Member Reviews
First, thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book for an honest review.
Sloane Hart doesn't want to be in love but she's a hopeless romantic at her core. So when she meets mysterious Ethan Brady she tries to set her feelings aside to date with no labels or commitment. But as their senior year of college looms over them, trying to define the future becomes more and more difficult, especially when Ethan has no desire to commit or ever plan to. Between mixed signals, growing up and self- discovery, sometimes you learn that your first love is not always meant to be.
Oh, where do I start with this book? I truly wanted to like it. I really did. The title and concept of the book pulled me in, especially the Taylor Swift reference in the title. Plus the concept of a situationship and drifting away from a person made me feel like I had a kindred soul in feelings. However, once I started reading I quickly learned that was not the case.
I found both Sloane and Ethan to be very frustrating characters. Sloane came across as whiny and overdramatic about every little thing. She was very self centered and so obtuse at times to all of those around her. Not to mention Ethan hardly having a personality and when he did it was to either be a jerk or complain about how Sloane was asking too much of him. (Because occasionally talking about feelings is super difficult?) The amount of times he lead Sloane on should have been warning enough to the girl, but clearly not. Especially how many times she let Ethan back into her life!! Fool me once, fool me twice but FOOL ME SO MANY TIMES and we have a problem. And I understand this is an integral part of the story, the way it was fleshed out throughout the story made it extremely frustrating.
The story was also hard to follow at times between writing style and general plot line inconsistencies and jumps. The dialogue was extremely lacking and at times I wondered if the author had even been in college during the time frame this book was taking place because the amount of plot that was centered around drinking and bars had me questioning my own college experience during that time frame when I was in college.
Overall, I really loved the concept of this book in theory. But at its core this book was just lacking in so many ways.
I received an ARC of this book, and I fully understand this is a debut novel for the author so please don’t come for me. The best thing about this book was it was a quick read, pretty much in one sitting. It also reminded me of an episode if Younger, you know recent college grads finding themselves in NYC. I’m not sure I can even click spoilers? Because you already know how this is going to play out from the prologue. There is not much plot here, I mean I think any 20+ year old has experienced a similar situation, at least I have. You can’t force someone to Love you, fall in love with you, or want to date you. So the story just got exhausting. I could have done without the POV of Ethan it wasn’t well developed and seemed to really just rehash what Sloanes POV was, so a bit of a disconnect there to attempt to add some depth to the story. The author should have done a bit better research, and I hate to comment on writing style/editing but it could have been much better - think Corola Lovering. I wish I could have liked this more because I love a quick read, but maybe it just brought up too many past situationships I could’ve done without reliving 😂😂🤣
unfortunately, croutons have more personality than these 2 characters
and the taylor swift references were never gonna be enough to get me to root for sloane, a girl that instantly fell for a boring ass frat boy but spent 2 years avoiding having an adult conversation about it …
While I enjoyed the emotion in this story, it felt very unfinished and not as polished as I would like. The realistic look at your early 20s and situationships is fine, but I would have liked more growth before the last page and a lot more interest in the male lead story.
I really loved the idea of this story. It sounded a lot more realistic than some romance novels, so I was really intrigued to see that reflected in a book. Unfortunately, this majorly missed the mark for me. It does seem realistic, but for THAT couple (the worst couple you have ever met). There was no character growth at all, the plot was so repetitive that I just completely stopped rooting for either of them. There also wasn't any chemistry or backstory between the 2 to help power through.
Honestly, I would have rated this book much higher if I read it in my early 20s but I was just not the targeted demographic for it currently.
The idea and premise of the book definitely has appeal and I can see a lot of young girls/women needing or enjoying a book like this.
But as an almost 30 year old I was just annoyed that Sloane kept getting back with a guy who couldn’t make it more obvious if he tried that he was emotionally unavailable.
The writing needed a bit of work and felt juvenile at times but again that might just be going along with the theme of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.
I unfortunately really did not enjoy this book. I sort of understand what the author was trying to do with the story, but I ended up finding it so frustrating and repetitive. The two main characters were so under-developed and one-note, and there was way too much miscommunication and toxicity between them for me to feel invested in them as a couple (and I get that I'm not really supposed to *root* for them exactly, but it just felt like what's the point?!). I'm also a good 10 years older than the two main characters but this book felt SO young. And yet somehow the main character spoke about some things like she was way older and more experienced - what do you mean, she's so excited about "finally" getting her big break as a writer approximately 3 months after college graduation (and in NYC of all places)? The writing was also quite flat and would have benefited from a closer edit. I was especially frustrated by the repetition of the same scenes but just from a different POV, with nearly no additional insight added, making the dual POV feel pretty unnecessary at many points. Unfortunately, promising in theory but very disappointing in execution. Not even the Taylor Swift references could save this book for me.
Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks for the arc of Call it What You Want!
