I tried to read this one and couldn't get into it. I enjoy Francina Simone's YouTube channel, but this book wasn't for me.

Good rep, the cover would be easy to convince a lot of my students to give it a try. It took me a bit to get into it but it picked up.

I received an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read. I assume it's much better, the more familiar with Othello you are. But I also thought it was just a really great coming of age/ romance on its own.

Initially, I was going to be reviewing this novel as I usually do, by pointing out its positives and negatives. I had actually liked this book because it had a lot going for it. However, the author has chosen to make some racist remarks towards Hawaiian people and made an extremely insensitive joke regarding the Palestinian genocide. The author has also not rectified this in print copies of this book. I am completely against any of the remarks made by this author in her book, and will not be giving any star ratings or promoting this book. However enticing this story may seem, its racist comment mean I can only encourage readers to skip it for better options.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute read. I enjoyed the drama and the way the story is told

2.5 stars rounded up.

When high school junior Olivia decides to say "f&*k it" to her anxieties and insecurities, she ends up turning her life upside down.

The overall story was cute, albeit a little contrived. The love triangle aspect was difficult for me to grasp considering Simone put a lot of effort into making Olivia sound not all that desirable. (However since the story is told solely from Olivia's perspective, so that's probably why.) I know some readers have had a difficult time liking this book considering some of the racist jokes and stereotypes made towards other minorities (namely a Hawaiian character and Israeli/Palestinian character). But if anything, I think Simone brings up this real issue that often gets glossed over in YA novels-racism from one minority group against another minority group. However, I agree that the handling of it was not ideal, as Olivia never openly admonishes her friends for the things they say.

Overall most teens will probably eat this up-there's plenty of sex and lots of language. But by no means is this one of the best written or most memorable YA contemporary fiction novels that I've ever read.

Not really a book for me. Good writing and good engaging characters in the book. Book written for a much younger crowd. I would label this YA. I would say younger people would enjoy this book very much. It has a nice believable flow to it.

I enjoyed a lot of different aspects of this story, and there were things that made me feel uncomfortable and I didn't care for it.

While there is sex positivity, self-acceptance and self-assurance, I didn't appreciate different comments and story arcs made in the story.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF - did not finish. I could not connect with the writing style/plot so I decided to not pick this one up. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

I'm a fan of Francina, but some of the jokes made by characters in this book make me wary of bringing this into the classroom.

I had a big life disruption between reading the first half and the second half of this book. I think it’s very possible that my enjoyment of the book went down in the second half because of this, but I’m just not sure. There were parts I liked and parts that didn’t do it for me.

I guess the title of this book is Smash It! because putting four letter words on the cover of YA books is probably frowned upon. Liv decides that her junior year of high school, she is going to use it to be a better version of herself. She is going to do things that are out of her comfort zone. Will she succeed or fail? Either way, going for what she wants is better than sitting by on the sidelines.

I really enjoyed this book and will read more by this author.

Smash It! is a mature YA novel that has a bold character voice, and a unfiltered look at the high school experience of protagonist Liv. She’s a Black teenager in a mostly white school just trying to find confidence in her voice and in her look. She’s awkward and uncomfortable at first, but she has so much to give that she’s hiding from the majority of the world. She has two best friends, Dré and Elijah, a sister, and a mother who is insanely hard on her.

The main critique I have with this book is that I could’ve done without the off-color jokes in regards to the ethnicities of some of the side characters. I’m not exactly sure why the author saw the need to include these “jokes,” but alas. Other than that, SMASH IT! was incredibly hilarious, to the point where there were moments my stomach hurt from laughing. Lennox and Jackie are the ultimate best girlfriends duo, and this novel definitely celebrates the power, freedom, and possibility of unconditional acceptance in female friendships. I loved the incorporation of theatre kid life into the story; my thespian heart was absolutely swooning. I also appreciated how Liv, eventually, began demanding more in her friendships with Eli and Dré after realizing what it felt like not to be mocked and minimized by people who are supposed to care about you.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I loved how messy the teens were in this book-made them seem so realistic. I loved the trio dynamic and follow these 3 characters. I read this book quickly and really got pulled in by the story!

I did not love Olivia's hatred and negative talk about herself and others.

I have seen lots of negative reviews for this book due to racist or problematic comments. I am not going to comment on those.

Olivia creates a sort of bucket list after attending a party in khaki pants and being known as kind of dull. It opens her up to new experiences that she never imagined for herself. As the year progresses, she begins to practice self-love and others can see it too.

This is a good title for older readers. There is some stigma concerning it since there is a insensitive joke told. I understand why others may refuse to continue, however on the other hand I can see the joke being made among friends despite the insensitivity. That may be an unpopular opinion.

While Olivia is frustrating at times, it is a part of her character. Finding yourself isn't easy and she's bound to make some mistakes along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Francina Simone and Inkyard Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I was shocked by how much I fell in love with the characters in this novel. They are all so diverse in so many different ways and they all have such different outlooks on life - especially for teens. I really enjoy the main character and how differently she looks at life because she doesn't want to be a stereotype. I had so many feels reading this novel. I remember all the angst in being a teen and this little love triangle definitely gave me anxiety. I didn't know who I was rooting for and it made me read the ending so much faster to see what was going to happen. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy YA or an emotional rollercoaster of a read!

I started this book and even though it was written well, it just wasn't a great fit for me. I think the right audience will connect and I hope it finds it's way in the right hands. I teach, and I can definitely see some of my students really enjoying this book.

A solid YA novel! The relationships were entertaining to watch develop. Although I am not familiar with Othello it did not hinder my understanding or enjoyment of the story line.
This may have been the most swear words I have ever read in a book but I think every one of them was used correctly lol

Purchased this YA/middle grade novel for my middle school library. Superb character development, elegant world building, and compelling plotting.