Thank you to Jenna Adam's and NetGalley for the Arc copy for a honest review of this book.

4* This was a very cleverly written story of two children who meet aged 14 and 17... who then develop a more mature relationship while she is still under the age of consent and he is legally now an adult.

The two main characters were written so well that you really felt what it was like to be them and the decisions they made. I actually read a lot of this story with my 11 year old who was interested in it and brought up some questions. She in the end thought it was very sad, how the book didnt end the way she thought it might, but then I reminded her that even being in your 20s is still very young and they had their whole lives ahead of them.

There was a lot in the story I resonated with, clubs at school, mixing with friends of different ages, fancying the older boys and wishing things would happen, being upset when they got girlfriends etc. It also made me think about my first time and how I was underage but he was 17 and actually how close that was to being a similar situation if only for a few months...

I thought how the FMCs depression was portrayed was incredible and how it had affected her personality and decision making.

It really reminds you that being a teenager and coping with hormones and change is actually bloody hard, and feels so much bigger at the time.

I couldn't put it down and I was desperate for a HEA but like with true life it ends more realistically.

This book would be fantastic for discussing at a book club and I actually wish I was able to portray how important I think this book is - especially to younger readers of a similar age to the characters.

Fantastic writing from the Author. Not my typical Romantasy genre read at all - very contemporary, raw and heartbreaking in so many ways. The message is very carefully and considerately portrayed.

I would easily rate the authors skill as 5* however I personally prefer a different genre and a book that doesn't make me want to cry into my pillow after and worry more about my teenage son and daughters in the world today 😩

2 stars

( thankyou netgalley for the arc )
( published july 17th)

well....that was certainly something , the first 100 pages were so hard to get into i was on the verge of dnfing but i decided to keep going and it did progress ( well brooke certainley did , matt you can piss off you arsewhole )
the charctor of brooke felt very real and relatable in ways and her coverstions with sanjay i could picture so well and i think that made the book so much better .
however matt youre personailty for 6 years should not be obsessing over a girl that very FUCKING clearley does not like you and i do agree with the other member of stage fright you shouldnt have been teaching there ... he was such an annoying toxic twatty perv x

This was a powerful and emotional read. Not always easy, but really worth it. I liked how honest the story was. Brooke was a very well written character, and I felt close to her feelings and struggles. I could see how she changed through the story, and it felt real. With Matt I had mixed feelings. Sometimes I felt sorry for him, but most of the time I was frustrated. He felt selfish and not always aware of the damage he caused. But that’s part of what made the book feel realistic. No one was just good or bad, just human. The writing style was clear and emotional, and I really liked the structure with acts and scenes. It made the story feel different and fit well with the theater theme. This is not a light story, and please check the content warnings before reading. I give it 4 stars because a few parts felt a bit slow for me, and I wanted a bit more closure for some characters, especially Matt. But overall, it’s a very strong and important book. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I tried to get into this on two separate occasions, and unfortunately, could not get past the first 20 percent.

Human relations in this book were portrayed in such a raw and believable way that made the writing rare and unsettling in the best way possible. This is an informative read just as much as it is entertaining and touching. I loved and hated the characters while understanding every single one of their actions and reactions.
However I did wish we were given some kind of epilogue, since Matt’s and Brooke’s stories didn’t feel completed in a way…
But 4.75 ⭐️ regardless!!

Thank you Unbound for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own!

Very much a neccessary and soaring story. I deeply enjoyed the structure and how we follow Brooke beyond young adulthood and how the butterfly effects of her younger selfs actions impact her in adulthood. I loved (hated) the portrayal of Matt as a manipulative immature young man who grows to be trapped and stuck in this cycle of immaturity and inflicting harm upon others without him becoming a comical big bad villain, this realism was unsettling. I know that Brooke laughed and cried when couldve wouldve shouldve by taylor swift dropped. Whilst I think that labelling this book as a YA coming of age story can in some ways be misleading, I think that the trigger warnings are clear and this IS a coming of age story- one that will hopefully warn and embolden young girls into an understanding of agency and their self-worth.

such a powerful story and important conversation on consent and mental illness. i really enjoyed this book and found myself thinking about it when i wasn’t reading it.

the topics in this book are very heavy and i recommend checking the content warnings before reading

i really liked how this book was set up with the acts and the scenes, and as a theatre fan i really enjoyed the underlying theatre theme of the book, especially early on. i also really liked the chapter lengths!

