Thank to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for a review.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. The summary explains that there are video games and arcades involved, and I was fine with that, but there was SO much more than I expected. And I'm just not into that! I never owned a video game growing up and I didn't really spend time at arcades, so the overwhelming amount of pinball information was just boring to me. From the summary it seemed the story was going to be focused more on the teen romance, and it just... wasn't. I guess I went into this book expecting something different.

If you're a pinball fan, you'll probably love this book.

The Review

This was a brilliant and well-written YA contemporary romance and family drama. The author does a fantastic job of making the story and characters come to life on the page, feeling very real and engaging as a whole. The settings played such a vital part of the narrative in this book, and the arcade especially felt like a character all its own, as if we could just walk in off the street today to pay homage to this brilliant blast from the past.

The character development was so moving and brilliantly crafted in this narrative. The emotional toll each character is going through is felt so much in their stories, from Adam’s heartbreaking loss to the desperation to be seen that Whitney is going through. The way these two get lost in their own personal turmoil and clash with one another, and the way they find their way back to one another, is so entertaining and gripping to read that I felt lost in their growing narrative.

The Verdict

A memorable, heartfelt, and thoughtful approach to the YA Contemporary Romance, author Eric Smith’s “You Can Go Your Own Way” is the perfect read for this fall! The balance found in the old-school arcade and classic rock style Adam embodies with the more modern video game and social media world that Whitney embodied was amazing to read and watch unfold, and the way they found a bridge to connect with one another was an emotional payoff that readers won’t want to miss.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is the nostalgic feel of Adam’s chapters. It’s a contemporary novel, set in the present day (minus covid), but Adam has a lot of love for bands his dad loved and for the vintage pinball machines his dad was obsessed with before he died. I haven’t played a lot of pinball in my life, but I felt like the descriptions of the game play and the machines made perfect sense and was really engaging. I also couldn’t help connecting with Adam and his complex, unresolved grief with all his nerdy amazingness.

Whitney is super different than Adam is. She’s sleek, cool, and incredibly driven, and yet I felt an instant connection with her, too. I really appreciated her wit and tenacity. She is definitely one of those characters who acts tough and has a soft heart underneath, and I love those!

In addition to all of that, there are some very fun social media situations and conversations, plus a community of indie business owners who all show up for each other. If you know me, you know community is another thing that I tend to adore in the books I read. It just feels so real, and makes the characters feel like part of a real world, you know?

YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY is the first book by Eric Smith that I’ve read, though I’m pretty sure I own his others! Reading this made me really want to read everything he’s written. I felt like the relationships were super real and the characters were really easy to connect with. I think readers who enjoy contemporary romance will have a lot to love in this book.

I suppose my only complaint is the ear worm that constantly happens to me every time I read the title. Every. Time. I guess I can live with a little music in my head. Ha!

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! All the pinball machine cuteness! I am so excited for this book to be out in the world. If you are a fan of forced proximity, rivals to lovers, or childhood friends to lovers, this book is a must-read! Also, TWITTER WARS! I cannot form a complete sentence when writing this review because the cuteness of this YA romance makes my brain short circuit. If you're looking for a book similar to Tweet Cute, Hana Khan Carries On, or Blackout but with pinball machines, rainstorms, and rival stores, definitely check this one out!

Okay, first I have to admit that this book was adorable. It is the type of book that you can curl up with and just feel all the fall vibes. From the sweet descriptions of romance, the little plants, or just the genuinely wonderful small tweets or bits of mixed media in the book, this book is just a straight up vibe. However that's kind of all it is.

There are definitely attempts to get at something deeper, things like renewing relationships, toxic friendships, moving on from the death of a loved one, strained parental relationships, the pressures of finding your own way as a teenager. There's so many attempts, and I think that's really the problem. the ending and honestly the delivery of the premise felt so shallow and so rushed. The first 60% of this books feels like it is spent meandering around petty teen drama that just barely plays to a bigger theme. Whitney and Adam had SOME clearly defined character traits, but they didn't feel like actual people, just amalgamations of certain character types and issues. Though, Adam's knowledge about pinball and all his references to Old Philly were fantastic, I was worried that in a book about a pinball arcade, we wouldn't get much on the actual pinball machines or game. But we did so I was happy there.

I'm so mixed on how to proceed with this book and this review, because the book is a vibe and I enjoyed so many sections of it, but I didn't enjoy it as a whole book, since it seemed so hard to draw so many issues and themes together. This book either needed more of a focus or more pages.

I don’t read much YA because I’m An Old. Not the target audience for the genre and don’t connect with it like some still do, no matter their age.

