Blog Tour Review / 10 Reasons You Should Read: What I Like About You (Marisa Kanter)

Welcome to my stop on the What I Like About You Blog Tour! Below you will find my review of this fun and flirty YA Contemporary Romance, which includes 10 reasons you should get your hands on a copy immediately - enjoy! 😊

Title: What I Like About You
Series: standalone
Author: Marisa Kanter
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BYR
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Content Rating: Teen (kissing and making out, some language, grief, anxiety attacks)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound | Azon
Summary:

Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can…but in the real world, it's more complicated. In this debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, Marisa Kanter hilariously and poignantly explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes.

Is it still a love triangle if there are only two people in it?

There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash.

He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything…

Except who she really is.

Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash.

That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue.

Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels.

If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

Goodreads | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound | Azon

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Review copy provided by publisher for honest review. Thank you, Simon & Schuster!

When I first heard of this YA contemporary romance about a teen blogger who becomes entangled in a two-person love triangle, I knew it would be just my kind of read - and I was not disappointed! What I Like About You is a funtastic story made of books and cupcakes and a sweet if awkward romance that you can't help but ship despite All the Bad Decisions. It does occasionally get serious about grief, identity, and consequences, but for the most part it's a lighthearted read with a focus on love - of people, places, and baked and bookish things. If you need further convincing to acquire a copy ASAP, here are...

10 Reasons You Should Read What I Like About You:

1. The two-person love triangle. Halle is in love with Nash. Nash is in love with Kels. But Kels is Halle?? Halle considers her online alter-ego Kels a separate person and is initially determined not to steal Nash away...from herself. But one can only resist love for so long.

2. Awesome sibling relationship. Thanks to their nomad-esque childhood as the offspring of documentary-making parents, Halle's smart and awesome 15 year-old brother Ollie is her best friend IRL. They share pretty much everything with each other, take an active interest in each other's favorite things, keep each other's secrets, call each other on their crap, and support each other mentally. Sibling love for the win!

3. YA book blogger MC. Main character Halle/Kels is a teen book blogger on the rise, and although I am tiny in comparison (in comparison to most bloggers, really), I related to her bookish situations and struggles and enjoyed all the familiar terms and blog talk.

4. Friendship goals. Halle has and makes some seriously amazing friends both online and IRL. I wish I'd had just one of her friends at that age, let alone two crews of them. (For a great quote on friendship from the book, check out my Teaser Tuesday post!)

5. All the Teen Feels. This story covers a lot of the sweet and stressful highlights of teenage life: First loves. First real jobs. HS senior year college drama (practice tests, applications, response emails). School/work/life/online balance. IRL friends vs. online friends. Dead phones with MIA chargers. And the blogger's worst nightmare: a home without Wi-Fi. 😱

6. Authentic teen voices. While I am now far from being considered a "young" adult, I felt the teen voices in this book were fresh and realistic - especially since I didn't always fully understand the lingo, emojis, or acronyms lol.

7. Lots of representation. Halle and her family, as well as Nash and some of Le Crew and their families, are all refreshingly Jewish! Through the book Halle and Ollie attend Shabbat services and participate in holiday traditions with their grandfather and new friends, while halfway across the world their parents are off documenting a year-long kibbutz. Anxiety issues are also featured as Halle suffers from occasional panic attacks (luckily her sweet brother is usually there to help her through them, have I mentioned how awesome their sibling relationship is?), and therapy is promoted for both anxiety and grief. There is also some queer rep among family and friends. And those are just the reps that jumped out at me.

8. Authors behaving badly. Let's be honest, like observing a literary train wreck we in the book community cannot help but watch when an author misbehaves. And boy, does one in this story.

9. BookCon. If you haven't had the pleasure to attend (like me), this book offers a brief but exciting peek into the Javits Center madness - no ticket required!

10. Two words: BOOKISH. CUPCAKES. Enough said. 🧁

Conclusion: If you enjoy reading about imperfect yet sweet romances, YA books, endearing awkwardness, positive sibling relationships, realistic teen characters, enviable friendships, and cover-themed cupcakes, then you do not want to miss the deliciously fun and flirty What I Like About You!

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles

AUTHOR BIO

Marisa Kanter has worked in publicity for major publishers and covered YA books for MTV. Currently, she works in sales, on the distribution side of the publishing industry. She can often be found searching for the best iced chai in NYC, or reading on the 3 train. What I Like About You is her first novel.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Week 1

3/30: Novel Novice - Giveaway
3/31: Book Bratz - Review
4/1: The Novel Knight - Author Guest Post
4/2: Book Princess Reviews - Review
4/3: eleven thirteen pm - Author Q&A

Week 2

4/6: Vicky Again - Creative Post 
4/7: Pub Day (Marisa) - Creative Post
4/8: Kayla Reads and Reviews - Author Q&A

4/9: The Heart of a Book Blogger - Author Q&A
4/10: Mary Had a Little Book Blog - Giveaway

Week 3
4/13: Jen Ryland Reviews - Review
4/14: Love in Panels - Giveaway
4/15: Forever and Everly - Review
4/16: I'm All Booked Up - Review
4/17: Awkwordly Emma - Author Q&A

Week 4
4/20: Rants & Raves of a Bibliophile - Giveaway
4/21: Read By Tiffany - Author Q&A
4/22: A Court of Coffee and Books - Review
4/23: From the Library of Alexis - Review
4/24: Bookishly Jules - Giveaway

Week 5

4/27: Lost in a Book - Review
4/28: Pages and Pugs - Review
4/29: Skye's Scribblings - Review
4/30: Kait Plus Books - Giveaway
5/1: We Live and Breathe Books - Review