Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “It Sounded Better in My Head” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

It Sounded Better in My Head

Nina Kenwood (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating details · 3,186 ratings · 864 reviews

From debut author Nina Kenwood comes a tender, funny, and compulsively readable novel about first love and its confusions, and all of the awkwardness of teen romance.

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie cant understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, US, 272 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by Flatiron Books (first published August 6th 2019)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about It Sounded Better in My Head, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Debuts 2020

149 books — 538 voters

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Young Adult Novels 2020

372 books — 822 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.88 ·

Rating details

· 3,186 ratings · 864 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of It Sounded Better in My Head

Dec 30, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing

This book is better than I expected. It also sounded so good in my head. I went back and forth between four and five stars and guess what my happy new year spirits controlled my finger and clicked five shiny debut stars.

I didnt see myself like a book about puberty problems, hormonal changes, acne scars (they actually leave both mental and physical scars on human bodies. Im talking about 13 year old, curly, chubby, tomboy version of myself whose face covered with tons of them. Yikes!) and being ...more

flag 261 likes · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2020 emma rated it really liked it

Recommended to emma by: Ashley

Shelves: recommend, contemporary, ya, reviewed, couldn-t-wait-to-read, 4-stars, funny, to-buy

Please do not ask me to describe this book.

I am unable to tell you any sort of plot. I cannot give you an idea of the narrative. If you request any sort of summary or synopsis of what goes down in these pages, my brain will explode and none of us will win.

But I can tell you its a delight.

Nothing really happens in this at all. Theres no story. Theres very little character development. The romance kind of falls together. Friends bicker but not in any real way.

Overall if you confidently told me ...more

flag 223 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2020 Irena BookDustMagic rated it it was amazing

This book was AH-MAZING!!

I mean it, everything about it was just right! Almost perfect.
From the writing style to the story itself, and it's characters.

I can't believe this is a debut novel!
Sign me up for next Nina Kentwood's novels, because I want to read all of them!
Her writing style is amazing, and from her acknowledgments where she thanked to authors who's books she read in her lifetime, is obvious she reads and loves books a lot.

The story was great. Entertaining and realistic, and just what ...more

flag 154 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2020 Danielle rated it really liked it

Yall know Im a sucker for YA books with cutesy covers. While Id call them my guilty pleasure, I honestly never have high hopes that theyll be very good. 🙄 I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It had the flirty crush, first kiss feel- but it also tackled the complexity that is being a teen girl who is very insecure with her body. 🙋♀ I appreciated the detail that went into her daily thoughts, it brought a relatable real ness to the story. Every girl struggles with body insecurities in her own ...more

flag 128 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2020 Berit☀️✨ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-physical, advanced-reader-copy, 2020

Nina Kenwoods debut is an absolute gem! Charming and authentic, an entertaining story about first love, figuring out what you want to do with your life, and who you really are. Natalie is an introverted, awkward, smart, and sassy 18-year-old who has just graduated from high school and is about to find out where her future is headed. Natalie has no idea what she really wants to do in the future and this concerns her. Not only that she is extremely self-conscious most of that stemming from having ...more

flag 69 likes · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2019 NZLisaM rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, 2019, romance

**The US Edition is now available to request on #Netgalley**

YA coming-of-age, modern-day, contemporary romance that ticks every box.

Debut Australian author, Nina Kenwoods moving portrayal of a shy, sheltered teenager on the cusp of adulthood is honest, frank, insightful, inspirational, and charming, with some hilarious moments. Three pages in and I was completely devoted to this captivating book, and Natalie's relatable voice instantly transported me right back to the awkwardness and experiences ...more

flag 65 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2020 sarah xoxo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-reviews, 2020-read, all-time-favs, arcs, ya-contemporary

ok, I know it is only may but I hereby award this book with the following:
➽ most surprising read of 2020
➽ most underrated read of 2020
➽ most relatable read of 2020
➽ best debut of 2020
➽ one of the best books of 2020

YA contemporary is a genre I really enjoy, but rarely love if that makes sense. I have a really fun time reading them, but very few of them reach 5 stars and even less of those make it to the enigmatic list of All Time Favourites. But now I had better reconsider my life, because this ...more

flag 64 likes · Like · see review

Apr 15, 2020 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cried-me-a-river, young-adult, reviewed, contemporary, netgalley, 5stars, read2020

There was something about this book that spoke to me. I really didnt expect to feel like I do after reading it. I thought it would be just a cute, fairly standard, contemporary YA.

