💭Thoughts:
I just got the invitation to my 20 year high school reunion in August, so this was the perfect read for me! I’m so glad we didn’t do superlatives at graduation.

Ellie is a bit of an annoying character. She is funny, but also cringy at times. I definitely appreciated her dislike of high school, but I also felt like she was old enough to have gotten past some of those feelings.

I did enjoy the flow and the progression of the story. The story kept me engaged, as I wanted to know how it would all work out in the end. Overall, I feel like this book had a lot of promise, but I really disliked most of the characters.

I devoured this book in a day and can definitely see why it was such a phenomenon on Wattpad! Ellie and Roxy were borh infuriating but you couldn't help but root for them and for Mark. Livin in a small town in Ohio is very familiar to me and i also hated high school but 10 years later am married to someone from my graduating class and extended friend group in a plot twist i never saw coming so I loved seeing Ellie experience the same thing. Having her complete the list of things Vic and Tina came up with was just a cherry on top!

More Like 3 and a half Stars ✨.

I enjoyed this!

Please do not be discouraged by the star rating. It’s the one and two star ratings you need to be weary of when it comes to my reviews. Three and above is the green light to pick up a book.

Ellie is Cool Now was a fun fast read. I can see this book as something that could easily get a reader out of a reading slump.

I enjoyed the premise and the fact that it centers around a high school reunion. It takes place in the fall. Fall is my favorite time of year. There’s a small town setting. Unique and flawed characters and a List.

Why This Wasn’t a 5 Star Read- Mainly the romance. I wasn’t invested. I didn’t care for the way that the heroine treats the love interest. In the past and in the present. Ellie recognizes a pattern of behavior but doesn’t fix it. There was just no growth. I was a tad frustrated.

Overall- I still recommend this book. I’d definitely give this author duo another read.

Ellie is so close to her dream job after being stuck writing for a soul numbing teen reality show. The only thing standing in her way according to her boss is her cynicism. And he has the perfect way to change her perspective. He’s going to make her to go to her high school reunion. Her work friends come up with a list of things she needs to do at the reunion to prove she’s finally made it.

But there’s a reason Ellie never wanted to return home. She was a nobody in high school and when she left town she had lost her best friend and her long time crush. Will getting a second change her perspective or prove that she’s still the invisible girl.

Ellie’s entire vibe and general snarky inner monologue gave me life. I don’t know what it says about me as a person but I related to Ellie’s cynicism on a deep level. I think anyone who found themselves after high school could relate to her character especially if you feel like you missed your big chance with the one.

I don’t know what it was about this one that sucked me in but I binged this one in a little over a day staying up way past my bedtime to get in just one more chapter. My only complaint is I thought the ending wrapped up just a little too quickly for my liking and I would have loved an epilogue to see where these two ended up.

If you’re looking for a low stakes rom com that will keep you entertained from start to finish and you like your romance with just a little bit of spice then I think you’ll love this one.

I received an early copy via netgalley to review.

The heroine is a writer for a TV show that showcased high schoolers. The heroine is forced to go to her high school reunion after her boss dangled a promotion if she attended it. After her friends came up with a bucket list that the heroine should do during the high school reunion. And as the heroine attends the reunion, she is determined to accomplish everything in the bucket list and become a 'cool' person.

The premise of this book sounded amazing, but there were some details that made the book not be amazing. Firstly, I couldn't get behind the female main character. At the first chapter, her dislike of her high school years was so overwhelming that it didn't endear her to me at all. I can commiserate about the high school label, but her feelings about it was a turnoff. I did like the friendship between the female main character and her childhood best friend, and how that relationship turned around in this book. As for the romance, I was not a fan with the relationship between the female main character and her love interest. I did like the bucket list aspect and how that came about. Overall, I liked the cover and the story could have been better.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

I loved the beginning of this story. It was hilarious and I had high hopes but as the story goes on it sort of slows down and it feels like Ellie doesn’t have that much to do. The romance isn’t all that cute and the characters don’t change all that much. So the beginning of the story is very similar to the ending but with one twist. I just wish we saw more growth from all the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for a copy of this book. I think we all put a lot of pressure to be our best self for high school reunion. I can see why Ellie doesn't want to go and the idea of a to do list during her reunion was a fun premise. This felt more like a women's fiction with some romance. Parts of the story was fun and parts got me scratching my head with the characters actions. Overall, this was a fun and kept me interested.

