The Pick-Up is a wonderful addition to Miranda Kenneally's stable of books. This was a wonderful, entertaining, and feel good kind of book.

Mari has come to Chicago to attend Lollapalooza with her step-sister and she'll also be seeing and staying with her Dad and step-mother, Leah. Things haven't been great between Mari and her Dad since the divorce from her mom was finalized, but yet things with her Mom back in Tennessee aren't much rosier. Couple her resentment of the divorce with issues she's having with her best friend, Austin, she's having a rough time.

When Mari and Sierra choose to take a ride share company to the concert, little did they know that their shared car was going to introduce them to T.J. and Tyler, brothers who were going to play a big part in their weekend. Mari and T.J. hit is off immediately, but she's not looking for a relationship and the fact they are from two different states doesn't make it any easier for them. Will this be a couple day thing or will they decide to try for something more?

I read this book very quickly because of how much I was enjoying it. I enjoyed the characters, the premise and I also really loved how the challenges both Mari and T.J. were having were handled. They are still growing up and learning, but things didn't get crazy out of control. Sometimes people come into your life when you're least expecting them, but they are exactly who you need in that moment. I'm looking forward to whatever Kenneally has for us next!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

"The Pick-Up": 3⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @mirandakenneally and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

So, this book, as the "Hot Desk" one, lacks a little development and needs much more story. However, it's a really cute story and the romance is adorable. Since this is YA, I can be very picky since it's one of my favorite genres.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Taking a ride share cab to the festival may have been the cheaper option, but was it also the right one for Mari? When she and her stepsister, Sierra, pick up two very hot boys, especially TJ, they hit it off right away, and spend the night together at the festival. Then they are separated, but a bit of luck, and a viral hashtag reunites them. Though only in Chicago for the weekend, will they be able to make it work, or was it all just a weekend fling?

The Pick Up was a book I've been highly anticipating, because I've always enjoyed Miranda's books in the past. Unfortunately, this one wasn't as a big a hit for me. I did like it, and the fact that it was set over a weekend was definitely a plus, because it was a quick paced story, and definitely suited the plot line. I don't know what it was that I was missing from it, but I didn't get the same feeling or connection with the main characters like I have with others. Mari was an okay MC, and I really felt for what she was dealing with in her family, and at home in Tennessee, but I feel like there was more to be explored with both her, and with TJ. All in all, it was an enjoyable book, but not one that I think will stay with me long term.

A weekend trip to Chicago for Lollapalooza turned into so much more for Mari, when a rideshare app brought TJ into her car and into her heart.

Disclaimer: I love Miranda Kenneally’s books. Be prepared for some fangirling. With that said, this was classic Keneally while also being a bit different.

The first thing that was so strange for me was that we were not in Tennessee. It was odd indeed, though Mari was from Tennessee, and we got a few peeks back to her hometown via video calls with her best friend. There was also mention of the couple from Four Days of You and Me which made me giddy. I love when authors do that, and catching up with that couple was such a treat.

Let’s get back to The Pick-Up. Here we had two very likable people who were a bit leery of relationships. Mari was dealing with the fallout of her parents’ divorce, while TJ struggled with self-confidence. I loved seeing those sparks fly between them. They were sweet and adorable and precious together, and you could just tell there were possibilities for the two of them. It was easier convincing me they belonged together than it was convincing Mari though.

People are going to get all up in arms about this being instalove. I don’t know if it was love at first sight, but there was an attraction that built to more between Mari and TJ. I believe there are situations we can be in where feelings get heightened, but in all fairness to the characters, they did take time to get to know each other. There were a lot of rather meaningful moments between them, so I had no problem buying into this relationship (and I liked it).

The romance was a big part of this story, but you will see, it was one step forward, two steps back sort of relationship. Mari and TJ both had things weighing them down, and each were struggling with something. Mari covered it up well, but life at home with her mom was rough. Her personal journey was the hardest, and one I was very invested in. My heart ached for her when I discovered the root cause of her tendency to keep people at a distance and to not share too much of herself. However, I was extremely pleased with how it all worked out.

TJ had a similar journey to make. He had reservations about his future. He was getting ready to start college with a major selected by his parents. His heart wasn’t in it, but he felt obligated to live out their plans rather than his own. Like Mari, TJ had to make a choice about taking control of his future.

Yes, there were a few tears and some deep stuff, but I also had a fabulous time with Mari and TJ. Ah, to be young and frolicking at a music festival again. Lolla holds a special place in my heart. I have been to the festival in Grant Park, but I also went several times waaaay back in the day out on Randall’s Island. It was fun to revisit the festival and see some sights in Chicago as they worked that selfie challenge.

Overall: This was a sweet story of first love, being honest with yourself, and taking control of your future. I reveled in the joy of the festival, while cheering for all the personal wins Mari and TJ experienced. And that ending! Miles of smiles.

