I have very mixed feelings about this book. I feel that I really liked the writing style and the flow the author had.
I do think I may not have been the target audience for this book and for that reason it fell a bit flat for me.
I loved the main character and Charlie, but the other characters felt extremely forced and out of place. I think the author was really pushing a certain political agenda in this book and it just didn’t fit and really took away from the storyline. If that wasn’t a part of this book I think my rating would have been higher.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but I don’t think I will be reading anything else from this author anytime soon.
I received my arc copy from NetGalley, thank you and I am leaving this review on my own.

I thought the main character Brynn was the stereotypical over achiever who is extremely worried of anything jeopardizing her getting into college. She deals with some real life, and relatable, issues (daddy issues, brother who is an addict, drama at school). And it sounds like she has a great group of friends who are supporting her. I really liked the feminist group that they started and how welcoming they were to anyone and everyone joining them.

This one is a quick read filled with wit and humor. It had a lot of character growth which is great and I think the pressures that these teens are feeling was real. It's relatable to those getting ready for college and navigating the pressures of that all.

Cancelled by Farrah Penn is a humorous and daring novel that delves into the relatable challenges and memorable experiences of high school. This entertaining story features a diverse array of characters who are sure to capture your heart.

Our FMC Brynn, overachiever high school senior, finds herself in the center of a scandal after a video from a party is leamed and blame is placed on her for being one of the people in the video in a compromising position. While it's not her in the video, all attempts she makes to clear her name end up ultimately making things worse.

She has a heck of a friend group who has her back whole heartedly, and friends to crush situation (I won't name names, but he was the sweetest!!)

The content, while important and it was probably a realistic portrayal of what kids are going through in high school, it felt a little heavy for a YA book. I'm a little torn between 3 and 4 stars mostly because I was expecting, based on the description of if you like Emma Lord books (which I LOVE and are very heartwarming/make you melt a little) and this wasn't quite as innocent as I was expecting, but on the other hand I couldn't put it down because I wanted to get to the mystery of the video.

If you, like me, binged through the show gossip girl while you were in high school (and it's one of your secret guilty pleasures today) then you'll definitely enjoy this story!


Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Cancelled finds serial dater Brynn Whitaker giving advice to fellow high schools on how best to communicate with their crushes and score dates. Her much-needed income as a flirting coach is threatened when she goes to a Halloween party dressed in a banana costume, and an anonymous video surfaces of a person in the same costume hooking up with her ex-best friend's boyfriend. Being ostracized at school, she is determined to find the identity of the actual person in the video. As she gets closer to the truth, she realizes she doesn't want to slut shame another girl, but rather turn the tables on the misogynistic attitude that exonerates the male cheater. She and her friends form a "femolution" club, denouncing sexism in the school. Her social group includes a trans girl, a pansexual hijabi wearing girl, a pregnant classmate and her swoon worthy twin brother. With her income, her scholarship and college recommendations on the line, Brynn must prove her innocence once and for all.

Brynn Whitaker, a high school senior, is cancelled after a compromising video goes viral via SnapChat. The story explores how messy high school can be especially when you add social media. Ultimately Brynn and her friends ban together to fight back, with an emphasis on female empowerment.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC..

I was mixed on Cancelled. I liked the portrayal of high school friendships and all of their complexities. I didn't connect well with the plot - it felt very feminism 101 and could be a bit heavy handed at times (i.e., the three quotes at the start of each chapter to set the current tone felt unnecessary).

I often love and can find some connection to YA novels even though I'm 30 and outside the YA age range. Despite that not being the case this time, I think Cancelled will resonate and be more empowering for those in the intended demographic.

This book hits on what's going on now, especially at schools. Brynn is canceled (all hate her) over a video gone viral. To get her back in the graces of the students, she starts a feminist/diversity club. Brynn has a lot of spunk and great friends to help her through it all and discover who's to blame. Basically the story has a little of everything: a failing romance, great friendships, an addicted brother and feminism (Me,Too).

Fast paced and hard to put down YA novel.

Brynn has a lot going for her in her senior year- good grades, a lucrative side hustle helping her fellow students communicate with their crushes, and her sights set on Stanford. When a scandalous video is sent out after Halloween of someone in a banana costume having…relations with Brynn’s ex best friend’s current boyfriend. Brynn was a banana at the Halloween party but it wasn’t her. She hopes to find out who it was and still be in good standing for her dream college.

I love a book about a group of people taking on the patriarchy! This was fun. It had Easy A vibes with the snarky fun quips and group of religious teens trying to take down the mc. It was a fun YA book but definitely had topics that are needed for teens but may be on the older side of YA.

Overall enjoyable and quick to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC.

