Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was a beautiful young adult book. It had a little bit of everything. And though it isn’t the genre I usually gravitate towards; I’m very happy I decided to read it.

Quinn is a high school senior. She’s dealing with all the angst a senior would be dealing with and then some. She uses her journal as an outlet for all her hopes, fears and secrets. And never really deals with them. Quinn is an obsessive list maker
It’s definitely become some sort of a crutch for her. All that comes to a halt when she accidentally loses her journal and it ends up in an unknown blackmailers hands.

The blackmailer threatens to reveal more pages of her journal on social media if she doesn’t face some of the things on her lists.

This book addresses so many important topics about racism and bullying. It wasn’t overly sugarcoated and it was definitely eye-opening and thought-provoking. But it wasn’t all serious, there were some moments of levity mixed with the teenage angst.
The side characters were great and balanced everything out wonderfully.


I listened to the audiobook review version of this book. I understand it was a synthetic voice, and I didn’t mind it at all. I’m sure the final product will be even better.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was great novel, and I’d recommend.

I got an audiobook version of this arc and I really did not like the narrator. They were just too robotic for me and that took me out of the story often!

I don’t usually read young adult contemporary but I was drawn to this one by the synopsis! We follow Quinn after her journal has gone missing, a journal full of her thoughts put down into lists. Lists about boys she’d kiss, drama going on at school and more personal issues to name a few examples. Basically, everything you wouldn’t want the entire school knowing but that’s what might happen when her lost journal is found by someone who uses it to blackmail her.

I really liked Quinn as a protagonist. Her character development was done so well. She went from depending on her lists to learning how to cope without it. She ended up doing things she’d listed that she thought she’d never do, she accomplished so much!

The friendships she formed warmed my heart so much! They developed into true and healthy friendships which I think is great for young readers to see. Her relationship with Carter was so cute too. I was really glad that after a certain plot element, she made him work for her forgiveness, she didn’t just hand it over.

The race element in here tugged at my heartstrings because it’s entirely different to be in someone’s head who experiences racism like Quinn has had to deal with when you’ve never really experienced it like she has. The micro aggressions are everywhere, even her own “friends” were doing it. I was glad when they got called out for it and that it was addressed and that she made better friends!

Overall, this was a super solid read! If you like young adult contemporary with deeper messages but also full of teenage angst, drama and love, definitely check this one out!!

4/5⭐️

Review will be up on my blog on release day!

This was a cute and cozy little romance story. The protagonist Quinn keeps a journal of lists. Lists of her deepest secrets, lists of people she would want to kiss, lists of all the times she has ugly cried, and lists of everything else. One day her journal goes missing and then she is being blackmailed to do things she has listed out or her journal will be posted online.

I enjoyed following Quinn while she faces her fears and growing as a person.

This story also touches a little bit about being black in a predominantly white school, which was a little heartbreaking.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Audio for the advanced copy of this sweet novel.

2.5/5 stars

When I saw this audiobook available on NetGalley, I was really excited. The synopsis sounded interesting, and I thought it would be pretty relatable since I love making lists as well.

Unfortunately, this book was disappointing to me.

The good things about this story were the different lists throughout and the author’s writing style. I could see myself potentially liking another book by this author if it had better characters and plot.

Honestly, the plot in this story was way too predictable and boring. Not very much happened, and the things that did happen were either cliché or annoying.

The plot wouldn’t have been a big issue since character driven stories can be good as well. The problem with that is the characters weren’t much better than the plot.

I just didn’t find any of the characters that likable. Matt seemed like a good character at the beginning of the story, and I would have enjoyed seeing more interactions between him and Quinn. Unfortunately, Matt was barely in the whole rest of the story even though he was supposedly a close friend of Quinn.

Carter started off as a big jerk, and he didn’t have very many redeeming moments throughout the book.

My favorite character was Carter’s little sister because she was funny. Everyone else was either flat or irritating.

While Quinn did have character growth, I just didn’t find her very interesting. Nothing about her really stood out to me. I didn’t understand her reasoning a lot of the time.

Overall, there were a few good parts of this story, but the plot and characters were seriously lacking in this book.

3.5-4 stars

This book was good. I’m not a huge YA fan, but I knew that this book was important to read. What happens when a very important/private list goes missing in the journal it was written in? What happens when that journal is found, and the person that finds it uses it to blackmail you? This book touches everything from racism, racism in high school, to cyber bullying. So much drama! Lol.

I think this book would be especially good for teens in helping them see how our words and actions can
Deeply affect someone no matter what they look like on the outside, we truly battle the same type issues.

