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Ask Me Anything
" Ask Me Anything isn't just any YA romance. This is a badass YA romance…" -Hypabale.com
I should’ve kept my mouth shut. But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kickass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice. And holy hell, the site went viral overnight. Who knew this school was so hard up. Now the school administration is on a war path to shut me down, and they have Dean―my coding crush―hot on my trail. If he discovers my secret, I could lose his trust forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to. Ask me anything…except how to make things right.
I should’ve kept my mouth shut. But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kickass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice. And holy hell, the site went viral overnight. Who knew this school was so hard up. Now the school administration is on a war path to shut me down, and they have Dean―my coding crush―hot on my trail. If he discovers my secret, I could lose his trust forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to. Ask me anything…except how to make things right.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2019
46 people are currently reading
1117 people want to read
About the author
Molly E. Lee
18 books994 followersMolly E. Lee is an author best known for her romance novels, the Grad Night series and the Love on the Edge series. Molly writes Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
April 12, 2019
*I received an advanced reader copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Upon reading the premise of this book, it sounded to me like just the feminist-centric read I've been missing in my reading life for the last few months. Reading this book felt exactly like watching a teen movie, a heartwarming romance, a tragic backstory, a nasty and overbearing principle, really involved parents, a funny best friend with her stellar hot boyfriend, and of course, your favourite manic-pixie dream girl. Literally, her nickname is pixie. How much more obvious can you get?
This book literally has all the elements of a teen movie wrapped neatly in one readable story. It seems like the author tried to make these characters as un-one-dimensional and original as she possibly could, both characters just happen to be top tier hackers, Amber's hair is... I mean, random, but okay. This isn't entirely unbelievable, I'm just saying that I sensed the attempts to make your characters interesting right off the bat without introduction.
The introduction in this book is weird. Like, right at the beginning, we start a few months after the main events of the book, so we get a tiny glimpse into the climax of the book, but we are left wondering what happened between the characters for the situation to have occurred. On one hand, I think that this is brilliant storytelling, especially when you're trying to captivate your audience right away in order for them to actually want to keep reading. This book grabs you right from the start, where you pretty much have to keep reading to find out what went down. On the other hand, this kind of weighs on your mind the entire time you read the relationship between Dean and Amber develop, you're rooting for these two characters, but at the same time you know that they're doomed from the start based from what we read at the beginning, so there's a romance your readers could have been way more invested in had they not been informed beforehand that there's a huge rift that's going to tear them apart at some point in the story.
Because of Amber's trust issues and trauma that we're made aware of very early on in the story, this makes the knowledge even more disheartening. You want to root for them together, but knowing what you do, you know that Dean ends up betraying her in some way later on anyway, so it's hard to really like him as a character and their relationship in general despite how nice of a guy he's portrayed to be.
Speaking of, I found Dean to be super unrealistic, simply because he's a guy. There's no way a guy would be that gentle and sweet and understanding, he was literally almost the perfect guy and that's just some hella unrealistic expectations.
This book handles subjects of sexual assault, safe sex, trauma and other subjects very well, I think that this book is a great read for anybody who resonates with any of the content it showcases, however, keep in mind the potential triggers while reading, as there is a lot of mention of sexual assault.
Upon reading the premise of this book, it sounded to me like just the feminist-centric read I've been missing in my reading life for the last few months. Reading this book felt exactly like watching a teen movie, a heartwarming romance, a tragic backstory, a nasty and overbearing principle, really involved parents, a funny best friend with her stellar hot boyfriend, and of course, your favourite manic-pixie dream girl. Literally, her nickname is pixie. How much more obvious can you get?
This book literally has all the elements of a teen movie wrapped neatly in one readable story. It seems like the author tried to make these characters as un-one-dimensional and original as she possibly could, both characters just happen to be top tier hackers, Amber's hair is... I mean, random, but okay. This isn't entirely unbelievable, I'm just saying that I sensed the attempts to make your characters interesting right off the bat without introduction.
The introduction in this book is weird. Like, right at the beginning, we start a few months after the main events of the book, so we get a tiny glimpse into the climax of the book, but we are left wondering what happened between the characters for the situation to have occurred. On one hand, I think that this is brilliant storytelling, especially when you're trying to captivate your audience right away in order for them to actually want to keep reading. This book grabs you right from the start, where you pretty much have to keep reading to find out what went down. On the other hand, this kind of weighs on your mind the entire time you read the relationship between Dean and Amber develop, you're rooting for these two characters, but at the same time you know that they're doomed from the start based from what we read at the beginning, so there's a romance your readers could have been way more invested in had they not been informed beforehand that there's a huge rift that's going to tear them apart at some point in the story.
Because of Amber's trust issues and trauma that we're made aware of very early on in the story, this makes the knowledge even more disheartening. You want to root for them together, but knowing what you do, you know that Dean ends up betraying her in some way later on anyway, so it's hard to really like him as a character and their relationship in general despite how nice of a guy he's portrayed to be.
Speaking of, I found Dean to be super unrealistic, simply because he's a guy. There's no way a guy would be that gentle and sweet and understanding, he was literally almost the perfect guy and that's just some hella unrealistic expectations.
This book handles subjects of sexual assault, safe sex, trauma and other subjects very well, I think that this book is a great read for anybody who resonates with any of the content it showcases, however, keep in mind the potential triggers while reading, as there is a lot of mention of sexual assault.
May 11, 2020
*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of ASK ME ANYTHING by Molly E Lee. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***
Fed up with her school’s antiquated abstinence only approach to sex ed, Amber creates an anonymous sex education blog ASK ME ANYTHING not realizing her crush and coding rival Dean would be tasked with finding the source of the blog.
I love female centric, sex positive books for teens. ASK ME ANYTHING conveys that message without ever being a Book With A Message. Although she’s had a boyfriend for a while, Amber’s a Virgin by choice, not until marriage, but until she decides she’s ready and with the right person. Most of her friends are sexually active and assume she has been, but she’s open and honest when asked. Amber doesn’t feel pressure to be anyone but who she is. She’s a great role model, fighting against lack of information under the guise of education.
I’m old enough to have sexually active grandchildren, so I didn’t connect as much to the coding subplot, but I think it will appeal to teen readers with a nod to Amber being a superior coder who happens to be a girl (as opposed to a girl coder).
ASK ME ANYTHING is a rare book I’d recommend as appealing to all readers.
Fed up with her school’s antiquated abstinence only approach to sex ed, Amber creates an anonymous sex education blog ASK ME ANYTHING not realizing her crush and coding rival Dean would be tasked with finding the source of the blog.
I love female centric, sex positive books for teens. ASK ME ANYTHING conveys that message without ever being a Book With A Message. Although she’s had a boyfriend for a while, Amber’s a Virgin by choice, not until marriage, but until she decides she’s ready and with the right person. Most of her friends are sexually active and assume she has been, but she’s open and honest when asked. Amber doesn’t feel pressure to be anyone but who she is. She’s a great role model, fighting against lack of information under the guise of education.
I’m old enough to have sexually active grandchildren, so I didn’t connect as much to the coding subplot, but I think it will appeal to teen readers with a nod to Amber being a superior coder who happens to be a girl (as opposed to a girl coder).
ASK ME ANYTHING is a rare book I’d recommend as appealing to all readers.
October 21, 2020
I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. Well written, sex positive, characters have some depth and there is character development. My late night kindle shopping spree doesn´t usually end up with 4 stars reviews! I was pleasantly surprised of how much of this book I enjoyed.
May 6, 2019
I want to thank NetGalley & Entangled: Teen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review
I enjoyed reading this book, I appreciate that authors are encouraged to touch things such as sex education in YA literature, it's very important that young people are actually enjoying of reading an entertaining plot but also can inform themselves at the same time, you know?. I liked that aspect of the book a lot and I think it was very well handled
3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.
TW: Sexual Abuse & Trauma
The book follows Amber, she's a computer genius and she's very dissatisfied with the way in which her school handles sexual education, in a rather old-fashioned way. So she decides to create a totally anonymous blog where anyone from her school could go for any advice about sex and relationships. What she didn't expect was for the blog to go viral, but it did it, and now the school administration is trying to finish with the blog and for that, they're using Dean, Amber's coding crush, to find out the identity behind "Ask Me Anything". But if Dean finds out about Amber's secret she may lose him forever and, on the other hand, thousands of teens will stay with no one to turn to.
I really liked the book, I think it's fun, easy to read and quite educational, but on the other hand, I had some problems with the romance, which was quite uncomfortable to read for me.
