Does Call it what you want have romance?

His father, a local Financial Planner, was caught red-handed swindling from clients. Everyone in town mistakenly believes that Rob knew.

Even though he interned at his father's office, Rob swears he had no knowledge of the illegal activities.

As everything is taken from his family, Rob's father attempts suicide, leaving him in a partially vegetative state.

As if this weren't bad enough, Rob now finds himself a social pariah with zero friends to support him.

He is filled with anger regarding his deteriorated circumstances and begins lashing out at those around him.

Maegan, a classic overachiever, has been living in her older sister's shadow for years. Feeling pressured to succeed, Maegan cheats while sitting for her SAT, causing consequences for everyone in the room.

Subsequently, branded a liar and a cheat, Maegan sees her social standing plummet.

Slogging through just focusing on keeping her head down all she wants is to make it through each school day without too much embarrassment.

When they are paired together for a calculus project, neither Rob nor Maegan are happy about it. They were never friends before their lives fell apart and certainly don't want to be now.

Begrudgingly, they begin to meet up to work on their project and pretty quickly learn that you cannot always believe what you hear about people.

They begin to confide in one another and discover they have more in common than they ever could have guessed.

Nobody writes teenage angst quite like Brigid Kemmerer.

She puts her characters through hell, but the growth they are able to achieve is truly a beautiful thing.

Rob and Maegan's relationship has its complications but it is also sweet, kind and pure.

The writing is smooth and highly readable. The friendships were so well done. Rob and Owen. So many feelings.

There are a lot of hard-hitting topics included in this too. So much. The thing that I found most moving was the idea of learning to forgive yourself; of not letting one mistake define who you are. I think a lot of us should be reminded of that.

Be kind to yourself. We are all human, we all make mistakes and it is okay to let go of that and move forward.

There was also a strong narrative between Maegan and her sister. As with many sisters, they certainly were not lacking in the drama department.

I did like how much their relationship evolved over the course of the story and how they learned to see one another as they are, not how they imagine each other to be.

Overall, I felt this book has a lot to offer and is quite moving. I would definitely recommend it to readers looking for a hard-hitting contemporary.

Kemmerer is an autobuy author for me and yet again, she did not disappoint! Well done.

i think this story tackles really important topics for teens, such as loneliness, taking on/feeling the burdens of your parents, the cost of a mistake, and what it means to be a true friend. i could really relate to this on many different levels. so much so that i was constantly feeling bad for maegan and rob, because i have felt so similarly before.

the only reason this isnt a perfect 5 is because i think the ending is a little rushed. the epilogue is okay, but i easily could have devoured another 100 pages that filled the reader in on everything that happened after it all played out. oh well. beggars cant be choosers.

and honestly, kemmerer is 4/4 right now with her books being 5 stars reads for me. do i have a new favourite author to add to the list? *shakes magic 8 ball* all signs point to yes!

↠ 4.5 stars

The book is named “Call It What You Want”

I called it: “Unique”, “emotionally overwhelming”, “heart wrenching”, “provoking”, “strong”, “powerful” , “realistic” , “dysfunctional” , “raging”, “sad” , “wake-up call” , “depressive”, “questioning”, “tearful”, “challenging” and finally “so much beautiful”

Because Maegan and Rod are so beautiful even they have some many flaws, even they have done big mistakes, even they’re drowning with problems, they always find a way to keep their heads above the water and finally hold each other to push themselves out of the water and embrace their new lives with better choices.

Two beautiful souls shunned by popular kids of school, left alone, suffering from family dramas, trying to exist at the high school jungle, surrounded by meanness, unfairness, judgmental perspectives of people which pushes Rob having some dangerous choices to atone his father’s sins to bring the justice in Robin Hood way : Taking from people who have so much and sharing it with the people who need to stay alive!

This book makes you think, question your rights and wrongs, clench your fists and hit against the walls, curse heavily, ache for the characters, cry for the unfairness but finally smile because karma always does its work impeccably.

It’s a fast pacing read but you give so much “sigh”, “put your fist on your mouth to block your angry screams”, “drying your tears” breaks. It is intense, poetic, heartbreaking and one of the best realistic YA reads you can ever imagine. I actually say that already took its place on my best 5 YA books list of this year!

