Such a great book!! You will see yourself as a younger kid in these pages. I didn’t want to put it down. I flew through the story!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: body-shaming, slut-shaming.

The story follows Olivia "Liv" James who is done letting her insecurities control her life. So she decides to make a "Fuck It" list. She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date, and making new friends. But she has no idea what to do when her heart gets torn between 3 different guys, two of them being her best friends.

I had a lot of fun reading this book! I loved how it took place in Florida. I loved how all of the characters are realistic.They talk about sex and masturbation, they swear. They're teenagers after all, and it's refreshing to see realistic dialogue in a YA story.

There were a few moments in this story I felt pretty "meh" about, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I also love the cover!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

After showing up to an Halloween party in khaki shorts and a hoodie, Olivia, "Liv", decides it's time to change her life and she does a F*ck-it-list. She will try to be bold, to overcome her shyness, to do things she wanted to do but was afraid to try and to become a more confident person.
So Liv decides to say "Yes". Yes to try out for the school musical, like she always wanted to do and after that first scary steps she realizes new doors and opportunities are ready for her. Like making new friends, flirting with a cute guy, discovering herself and what she wants. But being bold means also doing mistakes, above all when her heart starts pulling her in three different directions, when the friendship with her two best friends becomes more and more complicated by love and misunderstanding and what also could happen to her?

I really like Smash it! Liv is so relatable, funny and shy and the way she decides to step out of her comfort zone, becoming more and more confident, overcoming her insecurities, is beautiful and empowering. Her friendship with Lennox and Jackie , so funny and outspoken, and with Eli and Drè, so truly sweet and intense and I love their bickering, silent language. The relationship between characters, the gossips, the empowering, everything is so funny and amazing.

Smash it! is a book about overcoming your fears, being brave and bold, learning from your mistakes and loving yourself.

First off, the cover of this book is absolutely beautiful and it does draw you towards it to read!
But unfortunately, there were some issues with story.

The main character Olivia, had some major issues with her story. I felt that she was very immature and dramatic. There was a lot of moments where Olivia stereotyped people and judge them off of her opinion of them, without any regard to them. She should have "F$%$ it" and gotten to know them a bit more deeply, instead of focusing on herself so much. I saw that with her interactions with Lennox.

I believe there are some good bones to this story; I can see what the author was trying to do, but it felt rushed in the important areas and drawn out in areas that could have actually been completely thrown out. I would still suggest it for Teen Reader's Advisories because there are some parts in the story, such as: being confident, pushing past your insecurities, and learning how to go out for the things that scare you the most! There are teens (and adults) that need to learn how to not live in fear!

This book is great for teens who are trying to find themselves and who don't quite fit in with the "popular" crowd. It shows how you can amaze even yourself when you just put your mind to saying yes and learning from your mistakes. It also talks about navigating different relationships in high school and how to approach feelings you may develop for friends or new people. I really loved how it touches on advocating for a positive body image and a woman's right to do what she wants with her body. Very good read.

Smash It! is an entertaining book about a Black young woman navigating her old and new friendships, awakened desire, and her quest to be more self confident. Olivia's journey was engaging, but uneven and left me frustrated when I did not feel prepared for her actions towards her friends. She admits to being selfish, but her actions were often self-centered in ways that were not accounted for in the prose.

In her quest to finally stand out, Olivia crashes and burns. Hard. She makes mistakes, hurts her good friends, and disregards everyone but herself while on a quest to conquer her "F*ck It" list. That said, there is much in Smash It! that is relatable for any high school student and the story is compelling with witty teen dialogue.

While some of Olivia's decisions are truly cringe-worthy, she is lovable at heart, and those with an interest in theater or music would find a lot to enjoy. There's catty girl drama, a love triangle friendship, and an underlying Othello reference.

Review posted on Goodreads (June 23, 2020)
Goodreads review linked.

5/5 Stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sending me an E-Arc for review!

I have read so many incredible contemporary romances this year, and this is one of them! I was super excited to read this book because I was lucky enough to meet Francina Simone last year at BEA and BookCon. She is so sweet and her book sounded so interesting.

This book is incredible. It tackles so many important topics in the story and handles them all with grace. I really loved how body positive and sex positive this book was. The characters were all so lovable, and I really loved the plot. This is such a beautiful, feminist romance and I really recommend picking it up when it comes out this Fall!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

It doesn’t matter if we’re 17 or 70 years old, there are times in our lives when we decide that maintaining the status quo just won’t do anymore. It’s during these times that we break out of shell, make ourselves vulnerable to critique, and say we just don’t give a fuck. This is what Olivia, a.k.a, Liv decides to do in Smash It.

Liv is a self-described weird kid. She’s a 17-year-old Black girl living in Orlando, Florida. She plays the flute and loves musical theater. She’s whip smart and her two best friends, Dre and Eli, play in a cover band. Liv used to be more outgoing and unafraid to bring attention to herself until she developed breasts, booty and childbearing hips, which her mom keeps reminding her will make her look like a “ho” if she doesn’t wear the right concealing outfit.

However, after being clowned for wearing her street clothes to a Halloween costume party, Liv decides she needs to start taking chances which begins with her trying out for her school’s musical version of Othello.

Over the course of the book, Liv makes new friends, goes after the boy she wants, and grows as a person. She realizes that she isn’t relegated to be one type of woman. She can be simultaneously innocent, hardhearted and misunderstood and not be doomed by tragedy.

