Loved this YA novel set in the worlds of film journalism - it deals with allegations of sexual assault and harassment through an intersectional lens. Camryn Garrett has done a wonderful job fictionalizing the way that journalism around big #MeToo stories come together. I also loved her depiction of Josie's anxiety and how it affected her work as a journalist. There was a lot going on in this book, but I thought she synthesized it all very well - from the family issues, to the way Garrett handled the way allegations are treated differently depending on who is coming forward.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I instantly knew I wanted to read it even though I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. I’d been in a bit of a reading slump at the time and decided to start Off the Record, I finished it in around 2 days and it would’ve been even lesser if I didn’t have exams going on.

The protagonist is Jose Wright, a seventeen year old whose entire life revolves around writing. When she wins a contest that enables her to write a celebrity profile for a major magazine, she’s nervous of course but also over the moon. Soon her life instantly changes with her going on tours, meeting celebrities, producers, etc. There’s romance entangled in there too and in between her life suddenly changing, an actress she meets lets her in on a terrible secret that changes her view point of things. As she digs deeper, more than one woman gives her account on things and Josie wants to stand up for them but there’s too many doubts. This was supposed to be a huge boost for her writing career but what if this case ends it before it ever began? What if she isn’t able to put the case forward appropriately and lets down the women who trusted her with their stories? (See how I’m trying to be very vague here but kind of failing?)

I loved this book so much mainly due to the fact that I think it dealt with some really important issues. Issues such as Abuse, Fat Acceptance, Sexual Assault, Body Images, Insecurities, etc. I love that Josie’s appearance and personality wasn’t that off every protagonist in every book. There was so much representation in this book, Josie’s fat, black and queer too. I fell in love with Josie almost instantly.

I’m sure we all think about some or the other sensitive topics once in a while, and yet it takes great skill and talent to take those topics and put them in writing for people to read all the while ensuring you’re not insensitive to anyone and I think Camryn Garrett wrote this beautifully, I loved the writing. I was hooked to the book from the very first chapter and that’s pretty big for me because I usually take a couple of chapters to REALLY get into a book.

This was Camryn Garrett’s sophomore book, her debut being “Full Disclosure”. I hadn’t heard about her until I read the synopsis of this book and wanted to read it. However, I’m so glad because although I haven’t read Full Disclosure, after reading Off the Record, I have no doubt that it’ll be amazing as well and I truly look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

content and trigger warnings: mentions of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, fatphobia, dieting, biphobia (mentioned)

I have some mixed feelings about Off the Record, but overall it is a fast, engrossing, and important read. The things Camryn Garrett did well were excellent, and I truly appreciate her pouring so much of herself into this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The representation in this book is wonderfully done. The main character, Josie is a fat, Black bisexual teen who has anxiety and loves to write. It's easy to so see her passion for writing throughout the book, and to understand how much she truly loves and cares about what she does. Garrett makes it to feel how much she struggles with self-doubt about writing despite also knowing that it is a strength of hers, and her general experience with anxiety. Throughout the novel, Josie often has to deal with fatphobic comments from people around her (including friends and family members), but it also shows beautiful, joyous moments of her embracing and loving her body. I also love that both Josie and the love interest in the story are openly and explicitly stated on the page to be bisexual, because that is something I haven't seen often when reading YA (or most genres, really). I also think that Garrett handled the topic of sexual assault with great sensitivity and care, which I appreciate. Additionally, the book touched on the topics of complicated relationships with family, race, silent complicity, power dynamics in Hollywood, and more.

While there were aspects of the book that I loved, I do think that there was too much going on. I love that Garrett wanted to address multiple important topics in the book and I don't want to detract from the importance of any of them, but the layers to the plot became overwhelming at times. With so much going on at once (the romance, Josie's impending graduation and college applications, the writing project, family issues, etc.), it sometimes felt like the overall plot got lost. There was too much crammed into the relatively short book, which make it feel rushed or lacking depth at times. Some of the plot points didn't get as much page time or development as they should have. This left me unsatisfied by the resolution of some of the plot lines, and I was jarred by the seemingly abrupt ending of the novel.

I absolutely loved Off the Record! I came in with high expectations after thoroughly enjoying Full Disclosure, and Off the Record not only met my expectations but exceed them. The way that the author wove together multiple themes was very compelling, and I felt that the #MeToo movement was addressed sensitively and respectfully. In addition, the romantic subplot was very well done, and I loved reading Josie get more comfortable with her body and weight as the novel progressed.

