im really unhappy with this book. it's understandable that it is about a failed situationship but i found myself enthrawled by the side characters rather than the main characters. a lot of incomplete sentences and thoughts could have been executed better though, unsure as to why publishers let this book get out.

I found that this book was repetitive and I couldn't really connect with the characters because of it. I found myself a little confused by the plot, but I think overall, there will be people at my library that would be interested in this book.

The book held so much promise, and as someone who's walked a similar path, I eagerly delved into its pages. I appreciated the resonance of Sloane's emotions—waiting, expecting, hoping—but alas, the book fell short of my expectations. 📚

Rather than an engaging plot, I found repetition reigning supreme. Sloane's perspective mirrored Ethan's too closely, leaving me longing for more depth. Ethan's backstory, in particular, begged for exploration; Sloane's omission of this crucial topic despite her longing for him left a void. 🕳️

While some conversations between Sloane and Ethan meandered unnecessarily, certain sensitive subjects cried out for discussion. If I were in her shoes, I'd have broached those topics, hopeful for a deeper connection. Perhaps then, Ethan might have revealed more of himself. 🗣️💬

Overall, while the book didn't quite meet my expectations, my admiration for Lauren prompted me to award an extra star. 🌟🌟🫶🏻

The main character frustrated me a lot, but having been in a similar situation when I was younger I can understand her thought process. It's definitely heartbreaking and does a great job at showing a woman's POV when in a toxic relationship. As someone who works in the domestic violence prevention field, I can say that there are many reasons someone doesn't want to leave a toxic relationship/situationship and too often other people make those people out to be not so smart when that just isn't the case. I love that the author went for a more unconventional love story to write. It felt very realistic and I think many women will resonate with this story if they've ever been in a somewhat similar situation. I was a bit bothered by a lot of the spelling mistakes, there were a few too many for me, but I know this is an ARC and will most likely be fixed before pub date!

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

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. If you’ve ever had a toxic first love, you will love this book. It was so real and raw and I could totally relate to the man character

I liked the concept but overall I didn’t enjoy it. I couldn’t connect to the characters and found the story a bit repetitive at times.

I like the concept of the book, but I felt the book itself was repetitive.

Good debut novel though!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved that I could feel the writer's emotions through the page, but I didn't feel connected to the characters! The emotions and feelings were all there and the writer did amazing portraying them. However, I feel as though I was not in the right place for this book when I read it. Despite this, I feel that everyone in their early 20's should give this one a read. It tackles so many situations and feelings that we go through and allows readers to understand that they are not alone.

this is my second time reading this book and i liked a lot more the second time however, i still feel very disconnected from it.
the premise is everything i love but the writing wasn’t there for me.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book!!

to say i have conflicting feelings about this book is an understatement. sloane is an overall boring character. the main things we learn about her is that she enjoys writing, but she’s mediocre at best. she isn’t a character with many defining traits. while the author dives into ethan’s backstory, it isn’t well done. ethan is supposed to be a complex character, and he ends up just being a jumbled mess. throughout the story, ethan and sloane didn’t seem to share very many conversations unless they consisted of sloane’s pleading for more out of ethan.

while i think most people can relate to the intense hurt that comes from a one sided situationship, this story isn’t very unique. the sentence structure seems to fall short in many ways. the side characters held my interest more than sloane and ethan did.

this story is okay for what it was, but overall falls short in many ways.

While this story was compelling, and I’m sure relatable for many, it just wasn’t right for me.

Honestly, this was a tough read. I think I was expecting a romance with a happily ever after, but this is not that. It’s definitely more of a “personal growth/self love journey with a romantic storyline” type of book but I had a really tough time rooting for either of these people. The years Sloane spent letting herself be strung along got tiring. The story felt overly repetitive and read more like a diary than a well-developed story. I wanted to shake the main characters, but also their best friends who just completely enabled this behavior. Despite half of the book detailing how they “got together,” I felt that Sloane and Ethan lacked history, chemistry, and any connection beyond the physical. Sloane thought she loved Ethan, but to me, he really didn’t give her enough of himself TO love. She just romanticized him based off the very little he offered her. But, the whole point is that to Sloane, it was love—you can call it what you want.