I like how it all starts from Amber's concern about the lack of sexual education in her school, I think this is something very important to discuss so I like that this has influenced on Amber to take matters into her own hands, and even when she herself hasn't had sexual experiences as such, she has so much interest in helping others. I think it's great, and it shows great maturity on her part. So the sex education part, as such, I think that's really well executed. I like how we can read a bit of the question on Amber's blog and know a little more about the doubts the guys have about the topic. I think it might even be helpful for some people, which is great. The book also encourages you to talk about it with your parents, which is sensational in my opinion.
The book focuses on our two main characters, ...Dean and Amber, both are super coding geniuses, so there is a lot about computers and things that I don't understand lol, but I think it's interesting if you're into those things. I like Amber as a character, she's determinate, but at the same time when you start to get into her head and discover the things she has had to hide, her fears and her pain, you get to appreciate more what she does for others. She has a beautiful couple of friends who are always there for her and also some lovely present parents, when I say presents, YES, I mean that they're there accompanying her at every step and every decision and I LOVE that, we need more of that in books really.
Dean talks and thinks in very disturbing ways for me, I don't know, the writer tries to make him the good and super hot guy and I'm like, ugh, really?. He's created in a way that's about making him look like the perfect guy and that's unrealistic if you ask me.
Let's talk a little about romance, which was my biggest problem with the book. There's a moment in the book where Amber begins to be closer to Dean and vice versa, they end up sharing more hours after school and they begin to know each other and make friends. And until that moment, although the dialogues are cheesy and childish, I thought it was cute and I was fine with that. But then Amber begins to feel that Dean might want something else or having other feelings, and although she also thinks that he's super handsome and everything, she explains to him that she's not ready to date with someone since she recently broke up with her boyfriend and that was very hard for her. Dean's very empathetic and understands, which is great but then immediately after saying he understood it begins to have out of place comments trying to connect with her in some way and is so uncomfortable to read.I understand that he likes her and that's fine, but you have to respect if someone tells you that she's not ready for something else , but after Amber repeats the same thing over again, he continues to have that attitude of conquest all the time and I understood, at that moment, that this character would be very difficult for me and he was, I don't like him. He tries to be comprehensive and sensitive but it is too much for me.
The dialogues of the romantic scenes are too cheesy, and I like corny, but this was beyond that, it was very cringy.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, sexual abuse is touched and I can't say much about it because spoilers but I want to mention that I think it's very well made and the main characters handle it in a very real and hard way, so if it's something you're sensitive about, I recommend discretion.
Although the romance wasn't for me, I don't think it's a bad book, in fact, I think it's very good, it has a very easy and quick to read writing style, and it's about sex education, so that's really important. So I think I would recommend it even though there are some things that maybe weren't for me because I think they could be for you. I think that in the parts where should be good, it is, so if you feel like giving it a chance, I think you might enjoy it.
February 3, 2021
This is the story of Amber and Dean, two students at a private school who both love hacking and coding. A very slow and boring start, but once the characters and story develop, I was completely taken in. I loved the journey, their loving, supportive families, their own journey into a relationship, but behind it all, their expertise in coding and hacking, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.
And the 'Ask Me Anything' is a secret blog Amber develops to win a contest with Dean as to who can cause the biggest shake up in their school.
I really loved this one, recommended.
And the 'Ask Me Anything' is a secret blog Amber develops to win a contest with Dean as to who can cause the biggest shake up in their school.
I really loved this one, recommended.
May 2, 2019
I have to mention how much I love this cover first. I'm not a huge fan of covers with people, but the coding all over makes this one really stand out to me.
I also want to mention WARNINGS first because some of the issues will be discussed in my review and I don't want anyone hurt. Warnings for sexual assault, teenage pregnancy, blackmail, somewhat abusive behavior, parents/teachers not wanting to teach about safe sex and shaming teens who have sex, birth control, relationship issues, trust issues, hacking/dark web, language, and a lot of sexual content.
I really liked this book. I'm a huge fan of any book with a strong female who speaks out against injustices. Especially when it's a sex positive book and doesn't shame teens that have sex. Yes, the principal and some parents do, but Amber does what she can to let people know that talking about it helps and telling teens not to, just makes them want to do it more. And it won't stop them. It's been quite awhile since I've been a teen, but I know we always found ways.
The book is told in two POV. Amber and Dean. It not only includes their thoughts, but there are also blog posts and texts throughout the book. Amber and Dean are both hackers. They've been friends for awhile, but never more. Amber dated a popular football player for a year. He ended up trying to force himself on her at a party and she withdrew a lot. Only her best friends and parents knew what happened. She was ashamed and didn't want to date anyone. But things changed as she spent more time with Dean. He really got her, challenged her, and she learned to trust him.
The principal of their school was a horrible human being. During his annual video about not having sex, there is a prank pulled. Amber and Dean decided to compete against each other in some type of hack that also got back at the principal. Amber made a secret blog for teens to write in with sex questions. The principal freaks out and blackmails Dean to find out who is writing it. Dean finds out that the principal blackmails students a lot. He works on finding out who it is, but didn't want to tell the principal when he found out. Amber kept it from him.
Amber's blog was incredible. I can't describe how much I wish something like that was around when I was a teen. I'm going to age myself by saying I was class of 1995. We weren't using the internet and just had basic computer classes. There was no way I was asking my mom or dad about sex stuff. Luckily my mom put me on the pill at 15 to be safe. But that was it. We had the talk when I was young, but no one ever really talks to you about all the real questions you have. I somewhat talked to friends, but not a lot. I was thrilled when a friend trusted me enough to ask a very personal how to question her freshmen year of college. I realized then how hard it could be to talk about sex issues. Not birth control so much, but everything else. I know that going to a school like the one in the book wouldn't have stopped me from having sex with my boyfriend at 15. But having a place to ask questions without giving my name would have helped so much.
I loved both Amber and Dean. Amber's parents were some of the best YA parents I've read. And Dean had such an amazing sibling relationship with his brother and sister. While the book's main focus wasn't on family, it was definitely a big part of the story. Especially Dean's younger sister.
Dean was pretty much the perfect boyfriend. Things did go bad towards the end, but I understood why he acted the way he did. I loved the "assembly" towards the end and the glimpse into a year later.
This book has some serious topics. I want to share one quote that really stood out to me. It's something that we still hear way too much. Do not read quote if you have any triggers from sexual harassment or assault.
"You were my girlfriend," he said, his tone sharper. "You weren't supposed to say no to me. Besides," he said, shrugging, "everyone knows girls say no just to play hard to get for a few minutes, before that no turns into a yes."
If you are a teen or young adult reading this, please know that you owe your significant other nothing. You can say no and no means no. Always. If you're dating someone who thinks like the ass above, please get out of that relationship. It's sad how long it took for people to accept that a man can rape his wife. And these thoughts are still common with crappy people.
I gave this book 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5 on goodreads. Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me a copy.
I also want to mention WARNINGS first because some of the issues will be discussed in my review and I don't want anyone hurt. Warnings for sexual assault, teenage pregnancy, blackmail, somewhat abusive behavior, parents/teachers not wanting to teach about safe sex and shaming teens who have sex, birth control, relationship issues, trust issues, hacking/dark web, language, and a lot of sexual content.
I really liked this book. I'm a huge fan of any book with a strong female who speaks out against injustices. Especially when it's a sex positive book and doesn't shame teens that have sex. Yes, the principal and some parents do, but Amber does what she can to let people know that talking about it helps and telling teens not to, just makes them want to do it more. And it won't stop them. It's been quite awhile since I've been a teen, but I know we always found ways.
The book is told in two POV. Amber and Dean. It not only includes their thoughts, but there are also blog posts and texts throughout the book. Amber and Dean are both hackers. They've been friends for awhile, but never more. Amber dated a popular football player for a year. He ended up trying to force himself on her at a party and she withdrew a lot. Only her best friends and parents knew what happened. She was ashamed and didn't want to date anyone. But things changed as she spent more time with Dean. He really got her, challenged her, and she learned to trust him.
The principal of their school was a horrible human being. During his annual video about not having sex, there is a prank pulled. Amber and Dean decided to compete against each other in some type of hack that also got back at the principal. Amber made a secret blog for teens to write in with sex questions. The principal freaks out and blackmails Dean to find out who is writing it. Dean finds out that the principal blackmails students a lot. He works on finding out who it is, but didn't want to tell the principal when he found out. Amber kept it from him.
