This was such a warm hug!!! I wish teenage me could have read Crystal’s books. I really appreciate the care in which Crystal wrote Whit dealing with medical fatphobia and the frustration that goes along with not being listened to. I loved Whit’s support system and all the different identities that were represented in the book.

I wanted this book the moment I saw the cute cover. I appreciated that it tackled the difficult topic of PCOS and included a diverse group of characters. The characters came across as younger making it feel like the target audience should be middle grade. It was a harder read to get into for me and while I liked the idea of the story the characters were hard to connect to. It broke my heart the way the MC felt about herself. I wished we got more depth from some of the characters but otherwise it was an okay read. Still a sweet story with an important message for people struggling with a health condition.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

The Fall Whit Rivera is so much more than just the perfect cozy fall read, this is a book about learning to love all parts of yourself, to go more with the flow, and realize not everything needs to be perfect to be special.

Whit Rivera was such likable character, and I don't feel you need to be a teen to emphasize with her character or understand her. I found myself relating to parts of what she was going through and being grateful a story like this exists for young people.

This story is about a young woman in her Senior Year that is diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome( PCOS) and how she is fat shamed by fat phobic nurses being unprofessional, the doctor says she just needs to loose weight, she is constantly being invalidated until one doctor that actually understands what she is talking about helps her feel less alone.

Her amazing friends and family support her and help her realize that she is beautiful and that this does not define who she is, does not change what kind of amazing person she is. I absolutely loved that message.

I just hope more young readers are able to read this book because it was such beautiful story with beautiful representation of all types of important topics.

This book is out today so definitely go pick it up if you get a chance.

Thank you Netgalley for approving this review.

Whit Rivera was diagnosed with PCOS last summer, and struggled through many of the uncomfortable symptoms alone. She has (mostly) gotten to place where she has accepted her diagnosis, but with senior year starting will all her insecurities come back? Like why is her boyfriend Aiden being so distant, will everyone at school notice her weight gain, and will her sister Lilly fit in her freshman year? Whit’s problems only seem to magnify when she is chosen to lead the board to organize the Fall Fest with her ex, who she hates, Zay. Except when did Zay become so fit, and nice?

This book is such a sweet story! It has all the elements of a classic romcom with a cozy fall setting. The representation in the story was everywhere….chronic illness, LGBTQ+, Black and brown people, Latina culture, etc. This book is definitely for YA and teens, and the writing style catered to that (which is good, kids need to read stories with representation). But if you’re looking for a more adult romance this book isn’t it. I liked this book, and all the candied apple sweetness within!

Read if you love:
🧡: Enemies to Friends to Lovers
🍂: Fall Setting
🌈: LGBTQ+ rep
✊🏽: Black/brown representation
🫔: Latino/a culture
⚕️: Chronic Illness rep
🧩: Neuro Development rep

The Fall of Whit Rivera is the perfect autumn read. It’s warm, cozy, sweet and funny. This is my favorite Crystal Maldonado book yet.

Whit Rivera is a fall-obsessed, psl loving Virgo who loves making lists and checking things off. Until Isaiah shows up to a committee meeting for the fall festival Whit has been hoping to run and throws a wrench in her plan to execute the perfect week of fall themed events to kick off her senior year. Whitney and Isaiah start to realize they work together better than they thought, even though they both carry some resentment toward each other for some things that didn’t quite go as planned in their past.

I loved the lgbtq rep, the journey through a PCOS diagnosis and the friendship and family dynamics. This book had me wanting to go apple picking or fit by a bonfire and spend some time with people I love. The Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Gilmore Girls references were the cherry on top.