Unfortunately, this did not give what I was hoping it would give. The story was all over the place and I felt so disconnected from the characters. We had 200+ pages of them and I didn't get to learn a thing about either other than the relationship between Sloane and Ethan being one-sided. I would have truly loved a more in-depth view of both characters-especially Ethan. I loved the concept of healing and finding oneself after a daunting one-sided relationship, but we also did not really get that. Sloane continuously goes back to Ethan knowing and admitting he wasn't going to be there for her. I was frustrated for her. I truly wish we got more from them, more from Sloane helping herself. Again, I really did like the concept of the book but was just disappointed with how it turned out.
This story took a turn, and I'm very, very pleased with how it ended, even though the road to get there was bumpy and concerning (and frustrating at times, I'll admit).
Ladies, don't lose yourselves for anyone, especially not for some guy. He really is just some guy. Hit him with your car.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this copy!
this took a turn and I'm very very pleased with how it ended, even though the road to get there was bumpy and concerning (and frustrating at times, I'll admit).
ladies. don't lose yourselves for anyone, especially for some guy. he really is just some guy. hit him with your car.
Such a relatable book. Tears were definitely flowing. I couldn’t put it down. So often have I found myself in the same situation. The only thing I wished was that there was more character development and learning about their pasts and why they found themselves in the same situation over and over again.
- Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing this arc! Please be aware this is an honest review -
1 star ✨
I should probably start this review by saying that I don't vibe with books if I don't like the characters. And can u guess what happened? That's right... This wasn't it.
The side characters were the highlight of this novel, and the only good thing about it.
This book had the same structure over, and over again. Zero character development. Zero plot.
You know when u finish a book and u felt like u read and nothing got resolved? I mean, sure, she says that this time will be different. But I don't buy it.
It was such a waste of time
Thank you to Alissa DeRogatis, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.
I'd seen this book on TikTok for a while so when I saw it available on NetGalley, I was excited to give it a read! If my memory serves me, I believe the author had pulled the e-book to make some changes, so I'm glad to have read this version. Having been in toxic situationships in my life, the relationship between Sloane and Ethan was super relatable - almost painfully so? Even so, I wish I could have loved this book more than I did, but the writing was just really not for me.
Thank you to Alissa DeRogatis, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGallery for the advanced copy of Call It What You Want to read and review!
I went into this thinking it was going to be a cute, fun book inspired by a Taylor Swift song... Now I'm sitting in my office sobbing trying not to smear my makeup...
This book is the EPITOME of being a girl in your 20s. This book resembled my own long-term relationship and 3-month situationship right after in a way that I could not even come up with if I tried.
I LOVED how DeRogatis decided to structure this book. Breakup, flashback to the past, fast forward to the present. I felt almost sick from the anticipation of the inevitable. It was exactly like taking an outside look at myself begging a boyfriend to put me first and love me the way I loved him. As I've grown into my adulthood, I find that these books let me take an introspective look and heal alongside the characters.
I am a big lover of Sex in the City and Taylor Swift. So mixing these two into one book was an instant 5-star read for me.
Thank you Alissa for the reminder that growing up is no fun when you're a certified lover girl. And thank you for teaching us that all you need is yourself and you'll be just fine.
I was so excited for this book but sadly it just didn’t live up to the hype of what I thought it might be! I found Sloane to be infuriating… I can completely relate and I was absolutely in the same mind space as her at university, however, it felt like Groundhog Day the way she just kept reliving the same plot over and over and over again. I didn’t hate this book but sadly I just didn’t love it and won’t be rushing to recommend people to read it!
a cozy romance read if you’re a swiftie! Easy to follow and engaging. Read a little young for me, but probably perfect for 19-22. Pacing felt a little too fast, so I would recommend as more of a quick palette cleanser!
"Call It What You Want" is a nostalgic and emotionally charged novel that captures the highs and lows of Sloane Hart's senior year of college. As she navigates her final year, Sloane's plans are disrupted by her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Ethan Brady. Their intense, undefined relationship brings both passion and heartache, perfectly depicting the essence of almost-love stories. While some may find the party-centric college lifestyle and repetitive elements off-putting, the book's heartfelt exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery resonates deeply. Ultimately, it's a poignant reminder of how relationships can shape us and the importance of finding our own path. **Rating: 3.5/5**
I didn’t mind the beginning off this book but serious by the end it was over it. Like Sloane girl how many times can you relive the same plot over and over? Was I having dejavu? Also there were too many characters to remember. Oh my other question, is this real life? I’m sorry but these characters only care about hooking up and drinking. There’s no substance to them or their storylines. It was so aggravating as someone who doesn’t really drink by choice. Like is that how people actually live?
Sorry but I do not recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the review copy.
This book took me right back to college in the worst way. It was almost too relatable that I didn’t want to read it. Call It What You Want is a love letter for anyone who has been stuck in a situationship and feels like they are alone. While I enjoyed some aspects of the book, I found it to be a little repetitive and I found Sloane and Ethan to be pretty unlikeable. Having said that, I was totally Sloane at one point in my life. Maybe I didn’t like her because I was her?
In general, I liked the overall message of the book and it really made me want to go back and shake my younger self.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
While I found this story cute, I also found it very predictable. It was very Hallmark-esque but it was just not my favorite. It was cute, just nothing made it stand out like other rom-coms do for me.