With or Without You is a novel with a lot of potential, but ultimately falls short in some areas. The book tells the story of a woman named Cindy, who is in a "secret" with her public enemy Jordan. The concept and plot are intriguing, but the execution is lacking.
One of the strengths of the book is the way the author portrays the relationship between the two. Cindy's struggle with balancing her own desires and dreams with those of Jordan, which was written nicely. However, the book is often be hard to follow, and there are several plot holes that detract from the overall experience. The "big final plot twist" isn't as impactful as it could be, and the reader is left feeling underwhelmed.

Despite these issues, the main character is relatable at times. The line "When you see a lot of people with those kinds of close relationships, it’s hard to wedge yourself in. To ask people to make space for you. I know some people are good at that sort of thing, but not me" is particularly poignant to me.

Overall, while With or Without You has some strengths, it may not be the best choice for readers looking for a tightly-plotted, impactful novel. However, for those who don't mind looking past the plot holes and questioning choices of the characters, it may be worth a read.

With or Without You by Eric Smith – This is a YA romance novel that is filled with love. (and I think a lot of Eric Smith's soul, which is just pure if you don't know that already.)

It was a quick sweet read. Dual perspectives from Jordan and Cindy. If you like reality television and food trucks, this is the book for you. It’s got teen romance, a fun feud, and loads of actiony drama. I loved each character in this novel. They were all well thought out, and well developed. Every side character was a character, you know. Sometimes that’s hard to find in a novel, but Eric pulled it off very well.

This novels grammar was of course amazing. I imagine that being a literary agent, and a writer, gives you tons of time to perfect the editing process! It was a fun read. I was happy with the ending, too. So, with all that, I’d like to say that this is definitely a five star read! Pick up your copy when it comes out on November 7th, 2023!

I’d like to take a moment and thank NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Eric Smith for the ARC copy of this novel. I have provided this review of my own accord, and again, could not be happier with this novel!

I will start off by saying that I think this book just may not have been for me, but the biggest issue I had with it was how small the stakes seemed to be by the character's own standards. There was certainly internal dialogue that would make it seem as if they were wrestling with their plans or what was next, but it never felt like it was bigger than life, therefore, I struggled to get into it. I could chalk it up to them being kids, but even their "show" and banter was lacking anything really fun or compelling. It made me question why they really had to "sell" anything to their customers or anyone else to begin with. I thought the inserted chapters with show confessionals was a unique touch and offered a different way to allow them to tell the story, but it never made me more excited. I found myself wondering if they were going to eventually discover that they weren't suited for each other.

There was a sweetness to it that I appreciated, and I do think it could be the right fit for someone, but it was a little tough for me to get through.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With or Without You is about two teens whose families have rival food trucks in Philadelphia--right on the same corner, as I understood it. Jordan's family used to own a diner, but it failed, and they serve up cheesesteaks with or without onions (but don't order mushrooms unless you want them to ring the bell of shame). Cindy's family serves up organic sandwiches from their food truck, after losing their organic farm and moving to Philly.

It seems that Jordan's family helped Cindy's family get settled into the city when they first moved to Phily from Boston, but when her family got the preferred location for their food truck, a big feud began. There are lots of nasty glares and sometimes shouting between the two trucks. And the tourists are there for it with their phones, recording everything to social media.

However, it is understood pretty early on that the feud is just for show--the two families actually get along and are good friends. And Cindy and Jordan? They're together and have plans to take a food truck across the US after summer ends. In the meantime, they have to be very secretive about their relationship, so as not to disappoint anyone caught up in the rivalry.

When the families get an offer to star in their own a reality TV show based on the feud, they decide to go with it. And that means that Cindy and J0rdan need to be even more careful than before.

From there, you kind of know how this is going to end up. A cute story, but it was like watching a very scripted reality show with a lot of unlikeable characters.

"Everyone knows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other.

According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.

But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.

When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trapped between pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?"

I thought that this was such a cute little read. At times I thought that some of the characters *ahem* Cindy... were kind of annoying just because of some of the decisions that she would make. She seems a lot more selfish when it comes to Jordan. But what else do 18-year-olds do but be selfish? I really felt like I was transported into the story, I was that engrossed in it.

I received this book fee of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 3.5/5 stars

Jordan and Cindy hate each other. Their families run competing food trucks in Philly. The feuds between the families is so bad that there is a realty show being filmed about them. Little do we know that Jordan and Cindy are in a relationship.

At times this book was a little over the top. These kids just graduated from high school? When Jared starts showing some interest in Cindy, I was like ok, now maybe we have some drama here. It just kinda fizzled out and left me feeling meh. Over all it was a fun read and it kept me entertained.

This is about two teens whose families have a food truck rivalry. The rivalry is a driving force for their businesses, but it's also a facade. One that they keep going for the sake of their businesses since the families made up years ago. When they're approached to film their own reality show pilot, they keep up appearances which makes things even more difficult off camera.

The premise was intriguing, but it was slow and I had a hard time getting into it. We're supposed to believe that they're together and have been together for awhile. They're supposedly planning their immediate future together, but there wasn't background to make me buy into their relationship. The lengths they go (mostly Cindy from my perspective) to keep their rivalry going for the public is ridiculous and I'm not sure why Jordan puts up with it. Jordan's goals for the future don't fully make sense either since Cindy seems very insecure in their relationship from the start.

This book just wasn't for me. I could see other YA readers possibly enjoying it, although I wonder if the band references would go over non-millennial's heads.

