My first YA book of 2024. This was a pretty good read. I liked the development of relationships between the three protagonists. It was an easy, fluffy read. This was also the first contemporary/romance of 2024, so it was a nice break from the horror and thrillers I have been reading. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. I liked the bisexual representation.
Beware though, if catfishing is a trigger for you!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and enjoy.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

Quick and cute LGBTQ+ love triangle summer read 💜

This book follows three POVs (Sam, Ros and Christian). Sam and Christian are exes turned best friends. Christian sees Ros and immediately wants to know her more, and enlists in the help of Sam to help him capture Ros’s attention. But…Sam starts falling for Ros in the process 😼

I really liked the relationship between Christian and Sam and their sense of humor together. Characters felt pretty well rounded, but weren’t super likable!

Solid 3 ⭐️

Thanks NetGalley + the publisher for the ARC!

This was just incredibly, very much okay. There's nothing that particularly upset me about it, but also nothing that particularly made it stand out. I think I will have forgotten all about it by next week. I know that sounds pretty harsh, but it just fell really flat for me. Still, it was a fast read that I mostly did enjoy, hence the 3 stars.

Review:
While this is pitched as a novel for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuiston, I do not think that one bisexual plot lines makes this novel equal to a Casey McQuiston novel.
The novel is predictable, but enjoyable, and new readers to LGBT+ texts will find it refreshing, humorous, and relatable.
Summary:
A sparkling YA debut rom-com about a popular high-school girl, her ex-boyfriend-turned-best-friend, and the girl they both fall for—perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli or Casey McQuiston.

Sam Dickson is a charismatic actress, ambitious and popular with big plans for her future. Ros Shew is one of the smartest people in school—but she’s a loner, and prefers to keep it that way. Then there’s Christian Powell, the darling of the high school soccer team. He’s not the best with communication, which is why he and Sam broke up after dating for six months; but he makes up for it by being genuine, effusive, and kind, which is why they’re still best friends.

When Christian falls for Ros on first sight, their first interaction is a disaster, so he enlists Sam’s help to get through to her. Sam, with motives of her own, agrees to coach Christian from the sidelines on how to soften Ros’s notorious walls. But as Ros starts to suspect Christian is acting differently, and Sam starts to realize the complexity of her own feelings, their fragile relationships threaten to fall apart.

This fresh romantic comedy from debut author Rachel Roasek is a heartfelt story about falling in love—with a partner, with your friends, or just with yourself—and about how maybe, the bravest thing to do in the face of change is just love somebody.

OK, so Sam is kind of The Worst. She completely uses her friend and gains a false emotional intimacy with Ros, and this is just kinda...OK in the end? I don't know that I would be so quick to forgive, and it feels like she doesn't really face any consequences. It's a good novel, and Roasek does a fine job with Ros especially. I loved her emotional journey, and her growth in terms of opening up. Having said that, I felt badly for pretty much everyone but Sam, and yet she's the one who "wins"? Just doesn't sit right.

I can never pass up a Cyrano retelling especially one with a sapphic twist. I really enjoyed this book. I found the three POVs to be engaging although periodically I would forget which one I was in because they were sometimes very similar. Overall this was a sweet and enjoyable spin on the familiar Cyrano tropes.

DNF at 25% in. I just don't think I am the target audience for this one. Some YA I can do, and some YA is most obviously written for teens.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

I enjoyed the Cyrano retelling aspect of this novel. I also enjoyed the exes but still close friends dynamic between Sam and Christian and the "found family" themes in the book. Additionally, all three characters had enough else going on in their lives that there was more to the story than just the romance; all of their additional struggles helped keep me hooked and it was nice to see the characters grow and change over the course of the work.

A few of my critics would be that Sam especially (but Ros too) is one of the most self-aware people or characters I have ever seen! She knows what she wants to do and why and is REALLY good at planning ahead in life for someone who is supposedly in her teens. The calm way she analyzes her actions, especially the "game" she plays on dating apps, sometimes made me question how realistic her character really could be. I also REALLY wish there was more of a polyamory/ethical non-monogamy bent to the end of this story, but alas, that is not how this love triangle pans out.

Over all, a good teen lgbt+ romance if you like retellings and love triangles.

3.5
Predictable, but adorable. I didn't find it realistic, I think Ros would have been a lot more mad and the party seen seemed very out of character for Ros too.

One thing I loved about this book was the fact that it was told from multiple points of view. This allowed the author to really go in-depth about the characters' backstories, which tells the reader more about each of them as individuals. In addition, the different perspectives allowed the reader to see what each character was thinking and feeling as the plot of the story developed. Overall, I thought that this was a captivating YA contemporary.

*Arc received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review***

Summary from book:

Sam Dickson is a charismatic actress, ambitious and popular with big plans for her future. Ros Shew is one of the smartest people in school—but she’s a loner, and prefers to keep it that way. Then there’s Christian Powell, the darling of the high school soccer team. He’s not the best with communication, which is why he and Sam broke up after dating for six months; but he makes up for it by being genuine, effusive, and kind, which is why they’re still best friends.

When Christian falls for Ros on first sight, their first interaction is a disaster, so he enlists Sam’s help to get through to her. Sam, with motives of her own, agrees to coach Christian from the sidelines on how to soften Ros’s notorious walls. But as Ros starts to suspect Christian is acting differently, and Sam starts to realize the complexity of her own feelings, their fragile relationships threaten to fall apart.

Review:

They got me in the first half with this book. It was slow going at first because none of the characters, except Ros, were all that likeable. Sam was the stereotypical perfectionist that you hope life would slap in the face and Christian was just boring and flat. But as the story continues you get to know them and the lives they keep hidden. It makes them far more relatable and made me more attached to them as the story progresses. The last half of this book was perfect because of the character arcs!

