Robby Weber can go ahead and take his crown as the king of YA gay summer romcoms, I think. Between both this book and his previous one, If You Change Your Mind, he has found his niche, and it's a good one. He has a talent for low stakes, mellow, summery queer romantic comedies. These are light, easy reads that are perfect for packing in your bag for a day at the beach.

Knowing this is the only way to completely ensure his spot as captain of the varsity soccer team next year, Zack volunteers to take the fall for current-captain (and mentor) Ryan when a senior prank involving another team and a dead shark goes wrong. That means he now has to fit in volunteering at the local Marine Life Institute a few hours a day as community service, on top of early morning soccer practices to make sure he can lead the team to victory in the traditional Fourth of July charity match. That win, and becoming captain, is exactly what he needs to make sure he can go on to college and a career as a pro player. But then he meets Chip, Ryan's cousin and another boy working at the Institute, who definitely is not a fan of his after hearing that he supposedly pulled that stunt with the dead shark... But Chip is adorable and smart and so passionate about conservation work that Zack starts to wonder if he really wants to keep this secret under wraps? And is the future he's picked out for himself really what he wants after all?

Look, this story is cute. It's light and straightforward and low-stakes. As with Weber's previous book, it doesn't necessarily do anything remarkable or revolutionary, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's an easy summertime read. It does deal wonderfully with topics of deciding your own future versus the one that has been picked out for you, and the impacts of divorce, but it (delightfully) exists in a queer-friendly version of the world where whatever Zack and Chip might encounter for difficulties, homophobia is never one of them.
I Like Me Better is a simple summery story that I can absolutely see putting on my classroom bookshelves for a quick, low-stakes read for my students.

I truly liked this book. I thought it was very well written, and I felt like I could be living alongside the characters. Robby Weber really made Zack's decisions so infurniating at times that I wanted to jump through the book and ask him what in the world he was thinking! Zack's character development was well done (so, so thankful for that).

The only real complaint I had was that there wasn't enough insight into the conservation center from either Zack or Chip's point of view, especially since a chunk of the book revolved around volunteering there.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC.

This YA summertime romance is a charming easy read about growing up and that there’s more than winning and popularity. I adore the summertime vibes in both of Robby’s books - the beach, summer jobs, sports practices, and volunteering at a marine life institute. 🐬 🌊

Zach is a rising senior, star of the soccer team, when his mentor Ryan (POS) asks him to cover for him after an ill advised prank. He now has to fit in summer volunteer hours, while also organizing summer team practice before the annual 4th of July match, where he’s expected to lead the team to victory and elected team captain.

But after meeting a cute boy, Chip, who works at the Marine Life Institute - he might rethink his plans on what he wants out of his senior year and life in general.

Perhaps the plot was overly simple and stakes a little too low for my taste, but I still overall enjoyed this read.
Loved just how accepted it was that Zach was gay. Zero homophobia, no discovery or coming out necessary, or other friction that’s common in queer books - although those do add character depth that I felt was lacking otherwise.

𝙄 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙈𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 by Robby Weber (2023) ★★★.5
Comes out May 2nd

Thanks to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.

I was not a huge fan of the author's first book but was intrigued by the premise here and am so glad I gave him another shot. The story of Zack and Chip--and Zack's growth in the course of the summer--was sweet and had all the feels.

I cheered for Zack to finally come through--and he does! I liked the banter with him and Chip. The secondary characters were well-drawn and not one-dimensional as they too often are. Beckett and Meyers had issues of their own and both pushed and supported Zack. Even the parents, especially Zack's, gained dimension as the book progressed.

Zack and Chip fit the "opposites attract" trope. Chip hates soccer and Zack is afraid off outer space.

Just a cheery, breezy, "AWWWW" inducing YA MM romance. Perfect for summer. I will look forward to the author's next book!

I received this free ARC from NetGalley and am posting this review voluntarily.

To be honest, I struggled with this one at first. It was a bit slow to start, in my opinion, but once it going into the plot a little more, I really enjoyed it! Definitely ended up being invested in and enjoying the characters. Always love LGBTQIA+ representation. Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Books, and Robby Weber for this eARC!

Heartstopper meets Ted Lasso, I Like Me Better will be the perfect beach read. YA queer rom-com that will melt your heart. It is light, bright, and breezy. I finished it in about a day and was a little sad when it ended. This will be a great book to kick of your summer reading when it comes out in May.

