This has been sitting on my kindle for a while now, and I have been meaning to listen to this. It was incredible. I really enjoyed it.

For a debut, Joya Goffney creates a perfect young adult for celebrating Black joy and the subtle liberations of Black girls. Quinn lives in a wealthy town where she is one of a few Black people. Yet, she is told by others (including her hot Black study partner) that she is not Black enough. Quinn is dealing with these issues of race and gender, along with a secret crush on her best friend and secrets kept from everyone in her life. Until Quinn is blackmailed to reveal it all.

Have you seen Ginny and Georgia on Netflix? Well, this it's readalike yet better. This book is perfects the conversations about Blackness, class, Black women friendships, internalized oppression. Yet, it's still a cheesy teen romance, and it celebrates Blackness hard.

My favorite element is the Black girl bond that arises in this book by "enemies". It is powerful and puts mainstream feminism to shame with its girlfriends' love.

There is a lot of forgiveness in Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. It is a lovely exploration of when to forgive and let go. Who is worth one's love? Who is worth fighting for? What do we forgive and what we can't.

This is a book for young adults and adults. For those who like contemporary young adult, romance, or just looking for a book about Black joy and love, I highly recommend this book. Five out of Five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. This book was amazing! It had me laughing and crying. I can’t wait to buy a hard copy so I can revisit these characters soon!

This was such a cute YA! I’ve really enjoy the flow of the story ,the growth and connection of the characters and just the story itself. Quinn and Carter were to cute and I feel like I need their adult love story. This a story of friendship, first love, family, and self discovery.
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Synopsis: when Quinn loses her journal with all her secrets and thoughts, she suspects only one person, Carter Bennet, but when she started receiving blackmail message she realize it not him. These two team up to uncover the culprit, their close proximity ignite a friendship that forced the other to face their fears and their attraction to each other..
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This story touch on the issue of racism, bullying and discrimination, but the author did a great job of handling these sensitive subjects. I love the friendship and first love warms my heart 💖

To be fair, I am not a huge fan of romance books even if they are meant to be YA or Fiction, so that's why, this review will be Insightful

We are following Quinn, a person of colour high school senior, who is attending a predominantly white private school in Austin, Texas. She has very few black friends and has gotten used to dismissing racial remarks as meaningless and unimportant. Quinn is often told that she is "not black enough" and called other racial names, but she never stands up to these racists. Her only passion is to hang with her friends, make their parents proud of her, have a perfect attendance at school and write in her journal every thoughts she has in her mind, even if they are about the new boy at her school.
A new student at Quinn's school, will be quickly making his way into Quinn's closest friends circle where he challenges Quinn's thoughts about racism, stereotypes, and friendships

When one day, Quinn's journal disappears, she is starting to question everyone but the primary suspect will have to be the new boy. When an enemies to lovers story starts to appear out of nowhere, you will be trapped inside the Insightful thoughts of Quinn, her daily adventures and a true friendship which will flourish and tightens even strongly than before. The trio quickly becomes a team, in searching and respecting the blackmail 's wishes in order for Quinn to receive her journal back.

Even though I am a HUGE audiobook listener, I have to say that it was really hard listening to a synthesized voice. There was no emotion and I found it hard to get into the book at first. However, I stuck with it and really ended up enjoying the story.

Thank you to Harper Audio via Netgalley for the advanced listen of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As this is not the official audiobook and just a version made with a synthetic voice, it’s hard to review this. I did enjoy the story, just wish I could’ve listened to it with an actual narrator rather than a synthetic voice.

When I read the synopsis for this and saw that the main character was a journal-er and she made lists all the time, I immediately added it to my TBR. AND she was Black. She reminded me so much of me. I needed to see what it was all about.

Quinn makes lists of everything. From people she wants to kiss to reasons she might ugly cry. She keeps them all in this one journal. But then one day said journal goes missing. And suddenly she’s getting messages from the person who took it, blackmailing her to spill her biggest secrets or they will take the whole thing public. Desperate she enlists the help of the person who had her journal, Carter. Can they find out whodunit before its too late?

