Considering how much I hyped myself up with that excellent premise and wonderful cover, having read the entire book, I feel vaguely lied to. This is not a good feeling.

'My Epic Spring Break (Up)' follows Ashley, an aspiring computer scientist, and all the mishaps that follow when she decides that she's going to go off-script this spring break and follow her heart, to have fun.

The best part of this book, hands down, was Ashley's representation as a woman in STEM. I loved that she had a passion for this subject and that it was consistently written into her character. It wasn't something that was simply stated at the beginning and then brushed aside for the rest of the book; it was consistent, and that made me really happy.

That being said, there were a lot of things about this book that I really didn't enjoy.

The very first being, of course, the love triangle. It won't come as any surprise but I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, especially when they're written in a way where you know exactly who the main character is going to end up with at the end of the book. This book's love triangle was exactly that: obvious and a sad attempt to create drama in the book.

Speaking of the romance, it felt that as soon as Ashley fell for either boy, she seemed to ignore her prior commitments to the hackathon, as well as her life goal in general? It was strange to read about, and honestly, quite unrealistic.

There's also the matter of just how naive and prone to peer pressure Ashley was. I can't even begin to count the number of times I had to shut my laptop and attempt to calm down as I was reading about Ashley making a decision she would no doubt end up regretting, and gave entirely too much trust and benefit-of-the-doubt to Walker.

The secondhand embarrassment was so strong with this one, but somehow I was able to make my way through it with my braincells (mostly) intact. I was expecting character growth and development in Ashely as she made mistakes and hopefully learned from them, but I'm sad to say that she doesn't really "change" until the end. It felt sudden compared to how she was behaving earlier in the book, and didn't feel like solid character growth for me.

To add to that, there was a fair amount of girl-on-girl hate, mostly between Ashley and Jason's ex-girlfriend whose name I can't remember at the moment. I abhor girl-on-girl hate in contemporary novels especially, because they make the main character out to be some sort of angel, while the other female character is slut-shamed or something to a similar effect. It's annoying and reminiscient of bad 2010s fanfiction.

A certain romantic revelation at the end was described in such dramatic detail that I was struggling not to laugh in public. This whole book, in fact, can be extremely over the top with a flair for the dramatic that I haven't seen since 'Loveboat, Taipei'. Sometimes, that was a good thing. Other times, well, not so much.

All of that being said, however, I really liked the relationships that Ashley had with her closest friends. They were supportive of her and her actions, although I felt that they were barely in the spotlight to have any lasting impression on the reader.

Overall, this book definitely wasn't for me. While I certainly can see where some might enjoy it, some parts of this book just didn't work for me, and I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Some coming-of-age themes as well as themes of resilliance attempt to shine through, but are ultimately covered up and pushed aside by the sheer amount of love triangle drama present in this book. There was a lot of potential, but I don't think that it was used to its fullest, which made for an overall unsatisfying read.

Is it possible to enjoy the book overall, but also not like the book?

Huge fan of the friends to relationship trope in YA, especially when it's done with a touch of jealousy/ why didn't I see what was right in front of me.

My issue is that this book was trying to do too much, and didn't resolve all of it.

There was a lot time on the relationship that was not going anywhere between Ashley and Walker; not enough; on page between Ashley and Jason to really develop the chemistry. The author really leaned into jealousy, and even that was subtle. To someone that doesn't read the trope much, feelings might have been coming out of nowhere, especially as the book takes place over two weeks.

I do like that it didn't seem to be a conclusive ending, since in essence a slice of life narrative.

Very much enjoyed the TSwift content, which also dated the book as something pre-2020, even though the book was published in 2021. I know that it's iffy regarding what is happening in a COVID world, and that we aren't out of the woods yet with this virus, but reading a book that was recently published, but also very dated was strange.

And the date between Jason and Ashley across the Brooklyn Bridge, swoon.

Overall, solid read, and enjoyed it.

This was a super cute YA rom-com -- the perfect book you can read in a single sitting. I ended up reading this during my actual spring break, and it made it even more enjoyable. I love seeing female protagonists kicking butt in the STEM department. A lovely new release from Kristin Rockaway!

This author was new to me, but this was a great YA read! YA can be hard for me to enjoy at times, but I absolutely loved it! Such a great read.