But for me this book was so much more.

I found myself laying down under a blanket curled in the foetal position crying and reading. It was just that good! And its hard to explain exactly why.

Im not a teenager. And this book is YA... but yet it spoke to me. I related to MC Natalies insecurities. I related to her ...more

flag 59 likes · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2020 L A i N E Y rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, unputdownable, humor-i-get, best-voice, glorious-friendship, aussie-cheers, much-heard-of, contemporary, this-ship-will-sink-me, ya

Dear Nina Kenwood,

You need to write another book. Trust me you need too. You just do. Please do not hesitate or second-guessing youself about this fact, its not up to debate at this point. Not to plagiarize world-renown athletics brand, but just do it.

Because you really need to, okay? You really really need to. And I mean you really really really need to. I dont know if the piling amount of adverbs works for you or youre one of those people who finds them obnoxious since were not that ...more

flag 42 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2019 rachel ☾ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, favourites-all-time, deserves-more-hype, 5-star, own, romance, rep-dis-nd-ci-mi, book-club

➸ Trigger warnings for (view spoiler).

▷ Representation: Natalie (mc) has polycistic ovarian syndrome; Lucy (sc) is queer.

◯ Review & rating based on an unfinished review copy.

Blog Goodreads Twitter Instagram ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2019 Text Publishing added it · review of another edition

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing publisher of It Sounded Better in My Head

Loved. Loved. Loved it.
Melina Marchetta

I loved this delightful, funny, big-hearted book. Natalies wry internal voice really spoke to the awkward-teen me.
Melissa Keil

This book is deliciousbeautiful, funny, real and supremely honest. I devoured it.
Claire Christian

An adorably awkward and real romance. It was love at first chapter for me.
Emily Gale

The most gorgeous, tender-hearted, funny and ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2019 Kelly (Diva Booknerd) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: loveozya, text, bookgasm

Natalie has been blindsided by her parents separation, despite them having slept in separate bedrooms for the past ten months. Vowing to remain friends and speaking in calming tones, it's just another aspect of Natalie's life she no longer has control over.

Growing up, Natalie didn't have it easy, each day her body rallied against her, leaving her self esteem in a shambles and her confidence battered and bruised. Her painful acne outbreaks, heavy periods and wanting the world to open and swallow Natalie has been blindsided by her parents separation, despite them having slept in separate bedrooms for the past ten months. Vowing to remain friends and speaking in calming tones, it's just another aspect of Natalie's life she no longer has control over.

Growing up, Natalie didn't have it easy, each day her body rallied against her, leaving her self esteem in a shambles and her confidence battered and bruised. Her painful acne outbreaks, heavy periods and wanting the world to open and swallow her whole and although her skin these days is a little clearer and she has friends she can turn to in her hours of need, Natalie still sees herself as the lonely girl who was so desperately in need of a friend.

I can't even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to see a young adult protagonist who's real. Natalie is the every girl, often painfully shy, an introvert who chooses to stay home as often as possible. Growing up, Natalie's confidence was non existent, especially with her painful acne breakouts. She would try to disappear behind the curtain of her hair and not draw attention to herself, it was easier to become invisible than to have people talking about your bad skin. But still, they did. When you're lacking in confidence and self esteem, any self perceived flaw makes you a target. Bad skin, weight and in my case, horrifically frizzy hair and outbreaks. If Natalie can talk about it, I can certain lay bare.

