I enjoyed this book enough. I thought that the plot was fun and a great way to test the characters. However I found nothing about this book that special. It actually really reminded me of the TATBILB series.

This book is absolutely fantastic. I haven’t read/listened to anything that I loved this much in a while. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry covered a lot of prevailing issues including racism, white privilege and cyber bullying. I enjoyed getting a look into Quinn's family life, blossoming friendships and first love.

The audiobook was far from perfect, and even though the synthetic voice did not bother me, but there were a few random "radio" noises coming through at times. It also made it difficult to discern between the different characters talking, and was too monotone for such an emotionally charged story. However, none of this took away from the content.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with this Voice Galley in exchange for my honest review!

I thought this was a really cute story that had a ton of important topics! There is a lot of commentary on race and cyber bullying, as well as trust, friendship, and family relationships. I really liked how these topics all blended together into one cohesive, strong story.

The characters were engaging, and while this is a YA story, it translates to older readers as well. The friendships and family dynamics are relatable and endearing. I listened to this story, and the narrator did a great job! I felt drawn to the story, and it was easy to listen to.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This debut novel, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by author Joya Goffney is a contemporary YA high school romance. Quinn, an overly enthusiastic list maker who is blackmailed into completing a to-do list of all her worst fears. Her lists keep her sane... until her journal goes missing. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love.
I was attracted by the book cover, that is released on May 4, 2021. I can relate to the main characters journal of lists. Personally, I have a journal for different reasons (i.e. daily To-Do list, etc.), but not a list of my fears. I found a lot of the subject matter redundant, and I was taken aback with explicit language, sexual innuendo and some adult like content. I had to remind myself of the age, and generation differences.

The story addressed aging, cyber bullying, and racism. I thought the end of the novel wrapped up in good order. The synthetic voice was monotone, and gave me pause to the rhythm of the story, and contributed to the reason why I found the novel mundane.

#ExcuseMeWhileIUglyCry
#NetGalley

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry and I was not immediately hooked. After a few chapters, I discovered that this YA work of fiction was not only endearing but also tapped into important issues of race and prejudice. It was much better than I had expected and I am grateful I had the opportunity to listen to this voice galley. This is a fun book and is sure to be a hit with all YA lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this voice galley. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book for an honest opinion.

The main character Quinn’s journal accidentally gets switched with one of her classmates while they were doing a group project at her home. This isn’t a big deal right? Wrong!! This isn’t just any journal. This journal contains everything, from the most mundane tasks to her deepest most darkest secrets.

The biggest twist? Her journal gets left on a public bus and it’s picked up by a random person who blackmails her into telling her friends and family the top 7 biggest secrets in her journal or else.

I enjoyed this book, the teenage angst felt like I was in high school all over again. The romance aspect I could’ve done without. The entire thing felt forced and it just didn’t vibe well with the story line. I was granted the audio version of this book and it was read by a synthetic voice. Could’ve done without that too. The emotions were not portrayed where I felt there should have been emotion (like when Quinn lost her journal and actually “ugly cried”).

Overall 3/5 starts until I can get an actual copy of the audio version.

This book brought up so much emotions while I was reading and as a white woman who was born and raised in rural Minnesota I was raised around little to no diversity so this book shook me to the core. Joya Goffney brings to life the pain and hurt that these characters experience in living in an area where thy are minority but have money and still they deal with prejudice. I cried with the characters and was happy to go to listening each time I paused. I will recommend this book to my junior high students and even into high school kids who are also being raised in my hometown that has a lack of diversity. Reading accounts like this no matter fictional or not helps to open reader's eyes. Harsh realities of racism is that this is not done and we have a lot of work to do; I could only wish that these emotions and circumstances are portrayed in these fictional pages but they are all too real.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Quinn copes with her life by making lists. She makes lists of the boys she wants to kiss, the times her Blackness has been questioned, the mundane things, and most importantly to this story- the most embarrassing things she hopes no one ever finds out about. When her journal full of lists goes missing and suddenly someone starts blackmailing her with its contents, she has to tackle her list of things she hopes no one ever finds out or else risk the rest of her lists being spread around to her school and family.