The time and mistakes it took Sloane (ie: cheating on her boyfriend, which I did not like) to get to a place of self respect were just tiring. I know that many will feel seen and inspired by this story and I love that for them. But truthfully, it was just a bummer for me and not what I was expecting/hoping for. Yes, it’s a “happy” ending, but not a “romance” happy ending if that makes sense. While it holds a mirror up to toxic dating culture, I likely would not recommend this as a work of fiction meant to bring enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Even though I didn’t love the book, I appreciate the opportunity.

‘call it what you want’ is alissa’s debut novel in which we meet sloane and ethan. they’re neighbors during their senior year at college and have a funny meet cute but everything isn’t perfect. the book’s timeline is two years and all i’ve to say is good luck.

it was just really repetitive. sloane would always ask what they were and ethan would reply with ‘idk’ like come on just stop seeing each other already. i still don’t get how she let herself try THREE times with him and that’s probably because graham told her about his past to justify his actions. but anyways.

both main characters pissed me off. sloane was selfish, everytime ethan would say something negative as in he didn’t wanna talk, she would be like ‘did you stop liking me?’ ‘am i not enough?’ girl go see a professional pls this was so toxic, she was so dependent of him. once he moved to nyc she was mad that he didn’t text her about it but i bet that if he had, she would’ve freaked out and her reaction would be the same one. and i’m saying some things in the past because i would like to believe that she changed since in the end one of them went to therapy and guess who it was

and now ethan. my fucking god. if sloane had problems imagine ethan. his excuse for not wanting to be in a relationship is because of his childhood which is valid and fair but could you go to therapy? because the abandonment issues are showing. he has drinking problems AND he was at her house but chose to end things over text. his best friend said that he has never seen ethan be so vulnerable as he was with sloane but ethan never said anything to sloane, it would always be about sex and their situationship, he couldn’t even reply with why he doesn’t wanna be in a relationship.

thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks landmark’s team for this arc for an honest review.

This book was so good. I saw this on TikTok and was dying to give this a shot. This was so freaking relatable and it put me in my feels of being seen. I think every girl in her 20s should read this book. Highly recommend

I was really excited to read this, as I feel so many people deal with situationships. But reading it felt like the story either dragged on and the same situations kept getting repeated. I wanted to relate to the story but I could not find myself relating as much as I felt like I should be.

This newly published version was everything I had hoped it would be. This version had plot holes filled, more character background and the pace was quick.

I adore this book, and I wish it existed in my early twenties when I was going through my "first love" breakup. Alissa reminds us of our self-worth through gut-wrenching dialogue between Sloan and her friends, and reflection regarding situationships. I really cared about Sloan and her friend group, and surrounding characters because they felt like real people to me. Someone I knew, or someone I passed on the street. They felt familiar. I wanted the best outcome for everyone, because Alissa wrote about characters we the readers cared about!

This is a book I will be buying friends as gifts, and after break ups. It is the situationship bible.

Thank you Alissa, publishers and Netgalley for my copy!

A short and tender read.

This book follows the toxic relationship between Sloane and Ethan.

I realized this later on, that this wasn't a romance. Yet, I enjoyed it very much. The way the author addresses toxicity in relationships that are simply not meant to be, seemed realistic and raw. I really felt for Sloane throughout. I loved the Taylor Swift references as well as the ending of the book.
I really enjoyed the writing and set-up in the book. But the characters, not so much. They were all very grey and unlikable, but it seems obvious that the author intended it to be so.

The middle parts were a bit slow for my liking but the tempo picks up in the latter parts. I was also not a fan of how Sloane seems oblivious to Ethan's feelings about her and does not accept facts as facts. This again seems on purpose by the author.
I also felt that there was a lack of cohesiveness in the book overall but it did not take away from the reading experience.

Overall, it was a good read which shows how fragile and painful human romantic relationships can be, especially unrequited love.

I received an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sure I would have loved this book, but unfortunately, my little brother's name is Ethan, so you can imagine how difficult it was to continue reading....

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.