This book was just fine. Taking into consideration it’s a YA book, I would say this is for 14-15 year olds max. I think the maturity of the characters was really unbelievable. It seemed as if they all went through therapy and had fully formed brains that could reasonably and rationally think through issues and respond accordingly. They were also the most level headed characters ever, there was no character development or life lesson that could really have been taken from this book that they didn’t already know. I think this could be a good role model book for those just starting out in high school, but as someone far on the other side of high school, this just didn’t work. No chemistry between the main characters, and the gen-z slang the author used in this book just did not work and for the most part didn’t make sense.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The depiction of the blossoming attraction between the 2 main characters was sweet, and I wanted to like this, but I found it very difficult to become invested in. This story takes place in a high school among high school students, but everyone reacts to every situation like a middle aged person with a team of PR reps and a good therapist. There's some strife, bullying, and miscommunication. There are conflicts with parents, teachers, and other authority figures. But there is so much care taken to stress that no one, absolutely no one, is actually mean or bad. In fact, it seems like no one is allowed to even go so far as to just not like each other, or display indifference to each other—all the characters must become friends, full of understanding for each other, by the end. It's silly and impossible, but more importantly, it's boring! And the universal placid, supportive demeanor goes way too far with some characters—all the dialogue of the brother who's like 2 years older makes him seem about 45.

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

I was super excited to get this book because the premise and over sounded perfect. I loved Jenna’s first book so I’m always ready for sophomore novels. I’m also on a big kick for contemporary so yay for that!

The characters are all written like real people, so that’s a big plus. I love all the rep and friends to enemies to friends to lovers can always be super fun. We love a tropey book here.

This is an entertaining book and I look forward to more from Jenna!!

Thank you so much for the publisher, EpicReads, Netgalley for the e-arc!

I really enjoyed this refreshing, fun and quirky YA novel — absolutely well done fat MC representation with all the fun of a sapphic romance. the relationships were cute and well-developed, I loved Jordan and her friends’ dynamic!
I especially appreciate that a very body positive character exist in YA books, someone who is happy and love her body.

Thank you, NetGalley, Epic Reads, Quill Tree Books, & Jenna Miller for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🥰🫶
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I absolutely adored Jenna Miller’s debut novel, Out of Character, so I knew I had to get my hands on We Got the Beat! And I loved it just as much if not more! 😊 I love a book with fat sapphic MCs and this one did not disappoint with our lesbian MC, Jordan Elliot who is a part of her high school’s newspaper. Jordan is put on the volleyball beat whose captain is her nemesis, Mackenzie West. I loved the forced proximity setup as Jordan is forced to spend time with Mack as she works on the paper for school. This is set up almost immediately as the book starts which I really enjoyed.
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I really loved both of Jordan’s friends and the dynamic they had as it changed throughout the book. I also love how Jenna writes teenagers. They aren’t perfect, they feel real! All the characters make mistakes throughout the book but it's realistic and they end up learning from them.
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I read the majority of this in one sitting, similar to Jenna’s first book. I just couldn't put it down. I think Jenna’s books are such a staple in the YA sapphic contemporary genre and I know I will read everything she writes! 🫶
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I absolutely adore that both of Jenna’s books feature queer fat main characters who are happy with their body! I feel like it is something that's severely underrepresented and I’m so glad Jenna’s books exist for teens to read! 🥹🫶
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Just as Jenna’s first book, the word lesbian is used multiple times throughout the book, which we love to see. Often times the word ‘lesbian’ is censored when it definitely shouldn't be! So it is wonderful to see it used properly here with our MC and LI! ❤️🧡🤍🩷💜
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💚🩷We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller comes out on February 20th!🩷💚
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💕Rep: Fat Lesbian MC, Lesbian LI, Bisexual Korean-American SC, Jewish SC, Non-binary SC who uses they/them and Mx. (teacher)

We Got the Beat was a refreshing queer love story. Forced proximity and second chance romance were the most prevalent tropes, and the characters were believably youthful. It felt appropriately YA without feeling too young, and accurately represented teenagers finding themselves.

