Great book! I felt all the emotions possible when reading this. I would recommend this for anyone who wants to feel something, anything when reading!

I picked this book up in the whim of 2018 and I didn’t love it I found the writing style to be not my favourite and the character felt childish to read about at the time I wanted to love this book but I sadly couldn’t so I’m afraid I’m giving this one three stars

sadly, before i could download this title, netgalley took it off their catalog. that means i can’t review this one. HOWEVER, i will be checking in with my library to see if i can get a copy and review it that way

This was a good story, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this one. I enjoyed going through this coming of age story.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book was just okay for me. The atmosphere was good but not wanted it to be. I wanted more for the plot and storyline in the book. I did enjoy the characters in this story. I will still keep and eye on this author and still highly recommend this author. I did love the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

With thanks to Netgalley and booksgosoical

My life as Marlee is an okay book aimed for YA. It was bit too predicable for me.

Did not finish at 25% mark. Considering it's a Wattpad book... what can I expect from it? The characters feels bland with the overused trope here and there. Although, I can see that this book has potential, the author doesn't want to dig deeper.

AHHH! My heart is a goner. This book was really good. You should read it! Just do yourself a favor and read it!

Well written and engaging from the very first page, however I think I am too old for this books intended audience, to truly appreciate it.

Marlee is a well-rounded character, but I feel she may be a little too sarcastic at times, which takes away from her character and on occasion the scene.

I believe, this book will be popular with readers on the younger end of the YA spectrum.

I'm sorry, I gave this my best shot. I really tried to get through it but I think that ended up being the problem in the end. I don't think you should have to try that hard to read something, so I ended up DNFing this at around the 40% mark. I just couldn't get into it. I didn't connect with any of the characters (aside from Stella) and I found a lot of the situations and dialogue rather bizarre. Marlee's story just wasn't for me. I think maybe this book would better suit younger YA readers.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an ARC for my honest review. I feel like I should start this review with an apology because, yeah, this wasn't my thing.

So according the the blurb, this is "a coming-of-age tale about finding love, finding your passion, and finding the light in the darkness". We follow Marlee, a 17 year old as she builds a relationship with Noah, her perfect boyfriend, deals with her mom's cancer and past trauma from her father.

This sounds great and I thought I'd like this. However, this book did not hit the goals it tries to achieve.

One of the biggest problems of this book is the marketing and branding. The age group I would recommend for this type of book is 13-16 year olds, the age where you are still nervous about relationships and sex and lack experience. The book deals with love in a very simplistic way and would definitely calm down a tween.

However, this book claims to be ya. Young Adult books are usually more geared towards 15-20+ year olds. Heck, I was doing a John Green reading marathon during my flight and realized that I appreciate his work even more now.

As an older reader, this got on my nerves in a way that wouldn't when I was 14. I'm going to try and explain what exactly made me upset.

When reading a book for kids, we've got to ask what message are we sending. And here, the message is that sex is bad, that a good couple waits until they have sex and that parents are constantly dysfunctional.

Telling teens that they need to wait to have sex strikes me as a wrong message. I think a better one is, "everyone should have sex once they feel ready and comfortable to, with someone that they trust, and safely". If this truly happens to you when you're 16, I don't see any problem.

And here, Noah and Marlee are applauded for waiting a year. They struggle with their urges but oh, they valiantly deal because heaven forbid they have sex. And Noah occasionally leaves because, "he just can't control himself". Noah and Marlee attempt to stop two of their friends from having sex because they want them to have a good relationship. Cause obviously, if it starts with sex, it's a bad relationship and their friends can't be trusted to make choices. The parents are shocked that they're virgins cause ah, of course teens are always having wild sex.

Seriously though, this book reads like religious dogma, like the book a religious parent gives their child so they won't have sex. Even if it doesn't have the religious aspect, it sounds the same.

The parents are so problematic. From Noah's mom overdrinking to Marlee's mom not taking care of her illness to, well, the entirety of Marlee's dad, it's just messed up. It doesn't add much and reminded me of fanfiction where the main characters fix all of the adults' problems.

The characters never really feel real. Noah keeps on being perfect. Marlee's emotions bounce all over the place. I never felt any type of chemistry between them, especially due to all the insta-love.

All of this circles back to the writing which leans towards telling and not showing. Love, to me, is a lot more about knowing how someone likes to eat their pancakes than it is about showering them with fancy gifts. It's not about thinking someone is perfect, it's about accepting them when they're not because they're <i>them</i>. So I didn't believe their all powerful love because it was told and Marlee's narrative is weak.

I could go on but really, this book wasn't for me. I don't agree with the values and am not convinced at all by anything. Sorry.

Marlee's best friend has moved away and now she's feeling a little lost at school. Sure she has friends but they're mostly casual. Enter Noah, he definitely wants to be Marlee's friend, and more because he's had a thing for her for years. He comes with some ready-made friends that Marlee instantly bonds with. The connection with Noah is instant and deep, things would be really great if her mother weren't getting sick again. Marlee is also carrying some scars of her past and she needs to find a way to get through the pain so she can move forward, which is also easier said than done.


So Noah is pretty perfect as far as Marlee is concerned (me too if we're being honest here). He's caring, attentive, and he's not afraid to show how he's feeling. Which is good and bad for Marlee because she's scared for more. The past she has been through has made her a bit insecure, she's not entirely trusting that when someone says something, that they mean it. She has PTSD and as a fellow sufferer, she handles it very well.

My Life as Marlee has "Marlee's Life Lessons" which she writes to herself as a reminder. They are positive, encouraging, and probably something people might need to hear. I think my favorite one starts off by saying "We are who we are because of our past. Don't let it drown you in shallow waters." That couldn't be truer.

I've loved reading this series to date and am so excited that Anders has more in store for her readers as I've grown fond of Marlee and Noah and I look forward to seeing them in future books. Readers can expect characters that are multi-dimensional and completely relatable, people you can picture hanging out with. A great storyline with excellent storytelling, very well done!

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Marlee, the title character, finds herself starting junior year without her best friend who moved to Texas during the summer. Suddenly, Marlee catches the attention of alternative rock/grunge music fan Noah who she was crushing on from afar the year prior; It’s an insta-love connection.

And...at 20% I really don’t understand where the book is heading. Each chapter pretty much tells you how the next is going to end up “ohhh he’s totally going to be your boyfriend,” and then the next chapter is titled “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.”

I don’t know what else to say besides that the story is unoriginal, the characters are bland, and it’s very predictable. Eye-rolling and cringe inducing.

Loved this book!!! It had so much going on. It was happy, sad and hopeful all at once!! Do yourself a favor and pick this book up!!

Victoria Anders writes in an engaging young adult voice. The chapters in this book flew by, and I would gladly add it to my classroom or library bookshelf.