This book is called #TheBrittanys written by a Brittany.
.
If you remember the days of tanning while listening to a cd and flipping over to your stomach half way through, or wore Cucumber Melon this book is for you, (and by you I mean me! It was me he wore Cucumber Melon and sunbathed to Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
.
Reminiscent of Judy Blume, 2000’s style, this book follows 5 Brittanys as they come of age. Tiffany Chokers, Jansport backpacks, and boxers as shorts had me feeling major nostalgia.
.
If that doesn’t do it for you how about this quote, “We thought life was always going to be matching juicy sweat suits and trips to the malls”
.
A total fun trip down memory lane with all the feels of being a teenager.
.
Thank you #NetGalley and #Vintageanchorbooks

DNF @ 30%. I have a bunch of issues, the first being how young this reads. Despite the sex and drugs the characters feel like tweens. But the biggest problem is the monotone of the narrator. Despite the angst and drama there was no voice. It just felt bland and underwhelming.

I think I’m too old for this book....? I love a teen angst drama coming-of-age book but this was a big miss for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters - none were interesting or nuanced enough for me to want to get to know them
more. It was expected and “simple”. That said - it reads quickly and perhaps a younger demographic would and could relate more to
the characters? Thanks to Vintage Publishing for the advanced copy. I’m grateful.

I did not enjoy this. The characters were all younger than I prefer to read about. They were annoying. There wasn't much plot. It didn't hold my interest at all. It's not bad but it's not for me in the slightest.

This was a DNF for me. I didn't care for the writing style and couldn't keep track of the plot. It sounded like a great premise and I was looking forward to it.
Just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I absolutely felt like I was back in high school and I kind of loved it. It was super nostalgic feeling, especially with the friend group dynamics (ours, thankfully, were a lot less dramatic). I love the cover. I loved the writing. Brittany Ackerman is officially on a list of authors I will read more from. Love her so much! This book was EVERYTHING.

This book was a slow burn, but not in a bad way I definitely recommend if you are looking for a throwback, teenage years read.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book based on the fact that it was about a group of girls all named Brittany. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and my name is Heather. To say there were a few other girls with my name is an understatement. Once I began the book I was glad I had requested it. The Brittanys is about being fifteen. It reads as a journal or diary of one of the girls has been published with a few insights added from the adult author interspersed later. This is done in italics and it was a bit confusing at first. Maybe footnotes would be better?

I was expecting more group antics and possibly hearing other POVs, but the heart of this story is about how at fifteen you sometimes realize the person you thought was your BFF might not be your BFF forever. As adults we forget how exciting life can feel as a teenager. How all the emotions are oversized and how friends are your entire world. While this story was about a white, wealthy, female I do think the underlying feelings of insecurity can be universal. Were these girls extremely fortunate to not have to deal with real life issues? Absolutely. However, at one point we learn the narrator's brother has been abusing pills and it comes as a shock to her. Though a few times she mentions behavior that I immediately marked as him having issues with substances. Teens are usually wrapped up in themselves and their friend group. The narrator not noticing this should not be a surprise.

I thought the author wrote teens well. I have a fifteen year old daughter right now. It is a tumultuous time. As adults we have to remember the world is still new to them and they are trying to figure out how to navigate it all on their own. To me the most annoying character was how the narrator's mom was written. At one point she sets up a sleepover at a friend's house for her daughter without consulting her. Another time she talks an older boy into inviting her daughter and the daughter's friend to a party. No. Just no. No mom is interfering that much in her teen's social life. If the mom had seemed more like she was trying to be the "cool mom" ala Amy Poehler in Mean Girls this might feel right, but here it just came across as weird.

Overall if you want to be transported back to your teen years for a little while this book is for you. I did not relate to the situations our MC found herself in, but I absolutely remembered the feelings she experiences. If you do not like reading the inner workings of an adolescent's mind then skip this one.

The Brittanys may not be the most popular in their wealthy private school, but at least everyone knows their names. Our narrator is a Brittany and narrates her experience in school and drifting apart from her best friend, another Brittany.

This book reads like a diary with the gossip and day to day high school activity. Nothing is held back, the narrator is very honest and real about her life. I loved the italicized sentences of the narrator looking back as an adult; it’s almost like footnotes on the diary that she wrote after the fact. This allowed us to know what happened to the key player and how they fared as adults, which we don’t usually get with these type reads. I’m still a bit unsure if it’s completely fictionalized or not, but it’s still an interesting story regardless. This was definitely a character driven read. Nothing super exciting happens, but it is so true to life to what it feels like to be a 14-15 year old navigating the shark infested waters of high school.