I liked the idea of someone going back for their high school reunion and having a list of things to do. Ellie was very relatable and I enjoyed that she chased her dream and still aspires for more. To help her get her dream promotion, her boss sends her to her high school reunion so she can learn to interact with people better. Her friends on the TV show she works on give her a list of 10 things to do while there. They build it based off the people that got superlatives in the year book, The list for the most part is very fun and definitely puts Ellie out of her comfort zone. Some challenges are a bit much, especially with people you haven't seen in 10 years.

Number ten on the list involves her high school crush, Mark. Mark helps her with some of the tasks, which helps them get to know each other again. I enjoyed their interactions, though I wish more time was given for them to build their chemistry. While they both admit some things, I think the time line of Mark's life, included with this budding romance with Ellie can be a bit messy.

Another item on the list involved her former best friend Roxy. Roxy has a bunch of personal issues going on, but I didn't love how she treated Ellie at times. I also don't love how she treated herself, but I think at the end she had more respect for herself even though she had to learn the hard way.

Well this book had amazing timing, coming into my life the same year I’m supposed to have my 10 year high school reunion. (Not that I’m planning on going. I can’t think of a single person from high school I actually want to see.)

The characters were so messy! From Ellie and Mark getting together a week after his engagement ended to Roxy relapsing on her sobriety, the only non messy characters were the ones we didn’t really see that much of. The mess was fun though. You knew these characters were making questionable decisions but had to keep reading to see how it turned out. The list was a cool way to get Ellie to interact with the people she graduated with. Finally completing the list at the end even though those people didn’t show up to the reunion was satisfying. The ending, with Mark showing up in LA, is hopeful and an excellent way to finish.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars

High school was an okay time for me so I felt every bit of Ellie's pain with going home for her high school reunion. I identified with a lot of Ellie's experiences and thoughts, but I felt her character was a bit immature. I hated how her boss hinged her future on attending the reunion. I got the whole change of perspective part, but the rest just screamed blackmail. If not for her trusted friends and their outlandish list of things Ellie had to do, I may have given up on this story. The list made things interesting. I also saw a different perspective to Ellie's character. High school Ellie wasn't one of the cool, popular kids. She was awkward and not yet grown into her own being. I didn't like how her current job on a hit TV series made her more interesting to her former classmates. I had at the back of my head that it wasn't worth establishing those connections with people who didn't like her for who she was back then and only deigned to know her now because of what she symbolizes. That just may be the jaded me coming through. I did like how Ellie reconnected with her old friends and established a relationship with Mark.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Ellie is cool now is an interesting one! It was definitely entertaining and funny but there was an underlying layer that really made me stop and think. Honestly, this book took me longer to read not because I was sitting around struggling to get through it but because it kept making me stop and think about everything - especially how I look back on high school as well. I loved Ellie and her growth and development as we follow her story and the little bit of romance added to the mix was great!

I would have really enjoyed reading this on Wattpad in high school, but unfortunately, I did not love this book. I think the plot and characters could have used more fine-tuning. There were some parts that made me laugh and some characters I enjoyed, but I did not like the main character. She is a “feminist” but looked down on women who chose different lifestyles than she did. There were some plot holes and just too much going on in the story. I can see how this thrived on Wattpad; it would have kept me coming back for more in that format. I’m sure there are people out there who will enjoy this, but it wasn’t for me.

Ellie is now a producer on a popular TV show set in high school but she has a jaded view of her high school experience. With an executive producer job being dangled before her, she is tasked to head back to her high school reunion with a list of tasks to complete to help her change her perspective.

I was drawn into the premise of this book thinking it would be a fun rom-com but I was really let down by the execution. I really struggled with the writing of this story. Most of the characters are not really well developed and most of the people were referred to as their high school superlatives which made it hard for me to keep track of who was who. Many of the characters, especially the main character Ellie, felt really immature even thought they were supposed to be 28. For most of the story, I felt like things were just happening to happen. Many of the book's biggest conflicts wrapped up quickly or just felt unresolved. Overall, I just don't think that this is the book for me.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 20%
I like the idea of this book but found the execution to be severely lacking. I hated Ellie from almost page one and could only put up with her immaturity and whining for 20% before having to stop. She is awful and not a character who garnered any sympathy. I didn't find the story compelling and almost everyone else was awful. I did continue to skim through the rest of the book, but it didn't improve. The only good character was Liz. I'm done trying with this book and not coming back.

