Disclaimer: Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Brigid Kemmerer book, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I spotted this one on Netgalley and the synopsis intrigued me straight away – and the book didn’t let me down!

I love a good contemporary with a twist, and this one had everything. It had great romance, friendships, complicated emotional families, some lovely LGBTQIA+ rep in side characters, and a dark, twisted element that really made the story for me.

The metaphor this book left me with will stay with me for a long time – we all make mistakes. No one is perfect, but it’s how we deal with these mistakes that make us who we are. The character arcs of Maegan and Rob were so interesting, both trying to be happy again after big events in their lives changed them forever. In Maegan’s case, she had made a mistake herself, and in Rob’s, he was trying to survive after his parents made mistakes that ruined his reputation. Throughout the story, he is trying to find himself and become his own person, without making the same mistakes his parents did.

Seeing two different scenarios and both characters worked really well. Each character was flawed, but real and lovable. I really enjoyed reading both of their POV. The romance was tasteful and believable – not too ‘insta’ but the natural reaction of two struggling teens finding each other in the chaos.

I have to also include how much I loved the cast of side characters, including the parents and friends. Everyone had their own story, their own quirks and struggles, and we even saw the flaws of the characters parents and I sympathised with them, too.

The plot left me feeling like I’d just come off a rollercoaster. It threw me, and the added drama made this book fly by. I constantly wanted to learn the next twist or turn, and couldn’t put this book down after around 40%. My only small criticism is I would have liked more of an insight into the actions of Rob’s dad, and I wish the exact workings of his crimes would have helped.

I’m definitely now looking forward to A Curse So Dark and Lonely and I’d love to read more of Kemmerer’s books!

★★★★

4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

I adore Brigid Kemmerer, such an amazing author. I loved the characters, even the unlikeable ones are so well constructed and believable. Such a wonderful story, well written and really emotional at times. It’s so nice to read YA that is really representative of normal lives and how people have to deal with these issues and how friends are so important. Love heals if you give it a chance, bring tissues because you’ll need them but Brigid always puts you back together again, just not necessarily the same. Thoroughly recommended and if you haven’t read anything by Brigid before, I recommend you check out her other books now.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Brigid never fails to make me feel loss, love and heartbreak in every single book. This book was of course no exception and definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

Meagan was the kind of girl that I could relate to. Having the older sister who never seemed to do any wrong and be 'perfect' was once how I felt as a teen. (Hilariously my older sister announced she was pregnant while I was 70% into this book. Very different circumstances but it really threw me for a loop for a moment!!) Finding out that no one is perfect, not even those that seem to be on the outside is a lesson I am still trying to learn now. Sometimes it's easier than others and I feel like this book is a super good talking point for these kinds of feelings. It's one of the things I love about Brigid's storytelling. It shows through her words that there is so much going on around us that can effect everything in our lives and we all react and deal with it differently.

Rob wasn't your classic YA hot bad boy, though he probably had the hot bit down pretty easily. His life had been so flipped and thrown into a world of unknown. To be honest it totally broke my heart. Some parts of his story were so hard to read but so important to understand that some people are not what they are on the surface and sometimes horrible things have to happen to help you move on. I felt so much for Rob and the decisions he had to make, the way he couldn't be the same person he once was. But he could grow and become this new person.

I think the overall message is one of love and letting go. Sometimes you've got to do the right thing even if it'll hurt. Just thinking about this book is making me tear up. It hurt my heart but the end of the book started putting it back together again. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love any kind of YA contemporary I would advise picking up all of Brigid's books. Then pre-order CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT because you'll love it.

Actually giving this a 4.5 stars.

First up I love the Harry Potter mention right at the beginning of this book, I just love every time there's mentions or references to HP. I also love how much time Rob spends getting books out of the library, granted the reasons that led to him spending so much time reading weren't great but it's nice that he found an escape in books. 

I relate to Maegan a lot, having an older sister that your parents expect you to be as good as/better than. With Maegan, her sister was on a scholarship and doing brilliantly and she felt she had to work that much harder with her own grades to make her parents proud of her, with me my sister didn't do great academically so, even though my parents never said it, I always felt like I had to do twice as good to make up for it (I mean I passed all my GCSE's and finished college with a pretty good grade).

So Maegan's best friend isn't my favourite person, especially seeing as she doesn't stick up for Maegan and Rob when her boyfriend is being an a-hole. I appreciate she has her reasons which come out nearer the end of the book, but that doesn't excuse you being a bad friend. Owen on the other hand I liked, he sat with Rob when no one else wanted to know him and even though he did kind of encourage Rob to do not so great things, he had good intentions at heart (still not excusing him though, he was a good friend, not a great one for this reason alone).