This book was good, but had so much potential at being great. I think I'd still recommend it to those who really enjoy realistic fiction (y'all might enjoy it), but for everyone else, I'd say lower your expectations.

Let me start with some things I liked about this book. I liked how well the sensitive topics in this book were covered. It mainly talks about sexual harassment and mental health (anxiety specifically), but there are a few other topics mentioned. Garrett did a good job of making sure these topics were discussed and discussed well. She did a good job of speaking up about these important topics and adding in her own experiences where relevant.

As well, Marius was such a lovely character. He's a sweet and compassionate guy who does so much to support our main character, Josie. He was like a soft little teddy bear that I just wanted to hug and keep safe. And he was a great contrast to the heavy topics discussed throughout the book. I really liked him.

Now, onto what I wasn't a big fan of. It was really only one thing (sorta), but it made a huge difference to the story. There was a lot going on. Like a lot of plot points. There was the romance, and Josie's writing, and mental health, and family, and just too much happening at once. Sometimes I felt like we weren't truly exploring these different things because there wasn't time. And there was no way to focus on just one or two things because there were 6 different plots trying to happen. I just didn't get the depth of brilliance that this story could have been because it wasn't all completely explored.

Overall, this book had lot of good points and topics of discussion, there was just too much happening. If the focus could have been narrowed down, I think I would have enjoyed this book much more.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this was a very cute, topical novel. A little far fetched—although parts of it did seemed based on the author’s life—a teenaged girl breaking a major #metoo scandal? I felt like some of the body image stuff felt forced and slightly victim blaming. There was a lot packed into a short YA novel. I felt like concentrating on just a few of them would have worked a little better—body image, fat shaming, bullying, sexual assault, sexuality, parental issues, getting into college, being an outsider, Hollywood, journalism and ethics, race were all in there. It was a lot! As a result I felt like a few threads were weaker than they could have been.

I was a big fan of the author's first novel, and enjoyed Off the Record just as much! Josie is a wonderful and dynamic character and the way she encourages women to speak their truth is important to see.

Off The Record is unexpectedly light for a book that tackles some very heavy topics such as criminal sexual assault, oppressive silence, tolerance of misogyny, sexism, objectification of women and men, and sexual harassment. I think Garrett does a phenomenal job of discussing rape culture in way that is easy to digest. It’s deep, but not dark.
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OTR reads like it was taken straight from the Harvey Weinstein scandal. I love how the author uses an array of purposeful characters to show how it is possible to speak out against sexual assault. It’s a powerful message.
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I’m not a big YA reader but I found this book satisfying. The protagonist, 17 year old, Josie Wright was very likable. I loved her ability to do what was right in the face of extreme anxiety and great fear. Josie was badass and she didn’t even know it. It was because of her that I looked forward to grabbing this ebook each night. I was cheering for her chapter-after-chapter. I also love that she is a writer.
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The beginning of the book moves at a pleasingly, fast pace. However, the middle and the end moves much slower. I would have liked for the entire book to move at the same pace as the beginning. But even with the change in tempo, I still enjoyed it.
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I also found the ending pretty predictable.
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Thank you Knopf Books for gifting me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A sort of Black teenage girl version of Ronan Farrow’s now infamous reporting into allegations of abuse by Harvey Weinstein, Off the Record by Camryn Garrett (Full Disclosure) is, as the summary states, about an eager sprouting journalist who helps facilitate the #metoo movement.

As the summary states, high school senior Josie Wright wins a competition to write a profile of soon to be megastar actor Marius Canet for a magazine called Deep Focus. She gets complete access to Marius which includes joining him on a whiz-bang promo tour where the two predictably form a bond. This book doesn’t fly out of the gate as you would expect and these early parts of the story are more meditative than anything else, setting the table for what’s to come. It’s mostly the getting to know Josie part, learning not only about her ambition, but her self-doubt, her fears, her anxieties, and her limitations. These latter characteristics are not only the product of just being a Black woman living in today’s misogynoir laden society, but personal trauma she’s encountered as well.