It was sort of hard to understand what was happening, and I felt the begining was too typical for a YA book. The different characters voices weren't different. Sometimes I didn't know who was talking

I really liked this book! I loved Quinn’s personal journey to accepting herself and sharing her truths. I also really loved the theme of forgiveness that was so prevalent throughout. Quinn learns to accept and embrace her race and makes friends who do the same. It shows the importance of finding friends who truly see you and embrace all of you, not just the parts that they identify with. My only complaint is I wish there was a conversation with Matt and that their relationship could’ve had more closure like the others had.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine having your journal, with all of your innermost secrets and private thoughts, land in the worst possible hands. This is exactly what happens to Quinn in Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. And not only does her journal end up in the wrong hands, but the person who has it decides to blackmail her with it. The only way Quinn can get her journal back without having all of her secrets splashed across social media and school is to complete a daring "to do before she graduates" list her blackmailer has found in the journal. Can Quinn face her fears and complete the list, which includes things like confessing her love to her crush and telling her parents that she has been lying to them about being accepted to college, etc.

I really enjoyed this book. I was very sympathetic toward Quinn and her predicament. I can't even imagine what I would do if I were in her shoes. I also thought the commentary about race added an important and timely layer to this YA contemporary. Quinn is Black but attends a school where her classmates are predominantly white. At the time the book opens, Quinn has only had white friends and those friends joke around and say that Quinn is pretty much white anyway. Comments like that have left Quinn feeling like a bit of an outsider in her own friend group. Part of Quinn's journey in this book as she tries to figure out who she is and who her true friends are involves her finally forming meaningful friendships and relationships with some Black students.

I thought the author did a lovely job with this book overall and really enjoyed watching Quinn face her fears and show such tremendous growth throughout the story.

This is a well written book about secrets revealed, change, and identity. It’s funny, contemporary and fun. The author does a great job of weaving in race, class and high school angst in a way that doesn’t come across as heavy handed. I like the way the lists the main character relies on propels the story. As an old, it feels pretty relevant to issues of today and hopefully high school or college age issues. The characters are well developed and the plot has great evolution. High recommend!

Compulsively readable--Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a story about growing up, letting go of your fears and the status quo, finding your inner strength, and connection.

We start of EWIUC with Quinn having broken up with her best friend over reasons unknown. Everybody thinks is because her crush asked her best friend out, but Quinn swears it is because of something else. After doing a school assignment with some of her classmates Quinn notices her journal is not hers... in fact one of her classmates took hers by mistake. To make matters worse the person who took her journal is Carter Bennett, a hottie who was rude to Quinn and clearly hates her.

"These are the things I don't voice even when I'm alone, because admitting them could change my life forever. And then it dawns on me--Carter could change my life forever."

Freaking out Quinn contacts Carter and they meet up at school to exchange journals... only her journal disappears. The next thing she knows Quinn is being blackmailed by persons unknown--she must complete her to-do list (one thing a day) or the blackmailer is going to release her deepest thoughts to the entire school. Feeling trapped Quinn sets out to complete her to do list one thing at a time, with Carter Bennett's help.

EMWIUC is a YA slice of life that tackles race, cultural assimilation and the consequences of it, and found family (which is one of my favorite troupes). I did enjoy being in Quinn's shoes and seeing how she processes her life, from freaking out to going to enough is enough. She has to deal with racism from trusted people around her, including her own parent. While once upon a time she might have just written her thoughts on a journal, now that journal is stolen, and so she feels scarily liberated and is able to find herself and confront her fears, plus her peers.

I loved her friendship with Olivia, and how Olivia was able to get her out of her shell. Their relationship is not easy, as Quinn also has to deal with some guilt over some things she was complicit in when it came to Olivia's reputation. Olivia is free, progressive, an artist. She is also half-black and is a friend Quinn doesn't feel like she has to hide part of herself when she is around her. It is really sweet, I am hoping we get Olivia's story next.

The romance is light and sweet--Quinn starts off the book in love with Matt, her childhood friend. Though she is not sure Matt loves her in turn, as he asked her ex best friend out. While she is in supposed love with Matt though, she fully acknowledges that Carter is super fine, and can be super annoying to who she is at that moment. Once they team up Carter really tries to be there for her, even though Quinn still has him on her blackmailer suspects lists.

The one thing I was a little iffy on is kind of spoilery; just, I felt like making Quinn complete her "To-Do list" just seems like an action born out of misguided love. Which is why when it was revealed who the blackmailer was it took me by surprise. (view spoiler)

I did read EWIUC via Audiobook--though not really the voice was a robot voice (that I weirdly got used to/attached to) so I can't say anything about the performance of the narrator, but I did really enjoy it in audio book format and recommend it if you like slice of life YA contemporary in the vein of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is an #ownvoices contemporary YA romance by debut author Joya Goffney. Within the chapters of this novel, critical, and relevant topics like internalized oppression, racism, classism, cyber bullying, dementia, the pressure to succeed, mental health, avoidance, and denial all intersect in the life of our protagonist, Quinn.

