10*stars. I loved this book. It had so much emotion and reality. The HEA meant so much more when these characters achieved it. A must read.

If you’ve ever dreamed of going back to high school to prove those four years don’t define you, then you need to check out, Ellie Is Cool Now.

LA transplant, Ellie Jenkins, broke into the industry writing for a successful teen drama. Having to relive high school was never what she envisioned, especially since she spent her time there counting down until it was over. But when her reunion invitation arrives, her boss proposes she go back to gain insight and inspiration. With a promotion on the line, Ellie reluctantly agrees. Will reuniting with the superlative winners be enough to get her to the next level of her career? Or will she be reminded of all the reasons she couldn’t wait to escape?

I originally picked up this book because I thought it would be reminiscent of the movie, Never Been Kissed. While this book is definitely very different than I expected, it was a super fun read. One I would highly recommend.

The book is written by a duo, Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren. My hat goes off to both Fulton and McClaren for writing such a well-rounded character in Ellie Jenkins. While not always likable, she was super relatable. Ellie is the perfect representation of a cerebral woman trying to navigate life and love.

My take away was twofold. First, life is about living. Getting bogged down in the minutiae of school or work can lead to missed opportunities that sadly can never be revisited. Don’t be afraid to step out and enjoy the things that scare you. Second, people will surprise you. It is easy to pigeonhole someone, especially those you’ve grown up with. But if you allow yourself to stay open, you just might find that they are completely different than you expected.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Victoria Fulton, and Faith McClaren for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really fun concept, but it didn't quite work in execution. The romance was serviceable but nothing special, an the Hollywood part of the story felt very juvenile and unrealistic.

Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. I think it would be better suited for teenagers and felt very much best for that audience.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ella is Cool Now felt like a 90s-2000s Drew Berrymore Rom-com. Fun, light and just a nice little literary escape.

This one was pretty good, I liked the concept, especially as someone who isn't a fan of high school reunions. I like the idea of her going back to fix some of the regrets she had and repair relationships. The book was very light and definitely a quick read. The romantic lead gave me the ick a bit and I wasn't a fan of Ellie's lack of maturity at times, but I still enjoyed the book overall.

This was fun but not groundbreaking. I was a little skeptical going in since this book had its start on Wattpad before being traditionally published, and honestly I feel like it met my expectations. I thought the bits about tv writing were fun (who knows how accurate they were), but overall this book felt very young.

Thank you @readforeverpub for sending Ellie Is Cool Now by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren it was a fun read!

Ellie is challenged by her boss to complete a list of tasks during her high school reunion in order to get a promotion. She writes on a high school tv drama but hated her high school experience. I thought this was a fun read but you have to suspend reality for a while but that isn’t always a bad thing. Definitely a lot of fun and some pretty interesting characters so worth the read!

I FLEW through this book! It was a very enjoyable, easy, and slightly cringe worthy read. Ellie was very dislikable and highly annoying and immature, but that wasn't a deterrent for me because the plot was readable. AND the character growth was enough for me. It was very easy to relate to the bad high school years and I just had my first high school reunion this year. YIKES

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This was a quick entertaining read. As someone who isn’t much older than the characters I felt like everyone acted way you feel than they really were, which I guess is a part of the pint with it being set around a hs reunion but idk, something felt off to me. However, I did love the Reunion shenanigans and it was easily bingeable in a day!

This book had a fun premise, and I would definitely recommend to those who think it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

I LOVED LOVED this book and Ellie as well. I could relate to her on so many levels. I too, was not cool in high school and to go to a reunion would be mortifying. Ellie is a producer for a popular tv show and IF she goes to her class reunion, she will be promoted. Ellie was given a list to accomplish while at the reunion. The Ellie from the past is still in her head, yet everyone sees her as a cool Hollywood type. This was a fun sweet book and anyone who hated high school is sure to enjoy!

I DNF’ed this book. The summary of it sounded interesting, but it just was not for me. I didn’t like the writing style and the way the FMC talked. I am sure tons of people are loving this story. It just wasn’t the right one for me!

I love the premise of Ellie is Cool Now. I mean, who hasn’t imagined revisiting your high school days and enjoying it with the perspective you’ve gained in the intervening years? And the way the author uses a “reunion checklist” as the plot device to frame the weekend and drive Ellie’s adventures - it’s clever and entertaining. To be clear, I would have preferred her list (that includes make out with the prom king) came from her friends and not her BOSS (ugh), but okay.

