Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: chronically ill parent (side character), toxic relationship with a parent (side character), violence, slut-shaming (challenged), alcoholism (side character), cheating (side character), alcohol poisoning (side character)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-high school reunion
-childhood crush/second chance ish
-coming home
-second chance friendship

This book was messy and funny in the best way. Written for anyone who did not enjoy high school (like me), I loved this one. Ellie is challenged by her boss to complete a list and return home for her high school reunion. In her professional life she's excelled, but her personal/love life has struggled. Ellie was snarky, driven, and scared shitless to let love in and I just found her really relatable.

Coming home gives her an opportunity with Mark her childhood crush that almost was. These two had such great chemistry and Mark was messy too but I love how he saw Ellie coming home as an opportunity as he looked at his life and what he wanted out of it. These two were award, and bumbling and just sweet and tender. I loved their romance against the backdrop of coming home after a long time away. Seeing how all of the people you thought were going to excel in high school are doing now and just accepting yourself. Most of all accepting love even when it does scare you.

Steam: 3

Nope. This didn’t work for me. The premise sounds fun. Ellie Jenkins is writer for a popular tv show about high school kids. But Ellie didn’t like high school. With her 10 year reunion coming up the producer suggests she attend, dangling a co-executive producer promotion as the incentive. He is even more thrilled when she and two friends come up with a ten item list of things to show Ellie is Cool Now. Things like kiss her high school crush, prank the class clown etc.

Ellie returns to Ohio and the first person she runs into is her crush Mark. They never were together so this isn’t a second chance romance. He is working at a local bakery not living out his dreams of being a film maker. Next time she sees him it is at the reunion where he has Liz his ex-fiancée on his arm. They have been broken up for a week but are still living together. That situation isn’t salvageable. It isn’t funny when Liz catches the two making out on the couch in her home the next day. I’m team Liz, and Mark is a hard no-go as the the romantic lead.

I have a hard time being sympathetic to Ellie as a character. She was like most high schoolers not peaking in HS. She got good grades and went on to college and her dream career. The fact that she missed out on teen sex and drinking parties that are part of her tv show isn’t a big motivating thing for me to like her. She wasn’t popular but no one was intentionally mean to her and she has no need to show anyone up at her reunion. She knows she is the rebound and that Liz is not over Mark and yet she gets involved. The most interesting character was her supposedly best friend Roxy. Ellie hasn’t spoken to her since Roxy kissed Mark at a HS party. That storyline at least has an interesting arc.

Sadly I’ve found no reason to root for, be sympathetic towards or even like the main characters. I found them shallow and immature. And the story didn’t manage to work in how doing the things on the list helps her in writing or on her tv show which is supposedly the purpose. My reason for reading the book isn’t to have her meet up with a crush in a half step from cheating scenario.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary review. (2.5 Stars)

Really enjoyed reading this book. If you're looking for something quick to read, I would definitely recommend reading it. And the characters had such a chemistry!!!

I binged it in one night/morning. It was THAT GOOD.

Oh my goodness! These authors bring on hilarity, pain, second hand embarrassment, romance all the feelings you feel while having to relive (or live down) high school.

Ellie is challenged to go to her high school reunion. Problem? Ellie was ignored basically and does not want to see her former BFF and high school crush.

Unrequited love! Is there anything worse? In my experience, no! And man do they exactly describe how it feels.

Ellie does change in this story. She realizes where she made some mistakes. And I loved that. I want the characters to grow from where we meet them.

I had to pause reading to yell out plenty of times. Go and read this fun book.

Such a fun take on what it means to grow up! I loved that the author played on the high school stereotypes, but leaned into it enough that it was fun and endearing without just coming off cheesy! This was definitely a fun, quick read!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @readforeverpub for an early copy of Ellie is Cool Now by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Ellie is Cool Now is a romance novel about Ellie, who’s put her high school years behind her, and Mark, her ultimate crush back in high school. Ellie is a TV writer to a teen show, and she’s just received an invitation to her high school reunion, which her boss sees as an opportunity for her to have a fresh perspective. He offers her a promotion should she attend the reunion and complete a list of to-do’s/a bucket list of to-do’s with the notorious people from her batch in school. She reluctantly agrees as she cannot pass up the opportunity for promotion. Bach home, she reunites with her ex-best friend and her not-so secret crush Mark.

