"People already think you’re childish when you’re asexual, or that you’re not quite grown up yet, or just naive."
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There was several quotes I came across while I read this book, and it felt very relatable as an asexual person. And it brought up some feelings, things I guess I must've buried, and it felt very powerful, especially coupled with the fact I read it during Ace Week.
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Wren Martin is a very loveable, but flawed main character. It was also refreshing to see a male asexual character too, since often the ace character you come across in books are female.
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I also liked this book because the plot was engaging, as well as having good characters, and a lot of character development and growth. I really liked Ryan, Wren and Leo.
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I also saw the reveal coming. Not because it was predictable, or anything like that, but because it felt almost inevitable. Wren's relationships over the course of the story are very different. With some people he gets on really well with them, and with others he tries to avoid being around them, so the ending felt very fitting to me.
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Ultimately, to me it read like a story about self-discovery, self-acceptance, and learning how to look past the immediate and see who people truly are.
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Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

This book was absolutely fabulous and just the book I needed right now. I cried. I laughed out loud. I kicked my little feet when Wren and Leo FINALLY figured it out and got together. I adored everything about this book and cannot wait to have a physical copy!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I also received a physical ARC from Colored Pages Book Tours.

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to think of Wren. He was standoffish and mean with almost everyone. Even his own family he didn’t seem to want anything to do with. As the story went on and I read more, I realized why I didn’t want to vibe with Wren. It’s because he was literally me. Wren’s character mirrors me in so many ways. From the way he talks to people, the way he jokes in a mean way and it comes off as rude to people who don’t know him, and just the way he can’t really seem to connect to others in a standard way. I was confronted with my own flaws while reading this.

Wren is asexual, but it isn’t a huge part of his identity which I loved. He goes over it a few times and explains that being ace is why he’s not interested in dating. He hasn’t really wanted to be in a relationship and having a crush on someone seems to make him want to run and hide, which also same.

I really enjoyed the moments with Wren and Ryan. Her family seemed to really embrace him when his took on a hands off approach. It was obvious he was grieving and so was his dad, and they didn’t really know how to interact after his Mom died. Ryan was there for him in every way possible. They even had each other’s passwords and locations at all times. I could never be that close to someone.

The romance between Buddy Boy and the romance between Wren and Leo was so cliche but I thought it was adorable. The answer was obvious but getting there was still fun. I loved Leo and Wren interacting with each other. The Buddy app seemed like an interesting idea but also kinda scary that you don’t know who you’re talking to. Idk if I could get with the hype.

This was a cute ace romance that had some really heart breaking and hopeful moments. I really enjoyed it.

“You’ll always have regrets. I think it’s human nature or something. But you’re doing your best. We’re doing our best. I guess it’s . . .” I shrug, losing steam. “I guess it’s all we can do.”

4,5⭐️
Representation:
⚫️⚪️🟣Ace MC
🏳️‍🌈 Gay MC
🟢⚪️⚫️ Aro/Queer SC

TW:cancer, grief, death of Parent

First of all, thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Since I loved “Aces Wild: A Heist”, Amanda DeWitt’s debut, I had high expectations for “Wren Martin ruins it all” and it didn’t disappoint at all!
Wren was such an amazing sarcastic MC and I laughed so many times during the read. I adored how the ace rep was portrayed in this book, and I loved Wren and Leo’s relationship as well as the dynamics between the characters, especially between Wren and Ryan.
And the chickens? Chef's kiss

I love Wren. I love this book. Thank you Netgalley for the review copy. I learned so much not only about the main character Wren, but also book asexuality, it was a real page turner!

Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt is so cute. Almost like a comfort read, because you know what’s going to happen. Getting there to the end of the story by reading is the good part. I wanted to read this book because of asexual representation and loss of a mother, content warning. Thanks to Amanda DeWitt, Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It was a pretty good read. I am not a huge reader of contemporary YA books but I read a book by this author last year and loved it. And I still have a good time reading this novel.
The characters are rather well-developed and their relationship dynamics are interesting to read about. The main character is a little bit different than most main characters of contemporary YA books because he is flawed but he knows it and sometimes does not change, and other times tries to change. In many ways, he is human. I did not like another character that much because of his choices but again, the author gave the characters flaws and some humanity. The plot itself was good, some topics discussed are very important and well-tackled.
I very much recommend this book to all contemporary lovers with lgbtqia+ representations and a more serious tone but still a bit of humor.