There are parts of the book where the execution is so authentic and spot on that I feel like I’m reliving my HS years alongside Ellie. But there are so many other parts that are pure cringe. Like when the male main character stops kissing Ellie to say “you’re a really good kisser” - WHAT?! It’s so high school and these people are supposed to be GROWN UPS!

Other things that rubbed me the wrong way:
Ellie asks herself, seriously considers, if she loves this guy after kissing him ONE time (cringe)
Ellie is so self righteous - and was in high school too - but it’s not presented by the author as a flaw (another cringe)
The MMC broke off his engagement the week that the story takes place and is still living with his ex-finance, but Ellie still goes for it.
Ellie’s boss’s behavior is SO NOT OKAY. On top of the totally inappropriate list he creates that she has to fulfill to get promoted, he goes behind her back and hires her HS crush. He tells everyone else on staff about him (and they all know what happened between him and Ellie) and purposefully keeps it from Ellie. For some reason, everyone thinks it’s a good idea for him to show up in the middle of a team meeting so Ellie can confront her feelings for him at work with everyone watching. This is presented by the author as a cute way to give them a happily ever after. Again, WHAT?!

TL;DR - I love the concept, but Ellie, her love interest, and her boss all have some major cringe, red flag moments that are present as clever, cool, and funny. Would not recommend.

2 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the gifted copy. My opinions are (obviously) my own.

This is a first time read for me by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. The cover is cute, and drew my attention and when I read the blurb, I definitely became interested in reading it. I was not disappointed! The story was cute and fun and I had a great time reading it. Ellie is headed back home for her high school reunion, but only to secure her promotion. You see, she was one of the not so cool kids back then, but things have definitely changed. She is a TV writer and quite successful in her job, which ironically is writing for a TV show about popular high school kids. She has an opportunity for a promotion, but in order to get her promotion, she has to attend the reunion. She's not looking forward to re-living any of those memories. But this may be a chance for her to deal with some of the regrets she has from back then.
The story was cute and entertaining and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know the characters. It was a light read and although predictable at times, a fun story nonetheless. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I saw in the acknowledgments at the end that this novel was first written in WattPad in 2018 which gives hope for all of the aspiring writers out there, of which I am not. This was a coming of age story wrapped up with a romance that did end with a very cute happily ever after. It is fun to see how going back to your roots, even when forced, can have you find new information and reevaluate people and even your memories. A quick cute read and a reminder that maybe high school did not suck as much as you think it did.

Ellie is a TV writer who hated high school. When her high school reunion comes up, some of the writers on her team challenge her to do a list of challenges that the cooler version of herself would have done for high school. While she has no desire to check these items off the list, or even go to the reunion in general, a huge promotion is on the line if she does it.

As someone who has no desire to ever go to a high school reunion, I really related to Ellie’s apprehension. I thought the challenges she was given made a fun twist to the reunion and I appreciated how it also pushed her out of her comfort zone and led to growth in this case. I loved that this wasn’t just a second chance romance, but also a second chance at friendship with Ellie reconnecting with both a former crush and her former best friend. This was overall a cute read!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I really enjoyed reading this! It entertained me and I felt like I could relate to the main character. Basically, Ellie felt like a loser in high school, she was not one but she felt like one. When she is up for a promotion at her cool California TV writer job, she took up the challenge because it would help her dream. So, she went back to her high school reunion and the little Ohio town she thought she left behind. Turns out people think she is cool now and she might be getting the man of her dreams, the one she always wanted in high school. Even though this book had a bunch of cliches, it was a fun read and kept me entertained. High school Ellie somewhat reminds me of myself, so that is probably a huge factor in why I enjoyed this read.

*spoiler* Now instead of making the ex-best friend an alcoholic that is helping the popular boy from high school cheat, they should have made her a lesbian *spoiler*

Thank you to Forever Pub for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly this one did not work for me. The premise sounded interesting. A Hollywood writer goes back to her high school reunion after seeing success after not having the best time in high school. As someone who wouldn't want to go back to high school, I thought I'd give it a shot. The book; however, felt very elementary in its writing and execution. It felt like the characters were still living their high school days, which was extremely annoying although they were meant to be a decade older. I know that Ellie writes for a high school drama, but the drama of her own high school reunion seemed more drama filled than the glimpse into her own job we saw.

The writing itself along with the story felt more older YA than actual adult. I don't know if that was the audience the authors and publisher were shooting for, but it didn't work for me. I ended up finishing the book, in the end I wonder why, but I did. I think I wanted to know what Ellie ended up doing. Even as I write this review I'm shaking my head in wonderment that I actually did finish it. For me it wasn't worth it. That's time I can't get back or put into a book that is worth more of my time.