What I Liked:
This book tackled so many important themes like Blackness, friendship, bullying, parental expectations, and so many more. I loved the way the book tackled many of these topics from multiple viewpoints, like looking at Blackness as it functions within Quinn’s private school with only 5 Black students, but also looking at how Quinn’s father seemingly resents his own culture and sees himself as “above it” because of his affluence. It’s nuanced and complicated and does a great job of unpacking these things. I also really related to Quinn’s anxiety and saw myself in a lot of her coping mechanisms and behaviors. Writing anxiety accurately and not just overdramatized and for comedic purpose is hard and I feel it was done really well here.

One Thing I Didn’t Love:
I was a bit underwhelmed by the romance in this one. I went into it expecting it to be a contemporary romance, but it ended up feeling more like a coming of age contemporary mystery/drama with a mild romance shoved in. I didn’t feel there was much of a connection between the two characters and could have done without it. I would have much preferred if we spent more book on the friendship she develops with one of the female characters and less time on the mild romance.

Overall Thoughts:
Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I enjoyed reading this one and thought it was one of the better examples of anxiety in YA fiction that I have read. Quinn was relatable and interesting, and the skill with which the themes of this book were written was so much more important to me than the tepid romance.

Great title. Wasn’t sure what to expect when I requested this book. The title was catchy and the artwork on the cover was fun. The story flowed well and kept my interest throughout. I love the growth of the characters and how they came to a higher level of acceptance of who they are. Would recommend this book.

My favorite tropes, my favorite place, my favorite kind of love story. Bump this up on your radar!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy, I was so excited to read this.

My family is from Conroe, so I love reading about the area and reading up on the author!!!!

I can’t wait to get this story and re-read it, I had read it with the automated audio, so the book sounded like Siri was talking to me. I think I would have loved it even more with real narrators, so I plan to revisit this ASAP.

I don’t know what it is about teens and to-do lists, but it gets me every time. I think if you’re also a fan of this trope you’ll love this book. I appreciate the authentic and realistic approach out main character felt about thinks. While some may say annoying, I see it as more of a realistic teen who is trying to cope with making adult decisions.

Thank you Harper Colins and NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is about Quinn, a girl who is obsessed with lists and has a journal full of them, it contains lies she has told, dreams, and fears. The journal looks like any regular notebook but contains all of Quinn's hopes and dreams. It gets taken by mistake during study hall. Making matters worse one of her lists in the journal gets posted on Instagram and she is blackmailed into facing her fears. A cute coming of age story with friendship, heartbreak, and black characters.

First off thank you for allowing me to experience this book Quin loses her journal that’s full of list that she doesn’t want anyone to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed it quin and carter seem to get closer as I read more of the book it kept me guessing until the end who actually took her journal I will admit it started off slow and I had to force myself to keep reading but I’m glad I did once I got over the hump I couldn’t stop reading amazing can’t wait to read more from this arthur.

I was granted an early access to the beautiful audio book of Excuse me while I ugly cry. thank you so much netgalley for the early ARC in exchange for my honest review.


I adored this book and the journey the main characters took. Being put in a place that is on inside of racisms and how it works within its own community but this time its where privileges' and money are involved. Its a very eye opening book with such a wonderful story of love and friendship. Its an understanding and acceptance for who you are and how others lives are not always the same.
I was put back in high school and finding new love and it was everything.


Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud,” to all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing…

An anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal—in a race against time to track down the blackmailer.

Together, they journey through everything Quinn’s been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love

This book was a really great read. I really enjoyed Quinn’s perspective, and how much she grew into herself throughout the book.
I would definitely recommend this book as it was sweet, real, and engaging.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for this one.

I really loved this story. I loved that the romance wasn't overly intense. This book reminds me of Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella, which is one of my favorite authors.

This story is about a girl who is stuck inside of her comfort zone and is afraid to tell other people how she feels, so she writes it down in lists instead. One day, her notebook of her secrets is lost and she is blackmailed by someone. It really brings her out of her shell.

