This was a delightful listen with characters that were easy to love (and hate when you are supposed to.!) Even if you aren't the age of the characters you will relate to the themes of pressure to succeed, difficult conversations on race, marital issues and navigating your first love all in the age of social media and cyber bullying. And the lists! I love Quinn's lists,. I might just start making them myself!

Thanks to Net Galley for the audiobook in exchange for a review.

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meet quinn jackson, she creates lists…for everything. lists of things she wants to do, lists of days she’s ugly cried, lists of boys she’s kissed, lists of things she would never admit aloud, and more - all of them secretly tucked away in her journal, until it goes missing. she’s blackmailed into doing her to-do list or all else will be revealed to her entire school. quinn accepts the help of the one person that had her journal last, and someone she can’t stand, carter bennet. excuse me while i ugly cry is more than a ya contemporary romance novel, but also a story of self-worth and the personal growth of a young black girl, forced out of her comfort zone. it’s thought-provoking with rich anti-blackness commentary and captivating with a slowburn romance and lovely friendships.

[“when you think of me, i want you to remember that i’m black. it’s a huge part of my identity.”]

i absorbed this book in two days and i’m still thinking of them honestly! i really enjoyed quinn’s development throughout the novel and her learning from her own mistakes - she was a beautifully flawed, honest character. her voice was relatable and her growth and confidence was evidently shown throughout, rather than the reader just being told that she changed. also goffney portrays quinn’s anxiousness and insecurities without making her seem exasperating, which is so hard to enjoy as a reader.

i wasn’t expecting such a deep dive into anti-blackness, especially within the black community, to accompany the romance of this book but i really began to love and relate to their realities. the “not black enough", "not really black", "an oreo" labels and their implications were well-written about and something i have not seen so detailedly mentioned, especially in young adult books. quinn struggles with her blackness and feeling that she doesn’t ‘have much of it’ and goffney brilliantly communicates that there isn’t one way to be black, regardless of stereotypes saying otherwise. within the friend group, neither quinn, olivia, nor carter’s “blackness” is ever questioned, even though olivia is biracial (like me!). i personally connect to and resonate with a lot of conversations the characters have, and especially love the talk about feeling “whole” being surrounded by black friends. i didn’t understand this as a black woman till i was in a space with just young black women and it really felt indescribably different. so much of this book is a reminder to anyone struggling or that has struggled with racism, bullying, microaggressions, and relationship problems - and a lesson that sometimes a coping mechanism/habit can unfortunately allow you to limit yourself rather than thrive.

[“no matter how long it took you to realize that it’s wrong, that doesn’t change how wrong it is or how much it hurt you.”]

though we can easily recognize characters that are overtly racist like the ones in this book. there are also people like matt and destany in our lives too - friends that feel uncomfortable talking about race, friends that say “i don’t see color” or they just don’t see it on you, friends that say the n-word but don’t think anything of it, friends that dismiss your identity and disregard your feelings and voice - we don’t even fully realize that’s who they are or what they’ve done to us sometimes like quinn. though it happens with strangers, it’s tougher when it’s people you love/loved, it’s harder to recognize or admit the truth to yourself. i love the quote above so much because oh its so important to remember too!

[“i’m scared,” i whisper. there’s no way he heard me. i think maybe he read my lips.
“don’t be scared. you’re okay.”]

the romance, between quinn and carter, is hard to label, but slowburn seems the best description. they start off rough with judgmental remarks from carter and absolutely no trust from quinn, but really become something to root for with your heart going ahhhhh !!!!!. they didn’t like eachother and she only really accepted his help because she was desperate and afraid, but eventually with all those forced proximity trips, they became friends. imagine how giddy i was with their first phone call! quinn and carter have the tension and the chemistry - no doubt - but they also have some beautifully intimate and open conversations of respect, trust, and self-worth. the third act breakup was honestly great too, which is strange to say i know, but i love the amount of groveling from him and the path to forgiveness and rebuilding trust between themselves. i feel that, by the end, their story is just beginning, rather than maturing. i really love carter as a character with his cockiness and protectiveness - he’s just such a good man and complements quinn well.

i NEED more romance stories of black love and more stories with lovable black boys (i feel like these are lacking in publishing hmm)!! black teens deserve more of THIS!