Amber's blog was incredible. I can't describe how much I wish something like that was around when I was a teen. I'm going to age myself by saying I was class of 1995. We weren't using the internet and just had basic computer classes. There was no way I was asking my mom or dad about sex stuff. Luckily my mom put me on the pill at 15 to be safe. But that was it. We had the talk when I was young, but no one ever really talks to you about all the real questions you have. I somewhat talked to friends, but not a lot. I was thrilled when a friend trusted me enough to ask a very personal how to question her freshmen year of college. I realized then how hard it could be to talk about sex issues. Not birth control so much, but everything else. I know that going to a school like the one in the book wouldn't have stopped me from having sex with my boyfriend at 15. But having a place to ask questions without giving my name would have helped so much.
I loved both Amber and Dean. Amber's parents were some of the best YA parents I've read. And Dean had such an amazing sibling relationship with his brother and sister. While the book's main focus wasn't on family, it was definitely a big part of the story. Especially Dean's younger sister.
Dean was pretty much the perfect boyfriend. Things did go bad towards the end, but I understood why he acted the way he did. I loved the "assembly" towards the end and the glimpse into a year later.
This book has some serious topics. I want to share one quote that really stood out to me. It's something that we still hear way too much. Do not read quote if you have any triggers from sexual harassment or assault.
"You were my girlfriend," he said, his tone sharper. "You weren't supposed to say no to me. Besides," he said, shrugging, "everyone knows girls say no just to play hard to get for a few minutes, before that no turns into a yes."
If you are a teen or young adult reading this, please know that you owe your significant other nothing. You can say no and no means no. Always. If you're dating someone who thinks like the ass above, please get out of that relationship. It's sad how long it took for people to accept that a man can rape his wife. And these thoughts are still common with crappy people.
I gave this book 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5 on goodreads. Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me a copy.
March 13, 2019
I’m loathe to use ‘text speak’ or modern colloquialisms in a review but this is one woke novel.
Let’s set aside the hacking and wicked computer coding skills, because this is only a small part of the story, and let’s be honest here - well over my comprehension.
Sex education is not a how to. I repeat it is NOT A HOW TO. Teenagers have, are and will continue to engage in sexual behaviour regardless of their level of education in it. The importance of such education is to ensure that they go into it with armed with enough knowledge to make an informed choice. This is something severely lacking in modern curriculums. So I naturally loved the idea of an anonymous, supportive and helpful blog where young women could ask the tough questions and get the help they needed when other avenues were not open to them.
But the hook for this book for me is dealing with the trauma and stress of a sexual assault. The guilt, the self doubt, the protective walls, and the total fear of letting a new person in after such an event.
All of it was treated so tenderly, so sensitively, that it’s basically a novelisation of an Ask Me Anything blog.
Well written, well-developed characters, Well done!
Thank you to Molly E. Lee, Entangled Publishing LLC, and NetGalley, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Let’s set aside the hacking and wicked computer coding skills, because this is only a small part of the story, and let’s be honest here - well over my comprehension.
Sex education is not a how to. I repeat it is NOT A HOW TO. Teenagers have, are and will continue to engage in sexual behaviour regardless of their level of education in it. The importance of such education is to ensure that they go into it with armed with enough knowledge to make an informed choice. This is something severely lacking in modern curriculums. So I naturally loved the idea of an anonymous, supportive and helpful blog where young women could ask the tough questions and get the help they needed when other avenues were not open to them.
But the hook for this book for me is dealing with the trauma and stress of a sexual assault. The guilt, the self doubt, the protective walls, and the total fear of letting a new person in after such an event.
All of it was treated so tenderly, so sensitively, that it’s basically a novelisation of an Ask Me Anything blog.
Well written, well-developed characters, Well done!
Thank you to Molly E. Lee, Entangled Publishing LLC, and NetGalley, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 20, 2019
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book deals with sensitive subject matter: sex education is a taboo subject in Dean and Amber's private school, so Amber decides to go underground and create a website where sexually inquisitive teens can ask questions and get answers on this pressing subject. But with sexual experimentation and freedom come consequences: one of the teens has an unplanned pregnancy and (irrationally) blames the website creator.
I think it is a positive step to have these issues addressed in a young adult novel. Much of the advice was sound and often humorously presented. I noticed that other young Goodreads reviewers really enjoyed this book. I, being much older than the targeted age group, found the sexual assault story line a bit melodramatic and drawn out. I kept thinking: this sounds so much like a scene in a soap opera: all that prolonged, bottled up emotion and secrecy. (Spoiler Alert: It made no sense to me that Amber was willing to give advice on sex in order to help others, whereas she refused to seek help for her own very serious issues. Her parents were supportive, but Amber was obviously traumatized and I felt she might have benefited from more professional help than was provided here.
Regardless, the story has a positive message and a hopeful, uplifting conclusion. I would recommend this to teens who are interested in this subject matter. It is, of course, a matter of personal choice.
This book deals with sensitive subject matter: sex education is a taboo subject in Dean and Amber's private school, so Amber decides to go underground and create a website where sexually inquisitive teens can ask questions and get answers on this pressing subject. But with sexual experimentation and freedom come consequences: one of the teens has an unplanned pregnancy and (irrationally) blames the website creator.
I think it is a positive step to have these issues addressed in a young adult novel. Much of the advice was sound and often humorously presented. I noticed that other young Goodreads reviewers really enjoyed this book. I, being much older than the targeted age group, found the sexual assault story line a bit melodramatic and drawn out. I kept thinking: this sounds so much like a scene in a soap opera: all that prolonged, bottled up emotion and secrecy. (Spoiler Alert: It made no sense to me that Amber was willing to give advice on sex in order to help others, whereas she refused to seek help for her own very serious issues. Her parents were supportive, but Amber was obviously traumatized and I felt she might have benefited from more professional help than was provided here.
Regardless, the story has a positive message and a hopeful, uplifting conclusion. I would recommend this to teens who are interested in this subject matter. It is, of course, a matter of personal choice.
April 29, 2019
I am so impressed with this book! It was a refreshing young adult talking about sex in an empowering way, with coding and hacking added in. It’s a super unique book in this genre and I really enjoyed how different it was.
Amber is a fierce, strong female dealing with a really bad breakup. She loved coding and hacking. Her parents were absolutely fantastic! Dean is the love interest. He was seriously the best guy; patient, kind, funny and sweet. He was living a bit in his brother’s shadow in the coding community. They decide to challenge each other to an epic senior prank. She decides to create an anonymous website answering questions from teens, that the school and parents don’t want to talk about. It's obviously quite controversial in the community.
It’s a dual POV, interspersed with chat boxes, and blog format throughout the book. I loved these characters and I thought the love story was beautiful. There are a lot of serious topics talked about throughout the book, including sex, rape, transgender, and pregnancy. But, these were all handled absolutely perfectly. The only thing I had an issue with was the pacing of the book. There were no details, yet huge jumps in time.
If you are looking for something refreshing and different in the young adult genre, you should definitely pick this one up!
* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Amber is a fierce, strong female dealing with a really bad breakup. She loved coding and hacking. Her parents were absolutely fantastic! Dean is the love interest. He was seriously the best guy; patient, kind, funny and sweet. He was living a bit in his brother’s shadow in the coding community. They decide to challenge each other to an epic senior prank. She decides to create an anonymous website answering questions from teens, that the school and parents don’t want to talk about. It's obviously quite controversial in the community.
It’s a dual POV, interspersed with chat boxes, and blog format throughout the book. I loved these characters and I thought the love story was beautiful. There are a lot of serious topics talked about throughout the book, including sex, rape, transgender, and pregnancy. But, these were all handled absolutely perfectly. The only thing I had an issue with was the pacing of the book. There were no details, yet huge jumps in time.
If you are looking for something refreshing and different in the young adult genre, you should definitely pick this one up!
* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
July 11, 2020
do you like the concept of the tv show Sex Education? read this book
this book talks about the problems that are still present in our day to day life, about how sex education is a very needed subject in schools nowadays and how frowned upon it is by authorities, people with power and even some parents.
it shows how necessary this knowledge is for young teenagers, for them to learn about sex, their bodies and so many other things.
besides that, the plot also focuses on Amber and Dean's relationship and i think it's a good way to make a lot of teenagers interested in reading this book because they feel they have a character they can relate to.
teenagers can ask questions anonymously on a site without them being judged and i really like the diversity of these questions, they can go from basic sex questions to more difficult topics like transition and even rape.
in light of the events and problems that are disscused everywhere in the world right now, and that have been constantly issues in our society, i just want to leave this quote and recommend this book to anyone (i might read better books concerning this subject in the future but i'm giving this one a high rating because, even though i'm very aware of these problems, it made me see that we really need to raise even more awareness and take initiative)
"In that moment, we weren't enemies. We weren't two races. We were women. Just two girls who understood how it felt to be powerless. We were the same."
this book talks about the problems that are still present in our day to day life, about how sex education is a very needed subject in schools nowadays and how frowned upon it is by authorities, people with power and even some parents.
it shows how necessary this knowledge is for young teenagers, for them to learn about sex, their bodies and so many other things.
besides that, the plot also focuses on Amber and Dean's relationship and i think it's a good way to make a lot of teenagers interested in reading this book because they feel they have a character they can relate to.
teenagers can ask questions anonymously on a site without them being judged and i really like the diversity of these questions, they can go from basic sex questions to more difficult topics like transition and even rape.
in light of the events and problems that are disscused everywhere in the world right now, and that have been constantly issues in our society, i just want to leave this quote and recommend this book to anyone (i might read better books concerning this subject in the future but i'm giving this one a high rating because, even though i'm very aware of these problems, it made me see that we really need to raise even more awareness and take initiative)
"In that moment, we weren't enemies. We weren't two races. We were women. Just two girls who understood how it felt to be powerless. We were the same."