I love that the MC finds her own voice when she can no longer write it down. Her friends are really microaggressive towards her because of her being biracial, and it wasn't okay.

My biggest grief with the story is that we didn't get to see much of the grandmother. The MC needed her more in her life.
When this book comes out, I will be buying a copy to support a debut author!

I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy from NetGalley, and listened to their special Audiobook version which doesn't have the final voice actors so I wont really comment on that. (but it wasn't bad)

First off I want to say that I really enjoyed the book! It is about a girl who is blackmailed to complete a list with her worst fears, or else have her private journal leaked to the school. She teams up with Carter, the last guy known to have her journal, as they attempt to figure out who is blackmailing her.

Its a YA contemporary romance that focuses on facing your fears and figuring out who you are. Admittedly I'm not a big fan of stories that revolve around secretes and misunderstandings and there were a few times, early on in the book, that I was just simply annoyed at the main character, Quinn, for her "worst fears". Regardless I really appreciated the journey that she went through, the friendships that she built and the lessons that she learned.

I also was invested enough to want to know what would happen in the end. I did want to know who was blackmailing her but I was more interested to figure out how she would handle the situation. I also LOVED the commentary on race. As a mixed black woman who was in a similar school situation as her I felt like I could relate, and some of her experiences felt a little too real and spot on.

Now, As a romance, I was a little underwhelmed. I think the hate to love aspect of the romance was well played, but a few times I did get a little annoyed at some of the mean comments. At the beginning I didn't feel any chemistry and questioned if a romance would happen at all. I think the romance overall was fairly mild but it was cute for the most part. That being said I think the book shines more as a general coming of age contemporary.

Overall I really enjoyed it but sadly it wasn't a favorite for me personally.

(Spoiler thoughts on Goodreads:)

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney Speaks volumes to the young and old generation. I was hooked immediately listening to this audiobook. The language and words are vibrant, lyrical, hypnotic, and mesmerizing. I love how the author presents a story with so much substance and depth that’s very fun and insightful. You began to feel alive and young again walking in the shoes of the Protagonist Quinn. Her infinite how-to and reasons why list will leave you in awe! There is so much you can relate to in regards to her character and the many others presented throughout this novel. Just Imagine being young and facing society head on based upon the pretentious status quo of how the world sees you. For these black, white, young, and old characters they start to question these ideas of the social construct that’s been placed upon them. Some get lost along the way; while others face these constructs head on.

I highly recommend this young adult contemporary novel. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!! This is by far one of my top favorite novels of 2021.. I can;t wait to read what's next from this author!!!

This book was so good. The anxiety representation was super realistic and true to my own person experiences in relation to college applications and friendship dynamics. I think this book will be even more important for you Black students struggling with their identity in a world that scorns them and treats them differently. I loved the main cast of characters and Quinn facing her deepest and darkest secrets was daring and brave and nerve-racking all at once. I really enjoyed the budding romance and the mild mystery as well. The audiobook narrator did an incredible job of putting heart and soul into the story telling and evoking emotion in the read through. Can't wait to read more by the author and listen to more by the narrator!!

Quinn has a lot of secrets hiding away in her journal. She makes lists for everything, specifically her most personal thoughts about people and situations. Her journal goes missing and she is being blackmailed to come clean about her list of truths she isn't ready to face. The last person to have it was classmate Carter Bennett. Carter joins Quinn to help find the blackmailer while showing her how to live in the moment. This read covers both racism and racism within the same race, and bullying. Quinn learns how much easier it is with the right people by her side to face her fears and stand up for herself and those around her. The friendship between Quinn and Olivia was my favorite part of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I loved the story line of this book I unfortunately have to mark it as A DNF for the audiobook. Unfortunately the narrator was too monotone and could not hold my attention. As I tried to speed up the playback the monotoned voice just became more prominent.

Though I did love the storyline, I may pick up a physical copy of this book down the line to give it another shot.