We Got the Beat was a fun book that told the story of Jordan and Mack very well. I enjoyed all the little "nerdy" pop culture references throughout, and it was a breath of fresh air to have a main character not be ashamed about who she was. Jenna Miller wrote a story that I felt could be relatable to many young queer kids, who yes make mistakes but also grow past them and forgive others around them that make not great choices. The friendships within the story was cute too, but I can't lie I did feel the ending was a little sudden. However, I should have not been surprised as it was less than 300 pages. I also wish a certain set of parents got some intervention talks on how to raise a child...but that's just me!

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This book is a fun, heartwarming ride. I found the mixture of friend groups and personalities really endearing. Jordan and her friends are little nerds who have a love for many things I find easy to agree with. There are a lot of jokes to movies and shows that I also really liked. Watching Jordan and Mack grow and learn to understand each other was an honor. The sports references weren't too much and I found myself intrigued by volleyball. We also love a MN story.

*3.5 stars/5

This wasn't bad by any means, but still kind of mid. The writing style was fine and while the book went by fast, I didn't find anything wrong with the pacing. Just the characters kind of irked me and some stuff didn't make a ton of sense.

My least favorite character was Audrey. Mack is made out to be the villain for almost the entire book (and don't get me wrong - she deserved it), but Audrey is literally toxic. She functions very much as the friend that gets left behind whenever her friends start hanging out with other people and while I feel for her position, this kind of character ends up annoying me because they are often TOO overprotective or deadset on holding onto a grudge. Like, Isaac and Jordan literally worry ALL the time about how they have to GROVEL and cater to Audrey. Just...don't be friends with her if you're THAT worried all the time? Obviously, apologize if you cancel pre-made plans last minute, but it honestly felt like they were afraid to hang out with anyone else because they were worried about her being petty. And yet, that doesn't apply when she starts hanging out with a potential partner?

And she's honestly more of a Mean Girl-type than Mack is made out to be. She literally doesn't believe Jordan when she wants to call off the revenge operation and she ends up causing the "belly of the whale" moment that makes everything hit the fan because she's more focused on "getting back" at Mack and not communicating with Jordan about it.

The reader is literally introduced to Mack’s character by her presumably being a Mean Girl when she asks, “What if you can’t?” when Jordan is giving herself a pep talk in the bathroom and it’s a significant enough moment that gets brought up again (more so for Jordan to feel justified in her image of Mack rather than the specific words she used) that I think the characters should’ve had a conversation about it - maybe Mack explaining WHY she said it - like it could have been a lesson in being prepared for and bouncing back from when you find out that you in fact cannot do a thing (ex. Jordan not getting an editor position). Jordan has the privilege of a support network in her family, but Mack doesn't even have that. Not regarding her sexuality or her school. And yet it seemed like Jordan cared more about her own feelings about getting hurt even after everything hits the fan and Mack is clearly the victim in the scenario. Jordan treated her like she was going hurt her again and didn't even give her a chance, but she wanted that same chance after she and Audrey hurt Mack? Make it make sense.

Mack honestly deserved better. It made absolutely ZERO sense that Jordan would take Brie's word without even talking it out with Mack.

Like, even though there’s an acknowledgment and repercussions for her actions, Jordan still feels like she’s always the victim. She hurt Mack and still kinda got everything handed to her because she was apologetic (she should be???). I would've kicked both her and Audrey off the newspaper after what happened - "accident" or not. And yet it's implied that she'll be an editor for her senior year AND that she still gets the good graces of the volleyball team? Hardly any LASTING social consequences for something that very much caused Mack trauma beyond the school suspension and having to be watched more carefully when she writes articles.

I loved Casey and honestly would've preferred to read more about the adventures of him, Mack, and Olivia (especially their POV after everything hit the fan).

I did enjoy Jordan's perspective on like, knowing you're good enough even when things don't work out with the editor position and how you can exist in the same house as your sibling without being their best friend or worst enemy. I feel like it's often one or the other when you can feel entirely neutral about a sibling if your paths don't cross outside of the house, but I did love her and Casey's relationship development.

Could life get any worse? Jordan was so sure she was going to be named editor of her school newspaper but instead lands an assignment she’d never have chosen herself—covering volleyball, which means interviewing the new captain of the team, who just happens to be her nemesis. But what starts out as the assignment from hell might just be the thing that brings two estranged souls back together.

We Got the Beat is a fun sapphic romance that makes you feel like you’re right back in high school. Miller definitely knows how to hone in on the high school experience: we’ve all been where Jordan is, when we want something so desperately and then don’t end up getting it. It’s part of life, but Miller makes it feel so relatable that Jordan immediately becomes a character you can’t help but love for going through the same things you went through.