This is a truly lovely YA romance with fun, sweet characters and a school dance setting. I loved it, and even being able to predict some of what would happen next just made it all the more satisfying. I loved the representation of ace relationships as well. It’s sweet, heartwarming, and relatable.

4.5 Stars
This book immediately caught my attention when I saw that the main character was asexual. As someone who is ace themselves I find it hard to find books who feature characters who are ace and especially ones who depict these characters in romantic relationships. So needless to say I was excited and this book did not disappoint. I saw so many of my internal struggles in the main character Wren. Feeling that he has to swear off dating just because he is asexual was one that hit very close to me especially. I think it is important to show that people who are ace can have romantic feelings for others and can date and that romanticism and asexuality don't always hand in hand.

I liked seeing Wren's character develop throughout the book and how using the buddy app and having someone to confide in without them knowing who he was helped him with that. I also loved how Wren's and Leo's relationship developed from Wren not even being able stand being in the same room as him to realizing that Leo wasn't this perfect person with no flaws that he thought he was.

Anyways I am always happy to see more books with asexual leads being made because that is something we definitely need more representation of and it was lovely to see it handled so well in this book. It makes me happy thinking that some teen who feels unsure about their own asexuality could read this and feel validated, know that they aren't broken, and that these feelings they are having are okay.

Who knew trying to get rid of a Valentine's Day dance would lead to possibly falling for your rival. Wren Martin wants to fix Rapture High and the first thing he wants to do is to get rid of the school's annual Valentine's Day dance that drains all the school's resources, the only issue is that his opponent is Leo Reyes, vice president and one of the most perfect students who gets under Wren's skin. Wren is asexual and wants nothing to do with the Valentine's Day dance but Leo offers an alternative to Wren's budget problems, he'll get sponsorship from Buddy, the anonymous "not dating" app that has been sweeping the nation. Wren agrees but he hates the dating app, yet when he is convinced to try it he suddenly finds himself befriending and possibly falling for his anonymous match, yet he is also spending more time with Leo, his supposed enemy who he is realizing he doesn't really know outside of the supposedly perfect image he has of him. Wren is struggling with working through his feelings and trying to understand dating while he is asexual yet his feelings are growing and Wren is going to have to face the chaos of it all, that is unless he ruins it. This was a fun and cute rom com about an asexual individual discovering his feelings and dating app shenanigans. This was a cute time and I think it's a quirky overall enjoyable read.

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

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the ARC!

WREN MARTIN is a complete disastrous delight and offers a much needed voice for ace teens. DeWitt captures a high schooler's voice in a way that feels so authentic. Wren is funny, bright, and passionate, and if I'd read this as a teenager, I would have felt very seen. I loved how much value was placed on friendships and platonic relationships, which can sometimes be swept aside in a romcom. This book really offers something new to the genre, and I can't wait for readers to discover Wren.

Oh, this was utterly wonderful. I was smiling so much, being swept away by this charming story and all of its details. I adore Wren, his friends and his chickens.

This book was a delight to read. I'm not the biggest fan of Young Adult, or of first person narration, but Wren Martin makes it work.

Wren is sarcastic, he's witty, he's funny, but he's got unexpected depth. The book tackled topics I didn't think it would at all, and all the better for it.
Every character felt so real, and they were all endearing in their high school clichés realness (I am so serious when I say Archer was my favorite character). The plot was nothing new, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with that: Wren's narration makes it all so heart-warmingly comedic. And there are some small but jaw-dropping plot twists.

It might seem like a long book for a YA story, but every page is worth it. If only for the casual asexual representation (we love to see it) and the chickens. And the teenagers antics. And the cupcakes. And Ryan's dresses. And and and, you get the jist. Just go read it already. It's nothing if not a fun and lovely read.

And if you're not convinced yet that Wren Martin Ruins It All deserves your time, just take a look at that cover!

“Dante was wrong when he wrote about the circles of hell—one of them is definitely a high school dance.”

Wren Martin hates Rapture High’s Dance, and now that he’s student council president, he’s going to do everything he can to abolish it. It’s annoying how much everyone cares about the Dance! It wastes money that the school could spend fixing the giant hole in the middle of the stage! Plus Wren is asexual, and he worries about dating since sex is such an important part of many people’s relationships. Then, Wren’s nemesis and vice president of student council, Leo Reyes, swoops in and asks if they could get Buddy (a friend-finding app with suspicious similarities to Bumble) to sponsor the dance.

