Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street YA for the opportunity to read the eARC of this book!

I am such a huge fan of Young Adult contemporary books and I wholeheartedly appreciated this one for the portrayal of ADHD in Corie. This book didn’t give me a pamphlet with symptoms; it didn’t hold my hand and go “this is what ADHD means.” Adrienne Rivera SHOWED us a teenage girl who was diagnosed with ADHD. We get so many intricately crafted moments that work towards this larger goal and it is beautiful. I love the emphasis that she isn’t broken and doesn’t need to be fixed, but she also needs help sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with asking for that help. And again, I must emphasize that I enjoyed interacting with all of this on my own and not being told what to think about it. There’s a fine line between showing and telling and Rivera did a great job here!!

I also really enjoyed the SFX plot and the craftwork, mixed with the pageantry. I had so much fun with the horror banter and all the movies mentioned, even though I only knew a handful. It was fun and interesting!

My few qualms were minimal: the book overall felt a bit long. There are a few things that felt repetitive and Corie’s internal dialogue was a bit excessive- though it makes sense since it is the way her brain works. I also found it a bit annoying to include an “oh no, my parents won’t appreciate me turning my hobby into a career” plot that ended up going NOWHERE because the parents were actually supportive. ☠️ It was a conflict only because Everett was afraid to tell them and it was weird.

I also really disliked Gigi… though I appreciated that that subplot was fully executed and we got a sufficient conclusion. I do think their family dynamic as a whole was extremely messy…. Knowing they were putting so much pressure on a 17yo to do things for her great grandmother and then getting angry when she didn’t always pull through…. And then later telling her it wasn’t her responsibility. Ummm that’s kind of how you raised her?? 😅 It was a bit confusing to say the least.

The chemistry between Corie and Everett was very light. I kind of wish we had more time of them together than of them fighting. 😅 It was an odd decision to include two fights instead of just one at the third act conflict.

Overall though, I think this book fills a very important need in the YA community: a book that accurately shows us ADHD in all its messy moments, with a female character! I hope that readers of YA will enjoy this book and learn about lot!