One of my favourite aspects was how determined Jordan was to succeed even after she didn’t get the beat she really wanted. I also enjoyed how fleshed out the main characters were in general. Jordan is a fat, nerdy lesbian who has a whole lot of heart and while it takes a bit longer for Mackenzie to show all her facets, she really stands out as someone who just wants to be good enough and constantly questions her own place in the hierarchy of her volleyball team, often making her act in ways she doesn’t really want to.

While I was initially hesitant on how the romance between Jordan and Mackenzie would pan out (I’m a strong believer in resent and remember instead of forgive and forget and I felt that Jordan’s aversion to Mackenzie was very much warranted), Miller handled the push and pull between the two well and it was interesting to follow these two as they find their way back to each other and learn just how much they have grown.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s two best friends also added another layer of depth to the overall story as they are facing their own (romantic) struggles that just show how much can go on in the lives of others that you often don’t pay attention to and how important supportive friendship groups really are.

What dampened my enjoyment of We Got the Beat a tad, though, was the unnecessary repetition of both scenes and dialogue scraps. The first thirty percent especially suffered from scenes being rehashed over and over again. I’m aware that this was for example used to make clear just how far the friendship group is growing apart but I would have wished for more variety in the depiction instead of text messages and conversations that were almost the same thing that was said a chapter ago. Thankfully, this clears up after the halfway mark but it made the first half drag at times that were supposed to get you invested in Jordan’s newspaper beat.

Fans of the second chance and enemies to lovers tropes will get their fill in We Got the Beat, a fun lesbian romance that chronicles the highs and lows of high school and shows that curveballs being thrown isn’t necessarily a bad thing, even if it’s in ways you didn’t expect.

Jenna Miller’s second book is nothing short of perfection. I’m biased because I was on my high school newspaper staff too, but I ate this book up! I loved the friendships, tension, realistic conversations and so much more. I can’t recommend this book enough!

I totally dove into this sapphic YA rollercoaster of friends-to-enemies-to-lovers and it was a blast! Meet Jordan – big on journalism, geeky stuff, and her pals Audrey and Isaac. The drama kicks off when Jordan, eyeing an editor gig at the school paper, lands the girls volleyball beat instead. That means facing Mackenzie, her old friend turned arch-rival.

The journey through Jordan and Mackenzie's past friendship, their fallout, and their reunion was really engaging. Another cool part? Jordan's a confident, out-and-proud lesbian and she's not here for body shame – she's a fab plus-size character who owns it. Sure, she wonders if others judge her for her sexuality or size, but she's solid in her own skin.

Sometimes, though, the book felt like it was stuck on repeat, rehashing Jordan's doubts about Mackenzie a bit too much. And the ending? Kinda hit the brakes too fast for me. I like easing into the 'happily ever after' part, not slamming into it.

But hey, overall it’s a fun ride! Packed with cute moments, high school shenanigans, sweet romance, real-deal friendships, and a whole lot of queer happiness. If this sounds up your alley, definitely give it a read. Oh, and a tip: crank up The Go-Go’s “We Got The Beat” when it pops up in the book – or just whenever you feel like it!

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A sapphic YA friends to enemies to friends to lovers romance? Don’t mind if I do! This was a super enjoyable read. I loved getting to know Jordan, her passion for journalism, her nerdy interests, and her best friends Audrey and Isaac. At the beginning of the book Jordan is devastated to learn that instead of getting an editor’s position on the school newspaper, she’s been given the girls volleyball beat. Where she’ll have to interview her former friend turned nemesis, Mackenzie.

It was interesting learning about Jordan and Mackenzie’s friendship in the past, seeing where it fell apart, and then seeing them come back together again. Something else that was cool about the story was how Jordan is already an out and proud lesbian, and she’s a fat character who isn’t ashamed of her body. There are moments where she wonders if other people look down on her or don’t accept her because of her sexuality or her size, but she doesn’t personally feel that way about herself.

I do think that at times the book got a tiny bit repetitive with how many times Jordan would be having the same internal monologue about what happened with Mackenzie in the past and if she can truly trust her now. Also, the ending felt really rushed for my taste. I prefer to have a little bit of time to settle into the character’s lives and relationships in the resolution of the story rather than it just ending abruptly.