CONGRATS Brigid Kemmerer! You know how to connect with different age groups and bringing out your unique and poignant words to create books from different genres. I’m so into read her other books ASAP as I keep snoozing, wiping my tears and pouring my wine to get rid of the effects of the emotional turmoil the book left on me!

I’m gonna need Brigid Kemmerer to never stop writing her contemporaries. Her stories fill my soul right up.

They’re always so intense, so heart-aching, with such wonderfully flawed and beautiful characters that are alive on those pages.
She has a knack for writing stories that centre around broken teens coming from broken homes and having the readers follow them on their journey.
What I like is that by the end of it, these characters aren’t healed. But they are on their way to carving their own path after having been beaten down and harshly and unfairly judged.
I like that she focuses on offering different perspectives and outlooks, shattering the outer images that people base our entire lives on, and truly forming relationships with others for who they are. To judge less and focus on your own faults instead.

Perspective is everything. Perspectives provide you with meaning and truth and the source.

I just really appreciate it when characters are taken apart like that and Kemmerer is at the top for me for creating incredible character arcs. She writes it so damn well.

I could not stop reading this book. I wanted a story that could leave a few bruises on my heart and I got exactly that. I couldn’t get enough!

————————————————

Kemmerer, I’m ready for you to punch me in the heart again.

Buddy reading with Azrah!
We’re proudly obsessed with this author. 🌚

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

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(Just kidding. Can you imagine? I’d have to just...stop writing reviews altogether. And we all know I’m addicted to the fame and fortune.)

If you want more of me writing about a Brigid Kemmerer book I did not care for, you can read this. Or this.

We’re not on awesome terms, to be honest.

I thought these characters were so incomprehensibly awful, to each other and themselves and the people around them. It broke my brain. I had to read passages out loud to my long-suffering roommate in order to stay aware of how messed up they were. (One example of this included our male main character / half of the Perfect Couple taunting his dad by loudly playing music he hated, because his dad was paralyzed, in a wheelchair, and unable to speak.)

It’s a joy beyond words to hang around these f*ckbags for nigh on 400 pages.

Bottom line: The only way on god’s great green earth you’ll catch me reading another Brigid Kemmerer book is if Bloomsbury, the light of my life, sends me one.

Or if I decide to go likes-chasing by reading the sequel to A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

Whichever.

------------

i did not succeed.

review to come

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me attempting to enjoy a Brigid Kemmerer book, take three. and......action

(mucho thanks to Bloomsbury for the ARC)

“I’m not lost. I want to do the right thing.”

“Most of us do,” she says ruefully. “The problem is that it doesn’t always look the same for all of us”

My love for Brigid Kemmerer grows and grows with every book of hers that I read. Her books are addictive and her characters are precious ✨

This book was basically like a modern day retelling of Robin Hood. A big theme of this story was ‘what is right and wrong’. And it was something that I haven't read about for a long time in YA.

“You don’t get to decide who deserves to have what.”

When your dad stole half the towns investment money and everyone thinks you were in on it — no one really wants anything to do with you. No longer the High School Golden Boy, Rob is reminded everyday of the crimes of his father and hated for it.

Maegan is the daughter of a cop. Half the school hates her for getting caught cheating on the SATs and forcing everyone else in the room to rewrite.

Maegan and Rob make an unlikely pair. The daughter of a cop and the son of a criminal. And they meet via a favourite classic YA trope — the teacher pairs them together for a project.

As is common with Kemmerer's other YA contemporaries this story also focused on characters who are misjudged. You don't ever truly know what's going on in someone else's life. I love how reading her books remind me of that.

“Other people don’t have the challenges we have, Owen. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own.”

I kept thinking to myself how would I have treated someone like Rob if all I knew were rumours? I'd like to think I wouldn't have jumped to conclusions or have been as horrible as some of the people at Rob's school.

I really really liked Maegan and Rob. The growth of the friendship was beautiful. They reminded me of Declan and Julliet in _. I kind of wish these characters were friends with that crew, they'd get along splendidly (I'm hinting here Brigid!).

The other characters were so lovable. I absolutely adored Owen and am so glad BK added some sisterly bonds in this story.

Sam became a favourite and I even came to tolerate Connor.

Kemmerer is one of the few YA authors that can do more than one genre brilliantly. Two things I really admire about BK is her ability to write about broken/lonely people and also male friendships. I just wish she would put a bit more effort into creating better female friendships rep.

I went into this book expecting to love it and well, I was not disappointed.

