Thank you netgalley for sending me the arc! I had a wonderful experience reading this book. Very fun read about the struggles of friendship and romance🫶 can’t wait to see what K.L writes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this book feels like coming of age magic in a bottle. it is joy, grief, nostalgia, rebellion, friendship, and acceptance all wrapped up in a single snapshot of a day. i truly could not tear myself away from this book, only setting it down when i realized it was 2 am and i worked in 6 hours!!!

while we’re young is a gender swapped ferris bueller that follows four soon to be college freshman on a crazy day adventure. our main characters, grace, Isa, everett, and james weave such an interesting and fun story it was a fast paced, emotion packed book.

k.l. walther is so talented at writing characters at the cusp of adulthood and capturing all of the tumultuous feelings that come with it. this book brought me right back to being 18 and about to enter the world, everything feels figured out while simultaneously being the biggest question mark in the world. there are many many decision’s in this book that leave me at 25 shaking my head but that’s part of the fun to me, getting to see the world through a high school seniors eyes is so nostalgic.

intertwining everett’s grief and isa’s realization with her parents gave this story the grounding it needed between all the fun and adventure. was genuinely tearing up at multiple points then laughing the next page!

thank you so much to random house children’s and k.l. walther for sharing this with me!!

Oh my goodness! This book was so fun! I loved the friendship between Grace, Isa, Everett, and James. I also loved living vicariously through these characters and taking a well deserved day off in Philly. It felt like I was with them and experiencing all the touristy things, too. It was such a fun read and I loved every minute of it.

A huge thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

thank you netgalley and random house for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review! i loved this book! the characters were so real and i loved the frantic energy in james' chapters. i was disappointed by "maybe meant to be", but i was pleasantly surprised with this one. super duper cutesy and i definitely recommend.

I liked this book. It is very much YA but I expected that since the tag said teens and ya… anywho, I do love FB’s day off so this was a cute read for me.

The book was an absolute delight to read, yet the conclusion seemed to arrive too abruptly, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Isa's character development, in particular, struck a dissonant chord, coming off as rather hypocritical. The narrative could have been significantly enhanced by trimming down superfluous chapters like James' school experiences, which did little to propel the story forward. Instead, dedicating those pages to a more cohesive and satisfying finale would have elevated the overall reading experience.

3.5⭐️ this book was such fun read but the ending felt rushed. The ending left me with many questions. I also disliked Isa’s as it felt hypocritical. This book would be so much between if we cut some chapters such as James in school or chapters that don’t affect the plot and replace them with chapters that help the ending tie together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte for the ARC!

As a fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I was so excited to dive into this story! Unfortunately, it read heavily on the YA side of the genre, and it was a bit too immature for me. I would've loved this book when I was younger, and I know teens will enjoy it.

When high school senior Grace decides to plan a last minute day off from school with her two best friends, without telling her brother, things get interesting. This was a cute and enjoyable high school story about friendship and romance. I definitely think this was a good YA adventure. It kept me entertained.

A fun modern retelling of some students skipping school for a day in the city. The characters are real and it truly is just a good read.

A modern take on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

As graduation approaches, Grace wants one more special day with her best friends before their lives change forever. These three friends used to be inseparable, but breakups, grief, and a secret crush threaten to send them into adulthood without each other.

On an epic day in Philadelphia, Grace plans for fun times that remind them of happier years. They did not count on secrets being exposed, and having to convince her brother, her parents, and the principal that she is home sick. Only James suspects she is up to something and he is determined to find out what it is.

I did love the Ferris Bueller vibe, but I just couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. I thought maybe because it was a YA novel, however, I loved The Summer of Broken Rules.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for a advance copy of While We’re Young.

I previously read K.L. Walther's The Summer of Broken Rules and loved it, so when I happened to see this in my NetGalley suggestions I knew I had to read it. And while it just doesn't compare to TSOBR for me, it's still another great contemporary from Walther. The inspiration from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (one of my favorite 80s films) was top tier. I think K.L. Walther might be a new favorite author of mine.