I've been looking for a book that is a quick read, something that's entertaining, and uplifting moods, after a few minutes of browsing from my to-be-read (tbr) pile I found this book. I got curious, I don't usually read an excerpt because I wanted to be surprised about what the book has to offer. Annddd, this book did not disappoint. I got sucked into the story because of two things, coding and Taylor Swift. I'm a swiftie too and I love being one, it connects life stuff sometimes, I just can relate.

My Epic Spring Break (Up), is a good book that I think every high schooler can relate to. It's love, seeking for adventures, dealing with the future and aiming for what you want before college comes. The characters are just so lovely and I liked the friendships between these characters. They're just amazing and they never give up on their goals. It's a bit sad when Ashley had to experience losing but it turns out, that's just another opportunity for her in a different direction. She's lucky that she has everyone's support behind her back, no matter what it takes friends, family are there for her.

The concept of the book is just simply beautiful. I'm sure every reader will love it. It's simple yet entertaining. And oh... before I forget, Walker Beech, there's something about him that I am curious about, at the same time I don't like this guy, he smells trouble. But I'd love to know his side of story (can there be one?!) It's going to be nice if there's another book like this, or some other point of view from this book.

"I'll never give up on my dreams."

This one is my favorite quote from this book. It inspired me at some point. It's true, never give up on your dreams no matter how hard that is. It's always good to have purpose, to have something to look up to and inspire yourself to do more and challenge yourself on achieving those dreams.

I have been on such a great streak of awesome books I love but this one was not it for me. This is some love triangle ya drama oh my goodness. Lots that could’ve been solved with communication or less lying. It was a lot. Also was very predictable.

There were two parts I loved to the books though. Ashley, the main character, was a huge Taylor Swift fan which I loved. Like Ashley, there was a time in my life where I felt Taylor write songs just for me or our lives ran in parallel directions. Lots of awesome song references!

I also loved that Ashley wanted to be a programmer and was in coding club and on the math team! This was some great women in stem rep and cheering her on in that regard.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was a good story. I really liked how the heroine grew into a better person. It was a bit hard to imagine such a smart girl getting a tattoo in a sketchy place. Besides that, the characters were a lot of fun. I hope I get to read more stories by this author.

I received a review copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.

such an adorable YA book! The chemistry between the main characters is so good. they both are great characters and I really liked getting to know them. This is definitely a book I would've loved at 16 but at 23, I still loved. I definitely recommend this one!

I really just could not get into the book. Something about the writing style just didn't click for me. I think maybe it's a style that would be better suited to younger readers. I'm a college student and still a teen, so I'm not saying this as an adult who just shouldn't be reading YA. I wish I'd liked this book more.

I would like to thank Underlined and NetGalley for a eARC. Kristin Rockaway did a good job on writing this book. I really like the characters. The chemistry between Ashley & Jason feels so real. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone. I give My Epic Spring Break (Up) a 4 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun YA romance! I enjoyed reading it as an adult, and I know when I was a teen I would have read this in one sitting and loved it! (And I loved the Taylor Swift references!) Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you so much @GetUnderlined & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 06 April 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Ashley is a planner & she has planned her college admission & experience to the nth degree, except when her Summer internship falls through she realizes that no amount of planning will actually secure her the position or career she wants. Instead, she vows to live her high school life to the fullest and use Spring Break as an opportunity to just have fun for once.

WHAT I LIKED:
- representation of a female main character pursuing a career in STEM

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- Taylor Swift is mentioned pretty much in every chapter (which I am sure lots of people would enjoy, but as I am not a Swiftie, a lot of the references just went over my head)
- the story & characters felt very surface level
- the fact she gets an impulse tattoo on a first date whilst being underage... umm just what?!
- it reads on the younger side of Young Adult
- I am pretty much over the love triangle trope

The cover? Absolutely pulls you in.
The story? Eh... I mean, I absolutely enjoyed the fact of the main character traveling the stem world while being a woman and the torn heart between two guys, but I felt like the trope of being torn between two was predictable. Her multiple mistakes throughout the book also did make it seem like she wasn't progressing enough, but I do admit my heart was a bit more favored towards Jason. It didn't feel like a break (up) but actually felt like a battle of the heart and mind while in an IT tech camp and the story was still fun to read.

