself with Zach. While dealing with these struggles, as well as overcoming her insecurities about past acne and scarring, Natalie finally comes into her own. She opens up to the world, as well as a boy she never expected.

In this delightful coming of age novel, there are many issues addressed which aren’t frequently seen in this genre. The topic of body issues, specifically acne in this book, is one that almost every teenager has experienced at one point or another. The raw and vulnerable way this is addressed allows readers to relate to a character who has flaws, just as any normal person does. On top of the heavier details such as this and divorce, Kenwood utilizes charming dialogue and realistic characters to immerse readers into the wonderfully awkward years of a teenager.

Being fresh out of high-school, Natalie is getting anxious about the next big step that she’s about to take in a couple weeks. She’s headed to university and she couldn’t be more stressed about it. Thankfully, she had her two best friends, Lucy and Zach, who recently just hit it off as a couple. Although Natalie is 100% supporting their relationship, she couldn’t help but keep second-guessing her role in their friendship’s circle. She thought she might have experienced something that will lead her and Zach as a couple instead, though she had no intention to break her best friends apart. Never in a million years. Yet she couldn't stop overthinking why Zach chose Lucy over herself, leaving her with her worst internal monologue and self-hatred that she’s not as good as Lucy. While struggling with all of these thoughts, an unexpected news came from her parents. They were getting divorced. The worst part yet? They knew that their separation was coming for ten months before they decided to share it with Natalie, leaving her with no opportunity and space to protest since their separation was incredibly calm, polite, and has been agreed mutually.

This YA contemporary debut was an extraordinary coming-of-age story, following the quiet and shy Natalie, and how she experienced best-friends’ drama, parents’ separation, unexpected romantic encounter, and most importantly, how she struggled with her insecurities. While I personally never expected a lot from this genre (considering the repetitiveness and how a few tropes have been used too many times in various media outlets), I find it surprising that I had so much fun with It Sounded Better in My Head. Yes, there were tropes that have been used many times, but there’s something about Kenwood’s work that made it engaging and incredibly entertaining. She managed to capture the intensity of disagreement between friends, the unavoidable self-doubts that most teenagers can’t help, and the annoying yet silly family banters. These fun and witty scenes were especially my favorite, because they were not artificial, whatsoever, resulting in earnest laughs that made me eager to keep flipping the pages.

Kenwood heavily centered her story on Natalie and her struggles ever since she’s a teenager and how it built up until she became a young adult. I don’t think Kenwood wrote Natalie’s experiences perfectly, but I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t relate to her character multiple times throughout the story. Self-hatred was an issue that even now, being in my 20s, is something that I have to deal with regularly. Witnessing how Natalie had to go through the similar experience was hurtful. She keeps seeing herself as a failure and hating on her body while in fact, she’s a fun, smart, and witty person. I feel as if I’m seeing a bit of myself in her.

On the other hand, another saddening representation also comes from Lucy. Being a social person who couldn’t be more excited to talk to multiple groups of people, while also having a great best friend and a loving partner, she seems to have it all in life. That’s before we know about her controlling and strict mother, pressuring her for getting into law school ever since she’s 13, when she doesn't even understand college yet. Her storyline was also another of my favorites to follow.

Lastly, the romantic aspect of this book, which is Natalie’s first love experience with Zach’s brother, Alex. It might be too assuming for me to label it as first love, but it was definitely not the first crush either. I enjoyed this aspect quite a bit and it wasn’t all lovey-dovey or cringe. I do think a few parts were necessary to point out (the rapid-fire inappropriate questions that Natalie asked Alex, her jealousy over Alex’s ex-girlfriend, the revelation of Alex’s cheating, the fear of their first sexual intercourse, etc). Because although they were embarrassing, they happened in real life to real teens. I think Kenwood did a great job featuring all of these sensitive issues in her story.

In conclusion, It Sounded Better in My Head was a compelling coming-of-age story that I wasn’t quite expecting. It was diverse, genuine, and not holding back from representing multiple issues that teenagers had to face, especially ones that they had to face during the confusing age of 17 and 18 where you’re not quite a teenager anymore but also not fully an adult yet.

Some very exciting rom com from Australia.

Natalie has dealt with image problems all her teenage years, especially because of her skin problems. She's a little better now she's finished high school, but she finds out there some other problems awaiting. To start, her parents are divorcing, her two best friends Zach and Lucy are dating each other and she still doesn't know when she's in their way, and she might be having feelings for Zach's untrustworthy older brother. All that while they wait for the results from applications to college.

It's always refreshing to read a book from outside the US, but this wasn't any culture shock. Aside from the different seasons, Natalie and her friends are just like any American kid.

Also, this was truly fun. The first half, especially, while we don't know what will happen with Natalie, who'll be her romantic interest, I was so excited reading I felt butterflies in my own stomach. I'm being serious, it's been a long time since a YA gave me this intensity of feels.

Natalie's traumas about her images were also very well described, without going into drama, for this wasn't the point of the story. Natalie felt like very authentic about her issues, and there were lots of moments I actually remembered thinking alike back then, things I didn't even remember having gone through anymore.

There was also a part about her friends that I enjoyed. At first I was wondering if this would reveal to be some love triangle, but fortunately (not that I would have minded, but stories like this one are more rare), it was really about their bonds as friends.

I do think it lost steam during the second half. I like where it went, I think it was a valid discussion and a good conclusion, but it wasn't as fun as it had been for me thus far. Also, as fun as it was, the story is still generic. I love that, but I don't think it will attract people who aren't YA readers.

Still, I'm in love with the book and actually grateful for keeping me company during the quarantine. Anyone who loves contemporary YA to take their minds off thing should pick it right now. Also, I'm looking forward to Nina Kenwood's future books! I'll be cheesy, but this went much better than it already sounded in my head.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!! Natalie is me. All the body image issues. Social issues. Family issues. I am her! She is me. I really didn't want her story to end I felt the ending was a bit too rushed. Lots of tension and awkwardness. I even enjoyed the miscommunications and those things usually annoy me the most. Why couldn't the book have been longer??!!

This debit novel was an absolutely enjoyable read. I found Natalie highly relatable even though I'm in my thirties because this novel took me right back to my teen years.

What I loved about this book:

1. The friendship between Natalie, Lucy, and Zach is what every simi awkward teen needs in their lives.

2. The awareness this book brings to PCOS is everything. PCOS is so prevalent in our population and it can have devastating effects on the happiness and self esteem of those who suffer. I've been dealing with hormone issues myself and their effects can be both exhausting and isolating.

3. The romance in this book is adorable, awkward, and 100% swoon worthy. Natalie initially sees Alex as the hot guy, but he was so much more. He was so sweet and ultimately just as insecure as she was. As they navigate their relationship Alex was sure to make sure she was always comfortable where they were going and what they were doing. The only heartbreaking part of their relationship was seeing how others discounted it.

Natalie was the type of character you'll be able to root for and her growth throughout the novel in inspirational. This book is so relatable and talks about the issues we rarely see spoken about so honestly in novels. I absolutely enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.