May 7, 2019
*4.25 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ask Me Anything makes us dive into the hacking world with two main characters who love coding. Amber is a senior and just broke up with her boyfriend a few months ago. She barely mentions him by name and we know something happened. Dean has always been in awe of Amber but can tell something went down because she isn't as happy and open as she used to be.
When someone pranks the principal of their very private high school, he makes Dean, who was in charge of the equipment, host a "code club." Amber is the only one that shows up and they both decide to start a competition. They have to find a way to annoy Tanner, the principal, and not get caught. That's how Amber starts a hidden blog "Ask Me Anything" where students can ask questions about safe sex and contraceptive means and so much more since their school enforces an abstinence policy and refuses to answer any of those topics.
I really liked this book. It talked about important subjects like feminism and women friendship, and women supporting women in a great way. It also talks of assaults and so much more. It was pretty captivating and the characters were layered. I liked both Dean and Amber, as well as Amber's friends and parents. The dynamics between the characters were interesting and I also enjoyed the romance. I got really angry at times, but also laughed and swooned. It was a really nice read.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ask Me Anything makes us dive into the hacking world with two main characters who love coding. Amber is a senior and just broke up with her boyfriend a few months ago. She barely mentions him by name and we know something happened. Dean has always been in awe of Amber but can tell something went down because she isn't as happy and open as she used to be.
When someone pranks the principal of their very private high school, he makes Dean, who was in charge of the equipment, host a "code club." Amber is the only one that shows up and they both decide to start a competition. They have to find a way to annoy Tanner, the principal, and not get caught. That's how Amber starts a hidden blog "Ask Me Anything" where students can ask questions about safe sex and contraceptive means and so much more since their school enforces an abstinence policy and refuses to answer any of those topics.
I really liked this book. It talked about important subjects like feminism and women friendship, and women supporting women in a great way. It also talks of assaults and so much more. It was pretty captivating and the characters were layered. I liked both Dean and Amber, as well as Amber's friends and parents. The dynamics between the characters were interesting and I also enjoyed the romance. I got really angry at times, but also laughed and swooned. It was a really nice read.
March 21, 2019
Two coders in the same school fall in love after getting closer through coding club especially being the sole members and rival's.
Only as Amber discovers, falling in love isn't like she first thought after she suffered before falling for a guy who abused her trust and violated her personal space. Trying to heal and overcome however, she never expected to happen this quick.
For Dean, he's top coder and the school president Tanner blackmails him to help try and trace the maker of Ask Me Anything, a blog written by a girl at the school who gives advice on sexual, friendship and love/abuse situations.
But when the blog effects his family and his sister closely he faces more pressure and shock ahead especially when he discovers the user and creator of the blog...
Wow this book builds the drama until the climax which makes you gripped to find out just how it all works out and you won't be disappointed it held me in suspense for sure. I liked the angle of the novel how the school president blackmailed pupils as in reality that hopefully and probably wouldn't happen but the relationship between Amber and Dean grows so beautifully and I hope there's guy's out there as respectful as Dean as he shows real care for Amber after she gets deep with him. An all round stunning book for any teenager.
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
Only as Amber discovers, falling in love isn't like she first thought after she suffered before falling for a guy who abused her trust and violated her personal space. Trying to heal and overcome however, she never expected to happen this quick.
For Dean, he's top coder and the school president Tanner blackmails him to help try and trace the maker of Ask Me Anything, a blog written by a girl at the school who gives advice on sexual, friendship and love/abuse situations.
But when the blog effects his family and his sister closely he faces more pressure and shock ahead especially when he discovers the user and creator of the blog...
Wow this book builds the drama until the climax which makes you gripped to find out just how it all works out and you won't be disappointed it held me in suspense for sure. I liked the angle of the novel how the school president blackmailed pupils as in reality that hopefully and probably wouldn't happen but the relationship between Amber and Dean grows so beautifully and I hope there's guy's out there as respectful as Dean as he shows real care for Amber after she gets deep with him. An all round stunning book for any teenager.
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
March 18, 2019
**I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.**
I wish I could give this book 2 different ratings...
The first 65% I’d probably give a 3-4, but the last 45%, more like a 2-3. So I’m settling with a 3.5.
I had a hard time connecting with the storyline for a few reasons: I didn’t attend a strict private academy, I know nothing about the hacker community, and I’m probably older than the target audience, so I had a tough time empathizing here.
Another thing that kept me at arms length is the repetition of certain phrases. For example, any moment of anxiety or nerves included a description of stomach acid. The word “acid” was used 13 times. That’s just a pet peeve of mine, however, and probably wouldn’t be a turn off for many readers.
It was definitely refreshing to read about a female character interested in a more male-dominated field, and the main character was a serious badass most of the time. I loved that Dean saw and appreciated that facet of her personality.
I’d recommend this book for fans of YA that enjoy strong, fiesty female leads and enjoy the tech-y/hacking community! This is definitely a unique novel that caters to that group, which is probably underrepresented in YA lit!
I wish I could give this book 2 different ratings...
The first 65% I’d probably give a 3-4, but the last 45%, more like a 2-3. So I’m settling with a 3.5.
I had a hard time connecting with the storyline for a few reasons: I didn’t attend a strict private academy, I know nothing about the hacker community, and I’m probably older than the target audience, so I had a tough time empathizing here.
Another thing that kept me at arms length is the repetition of certain phrases. For example, any moment of anxiety or nerves included a description of stomach acid. The word “acid” was used 13 times. That’s just a pet peeve of mine, however, and probably wouldn’t be a turn off for many readers.
It was definitely refreshing to read about a female character interested in a more male-dominated field, and the main character was a serious badass most of the time. I loved that Dean saw and appreciated that facet of her personality.
I’d recommend this book for fans of YA that enjoy strong, fiesty female leads and enjoy the tech-y/hacking community! This is definitely a unique novel that caters to that group, which is probably underrepresented in YA lit!
March 24, 2019
The blurb was so exciting for me! A girl in a conservative school takes to the internet to anonymously dole out sex and relationship advice! It's what I dream of young women doing these days.
Then, I read it. I questioned why I was still reading five or six times during the book. Working with teenagers, this book reads nothing like any teenager I've ever met. There's a weird focus on being a hacker, but with everything reading a bit outdated - things I remember hackers saying and doing in the early naughts - not almost 15 years later. The main character reads like the girl that really wants you to know she's different - like, so different than other girls. The writing is all right, and there's little seeds of something good, but....I don't usually question myself so often on why I'm still reading a book.
Then, I read it. I questioned why I was still reading five or six times during the book. Working with teenagers, this book reads nothing like any teenager I've ever met. There's a weird focus on being a hacker, but with everything reading a bit outdated - things I remember hackers saying and doing in the early naughts - not almost 15 years later. The main character reads like the girl that really wants you to know she's different - like, so different than other girls. The writing is all right, and there's little seeds of something good, but....I don't usually question myself so often on why I'm still reading a book.
April 27, 2019
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
4 Stars
Young Adult age-range: 14+ due to adult language and sexual content. The message of the novel is age-appropriate and I believe comforting and enlightening for readers, however it depends on the maturity of the reader, not necessarily their age.
Trying to be as spoiler-free as possible. Ultra-conservative private school is run by a power-hungry principal, who employs extortion to get what he wants from his students, in order to continue on with his reign.
While the principal made a most excellent villain of the novel, I felt that the majority of the community being stuck in the 1960s era mindset wasn't entirely accurate. Yes, some would be upset about sex education (this wasn't the deep south or the bible belt, I don't believe) so while I'm positive there are those who still hang tight to those ideals, I believe they wouldn't be in the majority. I'll show my age- I grew up in a rural, dinky town with almost a dozen churches and only one stop light, back in the mid-1990s, and we had comprehensive sex-ed in 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade. My point, the principal and one or two parents, sure. The entire town enough to stage protests against an advice blog on the internet in 2019... no way. Not when you'd have to cut-off the town's supply of Wifi & 4G to keep them indoctrinated. I could see if the parents wanted the school board to take down a site created by the school they felt inappropriate- otherwise, shrugs, it's the whole of the internet.