i think it was clever, and important, that there was a constant reminder of brooke and matt’s ages within the chapter titles and even just throughout the writing in general. also seeing them both grow up really puts everything at the start into perspective even more

i felt a lot of sympathy for brooke throughout the whole book, and i found myself really worrying about her and even relating to some of her struggles at times. she was a very well written character. i feel very conflicted about matt, and there were times early on when i could feel sympathy for him too and i do think he had his struggles too and maybe wasn’t always aware of the gravity of his actions but ultimately i do believe that he is quite self involved and selfish, and while i think he did truly care about brooke i do also think he put himself first in instances when he really shouldn’t have and i think he was very selfish. even at the end i don’t think he was fully aware of how bad his actions were.

the ending was beautiful, the perfect ending for brooke and that last chapter and last line just felt like the perfect conclusion and very needed after everything she’d gone through

the title is also very fitting for brooke and for her story, i personally link the title to the taylor swift song of the same name and that song itself feels very fitting for brooke. it really is all about her trying.

this was a beautiful, powerful and important story and i really recommend it but i also think if you read it you should be prepared for how heavy it is, there are moments that were hard to read. i also feel like i learnt a lot especially about codependency which was interesting.

thank you so much to netgalley and unbound for this arc!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5 stars)

Raw, powerful, and deeply affecting—this is not your typical YA romance, but a brave and unforgettable coming-of-age story that hits hard and lingers long after the final page. 🎭💔🕊️

When Brooke and Matt are cast as Romeo and Juliet, they never expect the lines between stage and reality to blur so dangerously. What begins as an exciting, secret romance with an older boy quickly unravels into something far more complex and emotionally devastating. As Brooke struggles to process what’s happened, the novel navigates anxiety, blurred consent, and the long road to healing with unflinching honesty. 🩶📖⚖️

Told with emotional depth and lyrical clarity, this debut captures the heartache of growing up too fast, the weight of silence, and the courage it takes to reclaim your voice. Brooke’s journey is messy, real, and ultimately empowering—a story of pain, resilience, and self-discovery. ✨🫀🧠

This is a must-read for fans of contemporary YA that doesn’t shy away from hard truths. Honest, thought-provoking, and beautifully written—this story doesn’t flinch, and neither will you. 💬🌹📚

This was such an emotional rollercoaster, and I was so impressed with the writing. I felt very emotional at certain points in the story, though I felt as though maybe the story ended unfairly on Matt’s part. I love YA when it’s as thought provoking as this one! 5 stars!!

This book wasn't it for me.
I felt really uncomfortable while reading it. I was shocked when there was an in detail description of a really heavy, emotional and for some people maybe also triggering action that the female main character did and I was also disgusted by some of the things mentioned.
I definitely would not portray this book as for young adult readers nor would I recommend it to people who read ya. There should have been atleast a trigger warning list mentioning the subjects that are described in detail in this book. So the reader knows what they are getting into..

I don't like to leave one star reviews, but I received this book as an arc via Netgalley so I had to leave some kind of review. I also wanted to warn people that they must know what they're getting into before starting this book. When you're in doubt, please search for triggerwarnings if they are available for this book

This Is Me Trying is raw and emotional, with themes that a lot of people will relate to—especially around identity and self-worth. The writing feels young, like someone still working through their thoughts in real time, which adds honesty but also makes it feel a little unpolished. Some ideas circle back a bit too often, but it’s a heartfelt read that will speak to anyone navigating growing pains.

4 ⭐️

Well…I don’t know what to say! My emotions are everywhere! Such an emotional journey it was! Never thought that a YA book was capable to make me get so reflective, so attached to the characters to a point that I was kind “anxious” to keep reading because I was scared about the ending! That happened because the plot is based on very important and serious themes, such as: mental health, suicide, depression, age gap relationship, statutory rape, substance abuse, toxic relationships and self-mutilation. So please, be careful before you read, pay attention to the content warning note.

Our FMC, Brooke, is the main focus on the story, she’s a 14 year old girl with some trusting issues and insecurities (which is pretty normal for a teenager) that falls in love for a 18 year old boy, Matt (our MMC) who is still growing, trying to know himself and doing is best (imo) to respect our FMC whilst allows himself to live their love, avoiding problems for tem both. We’ll follow their stories through the years, suffer with them about their actions and reflect about how hard it is the process of growing up and how our decisions can affect others.

To be completely honest, I caught myself, frequently, reflecting a lot about what they did, about what I’ve done if it was me there…it was hard, painful, but I enjoyed every moment. I highly recommend the reading because it’s well written, it’s easy to follow and it feels so real. Even with the emotional rollercoaster, I loved it. 🖤

Thank you very much to Jenna Adams and NetGalley for giving me the access to the ARC

This was a thought-provoking and emotionally intense read. While marketed as an age-gap YA romance, it’s much more layered, dealing with themes of consent, mental health, guilt, and self-discovery.