I buddy read this with my fellow Kemmerer crack addict

Brigid Kemmerer is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA authors. Her books have important and powerful story-lines and give me so many feels. Call It What You Want is a book about two characters are seniors in high school and both have had a life changing experience.

Maegan made a mistake and it's followed her around ever since. Not only that, she's carrying around a secret of her sisters. Rob's father got caught doing something illegal and he's carried that stain ever since, along with dealing with caring for his dad now that he's unable to do so himself after a failed suicide attempt. Both of their lives are heavy. They are different, but connect on this level no one else understands.

We were from two different worlds once: popular boy and nerdy girl. We’re still from two different worlds: cop’s daughter and criminal’s son.

I don’t deserve her friendship. I don’t deserve kindness. Not from anyone.
But her fingers were so warm on mine. The air so quiet between us. The beginning of trust.
Then her friends showed up.
We know who he is.

“One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”

Not quite up there with Letters to the Lost, but just as wholesome and full of feeling as I could have asked for 😊

Rob is a social pariah. After his dad was found embezzling money - most of which came from his neighbours savings, he tries to kill himself. Rob and his mum are left dealing with the aftermath, where no one will speak to him at school.

Meaghan made one bad decision when she tried to cheat on the SAT and got caught. Invalidating the scores of all the other students.

When a partnered project comes up and no one wants to partner with either of them, Rob and Meaghan are forced to work together.

I love how they both grew as people, they are both flawed, both caught up in their own issues. They are given a chance to see things from other perspectives. I loved all the characters - especially Owen, the only person who chooses to give Rob the time of day. Plus he is hilarious 💖

If you are looking for a quick, light read with hidden depths then look no further. 😊

AAHHH I LOVED THIS SO FRIGGIN' MUCH
Also, I'm crying. I don't know if it's a happy cry or sad cry, but I am crying.

I'll probably write a review when the level of my adrenaline has lowered and I'm not sobbing like a crazy anymore.

*************

My best friend gave me this book as a birthday present and I asked her out of curiosity why this book in particular (because it was already in my tbr but I never told her about it) so she said: ''Easy, I know your favorite genre is young adult and I know you love pink''. I guess I taught her well. 😅

This is my first time reading a Brigid Kemmerer book, so I'm very excited!!!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

tw: suicide attempt, talk of abortion, bullying

Hands down, this is my favorite Brigid Kemmerer book so far! Her contemporary novels feed my soul every damn time. And I should have known that this would be the cure to my reading slump, considering I was hooked on this story by page five. Kemmerer has a way with words that makes her books almost impossible to put down. The relateability of her characters, their struggles, and the worlds she builds will have you done with her books in no time and craving more.

Maegan and Rob are both just trying to keep their heads down and make it through the school year after two scandals change their lives. Maegan, the A+ student, is branded as a cheater after getting caught cheating on the SAT's, causing her and hundreds of others to have their results considered invalid. Rob, the ex-lacrosse superstar, is now known as the thief who helped his father embezzle money from families in their town. And to make matters worse his fathers failed suicide attempt has left Rob's father in a vegetative state that requires constant care from Rob and his mother. Right off the bat we have A LOT going for this story...and yet that isn't even the half of it. Call It What You Want is literally a Lifetime movie on steroids and I was here for every second of it.

As usual, Kemmerer's story has two unlikely people finding comfort in one another and there is literally nothing more wholesome than that to me. Her contemporaries typically have a slower-burn romance where the two characters grow as friends first before taking the next step in their relationship, and it works so well every single time. I was rooting for both Maegan and Rob individually and together throughout the entirety of this book.

Now before you think that this story is solely based on two people finding comfort in one another, let's talk the rest of the story.

Maegan's sister comes home from her freshman year of college pregnant, which creates some pretty big tension in her household. Maegan's sister, Samantha, is faced with the decision of keeping her baby and potentially losing her full ride scholarship, giving the baby up for adoption, or having an abortion. And while Maegan and Sam get off to a rocky start in the beginning, it was so amazing to see their relationship come full-circle by the end to this story. I absolutely adore strong sister relationships.

Over on Rob's side we have his ex-best friend bullying him and trying to humiliate him in front of the school, even though Rob is innocent. While trying to keep his head down Rob makes an unlikely friend, Owen, who comes from a struggling family...all thanks to Rob's father. Rob and Owen then begin a rather dangerous game of playing "robin hood" by trying to help out those who have less but taking from the well off families who won't miss whatever is taken from them. This puts Rob in a position of finding out that maybe there is more to what happened with his father than Rob originally knew. Did you think I was kidding when I said a Lifetime movie on steroids?

