For the Millennial Swifties!!!

Meet Sloane, a college senior whose world revolves around partying to the Chainsmokers and memorable nights out with friends. Her life takes a turn when she crosses paths with Ethan, her neighbor, at the bus stop, sparking an unpredictable, roller-coaster romance. As their final year at college ends, Sloane moves to the bustling streets of New York with a friend, embarking on a new chapter in her life and the looming question: Can her situationship with Ethan withstand post-grad life?

The cleverly woven Taylor Swift Easter eggs stand out in this story, winking to the Swifties. The nods to August in the narrative are genius for those in the know. But honestly, Sloane should have known when it's time to go. The story would've been better if we had seen more character development. The storyline also felt predictable and uneventful. The NYC setting needed to be more realistic; no one could afford to live in such a large apartment, party, and eat out that much while working an entry-level position in New York.

This book will not find its way back into my reading rotation, primarily because of the lack of a connection with Sloane. She didn't make decisions that made sense, had no character arc, and was superficial. Yet, perhaps this portrayal was a deliberate reflection of her naivety and the superficiality that can accompany early adulthood.

It is made for the Millennial Swifties who graduated college in 2016, as they can relate to all the references—someone who is not as attached to character development and is in it solely for the tea.

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

Such a great read! Definitely one of those books that needed to be longer!! I loved everything about this book. I can’t wait to see more of this author.

When I started "Call It What You Want" I was really liking the dynamic of the characters. They felt real. After the first chapters, my interest in the book started to decrease. Not because I wasn't liking it, but 'cause it felt so toxic. I understood the point of the author and closer to the end I was really really enjoying the journey of self-discovery, but the middle was just not for me. However, as a coming age, all that toxicity was a part of the characters path and in the end everything felt as it should be.

This book was EVERYTHING. As a fellow situationship survivor (who is now about to marry her dream man) and a therapist who has worked with SO many folks in situationships, this was written in such a beautiful, relatable way. I love that while it didn’t have a traditional “happily ever after”, it had one in a different way — one where she found herself outside of him. Beautifully written, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know.

unfortunately relatable but i think that this was rushed and did not have enough backstory to immerse in the story properly

Thanks to Netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for access to this E-ARC! This was really cute! I enjoyed the writing style & the chemistry between the characters. Definitely will read more from this author.

I was very excited to read the arc for its rerelease and the first 20ish % were very fun and captivating! However it went downhill from that and at 70% I was considering DNFing.
We were constantly dealing with the same issue. The FMC just didn’t have any self respect in my opinion and I was so annoyed with her for constantly going back to the same exact toxic man. Both of them are very toxic, he doesn’t deal with his past which affects his present life. She is sort of an emotional vampire and she ended up annoying everyone around herself. I can deal with going back to the same person…but to do it TWICE?! And do dodge a what would be considered a dream man as well?!? On the other hand that might have been her smartest move as she was waisting his time for a whole a** year.
It did feel very repetitive and as if I was stuck in a loop. Also chapter 8 has wrong date, there’s a sudden 2 year jump

Boy oh boy. Where do I even start with this book? In the words of a Goodreads review I once read “it’s so important to see yourself reflected in fiction. And just like me, this book was incredibly annoying.”

TLDR: Sloane continually tries to “make” Ethan love her and be with her despite him being the biggest red flag ever.

My issues with this novel come down to three main points: Sloane made the same mistakes over and over again; Ethan was so annoying and such a red flag I genuinely didn’t understand why Sloane was so obsessed with him; and this book needed an editor, there were so many mistakes.

Category 1: Sloane made the same mistakes over and over again.
While I completely get being in a situationship can be really hard and being in love with someone (or at least feeling like it) can lead to obsession, I just couldn’t excuse Sloane’s behaviour. There is an instance where she’s at a party with Ethan and she sees him talking to and exchanging info with a girl. Despite clearly not being in a relationship with him, Sloane gets irrationally jealous and picks a fight with Ethan, ruining the night for the two of them. There were so many instances of something like this happening, where Sloane completely overreacts and overthinks that she’s just so unlikeable. Every time I was like “babes, chill out. You’re not even dating this guy and you’re acting insane.” Additionally, even when Sloane is in a - seemingly - happy relationship, the moment Ethan comes back into her life, she throws Rhys aside just to be a cheater and have an affair with Ethan. Unacceptable.

Category 2: Ethan was so annoying and such a red flag I genuinely didn’t understand why Sloane was so obsessed with him.
I am still mystified as to why Sloane was so obsessed with Ethan and unable to see him for the giant ICK that he is. This man knew Sloane was obsessed with him and unable to do the casual “no strings attached” sex that he wanted and yet he continually led her on. He acted like they were in a relationship yet only when it suited him. When he came to New York to visit Sloane, he didn’t even try to have a good time (or even pretend like he was) and he just put in absolutely no effort. It infuriated me that Sloane was able to overlook these giant red flags and still be obsessed with him - especially obsessed enough that she cheated on her partner! I don’t understand it. Ethan was just such a red flag and such an ick I don’t understand how Sloane didn’t see that.