Quinn’s parents, the only successful, affluent Black family in her town, have been planning for Quinn to attend Columbia since before she was even born. Yet Quinn isn’t quite measuring up to Columbia’s standards, but Quinn can’t tell them. Not only will her parents be devastated, it’ll collapse the fragile balance of her explosive home life.

Quinn’s friends, Destany and Gia, seem to have forgotten one very important fact about Quinn: she Black. And that means it’s absolutely NOT COOL to say racist things (like the n-word!!!) around her, or AT ALL. But Quinn never speaks up, because she can’t rock the boat, even though staying silent twists her guts into unimaginable ropes.

Carter Bennett can’t STAND Quinn. She has it all and is completely oblivious to her privileges, her power, and her Blackness. The LAST thing he needs is to be forced to work with this Princess on a class project.

Then there’s the matter of Quinn’s journal. Her spiral bound notebook where she religiously makes lists. She lives and breathes those lists. Her thoughts, fears, wishes, and her most terrible deeds are all documented in a seemingly safe place. Until Carter Bennett, bane of Quinn’s existence accidentally picks hers up instead of his own.

Here’s where the hijinx ensue:
-Carter starts reading the journal, and after seeing his name on a particular list about kissing, he couldn’t stop if he wanted to.
-The journal is lost
-A fake account messages Quinn letting her know they have the journal and have found her list of terrible secrets
-They post her greatest fears list and threaten to post more unless Quinn completes every single item on the list and sends proof
-The post and the tasks rip Quinn’s static life apart and only through née friendships and accepting her identity can she hope to make it through
5/5⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the arc and audiobook!

I just couldn't get into this audiobook because of the synthetic voice. It was robotic and constantly took me out of the story .

i was curious to try this as an audiobook but i couldn't even get into it because they used a robot narrator for an advanced copy. i feel bad rating it because i didn't get to enjoy the story at all but i tried.

I loved this audio so much. The entire time I could picture it being a movie. The characters were likable, the "villains" were easy to hate. The internal dialogue was perfect without being over redundant. The love story was not the main focus but more of the ending. I loved that. I loved Quinn finding friendship and herself before finding love.

I loved this. I have to say, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like this story because I felt like it was too young for me. It didn't read like a normal YA contemporary. I felt like Carter and Quinn were older than just 18.

I relate to Quinn with writing things down and feeling better after having them written down. I have to admit, I think I am going to start doing that again to manifest what I want in my life.

I would never guess that this is a debut.

In honor of Quinn in Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry:
1. This is a story of a privileged black high school senior who only has white friends.
2. Quinn’s deepest, darkest thoughts are written in lisits in her journal which gets stolen and some of the lists published for the entire school to see.
3. Enemies to lovers romance.
4. Owning your truths and facing your fears.
5. Learning to accept yourself.
6. Learning to become a great friend.
7. Developing healthy family relationships.

Thank you very much for a free audio book for me to review. I really enjoyed this story and the development of characters.

I loved this story. The characters felt real and I was completely pulled into the narrative. I especially appreciated the way issues of racism were part of the story without being a long lecture about racial equity. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book had a great premise, but it didn't live up to its promise. The description made me think the book was about Quinn dealing with her missing journal, but that aspect of the book felt like an afterthought. The majority of the book is Quinn worrying about everyone finding out about her secrets. Also, I had a hard time with Carter as a love interest. Carter spent the majority of the book lying to Quinn, which made it had to be sympathetic towards him. There were some aspects of this book I enjoyed. Quinn's parents' had a great backstory and Olivia had the potential to be an amazing character. I would happily read an entire book of their stories. This is the author's first book and while I didn't love it I will keep reading her books.

Quinn keeps lists of everything in her journal. To-do lists, lists about crushes, lists of times she has been hurt and more. This is how she keeps it together. When her journal goes missing and an anonymous bully blackmails her into completing her To-Do Before Graduation list, she has to face many fears she has been running from. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far! It has great humor, adorable moments of romance, and lots of heart. I will be suggesting this book to many people!

Thank you to Harper Audio for the copy of the Voice Galley of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry.

This book was out of my usual genres, and I was very pleasantly surprised by it! Quinn is a high school senior that has backed her self in a bad corner, and to make matters worse, the journal that she has lost holds her deepest secrets in it. The person who found the journal blackmails her into completing one of many lists in hopes of publicly embarrassing and shaming her. In the end, I loved the unexpected friendships that developed in this book. And how much Quinn grew up and took responsibility. I also really appreciated the way that the author tackled racism and bullying in the book.