In My Epic Spring Break (Up) mathlete Ashley Bergen has always been focused on academics and is sure she is a shoe-in for a summer internship at ZigZag, a popular social media platform. When she is rejected, she is devastated and decides to focus on her lack of a social life over spring break. In addition to competing in a coding hackathon, she is going to pursue her crush, popular Walker Beech. To her surprise he seems to reciprocate her interest, and she finds herself involved in risky behavior and paying the price. Meanwhile Ashley's lifelong friend Jason, who seems to be a better match, tries to convince her Walker is bad news. As the hackathon approaches, she finds out the ZigZag team will be judging the contest and the prize will be a summer position in Silicon Valley. Inviting Jason to join her team, she vacillates between her growing attraction to him while practicing for the competition and trying to please Walker. Making one misguided choice after another, she struggles to find the right path for her romantic, as well as STEM future. The author is a former programmer and has a real sense of a female navigating the IT world.

This was..... Different. I originally wanted to read it because the title sounded like a trip. I'm not a huge fan of the cover art though. The story was well written. Characters were easy to get into.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved it!!!!! Quick read and full of goodness on every page. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review!
Cute and easy read! I absolutely loved that the main character was into coding. Ashley’s story is a great coming of age snapshot as she realizes there might be more to life than good grades. I’ve been having issues with books not developing characters enough but I didn’t find myself feeling that way in this novel! The humor wasn’t my cup of tea but I still enjoyed the relationship dynamics.
Would definitely recommend!

This is a pretty cute high school romance and an easy read if you're looking for something quick. It does have some ya tropes, like a love triangle, and a predictable plot. I was also sad that we didn't get much resolution of Ashley's issues with her dad. I would have liked to see them work things out a bit more than what we saw.

Although Ashley frustrated me by making some poor decisions, she's only sixteen and has never had a boy like her before. She's crushing on Walker and is a bit blinded by his attention so she doesn't see what's really going on. I feel like the author did a good job of showing an average teenager instead of making Ashley wise beyond her years and unrealistic. I was happy that Ashley had good friends who helped her and kept her in reality.

I liked that Ashley is good at math and coding and wants a career in STEM. It's nice to see young girls pursuing interests like that and I appreciated the book showing a fun application of math. I hope to see more books with girls in the math and science fields and kicking butt!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Underlined and NetGalley for the copy.

Vamos falar de livro fofo sobre uma garota nerd que vai aprender que a vida não é só estudo?



Ashley tem sua vida traçada na parede de seu quarto. Ela vai para um estágio no ZigZag (Rede social famosa e descolada), em seguida vai ser escolhida para cursar uma faculdade da Ivy League e vai ser uma programadora famosa. Acontece que as coisas começam a dar errado quando ela é rejeitada para fazer o estágio no ZigZag. Agora ela vai tentar viver esse verão e se soltar, quando aparece a oportunidade de ajudar sua paixão de escola Walker Beech em matemática e de se reconectar com seu melhor amigo Jason, de quem se distanciou quando ele começou a namorar a famosinha Rachel.



Essa foi a minha primeira experiência com a escrita dessa autora e esse livro foi uma grata experiência. Com uma narrativa leve e bastante fluida a autora conseguiu construir uma história na qual uma garota descobre que nem sempre as coisas saem segundo o planejado e está tudo bem.



Confesso que eu não curti muito a questão do triângulo amoroso, mas como ele só perdurou por poucas páginas, não foi algo que me incomodou a ponto de eu tirar nota do livro.



Ashley é uma mocinha que vai se descobrindo e desabrochando ao longo do livro. Ela é bem séria e tem algumas cicatrizes emocionais deixadas pelo pai que parece se importar mais com os filhos da nova esposa do que com a própria filha. Além disso, ela se distanciou do melhor amigo por não suportar a namorada dele e se dedicou ainda mais aos estudos e a olhar secretamente para Walker.



Por sua vez temos aqui Walker que é um babaca e Jason que também é um babaca, são dois personagens que não merecem nossa protagonista por várias razões. O primeiro por ser um cara galinha e perigoso com cara de santo e o segundo por quase colocar a perder o sonho de Ashley para agradar Rachel, que é outra personagem que personifica o que há de pior no ser humano.



Apesar disso, o livro é da Ashley e ela dá um show de maturidade e conquista com seu jeito bastante honesto até nos erros que comete.



Esse livro ainda não chegou ao Brasil, mas eu espero que ele possa chegar em breve.