the side characters? oh yeah, i adore them and would so enjoy a book about them! it’s so amazing to witness olivia and quinn becoming friends, even with a bad past, and just wholeheartedly support each other (shoutout to friendships between women i love you). olivia might just be one of my favorite young adult side characters. she’s brave, unapologetic and adds so much humor to the book - where do i apply to be her defender and best girl? olivia and carter also are a really great portrayal of loyal and supportive (m/f) friends. auden, at the start, feels like he’s just going to be a one-dimensional basic side character but he isn’t either. i really enjoy how olivia and him are both given personality and their relationship is an entertaining background romance. all of the side characters, from both their families to friends, add something to quinn and carter’s individual and relationship progression. it just gave me soft found family vibes and i love them <3

the lack of matt, after being in the beginning, made me suspicious that he was the blackmailer, so i wish he appeared more with purpose. i didn’t feel the need for quinn to forgive destany, because she was still part of the problem, but….i guess that’s a personal choice. and, though i really liked the pacing of events and the sense of coming-of-age to the story, i felt disconnected from her grandma/hattie storyline a bit. it was important to quinn’s arc with facing her fears in terms of family, but i just felt there was already so much subject matter with her parents and the blackmailer that this one would’ve been better shortened as a subplot.

thank you to NetGalley, HarperTeen and Joya Goffney for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one and think students will too-relatable characters and a satisfying conclusion. I just purchased for my library and look forward to hearing what students think.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher (HarperAudio) for the chance to listen to the audio galley of this book. I really enjoyed the narration for the most part. I was wrapped up in the story in no time.

Quinn has lived a pretty charmed life and seems like she is almost out of touch with the realities of the "real world". She is super organized and keeps a list for EVERYTHING. Literally everything. She has been in love with her neighbor/best friend for most of her life but the new guy in school, Carter, starts to pique her interest. She's annoyed with him mostly but in secret she keeps a list with his name on the top as "Someone She'd Like to Kiss". Her lists help her deal with her fears and insecurities but then her journal goes missing and suddenly the whole school knows some of her biggest fears and deepest, darkest secrets.

Carter, Quinn, and a couple of their friends begin searching for the missing journal and try to figure out who would set up the Instagram account that's used to post all the lists. The closer they get to finding the thief, the closer they get to each other and facing a reality that might be very different than either had imagined.

This would be an easy transition to any CW show or even as a movie. It covers some pretty big issues from bullying to racism in a way that I feel will resonate with all different ages. I related more to the characters than I had ever thought I would.

I had to wait until this book was available at my local library before I could give an honest review. To be completely transparent the audiobook narrator don’t sound all that great when listening to at 2x speed, It was almost robotic unfortunately. That being said, while it did slightly affect my overall enjoyment of this book I still had a great time reading it. Racism and family expectations were really what encompassed this book and I’m sure my younger self would have loved to have grown up reading books with character alike Quinn and Olivia.

Quinn’s journal of lists is missing! Quinn is in a panic because it holds all her deep thoughts and secrets. Relieved after finding out her group project partner, Carter accidentally took hers, believing it was his, she is nervously awaiting its return at school the next day. Before Carter can, the journal is stolen from his backpack. Quinn receives a blackmailer’s message that she must complete her top 10 things to do before college list before the journal will be safely delivered back to her and if she fails to complete the items, the blackmailer will release all her lists.

Quinn teams up with Carter on a hilarious, dramatic journey of self discovery to recover her journal. I liked the sweet romance that buds between Quinn and Carter along the way, along with her blossoming friendship with Olivia. I was annoyed at Quinn for her whiny, entitled privilege thinking her world was ending because of some embarrassment, even though she had so much to be thankful for in her wealthy, loving life with parents who spoil and adore her.

"To Do Before I Graduate:
1. Visit the two universities I got accepted into.
2. Admit my love for Matthew Radd.
3. Experience Austin's supposedly incredible nightlife.
4. Tell my parents I didn't get into Columbia.
5. Visit Grandma Hattie.
6. Tell Destany the real reason I ghosted her.
7. Save for last. You know what you have to do."

Quinn keeps a notebook filled with lists. Lists for things to do, things she's thinking about, and people she does (or doesn't) like. Her notebook is her lifeline and Quinn doesn't go anywhere without it. When her notebook goes missing, Quinn knows her classmate Carter accidentally grabbed her notebook when they were packing up after working on a group project. Quinn immediately goes to Carter to get her notebook back, but Carter lost the notebook. The next thing Quinn knows, she's been contacted by an anonymous blackmailer who not only tells her she has to complete the list of things to do before she graduates - this list is also published online - or some of Quinn's other lists will be published online. Quinn partners up with Carter to retrace his steps and figure out what happened to her notebook. Along the way Quinn makes some new friends while checking off the things on her list of things to do before she graduates.