This novel was initially quite interesting. I enjoyed the premise, but the entirety of the story was just okay for me, not many takeaways nor favorite characters. It was quite refreshing to read about high school stereotypes, and how these characters in the story grew up with not so much change, but I did like Ellie’s ex-best friend Roxy’s character development. The authors explored the topic of addiction and how Roxy has been dealing with her life through it. Reconnecting with Ellie helped her re-think her life choices and sought help (again; since she relapsed).

The romance was quite ick for me. I couldn’t appreciate Mark as a main character as he has easily replaced his ex-fiancé with Ellie, after breaking it off with the later for just a week. Regardless if he has been feeling that his and Liz’ relationship has been off for quite some time already, I felt like he wasn’t able to process his feelings as an individual properly before jumping into a relationship with Ellie.

Rating Ellie is Cool Now ⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases March 21st, 2023!

A fun read. Ellie was not cool.in school, despite writing for a show about high school. Her boss convinces her to go to bed high school reunion - can she prove she is cool now?

In theory, the plot of this book is amazing. It sounded like a modern version of the classic movie rom-com/reunion story, and I was excited for it!

The execution didn't work for me, though. The writing wasn't very polished. It was tough to connect with any of the characters, and their shallow and immature behavior felt cringeworthy instead of endearing. I held out until the end, hoping for character growth, but it ended with an abrupt epilogue that didn't really redeem anyone.

Ellie is now a write on a very popular high school-based TV show. But years ago, she was in high school and in that in-between group of not popular, but not, not popular group. Her producer finds out about her class reunion and thinks this would be a great idea to reignite Ellie's writing and if she goes the result will potentially be a promotion to co-executive producer. With the help of two friends, Ellie is given a list of things to accomplish with her high school classmates - based on what they were voted in high school. While home, Ellie first runs into her high school crush, Mark, and then her former best friend, Roxy. Ellie begins crossing things off her list with her Mark, but also while discovering that no one is the same as they were in high school. I very much enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:
❤️ second chance romances
❤️ tv behind the scenes
❤️ small town romances
❤️ friends to lovers
❤️ Forced Proximity

This one had a lot of promise but just didn’t knock it out of the park for me. I feel like my biggest let down was that I wasn’t rooting for any of the characters or identifying with them or liking them all that much.

This is more so one that if you like romances with unlikable characters then it may be for you. Also, the characters were written with a YA feeling and there is a reason I don’t read a lot of YA because I don’t like the immaturity of the characters like those in this book.

Thanks to the publisher for my ARC copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
***Possible Spoilers***
Did you love or hate high school? Were you popular, an outcast or in the middle? Do you ever want to go back? What if a job advancement depended on it and you can go back to correct a wrong without any other details, would you? This is all of the dilemmas that Ellie faces in Ellie is Cool Now. She is living her best LA life, working for a popular teen tv show when your boss sends her out on an adventure she doesn’t ever want to do….GO TO HER HIGH SCHOOL REUNION with a lists of tasks to complete with her high school crush! Over the course of 1 week, Ellie discovers that most parts of high school and the people were awful. But in the end, she discovers true happiness. On a scale of 1-5 for spicy, it’s maybe a 2 with a HEA.

Ellie Jenkins always wanted to work in LA and she got her wish. She works as a writer for a popular TV show centered around a high school. The irony of it is that she hated high school herself. When she writes an episode for the show, the executive producer hates it and feels like she needs some new perspective. Knowing her 10 year high school class reunion is coming up, he requests she go and if she does, she can work her way closer to the promotion she's always wanted. It turns out that there is a list she has to complete in order to earn the promotion.