This wasn't a bad book. It has strong points, and it definitely had its lows, but overall it was relatively solid.

There were just a few things I couldn't get past.

I love romance novels, but I also love realistic things and I've never seen or read a relationship go THAT fast.
Also there were just a lot of unrealistic aspects that got under my skin when I was reading.

However, the biggest negative for me was the mains themselves. I have never read protagonists that hate themselves so much. At any chance they got these characters spiraled into the poor me, my life sucks attitude, and honestly that's not a protagonist I want to root for.

But the writing was strong, and the side characters were really interesting. I was more invested in Mari's sisters relationship than I was Mari's. The plot was so smart, I just wish they leaned into the title more and made the characters more appealing.

Overall it was a really cool plot, it just wasn't executed SO WELL that I'd call it a fantastic book.

What a sweet YA about first love!

We've all either been on an Uber or we know of Uber or different apps that revolve around the same concept, so the fact that this story revolves around the meet cute of the two main characters meeting in a rideshare app?? Heck yes count me in! This was a fun, super chill, and entertaining YA that was about first loves and other firsts and just fun times!

It is the epitome of a modern meet cute and the author wrote it very well! The story spans along three days where Mari and T.J. meet, lose each other, and find each other again, it's a whirlwind let me tell you, a full roller coaster of a three days!

If you're a YA fan that loves the Uber app, you'll enjoy this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the earc in return for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I have been a fan of Kennally's books for years, and I usually love her characters, but I never completely warmed up to Mari and TJ. The relationship between the main characters felt rushed. Plus, their backstories had so much drama it made the book unbelievable. This was a fun book, and I'm sure it will find readers, but I didn't love it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an e ARC of the book.
This book was very enjoyable. Yes, even though it was instalove.
I really liked the sibling relationships both of the characters had. I wish that we knew more about Mari's mother.
There were some moments in Wich I felt like crying.

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for gifting me an electronic galley of The Pick-Up in exchange for my honest review.

Miranda Kenneally is an auto-buy author for me for her quick-paced, emotional romances involving strong female main characters. Many of her books are centered around various sports, and I actually think those are my favorites even though I'm not a sporty person at all. Music also features in a couple of her books, including this newest one The Pick-Up.

The Pick-Up takes place over Lollapalooza weekend in Chicago and is the first time Kenneally uses dual POVs for Mari, a small-town Tennessee girl visiting her stepsister Sierra for the concert, and TJ, a shy but extremely hot guy who is starting at UChicago in the fall and whose super-bro brother Tyler keeps insisting needs to get laid. They meet on a ride to the concert, sparks fly, etc.

I love the idea of books that happen in constrained periods of time, a night or a weekend in this case, because everything is extremely quick paced and there's no time for boredom. On this, Kenneally delivers. Things keep happening at breakneck speed so there's never a dull moment. However, for a romance, this brings a big challenge: insta love.

This book was the epitome of insta love. And I'm sure many readers will lap it up, but it wasn't for me. It felt very forced and while Mari and TJ kept saying how they'd never felt like this with anyone before and how they were different with each other than they were in their daily lives, it just rang hollow. I didn't feel the deep, emotional connection. Not even after they shared heavy, emotional things with each other.

Perhaps in this case, the dual POV worked against the plot, because we saw the same moments from both sides and it just felt like we weren't getting more information, just the same from another source. And in order to keep the book moving through the one weekend, plot points were skimmed that would have added depth.

Mari and TJ were cute characters, but nothing about them stuck to my brain or my heart. It's been a couple of hours since I finished, and they're starting to fade. They felt very, to use a word that was overused at one point in the book, cookie cutter.

Mari, child of a bad divorce, is scared to love because her Mom is a wreck who takes out her anger on her daughter and is verbally, and once physically, abusive. TJ, who grew up always compared to his older and very successful sibling, is shy and limitingly insecure despite being artistic, kind, and – as we are told 7 billion times – very hot.

The resolution for both Mari's and TJ's problems felt very fast and they healed their emotional wounds in a couple of pages. Not the most believable. Their love connection was decidedly more lust and even that was handled in a kind of juvenile way.

In terms of setting, on the one hand, since I love Chicago, it was nice to see a book set there and to have major Chicago spots be discussed (the Bean, Madison Avenue, the lake, you know). But at the same time, why set a book over the course of a festival weekend, which lasts three days, and use the festival so little? It felt like the festival was an aside, not the key setting. I would have liked to see it more because I feel like that's more original than a quick tour of Chicago.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite Miranda Kenneally book. It might be my least favorite. It was still enjoyable, but it felt too saccharine and not sufficiently impactful. I loved Mari's relationship with her sister Sierra. I enjoyed seeing TJ and his brother open up at the end and talk in a way we often don't see cishet men do in media. I wish there'd been more of those two relationships and levels of emotional connection.