This book was a lot of fun! It reminded me of One of Us Is Lying because of the anonymous blackmailer but I also got some A Walk to Remember vibes due to Quinn working to check everything off her list. Kind of an odd combination, I know. I really enjoyed getting to know Quinn as a character, despite her flaws. She's a well-written character and I can certainly relate to wanting to stay in your own comfort bubble. I enjoyed that Quinn was pushed to experience some things she wasn't necessarily ready for. I also enjoyed seeing Quinn branch out from her friends from the beginning of the story. She really deserves better than her former friends.

This was a really enjoyable book that covered some difficult topics but did so in a way that didn't come across as preachy or over the top. I'm glad I gave this book a chance as I will gladly read anything else author Joya Goffney writes.

TW: blackmail, cyberbullying, microaggressions, racism, slut shaming

This is your typical ya contemporary read. It didn’t blow me away but it was enjoyable to listen to. Great friendships and character development.

Loved this book! I'll be posting a longer review on my blog, but I had to say this was an unexpectedly good read!

This was a cute YA contemporary. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought it was well done.

This book touches on a variety of themes from bullying, racism, and peer pressure. I felt it was realistic in the changes that take place between friends during the high school years. I am glad she found her voice by the end and realized that life isn't about lists. Quinn wasn't the most likeable in the beginning of the book but over time she really matured and got much better. I think she learned a lot about herself and the friendships that are important to her.

Carter was the cutest. I think he really balanced out Quinn's harder exterior and helped her realize a lot about herself. I enjoyed the relationship development between the two as the story progressed.

I do recommend this to anyone looking for their next YA contemporary.

Quinn keeps a journal full of lists as a way to organize her thoughts and structure her life. When she loses the journal she is faced with the challenge to not only find whomever took it, and is now blackmailing her, but also learn to survive without it. She ends up turning to arch rival / recent crush Carter in her quests.

This book was surprising in the number of topics it tackled and the way something simple turned into a story with several layers to pull back on. Every time I thought I understood what was happening a new layer was added. The only issue I ended up having was that the ending wasn't satisfying enough. The conflict and resolution felt thin in comparison to everything that was happening.

Overall still a very good book.

I really enjoyed this YA. At first I found the main character very frustrating I found myself upset with her and her actions. Once I got past that and she began to open up more I sped through this story. I loved the friendships she built. I would like a sequel

The reader gets to know Quinn at the same time that Quinn gets to know herself. The slow burn between Quinn and Carter is realistic, though the development of the friendships is even better.

I enjoyed this audiobook and would recommend it as a good listen. You will not be disappointed. A+.

There are fluffy, lighthearted, YA romances, and then there are thought provoking, anxiety inducing romance reads that leave you biting your nails when the book isn't in your hand, because you have to know what will happen next. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is the latter. As Quinn suffers through cyberbullying, she also confronts other thought-provoking issues such as gender and racism, and heavy issues such as dementia and family woe. She never breaks though, gaining strength as she confronts the things she thought would break her, while a sweet enemy to lovers romance buds to support her.

I was quite pleased with one of my first audiobooks. It was very enjoyable and the plot was amazing! I would highly reccomend

This was a fun contemporary about Quinn, a young Black girl who makes lists in her journal to organise just about everything in her life. But when her journal disappears, she has to team up with a guy she doesn't particularly like to try and get it back.

I enjoyed the messages of growth and development in this story, and the focus on each character to try and become a better person, but I didn't find the two main characters very likeable. I also didn't feel particularly gripped by the story because the pacing was slow and not many key moments happened until later on.

But my main issue was with the automated narrative (computer generated rather than being read by a narrator). Because this wasn't read by a real narrator, the automation made some words and phrases sound awkward and odd and it unfortunately tainted my reading experience. Moments that should have been profound ended up making me laugh because of the stilted way the automated narrator read them out and moments that should have been funny weren't because there wasn't a person performing them.

Sadly, this didn't quite live up to my expectations on several counts.

I was unable to finish the audiobook due to the robotic nature of the narrator. I think I might have liked this better if the narrator was less robotic. I have friends who read the print book and loved it. Will give that a try.

3.5

I enjoyed this book! The writing style was amazing and the storylines were intriguing. However, I feel as though the lead’s friendship/crush on Matt was rushed and I wish it was more developed. I also wish that we got to see more of Olivia’s life. Overall, cute read and I am excited to read more from Joya Goffney!

This book was enjoyable. I think the concept of lists and the stolen journal is smart, but then it seems pretty cliche from there. I enjoyed the YA romance within this book. For those struggling in their senior year of high school and struggling with their decision about their future, this book would be a great book for them.