While I loved the purpose of the blog, the message or awareness and a safe and informative place to ask questions without judgement, I felt the pitch forks, torches, and tar were a bit over-the-top. The principal was the perfect amount of drama- the rest was just overkill.
Amber is our innocent heroine, Dean our hero, both top 'hackers' in the school, awaiting admission to MIT. They've been friends for years, but with how Amber dated a db for the entire previous school year, Dean assumed his attraction to Amber was unrequited.
The pair are uber intelligent, tenacious and dedicated, both wanting to change the world, leaving one of them exposed to extortion. This is where I struggled... independently, Amber and Dean felt as if the male and female versions of each other, outside of a few background stories. Too similar. Perfect. While they had plenty of quick-witted banter, it felt dry to me, as if they were chatting back and forth with himself/herself. If not for prompts in the content, their voices were interchangeable during their points-of-view.
The teenage angst was delicious, where Dean and Amber were competing in their own little game of 'best hacker', trying to out-do the other. I did find the drama of the villain principal bringing out more angst to pit them against one another yummy (I just didn't believe there would have been protests. The BFF's mom angry over birth control sounded spot-on, and I felt that would help teens today. MOST of the parents being angry, as I said, that was just a step too far and took the entertainment value and believably down for me)
Amber was struggling from an event with her ex, which I felt was written with compassion and accuracy. It hurts for me to admit how many of us have been in that situation. Normally I can breeze through flashbacks like that, but this one hit me hard, dragging up my own memories. Raw and real, this was the authenticity of the storyline. It's what kept me engaged, since this was used as a mystery to draw the plot forward, because as we were in Amber's head, she refused to share what happened until she had the flashback near the three-quarter mark. If it hadn't been for that, honestly, I might have tossed in the towel and not finished.
While I enjoyed the book overall, the pacing was on the slow side, many filler scenes, which slowed it down farther and made the book feel longer than its length. The abundance of coding information made our narrators feel like hackers, but it was too instructional, like a textbook, which made me lose interest as it went directly over my head. Amber's past event kept me engaged, then I felt I might as well finish the book off after I found out what had happened. I ate up the angst between Dean and Amber thanks to our villain. I felt the issues explored on Ask Me Anything were written with compassion and devoid of judgment, which will possibly help teen readers as they read the novel.
I do recommend Ask Me Anything, flaws and all.
---
I was given an ARC under the assumption that errors won't be present in the published form. I just need to give a heads up that with so much text-speak (there was a lot), a large portion of it was not in BOLD like other lines of it, leaving it to fade in with monologue. This created some confusion.
4 Stars
Young Adult age-range: 14+ due to adult language and sexual content. The message of the novel is age-appropriate and I believe comforting and enlightening for readers, however it depends on the maturity of the reader, not necessarily their age.
Trying to be as spoiler-free as possible. Ultra-conservative private school is run by a power-hungry principal, who employs extortion to get what he wants from his students, in order to continue on with his reign.
While the principal made a most excellent villain of the novel, I felt that the majority of the community being stuck in the 1960s era mindset wasn't entirely accurate. Yes, some would be upset about sex education (this wasn't the deep south or the bible belt, I don't believe) so while I'm positive there are those who still hang tight to those ideals, I believe they wouldn't be in the majority. I'll show my age- I grew up in a rural, dinky town with almost a dozen churches and only one stop light, back in the mid-1990s, and we had comprehensive sex-ed in 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade. My point, the principal and one or two parents, sure. The entire town enough to stage protests against an advice blog on the internet in 2019... no way. Not when you'd have to cut-off the town's supply of Wifi & 4G to keep them indoctrinated. I could see if the parents wanted the school board to take down a site created by the school they felt inappropriate- otherwise, shrugs, it's the whole of the internet.
While I loved the purpose of the blog, the message or awareness and a safe and informative place to ask questions without judgement, I felt the pitch forks, torches, and tar were a bit over-the-top. The principal was the perfect amount of drama- the rest was just overkill.
Amber is our innocent heroine, Dean our hero, both top 'hackers' in the school, awaiting admission to MIT. They've been friends for years, but with how Amber dated a db for the entire previous school year, Dean assumed his attraction to Amber was unrequited.
The pair are uber intelligent, tenacious and dedicated, both wanting to change the world, leaving one of them exposed to extortion. This is where I struggled... independently, Amber and Dean felt as if the male and female versions of each other, outside of a few background stories. Too similar. Perfect. While they had plenty of quick-witted banter, it felt dry to me, as if they were chatting back and forth with himself/herself. If not for prompts in the content, their voices were interchangeable during their points-of-view.
The teenage angst was delicious, where Dean and Amber were competing in their own little game of 'best hacker', trying to out-do the other. I did find the drama of the villain principal bringing out more angst to pit them against one another yummy (I just didn't believe there would have been protests. The BFF's mom angry over birth control sounded spot-on, and I felt that would help teens today. MOST of the parents being angry, as I said, that was just a step too far and took the entertainment value and believably down for me)
Amber was struggling from an event with her ex, which I felt was written with compassion and accuracy. It hurts for me to admit how many of us have been in that situation. Normally I can breeze through flashbacks like that, but this one hit me hard, dragging up my own memories. Raw and real, this was the authenticity of the storyline. It's what kept me engaged, since this was used as a mystery to draw the plot forward, because as we were in Amber's head, she refused to share what happened until she had the flashback near the three-quarter mark. If it hadn't been for that, honestly, I might have tossed in the towel and not finished.
While I enjoyed the book overall, the pacing was on the slow side, many filler scenes, which slowed it down farther and made the book feel longer than its length. The abundance of coding information made our narrators feel like hackers, but it was too instructional, like a textbook, which made me lose interest as it went directly over my head. Amber's past event kept me engaged, then I felt I might as well finish the book off after I found out what had happened. I ate up the angst between Dean and Amber thanks to our villain. I felt the issues explored on Ask Me Anything were written with compassion and devoid of judgment, which will possibly help teen readers as they read the novel.
I do recommend Ask Me Anything, flaws and all.
---
I was given an ARC under the assumption that errors won't be present in the published form. I just need to give a heads up that with so much text-speak (there was a lot), a large portion of it was not in BOLD like other lines of it, leaving it to fade in with monologue. This created some confusion.
May 15, 2019
Hello My Book Loves! Today I am reviewing Ask My Anything by Molly E. Lee. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To start off, I really enjoyed this book, which is why I am giving it a 4.5 out of 5. It was a fun, easy read that totally helped pull me out of my reading slump
What I Liked
Amber – The main character is Amber, who is a computer whiz, hacker type. She was fed up with students not being able to get information so she decided to do something about it. I really liked her as a character, I thought she had great intentions and great advice.
Dean – Dean is our other main character, as it switched perspectives. He is also a computer whiz and I enjoyed that they had this in common. I thought he was a great character as well, he was funny, sweet and thoughtful.
Plot – I think my favourite thing about this book was the plot. I thought it was cute, well thought out and written in a really fun way. I liked that it touched on some major topics, without being like “look at me! I’m diverse” and I enjoyed that. It was done in a way, where it didn’t single out those topics, but instead treated them for what they are. Real things, real people deal with on a daily basis.
What I Didn’t Like
School – I didn’t enjoy the school that they went to. Obviously that’s the point, but I found it hard to believe that a school would be that concerned with a blog. The fact Amber was worried about expulsion, over something she did outside of school on her own time was weird to me.
Conflict Resolution – As with many books, the main source of conflict between our main characters could have been solved by a simple conversation. I wish there was more to it, that just miscommunication.
Overall I really liked this book, and would totally read it again. I recommend it, if you’re in a slump or just need something fun!
To start off, I really enjoyed this book, which is why I am giving it a 4.5 out of 5. It was a fun, easy read that totally helped pull me out of my reading slump
What I Liked
Amber – The main character is Amber, who is a computer whiz, hacker type. She was fed up with students not being able to get information so she decided to do something about it. I really liked her as a character, I thought she had great intentions and great advice.
Dean – Dean is our other main character, as it switched perspectives. He is also a computer whiz and I enjoyed that they had this in common. I thought he was a great character as well, he was funny, sweet and thoughtful.