Once she's back home, she begins to run into people from her past, including Mark, who is still as good looking as he was in high school and her ex-best friend. She ends up getting help with her list from the unlikeliest of sources and she realizes that just because you were one way in high school, you don't stay that way.

I enjoyed this book, but it took me a long time to want to root for Ellie. There were several times I found her to be immature and hard to connect with. I also found the romance a bit difficult to totally believe given the timing. I wished the ex hadn't been so present all the time because I felt like there was an eww factor to that. Overall it was a good read and sadly, I could identify with some of it given my own experiences in high school.

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

Ellie is Cool Now follows Ellie Jenkins, a successful TV writer who has worked hard to forget about her nerdy, outcast teen years. However, when she is offered a promotion that requires her to attend her high school reunion, she realizes that she can’t escape her past.

The writing and premise of the book are interesting, and the authors do a great job of exploring some deeper topics like bullying, addiction, and the pressures of fitting in. The story is also filled with humor, and the interactions between the characters are fun to read. However, I found the protagonist, Ellie, to be very immature and hard to connect with. Her behavior and choices often felt erratic and irrational, which made it difficult to root for her. The story also had a lot of stereotypical people that didn’t feel like fully fleshed-out characters.

I have mixed feelings about the romance. I wish that there was a bit more development and chemistry as Ellie and Mark take a second chance at romance. And the fact that he showed up with his ex, who he still lives with, rubbed me the wrong way. Also, I didn’t love the friendship between Ellie and Roxy. I feel like Roxy took advantage of Ellie so many times, and Ellie didn’t really stand up for herself.

I enjoyed the themes of forgiveness and self-acceptance, but I felt like a lot of the characters were so immature, and I had to remind myself they were in their late twenties because they acted sooo much younger. I’ve been out of high school for a long while, and this book did not make me eager to attend any reunions in the future.

Overall, I thought the story was an ok read. It’s quick and light and there are some strong messages. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Ellie Jenkins is a TV writer for a popular TV show about high school. Ironically Ellie hated high school. She has written an episode for the mid season finale and the boss hates it. He requests for her to go to her 10 year high school reunion to gain some fresh perspective. Her friends come up with an "Ellie is cool now" list. If she completes the list she will be named co- executive producer.

She teams up with her high school crush, Mark Knight and he helps her with the list.

This was a fun hilarious fast read about high school/ small town shenanigans. At first I wasn't a fan of Ellie but by the end I was rooting for her.

Thanks to Forever for a copy of Ellie is Cool Now.

Unfortunately this was not the book for me. I have to laugh because my 20th high school reunion would be this year if they were doing anything (not that I would ever go) so I was definitely thinking a a little bit about high school and people I went to school Ruth while reading.

Ellie was way too immature and I honestly thought I was reading a YA book. None of the characters were likeable and why would anyone root for Mark....

The premise sounded fun but the actual story didn't live up to the reality..

“Ellie is Cool Now”, a hot shot tv writer whose cynical as hell gets sent back to her hometown high school reunion by her boss to gain some fresh perspective.

Hop, skip, and a jump a crazy list comes into existence and Ellie’s boss gives her a choice, complete the list and become a co producer or stay where you are.

10 years out of high school and you
Think there would be maturity. The main character lacks it. She is a character you love at times but also so annoying you just want to smack her.

A rarely sober ex best friend and a long awaited high school crush dominate Ellie’s time back in Ohio.
There was much that ended too quickly and unresolved.

All and all it was still a delightful read, although I feel it would have done better as a series.

Ellie is a TV screenwriter on a show about high school kids called "Cooler than You." She is hoping for a promotion. Her boss thinks she judges people too much to move up, so he pushes her to attend her ten year high school reunion. She must revisit high school and complete a list of tasks to show that "Ellie is Cool Now."