Brooke and Matt are both incredibly nuanced characters. While I didn’t always agree with their choices, I appreciated the realism in how they were portrayed.

However one issue is that I don't believe the ending is suitable for the complex story. It seems that the author summed it up too quickly, leaving many characters' stories unfinished.

The short chapters made this an engaging and quick read.

Overall, a challenging but powerful coming-of-age novel that lingers long after the final page.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 stars

This Is Me Trying by Jenna Adams is a raw, emotionally charged coming-of-age story that doesn’t shy away from the murky complexities of consent, trauma, and first love gone wrong. Framed around a high school Romeo and Juliet production, the novel uses its Shakespearean parallel to powerful effect—highlighting the danger of romanticizing imbalanced relationships.

Brooke’s character arc is both haunting and empowering. Her descent into anxiety and emotional dependency is handled with nuance, and the second-half time jump allows for a deeply moving look at healing, accountability, and self-reclamation. The prose is lyrical without being overwrought, and the emotional depth will resonate with readers who appreciate character-driven YA with substance.

It loses a star only for occasional pacing lags and a few moments where the dual timeline could’ve been more tightly interwoven. Still, this is a brave, necessary novel—a challenging but worthwhile read that handles difficult topics with care and honesty.

Recommended for readers who appreciated Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow.

ARC - PUBLICATION DATE 17TH JULY 2025

4 ☆

『 tropes 』
•age gap
•mental health rep
•coming of age
•depression
•sexual consent
•codependency

『 plot 』
at 14 years of age, brooke joins a drama group and is cast as the lead in the play, alongside 17 year old matt. they didn’t mean to fall in love, lies are told, secrets are kept and lines are blurred. brooke soon realises that what happened was illegal and she reaches breaking point. after a few years of losing herself she makes a decision that will change everything, but was it the right or wrong choice? now as an adult, she finds herself not knowing who she is, outside of her traumatic past and when she comes face to face with her past, redemption and forgiveness seems the only way forward.

『 my thoughts 』
the themes and storyline of this book are so so important for young people to read and understand. it is so well told and having the pov of both brooke and matt, you really go through the rollercoaster and whirlwind of what is happening to them and how they try to process things. i wholeheartedly believe that matt is not a bad person, but the choices he made were wrong and had such a lasting impact on both fmc and mmc, and that understanding the difference between right and wrong, between legal and illegal is so important so that lines are not blurred, if your gut feeling is that it is wrong, then it is wrong, regardless of any other contributing factors. brooke was so young and the affects of lying, keeping secrets, having an older guy ask her to lie, feeling like she couldn’t reach out to anyone, made her mental health take its toll on her. she dealt with it every single day and it affected her family, her view on life, her relationships, her self worth. the ending of the book was open ended, not quite happy and not quite sad. it shows that depression and mental health is ongoing and you have to work at it every day, and it won’t always be perfect.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book. This book unfortunately wasn’t for me. I can appreciate the writing, where the author was going with it and the story they were putting across. I hope the author does well.

This was really bad. The writing was sooo childish and repetitive and there were so many things that made me so uncomfortable.

I finished this book and honestly…I don’t know how to feel. Matt frustrated me a lot; he didn’t really get it until the very end, and even then, it felt like he didn’t face any real consequences. He came off as super self-centred, and the relationship between him and Brooke just felt messy from the start. The red flags were there early, and I kept wondering why no one saw them.

Brooke really made me sad. Her life felt like a puzzle with pieces missing, and Matt was trying to force the wrong ones to fit. I wanted more for her. Her dad especially could’ve done more, he felt too absent when it mattered most. I understood Amy completely, and my heart broke for Brooke’s mum.

It’s not a bad book. It’s emotional and definitely gets into the messiness of relationships and grief. I didn’t love all the choices the characters made, but I can see how that’s part of the point. It just didn’t fully land for me.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.

4.5⭐️ Thank you Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was completely not what I expected - I read the bio for an age gap romance based on a couple who meet when they are playing Romeo and Juliet in their local drama club.

This book was captivating - I was constantly torn between both POV of both the 14 year old FMC who swears this is all fine (but as someone who is looking with older eyes knowing it isn’t) and the 18 year old MMC who swears that he’s not doing anything wrong. The MMC was the one that really got me emotional throughout this book and without spoiling anything it was just so emotional and heartbreaking and stunning to see all their growth!