“I don’t think being boy crazy is a bad thing. It’s what we all talk about all the time. Our purpose for getting dolled up and coming to school each day is that a boy might like us and kiss us, talk to us, ask us to go on a date to the movies or to walk around the mall or to go to the park in his neighborhood and lie in bed with him until he tells you you’re beautiful.”

The Brittanys comes out 6/15.

I just couldn’t get into this book. I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I wanted to love the book as the premise seemed incredibly fun however this one just wasn’t for me.

This was disappointing. I love reading about friend groups and was expecting for this to be more about ALL of the Brittanys, not just two. I think the author definitely accurately portrayed how horrible young teens treat each other during this stressful and confusing time in life. However, the tone of the entire book was so monotone and bored, it had a lot of trouble holding my attention. Kids at this age are all about hysterics and overdramatic emotions, and I didn't feel that here at all.

The Brittanys by Brittany Ackerman was an original story but, unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. I found that I just wasn’t invested in the outcome and wasn’t enjoying it like I thought I would.
I really liked the concept and time period but felt like it just needed something more substantial to it.

My god, if you ever wax nostalgic about your high school career in the early aughts, this book is for you. The Brittanys might not be the most popular girls in school, but everybody knows who they are. The Brittanys run in a pack, all five of them - but two of them, our narrator, and Brittany Jensen - are inseparable. But as high school begins and their worldviews begin to widen - it seems that Brittany Jensen has other ideas about where she'd like to go - ideas that don't match up with what our narrator has in mind. Not to mention, our narrator is coming to terms with a few things that could change her life. With wit and wisdom, our narrator looks back on her younger years, deciphering her teendom with a perspective that only age can give.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for advance access to this title!

I received this advanced e-book copy of The Brittany’s from NetGalley for my honest review. I was intrigued by the description of this novel as a young adult coming of age book. The main character read very, very young to me and seemed more like a middle grade novel with YA themes. The stream of consciousness writing style is also not my favorite form to read. That being said, this was a quick and easy read.
•
•

Cute coming of age YA novel about a group of best friends at a Florida prep school. Work is intercut with interjections from the narrator in present-day looking back at her journey and friends. The premise seemed confusing yet I was intrigued to check it out. While it's not the best book I've ever read, I did enjoy it. It's well-written and engaging. The narrator's a bit too boy-crazy for my liking though. But all in all, it's a fun coming-of-age YA novel for teen girls.

I’m really not sure how I feel about this book. Did I enjoy it? Yes, but at the same time I found it to be a bit dull and plotless.

I did like how this book seemed like my friend group from my high school days. It felt like a walk down memory lane.

The Brittanys was like stepping back into my preteen/teenage years. The smell of Victoria’s Secret PINK body spray cannot escape my brain but this book provided a sweet step into memory lane. This novel kept me captivated and reminded me of a life that I once lived.

Our book opens up by diving into the relationship between Brittany and Jensen. We really get to see the closeness of two teenage girls and what it’s like to have your one best friend. But with the same breath, Ackerman displays how quickly life for a teenager goes. Hormones are flooding teenage brains at such a rate that yesterday’s drama can feel like it was light years away. The pacing is fast but overall quite enjoyable.

The only things that stood out to me were the italicized inserts of a later Brittany reflecting upon these moments. They seemed a bit random but did provide some closure however they could have executed differently. The dialogue was also odd at moments. Teens aren’t known for their riveting conversations but sometimes the conversations between characters were just very one-lined and silly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone who is looking for a taste of overly perfumed 2000’s nostalgia. I definitely got a mature The Clique meets Pretty Little Liars (without the murder) vibes, and I loved it.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR LETTING ME READ THIS NOVEL IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

3.75 ⭐️‘s (rounded up)

Wow. This was a step back in time to early high school (especially growing up in Florida) and the complicated world of friendships at that age. It was so relatable and at times, a little uncomfortable because of the whole story. It definitely read more a “year in the life of” story - and a little autobiographical by the main character - with her flashes to “what became of them”. Easy read that brings back the feels of being a high school - some good, some bad. Wanted a little more of all the Brittanys and wanted a little more closure of some sort at the end... but let’s be honest, high school friendships will always be a bit of an enigma.

Interesting slice of teenage life. Funny, sad, and often shocking, this book chronicles a group of friends navigating middle and high school. These kids have too little supervision and find themselves tangled up in drugs, sex, and relationships they aren’t ready for.

Unfortunately the e-copy I was has disordered and I wasn’t able to read the book! I love the premise and hope to read it when it’s published.