Favorite Quotes

"See? You know I'm right. You cheated on the SAT and you didn't even get suspended. You get to take it again! No questions asked! You think that would have happened to a black kid? Hell, my freshman year, some other kid lost his wallet in gym class, and they searched my locker first."

"When you've lost everything, sometimes you don't see anything wrong with taking a little back."

"All those memories are part of who I am. The good ones and the bad ones."

All in all, I am so happy with the ending of this story and the growth of the characters. Kemmerer's contemporaries will always tug on your heart but the endings are sure to leave a big ol' grin on your face. I sincerely hope we get more of her contemporary novels in the future because y'all know I will be first in line to pick them up!

Thank you Bloomsbury for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review!

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brigid kemmerer knew that i hadn't cried from a book in a while and she was like 'lol bish just wait till you see what i have planned for you'

can anyone else write sad, soft, emo boys like her?? the only correct answer is no

rtc

also this is a buddy read with my little bird

This book showed how easy it is to misunderstand a person or situation and how important it is to hear information straight from the source’s mouth before judging or jumping to conclusions. There are two sides to every story and things may not always be as they first appear. Lastly, it left me pondering two valuable reminders: we are not our parents and one mistake does not define us.

This was my second book of Brigid Kemmerer’s, the first being A Curse so Dark and Lonely and I am happy to say they are both new favorites of mine. They blew me away and I am excited to read more by her!

My brain clicks, and for an instant, he’s not Rob Lachlan now, he’s Rob Lachlan from a year ago. We were from two different words once: popular boy and nerdy girl. We’re still from two different worlds: cop’s daughter and criminal’s son.

I enjoyed some parts of this book but the rest was a bit boring. I probably would have dnfed it if I hadn’t received an arc via Netgalley, and I’m grateful because I would have missed so many good parts otherwise, but I’m also not. Can you see the dilemma?
The main problem was that this book was 100 pages too long, in my opinion. My interested literally went really up and really down throughout the whole thing, so I’m pretty sure this is a case of “it’s me, not you”.

What I loved about this book is that it’s much more than a contemporary romance. The romance is a subplot instead of taking center part, while characters and difficult subjects are explored thoroughly.

The book is told from Rob and Meagan’s points of views. At the beginning it felt like the povs were changing too quickly for me to get to really know both of them, but I got used to it a lot faster than I thought, and in the end I actually liked how dynamic the book was. It kinda saved the book for me.

Both Rob and Meagan were interesting to read about. They were annoying at times too, but it was bearable. Rob had a lot on his plate, while Meagan really didn’t, so sometimes their narrative arcs felt unbalanced. Meagan was so convinced things were hard for her entire family, and yeah, it’s true, but look at what Rob has to go through? I’m sure he has it way worse.
They start seeing each other because of a calculus homework, and they grow close too fast to be honest (also because calculus was almost never the reason they met), but their relationship was great. First of all, Rob talked freely with Meagan about their relationship. I don’t understand why YA characters are so fixated with waiting for the other one to text first the day after the first kiss, but here it didn’t happen.
Second, Rob is so freaking sweet with Meagan and keeps asking for CONSENT. It’s not something you see very often. I loved it.
However, they still acted a bit stupid sometimes, like when they go to a certain party in a certain person’s house (really??).

Another thing I liked seeing was the sisterly bond between Meagan and Samantha. Samantha’s arc was a lot to take in, especially because of what she ends up doing, but the best part about it was how protective Meagan was with her and viceversa.

The climax was well done and kept me turning the pages, but the twist before that was underwhelming as I had predicted it from the beginning.

In the end I liked reading this book but I didn’t exactly enjoy it properly. However, if you want to read a contemporary that discusses money and teenage pregnancy in the right way, pick this one up.

I wonder what it’s like to watch other kids hand over disposable cash when you’re condemned to eat cheese sandwiches every day.

I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I won’t lie to you guys-I begged for this book. It wasn’t classy. It wasn’t dignified. And it was honestly a bit pathetic-but IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT. This book? It’s gold. I loved every minute of it.