Mr. London was a perfect example of a great teacher, and I hope every kid/teenager has a teacher like him, I was lucky enough to have two when I was in school. It's so important as a young adult to have an adult to talk to (that isn't necessarily family), so Rob having Mr. London to talk to was a great example of this.

Connor I have mixed feelings about and I don't know if I can really share much of my thoughts on him, he was a terrible friend when Rob needed him most and then tried to make excuses which would not fly with me. But I respect Rob so much for being there for him despite all that. Connor does not deserve him one bit.

I found this one super difficult to put down. The chapters just flew by.

This is a book about the grey areas in life. There are interesting moral dilemmas about if it's ever okay to steal, and about whether bad things deserve to happen to people just because of their proximity to bad people. It's about whether people deserve to be judged for the sins of their fathers or for one mistake made under pressure some time ago, and whether the two are comparable.

There are some really strong emotions throughout. Loneliness is a big theme, and one I personally always find easy to connect with. Maegan's rekindling of her relationship with her sister was a strong highlight of her side of the story. Trying to learn to trust again is powerful stuff when used right like it is here.

Both protagonists start the book by being horrible about someone they love and I loved it. Rob about his drooling dad and Maegan about her pregnant sister puking. These two kids aren't necessarily the nicest people in the universe, and this makes them a lot more real. As a result I was more invested in their stories a lot quicker than most other protagonists these days.

This was such an emotional read just like her previous books, dealing with anxiety in such a realistic way, i loved the romance in it as well as family drama. Perfect coming of age story and definitely live up to my expectations

This was a very sweet YA contemporary romance that dealt with some really important topics, however, it wasn't for me.

I liked how this book dealt with so many important topics. It discusses suicide, teenage pregnancy, abortion, friendship, love and so much more.

I also really liked the writing style of this book. It was very easy to read. I will definitely be checking out Brigid's other books, because I did really like her writing style but the plot fell short for me.

I felt like this book was longer than it needed to be. I liked the beginning and the end but the middle dragged on a lot and I felt it could have be cut down more.

I also didn't like the romance in this book. It didn't feel 'real'. I would have perfered it if it stayed platonic.

For me, the plot just fell a bit flat. It discussed themes which I haven't read before but ultimately, it wasn't for me.

Trigger warnings: suicide and abortion

3.5* - this one was so difficult to rate. I really enjoyed a LOT of it. It asks some big questions on morality, reputation and redemption and the characters are likeable, making their actions all the more tricky. I loved the families and the depth added to the background characters and the split perspective kept this book perfectly balanced. So excited to hear more thoughts from more readers.

Thank you to the publisher who gifted me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Rob's dad is caught embezzling funds from half of the town, he goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Also, his father's failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother, responsible for his care.
Maegan is thought of as a typical overachiever by everyone, but she has a secret of her own after all the pressure got to her last year. When her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping her secret from her parents might be more than she can handle.
When Maegan and Rob are paired together for a calculus project, they are both reluctant to let each other through the walls that they have built.
Brigid Kemmerer has done it once again and made me fall in love with her writing and stories even more. There is something about Brigid's writing and stories that just grips hold of me tightly and doesn’t let go.
This book feel extremely real throughout. I feel this is exactly what I have come to expect from Brigid and her books. She writes about real life and it feels incredibly real. Rob and Maegan are two characters I became invested in as soon as I began reading their stories. They are completely different characters with completely different lives, learning to live as themselves after both facing huge milestones/issues in their lives.
It is safe to say this isn't an easy book to read because of how dark it gets in places. With discussions of suicide, theft, abortion, embezzling and even more. These topics are covered extremely well, realistically and without glossing over the real-life aspect of the topics. Although this book covers difficult topics, it was an extremely fast-paced book that I flew through in a few days.
I enjoyed all the different storylines that were weaved throughout the book and how all the secondary characters played bigger parts than your usual secondary character. A personal favourite character of mine was Mr London, I won't say why but his character is special! Rob and his story arc broke my heart, he has to deal with so much throughout the story. All the choices he made have clearly been thought out by the author and that shows. Maegan, although she frustrated me at times, was is also going through a lot and is excellent. Each characters personalities jump right off the page and I loved the character line up thoroughly.
It is evident whilst reading this book that a lot of thought and research has gone into each of the main characters storylines. Especially Rob's storyline with the money embezzling. Brigid mentions doing research in her acknowledgements and it is obvious in the book that research has been done. This helped make the book feel even more real and convincing.
Call It What You Want is a spectacular book that you will fly right through. It is beautifully written and feels extremely realistic. This book is heart-breaking, heart-warming and just a wonderful story to fly through.