Heartstopper meets Ted Lasso in this beautiful coming-of-age YA novel. Zack Martin is ready for summer but when a prank goes wrong and Zack takes the fall, he's stuck volunteering his time away. With a charity soccer game coming up, Zack has one more chance to impress his tell and prove he is captain-worthy, but things get messy when he starts falling for Chip, an intern at the conservation center Zack is volunteering at.

Let's talk characterization because it was the highlight of the book, but also had so much more potential. Zack is very much a three-dimensional character. He has flaws, many of them, dreams, and opportunity. Weber does a great job characterizing Zack in a way that makes him stand out but also be relatable for most teens. He's lost and unsure of himself but doesn't recognize it. Something many people, of all ages, can relate to. I really loved following his POV and his story. It was the perfect choice. On the other hand, the rest of the characters fell short. Chip, the love interest, is a sweet nerd interested in saving the planet and I wanted more from him. I wanted to see him how Zack did. Zack's friends were a hit and a miss. Noel and Meyers were great and well fleshed out for side characters. Beckett just serves a a plot device and I wish we saw more about why their fight affected Zack instead of being told that it did.

The atmosphere, POV, and tone were great. I loved the message and I can see this being a really big success, especially in certain circles, but it just missed the mark slightly for me. I wanted to connect more and feel emotionally vulnerable while reading it and I couldn't. YA is so special because it can reach so many voices, but I think it's been constricted lately to only service a certain demographic which is such a shame because this story had so much potential to make a bigger impact.

Zack is looking for an easy and fun summer before his senior year. But when he agrees to take the blame for a prank by the seniors on his team that goes awry, his simple summer becomes more complicated. He finds himself doing community service at a local conservation center, where he can't help but develop a crush on Chip, an intern there. But Chip, believing that Zack does not really care about conservation or animals, initially wants nothing to do with Zack. As they spend more time with each other, the two become closer. But, as much as Zack is growing to enjoy his work at the center and his relationship with Chip, he is feeling increasing pressure in other parts of his life -- and finding it increasingly hard to balance everything in a way that is true to himself.

This is a delightful story about the surprises that come as you learn more about yourself, exploring themes around friendship, trust, family pressure, and ambition.

Highly recommended!

Good characters and idea for story. Pacing was z bit off. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Enjoyable read about two teenage boys in the summer camp dealing with adolescence and finding themselves. I liked the setup for the story and the characters were likeable.

This book was super cute! I really enjoyed it.

I liked both of the main characters a lot; naturally, because it was all from Zack's point of view, I would have liked to see more of Chip's life, but I did like what we did get to see!
Zack starts out as a bit of a pretentious asshole, focused solely on becoming his school's soccer team captain, but over the course of the book (and as he gets closer to Chip), he starts to find other things to care about - namely marine science and his friends.
Chip is adorable, and his passion for animals and the environment makes him even more endearing. I really liked seeing him soften toward Zack throughout the course of the book.

I actually didn't have any issue with Zack's relationship with Ryan - I think it was well done and watching Zack start to realize what a massive asshole Ryan is and separate himself from Ryan's legacy was pivotal to his character development.

Maybe I'm biased because I also grew up in a beach resort town and I also wanted to be an astrophysicist when I was Chip's age, but I did really love this book!

Robby, thank you for writing this and IYCYM. Having queer representation is important in storytelling because it will allow the next generation of queer folk to understand that the feelings they have are not abnormal… I wish I had more stories like this when I was understanding my sexuality.

I also want to thank you/your publisher for this ARC. I loved both this book and IYCYM, and the free copy did not influence my review on the book.

The only criticism I have about this book is how superficial it felt at some points when compared to your other writing. I mention the scene where Zach & Chip sneak into Daisy’s enclosure/tank at night as outlandish in my GoodReads review because, even though I loved it, it being so unbelievable took me out of the story world. I loved that I was back in Citrus Harbor, and the Foster cross-over, but more cross-overs would be cool in the future! I would love to visit the world again and again (and again…).

I look forward to reading ALL of your future works (OF ART)!

Thank you!

—GOODREADS REVIEW BELOW—

This was a fantastic read! Loved spending the time with the main character as he came to terms with many of his personal flaws that blocked his potential to find true happiness. What was especially powerful about this book was the fact that there was never mention of gay trauma or homophobia. Queer characters were simply queer. Their relationships were talked about the same as any other in the book. It might not be reality, but it was refreshing to live in a world like that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are well written and the storyline was compelling. I really liked the fact that the protagonist is gay and is not made a big deal of, and his friends and family talk to him about having a boyfriend just like they would speak to a heterosexual teen about their opposite-sex partner.

