Okay, this book spoke to my soul. Natalie is awkward, lacks self esteem, and is going through a difficult transition. Her parents are divorcing and she's in limbo waiting to see if she got into university. Her best friends are dating and she feels a bit left out. Her relationship with Alex is new to her and she doesn't know how to feel or reconcile their differences.

Natalie being a bit behind her peers when it comes to dating and feeling unsure of herself and her body is something many teenagers go through. I definitely identified with her struggle to fit in and try to join a new social crowd, while dealing with anxiety on top. She had some cringey moments for sure, especially her sex talk with Alex lol. But I admired that she stuck it out and did her best to say how she felt.

The friendship between Natalie, Lucy, and Zach was great and one of the best parts. Even though Zach and Lucy were dating, they tried so hard to include Natalie and not leave her out. Lucy was such a cheerleader for Natalie and always tried to build her up and encourage her. We all need a Lucy in our lives.

I adored this story and the characters. Quick, fun read!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Cute idea, but everything felt very surface level and kind of shallow. Kenwood didn't make the romance between Natalie and Zach's brother seem very realistic since it progressed so quickly and seemed really sudden. It was a nice story, but there wasn't anything super impressive. I would label it as a laid-back, quick read.

The best part of this book HANDS DOWN was the narrator, Natalie. I have never met a protagonist who portrays an introvert more accurately (and, you know. I would know, because I'm practically the queen of introverts). She is awkward, shy, hilarious, and so sweet. I loved hearing the thoughts running through her head, especially when she imagined how she wanted conversations to go in ways that were just completely unrealistic (because, let's be honest. Who doesn't do that??).

And her struggles were, in fact, real! I wish I had known a book character in my puberty years who had to deal with acne and heavy periods and confusingly fluctuating self-esteem. Natalie was more relatable than 99.9% of book characters out there.

So what, you say, took this from a four or a five star book down to a three? Honestly, it was the romance- it felt unrealistic. Everything was really rushed and the way things escalated in their relationship was utterly confusing. I wish we had gotten a few more chapters to see Alex and Natalie develop feelings for one another. And the parents - don't even get me started on Natalie's parents. They were awful. It felt like they didn't care about their daughter at all, and their personalities were flat and underdeveloped. I felt no sympathy for either of them, ever.

That being said, if you're looking for a cute, honest, and fairly enjoyable read during quarantine, Nina Kenwood's debut is a good choice for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved this. A nice, relatively easy read, helping me get out of my reading slump. I little too much time spent dwelling on the character's issues with acne but ultimately it adds to explaining the character's insecurities and her behaviour around others.

It Sounded Better In My Head is really good. There are some part in the story relate to me like when the puberty hit me. The acne, hormonal changes it happened to me when I was a teenage girl. The author really crafted this story very well.

Through reading this, we can see the character development in Natalie. I love all the character in this story. The friendship they have with Natalie, the love story. It was amazing.

Overall, I enjoy this story so much. Relatable and it felt realistic. I’m hoping to read more book written by Nina Kenwood.

4.5/5 stars

4/5⭐️ to It Sounded Better in my Head by Nina Kenwood!

Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for early access to the ebook!

I’m such a sucker for these kind of books! Cute, with amazing friendships, a budding relationship, that also touches on the harder side of been a teen/young adult. Natalie is just finishing her last year of high school, and life is looking pretty good. She has the grades, great parents and home she can stay at during uni, and a plan to attend University with her two best friends. Then, her parents announce that they’re getting a divorce, and from there, her life takes a much different path than she could’ve imagined.

A major theme in this book that I appreciated is about Natalie learning to love herself. She has a lot of anxiety due to having horrible acne and the treatments she had to go through. I definitely felt for her throughout the book and wanted to reassure her and give her a hug. I never realized how much it could impact a person. In time with the help of her friends her self esteem grows, but I agree with the author’s choice of not making it 100% by the end as I don’t think that would be realistic. Self-love takes time, and longer for some than others.

I loved the friendships and relationships in this book, too! You could tell the characters really cared for each other and supported one another, even through arguments and all the changes and messiness that comes with this time of life.

If you’re looking for a new contemporary a la The Kissing Booth that is set in Australia with a message of friendship and learning how to love yourself, go check out It Sounded Better in my Head!

4.5 ⭐
Well I really love this book. I won't lie when I say that the first opening line was a big disappointment for me. Because it's narration was so bland and information was just given to us readers and not shown, I did not enjoy that. can I honestly thought after reading the second chapter that this book was going to be another cliche YA. I was proved wrong.