Plot – I think my favourite thing about this book was the plot. I thought it was cute, well thought out and written in a really fun way. I liked that it touched on some major topics, without being like “look at me! I’m diverse” and I enjoyed that. It was done in a way, where it didn’t single out those topics, but instead treated them for what they are. Real things, real people deal with on a daily basis.
What I Didn’t Like
School – I didn’t enjoy the school that they went to. Obviously that’s the point, but I found it hard to believe that a school would be that concerned with a blog. The fact Amber was worried about expulsion, over something she did outside of school on her own time was weird to me.
Conflict Resolution – As with many books, the main source of conflict between our main characters could have been solved by a simple conversation. I wish there was more to it, that just miscommunication.
Overall I really liked this book, and would totally read it again. I recommend it, if you’re in a slump or just need something fun!
June 25, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. This book is so much more than about a hacker girl that creates a website to fight the schools archaic sex-ed, all while falling for the hot hacker boy in school.
It is funny, sweet, romantic, heartbreaking, healing, informative and so much more.
I loved the writing, the dual POVs that just sucked me into their world. I also couldn’t help than just really like Amber and Dean and their supporting cast. I thought the characters and content where well thought out and written. Some of it, like the principal, was needed but a bit much at times ………. I think some of that could have been toned down a bit and still got the point across.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
I rate it 4 ★
May 7, 2019
I enjoyed how different this story is.
Two strong, smart, tech-y characters.
There is SUCH a good message with this story.
There's suspense as stories from the past and present are unraveled.
Amber is a strong girl who steps up and takes responsibility for herself. I absolutely loved the relationship that she has with her parents. I would love to see all families have that kind of safe dynamic. Dean is the right kind of guy. He's confident, charming and appreciates Amber for who she is rather than be threatened by her. And when they are together, I just swooned.
It is evident in the writing that the author did a large amount of research on coding/computers and it absolutely paid off.
Two strong, smart, tech-y characters.
There is SUCH a good message with this story.
There's suspense as stories from the past and present are unraveled.
Amber is a strong girl who steps up and takes responsibility for herself. I absolutely loved the relationship that she has with her parents. I would love to see all families have that kind of safe dynamic. Dean is the right kind of guy. He's confident, charming and appreciates Amber for who she is rather than be threatened by her. And when they are together, I just swooned.
It is evident in the writing that the author did a large amount of research on coding/computers and it absolutely paid off.
July 18, 2021
4.5 ⭐️s. I love a girl standing up for herself and our Pixie does just that! Amber is a headstrong main character who has been through some stuff and it’s still learning how to move on and heal with the help of those around her. Dean is a perfect boy 💙 Also you get lots of Loki references and talk. All in all perfect book for when you want to feel as if you’re defying the patriarchy and breaking rules while falling in love 🥰 Go read Ask Me Anything!
September 6, 2019
This is an enjoyable YA romance that dares to tackle sex education, or lack thereof, and does it well. The characters are likeable and the plot doesn't drag. Recommended!
This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
April 4, 2021
Loooved it
May 7, 2019
I knew from the author's reasoning for writing the book when I heard about it, as well as the topic and knowing that the main character had experienced something similar to what I experienced when I was younger, that this book was right up my alley. This did not prepare me for how good this book really turned out to be. The story was so realistic. The way certain people acted, the fellow students, to the types of questions people might have, as well as even when they're answered a certain way, some people still wanting to blame and pretend that she said something different that caused them their problem. I'm not a coder or anywhere close to being like one, but I enjoyed a lot of that part of the story. I could definitely relate to getting so sucked into what they were doing with what they loved, as I do with many things in my life. The way that Amber felt that liking something now was wrong when she had told the other guy no, the guilt, all of that is realistic.
But it was even more than just this specific issue that made this a great story. There was how strong Amber was, and how Dean knew it, recognized it, respected it, and even told her that's part of what he liked about her without being patronizing. It was even so realistic how he reacted at the end of the story, but especially because we got his inner dialogue and feelings on the issues, and knowing what he knew about her totally fell into all of it and his final decisions.
Honestly, I can't wait to put this one in my school library to share with students. Not only did the website answer honestly, Amber used research from experts and adults to answer things, but also always told them that this was an opinion, and they should try to talk to parents or girlfriend/boyfriends before they did anything on their own. It was very well thought out and exactly the thing that is needed these days with all of the experts and fake news and clickbait news stories out there.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
But it was even more than just this specific issue that made this a great story. There was how strong Amber was, and how Dean knew it, recognized it, respected it, and even told her that's part of what he liked about her without being patronizing. It was even so realistic how he reacted at the end of the story, but especially because we got his inner dialogue and feelings on the issues, and knowing what he knew about her totally fell into all of it and his final decisions.
Honestly, I can't wait to put this one in my school library to share with students. Not only did the website answer honestly, Amber used research from experts and adults to answer things, but also always told them that this was an opinion, and they should try to talk to parents or girlfriend/boyfriends before they did anything on their own. It was very well thought out and exactly the thing that is needed these days with all of the experts and fake news and clickbait news stories out there.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
May 13, 2020
Original review
This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Entangled Teen and Netgalley!
Ask Me Anything is a standalone YA Contemporary and tells the story of Amber and Dean.
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve had an ARC of Ask Me Anything for over a year… I got this ARC through Netgalley and I usually read everything as soon as I get a copy or closer to the release date, so I don’t really know why I waited with reading Ask Me Anything. I’m really ashamed of myself and I also regret it because it was such a good book!
I really liked Amber and Dean’s story because it was just so fun to read about them. They’re just so perfect for each other, and I enjoyed reading every bit of the story. I really love Amber because she’s a feminist and gives this amazing advice on her blog. I also love Dean because he’s just so cute and there isn’t a better boyfriend for Amber than Dean.
Ask Me Anything is such a good YA Contemporary and I loved this book. Not only for the relationship between Amber and Dean, but also for all the advice posted on Amber’s blog. I think that the advice is really helpful for teenagers so this is just the perfect YA read! I’m so glad that I picked up this book because Ask Me Anything was an amazing read!
This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Entangled Teen and Netgalley!
Ask Me Anything is a standalone YA Contemporary and tells the story of Amber and Dean.
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve had an ARC of Ask Me Anything for over a year… I got this ARC through Netgalley and I usually read everything as soon as I get a copy or closer to the release date, so I don’t really know why I waited with reading Ask Me Anything. I’m really ashamed of myself and I also regret it because it was such a good book!
I really liked Amber and Dean’s story because it was just so fun to read about them. They’re just so perfect for each other, and I enjoyed reading every bit of the story. I really love Amber because she’s a feminist and gives this amazing advice on her blog. I also love Dean because he’s just so cute and there isn’t a better boyfriend for Amber than Dean.
Ask Me Anything is such a good YA Contemporary and I loved this book. Not only for the relationship between Amber and Dean, but also for all the advice posted on Amber’s blog. I think that the advice is really helpful for teenagers so this is just the perfect YA read! I’m so glad that I picked up this book because Ask Me Anything was an amazing read!
March 18, 2019
Ask Me Anything tackled a difficult subject in today's society. The context and Amber's fight for justice was the backbone of the story. The topic was executed perfectly, but the characters dragged the story down by squashing its important message.
Amber broke up with her ex-boyfriend who was the hottest guy in school and the star quarterback. She's average. Petite, skinny, bland features, nothing special. Not only was the hottest guy in the school in love with her, but so is the second hottest guy, Dean. Amber's best friend is Hannah who has been in love with her boyfriend since second grade. They've been dating for ten years. Hannah and her boyfriend (Jake, I think) added nothing to the story. Hannah bragged about how much she loved Jake and how amazing he was. She was always making out with him (even if they hadn't seen each other in a few minutes) and was always sitting in his lap. When she wasn't having sex with Jake, she pestered Amber about how Dean was in love with her and that she needed a boyfriend. Hannah and Jake were useless props when they were supposed to be Amber's best friends.
Dean classified Amber as sexy. Every time he described her, he always included the word 'sexy'. Sexy eyes. Sexy figure. Sexy pixie hair. Sexy fingers when she's coding. He was a stereotypical character that shockingly wasn't written from male's perspective. Besides counting off all the ways Amber is sexy, he regularly growls like a bear and is blackmailed by the school's laughable and psychotic principal.
The spoilers were predictable. If the characters would have spoken with one another and stopped making assumptions then the drama, angst, and tears could have been appreciatively removed. One turning point at the end was when Amber received a hateful message on her blog from a user who took her advice. Months prior, this user wrote in, asking Amber if there was any chance of pregnancy by just using birth control. Amber listed the statistics. Fast forward to the future and guess what? This user is pregnant because birth control isn't 100% effective. So she blames Amber for her pregnancy and Amber spirals into darkness because she can't believe her advice led to that.