I enjoyed Maegan and Rob's stories, where the character's had both faced difficulties and were thrown together. Both characters were damaged because of their situations but managed to move forward. Their were aspects of both friendship and romance but the characters showed integrity and honesty in their actions.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this eARC*
Rob and Meagan are from two different worlds at school, but due to circumstances they have become outcasts whether from their own or their families mistakes. However, they end up having to work together when they get partnered up for a math project.
I really enjoyed this. It was interesting to see what each character was thinking and how you can't see what peoples lives are like from the outside.
However, I felt like the ending was wrapped up quite quickly and it felt like it could have been more.

Superb characters, great conflict, and brilliant character dynamics that make all Brigid`s books so readable. I really loved that this was so much more than a romance. The story kept me guessing until the very end!

This is only the second book I’ve read by Brigid Kemmerer- and I think I’m gonna have to read all her previous books because I loved this! Didn’t enjoy it quite as much as A Curse So Dark & Lonely but this contemporary is high up in those that I’ve actually liked!

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

This handles some quite deep topics for a YA book and it was really interesting to read from a perspective I hope I never experience (being Rob) and see what it would be like when everything falls down around you.
This book was so fast to read & very enjoyable considering the covered topics - teenage pregnancy, attempted suicide, manipulation, physical abuse, bullying/social suicide, just to name a few.
It’s definitely one to watch out for when it releases! I highly recommend this - it gave such a good perspective on what we might think is right in our lives isn’t necessarily right for someone else - nothing is black & white, it is complex & there’s so many things that impact our decisions, which truly all depends on the circumstances you’re in and what you’ve experienced.

This book flips from one MC's POV to the other's, but not distractingly so.
We begin with Rob, and his reaction to his father is callous and angry and raw, and made me blink several times. Was this the character I was supposed to root for?
Rob and Maegan are not perfect. Rob thought he was, but how are the mighty fallen. Maegan wants to be, but perfection is an illusion.
They're flawed, and trying so very, very hard to cope with the situations they find themselves in, situations they've created and that have been created by others. There's no escaping reality and this book delivers reality in spades. Our MCs don't always do and say the right things, get pushed into doing things they shouldn't and make bad, bad decisions, but don't we all? It just makes the whole mess more heart-wrenchingly familiar and I found myself on the edge of my seat wanting to pull them back from every stupid decision.
It isn't gilded; it isn't snowflake drama and it doesn't pull any punches.
I don't think I can read it again, but I'm glad it read it.

Call It What You Want is a good YA read. The themes get pretty dark, which is something I enjoyed about it, so I'd say it's for the older readers of YA.

Rob's story arc was the main thing that kept me reading. I think his character development is handled particularly well, and I especially liked his friendship with Owen. It's refreshing to have a love interest/protagonist that's not 100% moral and struggles with questions over what's right and wrong.

I found Megan a bit boring in the middle of the book and was just waiting to get to the Rob chapters at points. I was much more interested in Samantha's story than Megan's. I think I found Megan a bit whiny/self-righteous in comparison to Rob and Samantha. But perhaps that was necessary as a foil for the other two characters.

Overall though, the writing is good, the themes are challenging in a good way and the characters are well developed. A good book.

Ive been putting off writing this review for a few days now, as well I had no idea what to say. Going into this book I had high expectations, I have read all of Brigid's previous work and was in no way expecting anything less from her, from the beginning I was sucked into the characters, Maegan and Rob both has story arcs that continued even after their relationship started to blossom and they never lost who they both were as characters in that process, which I though was a great triumph. I loved how we got insight into the side characters such as Sam and Owen and they felt like they had a purpose in the story also which isn't very common in Young adult, as the romance tends to take centre stage. This was a welcome surprise to see a positive portrayal of romance at such a young age . Beginning to end the story was an emotional rollercoaster, as you felt part of the story from the first page. I cannot wait to see what this other will produce next and thoroughly enjoyed this book

'Call It What You Want' was as exceptional as I imagined. It was gripping and different to a lot of the YA fic already out there. Yet somehow it still felt relevant and refreshing to read. There were so many layers to this book that it was so hard not to get caught up with all the dilemmas. I love the realness of this book (and with Brigid Kemmerer's writing tbh). She always had this set up where there's no simple way round any problem and the build up is so intriguing that I couldn't put the book down! Character development was on point and I actually liked watching Rob and Maegan grow. Even if they were, as it seemed, these 2 characters that were going nowhere.