I cannot begin to tell how much I related with main character, Natalie, related to her and it isn't questions in all the problems of being an 18 year old. Natalie's worries and problem and the way she thought about herself was extremely relatable. There are times when she talk about her sexual anxieties and my God I could relate to that so much. I am pretty sure a lot of us girls do.

I honestly loved Zach and Lucy and their relationship very much. It was so awesome and so adorable and I just loved them a lot. At times do I felt like Zach was going to end up being with natalia but I was wrong. The friendship was beautiful and I loved the trio sm. They were amazing. At first of course I had my doubts on Alex and his intention is with Natalie but then I think he really came around. I found him and Natalie very adorable and I think their relationship is cute although not the one that I was vouching for.

I do wish we could have seen more scenes with natalie's dad and mum and how the divorce went about and everything. I felt like most of the story was focused on natalie's romance and drama and the limelight was kind of stone from the divorce issue. However, despite all of these, I truly enjoyed the book. I was full of humour, it had great healthy friendship, there was all the romance and drama that I needed in a book, the characters well lovely and had their own personalities which I really loved - it was a beautiful book about coming of age, finding confidence in yourself, speaking out and accepting yourself, of teenage problems and anxieties that are not so openly discussed. I loved this book stood for and how the message was portrayed across.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc of this lovely book. All opinions expressed are fully mine.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a pleasant surprise and I couldn’t put it down.The writing was brilliant. This is definitely my favorite YA of 2020. And Nina Kenwood has been moved to my favorite authors list! ♥️
The characters were real and honest. Natalie struggled with normal girl stuff like acne, puberty, low self-esteem, friendships and just flat out trying to fit in. Not to mention her stress about a crush/romance with a cute boy. This was a visual diary of her thoughts and experiences.
I smiled a lot about the romance between these to and loved how they talked to each other. I laughed out load a lot. And their vulnerability was precious!
To be completely honest I didn’t want this story to end and I really hope NK is working on her next book.

Things I loved:
• The writing.
• The character development
• The romance
• The struggle
I highly recommend this book! Everyone needs to read this! This was a NETGALLEY gift from the publisher and all opinions are my own. Thank you for reading my review. Happy Reading.

Rating - 3.5 stars

So, I have mixed feelings about this particular book. The writing style was alright but, well, Natalie was a bit too much for me. Though I could see her character development, the whole book was rather surrounded only on her. And honestly? I would have liked more about the side characters. It's hard when you have to give your total focus on only one character. Especially when you see that there are plenty of other characters too.

It talked about that fragile state during the transition to adulthood and coping up with self-esteem issues. There were instances when I really liked it and was in fact impressed. But unfortunately they weren't that many. Though I enjoyed reading it!

I was provided an Arc by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

OH MY GOODNEESS I LOVED THIS.
Our main character Natalie defines herself by her bout with acne when she was younger. She has since taken medicine and cleared up her skin but still struggles with her body image. Natalie has never been in any kind of relationship with a boy before unless you count her friendship with her best friend Zach who is dating her other best friend Lucy. When she finds an unexpected romance while staying at Zach's beach house, she has to come to terms with the relationship and how she feels about herself.

This is probably one of the sweetest books I've read in a while. Nina Kenwood has started her career with a fantastic debut featuring a character I'm sure a lot of teenagers and young adults will relate to. There were moments where I was laughing out loud and moments where I was close to tears. It Sounded Better in My Head is the perfect light-hearted contemporary. I've already recommended this to one friend, it was just that good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest I am a bit on the fence with this one. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. There were moments were I was genuinely invested and others moments where I just couldn't care. I will say though that this book is a true homage to the end of teenage years and everything that comes with trying to figure out what your life will be like and what roles the people that are already in your life will end up taking.

It Sounded Better in My Head follows 18-year-old Natalie when she has just finished high school. Natalie is in that sweet limbo between high school and university where the world feels full of possibilities but is also the most terrifying time of your life. To make matters worst, her parents have just announced they're getting divorced and her two best friends, Zach and Lucy, are together and in love, throwing off the whole friendship trio and making her feel left out. During a party that Natalie impulsively said yes to going to, she gets to know Zach's older brother Alex better and realises that he isn't at all who she thought he was. In comes the whirlwind of new feelings about everything in Natalie's life changing.

I quite enjoyed the dynamics, friendships and relationships in this novel but the actual individual characters were hard for me fall in love with. I found that certain aspects of the story and the character's background was really dragged out and made me lose interest in the development of the main plot line. I did however, end up really loving the ending - which I won't spoil. It felt like a good wrap up for the feel of the novel and went along the theme of teenage anxiety and the fear of the future.