Smash It is a delightful young adult coming of age novel featuring fully-realized Black and Latinx characters in a setting you rarely get to see them in. It’s highly readable and I can’t wait to put it in the hands of my teen library readers when we reopen.

Olivia has declared this year as the year of "F*ck it!" She's tired of hiding in the shadows and letting her fears make decisions for her. She auditions for the school musical, goes on a date, and starts making new friends. As she becomes more daring and begins taking back control of her decisions, will she begin hurting the people that she loves?

I really liked this book for the most part. I liked how Olivia decided to stop letting her fears run things and how she decided to branch out and try new things. I also liked that the book didn't treat sex like it was "dirty-bad-wrong" and talked about having healthy sexual relationships rather than sex shaming. I also enjoyed Olivia beginning to come to accept and embrace her body.

However, I had some issues with the story as well. Olivia's mom was horrible and that was never really addressed. She's cruel, unkind, and at times very verbally abusive towards Olivia. Also, while I applaud the conversations about healthy sexual relationships, I don't feel that Olivia and Dre's doesn't totally achieve that label. I also felt that Kai was a little unnecessary as a character.

I enjoy watching Francina Simone so I was happy to get my hands on a copy of her book. It's much needed representation. I mean look at that cover! I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare but I like when a writer can reference his work well and make it feel fresh. Olivia was a fun character to read and follow.

Funny, modern, relevant story that is very relatable for today's teens. O's journey to self-acceptance has a powerful message for those still seeking their place in the world. I enjoyed the diverse characters & the exploration of different types of friendships. It was nice to see the characters exchange ideas & take on new experiences. Sex-positive, but certainly not obscene; nonetheless, I would reserve this one for ages 15+.

Always nice to have slice-of-life books, especially about underrepresented groups. A good pick for 8th/9th graders itching for romance.

This was an incredibly fun and engaging read. I really enjoyed the concept of the story and the characterization. I thought that it was a little hard to connect with the characters in the beginning of the story but that changed as the narrative progressed.

Smash It! made me channel my inner teenager and helped me to remember all of the hormones and emotions that come with it. Liv, O, Livia, or Olivia has been best friends with her neighborhood, Eli and Dré since she moved into her home. This seems pretty harmless, right? (If you think this, you've been out of touch with teenage feelings.) Of course, this is a recipe for a beautiful disaster. Follow Liv's story of making new friends, following her hormones, and experiencing true love and heartbreak. This book made me laugh, cry, and feel all of the emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing a copy of this book for my honest review. I will publish this review to Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and YouTube (end-of-June/early-July).

Olivia is in a packed teen club on Halloween with no costume on. Everyone is partying in their costumes while she has khakis on. I wasn't interested in the characters

*some spoilers below*
I want to start by saying thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was funny. I was also interested in seeing how this love triangle (?) would play out among friends.

This book had a very awkward ending that still has me unsettled. What happens with her and Dre? What about with Eli and Dre? I feel like the story took so long to warm up which made the last 100 pages feel extremely rushed. I appreciate all of the cussing and discussion around sex as this is authentic to the teenage experience. I would recommend this book to a friend.

Fun, truthful, and impossible to put down. I loved Liv, through all the mistakes she made, because of the growth and love at the core of her journey.

Smash It by Francine Simone

Olivia James is tired. She’s tired of:

1. Being in the background and staying in her comfort zone.
2. Feeling self-conscious of her body.
3. Not being noticed by her best friend/long-time crush.
4. Letting her fears and insecurities rule her life.

So, Liv makes a F*ck It list and promises to stop playing it safe and to go after the things that she wants. While Liv is learning how to be herself, she goes from being in the background to being in the spotlight. The F*ck It list opens the door to new experiences like: trying out for and landing a role in the school play, meeting new friends, and just simply saying "yes" to different opportunities. But, Liv’s newfound confidence doesn’t go without the drama of an identity crisis, conflict with frenemies, and getting caught up in a crazy friend-turned-lover love triangle.

The novel highlights a great message of self-love and self-acceptance, and is laugh out loud funny.

Olivia has all the characteristics of a teenaged girl yearning to come into her own skin. Olivia was able to step out of her shell and into the world; She is fierce, relatable, and loveable. This book explores themes such as: self-love, body positivity, friendship, dating, sex, and acceptance.

I believe that Ms. Simone wrote a story that will resonate with its target audience and is sure to be a hit. All in all, I loved this book and can’t wait to add it to my collection.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for giving me this ARC of Smash It! by Francina Simone.
I first heard about Smash It! at the beginning of March on an EPIC Reads blog. So I was excited when I saw it was available for request!

I am not a big fan of Shakespeare, but I get what the author was trying to do with the Othello references. I loved that this book was written in own voice with diverse and well developed characters. It is an honest coming of age story about Olivia and her two best friends Dre and Eli. It shows both the beauty and the beast of high school drama. Olivia faces a number of her insecurities by creating a f**k it list that takes her out of her comfort zone. One is trying out for the school musical.

A few characters seemed to have no real importance and could have been omitted. Like today's teens the author overused the f-bombs. Because of this and the sexual experiences this book is too mature for middle school students.

I highly recommend this YA book for high school, especially females who struggle to accept themselves as they are.