I was sitting in Tennessee, on vacation, and legitimately had zero time to read. My daughter has always been a peculiar sleeper, and the circumstances of our vacation led to my husband and I’s sanity to be tested. She’s turning two this month-don’t make me cry-and really only began sleeping in her own crib every night in October. It was a miracle-I never have questioned it, and I refuse to look back. But, that being said, we have finally gotten used to sleeping alone again, and it’s glorious, to be honest. What’s not glorious? Sharing a bed with your now used-to-her-own-bed toddler.

To say we got no sleep? Yeah. VASTLY downplayed. SO, seeing as I got a beautiful physical ARC (I took three physical ARCs, don’t know WHAT I was thinking) I was SOL when it came to speed reading at night as I’ve come accustomed to again. But, luckily, my saint of a husband offered to help her nap every day, and I got to read for two hours or so every day off and on, pending my family’s interruptions (there were aplenty)(and let’s be clear-he only offered this because it was MY family and who doesn’t need a break from in-laws lol he’s no saint. I lie).

That being said-I picked this book up and DEVOURED IT in less than three days. Quite a feat, if you ask me, what with all the interruptions and no time to read! But that’s the power of a Kemmerer book-you know you’re in for a morally gray and addicting ride.

I fell so hard for Rob, because how can you not fall for one of this woman’s main leading men? She creates the most tortured and lonely souls I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and I love what she did with his character. I literally had to question every motive, every move, every play-yet never wholly disagreed with what he did. That’s a true author-to make you wonder whether something is right or wrong, yet never telling you if it is or isn’t. In all honesty, he was wrong. Every time. But then you would hear his reasoning, see it through his eyes. Live it like he did-and I found myself saying [almost every time] I’d have done that. But that’s the ambiguity of it-It’s for you to decide, and she didn’t make it easy. Each character in this story has a difficult decision to face every day, and I loved reading about these confused and lost souls.

Rob’s father screwed everyone in town over that invested with him, making Rob seem guilty by association since he interned there. Either way, he’s now a social pariah when he used to be the most popular guy in school (it sounds familiar, but it’s done oh so well!). And his home life? It’s terribly sad and without a doubt broke my heart every time he was home or talked/thought about it. Then we have Maegan. ‘Typical overachiever’ and now an outcast besides her best friend. Caught in a scandal and compromising other students in the process, she is deemed lowest of the low, just after one simple mistake when, before, she was simply dubbed a goody-two shoes.

One mistake can change your whole life, the way you’re viewed, and can influence each new decision you have to make, and we get to see what the aftermath is like for both someone who made a one-time mistake that marred their chances of getting into ANY college when they were a shoe-in before, and someone who didn’t do anything wrong, nor know anything about it, yet pays the steady cost of betrayal every day, both at school and, more devastatingly, in his own home.

I always love the star-crossed lover books where a popular guy is paired with an unpopular girl, or vice versa, on a project, so this was right up my alley. Except, here, we have two totally different social groups coming together…but they’re both now outcasts, and I loved the twist on that trope I love so much. And, even more than that, I love that Kemmerer could explore trust among two ‘wrongdoers’, along with betrayal, friendship, attraction-and standing up for what you believe to be right. I loved it. It’s all so convoluted and twisty and turny in the sense that Maegan doesn’t know what to think about Rob, whether he was involved or not, and where his morality is questioned as he finds himself turning into a modern day Robin Hood.

The family relationships and friendships were handled well, in my opinion, and I even thought it was well rounded out…I’m never tough on these situations, though. So long as there is a conflict, characters fighting-both together and separately-to figure out a solution, a resolution to said conflict, and a general mending and moving forward of severed relationships in result to the conflict, I’m happy. And I don’t need the dwelling on it, either, which is where people get mad. They want to hear more, see more, expect more…but it’s YA and relationships are messy-especially with family-people are just too harsh. But to each their own.

There was even a HUGE trigger issue in this book, for me, and it was handled as well and as authentically as I think it could be-that being said, I was satisfied. (view spoiler)[Had it went the other way, no matter how well-written, it would have been unforgivable, to me (hide spoiler)], thus, a trigger. Literally my only complaint but not really complaint? I wanted a LITTLE more in the epilogue. More HFN than HEA, but I loved it all the same.

So, once again Kemmerer proves why I love her so dearly and makes me a loyal slave and follower. Don’t even question when this comes out if I’ll have it on my shelf-it’s already preordered. And you should do so, too.