Alright. Let's think this through. There is no way that Amber impregnated a 15-year-old girl. All Amber did was list the statistics: how effective birth control was solo, how effective birth control and a condom was, and that it was the user's decision on which option to use. Instead of realizing how absurd this girl was and rolling her eyes, Amber cries to her parents and wants to shut down her blog, find this girl, and be at her side every minute of her pregnancy. Even her parents reassured her it was the girl's own fault for getting pregnant. It was the girl's decision to have sex after reading the stats, but today's society likes to pin the blame of their choices on everyone but themselves.
Let's look at this another way. If I tell you to jump off a bridge, are you going to do it just because I said to? If I inform you that you have a 1 in 4,292 chance of being struck by a car as a pedestrian, are you going to take my word for it and stay clear of roads or say it's less likely to happen than being in a car crash? What if I add that if the vehicle is traveling at 30mph then you have a 50% chance of surviving? Or if it's traveling at 40mph then it decreases to a 10% chance of survival? Now that the facts have been presented, you ignore my words and go for a jog and are hit by a car. There's a huge chance you're going to die, even if the vehicle was traveling under 30mph. If you somehow survive, are you going to turn around and blame the person who gave you the statistics when it was your decision to set foot on the road? And don't even think law enforcement will be on your side because they won't. They will tell you it was your fault. You were the one who risked jogging on a road that only cars should touch because cars always have the right-of-way. Pedestrians don't and never will. (source: I've been hit by a car) The police won't pat your back and point their finger at the random person who gave you a statistic.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Amber broke up with her ex-boyfriend who was the hottest guy in school and the star quarterback. She's average. Petite, skinny, bland features, nothing special. Not only was the hottest guy in the school in love with her, but so is the second hottest guy, Dean. Amber's best friend is Hannah who has been in love with her boyfriend since second grade. They've been dating for ten years. Hannah and her boyfriend (Jake, I think) added nothing to the story. Hannah bragged about how much she loved Jake and how amazing he was. She was always making out with him (even if they hadn't seen each other in a few minutes) and was always sitting in his lap. When she wasn't having sex with Jake, she pestered Amber about how Dean was in love with her and that she needed a boyfriend. Hannah and Jake were useless props when they were supposed to be Amber's best friends.
Dean classified Amber as sexy. Every time he described her, he always included the word 'sexy'. Sexy eyes. Sexy figure. Sexy pixie hair. Sexy fingers when she's coding. He was a stereotypical character that shockingly wasn't written from male's perspective. Besides counting off all the ways Amber is sexy, he regularly growls like a bear and is blackmailed by the school's laughable and psychotic principal.
The spoilers were predictable. If the characters would have spoken with one another and stopped making assumptions then the drama, angst, and tears could have been appreciatively removed. One turning point at the end was when Amber received a hateful message on her blog from a user who took her advice. Months prior, this user wrote in, asking Amber if there was any chance of pregnancy by just using birth control. Amber listed the statistics. Fast forward to the future and guess what? This user is pregnant because birth control isn't 100% effective. So she blames Amber for her pregnancy and Amber spirals into darkness because she can't believe her advice led to that.
Alright. Let's think this through. There is no way that Amber impregnated a 15-year-old girl. All Amber did was list the statistics: how effective birth control was solo, how effective birth control and a condom was, and that it was the user's decision on which option to use. Instead of realizing how absurd this girl was and rolling her eyes, Amber cries to her parents and wants to shut down her blog, find this girl, and be at her side every minute of her pregnancy. Even her parents reassured her it was the girl's own fault for getting pregnant. It was the girl's decision to have sex after reading the stats, but today's society likes to pin the blame of their choices on everyone but themselves.
Let's look at this another way. If I tell you to jump off a bridge, are you going to do it just because I said to? If I inform you that you have a 1 in 4,292 chance of being struck by a car as a pedestrian, are you going to take my word for it and stay clear of roads or say it's less likely to happen than being in a car crash? What if I add that if the vehicle is traveling at 30mph then you have a 50% chance of surviving? Or if it's traveling at 40mph then it decreases to a 10% chance of survival? Now that the facts have been presented, you ignore my words and go for a jog and are hit by a car. There's a huge chance you're going to die, even if the vehicle was traveling under 30mph. If you somehow survive, are you going to turn around and blame the person who gave you the statistics when it was your decision to set foot on the road? And don't even think law enforcement will be on your side because they won't. They will tell you it was your fault. You were the one who risked jogging on a road that only cars should touch because cars always have the right-of-way. Pedestrians don't and never will. (source: I've been hit by a car) The police won't pat your back and point their finger at the random person who gave you a statistic.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
May 25, 2019
"Don’t be like those guys who make a mistake and bury their heads in the sand for the rest of their lives. Be the guy girls lose their minds over.”
Somehow I knew that this was going to be an instant love for me just by looking at the cover and I was so right. It pushed some boundaries, had a badass female lead character, and it was awesome.
Wilmont Academy is one of the most prestigious schools and helps people achieve their dreams of excellence. But when it comes to sex talk, they are living way in the past. The only thing they preach is abstinence without giving them the updated and helpful information. But now it’s time for a change.
Dean and Amber are two of the best hackers that attend Wilmont Academy. Dean started a coding club after he was forced into it by the Principal. What he wasn’t expecting is for anyone to join. When Amber walked through those doors, his heart stopped. Not only was she better at coding and hacking than him, she was his dream crush. What he didn’t know was that she crushed on him too.
Making a deal, they came up with a competition to who can out beat the other, also while sticking it to the Principal.
Amber creates a blog to where she helps answer some serious sex and life questions. But to stay hidden, she creates it on the dark web. That way it’s untraceable when the Principal hears about the blog. She answers questions with the help of her parents and online forums to give the most accurate information to other uninformed students.
Things start to spiral out of control when her past comes back to haunt her every waking move and word of her blog throws a wrench into the schools plan. They try to shut her down and now she believes that she should have stayed quiet.
This book was spectacular. The characters helped each other grow as the story progressed and you felt every emotion they felt. This never had a dull moment and kept you intrigued throughout.
And let’s not forget the sensational main female character, Amber, who was very outspoken and didn’t let a man bring her down, also while having a swoon-worthy romance.
Ask Me Anything was a brave novel to write. It had a lot of great information, all while not shaming anyone’s beliefs or thoughts. It was more than coding and falling in love, it was a push in the right direction as words of support flowed through. I can’t recommend this book enough. It was a cute and fun read that’s perfect for the summertime blues.
In the meantime,
Stay Sexy. Stay Healthy.
Somehow I knew that this was going to be an instant love for me just by looking at the cover and I was so right. It pushed some boundaries, had a badass female lead character, and it was awesome.
Wilmont Academy is one of the most prestigious schools and helps people achieve their dreams of excellence. But when it comes to sex talk, they are living way in the past. The only thing they preach is abstinence without giving them the updated and helpful information. But now it’s time for a change.
Dean and Amber are two of the best hackers that attend Wilmont Academy. Dean started a coding club after he was forced into it by the Principal. What he wasn’t expecting is for anyone to join. When Amber walked through those doors, his heart stopped. Not only was she better at coding and hacking than him, she was his dream crush. What he didn’t know was that she crushed on him too.
Making a deal, they came up with a competition to who can out beat the other, also while sticking it to the Principal.
Amber creates a blog to where she helps answer some serious sex and life questions. But to stay hidden, she creates it on the dark web. That way it’s untraceable when the Principal hears about the blog. She answers questions with the help of her parents and online forums to give the most accurate information to other uninformed students.
Things start to spiral out of control when her past comes back to haunt her every waking move and word of her blog throws a wrench into the schools plan. They try to shut her down and now she believes that she should have stayed quiet.
This book was spectacular. The characters helped each other grow as the story progressed and you felt every emotion they felt. This never had a dull moment and kept you intrigued throughout.
And let’s not forget the sensational main female character, Amber, who was very outspoken and didn’t let a man bring her down, also while having a swoon-worthy romance.
Ask Me Anything was a brave novel to write. It had a lot of great information, all while not shaming anyone’s beliefs or thoughts. It was more than coding and falling in love, it was a push in the right direction as words of support flowed through. I can’t recommend this book enough. It was a cute and fun read that’s perfect for the summertime blues.
In the meantime,
Stay Sexy. Stay Healthy.