I initially related to Ellie with her snarky, cynical attitude about high school and the cool kids. I appreciated the writing. It's such a fascinating meta-story, as Ellie's boss talks about her character arc.

However, referring to everyone by their high school superlatives (e.g. Best Smile) was a bit hard to track. I had to bookmark the list and go back and forth frequently to remember who was who. The further the story went, the more characters we met and the less I was engaged in the story or Ellie's goals. That's partially because I actively disliked the love triangle and didn't find it added to the overall storyline.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

CW: alcoholism, cancer, infidelity

This book didn't really do it for me at the start - I had just read a YA novel and was not keen on the high-school reunion angle. BUT then it really its stride and showed me how it was different, and sexy, and funny and kind of heart-warming in its own sweet way!

I loved how it dealt with some really tough topics (alcoholism, break ups, illness) and yet remained fun and balanced. I imagine this title will be well-received as an audio book because the main character's voice really shines through here.

Ellie is sent home from LA to her high school reunion to check off some boxes so that she can magically earn a promotion. Yeah right (this is the part I had a bit of a problem with) but when she finds herself face to face with her high school crush and he offers to help her out, things start looking up. I was convinced a few chapters later and almost missed my stop on the train because I just needed to know what was going to happen next.

This book is full of action and fun, there's no slow bits that's for sure. Set over an extended long weekend (minus the obligatory epilogue??) the novel is really well distributed - I was a bit wary but truly enjoyed the read!

2.5 rounded up. I wanted to love this - similar to Ellie I was a margins kid in high school and now feel like I have a “very cool” life. But GOSH the writing of this book. I didn’t love any of the characters and some of the handling of the deeper topics (divorce, alcoholism, DV) felt very trite and poorly thought through. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Holy over-reaching bosses Batman! I loved and hated Andy- the whole time. It never changed. I get that our girl has issues, and she is definitely too judgemental.... but, just holy crap. Ellie is a grown adult that did not care for high school- if she wants to stay stuck in her trauma, who is he to dangle a promotion she deserves as bait to go tripping down memory lane? Still, if he hadn't this would be a pretty short story (not to mention pointless). On the other hand, I loved her besties, Vic and Tina. Even as they egg her on and make her mission even harder with the "Ellie is cool now" list of things to do at the high school reunion they are obviously all in for her and make the best (most hilarious) cheer squad ever.

This book is a ton of fun, while also dealing with some heavy subjects and some pain. It didn't shy away from tough topics, but they never dragged the story down. The other characters at the reunion were interesting, and I loved watching their personalities come through. Roxie is damaged and you spend half the book worried about her; but at the same time I think she had the most growth and was, weirdly, the most adult character in the book. (Seriously, don't expect a lot of actual maturity here even if it is ten years after high school.) Mark is a great character- lost and trying to figure his life out after it didn't go the way he (read: his father) wanted. He has to decide who he wants to be, where he wants to live and who he wants to be with. It's a lot. Even still, he's all in trying to help Ellie with her list and shows a sweet vulnerability that I liked. The character that surprised me? Forever-frat-boy Kyle. I ended up cracking up when his scenes came up. His drunken ridiculousness should have made me angry, but I ended up taking a shine to him. He's an overenergetic puppy- albeit a drunken one.

I'm rambling... I actually finished this book weeks ago, but I have been supremely lazy. I told myself I was waiting to get my thoughts in order- it didn't work. I still think about this book the same way I view watching a crazy tv show. You watch your favorite characters go through the most absurd situations while throwing popcorn at your screen telling them to grow up, all the while you're actually loving the whole thing. I still wonder how the side characters are doing (but they could not possibly make an acceptable sequel... Maybe Liz's story, though). I always feel that way after finishing a good book. For me, this was a good fast read. Four stars, bumped up to five for creativity.

★★★★★

On the adult content side, there's a lot. You have language, some light sexual content, and bullying. Trigger warning- some sexual violence and abuse. I would say this one is geared towards the 18+ crowd.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Forever Publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!