But overall I thought this was a very fun read! It has cute and swoony moments, high school drama, romantic gestures, complex friendships, and queer joy. Definitely check it out if it sounds interesting. Also, I recommend listening to The Go-Go’s “We Got The Beat” either when the characters do in the book or just whenever!

This was a fun sapphic YA romance. I enjoyed getting some insight into the girls previous friendship as well as seeing them reconnect.

Personally, I think this book would have benefited more from being dual POV. I also had a hard time believing that the conflict between the two girls would be so quickly and easily resolved.

Still, this had enough fun and enjoyable moments that I will likely recommend it.

I thought this was cute read. I did feel like the writing was super young. This book did have a little to much teen drama for me. But I liked the overall message of this book. I would have loved this book when I was younger.

As her junior year kicks off, Jordan Elliot expects an editorial role in her high school paper like her besties Audrey Lim and Isaac Berman have received. Unfortunately, her non-binary teacher Mx. Shannon has other plans: Jordan is given a standard reportage beat covering volleyball. Having her expectations blown apart is frustrating, but then the gravity of the situation sinks in. The volleyball team’s newest captain, fellow Junior Mackenzie West, is Jordan’s nemesis. The two were friends the summer Mack’s family moved to this midwestern area, but when Jordan outed herself as a lesbian just before school started, Mack ghosted her. It hurt beyond description. Since then, the two have been nemeses … at least as far as Jordan is concerned.

However, there’s no sense protesting the beat. Mx. Shannon’s decision is made and even though it does not seem like a promising area to write articles that will get Jordan into the college of her dreams, the volleyball team does have a chance to win big this year. There will be plenty of opportunities for good writing, and Jordan is perhaps the best reporter on staff.

If nothing else, perhaps this role will allow Jordan and her friends to kick off Operation Mack Attack, a way to score some revenge on the school’s golden girl. Jordan isn’t going to stoop low to assuage her feelings, but the plaque in her room tells everyone her goals: Question everything, Assume nothing, Learn the truth.

Coach Shelia Pavek is somewhat cool at first, the team seems welcoming and Mack is civil. However, is that all just posturing for good articles? As Jordan sticks close to the team, old feelings arise, new friendships are forged, hearts yearn and vulnerabilities are exploited. Jordan will have to delve deeply into the growing friendship with Mack and the volleyball girls in order to see if this is all on the up-and-up or just a pack of lies. And when an article she wrote for herself during a heated moment finds its way onto the school’s news webpage, exposing some real, private secret feelings, will her career in the newspaper flame out before it’s really had a chance to begin?

Jenna Miller’s We Got the Beat is a young adult novel with a lesbian protagonist, exploding coming of age queer themes, as well as the yearnings, joys, despairs, jealousies, bad decisions, and angst that percolates this age group. It’s a novel with a big heart, a first person protagonist who is unafraid to look for the truth no matter how uncomfortable it makes her, a metric ton of pop culture nerdy references (everything from Dr. Who to Cute Mutants to Dash and Lily get mentioned and sometimes examined with that teenage enthusiasm).

The book is a charming read, one that delves into both the lighter and darker aspects of being a junior in love, of seeing your best friend circle changing, of seeing your own feelings growing, mutating, altering. The high school drama is colorful and generally ends up in a positive place, though Miller’s prose is not afraid to delve into the darker side of parents who are more manipulative than supportive, people who are afraid to out their own sexuality, the mounting terrors of all the steps necessary to get into the perfect school, etc. And throughout, we have the relationship between Jordan and Mack, which starts out in a negative place, shifts into a positive one, and then reveals trust issues that tears it back apart all over again.

Miller’s first person narration is strong. Jordan’s voice shines though, and while some of the more recent pop culture references will leave older readers googling what they might’ve missed and wind up dated in only a few years’ time, they certainly add to the contemporary verisimilitude. These characters sound and behave right. It is entertaining to see how invested the characters are in their passions. And passion is the name of the game, here.