May 8, 2019
I love absolutely every. single. thing. about this book:
-our main character, Amber;
-Dean;
-Amber’s incredible relationship with her parents, who are some of the most amazing parent characters I’ve seen in YA;
-Dean’s relationship with his siblings, especially his younger sister, Tessa;
-Amber’s best friends, Hannah and Jake;
-Dean;
-all the white-hat hacking and coding talk;
-Amber’s issues with trust and Dean’s overwhelming desire to be the one she can finally trust;
-the sex-positive discussions and beautiful portrayal, in YA-appropriate fashion, of one’s first time having sex;
-Dean;
-the honest and unflinching look at relationship abuse and issues of consent;
-the pitch-perfect teen voice in the questions sent in to Amber’s Ask Me Anything site;
-and, oh, did I mention...DEAN?!
Seriously, this book is close to perfection, and I highly recommend it to any fan of YA contemporaries. I think it’s obvious from my bullet points above that there is frank discussion of sex, sexual abuse/trauma, LGBTQ relationships, and more here, that may require a warning for some readers (either due to age or potential triggers), but I have to say I find this book so refreshing and honest and, frankly, educational that I would not hesitate to give it to a teen reader. Love, love, love Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee and cannot recommend it highly enough!
Rating: 5 heartfelt stars!
**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review.
-our main character, Amber;
-Dean;
-Amber’s incredible relationship with her parents, who are some of the most amazing parent characters I’ve seen in YA;
-Dean’s relationship with his siblings, especially his younger sister, Tessa;
-Amber’s best friends, Hannah and Jake;
-Dean;
-all the white-hat hacking and coding talk;
-Amber’s issues with trust and Dean’s overwhelming desire to be the one she can finally trust;
-the sex-positive discussions and beautiful portrayal, in YA-appropriate fashion, of one’s first time having sex;
-Dean;
-the honest and unflinching look at relationship abuse and issues of consent;
-the pitch-perfect teen voice in the questions sent in to Amber’s Ask Me Anything site;
-and, oh, did I mention...DEAN?!
Seriously, this book is close to perfection, and I highly recommend it to any fan of YA contemporaries. I think it’s obvious from my bullet points above that there is frank discussion of sex, sexual abuse/trauma, LGBTQ relationships, and more here, that may require a warning for some readers (either due to age or potential triggers), but I have to say I find this book so refreshing and honest and, frankly, educational that I would not hesitate to give it to a teen reader. Love, love, love Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee and cannot recommend it highly enough!
Rating: 5 heartfelt stars!
**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review.
May 5, 2019
Amber goes to a high school where sex ed is treated almost as a joke. She has friends who sincerely want answers to their questions. She also has a mom who writes romance fiction and is not afraid to answer such questions.
Dean is a new friend that just happens to be hot. The fact the he is attracted to Amber is both a plus and a minus. She has sworn off dating right now, after the last creep she went out with. How can he convince her to be more?
This was such an interesting story. Right from the beginning, I was sucked in by the humor and compelling issues that surround the main characters and sets the tone. I loved the pace going nice and fast. I loved the fact that the nerds here are good looking and felt this story was quote original.
***This ARC copy was given by Netgalley and its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Dean is a new friend that just happens to be hot. The fact the he is attracted to Amber is both a plus and a minus. She has sworn off dating right now, after the last creep she went out with. How can he convince her to be more?
This was such an interesting story. Right from the beginning, I was sucked in by the humor and compelling issues that surround the main characters and sets the tone. I loved the pace going nice and fast. I loved the fact that the nerds here are good looking and felt this story was quote original.
***This ARC copy was given by Netgalley and its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 17, 2020
Pixie + NightLocker = ☺💙
Oh my goodness! Amber and Dean had me from the very first page. I needed to know how everything was going to work for them. I loved how understanding he was of Amber. I also loved how he was there for his little sister. I absolutely loved that Amber was there helping her peers. She was just so brave that she had it her to do it. Amber and Dean together they were perfect! They absolutely worked so great with each other. I was happy see them so happy.💙
This has to be my favorite Molly book! 😊
Oh my goodness! Amber and Dean had me from the very first page. I needed to know how everything was going to work for them. I loved how understanding he was of Amber. I also loved how he was there for his little sister. I absolutely loved that Amber was there helping her peers. She was just so brave that she had it her to do it. Amber and Dean together they were perfect! They absolutely worked so great with each other. I was happy see them so happy.💙
This has to be my favorite Molly book! 😊
May 17, 2020
One of the best story!!! 💜
Molly has done it again. The story between Amber and Dean had me smiling throughout the whole book. I loved everything about them, the banter and everything in between. How they were always there for one another you just had to speak their code DC. This has too be one of the best writing and story from Molly she did not disappoint. Thank you, for such an incredible story.
Molly has done it again. The story between Amber and Dean had me smiling throughout the whole book. I loved everything about them, the banter and everything in between. How they were always there for one another you just had to speak their code DC. This has too be one of the best writing and story from Molly she did not disappoint. Thank you, for such an incredible story.
April 20, 2019
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review in any way. All opinions shared are my own.
I’m going to throw this out there now. If it wasn’t obvious from the synopsis, Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee is a very sex-positive novel. Personally, I think Lee addressed the topic of sex education in a very unique and positive way, and I absolutely loved it. Not only is it a solid YA romance, but I think it can spark discussion about sex education in schools. Also, Ask Me Anything does have a feminist vibe, which was a nice addition. As a warning, it does reference sexual assault and rape in the novel. I believe it’s discussed tastefully, but if you are triggered by those topics, please proceed reading Ask Me Anything with caution.
The story focuses mainly on Amber and Dean, two hackers that are acquaintances and become friends in Code Club. It all starts with a competition between the two hackers to end their senior year on a bang, particularly by annoying their principal. However, things quickly escalate. I really enjoyed reading about Amber and Dean. They had quite the chemistry, and I thought there was obvious growth in the story as they succeeded and made mistakes. I particularly loved that there were moments when they admitted they needed help. It made me love Amber and Dean even more.
I also enjoyed the format of Ask Me Anything. It included chats between Amber and Dean along with some of Amber’s blog posts. It really enforced the coding aspect of this story without using a ton of code speak, if that makes any sense. Personally, as someone that knows nothing about coding, I appreciate that it wasn’t very technical. The inclusion of blog posts also helped enforce Amber’s intentions. Truthfully, I thought the blog posts were very relevant topics.
I did find the situation with their principal to be a bit over the top. I also wish there was a stronger presence by the secondary characters. However, I absolutely loved the story regardless. I also appreciate the fact that the adults weren’t completely absent from this story. Amber’s parents and the vice principal makes various appearances throughout the story.
I highly recommend reading Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee. I found it to be a wonderful YA romance, and I think it’s a great discussion starter. I know not everyone will agree with the viewpoint of the story, but I think regardless, it at least expresses the importance of discussion between teens and parents and between romantic partners. If you choose to dive into Ask Me Anything, I hope you love Amber and Dean as much as I do.
I’m going to throw this out there now. If it wasn’t obvious from the synopsis, Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee is a very sex-positive novel. Personally, I think Lee addressed the topic of sex education in a very unique and positive way, and I absolutely loved it. Not only is it a solid YA romance, but I think it can spark discussion about sex education in schools. Also, Ask Me Anything does have a feminist vibe, which was a nice addition. As a warning, it does reference sexual assault and rape in the novel. I believe it’s discussed tastefully, but if you are triggered by those topics, please proceed reading Ask Me Anything with caution.
The story focuses mainly on Amber and Dean, two hackers that are acquaintances and become friends in Code Club. It all starts with a competition between the two hackers to end their senior year on a bang, particularly by annoying their principal. However, things quickly escalate. I really enjoyed reading about Amber and Dean. They had quite the chemistry, and I thought there was obvious growth in the story as they succeeded and made mistakes. I particularly loved that there were moments when they admitted they needed help. It made me love Amber and Dean even more.
I also enjoyed the format of Ask Me Anything. It included chats between Amber and Dean along with some of Amber’s blog posts. It really enforced the coding aspect of this story without using a ton of code speak, if that makes any sense. Personally, as someone that knows nothing about coding, I appreciate that it wasn’t very technical. The inclusion of blog posts also helped enforce Amber’s intentions. Truthfully, I thought the blog posts were very relevant topics.
I did find the situation with their principal to be a bit over the top. I also wish there was a stronger presence by the secondary characters. However, I absolutely loved the story regardless. I also appreciate the fact that the adults weren’t completely absent from this story. Amber’s parents and the vice principal makes various appearances throughout the story.
I highly recommend reading Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee. I found it to be a wonderful YA romance, and I think it’s a great discussion starter. I know not everyone will agree with the viewpoint of the story, but I think regardless, it at least expresses the importance of discussion between teens and parents and between romantic partners. If you choose to dive into Ask Me Anything, I hope you love Amber and Dean as much as I do.
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