For more of my reviews, please visit:

“Other people don’t have the challenges we have, Owen. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own.”

 This is my fourth Brigid Kemmerer’s book and to this day she has never disappointed me.

What I like above all else is her knack to draw us into nuanced stories. Her characters always come in shades of grey with inner conflicts, moral choices to make. They are beautiful but flawed and have to grow up, become wiser.

Brigid Kemmerer writes about real life!

 In “Call It What You Want” you’ll be asked what’s right and what’s wrong. Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons? If you do it to “right a wrong”?

Robin Hood stole money from the wealthy to help poor people. We all see him as a hero. But at the end of the day he was still stealing!

 And if your parents have committed a crime are you guilty by association? Were there signs you did not see? Could you have prevented it? Does it fall on your shoulders to compensate the families who have been wronged? And does it make them bad parents? Are you still allowed to love them? To admire some of their facets?

  I am aware that I begin with the big guns here but truly that’s what this story does: make you wonder! Make you think!

 Let’s roll back and get back to the plot now.

  The two protagonists are seen as pariah in their schools.

Rob because his father embezzled millions from the town's people and Maegan because she cheated on her STAT forcing her classmates to retake the test again as all results were invalidated.

No wonder none are Mr and Miss popular right now!

  Both have currently a hard family life.

Rob because they became poor as the FBI seized everything to compensate people and because his father tried to kill himself but missed. He is now like a living plant inhabiting their house and forcing Rob and his mom to care for him. Brigid has a way to make us grasp her character’s reality! The opening lands you right in the middle of Rob’s current life:

“I eat breakfast with my father every morning. Well, I eat. He sits in his wheelchair and stares in whichever direction Mom has pointed him. If I’m lucky, all his drool stays in his mouth. If he’s lucky, the sunlight doesn’t fall across his eyes.”

 They should never have shared the same air as Rob was a former lacrosse star and rich kid while Maegan was a nerd. Yet everything has changed now and they will be paired to work on a calculus project. They have to meet but at first their walls were all up!

Rob because everyone is wondering if “he knew” making him an outcast. Maegan because everyone resents her and see her as a cheater. They both expect the other to share these preconceived views.

 Unexpectedly they will bond and share their secrets and feelings.

 I loved that their relationship did not feel “forced” but unraveled naturally. Both feel lonely and need someone to talk to. How the mighty have fallen as Rob would probably never paid attention to Maegan “before”! His downfall helped make him a better person. He was not a bully or bad but his predicament helped open his eyes to what is truly important in others. And that’s certainly not the size of their wallet. He got a huge dose of reality.

 Rob was the most conflicted of these main characters. I really admire how Brigid Kemmerer entered his mind making us walk in his shoes and feeling that huge pit of boiling emotions. He began as the virtuous boy in the beginning, being shunned by everyone when he had done nothing wrong. Then he made a bad choice. Then a second. And it grew exponentially making me grip my kindle and swearing. No Rob! Don’t do it! This is a very bad idea!

You’d think being a mom he would have listened to me but noooo! He did his “thing” and I was really stressed and disappointed. Fearing the worse for him. It was like witnessing a car collision in the making. You want to prevent it yet you know you are too slow or too late. Powerless.

Even if I wanted to stop Rob I could understand his reasoning. His motives. And that’s why I say Brigid Kemmerer is brilliant, making me empathize with him while reproving what he did.

 Maegan was a truly lovable heroine. Yes she had done a mistake. But one mistake does not define who you are or your whole future. She was burdened with many secrets. Others secrets. Stressed as she did not know what to do with them. Should she tell someone to help. Should she just keep her mouth shut because they were not her secrets?

“As usual, I have more secrets in my head than I know what to do with.”

 Mainly a character driven story, the plot is not to be underestimated as there is a twist to that story. Something not really hard to guess (I guessed and I am not the best at this game) that will add a layer of drama to the story.

  To sum it up: this is an excellent YA contemporary packed to the brim with moral choices, inner questioning, personal journey and supported by an engaging cast of flawed characters.

 I would like to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for sending this book. You see I’ve become a huge Brigid Kemmerer’s fan since I’ve read “Letters to the Lost” and I already had pre-ordered “Call It What You Want” as soon as I heard it would be released. Yet as I am not known for my patience I dared contact the publisher to request a copy and I was really overjoyed when they so kindly agreed!