I will probably end up rereading this at some point because I feel after a second read I will probably enjoy it much more. Also, while reading I couldn't help but imagine a second novel following Natalie's adventures at university and imagining how her character might grow into herself even more.

It Sounded Better in My Head was overall an amusing and quick read and Nina Kenwood's writing style captures so many of the teenage insecurities that it was almost like reading an old diary - thrilling and nostalgic all at once.

It Sounded Better In My Head by Nina Kenwood is a quick paced, and an overall enjoyable, easy read. It delves into body image, self esteem, confidence, divorce, friendship, and first love.

It's a cute contemporary YA novel, with a funny and flawed heroine. Her lack of confidence sometimes grated on my nerves, but it really highlighted that she was overcoming a few really hard teen years due to cystic acne. And digging herself out would be a process that she knew she'd need to work hard on. Natalie's reluctance to socialize or show any skin when she's having a bad breakout is so relatable, and will be a friend to many people.

I like that Natalie knows that she needs to find her own self worth, and not bury herself in a boyfriend. At the same time, she sees the value in people close to her, and her relationships are really strong and endearing because of that. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to people who love YA!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Cute YA book, with a heroine who is funny without being all-out snarky. She also has cystic acne, which you don't see in a YA romance novel every day. I had pretty much garden-variety acne (although it has lasted well into middle age) but I could still identify with Natalie's reluctance to socialize or show any skin when she's having a bad breakout, and let's not even get started with the side effects of Accutane and the dire warnings regarding pregnancy that accompany every single dose.

I wish I had been more engaged in Natalie's first relationship with Alex, her friend Josh's older (only by a year) brother. He was cute and kind, but he made a few bonehead mistakes, and I had to agree with Josh that she could do a lot better. Still, while Natalie is very careful to make sure she doesn't allow her self-esteem to depend on having a real boyfriend, there's no doubt that he helps her realize her potential and her ability to deal with all the changes involved in being 18 years old, going to uni, and having your parents suddenly split up.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sorry to say that I did not like this book. I gave it nearly 100 pages, but found That Natalie grated on my nerves. I couldn’t believe she was actually a high school graduate. I liked the idea of her romance, but it took too long to get to and I wound up skimming much of the pages.

In Nina Kendwood’s debut novel, main character Natalie overcomes the struggles of teenage years with her best friends and an unexpected romance along the way. When Nina unexpectedly learns of her parents pending divorce, life seems completely upside down. On top of that, her two best friends, Zach and Lucy, are dating, when Natalie had always pictured herself with Zach. While dealing with these struggles, as well as overcoming her insecurities about past acne and scarring, Natalie finally comes into her own. She opens up to the world, as well as a boy she never expected.

In this delightful coming of age novel, there are many issues addressed which aren’t frequently seen in this genre. The topic of body issues, specifically acne in this book, is one that almost every teenager has experienced at one point or another. The raw and vulnerable way this is addressed allows readers to relate to a character who has flaws, just as any normal person does. On top of the heavier details such as this and divorce, Kenwood utilizes charming dialogue and realistic characters to immerse readers into the wonderfully awkward years of a teenager.

I really enjoyed this novel more than I expected. I wasn’t sure at first because the main character was someone you had to learn to like.

It’s YA novel about family, friendships, love and learning how to live life after high school.

The author did a great job at showing what it’s like in a teenage girls head. I look forward to reading more books by her.

Thanks Netgalley for the copy!

This is a great young adult read! I could see a lot of myself in Natalie. Quirky and socially awkward. Stuck in that phase between teenager and adult, trying to figure herself out. It's full of love, and friendship. It deals with complicated subjects like divorce that is hard regardless of your age. I laughed out loud and hurt when she hurt. Such a great story, and put together book.

this book?! oh my god?!
i would say it's the perfect book for a teen who's still struggling in their lives and not knowing what the right decision is, but anyone else will enjoy it too (since i am not a teen)
the friendships, the family dynamic, and the love in this book made me feel so connected to it<3
I felt everything the main character is going through because i've been there at one point in life, so seeing her try to work through everything and go to the next part in her journey is so refreshing.
and the LOVE??? god it made me soooo happy i was smiling the whole time!! yes they struggled but omg it just made me so happy<3

i'm %100 excited for anything new the author might write in the future!

<b>“I am an adult now (sort of, kind of, not really).”</b>– The title of my autobiography.