This was the perfect autumn cosy read for so many reasons! I really wanted to start the season by reading something that perfectly emulated the feeling of watching Gilmore Girls, drinking hot chocolate and cosy blankets. This book was it. It is bursting with pure autumnal passion and love, and Whit shares her autumnal personality with so much charm and also so relatable. Whitney felt like a friend I could chat about Gilmore Girls and pumpkin spice with and just feel like we are on the same page. Aesthetics aside, the characters are all so likeable, and that is what drove the book for me. With a diverse cast of characters, who are all so unique and compelling, it was great to see them interact with each other and develop themselves. The enemies to lovers plot line is one of my favourite tropes, especially in an academic setting, and it felt like a great fit for this book and its themes. It was a predictable, fluffy romance, but that is why I loved it and why it was such a great pick for me and what I was looking for.

Crying whilst writing this review, this was an amazing book. I’ve never read a book with a character that has PCOS, so I had an insight into whilst doing my own research.

"how can a season belong to a particular kind of person, you know?
🍂🍁

this was a decent read. perhaps the main reason I couldn't fully enjoy this book was because I'm not really fond of young adult and coming of age romances in general. but, the cover was enticing and I was hoping for a good and fluffy, fall read. or it was probably due to the writing being a bit odd for my liking.

we follow whit on her tumultuous teenage journeys. the storyline alternated between family drama, health issues, and teen-crushes. the romance was the one aspect of the book that i loved the most. the kind of rivals-to-lovers arc was charmingly drawn. it all started with a mutual crush between the protagonists at 13 year old but during their middle and high school years, they ignored each other because of a specific event. the little game of ghosting each other evaporated when they had to team up. their dynamic was honestly an entertaining camaraderie that later on morphed into a cute love story.

many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review! I thought this book was a pleasant read for this fall as soon as I opened it. Each character is well-explained and quite endearing. The primary character, Whitney, was fantastic. She's so simple to love and relate to, and I simply want the best for her. This book included fantastic PCOS disability portrayal, outstanding depiction of queer positive and neurodiverse secondary characters, and was the epitome of fall and finding family!!

4.5⭐️

this was such an autumnal, warm hug of a book !! the inclusivity - from sexual orientation to neurodivergence - blessed my heart and was incorporated into the characters and plot so naturally

i don’t think i’ve read a book where the main character struggled with PCOS, and as someone who doesn’t have the condition myself, i personally thought the way it was represented and explained to readers was very informative, and i loved seeing Whit’s growth to being vulnerable and trusting other people with her pain and struggles

Whit was such a dynamic and strong character too, and she really takes me back to being a teenager and trying to hold onto being young for as long as possible, and i was rooting for her, and her relationship with Isaiah so much

overall, this book was so sweet and witty, relatively low-stakes and perfect as a quick ya read

Whitney and Zander have avoided each other ever since their embarrassing split years ago. When they're tasked with planning the autumn formal together, their oil-and-water personalities clash. Perfectionist Whit can't stand Zay's relaxed, come-what-may attitude. Yet somewhere amidst all the bickering and banter, a few sparks of another kind start flying.

This is a well-written, high-angst, introspective novel. It's described as funny, but to me, the tone was dark.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is my second Crystal Maldonado book, and this is the second time I've wished so badly that I could give one of her books to my teenage self. The Fall of Whit Rivera is a warm fall hug full of so much kindness and love that I'm so glad young adults get to read. Whit is the type of character that I absolutely would have been friends with at 16/17, and I loved this entire cast of chracters. As with Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, Maldonado handles serious topics with such care, and it never feels forced.

Despite an emergency room visit in the middle of the book, this still felt fairly low stakes without too much conflict. I don't think that's a bad thing at all (and it contributes to that warm hug feeling), but that's the only thing I can point to as to why this didn't feel like a 5 star for me. It's close though and an absolutely adorable book overall!

A perfect fall, sweet read. Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC!