I love a good drama-filled angsty book. This checked those boxes. It had a relatable situation with Brynn the main character needing income but finding herself in a gnarly situation on social media. Video is shared of someone who looks like Brynn messing around with a friend's boyfriend. She needs to try to clear her name.
Unfortunately, I didn't really care about Brynn, which made me not care too much whether she cleared her name. She was pretty unlikable in some situations.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the book, but because I didn't love the characters, it wasn't a perfect fit for me.

Brynn is cancelled when a video of someone wearing the exact same costume as her and her ex-best friend's boyfriend is spread to all her school. Seeing the imbalance in how she, whose face isn't even on camera after all that wasn't her, and he, who is the actual cheater, are treated, she gets together with her friend and form a club against misogyny to try and cancel the cancel culture.

It's not that I had the best of times reading it. A lot of the approach of feminism was shallow, some of the plot was more of the same, so this is more like a 3.5 rounded up to 4. It's not the incredible read that will be added to the pantheon of the unforgettable YA's. However, I never even expected it to be amazing, and it's got some great moments to make up for it.

One thing I loved to hate was how unfair everything was to Brynn, and how the unfairness was basically unavoidable. Her mother needs to devote herself to her older brother, who is always in rehabs, the principal is never on her side, but Brynn does overdo things, making it hard for someone who clearly doesn't like her to fight her battles, and well, her ex-best friend has no reason not to believe that she isn't the one her boyfriend cheated her on with, but she's also got no reason to believe it either. This frustration made me connect to the story more than anything. I really needed to see things get fixed or I wouldn't ever get a full night's sleep again.

Another thing I loved is Charlie, the boy who helps her. I loved that he's no savior, she's got some great friends for that, and yet he's made me swoon in a couple of scenes. It's been a while a YA has last managed to do that, actually. Romances in YAs seem to have gotten a little lazy lately, it's either too much or too little. So, YES! We've got some properly romantic scenes that have made my heart beat faster.

There's a good side to how shallow they approach feminism. With a strong character like Brynn, it could have easily gotten preachy, and the message would have been lost. I feel it does enough calling out the situation, though of course I can see it if someone says otherwise. It is supposed to play a major part of the plot when you put the topic on the title, right? For me, that was okay at least; easy to understand and to support. I'd say the number of side characters and subplots were more messy than that.

This is a recommended read to anyone who is a fan of contemporary YA's, and I'd love to read more from Farrah Penn.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

This was ok, but some YA books just feel too immature and ridiculous to me. I think actual teenagers might like it though.

This book is why I still love YA, despite growing further and further away from the Y aspect of this genre. Cancelled reminded me of Moxie, but funnier. Also how is it that it’s 2024 and that shit is still going on? That feminist clubs to educate others are even still needed? But I digress.

I loved all the great points this book makes, similar to Moxie, but this addresses trans issues and more racial issues, as well. And like I said, it’s got great humor in it- the main character Brynn is super witty. She also is just a great person in general and is a wonderful role model for any actual young adults reading this.

Aside from all the important lessons this book has, it has a sweet romance blooming in it, too. I loved the slow-burn love story between Charlie and Brynn. And to keep the book extra interesting, there’s a mystery that needs solving, as well.

Overall, a fantastic book! Read if you like YA, especially ones with a little mystery and romance. And if you want to join the #femolution!

I loved everything about this book. The plot, the characters, the humor, the FEMALE RAGE. Everything was amazing. Brynn was such a complex character. I loved how simultaneously confident and vulnerable she was. I loved her friendships with Talia, Marlowe and Cadence. They were such a great and supportive group. I also loved the look at her family life and how she felt second best to her brother who got more attention from their mom due to his addiction. And CHARLIE. Ugh, don’t even get me started on how much I loved Charlie. Of all the things I loved about this book, the look at the double standards between boys and girls in terms of sexuality and sexual experience was probably my favorite. I loved the Femolution club Brynn and her friends started to not only try and clear Brynn’s name, but bring to light all the sexism religious bigotry and misogyny that can run rampant in a high school. This book definitely infuriated me at times (as it’s supposed to), but the ending was excellent and I thought it gave so much closure to everyone. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

CW: slut shaming, religious bigotry, bullying, mentions of drug addiction, underage drinking

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title!

Cancelled is a story about modern feminism and what young women experience today as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of high school dating. The main character, Brynn, is embroiled in a scandal that she was truly not a part of, but manages to turn into a learning experience for pretty much her entire school. This book is full of thoughtful commentary on feminism and cancel culture, as well as the power of female friendships. The pacing of the book is terrific and should appeal to teen readers. I also found myself unable to put this one down, as I desperately wanted to know what had really gone on in the video at the center of the book's conflict. Brynn is messy and makes mistakes, but I was rooting for her the entire time. I will be adding a copy to my classroom library!

