Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

'The Fall of Whit Rivera' was packed with fall vibes and was the story of Whit, a perfectionist navigating her PCOS diagnosis along with school and relationships, be it friends or family. This actually read a lot more middle-grade than I expected, not to mention the whole nemesis part was practically non-existent as it was more one-sided on Whit's end. Nevertheless, I liked the aspect of incorporating a bisexual protagonist along with an autistic, lesbian side character. The family relationships in this book were really adorable, and Isaiah was such a caring love interest. The premise of planning together for the Fall fest brought Isaiah and Whit closer and it was cute reading about them renavigating their relationship after a fall-out back in middle school. Whit's lack of communication with her friends and ex-boyfriend didn't make her the most likable mc initially but I'm glad she had her character development. All in all, this was a pleasant read filled with the warmth of autumn.

The Fall of Whit Rivera by Crystal Maldonado.

Summary: The Fall of Whit Rivera is a snug and cozy autumn romcom that also tackles weightier topics like PCOS, chronic illness, sexuality, fatphobia, Latine identity, and class. Could you plan the Fall Formal with your (hot) nemesis, while dealing with everything? Whit Rivera is about to find out.

Rating 4/5 starts

Feels: Such a cute book! The amount of representation seen here warms my heart: Autism, disability, PCOS, queerness, Latine matriarchs, plus size rep... WOW. Life is full of colors and books should be the same way. Seeing Whit struggle to balance her high school experience while dealing with health issues and just being a teenager was such a real experience. Crystal portrays how they are strong through it but at the same learning a new normal and asking for help. Also: this books is perfect for all my fall girlies out there!

This was absolutely the book I needed at 16 years old. I’m so glad that it exists for girls who struggle with PCOS and all of its many challenges and inconveniences. I loved all of the characters and the author’s sense of humor was pervasive throughout the book. It’s a perfect celebration of self acceptance. Oh, and also fall. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Thank you to Holiday House and Netgalley for the free digital review copy.

The Fall of Whit Rivera is a coming-of-age story of a curvy girl who's navigating life after a life-altering diagnosis and finding herself and love through it.

As someone who has never personally experienced fall (downsides of living near the equator), this book was just the right way for me to experience it. Take everything fall and run it through a blender and you'll have this beautiful blend of everything good book. Whit is someone who plans everything. Her summer hasn't been the best, with her PCOS diagnosis and her distancing herself from her friends and everyone, it's taken a toll. Trying to get rid of her helplessness, she throws herself into making her senior year the perfect one ever. I absolutely loved how Whit's character grows throughout the book. Her relationship with the people around her changed after her diagnosis (due to her fear) and now she's trying to fix that distance. The way the book deals with such heavy issues while also keeping the fall charm is just chef's kiss. And Zay. He is everything good. That's all I want to say. Cause if I go any further, this will become an essay talking about how good he is and not a book review.

A beautiful book that's perfect for the upcoming fall season. a snug and cozy autumn romcom that also touches on weighty issues like PCOS, grief, and so much more. Y'all should definitely read the book when it comes out on October 10!

It’s been so long since I read a YA book but the Fall of Whit Rivera reminded me exactly why I love the genre so much. It’s swoony, it’s funny and full of complex characters whose storyline’s always felt worthy of page space.
It also took me right back to being a chronically ill 17 year old and reflecting on where Whit and my lives seemed to intersect between the words on the page. Crystal did such an incredible job of describing the complexities of chronic illness, especially a reproductive one, and how it feels to be facing the medical industry.

This is my new favourite book ever, guys. I’m not even kidding. I live in the Southern Hemisphere but now find myself longing for autumn leaves, pumpkins, and apple cider. And, of course, a tooth-rottingly sweet, snarky romance to go with all that.

But this novel is also much more than that. It deals with coming of age themes beautifully and portrays the realities of living with a chronic illness as a fat, brown girl. My elder cousin has PCOS but doesn’t talk much about it, and this book has really opened my eyes as to why.

When I say this book has it all, I’m not exaggerating. Heartwarming friendships and realistically written teenagers? A family that love each other beyond measure even if that occasionally is lost in translation? The most swooth-worthy, understanding, and snarky love interest? Self-realisation done realistically and well put to the tune of coming of age themes that we all feel at some point in our lives? A narrator whose voice is empathetic, relatable, funny, angry, intrigued, and determined? Fat, autism, bisexual, latina, and PCOS rep, with an entire cast of colour? And THE best setting and atmosphere descriptions I’ve ever seen ever, ones that made me crave a pumpkin spice latte in spring?

Check, check, check!

This book is something absolutely extraordinary. This author crafts words, themes, and characters like few authors I’ve seen before. One paragraph and I’d be questioning my own internal bias and microagressions in common phrases. Next paragraph I’d be nodding my head because it perfectly captured an extremely relatable scenario in a way that made me feel valid and seen. Next I’d be giggling at bad puns. Next I’d be warmed by friendship and curse my country for having no apple orchards…. you see what I mean? Contemporaries don’t usually have this effect on me but I read this one in one go, into the early morning hours. I don’t regret it at all, even if my eyes are half-closed as I write this.