The best thing about this book was the character growth. I spent most of this book really angry at Quinn. She was way too complacent about the freaking micro-aggressions from her “friends.” Yes, I know they are a real thing in mostly white spaces, but I was really disappointed in her how she reacted. But then I realized she was a kid and maybe was scared. *SPOILER* When she finally gives this up at the end of the book it makes me feel so much better. I was glad to see that she finally understood why it was so wrong. *END SPOILER The way she treated herself was terrible too. I hated that the people around her were colorizing her too. Her dad was a real piece of work in the beginning and I hearing it. I’m glad he grew some throughout this book as well.

As for the writing style, I thought it was really cute! The lists being incorporated were a great touch. To me it really felt like we were really in Quinn's head every time we saw one. She made the lists while she was anxious or nervous and I saw them as a coping mechanism. Maybe because that's what I use them for. And there was also the enemies to lovers aspect that showed up. I normally don't like them, but this time, Idk, I really liked the love interest. I think because when they finally got together, he was so sweet to her. It stuck out to me because I thought it was so sweet he didn't worry about showing his feelings.

And the setting was hella cool. I always LOVE finding books that are set in Texas. I love picking out places I recognize. And this one had one of the places I never thought I’d see in a book… Huntsville, Texas. Trust me when I say there’s nothing special there, except Sam Houston State University, my alma mater. And there was a list about Huntsville! (For the record, there IS an alarm that goes off when a prisoner escapes, but its at the prison, not the campus lol) U of H and Houston were also there, but I did NOT feel the way she portrayed them was great. She was showing her colorist ways again and again, it bothered me. Of all the things she took from her dad, that was a sucky quality to get.

As for the audio, I enjoyed it. I had to look up the narrator since the one from Netgalley had a computerized voice. Once I found out it was Jordan Cobb, I waited until my library had it too so I could also listen there. Cobb has done other audio narrations of books with Black leads that I LOVED, so I went to listen to a sample of this one as well. And if you’re wondering, you can add this to my “list” of my favorite narrators. (No pun intended lol)

This mostly stuck with me because I connected with the main character in so many ways. In others, I was not a fan of her. The back and forth I had with the characters and the fact that this was basically set in my backyard was what made me fall for this book. Add on the fact that there’s going to be a bomb ass narrator for it, it turned out pretty ok. Here’s to hoping the rest of Goffney’s books are just as intriguing!

A love story unlike many others!

I was thrilled to receive approval for this audiobook; the premise was that of a great YA novel, and I couldn't wait to read it. Sometimes, the love story of YA novel overshadows every other part; that wasn't the case in this story.

The main character, Quinn, is dealing with a lot of things: her rejection from Columbia, a secret crush on her neighbor, a rift with her best friend, the constant arguing between her parents, and her grandmother's recent health decline. On top of that, her personal journal (in which she keeps many lists that have confidential and potentially embarrassing information) goes missing. It's... a lot. On her journey to find the journal, she finds more than a spiral-bound notebook: things like self-acceptance, love, and genuine friendship.

My favorite element of this story was probably the character development of Quinn herself. At the beginning, I found it hard to root for her. She didn't fight for herself, and she wasn't dealing with any of the issues mentioned above. She had a serious case of indecisiveness and preferred to ignore her problems. By the end, though, she took ownership of her situation; she communicated clearly and fiercely, and she had created new bonds built on things that matter instead of popularity and clout.

She struggles with feeling as though she doesn't belong in any social group, and she voices particular concerns about her own identity as a Black woman, as well as the fact that she believes her father doesn't like or feel proud of his identity as a successful Black man; this is a journey she embarks on toward self-acceptance and confidence that was inspiring to witness on the page. She cultivates friendships and romantic bonds by the end of the story with those who will support her and help her take pride in who she is.

This is a great story, and I hope that readers enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced audiobook copy of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. While this was an uncorrected proof and auto bot generated, I still enjoyed the story none the less. I could feel the intense anxiety and fear from Quinn over losing her journal. Reading this novel, I felt strongly connected to Quinn's character listening to this novel, it was almost as if I was having a flashback to my awkward teenage years.

High school, especially senior year is an extremely difficult time for teenagers---it's the time where everyone expects you to choose your future or go along with their plan in life for you. However, things don't always go according to plan, as our protagonist Quinn learns when her sacred notebook with all her personal feelings suddenly disappears. When you're a young black teenage girl, who rarely talks to others or can't say what you actually feel in fear of others judging you too harshly, it becomes a living nightmare when someone else begins peering in your head unsure of what they might find or decide to share with others.