Category 3: this book majorly needed an editor.
There were sentences that genuinely just didn’t make any sense whatsoever. I genuinely had no idea what they were trying to say sometimes. Additionally, there were major timeline issues too. For example, at one point it’s stated that Graham and his partner have been dating for over a year. Yet when you do the math, Graham was still dating Lauren less than a year ago so that just doesn’t make any sense. I also think an editor could have helped limiting all the exposition. There was so much “tell don’t show” going on and it made me feel like I was reading a book written for middle schoolers or something. I think a proper editor would’ve been a great edition to this novel.

Category 4: Miscellaneous issues.
There are two characters at the beginning of the novel, Jordan and Jake, who just completely disappear halfway through the novel and are never mentioned again. They really didn’t need to be in the novel to be honest, they added nothing and wouldn’t be missed.
There was far too much insta-attraction. I think this was done so the reader wouldn’t see what a red flag Ethan was too early, but I hated the way they met and he INSTANTLY started calling her Heart (her last name) or the way they were obsessed with each other from the get go.
A part of this novel takes place in NYC and it was just the most unrealistic thing I have ever read. All these characters work entry level jobs, yet somehow, they can afford a super nice apartment (that has lots of space) and to go out to eat for every meal and go to bars every weekend. Make it make sense please!

I honestly could not get around this novel and I absolutely would not recommend it.

1.5 ⭐️
1 🌶️

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

Omg this book was so well written.
The beginning took you right into the story and you were immediately in another world. I really liked the main character, I felt all the emotions while reading and at times I just wanted to shake her and say everything will be ok.
Just the way the story was laid out and the topics the author addressed in the book was just great. You somehow felt immediately connected and comfortable reading it. I have to say towards the end the book dragged a bit for my liking, but it was still good there. I loved how it was partly set in New York and I immediately felt transported to the city and felt the vibe. I wanted to be friends with her and her friends and wanted to tell her in so many situations that it's okay the way it is. I will definitely be buying this as a book, I marked so much and loved the cover so much, it's so so beautiful. For anyone who wants to read a quick, easy, great, heart-warming and emotionally charged book. It's for you. Definitely a 4.3 ⭐️ read for me.

I wanted to love this because I got a copy from NetGalley but honestly it was hard to read. From the beginning you knew that the main characters wouldn’t end up together, which was fine, but it left you wondering how it all happened. You go back in time where she’s “falling in love” but there was nothing to fall for. He did not care about her really at all. And then the cheating scene really was the nail in the coffin, it made me so angry.

I was so intrigued by the cover and description of this book but unfortunately for me my favorite thing is still the cover. The lack of chemistry and repetitiveness just made this one not my cup of tea.

This book was a quick read. Great character development and well thought out plot. It kept the reader engaged and I enjoyed the storyline.

2.5 stars. I was really disappointed with this one after hearing so much buzz about it. It honestly read like a Wattpad fanfiction, down to the questionable outfits and grammatical errors. I didn’t buy the love story, I didn’t buy Sloane’s naïveté, and I definitely didn’t buy Ethan’s sob story. Granted, romance usually isn’t my jam, but this still seemed implausible. Also, there are a lot of comments Ethan makes that really do come off as super creepy and misogynistic. Overall, not for me.

unfortunately i dnf this at 66% because is cannot keep reading this. i have never hated 2 main characters more, i found them absolutely insufferable to read about. how am i supposed to believe she’s in love with that man after that one boring conversation on the bus? they hardly ever had any conversations at all, every interaction seemed surface level, there was zero substance to them. zero chemistry between them either, i genuinely don’t understand why sloan was so hung up on ethan. nothing about that frat boy was interesting.

also. how on earth did sloan’s article get her a staff writer job 😭

I really loved this book. It was much shorter than I wish it was but it was a great insight into situationships and how we put our lives on hold for the person we feel is 'The One' at that moment in our lives, how we hold them at such a high standard even though they didn't treat us right at all during our time together. I'm excited to read more from this author!

I really liked this book! It felt very relatable. From Sloane living with her two girlfriends in college and having an undefined relationship, to becoming an adult and having to navigate work and her personal life while trying to figure things out with Ethan. Felt like a common thing women go thru in post grad life. I would’ve liked to have had a little more info or storyline to what happened with Ethan and his dad. Overall a great book and I will definitely be recommending!

There is something I find special about books that are raw, vulnerable, and can't guarantee you the happy ending you get from a traditional love story. Call It What You Want is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about realizing you can't force someone to see that they are worthy of love and you can't settle for an almost relationship when you deserve to be someone's priority.

Call It What You Want is heartbreaking in the most realistic sense. I think many of us can look back at a time when we settled for an almost, instead of realizing our value and putting ourselves first. I had a knot in my stomach throughout most of this book, but I also found myself smiling and nostalgic for my college years and early 20s when I was still finding myself. The side characters and life changes they go through together make this story perfect for anyone in their early 20s if they want to feel seen, but it also can remind many of us that the lessons that broke our hearts when we were younger led us to where we are today.

I absolutely loved this storyline! I felt like it was very relevant as someone who was in college at the same time. I would read another book by her!!

Once I read this book I couldn’t get it out of my mind so when I found it was being republished I was a little scared but after reading it again I can safely say I still love it! The dual view points in the chapters is what does it for me, I enjoy that you get both sides of the situation which lets you decide how to feel about the relationship. It’s a quick read love the pace of the book and can’t wait to add it to my collection!

This book hits home. The second half of the book shines when the author lets her emotions really shine on the page. The writing at times was simplistic and could have been honed more