Jordan and her two best friends each experience different aspects of the emotional rollercoaster that is teen romance and relationships. Jordan yearns, maybe finds a new beginning, and constantly questions its validity. Add to that some hurtful rumors perpetrated by a smiling though utterly jealous associate, and you have even more psychological torment and lovely foundation for drama. Photography editor Isaac is infatuated with Mack’s bestie (and she apparently with him), but is Olivia as cheery, kind, and swell as she seems or is she hiding a secret, hurtful side? And Audrey is feeling the pangs of losing her friends … and a budding interest of her own. As well, the volleyball team are terrific team players when on the court and they certainly know how to share time together in social situations, but do they harbor the same kinds of resentments, yearnings, hopes, and emotional baggage as everyone else—it’s no spoiler to say “yes, a thousand times yes” but it’s the stuff of high drama to see how this emerges in Miller’s novel.

The teenage characters are presented with all the quirks and emotions of a good old John Hughes movie, the voices are authentic, and the general air of positivity is refreshing. Some teens might indulge in underage drinking, others might hook up, and a few do both, but there is no authorial judgment on such behavior. These simply the things teenagers do, little infractions that pale in comparison to the bigger betrayals (that they also get up to), and by the end of the book everyone seems to have learned something from their big mistakes.

This is a novel that would serve as solid source material for a screen adaptation of some sort. With that title, it even comes with its own title credits theme song (which also gets name checked in the narrative itself, as a song Jordan’s dad plays on regular occasion). The prose is cinematic, giving us plenty of imagery to play with, plenty of action to go with our drama. Jordan shows a strong internal life, but this is balanced with her getting involved with things happening in the world around her.

It is a romance at its heart, and that means the core of the story is relationship between Jordan and Mack. Therefore readers looking for plots involving big twists and turns that introduce world shaking events (even if that world is a school and homelife) may feel stymied by the book’s levels of drama. There are bad choices that threaten Jordan’s future, there are worse choices that threaten Jordan’s present, but they are not the stuff of tentpole thrillers. They are matters of the heart, sometimes in conflict with others and often in conflict with itself.

As well, even though it draws in potential conflicts due to body shape (Jordan describes herself as fat), sexual orientation (several characters are queer, some closeted and some not), age, and other hot button topics, these don’t manifest in expected, stereotypical ways. It’s not a book about fat shaming. It’s not a book that pits cis folks against queer ones. It’s a melting pot scenario composed of many outlooks, which sometimes don’t mesh but generally do not clash in melodramatic fashion. Such an optimistic and ultimately inclusive worldview can trigger some readers. So, heads up.

In the final analysis, We Got the Beat is a fun read, written in an engaging and readable style, which opens up the characters hearts and invites us to share in the ups and downs of life. Jenna Miller’s sophomore novel is no slump, is a high-spirited exploration of teen lives in the twenty-first century, which delivers some heartbreak and uncertainly along the way toward a deservedly upbeat ending. It questions, it seldom assumes, and it digs down to reveal the heart’s truth.
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A special thank you to NetGalley HarperCollins Childrens Books, and Quill Tree Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect YA romance--I laughed, I cried, I even cared about volleyball despite not being a sports person. Love the characters, love the story, an absolute swoony must read!

“We Got the Beat” is definitely one of my favorite YA books that I’ve read this year!! This The plot is super engaging and Jenna’s writing is entertaining, I was hooked from start to finish. “We Got The Beat” has a fantastic cast of characters who all have their own personalities and flaws, too. Each of them shines through on page. I love the way Miller describes her characters. It's straight forward, but honors their traits without skirting around it. So refreshing to not hear a full physical description of someone to imply they are Asian, without just saying it. Similarly, we know right off the bat that Jo is fat and fine with that and I am HERE for it. I loved the tropes that were featured in this book: enemies to lovers, second chance romance following a betrayal two years back, and forced proximity in the present. The emotions surrounding each of these tropes were written so well. This book really did take me back to the angst and hopefulness of high school, it was so perfectly YA! I love it now, and I certainly would've loved it as a teen. I loved the ending and how things came together in the last chapter. And of course, this cover was absolutely adorable. I think that this book will leave readers very satisfied. Thanks to Jenna Miller, Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I can’t wait to read Jenna’s next book and will definitely check out her debut book!

This book was sweet and i hope that high schools, and even middle schools, adopt it for their libraries. This is a story about friendship and betrayal and trust as much as it is a romance. The characters were mostly believable, and the ridiculously high stakes nature of high school things that are just not that deep (are you a section editor of your HS newspaper? if not, is your entire future even POSSIBLE anymore???) felt upsettingly accurate. So glad to be an adult!