This is a very cute read! Teddy and Sebastian’s journey is a joyful and engaging ride that perfectly captures the magic of New York and the thrill of unexpected connections.

This book was cute with adorable characters. I was a bit irked by how easily solutions came when there were obstacles. Besides that, it was a quick and easy read.

What Is This Feeling is a simple, but sweet story about adventure, unexpected romance, and finding yourself along the way. If you like the grumpy/sunshine trope, romcoms, and/or heartwarming queer YA stories, then you should give this book a shot!

Theater-obsessed Teddy is forced to join forces with tech crew loner Sebastian for a scavenger hunt across New York City. Sebastian could care less about the scavenger hunt, but with the chance to meet his popstar idol on the line, Teddy is extremely driven to win. As they dive into the city's wild challenges and surprises, they uncover unexpected romance and learn a thing or two about luck.

Teddy and Sebastian’s growing friendship and budding romance were very cute. Their chemistry progressed very believably over their short trip as they embarked on their adventures throughout New York. While the scavenger hunt was a fun aspect of the story, all the challenges and problems that arose for the characters were solved too easily for my liking. Despite that, it was still a pretty enjoyable read.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Teddy has been waiting for this end-of-the-year drama scavenger hunt in NYC all year. He has plans with his best friend, Annie, to win the whole thing and eventually meet their popstar idol, Benji Keaton. However, the universe has different ideas. When Annie suddenly can’t go on the trip, Teddy is stuck rooming and partnering with Sebastian. Someone who seems to have no interest in the scavenger hunt–or the trip itself.

As Teddy and Sebastian start spending more time together, Teddy realizes there’s more to Sebastian than meets the eye. Completing their scavenger hunt throughout the city of New York, Teddy and Sebastian might just fall in love.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of What Is This Feeling? by Robby Weber to review! Weber is always good for a feel good romance, which made this a perfect book to help round out the summer with. Scavenger hunt stories through big cities are also always fun! Especially with plenty of side adventures thrown in.

If you like the grumpy/sunshine trope, this would definitely fit the bill. Teddy and Sebastian’s relationship and budding romance is probably one of the best things about this book. It makes it easy to jump into, as well as a fast-paced read. You can see their chemistry grow as they continue their adventures throughout New York, and that makes it a fun read.

I do wish some of the side characters were a bit more fleshed out, and some of the solutions to the problems were a bit easy. But you know, it’s a rom-com. I think it’s supposed to be a bit easy.

All in all, if you’re looking for a fun romance to end your summer with, definitely check this one out!

As a theater kid (both former and current) What Is This Feeling is truly a love story to and for all theater kids, past and present. From the smallest towns in Ohio to the big city of New York, theater kids will find comfort, humor and inside jokes that no one else gets out of this truly unputdownable book. The characters were fresh and fully formed and had me loving every character no matter how big or small. I loved laughing over Benji Keaton who to me felt a lot like a combination of Ben Platt and Taylor Swift. All together a wonderful story.

Cute, lighthearted story with an NYC adventure. The scavenger hunt was a fun addition. This would be suited better for younger YA readers closer to the character's age in my opinion, still enjoyable overall!

Warm and cozy coming of age story.

Hard to put down, and very personably relatable.
Lots of relatable things happening in the book.
Usually, I’m not a big fan of a lot of modern day mentions of real life shows, music, movies etc. in books, but I didn’t mind about it in this book.

Overall this story was very well written. It’s highly relatable and it’s a reflection of change, and self reflection and discovery.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a quick, sweet read that kept me entertained for the short time I spent with it.

I've said it before, but I do think I'm fully moving away from the type of YA, but the cover and the description pulled me in and I took a chance that I would find some enjoyment in it. I'm happy I did, because this was the kind of cute low stakes thing that I love from the genera.

When it comes to current YA my gripe lately has always been the dialogue and the writing. As times change, I've found YA writers try and overcompensate to sound young and current, which takes me out of it almost all the time. The dialogue in this is great. It sounds true to the characters, but not like a grown adult is trying to sound young and edgy.

The characters are adorable, and the romance is cute and sweet. It's a very rose colored glasses approach, with the stakes being low and the absence of any real homophobia or drama.

Overall, I loved the time I spent with this book and if you want something quick, fun, and cute then I say go for it!

I am beyond in love with "What Is This Feeling?"! Robby Weber has a talent for writing characters filled with heart. I fell in love with both Teddy and Sebastian very early on in the book and adored following their character development!

While following along on their epic scavenger hunt across NYC, we quickly see the importance of having a cheerleader in our corner when we are struggling with self-doubt. Both young men are able to pin-point exactly what the other needs and offer a spark of inspiration to believe in oneself.

For all theater/chorus/band kids, this book will immediately capture your heart and soul! The relationships, drama teacher, and passion for the arts are all something you will surely relate to and find comfort in! If you loved "Kate in Waiting" by Becky Albertalli, you are sure to love "What Is This Feeling?".