I enjoy Eric Smith and what he has to say on a lot of things, but this book just didn’t click for me. It wanted to say a lot about grief but seemed afraid to dive too deep. It wanted to say a lot about family dynamics and grazed the surface. It wanted to say a lot about growth and second chances and barely skated over either of those things. It wanted to use pinball as a metaphor and instead just contained entirely too much pinball. And plants. So much about plants.

I wanted to like it so much more than I did.

If you’re going to write about grief, get in there. Dig down into the mud and muck. Sit it in. Get dirty. Don’t dance around it. It’s too real and too universal to ring as hollow as it did here. (Also? Don’t bill a book as a forced proximity snowed in young love story if they’re snowed in for like two hours.)

That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up Eric Smith’s next offering. I just didn’t connect with this one the way I wanted.


Thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy.

This was okay. I was looking forward to the two characters getting trapped in a snowstorm and seeing their relationship develop, but the snowstorm didn’t occur until 60% in. I also was not a big fan of the romance. I didn’t feel the chemistry and felt it would have been better as a friendship. When I got to the ending conflict, it was pretty predictable and I just didn’t care. It took me a while to push through this one. I just wasn’t super invested with the characters.

Very predictable YA romance set in a pinball arcade and florist shop, with side trips to an egaming place and memory lane. As for the earworm? I dare you to read this without wanting to sing the song.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

You Can Go Your Own Way • Eric Smith
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Review: 👾
You Can Go YourOwn Way is such a touching heartfelt read! I felt so bad for both Whitney and Adam, my heart ached for them! Adam due to losing his father and trying to keep his fathers legacy alive, and Whitney for being constantly stressed about a job that was the only thing my to make her father notice her.
It was so nice to see them find their friendship again and maybe something more??
Watching these two characters grow and chose to live life for themselves and to be the best version of themselves was amazing, they both made so much growth!
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Favourite Things: 👾
Some of my favourite things in this book is the sense of nostalgia the old arcade brings! While also referencing the current times like Christina Lauren!
The whole Old City was such a fun, and caring community! The way the ban together and their social media exchanges were great!
Some of the comparisons/analogies Eric wrote were amazing! Like “ it’s a good place to watch for corgis, the pinballs of all dogs, always bounding around all over the place.” And “So much about pinball is about letting go. Pulling the plunger and taking the journey.”
The quotes throughout the book from The Art and Zen of Pinball Repair by James Watts were great to read along the way to and I found inspiring!
I loved that this wasn’t just a romance novel, it was so much more!
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Thank you so much to #turnthepagetours, @inkyardpress, #netgalley, and @ericsmithrocks for sending me a #gifted copy of this book and including me in the book tour!

Adam Stillwater wants to protect the pinball arcade his father worked so hard for, but Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul wants to turn it into another gaming café. Whitney Mitchell is stuck running social media for her father's chain of super successful gaming cafés in a senior year complicated by her parents' divorce and her boyfriend leaving. When Adam and Whitney are trapped inside the arcade during a snowstorm, they form a connection. Will it last when the storm stops?

We meet Adam and Whitney when they're both stuck in their usual routines: Adam spends all of his free time at the arcade trying to fix things when others break them, and Whitney is handling the cafe's social media account in the middle of a party. Adam won't even think about college, not seriously, and all of his energy is spent fixing pinball machines or taking jabs at the cafe on Twitter. Whitney misses her boyfriend after he breaks it off, but that forces her to realize that her friends weren't really girls that cared about her, only what she could do for them. Adam and Whitney used to be friends before his father died and his grief isolated him, and Whitney's drive to succeed and be noticed meant that it was difficult for her to keep bridging the gap between them. That's part of the sniping on social media, and something that most of the shops in the area know about. As much as Philadelphia is a large city, the Old Town area is close knit enough that everyone bands together and knows each other.

I liked the smooth transitions between the main story and the Twitter threads recreated in the book. It reflects the voices of these two teens, and I enjoyed the blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Eric's prior book "Don't Read The Comments," which is another YA book involving gaming and social media presence. It's not necessary to have read that one to understand this, as they're entirely two separate books that only have Philadelphia in common. Both Adam and Whitney have the need to connect with their fathers, using the only way they know how. The hurts in families can't always be fixed right away, even if it's unintentional; the living always are left with the fallout of grief, and it's hard to let go of those ties. For Whitney, the emotional abandonment is clear for the reader to see, even if her father doesn't.