<i>Thank you to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital Arc in exchange for an honest review! All quotes featured are from the Arc and therefore subject to changes.</i>

<strong>This book really came for me personally</strong>. It unearthed some of my deepest thoughts and worries and I was like how??? did you see into my mind??? Some of the things were so accurate it was scary. The main character is basically me if I was more of a Slytherin. In general, the book was a comfort and made me feel so understood. Coupled with a swoony romance, friendships and a fast-paced, easy to read writing style It Sounded Better in my Head slowly crept into my heart and <strong>surprised me by becoming an instant favorite</strong> and absolute must-read for everyone who loves an awkward, relatable main character being confronted with stepping out of their comfort zone. In a way, this book really reminded me of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, two of my all-time favorite books about anxiety, friendship and lots of nerdiness 🥰

<strong>"They want to be something. They'll have real jobs. And money. I don't know what I want to be. I mostly trained myself to do well at school as an antidote to all the dark thoughts, the ones that said 'no one likes you very much' and 'you have nothing to show for your life except schoolwork'."</strong>

<strong>I related to the main character Natalie SO SO MUCH!</strong> ➽ Sometimes it felt like we were almost the same person, there were so many little details and thoughts that seemed to be plucked right from my head and it honestly blew my mind. Like me, Natalie struggles a lot with opening up and being intimate with someone (safe for a few friends that she trists), as she's not really good with people and often prefers to spend her time alone in her comfort zone. The way that she would stay home all weekend and read, as well as be super awkward in conversations resonated with me so much.<strong> I felt Natalie's apprehension of leaving her comfort zone and the fact that she wasn't one for parties, felt super uncomfortable around new people as well as all the overthinking</strong>. I definitely see her as socially anxious like myself as we had a lot of the same experience that made me feel so <i>seen</i>. Unlike me, Natalie <strong>struggled with severe acne in her early teens and I really appreciated that the book gave us an insight into the topic</strong> and how it affected her mentally, as I hadn't seen that before. A lot of the anxiety that Natalie has now stems from her experience with severe acne and how it made her so uncomfortable in her bully and the suspect of nasty comments and bullying. This got to the point where she felt ashamed of her body and was obsessing over her experience and how to cover her face. It was a long and painful process for her to find medication that helped her in the long run, yet left her with scars, both physically and emotionally. That's why she hates standing out and is always afraid of letting anyone close in the fear that she will be rejected.

Another thing I appreciated about Natalie was <strong>how her fears sometimes made her self-sabotage her relationships</strong>. It could be frustrating to read about, but I got it because the deep fear of rejection made her push others away. Then there's also the fact that her neat world seemed to fall apart when her parents decide to get a divorce. some of the fights Natalie has with her parents felt so real: they were messy and included both sides saying hurtful things in the heat of the moment, even though they loved each other. She also <strong>feels stuck in limbo as the book is set between graduation and college</strong>, a time I know is weird as the future is still a bit uncertain and like myself, Natalie didn't have this one big plan and career that she wanted to pursue, unlike her friends. She signed up for things that sounded interesting, yet mostly craved the security of academic learning and not yet having to commit to anything. To sum it up: Natalie was so much like me, safe the fact that she's a self-declared Slytherin 🐍

<strong>Some more relatable moments ...</strong>
➽"'What's the best thing about having three brothers?' I ask, partly because it seems like an engaging question, but also because I am paranoid about the things I might have missed out on not having siblings. Like, could there have been a whole other Natalie, a better Natalie, who would have existed if she'd had a cool older sibling to show her the way in life, or a younger sibling who looked up to her."<i><strong> - oh my god I thought I was the only one who wondered this</strong></i>

➽ "Normally I'm good with silence, but this feels like very pointed 'we are two people with nothing to say to each other' silence, which is the most stressful silence after 'I am mad at you' silence." <i><strong>- someone gets it</strong></i>

➽ "'I do like to be out doing things and talking to people.'
'I like to be home, not doing things, talking to no one.'" -<strong><i> it's me</i></strong>

➽ "Of course I hate the beach. It's the next logical step after hating summer, and I hate summer. It's not a blanket hatred. I like sunshine. I like looking at and walking alongside the ocean."<strong><i> - Summer Haters Unite</i></strong>

➽ "I will do arts, then maybe honours and a PhD (I am the kind of person who will just keep automatically doing the next study option until there are none left)." <i><strong>- I feel attacked</strong></i>


<strong>"'I feel very reassured. In fact, it feels like we're in separate rooms. Separate houses even.' I say. 'That's the power of a good pillow barrier,' he says, and his voice has a smile in it."</strong>