And no, this does not affect my review as I’ve promised to always be honest in my opinion.

YOU readers are the ones I feel a moral obligation to and I can say: JUST READ IT!

  Let's chat! Do you like books with moral choices? Have you read Brigid Kemmerer's books?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie

They've banished themselves to the fringes of high school society, keeping a low profile and counting the days to the end of the school year. Things only get more complicated when Maegan's sister Samantha returns home from college, pregnant and emotionally out of control. The story starts to build with tension, with each new layer triggering a sense of foreboding: this is not going to end well! We just know it!

After once being the most popular boy in high school, Rob is now stripped to his bare essentials: no more lacrosse and partying. His goals are to get good grades and hope for a scholarship. It irks him that his father was his biggest supporter in his lacrosse scholarship aspirations and came to every game. They had a loving relationship and Rob never wanted to disappoint his father. But, in the end, his father cheated all of his investors out of millions, and Rob has been tainted by the scandal. No one believes he wasn't aware of his father's scam.

Through a random set of circumstances, Rob takes on the persona of Robin Hood, by taking from the rich and passing on the spoils of his plunder to the poorer kids in their high school. Owen - the poorest kid in town - provides some much-needed comic relief and willingly assumes the role of Will Scarlet to Rob's Robin Hood. He joins Rob in his attempts to redress the economic imbalance. He and Rob become increasingly entangled in the ethics of Rob's illicit actions.

It almost seems as if Fate has set Rob up for a major life lesson: how can he hate his father for stealing the townsfolk's money when Rob is now just as guilty of theft, albeit on a much smaller scale?

Maegan and Rob share an undeniable physical and emotional attraction almost from the start, and Rob is the textbook gentleman when it comes to making sure that Maegan's boundaries aren't crossed whenever things get hot and heavy between them. (Applause, applause!)

This story had a lot going on at one point, but then suddenly, towards the end, all kinds of balls just seemed to drop down to the ground with a thud. (Spoiler alert: Yes, Maegan confronted Rachel and Drew and made them admit they had been unfair to Rob, and she also stood up to Samantha's lecherous prof in front of an auditorium full of students, but that last scene seemed a bit out of character and, frankly, way over-the-top melodramatic. How is poor Samantha supposed to return to college after that Jerry Springer-like type of reveal?!

I got the impression that the story may have been going in a different direction at one point: the about face with the school Librarian and the calculus team project that Rob and Maegan never actually really work on. I also couldn't figure out why (again, SPOILER ALERT) the two boys' mothers had to be dragged into the conspiracy mess. The last time I checked, a spouse can not be compelled to be a witness against her spouse in a criminal case, and neither of the spouses were employed by their husbands' investment corporations. How far do they pierce the corporate veil in the U.S.? Well, I can only suppose that the corporate conspiracy laws in the U.S. are totally different from Canadian law when it comes to business fraud. This is the reason I reduced my rating by one star. Otherwise, this is a very well-written story, as usual, but the ending left me wanting a bit more closure on several issues.

The dialogue is natural, the banter so funny, the characters so real, and the story so relevant. I wouldn't delve into the plot because it also kind of involves a little mystery but I highly recommend this.

It's the book that helped me get through the first week since I lost my Dad so for that alone, this novel already means everything to me.

Kemmerer won me over years ago with her Elemental series and with each new book, regardless of the genre, she continues to wow me. With her fleshed out characters, stand out story lines and heartfelt messages, she is an author I count on to give me a good story that is every bit as irresistible as it is hard to put down once started.

I adored this book. So different from what I was expecting. So much more heart. So many emotions that so many people, regardless of being in the same shoes as the characters or not, can some how relate to and I think it is also, one of the reasons, Kemmerer is so good at what she does. You can relate to every aspect of the story without actually having been through any of it. Because regardless of the situation, we've all experienced the emotions. The feelings behind the actions and that is what makes this story, these characters so fabulous and so relatable.

What I loved most of all about this story was that it was so darn believable. Not just the storyline but the way the characters dealt with (or not dealing with) the things that were thrown at them. The way it ended. It was realistic without being overly so.

I love the way Kemmerer made me care for them, feel for them, and want to reach through the very pages and give them all a great big hug. I laughed, I frowned, I got teary eyed. I really truly experienced this story, not just read it. Another stand out and hit it out of the park novel for Kemmerer.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

If you're looking for a great contemporary, look no further.