You see, Josie’s fat, or so she’s told from just about everybody, including loved ones. And while she handles that particular issue relatively well, she’s also crippled with anxiety, something she seeks professional help for. In a book where sexual abuse, assault, and harassment will demand most of your attention, Camyrn’s most sacrosanct words are devoted to Josie and her splendor…and she is splendorous.

Off the Record feels like a superhero origin story in a lot of ways as Josie comes to terms with her own fears and self-doubt, finding the courage to take on an ego-maniacal bad guy, setting her new life in motion. And on the strength of her conviction, steely determination, and character, Josie Wright carries this entire book on her shoulders, and because of that, there’s so much about this book that I’m willing to overlook.

For the full review, click the link below.

Off the Record by Camryn Garrett was a great read. I featured it as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms, and I’ll include it in my monthly roundup of news releases for my Black Fiction Addiction blog.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It took me a while to write this review, because I really just wanted to repeat those words over and over again. This book kept me up til midnight several nights in a row as I tried to finish it. The writing was so good, it kept me in the story the entire time. As a former journalist and journalism teacher, I will champion this book for teenagers both journalist and non-journalist.

Josie Wright is a 17 year old bisexual, black girl who deals with an anxiety disorder, self-identifies as fat and is a kick-ass teen investigative journalist. Her writing is what anchors her as she struggles with self-confidence and managing her anxiety. She pushes herself beyond the high school newspaper and freelances for different publications so that she can continue to challenge herself as a writer. She wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine during her winter break. Part of the gig requires her to go on a press tour with the actor as he promotes his movie. With her annoying big sister as her chaperone, Josie jumps into a world that feels both exhilarating and overwhelming. She meets her celebrity profile subject, Marius Canet and the intrigue of romance mixed with some quality journalism in the air. But Josie is taken by surprise when another cast member, Penny, approaches her with an open Hollywood secret. Penny’s sharing of her story triggers a chain of events that brings other women with similar and more egregious experiences out of the woodworks as they share their stories of sexual assault and sexual abuse by a famous director.

Two big things stood out to me in this book: awareness and intersectionality. Garrett folds both into the character of Josie beautifully. Josie’s awareness as a teenage character is what makes her such a great journalist. There are various moments: her questioning of Black Joy versus Black Pain in movies winning awards; being followed around the store with her sisters; thinking about what her white readers will and will not care about in her articles. Those are just a few from the beginning of the book. The character of Josei is super insightful and that is why she is so good at asking questions, like the one she first asks Marius. I felt that one of the key moments in the story came when she takes a step back and looks at her story to realize that she had only represented rich, white women and not any women of color. That was a huge deal for her to have the skill to do that as a young journalist with no editor to help her through that story.

The other thing I love about Josie is her intersectionality. She embraces all the parts of her identity and there isn’t a lopsided focus on any portion of it. She is all of the identities that were mentioned earlier and they all connect cohesively to who she is as a character. Her character is complex and rich. She is a survivor, struggles with anxiety and is insecure about her weight and body image; but she is also a confident writer and assertive journalist and an annoying little sister. Now that relationship between her and her sister Alice felt so genuine. At times I wanted to pluck both of them. Lol

Also, last not but not least...I straight sat up and fist pumped for the ending! All I will say is Black girls deserve that kind of ending.

Triggers: Sexual Assault, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Anxiety Disorder

Would I Read it Again: Yes, and I am looking forward to reading Camryn Garrett’s other book Full Disclosure too.

Recommendations: This is a solid young adult novel. There are a litany of things that will hook you in as a reader. The exploration of intersectionality within identity, the #metoo movement and awareness are strong and warrant it being brought into the classroom. I wish I had this when I was teaching Journalism, because I would have gifted it to each of my editors. There is a lot of quality discussion that can come from this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this digital arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was very eager to read Camryn Garrett's sophomore novel. Full Disclosure was a stunning debut and I had my hopes high for Off the Record. The book cover is beautiful and upon reading the synopsis, I knew that this YA novel would be timely. Josie is the advocate we want in our corner!
 
Although I enjoyed this book, it felt like there was too much going on and not everything was fully fleshed out. Josie is a plus sized high schooler who struggles with anxiety and body acceptance. She uses jornalism and writing as her outlet and ways to connect with people. That in itself could be a story on its on but then Josie gets an opportunity to write about a famed legendary movie director who has used his power to abuse and assault the people he has worked with. I believe this to have been the focus of the book but in comes the romance trope. I felt that the romance in the story was unnecessary but I understand that the author may have wanted to remind us that YA novels can feature  plus sized characters and they can absolutely be loved romantically. Unfortunately, this took away from the initial focus of the book, in my opinion.
 