<b>The romance was swoony and complicated and warmed my heart.</b> ➽ There are so many things I like about the romance, as it hit a lot of amazing tropes. I mean there is the bed-sharing trope in full force (😉) as well as <strong>some great opposites attracts as Alex and Natalie couldn't be more different</strong>. Alex is Zach's oldest brother (another spicy fact that stirs up some difficulties and drama) and an aspiring chef who often feels like he's not good enough to please his family, especially with Zach's own accomplishments. He's also way more outgoing and extroverted than Natalie, who doesn't like parties and isn't appearing as confident. Nevertheless, Alex is a good guy who respects Natalie and grew up with a mother who thought that it was important to teach her sons how to respect women (Alex and Zach's mom is the best). <strong>Their banter is off the charts flirty, swoony and funny</strong>! You can see the instant chemistry that both of them have, a way of being together despite their differences and a dedication to making it work against the odds. Natalie herself has no dating experience unlike Alex and still struggles with the aftermath of her acne, so there is some insecurity, fear to open herself to other people and a few rough patches in general in their romance. However, I still loved their emotional Arc and the hope to make it work, as both clearly cared about each other 🥺💕

<strong>"'Okay, tell me your top five tips,' I say, suddenly realizing Alex is going to be here any minute.
'I'm not a BuzzFeed article.'
'Quick, just tell me the most important things.'"</strong> #friendshipgoals

<strong>I also loved the friendships!</strong> ➽ I especially loved the friendship between Natalie and Lucy, as I'm all here for <strong>strong female friendships</strong>. Even though Natalie sometimes struggles with Lucy having more dating and sexual experience, she never looks down other because of that and both girls embrace their differences. (It's refreshing to have a book with no subtle slut-shaming). Lucy herself is a caring, loyal friend who is popular but genuinely nice and interested in Natalie, despite having a large friend group. She's also under a lot of pressure to be perfect and become a lawyer by her mother and trying to do her best. I could relate to her inherent need to make the best of every situation and try to smooth over the waves of tension that arose. I always strive to maintain harmony as well. Natalie's second, best friend is Zach, who I struggled with a bit more as he said a lot of mean things that hurt her in the middle, but later you get the reason why and that he was only worried his friend would get hurt. Despite their differences, Natalie and Zach have great banter between them and are very close. Another thing, that was discussed was the fact that Zach and Lucy are dating ... leaving Natalie feeling insecure at times, like she's the third wheel. I <strong>loved that both her friends tried to make her feel included, but yet I also appreciated the discussion about how awkward having your two best friends date could be</strong> (and how sometimes jealousy and ugly thoughts arise) and how it's difficult to find a medium between letting them have some date time and also doing things as a friend group.

<strong>"I always had this vision of myself doing something important during my teen years. I didn't think I would be a child prodigy, but I thought I would be something very close to it, and now I'm almost out of time. Before I know it, I'll be twenty-one and no one will be impressed by anything I do."</strong>

<strong>In general, the book was amazing as it addressed a lot of important topics</strong> ➽ I always appreciate stories that don't shy away from discussing difficult topics but also don't make it sound preachy or forced. The way that the book incorporated talking about heteronormativity (even asexuality was mentioned, something that sadly doesn't find notice in a lot of books), feminism, safe sex and feeling uncomfortable with your body was amazing. It was done in a<strong> subtle way that felt very real and relevant.</strong> Natalia struggles a lot with her body image (part of it because of her acne) and the question of if there's something wrong with the way her body looks or if it's supposed to look a certain way. Her worries felt real and I honestly haven't read a book that is so open about the more 'taboo' topics that often don't get touched upon. Everything about It Sounded Better in my Head feels honest and like the author understands what it's like to be a teenager.

<strong>IN CONCLUSION.</strong> ➽ <i>It Sounded Better in my Head </i>was simply amazing. <strong>It had everything that I could have asked for</strong>: a super relatable, awkward main character struggling with her own fears and insecurities as well as a swoony, banter-filled romance and a lot of great friendships. This book just gets it and made me feel so understood 💖

A quick and easy read that felt pretty genuine and authentic. I did find the MC dramatic and slightly annoying at first. But I saw her growth, and I appreciated that a lot. The romance felt slightly... unexplained? It felt like it started without a true basis, but I still rooted for it! And I love the aspect of this being set in the limbo time right before university, when nothing is clear and choices need to be made and life is unclear. It sounded better in my head is a good story about expectations and how things don't always go at all in the way imagined or hoped for. It was cute and it was one of the quickest reads in a while for me. Take it as a 3.5 star rating, but highly enjoyable and fun!