DNF @ 56%

It pains me to say this, because I was so excited to read this YA novel, but something about the storyline just wasn't working for me. It felt like it was trying to do too many things: mystery, feminism outrage, romance - and I wasn't invested in any of the storylines for that reason. I LOVED the author's writing style and I thought the friendships were outstanding, but ultimately, I had to set this book aside.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend it.

This book was CRAZY. I was seriously not expecting the plot twists and it stayed hilariously entertaining the whole way through.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!!

Cancelled

For some reason I didn’t realize I haven’t read this book even though I wanted to for a long time *facepalm* thankfully I realized my mistake and quickly grabbed it and started it.

I am so glad I did because it was a fresh take on slut shaming and cancel culture. Brynn is a high school student with a reputation of being a flirt, so of course the whole school believes she is guilty of hooking up with the boyfriend of a former friend.

This spirals Brynn into the chaos of learning who her real friends are, where her own loyalty is, and just how much revenge can make her or break her.

I really really enjoyed the friendship part of this book, Brynn’s friend group stuck with each other and learned that respect is the biggest gift you can give to a teenage girl.

Now Brynn was a good lead, I like her and her confidence and she showed a lot of maturity though she got on my nerves a little with her slowness to resolve her own relationship. But overall I was entertained and happy throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Something was just off about this one. I couldn't connect with the main characters and found myself falling in love with the side characters instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an ARC!

This book was good. It reminded me of the book/movie "Moxie" a lot because of the themes and the high school setting. I liked the messages explored in the book. She has to clear her name of something she didn't even do, but she has to choose between her reputation/going to dream college and saving someone else's reputation.

This isn't one of my favorite books, but I'd still definitely recommend it!

Cancelled definitely did NOT make me miss high school!

I skimmed through reviews before deciding between two and three stars. There was a lot of good in the book, but I ultimately decided on a two star rating. The main character Brynn was mostly likeable, and I really enjoyed the social commentary about Misogyny and female empowerment. But the story didn't hold my attention and make me want to keep reading. I also did not care for the love story... I didn't feel the chemistry build up.

I think that the book was a miss for me, but would definitely be a huge hit for others! I love YA, it just wasn't amongst my favorites. I would be interested to see what comes next for the author.

In a world where cancel culture has become such a big part of social media, this book was an eye opener. When people are making videos to cancel others, they don't always think of the backlash that will ensue, especially if the victim is misidentified. This was such a great read!

A fun and fast paced story of high school social drama with a thoughtful exploration of "cancellation" and what justice looks like. I enjoyed the romp of it all, and really liked the take it took on what it means to right a wrong (and how complicated that can get).

I really enjoyed this book. This is a great story for anyone in high school currently. There is a great lesson to be learned from Brynn and the rest of the student body about the negative aspects of social media. Poor Brynn was being blamed for cheating with her ex bestie’s boyfriend, and she has no way to prove that she didn’t. Some hijinks ensues and a love story unfolds.

I would recommend this book to young teens or any adult that’s up for a good story with a moral.

Murders and World War II are like catnip to me. I love reading about both topics. So I was excited to read Some Murders in Berlin by Karen Robards. The book is an intriguing story of a serial killer who is raping and murdering women in Nazi-era Berlin. To catch him Danish psychologist Dr. Elin Lund, known as "Dr. Murder", has been brought into Berlin by the Nazi government to develop a psychological profile of the killer, which will then be used to help the local police, led by Homicide Detective Kurt Schneider,catch the killer. Soon, however, the killer realizes Ellin is getting close to identifying him and she thus becomes his target.

The book's plotting was generally good. The unfolding of clues was logical and believable. However, the book took a long time to become compelling and suspenseful. There were many conversations and descriptions that could have been shortened or eliminated to get the action going. Also, there were many characters introduced early in the story. I had to keep reading back to remember who they were. I almost gave up on it. Glad I didn't because the last half of the book is a page turner.

The identity of the killer needed to be fleshed out more; I wasn't convinced he was a serial killer. Maybe Eli or Kurt witnessing a truly barbaric act on his part would have helped me believe he was capable of rape and murder.

The interweaving of history with story is particularly well done. Robards does a great job recreating Nazi-era Berlin, Secret bars, mandated blackouts, buildings reduced to rubble by Allied bombings, and general chaos, are the perfect environment for the killer to prey on vulnerable young women, many of whom are alone due to their husbands and brothers away fighting in the German army. The reader gets a sense of menacing evil, and danger through her vivid descriptions of Berlin early in the war.
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The two main characters were well developed, with many believable qualities. Elin is a prickly scientist, devoted to her work, yet vulnerable from worrying about her Jewish son. That she is also beautiful, is a bit of a stretch. However, this is a romance novel, so it probably works for most readers. I did not believe that her mother was a serial killer. That seemed contrived and unnecessary to developing her character. Detective Kurt is the stereotypical gruff detective who has a heart of gold. He acts believably as he initially is skeptical of Elin's abilities, then grows to trust her instincts and intelligence. He is also a Nazi. In a cool twist to his personality, it is revealed that he is helping Jewish children escape from Germany. That worked for me and helped me understand Elin’s attraction to him. Of course, the two fall in love. After all, this IS a romance novel. I did think the romance/ sex parts were pretty cringey. Elin, in particular, had a beating heart, thoughts of steamy trysts, glances full of meaning, etc. that just didn't seem in line with a highly educated scientist.