Everyone LOVES Kemmerer's contemporaries. Everyone. I mean, I feel like every single review on this book is 4 or 5 stars. Same for Letters to the Lost and More than We Can Tell. But for some reason...they're well-written, they're well-paced, they've got interesting characters, but there's something MISSING, at least for me.

Let's talk about one thing I'm picking up on in these books: The formula. See, I don't know if anyone else notices it? But Kemmerer kinda seems to have a formula. The troubled boy and the privileged girl, the boy has bigger problems, the girl is being fairly petty to her family because their circumstances are outside her control, one or the other is bitter at a parent, we finally realize that the parent they AREN'T bitter at has been bad all along, there's heated kissing and a fight and blah blah blah...

Honestly, it's a little bit frustrating.

Also, let's talk about the content levels in this book. At least in Letters to the Lost and More than We Can Tell, it felt like Kemmerer was trying to represent Christians and keep it a little bit more conservative. In this book? That is OUT the window. We're informed that Maegan's family is "non-religious" (I'll get to one thing about that I DID like a little later!), but there's no limit on the language and innuendo and stuff in this book. I think it adheres to the PG-13 No-more-than-two F-word limit, but there are two f-words, and MOST other words show up at least a dozen times each. I mean, there was a lot of cussing in More than We Can Tell, too. But this one just smacked me over the head with it, and I skimmed a good portion of the dialogue because GOOD GRIEF.

And how about that one make-out scene?

Maegan: OH I WANT TO TAKE IT SLOW BECAUSE I AM THE GOOD GIRL
Rob: *kisses her once*
Maegan: *drinks a little bit of beer*
Maegan: *throwing her shirt into a hot tub* WHO CARES ABOUT GOING SLOW I'M GOING TO HAVE "PG-13 FANTASIES" (<---actual quote from book)

I just...I just...I don't know, man, I truly don't. eXtRaNeOuS sTuFf.

Also why do people in books go to school and take AP classes and yet have no homework and say things like "I PUT IN EFFORT!!!!!!" because yeah, I could totally just grab my dad's car and go hang out with people for dinner every single night last year when I was taking TWO AP classes. Someone with FIVE?!! Forget it. What the heck, dude. Your deadlines are going to hit you over the head and you'll have a month where you don't even leave the house because you have SO MUCH HOMEWORK.

One thing I /did/ really appreciate was the way the abortion debate was handled. Maegan is pro-choice and her family is non-religious, but with her sister's pregnancy, Kemmerer really delves into the depths of how difficult it is to deal with an unexpected pregnancy, and the fact that abortion isn't just the quick and easy fix. I REALLY liked the way it was done. It wasn't preachy. It was REAL. And I liked that a lot.

Rob was a good character, okay? I liked him. His internal struggle was well-done and his circumstances crushed me. I also really liked Samantha, Maegan's older sister--she was dynamic and I loved her and her STRUGGLES. Man. Maegan? Not really a fan. Sorry.

Overall, eh. I had hope that I might be able to like this one after enjoying Kemmerer's A Curse So Dark and Lonely, but I'm thinking I might sit out any future contemporaries from her. Every else seems to love them....why don't I? I don't know. But I think I'm done.

something like 2.75-3 stars.

Call It What You Want hasn't even been on my TBR for a year and I was so freaking excited to dive into it this month. Oh lord, I needed something cute and fluffy from all the super depressing books I've been reading lately. In it, you will meet Maegan and Rob.

Long story short, they are suffering in their sad little lives. She is an overachiever who ends up cheating on her SATS. It also doesn't help that she's constantly in her sisters shadow either (tell me about it girl). Then there's Rob, who has a crappy father. His dad ends up stealing a lot of money from people and unfortunately everyone seems to think Rob was in on it as well. From that moment, things definitely start to go downhill at home and at school.

I honestly almost cried in the beginning of this book. Mostly because I thought I was diving into another sad depressing book that would put me in a funky mood. Thankfully, things start looking up and the characters were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. No, not heaven.. but friendship.

Friendship that I constantly shipped to become a relationship. These two were beyond cute and I wanted everything for these adorable munchkins. I screamed, cheered, and geeked out whenever they did something adorable. Ugh, especially that kiss - I had heart eyes (I swear!!).

Overall, I freaking loved this book and I can't wait for my next book by this author!