I think the novel is beautifully written, real and shares personal experiences that actual teenagers go through. While I do think that some of the scenarios that Quinn comes across were a bit far fetched, the sequence of events were still interesting to see play out to Quinn'c character development and journey of her finally being honest with herself.

The beginning of the story had so much promise but I felt that the story and the main character left something to be desired and felt done before.

Sadly the story was disappointing I only made it to chapter 19.

There where some interesting things about the book friendship, the fear of parents expectations, decline of family members.

I will not be posting a review since I DNF'd the book and I do not want my choice to affect others who may love it and not pick it up because of me.

Although I'm much older than the main character, I did relate to her throughout the story. I'm like her in the fact that I tend to make lists for everything. I just haven't had to face many of them, but I might have to start on some of them. I also enjoyed the family as well as the friend dynamic throughout the story. Although I'm not a big YA fan, this book was definitely such a great and enjoyable read. It also had just a touch of romance that was suitable for YA For this being the author's first book, I'd have to say I really enjoyed it and will be looking for future works from this author.

I read/listened to about 60% of the title with the e-galley and finished audiobook. It was part romance, part coming of age story. I can see the value in this story as it discusses different perspectives of blackness and not making assumptions about others, of all races. Quinn is blackmailed into doing activities from her journal and as she is forced to complete them, she learns important truths about herself and those around her. The romance is based on an opposites attract trope and there is history between the leads and banter. From what I read, this might lean towards an older teen audience.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the e-galley and advanced audio. My reviews and ratings are my own.

I found this audiobook incredibly difficult to listen to. I ended up having to DNF it because of the computerized voice. I intend on physically reading the book, as I enjoyed the premise, and would like to give the book another chance because I was not able to fairly judge the book due to the quality of the audio.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I really enjoyed Quinn and Matt's characters. The pacing of this story is good. The narrator did a fantastic job reading this book. The friendships in this story is good. The family relationships within this book is good. It has trigger warning ⚠️ for RACISM. It is in stores now for $14.30 (USD).

* I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

This book is pretty good, once it gets going. Quinn has a journal and when it goes missing, everything goes chaotic. What I particularly liked about this book is how many issues it addressed, from bullying to racism, and I think the author does a good job tackling them. I liked Quinn for the most part, as I did Carter. Overall I enjoyed this novel.

This was such a cute and wholesome read.
I liked the main character, Quinn. Her character was well developed and I found her very realistic. The slow burn romance between her and Carter was well done.
The book also deals with so many important topics like cyber bullying, racism, facing fears, friendship etc. The author addresses all these issues with care.
The ending was perfect, I liked the way everything ties up neatly.
I do recommend it, it's perfect for the fans of To All The Boys I've Loved Before.

In todays times especially with everything being brought to our attention I feel this book should be read by all middle grade to YA for sure. I am glad it touched on so many of the different issues that kids go thru in middle school to college years. It is a reminder to be aware of how we make others feel, the pressures we put on our kids as an adult, and all the peer pressure that the other kids put on our young ones. If I could give this a rating higher than a 5 I most certainly would. The Author did an awesome job.

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, but I’m so glad I did. This novel was a fantastic read. The characters were well written and felt real with their flaws and struggles. There was so much in this novel, from facing your fears to falling in love to dealing with racism. I thought the author dealt with all these topics very well especially talking about racism between peers and within ones self. I highly recommend this to everyone it’s a beautiful story that’s cute and fun while also dealing with difficult topics in an appropriate manner and it’s led by an amazing cast of well rounded characters.

What a thought-provoking and important story. It's one I feel every teen should read to learn the impact their words can have on others, and what is thought to private might not be. Perhaps our battles aren't unique to us, and we can't assume others aren't feeling or facing the same thing.

This was a very relevant book. A well-put-together story. One I'm glad I read.

You know a book is well written when you go into it basically knowing what is going to happen the entire time and you love it anyway. That was this book. The plot was not too adventurous, but nevertheless, you fall in love with the characters from the beginning. I feel like I have a soft spot for Quinn from the start because I am also a list-maker. I don't keep them all in one spot like a journal, but I can still understand the utter devastation you would feel if your journal went missing.... and then started showing up as you began getting blackmailed. As Quinn navigates life trying to locate her blackmailer while simultaneously working on the daunting task set before her, her journey and growth with Carter is just addicting to read.