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc of this book. This book had everything I was interested in! Broadway, NYC, romance, all things that are up my alley. However, I just did not mesh with this book. I feel like this is a book that some of my students would like and it is definitely a cute book, I just do not think it was for me. I found Teddy to honestly be a little obnoxious…. I know that the scavenger hunt was a big deal to him, but wow, he was really judgy and honestly kind of rude throughout the novel. Maybe I’m leaving my young adult era, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I am sure that there will be tons of people that like this book, it just was not for me.

Super cute. The main character is so dramatic but in a charming way. His progression and growth (mostly facilitated by his growing relationship with cute tech boy Sebastian) is very well done. It’s not got a lot of grit or darkness to it. Just a sweet tooth ache romance and friendship and I’m here for it🫠

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I always have an enjoyable time with a Robby Weber read, they’re cute, fun, and feel good! Teddy has been preparing for the drama clubs end of year New York trip and scavenger hunt for a while. He and his best friend Annie have to win as the prize is tickets to an after party that Benji Keaton, famous singer and actor, will be at and they are both beyond fans. But the unthinkable happens when Annie can’t go. Now he’s forced to share a room and partner with Sebastian the tech guy who keeps to himself and no one knows that well. Teddy is determined not to let anything stop him from winning but Sebastian using making it easy on him. However as they traverse New York City he might just find there’s more to Sebastian then meets the eye. Is Teddy starting to develop feelings? And why is Sebastian so secretive? Can he win the scavenger hunt? I loved the concept of the scavenger hunt and how it led Teddy and Sebastian all around New York. A fun way to see the city and get to spend some quality time together! Teddy’s so full of positivity and optimism, I’m much more of a Sebastian who I see as a realist! The hijinks they get up to are funny, intriguing, and will give you the warm and fuzzies! A sweet story you won’t be able to put down!

it's sweet. it fits this very specific niche of hopeful heartwarming gay YA. homophobia is virtually absent from the story, the boys are cute but appropriately complex and melodramatic -- mixed in with that specific brand of plot armor that is practically deus ex machina, tho here it is simply called 'luck.' ultimately it's recommended because we could use a little more sweetness, hope, and heart in our lives.


*I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

“Do you just love living in New York? It’s so horrible, and so amazing.”
I roll my eyes. “No way it’s horrible.”
“New York City will literally rip your throat out and stomp on it and then feed it back to you,” Claudette says coolly.
“And it’s still worth it.” Lucy grins. “Even when it breaks your heart. Or gives you really, really fucking bad blisters.”

What Is This Feeling? is another warm, summery rom-com from Robby Weber that just makes you feel happy to be part of the same timeline as his wonderful brain.
Teddy and Sebastian were a joy to get to know, and following their journey through their NYC senior trip had a nostalgic-like feel (if you ever took a school trip to NYC, be prepared to laugh and shake your head while you relive these memories!) while still feeling fresh and exciting (I actually put the book down to see if Wonderland ice cream was a real thing, because hello?? That’s genius, and I would absolutely go there on my next New York trip!).

I had to keep reminding myself that this WAS a YA novel and Teddy’s obsession with Benji (the pop star) is 1000% 17 year old theatre kids do. Hell, I did it well into my 20s!
I was surprised there wasn’t more of a wrap up connection with Sebastian’s dislike of Benji at the end, but overall I thought this novel was fantastic, and can’t wait for the next blockbuster hit!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC, check out What Is This Feeling? on September 17th!

This was a light and sweet book. I like Weber, I've read him before when I picked up a book of his at Barnes and Noble while waiting for an oil change appointment, and I liked it so much I bought it and finished it at home. This is my second out of three books of his, and it had it's ups and downs for me. I typically tend to gravitate less towards YA books these days. There are some with more mature themes, and some that are lighter and sweeter. I tend to like the more mature themed ones, and this one was among the latter of the two. I didn't mind that it was light; I read it as a palette cleanser after a super sad found family book, so it was nice in that regard. I loved emo nerd Sebastian and his music taste, and I loved the way Theo helped him gain the confidence to do what he came to do in New York. I loved the way Theo's brain worked, and how it felt so much like me. I loved the way Weber wove in his fake celebs with real ones. It legitimately made me stop and think: am I just missing some celebs? Do these people exist? Low-key had to do some pondering for a fat second. The most juvenile parts for me were how easily they got through their troubles. Every single obstacle was met with an easy solution, many of which were probably not legal! It irked me a little bit that Theo was so willing to just.. possibly break laws to get to his end goal, I was with Sebastian on that, but it's all part of the fun I guess. It also peeved me a bit that he ended up getting what he wanted despite not winning it; it was sweet that his arch nemesis offered a truce and was actually really sweet to him, and I loved the conversation moment at the party between he and Benji. It seemed authentic and I could totally imagine something like that happening in the end scenes of a movie. I just sort of wish maybe, with the growth he'd had in learning that his trip didn't have to be all about his means to an end, that he would've been okay with not meeting his idol and just moved on. But for all it's worth, I did enjoy this book a good bit. There were just a few things that knocked it down a few stars for me. Good book and would probably read again, just maybe after it sitting on my shelf for a while. A good nostalgia read.