Y’all I hate a love triangle trope with a burning passion. But somehow Rachel wrote this one amazingly well. The hardest part of love triangles in books is keeping the original friendships intact. That’s what makes this one so good. Rachel made sure her characters put friendship above their feelings of love. It changes the dynamic and gives that feeling that everyone will be alright no matter who is ultimately chosen.

Overall this was a really solid read that did a great job of tackling questioning sexuality, growing friendships and tough family situations.

This book is pitches for fans of Casey McQuiston and Becky Albertalli; the latter of which I agree immensely, but the former... what? The only similarity I see this book has to Casey McQuiston is one bisexual ass plot. One the other hand, this book is definitely great for fans of Becky Albertalli, though I would go so far as to say I enjoyed this book much more than I've ever enjoyed an Albertalli novel.

Taking on a Cyrano retelling in any modern setting is definitely a challenging undertaking, and one that has fallen flat for me in every media I've seen attempt it. This novel is no different. Parts of this novel (namely, the third act and everything about the character Christian) I really loved, but other parts I had apathy bordering dislike for, which made my reading experience... very confusing for this novel to say the least. I do believe had it not been for the fact that I am obligated to review this book for the publisher, I would've DNF'd it about 10% in.

I found Ros and Sam, 2 of the 3 main characters to fall incredibly flat during the first half of the novel. They neither one had much depth and motivation beyond future career goals, and I found Christian, the other main character had the most compelling personality and backstory.

The uncompellingness of two of the main characters combined with my general apathy towards the writing style, which wasn't terrible, but definitely wasn't impressive, I found myself struggling to trudge through the first two thirds of the novel, However, once I hit that final act the book definitely started looking up for me. As everything comes together to crash and burn between our three main characters, in typical Cyrano fashion, I finally became enthralled with the story. Sure, the ending was predictable, but it was also very well written and compelling.

Overall, I enjoyed aspects of this novel, however I don't think many readers will stick around to get to the good part. I myself don't believe the time I spent reading the first two thirds of the book (about 3 hours) was worth the satisfying ending, and I don't think this book will be sticking out in my. memory in the months to come. 3.5 stars.

I went into this not knowing what to expect, but I'm glad I did! There was a lot to like, but there were also some things I didn't like. However, I believe that what I didn't like had more to do with me as a reader than with the book itself. Love Somebody is about three teenagers, one of whom (Christian) develops feelings for another (Ros), while the other (Sam) assists him in impressing her. The first thing I want to mention is how well all three main characters are characterised. It was frightening how well their personalities were written. Having said that, for the first half of the book, I didn't care for two of the characters. Ros suffered from "not like the other girls" syndrome. Sam wasn't particularly likeable at first (perhaps that was the point?). idk). They improve as we get to know them, and I eventually began to like Ros in particular. She has such a touching backstory, and it was a pleasure to read about it. Actually, the writing is very good and engaging in general! Christian is by far my favourite POV character, and his backstory is also very interesting to read. His relationship with his family and brother is complicated, and his character arc was my favourite of all. Because all three MCs come from complicated backgrounds, getting to know them is an immersive experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

As some others have already mentioned, this book wasn’t bad, I just don’t think I’m the right audience for it.

I feel like this book would have been more enticing if it stuck to one or two point of views and given the reader that mystery to contend with. Reading it as it is feels like the mystery of the plot (or the reason I was originally excited for this), which could lean towards a miscommunication trope, instead leaned more towards a coming of age book (nothing against coming of age books but I felt like the press for this geared more on “who’s going to get the girl”). I do like the characters (I’ve been friends with most of them) but the plot felt a little flat and it could’ve used more stakes to it.

All in all, it was an interested and cute read that I’m sure someone closer to the age of the characters would enjoy.

I DNFed this very early on. Unfortunately I just did not like any of the characters and couldn't make myself continue on with the book. I do think there will be other people and especially actual teenagers that will really enjoy this book (and its gorgeous cover). Sadly, I just won't be one of those people.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love Somebody follows three main characters, Christian, Sam, and Ros during their junior year of high school. Sam is an up-and-coming playwright, actress extraordinaire, and All Around Perfect Girl. Her ex-boyfriend and best friend Christian is charming, kind, and a popular soccer player, and his whole life has already been figured out for him. Enter Ros Shew, school genius and notorious loner. After Christian falls for Ros at first sight, and then bungles their first interaction, Sam steps in to help earn him a second chance with the supposed girl of his dreams.

This book really surprised me! I went in expecting a lighthearted rom-comedy of errors, but this story brought so much more to the table. It wasn't just about romantic love, but about familial and self-love, and it took the time to delve into heavier themes of loss and identity without losing its overall ease and heartwarming vibe.

While I think there may have been room for the writing to breathe a bit -- I occasionally caught myself thinking that what I was reading was much more a caricature of a teenager rather than a real teenage character -- I do think this book earns its place as a spectacular new YA LGBTQ+ rom com, especially if you're a lover of a well-executed love triangle.

Love Somebody was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so I was so pumped when I received an early copy to review! However, this book was different than I initially expected. I found the characters very annoying but LOVED how they grew over the course of the book. The first third of the book is the teenagers are being teenagers- especially Sam. She thinks she knows best and anyone who doesn’t have the 5-year plan figured out at 17 is a failure at life. Chris and Ros are less frustrating to read from but are both still teenagers figuring out who they are and what it means to be themselves. I think part of the charm of this book was how flawed all the characters are because they are super fleshed out and I understood their motivations. The overall theme was lovely and sweet, and something I needed to hear even as an adult.

Overall, this was a super fun and quick read and I would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of high school, contemporary romance with lgbtq+ rep!