I would recommend this book to quite literally anyone who enjoys YA books of any kind. You’ll feel many emotions in a short time, understand the world better, and leave with a craving for apple cider maple doughnuts. Thank me later ;)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced readers copy of this book.

This book absolutely screams fall and all of its coziness. That’s one element I truly enjoyed and found so lovely about this book.

Whitney, she’s a girl going through many things in her teenage life, from finding out she has PCOS, a breakup, needing a job and so much more. She’s seems to have learned a lot of lessons throughout this book and I think they are all very insightful and can even help someone reading this book take a step back and think about the more important things in life. Find your happiness and do what is best for you.

All of the characters are lovely, the friendships and relationships are wonderful and the family dynamic is everything! Nothing about this book is bad to me and I just hope so many people will grab it and give it a go this October when it’s released.

5/5 ⭐️

I came for the fall vibes and the fall vibes only. On that point, The Fall of Whit Rivera did not disappoint. Reading about sweater weather and sugary treats has me so ready for the season.

But this book wasn't all Pumpkin Spice Lattes and fall festivals. There were other, more serious topics like the shoutout to PCOS.I have never read a book that has mentioned polycystic ovary syndrome. Most tend to shy away from reproductive health in general. I loved the representation and its depiction.

As a whole, I wasn't a fan of the book. I spend a lot of time reading this genre, but this really put the 'young' in young adult. I felt too out of touch to enjoy it properly. A big plot point is a middle school misunderstanding. I can no longer sympathize with tween drama. It's no fault to the book. That's just where I am in life.

Bottom line: The Fall of Whit Rivera was cute, but I am not the target audience.

I had a phenomenal time reading this book. Admittedly it was the first book I’ve read by Crystal Maldonado. I’m so excited to say that if all her books are like this one, then she is a must-read author for me.

This book touches on so many important topics of conversation that need to be addressed more openly in media & just our daily lives. It talks about chronic illness (specifically PCOS), fatphobia, prejudice against people of marginalized communities, as well as self-love and self-acceptance.

Whit Rivera is a stunning & incredibly strong Latina dealing with a fresh diagnosis of PCOS the summer before her senior year in high school. She starts off the year having somewhat ghosted her friends and her bf from the summer as she was dealing with this diagnosis and what that means for her changing body. So many things happen within the first month or two of school, and Whit undergoes this amazing transformation. This novel is truly one about self-acceptance as well as a love letter to fall. Most importantly it teaches the reader that you must take life in stride and allow yourself room to just exist.

If you couldn’t tell I’m absolutely in love with this book and all it had to say. I highly encourage everyone to read it!!

This book has such great representation! The characters are relatable and the interactions between all of the characters make you want to read until the end with the perfect blend of humor and sweetness! This would be a great addition to the classroom and serves as a mirror for students who can relate to the characters or illnesses in the book or a window into the lives of others.

Book 37 of 2023 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink & Crystal Maldonado for an ARC of The Fall of Whit Rivera in exchange for my honest review.

Crystal Maldonado is another author that’s been on my TBR for quite some time, so when I saw a YA rom-com about a Latina lead who is living with PCOS, I hit the request button faster than the PSL loving girlies who run to a coffee shop on the first day fall items are available.

I follow Maldonado on Instagram, and it turns out we’re Latinas who are the same age and were diagnosed with PCOS at the same age (16) so when I tell you I connected with Whit (the book’s protagonist) in my soul - I absolutely did. So as to not risk of me going off on a complete tangent in this book review to talk about PCOS, I will simply say that there’s not nearly enough PCOS representation in the media, especially when so many of us deal with this chronic illness. I was so in my head about all of my PCOS symptoms for a long time, that I used to feel shame even discussing it with friends and, like many teenagers, I was worried if a guy would ever like me or accept me for who I was because I live with it. Whit’s also extremely Type-A, and if you’ve ever worked with me or I’ve planned something you’re involved in…you’d see the similarities 🙃.

This is a sweet, academic-rivals/enemies to lovers rom-com that hits all of the right notes. The supporting characters really enhance the world, and the representation throughout the book is top-notch: the majority of the characters are Latine, Vietnamese-American supporting character, Bi female MC, and many LGBTQIA+ supporting characters.

The 🌶️ scale is not relevant here, as it’s a YA book. 5/5 ⭐️ overall for The Fall of Whit Rivera. I wish 16 year-old me could have read this and seen the HEA! With fall around the corner, this is a great book to kick off the season when it comes out on 10/10/23! 🍎 🍁 🎃

#TheFallofWhitRivera #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I liked that readers get to follow on the main character, Whitney's journey from being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and dealing with its symptoms. It's an important subject which isn't talked about much in the YA world at least. The story has a diverse cast and touches on family, friendships and love.