The push and pull of Adam and Whitney here is realistic, as they're former friends reconnecting and maybe having a physical attraction. The larger problem of their families' needs still looms large, and can't be ignored because they're seventeen and still very strongly affected by those concerns. There's no easy fix for them, but there's still that hopeful note at the end. Painful ties don't have to be maintained, and memories don't always have to be painful. Moving forward while still honoring the past is a goal we should all have, and I have every hope for Adam and Whitney to figure it out as they go. I enjoyed meeting them in this slice of their lives and being part of that journey.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Eric Smith for the opportunity to not only read You Can Go Your Own Way, but to be part of the blog tour as well.
My Review:

This book is told in alternating perspectives between Adam and Whitney.

Adam's family owns a pinball arcade that they are at risk of losing. Adam's father was an inspiration and icon for the pinball arcade, and losing him the sumemr between 8th and 9th grade was hard. It was even worse when he appeared in high school seeking solace from his best friend, Whitney, only to have her laugh at him, brush him off, and turn her back on him for new friends.

Whitney loves her new friends. She wasn't always rich. Her father came into a new e-cafe business that actually turned out to make tons of money and they even host major game announcement events. Whitney's father, though, is trying to buy the pinball arcade to expand the e-cafes under his name. Adam and his mom have held out for a few years, but they can barely afford to keep it. Options are slim. This causes Adam to dislike his former best friend even more. Whitney also covers the social media aspect of her father's e-cafe. Whitney is almost glued to her phone, which causes problems between her and her boyfirend and friends. 

When Whitney and Adam get stuck at the pinball arcade because of a massive Philadelphia snow storm, they begin to bridge the cracks of their broken friendship, and maybe even explore something more. But will that last with Whitney's dad ever-seeking to buy the arcade?

This book is easy to read, though the chapters are quite long. It's great for a contemporary audience based on its references and the impact contemporary media has on society in relation to classic arcades. The dynamic of the main characters relationships with themselves and others is an important take-away for young readers. Many young people let friendships fall apart for the wrong reasons. This book explores lost time, but also finding out true friendship and how to reconize those that matter. It's about the memories and the time spent. This is a fantastic stand-along that I would highly recommend to teen readers looking for a spot of hope.

Adam Stillwater puts all his time and effort into his family’s pinball arcade. Some would say it’s an effort in futility, but it’s where he can still feel close to his dad.

Whitney Mitchell is pouring herself into working the social media account for her dad’s hot new gaming cafés. But with her face in her phone trying to impress her distant dad, she keeps isolating herself from others.

Whitney and Adam had been best friends in Junior High, but the two drifted apart due to family changes and peer pressure. Now they find themselves battling it out on social media, competing in business, but maybe working out some long-held feelings.

Philadelphia’s Old City is having its annual Winter Festival, and all the local businesses are gearing up, including Whitney’s mom’s plant shop. But when a huge winter blizzard hits, Adam and Whitney get stuck in the arcade together, forcing them to confront past and present issues, including their feelings.

There are loads of pop culture references to be found here - like great music, books, video games, and of course, all the pinball machines. And I loved the fun banter over social media posts and texts - everyone got involved, friends, moms and even the other businesses. The sense of community is heartwarming and cozy in this story, as well as Whitney and Adam trying to navigate grief and anger as they find their way.

Thank you to @inkyardpress @harpercollins and @ericsmithrocks for an invite to the tour and a digital copy.

Okay, this was a way cute read!

I was expecting a little more 'trapped in the arcade', well, at least after reading the synopsis that's what I figured the majority of the book would be centered around. However, it was delightfully filled with lots of relationship building with all of the characters, world building, and lots and lots of teen angst.

The reader really gets to know Adam and Whitney. Plus their friends, co-workers, and family. It's such a wholesome feeling, getting to know everything about a character before the shoes drop.
Adam is our sweet nerd, trying to figure out his place in the world without his dad. Clinging to his memory by keeping the Old City Pinball running.
Whitney is our feisty go getter. Channeling all her energy into her dads booming business. But at what cost to her?

"Greif is like that, sometimes. Two people, pushing and pulling, with no one moving anywhere except away from each other."

I have to say, the feeling fish-eating swedish fish while talking about your feelings-was adorable, and I loved that a lot of the characters kind of used it as a tension reliever. It definitely made some of the most memorable moments throughout the book for me.

Thank you Turn the Page Tours, Eric Smith, and Ink Yard Press for sending me an advanced copy! This review is being left voluntarily, all opinions are my own.

You Can Go Your Own Way was a charming, heartfelt read.
Adam really tugged at the old heartstrings, as he tried so very hard to keep his family's arcade afloat, thinking it was what his father would have wanted.
I liked Adam a lot. His heart was in such a good place, trying to keep his dad's dream alive. I appreciated everything he was doing to help his mom, but there comes a point sometimes when you have to realized even your best is not enough.
Whitney has her own issues with an absentee father, believing working for him is the only way he'll see her.