Ellie is Cool Now by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub Date: 3/21

Ellie is living her dream in L.A. as one of the writers for a hit TV drama about high school kids. Ironically, Ellie hated high school, and it’s starting to show in her writing. Her boss tells her that in order to gain some perspective for the show, she should go to her 10-year high school reunion. He promises her there’s a big promotion in her future if all goes well, so she feels like she has to go, even though she’d rather do anything else.

Her two bffs, Vic and Tina, create an ‘Ellie is Cool Now’ list to help her get through the experience. Items like Grab a Beer with Best All-Around and Hook up with the prom king, are at the top. The one that worries her the most is getting back in touch with her high school crush, Mark Wright.

This book gave me Never Been Kissed vibes, and I loved it! I wasn’t sure about this one initially because Ellie seemed extremely cynical and over the top about her hatred for high school. But it only took a few chapters for me to warm up to her, and once I did, I found this book funny and endearing.

I think many people will relate to the feelings of awkwardness and of not fitting in. As we all know, there’s life after high school, and I loved how this book made that statement loud and clear.

I liked Mark as an MC, and I could really feel the chemistry between him and Ellie. Their relationship was rocky at first, but I enjoyed watching them get to know each other all over again. There’s a strong “it’s always been you” vibe which is my favorite! I also really enjoyed Roxy’s character, but I wish we had gone deeper into her friendship with Ellie and gotten to know her better.

Overall, I enjoyed this small-town, second-chance romance and can’t wait to read more from this duo! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the gifted earc! Ellie is Cool Now hits shelves on 3/21.

Based on the premise to advance on her job, Ellie must face her past and attend her 10 year high school reunion, something she is dreading.
What I liked: I identified with hating high school and being part of the mediocre crowd. I also liked the LA support Ellie received, they were funny. I also thought the dialogue was funny and cheeky.
What I didn’t like: I disliked how Ellie treated Mark so shabbily. I didn’t care for Roxie, I thought she was obnoxious.
Reunions are nothing to dread, I’ve been to a few of mine, but probably won’t attend another.
Ellie wins after she realizes she makes the rules for her life.

I read this book in the span of a day, so I do have to give it that this book captivated me. I liked how easy it was to read and obviously, all the references to Grease. I think where I felt a little weird (I don't like to say cringey) was that it really did feel like all the shenanigans of high school, but adultified. The drama, the issues, it at points became a lot and I kind of felt over it. Still, the story was interesting and was an easy read and kind of reignited a high school story that I'd read.

Read if you like: Lists, reunions, second chances

This book was tough for me. Ellie and basically all of the other characters are unlikable. I found myself bored and not caring what happened by the end. Ellie's reasoning for everything was frustrating. I liked the concept of going to your reunion with a bucket type list. I just needed more. This isn't for me but you may love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Forever for the gifted e-book ❤️

This was such a nice read.
I like the idea of the girl who got away goes back to her younger self and finally dates the crush she had then. But she did more than one mistake at times. You would think she has grown up a bit more in those ten years apart and living in LA with a total different lifestyle.
Overall the story was a nostalgic one with characters that aren't necessary likable but ones that are reliable and still shy in a way.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy/Read Now title

Ellie is a writer for a teen television show. She left her hometown of Stonybrook, Ohio to follow her dream of working and writing in LA.

Ellie gets an invitation to her 10-year high school reunion. Ellie hated everything about high school. Her boss tells her she must complete a list of tasks with an example of something like “kissing the prom king” to get promoted.

When Ellie heads back home, it seems like not much has changed with her hometown and her classmates. She immediately runs into her high school crush Mark, which brings back all her feelings for him. I hoped to see more growth from the characters, but it seemed like she went back home right where she left off.

I like that Ellie took some more chances, however, it just seemed at times that she would rather live in her fantasy world instead of the reality of her life. For example, when dating her crush Mark, she decided to run away again without expressing how she feels.

The plot of the book was really good. It was extremely relatable and will bring you back to your own high school days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.