The tail end of the book felt rushed and I wanted to see Josie working more on her story on the directors’ victims versus everything else. I would also have loved to read about Josie's character development. She had a lot to overcome. I was also personally triggered by the way Josie spoke about herself. It was difficult to read. I remember being that way when I was her age and even younger and it took me years to develop self-acceptance.
 
All in all, this story was an important one. I would love to see if in high school classrooms and school libraries. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of the book for an honest review!

I went into this book knowing there was a chance I'd be heartbroken. Not by the author and their writing, I've read and adored Garrett's writing in the past, but by the rawness of the subject matter. It was easy to envision myself in her shoes, a writer who once dreamed of being a journalist who could report on the stars they admired. This was fantastically written, so hard to put down and I believe an important read.

This second novel from Camryn Garrett is a wonderful sophomore effort. Love the nod to Almost Famous where Josie needs to learn not to become friends with the subject of her story - but she can't and that works out for her journalistic career.

Well written, pacing is great, characters very enjoyable, and timely with the me too movement, this is a book I would highly recommend to my teen readers.

This is definitely a book my students will like a lot! Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook! I will be adding it to the book club list for my tudebts!

This book was really an enjoyable read. A bit sad (when the main character overthought & therefore lost out on some opportunities because of her anxiety) but an enjoyable fiction nonetheless. Would definitely recommend to young adults & anyone else interested in YA.

"Sometimes it's hard to remember that your voice is important until the world reminds you."

Josephine Wright better known as Josie is a 17 year old journalist. She recently found out that she won a contest that will enable her to do a multi-city tour to write a profile on an up and coming young actor that stars in an upcoming movie. Josie is so excited about what this trip can do for her writing career but what she doesn't realize is how much more she will find out about Hollywood and how she will be instrumental in breaking a story so explosive it could threaten her career and everything she's worked so hard for. What happens when we can use our talent for good....even if it means exposing bad people revered worldwide for their talent? At what point do we separate art from the artists? This book tackles all of these issues.

I read and reviewed Camryn's debut novel Full Disclosure and this sophomore effort from her proves that one thing we will always see in her novels is representation. The protagonist is African-American, plus size, bi-sexual, and suffers from anxiety disorder. There is also a bi-sexual love interest in this story. We rarely see YA books that have the diverse array of characters that Camryn weaves into her stories.

I've seen so many people complain about being tired of reading struggle stories and reading about black women's pain. While the main character in this novel struggles with self esteem, she is vibrant, smart, comes from a middle class family, and shares the sentiment about not wanting to only read or write about black pain. She doesn't suffer abuse or hardships...she's just a normal nerdy teenager trying to find her place in life.
"I feel like we're told stories about pain are the most important. And they can be. They just don't have to be the only ones."

At times, this story lost my interest and that could be because I wasn't the intended audience. Like her previous book, I feel that this YA novel is a story best read by actual teenagers. I think this book will appeal to a very diverse audience and the topics it explored was necessary. We have seen lots of YA books that seem to be loosely based on R. Kelly. This book reminds me of the Weinstein/Cosby saga and how oftentimes people give Hollyweird actors/directors/etc. a pass because they are talented or well known. This book subtlety reminded me of how much power we have if we use our voice and also the power in numbers/representation. While the story wasn't my favorite, I still give this book a 3.5 for all the aforementioned reasons.

Rating: 5/5

I'm still in a hangover for how beautifully haunting yet hopeful this book is. The writing is a little bit of mixed media, and I love how each chapter starts with a relatable tweet from our protagonist Josie. (P.S. Some of them are now on my inspirational board)!

The plot very easily flows through different stages of Josie's journey seamlessly. From her introducing herself, to winning the contest, to falling for Marius, to discovering the dark truth behind it all. It all seems so natural, something that could happen to anyone, yet it feels so surreal. Not once did any of the transitions feel jumpy or forced, and I really liked that. It was like watching it unfold with my own two eyes as it's unfolding as if I'm living through Josie and that was AMAZING!