Adam and Whitney had a contentious relationship, falling out a few years ago after Adam's father's death. Things begin to heat up between them again when circumstances conspired to throw them together. I enjoyed being there with them as they worked through everything that was happening in their lives, as their friendship rekindled, only for it to fall apart again, as they both grew and changed and began to forge their own futures.

Although there was a touch of romance, I'm glad it wasn't the sole/main focal point of You Can Go Your Own Way. While this book was told in dual point of view, alternating chapters between Adam and Whitney, and Whitney had her fair share of the story, to me it really felt like this was Adam's story, and I was more than okay with that. He had a lot of come to terms with, and I loved seeing the way he dealt with all that life threw at him.

You Can Go Your Own Way is a story about two estranged friends, pinball, and deciding on the path you want to take.

The story opens up with Adam Stillwater trying to keep his family's pinball arcade alive and Whitney Mitchell running the social media accounts of her dad's gaming cafes. It turns out that the two are estranged friends who occasionally dabble in a social media feud on behalf of their family's businesses. But after one battle in the feud, the two find themselves snowed in at the Stillwater's pinball arcade, and they're forced to confront their past and something more. But after the snow melts, will the two continue to be on good terms?

All in all, this was a great novel! I really enjoyed seeing the interactions between Adam and Whitney. I also liked how even though this was mainly a sweet romance story, it didn't neglect other relationships. The parents actually are characters in this! (The mom's are top tier!) Also there's a character cameo from Don't Read the Comments!

On another note, this book made me want to read The Art and Zen of Pinball Repair by James Watts, which unfortunately does not exist in the real world. (I've spent way too long googling this)

All in all, this is a heartwarming book about estranged friends to enemies to lovers and learning how to let go.

Special thanks to Turn the Page Tours and Inkyard Press for inclusion on the Instagram Book Tour! I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it!

This one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I knew I would love this. And I did; this book was just so damn beautiful. I enjoyed reading this so much and I couldn't put this down. This moved me in ways I did not expect. The way Eric Smith SMITH about toxic friendships in the story hit close to home because that is similar to my own high school experience. I also loved that this was a dual perspective book. We could read from both Adam and Whitney's POVs and see each of their lives, their pasts and their shared history together and that just added another layer of amazingness to this book. I also loved all the references that were thrown in and I may have let out a squeal at some of them.

You Can Go Your Own Way is the perfect book to start the winter season with. I highly recommend this one.

As any of my ex boyfriends can tell you, I absolutely love pinball. Like, I'm talking <em>Tommy </em>levels of love here. And I'm learning that Eric Smith has a fun way of finding my soft spots (online gaming, pinball, etc) and just YANKING on my heart strings.

This is that perfect best friends-to-enemies-to-maybe-friends-to-maybe-lovers-to-enemies-to-????? story. It hits all the right notes for me, and I can 100% see bookTokers holding this up in front of a cozy fire.

Now, are there plot holes? Sure. Is it a little corny? Maybe. But does that even matter? Absolutely not. The vibes are so good with this book. And the band references? *chef's kiss* Between this and Don't Read the Comments, I am thinking so wistfully of moving to Philly and living my best nerd life.

A quick, fun winter read that would make anyone fall in love with Philly in the snow, I give <strong>Eric Smith's You Can Go Your Own Way 4 out of 5 bumpers. </strong>Thanks so much to Inkyard Press for including me in the blog tour!

Title: You Can Go Your Own Way
Author: Eric Smith
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it would be freezing?

Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.

Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. She lost all her friends. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.

But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?

I know basically nothing about pinball games, but this was a fun read. I loved the banter between him and Whitney. Whitney….the people in her life kind of suck (except her mom). Seeing her realize that and change what she could was a positive journey. This was a really solid read, perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Eric Smith lives in Philadelphia. You Can Go Your Own Way is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

3 Stars

Who doesn’t love a good friends to enemies then turned friends to lovers story? This story was absolutely adorable and I loved the fact that it was centered around a pinball machine arcade, I’ve never read a book like that. ⁣
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I did enjoy this book quite a bit and most of the aspects were absolutely adorable, I just feel like the romance wasn’t for me. I feel like our main characters would have been better off as friends and that their relationship almost felt forced in a way. There was no chemistry between them.⁣
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Eric Smith is a brand new author to me and I really enjoyed his writing style. His characters never felt flat to me, he really takes the time to build them up and they’re the kind of characters that you continue to think about long after you’ve finished the book. ⁣
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Thanks so much to Inkyard Press for the complimentary copy for my review!

Happy Pub day to "You can Go Your Own Way"

This is a cute Friends to Lovers story. While its predicatable., its still a great read and is perfect for a cozy day under a blanket