This was the perfect, sweetest YA romance novel. I saw all of the plot twists coming, yet that didn’t ruin the experience for me. I couldn’t put it down! I loved Wren’s inner monologue, his relationship with his best friend, and the way he came of age throughout the story. I do wish his asexuality would have been addressed a bit more, especially once he starts to develop love interests. It’s a main theme in the beginning of the book, but kind of fades and isn’t discussed as much towards the end.

This book is out November 7th, and I highly recommend it for an endearing cast of characters and a lovely, heartwarming story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the free eARC!

This one took me a while to get into. The protagonist is cynical and bitter and that's a hard POV to latch into a YA story with. But with some patience it turned into a very visceral and sweet story of adolescent aftermath of grief, loss and isolation. The temperamentally diverse cast of characters are very personable and before you know it, your undying love for ever last peripheral one of them all sneaks up on you. The beats are super predictable, the ace rep is refreshing and overall, I found overachieving hot messes walking down the yellow trope road surprisingly charming.

This book was honestly perfect. It was definitely not written for me, at my big age, but it was adorable anyways and I know my students will love it. I think the only other book with asexual representation that I have read is In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune, and I loved that book, but its a pretty unrelatable fantasy. I'm glad to have found a well written, adorable, realistic version. It was a bit predictable, but I don't think that's a bad things. Sometimes it is comforting to read a book when you know where it is going and can just sympathize with the characters.

I did not want this book to end. This has become a comfort read for me and one of my top reads of this year. I had so much fun from the very beginning and on each page. The journey the author took us on with Wren, struggling with his future, loss/grief, his asexuality and his love life was lighthearted but touched on such important topics from start to finish.

Wren’s narration was SO FUNNY, like actually funny. it felt like an 18 year old was actually talking us through his thought process, it didn’t seem over the top, cringe and every joke landed. The message about figuring out what you want and what you need, doing things that are scary and finding people that will accept ALL of you was such a touching message throughout the stoutly.

I absolutely LOVED how diverse this book was. It’s very rare to see ace and aromantic being represented in two main characters of the story. I loved Ryan, I saw so much in her in me (black goths that love halloween!!) and I loved Leo too especially. Wren and Leo’s love for one another was cute to see development. Even though it was fast paced, it still seemed believable too.

I wish this book could’ve gone on forever. I could stay here and ramble about everything I loved about it, how diverse it was etc but I don’t wanna be writing an essay of a review. I just wish certain things were fleshed out more (like Wren’s relationship with his dad) and maybe the ending just a tad bit longer too, but other than that I absolutely enjoyed very everything about this book. Even if YA isn’t your thing, I think this book will make everyone laugh and feel good. (Also that mini plot twist at the end was kinda unexpected ngl)


Thank you Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I went into the story I knew little about it, I had seen a couple of insta posts from other LGBTQIA+ accounts but that was about it, when I saw that it was 400 pages long I hesitated but the second I started reading I was hooked.
Wren is the type of teenager that wants to be student president and that should tell you enough about how the outside sees him but as the story moves forward you find new depths to the character and see beyond the pop culture references.
I found Leo and Ryan particularly interesting characters to read about I enjoyed their interactions and what they brought to the story.

I feel a bit guilty that I finished this book in two days (because it definetly took more than two days to write) but it was a fun and heartwarming story, while a little clichéy it took all the right things and added it’s own twist. Enjoyable to any YA readers :)

This was an easy, fun read with a lot of humor thrown in. The author did a great job making really interesting characters while still keeping true to the main characters discoveries about himself, specifically being asexual but also developing feelings for another boy.
I liked the dual story lines of the two relationships - one online and one in person. It always surprises me how people share things when they think they have anonymity versus sharing in person. It makes for an interesting dichotomy as both relationships grow.
The relationships did seem a little lopsided but that also drove the story.
Enjoy!

4 stars

This was a fun book and I zoomed through it. The plot was fairly predictable but I knew that going in as it’s a pretty standard romcom plot. I’m not a huge fan of 1st person POV but I didn’t mind it too much in this book. I enjoyed all the characters and the romance was nice. My only real critique is the book felt light on descriptions, for example I don’t think we’re told what Beep looks like other than a long haired male cat and the same lack of description can be said for most of the characters, and I also wanted the chickens to be in the story more and to at least know what Wren’s plans for them when he goes off to collage since his dad doesn’t seem up to taking care of them full time.