The author's subtle commentary on dealing with being chubby through Josie's thought hit close to home for me and I could relate to everything she said. Her take on anxiety was really well done, capturing the moments and struggle: so realistic, yet picture-perfect. The moments when panic attacks hit her were described really well, and the distinction between how it feels inside and how it looks outside was done really well. I loved the fact that Josie, with all her past trauma and anxiety, handled it so well and never once stayed down when she fell.

The whole story was put together very well, the pacing was excellent and I loved the sister-banter, it all feels too real to me (and that's super awesome!).

Overall, I really loved the book though the ending did throw me off a little, but not enough to stop me from raving about this book for ages to come now!

Oh, how I fell in love with Josie and her story in Off the Record! I think a list will do it more justice, frankly, so I shall tell you every single thing that I loved about this story, and why it should be in your life!

►Josie! I loved her. Loved. Her. She was so incredibly relatable and likable and I just clicked with her from the start. I think she's just written so well, that she felt like I was reading about an actual friend, you know? A character so fully fleshed out that you could truly understand what made them tick. I related to a lot of Josie's internal dialogue, too, which made me connect to her even more. Josie struggles with anxiety, which is likely another reason I identified with a lot of her thought processes. I thought the author did an incredible job putting Josie's anxiety into words, which is no easy feat!

►The story is very writing-centered which is fun. Josie is an incredible writer, and she wins an opportunity to write a profile on the star of an upcoming movie. It's so cool because talk about an awesome opportunity! And she's so great that you are thrilled that she is chosen, of course. And obviously, she feels a little out of her element at times because so many of the people she encounters are straight up famous, but I love how she held her own even when she was super nervous on the inside!

►Family stuff is complex and real. Wow did I feel Josie's relationship with her mom! Mine with my dad was so freaking similar, the comments about food and weight and clothes, ugh. So I felt that so hard. Josie also has some complex feelings about her sisters. She's much closer to her eldest sister, but finds her only way to go on this multi-city trip to be with her other sister. They don't always see eye to eye, but you can feel the love there. This whole family is just so awesome, frankly. They're absolutely flawed, but they love each other fiercely, and most importantly, they begin to communicate and grow. It's awesome, and exactly what I love from a family plot!

►The romance is *chef's kiss*. Marius himself is just kind of the best. Like, it's super easy to see why Josie fell for him, he's just a great guy. Thoughtful, kind, funny, charming, smart, and yes, quite handsome. He's the whole package. But I loved that their relationship had tests along the way. Josie had her own internal struggles with insecurity, and Marius has a lot of his own demons to face. They also have to figure out how to communicate and grow, both together and on their own. I swooned.

►The sexual assault piece was very timely and handled well. So, as you can imagine, it's a big part of the story. Imagine a Harvey Weinstein-type, who Josie uncovers has been assaulting and harassing one of the stars of the movie- among many, many others. Lots of people try to discourage Josie from going public with the story- and even Josie understands why they're saying it. Hollywood has turned a blind eye for a century plus, what's going to change? But Josie refuses to accept that, which is all the more reason to love her. A lot of people have a lot of awful stories to share along the way, but it's very worth it.

Bottom Line: I legit wished I owned a physical copy of this book so I could hug it when I was done. Is that weird? Maybe, but I'm okay with it. It made me happy, and hopeful, and today I can buy it and make my mom read it.

**TW for sexual abuse, assault and harassment

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for an arc of this book.
Content Warnings at end of review.

Josie has always had anxiety, but she doesn't let that stop her from pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist. When she wins a competition for Deep Focus magazine, she is sent on a 2 week long publicity tour with the cast and crew of a new movie to write a profile on the lead actor. What she doesn't expect is a more important story comes to light while talking to the cast of the movie, and she knows that she will have to do everything in her power to make sure it gets told.

I loved this book! I feel like this is such an important story to tell, and it is absolutely relevant to our society. I definitely got really angry at what was going on at times and frustrated because it is so similar to things that have happened in real life.

I also really loved Josie. I majorly identified with her right from the beginning, and got caught up in her journey and character growth! I loved that she didn't have it all together, but she was working on it and determined to succeed. I also really liked the supporting cast, her sister, her new friends and her mentor. They all were very interesting characters that did a lot for the story.

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: Bullying, Body shaming, and Self harm