I would have liked to know more about the two Danish resisters who were smuggled out of the country as part of Elin's team. What was their connection to her? Were they already part of her team, but also participants in the Resistance? Why were they smuggled into Nazi Germany? Seems like a terrible place for them to hide. If their identities were fleshed out, I missed it.

Readers who enjoy books about WWII will appreciate this book's unique perspective on the era.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend it.

This one wasn’t really for me. I think the premise was a good idea but I found the characters, specifically the main character, very frustrating. I felt like a lot of the side characters were more compelling than the main character and I wished it had been focused on someone else.
Overall 2.5 stars.

I absolutely adored Cancelled by Farrah Penn. It is about high school senior, Brynn, who is working tirelessly to get into her dream school, but when an incriminating video is released the day after Halloween, of someone wearing the exact same Banana costume as she was, scandal ensues. Everyone is convinced that Brynn is the girl in the video, even though she knows it isn’t her, and her reputation is destroyed, threatening everything she has been working for. Now that she is canceled, she teams up with her best friends to figure out who the girl in the video actually is, and how they can clear her name, and stop the rampant misogyny that is happening in their school.

This book gave me major Easy-A vibes, so if you are a fan of that movie, this book is for you! It was such an easy read, but was jam-packed with good content. It was smart, hilarious, poignant, with super diverse characters and tons of different rep. It handles cancel culture and feminism in a beautiful way that never comes across as preachy or holier-than thou, and makes some great points. It is also my favorite type of YA book, that doesn’t shy away or dumb down actual things and situations that teenagers deal with to feel PG, but also isn’t raunchy. It was a fantastic representation of the modern teenage experience.

This book brought me out of a long book slump and I had trouble putting it down. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for a finished copy and an eARC of this book.

Tropes: Revenge, Feminism, Female Friendships, Private School, Coming of Age, Cinnamon Role Love Interest

CW: Bullying, Slut shaming, Sexism, Drug Abuse

This book hit a little to close to reality- HS kids are mean, they bully each other and they sometimes get away with it- this book shows that side of it, but then shows the ones being put down fighting back.

Brynn gets people, or at least how to talk to them- she helps her classmates talk to their crushes, and in return she can help her mom pay the bills. When a SnapChat is sent to the entire school- Brynn is thought to be the girl in the banana costume- so she has been cancelled. What's worse- it isn't her.

I love the group of friends in this book- they are so supportive- maybe more than in real life- but it is what every person should have in a group of friends. People who support and help you no matter what.

The plot point of getting into college and going to your dream school is one that is so real for HS seniors, and it is so hard- especially if you don't get to go where you want.

The relationship between Brynn and her mom is strained and relatable. Having to grow up faster than a traditional teenager is hard, and it makes your relationships with your parents different- especially if it is a single parent.

This was a fast paced, fun, emotional, sometimes cringy book- I enjoyed it and am looking forward to more from this author.

I think this is a really important book for young adult readers. I liked that the characters stood up for themselves against an administration that, while perhaps intended to be fair, saw the worst only on the female characters side.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own

I really enjoyed this young adult novel about Brynn, who serves as a “flirt coach” to her peers until a scandal rocks her world and causes her to reevaluate her relationships and interactions with those around her. I loved the themes of empowerment and inclusivity that are portrayed in this book. I also loved Brynn’s relationships with her family and her fabulous group of friends. This book is engaging and thought-provoking. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This story follows a young girl who is canceled but is trying to figure out who’s behind of it all. I really enjoyed Penn’s writing style for this book and the message behind the story. The book was well written and really captures today’s time of high school. There’s a lot of representation and learning moments throughout this book which is is good for young readers. There’s a bit of light romance in this book but it’s not the main focus of the story. The MC is well written and I really enjoyed her story of making new friends and overcoming tough times. I do have to say that this book felt very gen z to me which I’m sometimes fine with but I felt it throughout the entire book. Overall, it’s a well written story that I recommend checking out.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I did enjoy this book and will give it 3.5 stars. It starts with Brynn having a false rumor, spread about her and how she tries to take back control and starting a feminist group. Along the way, she’s trying to figure out who the actual person in the video was and learned about herself along the way.