Overall, it was an okay read for me. There are parts of the story which drag on quite a bit.

Trigger warning: mentions of sex among teenagers (no explicit scenes); story deals with fatphobia

I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately the execution was lacking.

I think it's really great that the author chose to take on the topic of PCOS in a YA novel. I didn't know about the existence of this condition until I was well into my twenties, and it's something that many women have to deal with, so I think spreading awareness about it among teens is important for a lot of reasons. The cast is also very diverse.

However, this is a novel, and as a novel it fell short in many ways. The characters had all the depth of a piece of cardboard. The prose suffered from the same lack of depth and nuance - discussion of the lead character's parents abandoning her and of the premature death of her only father figure are treated with the same gravitas as her teacher's robot-print dresses.

The only thing that I felt was well-handled was the main character's feelings of shame, anger and frustration at the ways the PCOS has impacted her life and her body. Those moments were without a doubt the best-written parts of the story, and I really felt for her.

For the first half of the book, though, she was a profoundly unsympathetic character - to the point I would have DNF-ed this hadn't it been an ARC. She was shallow, superior and self-absorbed, and her treatment of her sister was infuriating. She does improve over the course of the novel, particularly once the situation with her sister comes to a head, but it's possible to have a deeply flawed character and still have them be likable the entire time (or at least likable enough that readers root for them to improve), and this fell short.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Holiday House for allowing me to read an eARC of this title in return for an honest review.
The Fall of Whit Rivera by Crystal Maldonado is a wonderful Fall themed Rom-Com.
Whit (short for Whitney) plans to have a perfect senior year, and has the lists to make it happen. But then:
*she is (finally) diagnosed with PCOS after a string of doctors told her to "just loose weight" & has to learn to manage the many symptoms of her disease
*her boyfriend moves 200 miles away
*Her sister is starting high school, and pulling away
*She is forced to plan the Fall Fest with her middle school ex (who she has not talked to since he ghosted her on their 1st date)

This book deals with some heavy topics through honesty and humor. There is some language. Your upper high school students will love this one.

I loved this book. I was already a fan of Crystal Maldonado, so I already had high hopes, but wow. Through reading this book I realized I may have PCOS or something very similar, so I love that so many teens will be able to read this and some my be able to get the help they deserve. I cried through the whole book (even if crying wasn't warranted) and actually laughed out loud at some bits. Whit Rivera is so relatable and I truly can't wait to see what comes from Maldonado next.

(Just a note: the e-book formatting was very clunky and awkward which did actually hinder my reading quite a bit, so I'm hoping this gets fixed in the final copy)

This was such a cute little slow-burn, somewhat second chance read. Crystal Maldonado has yet to disappoint me. I love her inclusiveness and how much care she puts into her characters. It's so amazing to read her books and feel the connection I have with them. Plus, focusing on the amazing season that is Autumn. *chefs kiss* Zay and Whit are adorable, their beginning banter was adorable, and their ending was adorable.

This was a fun young adult romance set in one of My favorite seasons Autumn. I enjoyed the chronic illness rep and learning more about PCOS. I loved the characters and their growth especially Whit's realization things don't have to be perfect.

Whitney, has to survive her final year of highschool. It wouldn’t be a good read if it went smoothly. Which it didn’t.

In this book you’ll see a young hispanic woman deal with PCOS, love, family and school. And she does it well! It’s a cute read about a perfectionist girl trying to make sure that her favourite season (autumn) will be amazing! Even reconciling with an old flame 😳. I am so happy to read that she has a great support system!

Whitney is a bossy person which you’ll definitely notice throughout the whole book. At first it was bothersome, yet I grew to love her character.

As readers we have to be compassionate and have empathy for a teenager who goes trough many insecurities and has to deal with extra stress. Mind you it’s her senior year! So please don’t be put off by her being a suffocating and bossy personality. She is just overly passionate fueled with various reasons.

As for the writing, It’s easy to follow and to read. Even for younger people who just started to learn english it’s easy to understand. Especially because this YA book is set in 2023. We can ALL relate to something.

Be aware the literary motives are: autumn, pumpkin spice latte and apples.
At times I found that the writer tried too hard to be relatable. “Gen Z” writing. I had to figure out on my own that ‘PSL’ stood for a pumpkin spice latte.

Other than those things I loved the book and I am certain that people ranging between 12-16 (maybe 17 not 18) would love this.

This was such a warm and cozy book. I loved that it was set in my favorite season of fall. The characters were so loveable.

This book was such a sweet read and it’s perfect for the upcoming pumpkin season! It’s a YA romance that doesn’t shy away from heavy topics such as sexuality, body issues and chronic illness.

I’ll definitely be doing a reread when this physically comes out!