It was great to follow Zach's journey as he learns some valuable lessons about what really matters in life, often with disastrous consequences.

I had a really hard time rating this book. I think the beginning was a little slow, and I spent a lot of time being frustrated with Zack. I didn't quite understand the motivation for Zack to take the fall - the logic wasn't there for me. What team would choose a captain who pulled a prank like that and got into so much trouble? I can understand Zack wanting to help Ryan but it seemed a little farfetched to me. However, the book really started to pick up after the halfway point. I loved the Zack's growth over the course of the book, and journey to finding himself. I thought Chip was a great character and I loved how his relationship developed with Zack. It was a slow-burn and I loved every second of it. I wish I had gotten a little more of them together beyond that last little scene because of the slow burn, but I loved reading about their relationship. I also loved Zack's friends and his relationship with them. (Noel was my personal favorite). I felt like I could forgive a lot of Zack's flaws because his friends mitigated them in a lot of ways and held him in check both for the story and for me as a reader. Also brownie points for not having "coming out" be the main source of tension. Every once in a while, it's nice not to read about homophobia in my romcoms and instead see a picture of the world as it should be rather than how it is.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a sweet slow-burn YA romance!

Nice and readable. I loved the characters and the writing was easy to follow. Recommendable book for sure.

It’s not often that I finish a book feeling really conflicted but this is definitely one of those times.

Now there were several things I enjoyed about this book. I loved the conservation side of the plot, especially Chip and his work at the institute. Honestly Chip and Daisy the dolphin were my favorite characters. He’s this anxious little sweetheart who loves the planet and reads Priory of the Orange Tree in his spare time. He’s the redeeming factor of this book for me. I did also, for the most part, love the relationship between Zack and Meyers. Their friendship just reminded me a lot of how my own relationship with my best friend was when we were in high school. I also appreciated that the author highlighted some of the struggles of being a teen from a divorced household.

Now. I think my biggest complaint revolves around the prank because I feel like there needs to be way more clarification for it to make sense. How, HOW is a teenager fitting a whole shark into a locker without anybody noticing? How did the shark fit? I spent so much time during this read just focused on trying to make the prank make sense.

I also really disliked Zack’s character for most of the book and that made it hard for me to really be on his side for a lot of the story. I didn’t like how he treated a lot of his teammates, especially Noel (who I don’t even really like that much). Now I did understand Zack’s constant need for approval from everybody, especially Ryan but I just was annoyed honestly.

Ultimately I enjoyed parts of the book but there are just some aspects that I think just don’t vibe well for me. Regardless thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the gifted ecopy of this book. This is my honest review.

Thanks netgalley for the eARC!

I absolutely adored this. I’m a sucker for a good LGBT book 🥰 this was my first read by this author and it likely won’t be my last!

If you’re looking for a quick read, this is the one for you! A quick rom-com that was very easy to read and unputdownable.

Like Me Better is a charming summer rom-com! Zack take the fall for a prank his team captain played and now his summer is ruined. Zack is now stuck doing community service at the local seaside conservation center. He also got stuck with a reputation that's not true to his character and now the cute new boy,Chip won't give him the time of day. Zack has to figure who he wants to be and how to get Chip to fall for him. There are a lot of great characters in this book but I loved Chip. Also Zack has a lot of growth and was cute. It had a little too much soccer for me but I'm not a soccer gal. I thought this one was cute and would make a great beach read!

My Review:

8/10



Time for another LGBTQ YA contemporary romance. And I am really excited to discuss this book.

One thing about this book to note, is that it's about athletes. During the time of reading this novel I was not an athlete (I am on one team right now). I didn't understand all the sports terminology. Reading this book though did make me want to join the volleyball team at my school. I'm not really going to talk about my sports career in this review but volleyball is one of the first team sports I've done in a while, since I am a runner. I do track, and my mindset is “It’s a race against myself.” Talking about people is the perfect segway to my next topic, characters.

The main character was instantly likable, and I was tied to him emotionally. He is an overall good person. It made me want to find the one. I want a relationship with someone who I care about and vice versa, and to love. Is that so much to ask? Their relationship is one for the books and I am still thinking about it even after the book is over. And the other boy in the story was also one I instantly liked. Everyone in this book was likable, except for the Team Captain, Ryan. Thinking about Ryan gives me the shivers. This book made me jealous of not having a serious relationship with anyone, but I am glad I can live vicariously through fictional characters (that’s normal right?).

I did end up really enjoying this book in the end, and if you are a fan of:

- Heartstopper

- Love Victor

- Sex Education

You should defenintly pick up a copy of this book.