Overall, I really liked 'Call It What You Want'. It was as good as I expected and probably even more! I couldn't recommend Brigid Kemmerer's writing enough!

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Bloomsbury Publising, for giving me a copy of Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer.

I sped through this book, I read A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Kemmerer this month after I received a copy from the monthly book box, FairyLoot - it's incredible by the way (both the book and FairyLoot). So I was really excited when my request for the newest book by the same author was accepted.

I quickly fell in love with the characters that Kemmerer has written so passionately. They feel like real people with real emotions that could be experiencing this in the house next to mine. Maegan and Rob go through two very different experiences but they are joined in their pain and guilt.

This book's main point for me is that you don't know what happens behind closed doors, everyone may seem like they have it all, but you don't know the truth. Also, everyone has their own view on what is considered "right" or "correct" - A quote from Jurassic Park 3 fits surprisingly well here! "Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions"...

The plot never felt slow, every scene felt like it was leading up to the big reveal at the end, plus the side plot with Maegan's sister also helped with setting a fast pace for the book. This book deals with a lot of sensitive subjects, however they never felt like they were added in for dramatic effect. They fitted in with the characters, their situations and their personalities perfectly and added to the plot line.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, it was a great read and I was always excited to kick up my Kindle so I could continue reading it. I can definitely see myself buying a physical copy when the book is released on 27th June 2019.

"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."

Brigid Kemmerer’s Letters to the Lost and it’s sequel More Than We Can Tell are both favourite YA contemporaries of mine, so when Call It What You Want was announced, it was exciting for me as I knew it was going to give me a very similar reading experience. When I was accepted the ARC, I was so delighted and reading it was definitely a great way to pass the time on an eight-hour flight early this week. What I am always impressed with in Brigid Kemmerer’s novels is her ability to capture the lows and the highs in life through realistic and relatable characters. Her writing style is subtle and clean, which not only makes for an easy read but also a story that holds so much complexity and charm in its telling.

This is no different in Call It What You Want, a book that delves into two teens lives: Rob, who is dealing with the aftermath of his father’s financial embezzlement and attempted suicide, and Maegan, who’s keeping secrets about her older sister coming home from university pregnant and the pressure she’s been under holding her high-grade average. When the pair of them are partnered for a calculus assignment, they get to know each other and see that perhaps it’s time to let the walls they’ve put up break away.

What I loved most about this book was the way both Rob and Maegan were portrayed as teenagers going through very different things, but find something in each other that gives them a way forward in life. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that; it takes the pair of them a lot of time to work through their own issues, but getting to know each other does give them new perspectives and ultimately, outside support at a time when they really need it. The way they came together was so touching to read. While I thought the romantic element of their relationship could have had more to it, it wasn’t the central point of the book, so overall I liked how their friendship developed regardless of their romantic attraction over the course of the story and how they were able to give each other a deeper understanding of each other and themselves.

I found Rob’s independent story line much more interesting, complicated and stronger than Maegan’s, which meant the book felt one-sided to me. While I enjoyed the way Maegan and her sister’s relationship was explored, how the accidental pregnancy and the implications involved affected both sisters and their family, I felt I wasn’t as compelled by Maegan’s personal issues as much as I was Rob’s. Rob’s story is heartbreaking and so complex. The position his father put Rob and his mother in is truly horrible and, for want of the right word, I enjoyed learning more details of what happened as the book went on. My disconnection from Maegan’s storyline meant I felt like I didn’t quite get to know the depth of her character as I did Rob’s, though she had her moments. For me, Rob’s story was the memorable part of the book, overall.

While Call It What You Want won’t be making my top favourites list, I thought it was interesting and highly complex account of two teenagers in a difficult stage of their loves and how they learnt from each other. Brigid Kemmerer deals with some important social issues surrounding money, reputation and crime, bringing in Robin Hood-esque discussions, which I found well explored and important to think about. Rob’s new friend Owen is also worth a mention as a highlight of the story. Otherwise, I didn’t connect as much as I would have liked with the other characters as individuals, besides Rob, of course. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it for you YA contemporary readers out there.