This book was absolutely astounding! I was hooked from the first chapter and literally could not put it down. All the characters are so well written, I just knew there were other things going on that we didn't "see" in the book and I want to know everything. The reality TV asides were super cute in the beginning before I remembered that there was an aspect of that written into the story, and it fit so perfectly. I loved Jordan's parents, they truly made me cry so many times, especially during the restaurant vigil scene, it brought me to full sobs. The conflict between Cindy and Jordan was just enough so that it felt like the plot was moving, but not enough that I got super frustrated for them not communicating with each other. I'm also a sucker for the forbidden love trope and enemies to lovers, which I know this isn't exactly, but it did have some of the elements. Overall so amazing, I can't wait for this title to come out so I can recommend it to all my library teen patrons who want a super adorable love story with some drama thrown in for interest!

I loved these two. They were so great. I loved their background history and their chemistry, the love and support for one another, the angst, the push and pull, the romantic tension between them, everything was so well executed by the author. The characters were not perfect, they had their own struggles and obstacles they had to overcome before they came to the realization that they are better together than apart. I’m so happy with how everything wrapped up at the end. It was such an enjoyable book!!

With or Without You is about two teens whose families run a rival cheesesteak food truck in Philadelphia. The two families get along and this rivalry is for tourists. They get an offer about being on a reality TV show about the rivalry they decided to play along with.
The way the story was written made it easy to get into. The Confessional Shot Transcript felt like I was watching a reality show. I adore YA romances where the main characters have a conflict at the beginning of the novel.
The only problem I had with the book was with the main characters; it was hard to like them particularly, Cindy. There were times in the book she seemed selfish, and there was no reason for her to treat Jordan the way she did even if it was for a show. There were a lot of questions that I had that were left unanswered. The concept would have been great if it wasn't for the main characters
Thank you, Netgalley and Inkyard Press for an arc of this book

With or Without You is a fun and heartwarming story about two teens navigating their way through love, family drama, and the cutthroat world of food trucks. Eric Smith’s writing is charming and witty, making it easy to root for Jordan and Cindy’s happy ending. The book is perfect for fans of YA romance and anyone who loves a good foodie competition.

I received an advance copy of this through NetGalley. This book was incredibly cute. I loved the band references and the focus on its Philly locations. The storyline is quick paced and alternates between Jordan and Cindy’s perspectives in a way that flows well. I’m not usually a fan of duet style books, but this was well done. It would’ve been the perfect beach read, but since I’m in KY I had to settle for it being the perfect hammock read.

The execution was awful, the writing was meh, and I didn't like the characters. The concep sounded cool but it ended up being a disappoinment.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book, but the execution wasn't there. 'With or Without You' is about two teenagers, Cindy and Jordan. Their families run rival cheese steak food trucks in Philadelphia. Secretly, Cindy and Jordan are dating, and the two families get along. They play up the rival for tourists and to get more customers for their trucks.

When Cindy and her family are approached about being on a reality tv show about the rivalry, they have to play it up for the cameras again. Part of the show will focus on the food truck competition. When we finally get to the competition, it seems anticlimactic and underwhelming.

Because of all of the lying and pretending, I couldn't get a sense if Cindy and Jordan were really happy or good together. I liked Jordan, and he seemed to care about Cindy. I really didn't like Cindy at all. She seemed very selfish, and she went out of her way to be mean to Jordan, under the guise of doing it for the cameras. She didn't trust that he wasn't in love with his best friend, and she also started talking to another guy named Jared, who worked on the show. She was openly flirting with another guy in front of her boyfriend, and it really seemed like cheating to me. She lied to Jordan so many times, and I don't know why he would want to be with her.

I didn't see much of a romance in this book. I normally read books pretty quickly, but I kept putting this down and picking it up. I couldn't get into the story. I was invested in the characters either.

Overall, it hurts me so much to say that I didn't really enjoy this book. I'm from Philly, and I love to support stories about my hometown. I also really love cheese steaks and food trucks. The concept could have been so good, but it just wasn't there for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC of this book.

Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz do not like each other, nor do their parents. Their families both own food trucks, and have been in competition with one another for years. Jordan and Cindy have spent their high school years in screaming matches and hurtling insults toward one another. But, the truth is, it’s all a sham for the tourists. In reality, they are in love and have been together for over a year. But, they realized they might have played their parts too well when they ended up filming a pilot for their very own reality tv show… based on their rivalry. Now, Jordan and Cindy have to lie about their relationship while they figure out if they can have the best of both worlds.

So… I went into this with an open mind. In fact, I secretly LOVE established relationships. Add in that it has to be kept a secret, and I’m practically foaming at the mouth. I had a few issues from the start with the way their dynamic was introduced. More build-up and establishment of their relationship dynamic (specifically with their friends, family, and the general public) was needed to make this work. It felt lackluster to just throw us in knowing they were together, and it was made unclear for a long time what their families knew about their relationship. In a real-world sense, the relationship did not work. Realistically, no one cares enough about a food-truck rivalry between two teenagers to go to the lengths they did when it came to hide their relationship.

I was not the biggest fan of Cindy, and found her to not be the best protagonist for many reasons (her hypocrisy, annoying tendencies, and selfish behaviors being at the forefront). Jordan was okay, I liked him. But, he did tend to have his eyes set on one thing... And then didn't really do that thing in the end. Jared, boo. That's that. The parents were both faux deep, and oftentimes just felt one-dimensional.

The storylines around the film crew, food truck rivalry, and the competition for the food trucks didn't feel fleshed out or realistic. I wish we got something more... Something a little bit better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A more extensive review can be found on my Goodreads.