TW: parental abuse, trauma, negative body talk, miscarriage of a parent, divorce.

2.5*

this book is dual-point and had two distinctive voices narrating it. I liked tj and how sweet and considerate he was. mari wasn’t my favourite but I still felt sympathy for her.

trigger warning for parental abuse, more or less a flashback, but nevertheless important to the story! it is important to voice those themes and I think the book handled that well. it was clear how the character affected by this was closing off emotionally, but how they developed throughout the story anyways.

I wasn’t a big fan of the romance itself. instant-love is one of my least favourite tropes, and these were teenagers (aged 17 and 18) as well. but the theme of the book was good, the plot okay (interesting use of space across chicago) and had good supporting characters — sierra was a delight, tyler not so much but I still appreciated the sibling relationships in this one. it was overall an okay read.

Miranda Kenneally really balances family drama, and a story of first love so wonderfully in her latest release "The Pick-Up". Mari is in Chicago visiting her father for the first time in a long time, and is excited to attend Lollapalooza with her step-sister Sierra. On their ride share Mari meets T.J.. Over the course of one weekend Mari and T.J. help each other be the most authentic versions of themselves while facing family troubles and stresses head on for the first time. I loved this book. The alternating chapters allows the reader time with both characters to really connect with them as individuals so we can root for them finding each other. This was at times cute, heartfelt, fun, and real.

Super cute read, although it took me longer than I expected to get through those first few chapters.
As always, with every book by this author, there are great characters, excellent voice and better descriptions, I loved the concept and it is one of the best meet-cute stories ever.
Also, it handles a sensitive topic about divorce and how affects children, and I have to say this aspect hits close home.
Nevertheless, I have a few issues, for starter the repetitions and the telling. I think there’re were great opportunities for a good scene or maybe a flashback, but instead, we have just the recount. Additionally, for a good length of the book, the plot was all over the place. It wasn’t easy to get hold of what was the main point in the story.
However about 70% into the story things get real, and everything just falls into places.
It’s a dream story where a few lives changed in a weekend, and where one more time we learned that those changes came from our own choices.
100% recommended.

Miranda Kenneally is a must read author for me - I love her contemporary voice and connection she has with teen protagonist and the choices/burdens placed upon them. The Pick Up had her same " feel" but was a multi pov read and we saw our protagonist in a different light than just how she views herself. The Pick Up was a little darker themed than her other books and focused on parental mental health and the choices kids face and how that shapes their views of the world.

i didn’t realize this was an insta love story, i don’t tend to enjoy that trope. however i like how this one is told, how the characters get to know one another through fun. TJ was lovely and soft hearted

I'm a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally books and they are super popular with my high school students. I enjoyed thr lalapalooza setting and the ride share meet-cute, but for me I wanted a little more from Mari and TJ.. It was a sweet, fun, romantic YA read and will definitely be a hit with my students. Thanks you netgalley for this arc in exchabge for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for making this book available to me via #Netgalley.

Mari did not expect that rideshare will lead her to the most amazing love story. A love story that the whole world watches through social media. When Mari meets TJ during a taxi ride to a music festival, they have a dance and they are soon separated in the crowd without sharing contact information. They turn to social media hashtags and soon they are trending. Everyone is trying to bring them back together.

This book was honestly so cute and short. It was the perfect length. Their relationship was so open and honest. It became more than just a weekend romance. I really enjoyed it.

Mari meets a boy on a rideshare to a weekend concert event. A cute boy. What she hopes would be a weekend fling ends up being more, but after opening up about other things going on in her personal life, will she consider opening up to dating?

Perfect for summer, THE PICK-UP was an easy afternoon binge that touched upon some serious familial issues, such as divorce and an abusive parent, but the cute insta-love romance part was sweet. The whole concert setting was fun, too. I enjoyed it because it was what I was in the mood for!

Thank you Netgalley for the free eARC, in exchange for a review.

The Pick-Up was a really cute and easy YA romance, which was exactly what I needed! It does have some instalove, which I'm generally not a fan of but it was fun and quick read - I enjoyed it!
There are a few aspects I maybe find a bit unbelievable or were a bit rushed, particularly parts with her family. But the duo POV was good to get to know both love interests.
The Pick-Up is a cute and quick YA romance, perfect for the summer!

I absolutely loved Four Days of You and Me, so I was super excited for The Pick Up. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. The book reads like a fast-paced fan fiction. There’s no real plot, and the characters are not well rounded/fleshed out. This is a YA that would work well for very young readers, but it’s one to skip for adults who generally enjoy YA romances.

I really struggled with this book. I found the plot to be predictable and I couldn't make myself fall in love with either of the characters. Their internal dialogues seemed choppy and sudden. I really just couldn't get into it. Unfortunately, for me, this was a DNF.