This book intruding me almost immediately as someone who hates “cancel culture”, I was very interested to see how this book went about it especially in a high school setting.
Honestly I’ve gone back-and-forth with this rating and review a few times, because I was really invested in this book and intrigued by it but then another (smaller) part of me was also infuriated and annoyed by it. Honestly, though thinking back on this book, do partially think the idea of this book was to make you feel annoyed and aggravated at society’s standards, so I do definitely think it accomplished that.
This book follows Brynn, a high school senior- who after a video is spread among her classmates, follows victim to cancel culture. I think this expected the job of highlighting the struggles that teenage girls in high school experience. It was very storm the kingdom, f** the patriarchy kind of vibes and I was definitely enjoying that aspect.
This book definitely ended up being more of a powerful read than I expected, and I think it would be very beneficial for young adults to read this especially females or those that have experienced cancel culture in any type of way. I feel like a lot of people would definitely be able to relate to a lot of different aspects of this book.
My only real complaint is like the romance aspect of this book. I feel like it was a bit underdeveloped and seemed immature, especially for the maturity level of the characters in different areas of the book- I feel like it almost just didn’t line up.
Overall though I really enjoyed this book! Again, I think it would be a very powerful, yet still enjoyable read for a lot of people- I would definitely recommend!

*Thank you Penguin Teen, NetGalley and team for an eARC of this book an exchange for an honest review. All opinions above are 100% my own!*

This book was a wild ride and so fun! I felt very connected to the FMC in a way that many of her outrage and disbelief is something I felt through the pages of the book as well! This was definitely filled with all sorts of teen drama and scandal with commentary on Feminism and double standards amongst society. Farrah after being "cancelled" by her classmates for something she didn't do, strives to clear her name but also start a movement through a club that addresses issues feminism strives to dismantle. I loved her dedication as well as her friends who are supportive throughout. I think the side romance plot with her and Charlie was another cute thing. The friends to lovers trope was something I enjoyed, my only complaint was it took them so long to communicate and admit they like each other (but such is the nature of high school lol). Overall a fun and engaging read. The way it is written made me want to continue reading to find out what happens next. There's something for everyone in this book!

Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me an e-ARC of this book for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This book reminded me of "The DUFF" (the far superior book version) meets "Easy A", but for Gen Z. 
Brynn is a senior in high school who's known for her numerous flirtations and situationships, and capitalizes on this by running a business giving people advice on texting and talking to their crush, for a fee. The extra income is desperately needed, because she and her single mom are struggling to keep their house in working order, not to mention saving for Brynn's dream school: Stanford. Unfortunately for her, a video of someone hooking up with a notably taken guy at school wearing the same Halloween costume as Brynn goes viral, and her client list and social life take the hit. 

Brynn and her friends are determined to prove her innocence by finding out 1. who the person in the video is and 2. who took and leaked the video. But as time goes on and the boy in the video isn't being vilified the same way, they realize the real problem is the misogyny at their school and start a feminist club to try to shift everyone's way of thinking.

The book made a point of mentioning the intersectionality of feminism and the importance of not tokenizing marginalized groups, but the side characters didn't all feel developed enough to me to counteract that tokenism they were there to combat. Brynn's 3 best friends are a hijab-wearing pansexual, a pregnant teenager, and a trans girl, respectively, which is awesome, but aside from those things I didn't feel like I got to know them all very well. Disclaimer that I am a cis white girl, though, and by no means an expert on representation or feminism. I do think this book could be a good gateway into the topic for teens. It does make sense that Brynn has a limited viewpoint, but I found it hard to believe that out of her friend group, she was the one experiencing the most issues at school with intolerant classmates, just because she dated a lot.

This was a fun concept and I liked the underlying message of the book and the value it placed on female friendships. Brynn was frustrating sometimes, but she is a teenager, so that's kind of to be expected, and I liked the love interest a lot. The writing style was the perfect kind of easy-to-binge, fast-paced YA voice, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for this author's future works! Thanks to Penguin Teen and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Read in one night and enjoyed the fast pace. This screamed high school omg, so stressful having to deal with being framed, worrying about college, and losing/gaining friends. I felt so bad for the main character brynn, she truly went through so much being a senior but I loved the message behind this story. Thank you penguin teen for the arc!

I wanted to love this book. I wanted to recommend this book. BUT THE INFORMING the reader of BLACK characters just for the sake of them being Black is wholly insensitive and unnecessary.

At least twice in this book, the black characters were identified as black just because they are black. This description adds no value to the story.

How does the MC's uncle being Black impact the story arc? How does the pediatrician being Black impact the story arc? It doesn't.