I am glad to be done with this book. Sad to say that this fell flat for me. Most of the book felt like the story had already happened and the reader wasn't privy to the background of the characters. Because of this, each point of view felt very one-dimensional. I am a huge K.L. Walther fan so I will say that this doesn't properly represent her writing ability. As always it is important to note this is YA and I have begun to reach the border of its target audience age range which could affect some of my rating.

Everything I have read from this author has been a hit! Loved the inspo from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! This book had moments that were funny, sweet, and emotional. There aren’t many YA writers that I love, but I have enjoyed all of Walther’s books so far.

K.L. Walther never disappoints! This book was seriously so fun! Best friends brother, friends to lovers, rekindling friendships, which I feel is so important as a teenager and even as an adult. This book is all your favorite childhood movies wrapped into one incredible book! What’s life without a little sneaking out, and ditching class every once in a while 😉 thank you @delacorterromance for the E-Arc!

I've really enjoyed all of the authors previous books and this was no exception. I loved the Ferris Bueller inspiration, although I do think this will go over many of the target audiences head. Just like the movie, the book takes place over the course of one day, Grace fakes being sick so that she can have one more day with her friends before they all head their separate ways to college. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the characters were all really fun to get to know. I definitely would have enjoyed more of an ending but I get that it was setup like the movie and movies very rarely give you an epilogue into the future. Overall, this was a cute and nostalgic romance that delved into grief and friendships/relationships as you grow older.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay so I think maybe this was a little too YA for me? I think I would have LOVED this book in high school - Ferris Bueller is my favorite movie and I love the idea of a book based on it, and all the references, but otherwise this book was a snooze for me. I just wanted more? But I think that's because it was YA it was a little too easy read / young for me? But just the way it's written the descriptions and the way the characters think felt very stilted to me, I wanted to feel more connected to the characters in depth but I just wasn't getting that. I had SO MANY FEELINGS in high school I just didn't feel that through the page on this one. I just think this author is not for me.

While We’re Young by K. L. Walther is a gender swapped, modern retelling of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. There were so many things I loved about this book. At its center, it’s a story about friendship. It’s a love letter to Walther’s family and their love of movies. And then to find out she lost her dad in 2020. 💔 It’s melancholy, in the best way. It reminded me of an Emily Henry book, but coming of age. It’s more character driven than plot. Multiple POVs that are written well. There’s adventure, rekindled friendships, nostalgia, pining/yearning/longing, grief and love. Would it be a K. L. Walther book without Taylor Swift? 😚 Very very sweet and charming. Thank you Random House Children’s, Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for this eARC.

Before reading this book, I watched Ferris Bueller’s day off and it definitely enhanced the reading experience, as this was a very fun homage to the movie. It referenced the original plenty, but also had enough to make it its own story. KL Walther is uniquely good at writing books with multiple POVs that I haven’t really seen in other YA fiction, as well as writing about groups of friends that feel real and relatable. Walther is definitely an auto buy YA author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children for sending me a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The writing and characters felt extremely juvenile. There were many pop culture references that a younger audience would enjoy, but they did not hit the mark with me. Some of them felt too forced. I also did not feel as connected to the story or the characters as the book felt rushed.

Some of the subplots felt unrealistic and made it harder for me to read (aka #savinggrace). It was either that or subplots were resolved within 2 sentences or never mentioned again. There was a lot of instances of miscommunication that were meant to drive the plot forward, but at times dragged on. Some of the subplots added to the story, but I feel like the book ended on an unsatisfying note. It could have been a little bit longer to wrap up some loose ends. Additionally with the dialogue and internal monologues, they did not feel realistic for the ages of the characters.

This book felt like it was trying to do too much. I understand wanting to have 4 POVs to follow each character, but it made the storyline harder to follow. Along with that, there were many moments added to the story to emphasize they have been friends for so long, even though it’s already been stated enough. We were just being told about their long friendships not shown.

I do think that a younger audience would enjoy this book. It’s fun and exciting and gives you a little tour of Philadelphia. I do hope others out there enjoy this book!