Frenemies/exes are forced to work together to create the perfect fall formal but sparks are beginning to fly. Whit loves autumn, it's the time her grandparents fell in love, it's when Pumpkin spice lattes are back, and everything about it just makes her happy. Whit's been having a tough summer, having PCOS and all that comes with it, from gaining weight, losing hair, growing hair, the exhaustion, the pain, and just not being able to know what is happening to her. But with school back and the fall formal coming up, Whit is determined to make this fall the best one ever. Whit is a perfectionist, some might say a control freak, and is determined to do the best, but when she has to work with Isiah "Zay" her ex boyfriend who ghosted her in middle school, and the now very hot skater boy who takes everything in stride (the complete opposite of her), Whit knows its going to be a difficult time, or is it? The more time they spend together the more Whit finds herself falling for him. Yet she is also dealing with family drama, her chronic illness (that she's been keeping a secret) and her struggle with wanting to make the fall formal perfect. Can she get her perfect autumn or are some things out of her control? This was a really cozy autumn read, filled with second chance romance, the autumn vibes for days, and a bi Latina character who is dealing with PCOS. It had a lot of great diversity and the attention to family bound and culture was beautiful. The romance was sweet and I liked all the side characters and their plots too. I really liked seeing Whit grow and seeing her allow herself to relax and to overcome a lot of her struggles. It really was a fun read overall and the perfect book to add to your autumn tbr.

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Holiday House for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Love the PCOS representation and brining awareness to the diffculties of this condition. PDF format was hard to read using the app. Whit rivera is a well developed character and I enjoyed the Cozy fall vibes

I decided to start my autumn with this book and it was 100% the right decision. This is THE autumn book, it felt like my favorite cozy sweater, a hot cup of pumpkin spice latte, and warm hugs.
It´s a story not so much about romance, even if it`s there, but more about family and growing to accept yourself as the person that you are. A perfect quick read (I devoured this in one day), that does a great job capturing what it feels like to have to come to terms with a chronic illness, growing up, and honestly the fatphobia in the medical system. I do this the representation was spot on.
Whit is a so-called "basic" girl, obsessed with makeup, Autumn, Gilmore Girls, a boy band, and obvious PSL, and nobody makes fun of her, she´s allowed to be that, to be girly and I think is amazing. There was at points the feeling that everything was working out maybe too perfectly, not a lot of conflict, and the moments of conflict felt very low stake. But I think at times we do need that kind of story just to feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Probably my only issue with this book was the spoon-feeding. I am a smart muffin, I can draw my own conclusions and read between the lines, and most of the time it felt that the author didn´t trust me with it and chose to spell out every feeling and meaning behind every gesture. After a while, I got used to it and it didn´t hinder my enjoyment of the story but I do like a little bit of trust, like the "the curtains are blue" type of situation.
Probably my absolute favorite thing in the whole book was the lack of third-act break-up. Yes, please! Unless there is a good reason and enough time to work through said breakup, just leave it out. this book did it and it survived!!! My second favorite thing is Destiny, Zay´s ex not being vilified, she is shown as an actually nice girl and just not the right person type of thing. loved it, we don´t support girl-on-girl hate in this house!!!
I would recommend this book to any autumn-obsessed people, I might even send a copy to my best friend, and to anyone looking for a warm and fuzzy read for a cold evening.

This is a sweet autumnal rom-com with a cute rekindled relationship—but the real heart of the narrative is the growth of the narrator as she learns how to let go and not have to plan and perfect every detail of every day, as well as how to love her body despite the frustrating challenges that PCOS throws her way. A generally lighthearted, smooth-sailing read that will especially resonate with teens who have dealt with similar medical issues or anxious personalities (and a very cozy book to read in the fall!).

I love this! The disability representation was really well done! It brought up a lot of good discussion points but also wasn’t falling into typical harmful tropes, so there’s a lot of good stuff to discuss here with students in a natural way. I really hope everyone picks up this book!

What a fantastic and fun book that talks about issues that are rarely discussed in books. Whit is so relatable and the issues she faces are so universal. The romance was adorable, the female friendships and family relationships were amazing, and the ode to fall was perfect. I loved everything about it.

Maldonado can do no wrong. I've loved the rest of Crystal's books and I thought this one was great. I love how she is able to create such realistic characters and tackle real issues!

I love this book! It's such a super, fall cozy read! I've been reading a lot of romance/realistic fiction lately, and all of them are just really slow in the beginning, but not this one! This will definitely make a great addition to my teen collection!