Fifteen was a difficult age for me. This was before the age of hair straighteners, when we would literally lay our head down on our mother's ironing board and iron our hair straight. If I had great hair then people wouldn't look too closely at my face, which was horrifically acne prone. Like Natalie, I was on medication twice daily to control my outbreaks but once I turned sixteen, it magically disappeared. Spoiler, my hair is still frizzy. Anyone who says being a teen are the best years of your life? They're either lying or too old to remember. Your teen years are some of the most difficult.

Being a party person is completely overrated, just ask Natalie. She's content to hang with friends Lucy and Zach, both of who she met at a camp a few years ago. Natalie was the mutual friend until Zach and Lucy started hooking up, now they're in a relationship and although they include Natalie in most of their plans, it's a bit awkward when your two best friends are having sex and Natalie's sick of being the third wheel and wouldn't mind meeting her special someone. When Zach's super hot brother Alex and friend Owen invite Natalie to a party, her anxiety is sent into overdrive. Why are super hot people even talking to her, never mind inviting her to a party. It has to be a joke, right?

Oh the romance! Adorable. No doubt that Alex is hot but Natalie also assumes with his hotness comes arrogance and he's really quite a sweet boy who's just ridiculously good looking. He also thinks Natalie is beautiful. What I really liked about Alex was that he also allowed Natalie to set the parameters of their relationship and ensuring she was always comfortable. It was frustrating to see those around Natalie not so keen on their relationship, warning her that Alex would ultimately hurt her. Natalie seemingly felt as though they were insinuating that she was naive or Alex's interest would wander. Although their concerns came from a place of looking out for Natalie, it was disappointing that no one had faith in their ability to make it work.

Oh Natalie, I feel you. When you've been down on yourself for so long and watched enough eighties movies where the ordinary girl next door is invited on a date with the super hot random guy, it never ends well. If movies have taught me anything, we can't all be Drew Barrymore returning to high school, nabbing the hot unobtainable guy and the teacher. Especially as females, we convince ourselves that we're not worthy and when these moments of happiness present themselves, we're squinting and looking around for the asshole who's sniggering at our demise.

Natalie is the perfect example of pushing ourselves out of those pyjama wearing comfort zones, it's shit your pants scary but it's how we also grow as people. Through experiences. Natalie doesn't transform into the beautiful swan, she's beautiful as she is but she does start to realise her self worth and realise that not everyone is worthy of her. There's nothing sexier than a woman finding her confidence and Natalie is beginning to develop hers in spades.

It Sounded Better in My Head is a narrative that contains adolescent issues seldom mentioned in young adult literature, periods and the fear of bleeding through our underwear while in public, about polycystic ovary syndrome, painful acne, our confidence and worth. Even as adults, seeing a character like Natalie gracing our pages helps us to feel vindicated, that it's not just me who experienced this, Natalie is someone who understands the ache we carry through to our adult years, of our rattled confidence and the feeling of not being so alone.

I have never found a character more relatable than Natalie. She's you, she's the girl next door, she's your sister, your best friend. She's me. It's books like this that I needed as a teen, a friend, someone you can confide in. For the girl with breakouts and acne prone skin, the girl who made it through puberty with stretch marks, the girl who has no idea what to do with her pubic hair or the one who wears two pads and is still worried about a heavy period. Hands up who had at least one incident of bleeding through their pants in high school?

So embrace your weird bits because all women are beautiful. I've been there Natalie, hang in there girl. ...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Aug 09, 2020 Zitong Ren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, young-adult, contemporary, contains-romance, romance, diverse, not-fantasy-2020

Its sort of occurred to me that in this current time where most of us are facing lots of uncertainty, I sort of either want to read a book that brings and feels a sense of normalcy, or read super depressing and horrible to make myself feel better that our world isnt that bad yet. I picked up this book before I guess I was looking for something that would be fairly light-hearted and fun, which it definitely was, and I really enjoyed it. It was fun and there lots of cute moments and fairly It’s sort of occurred to me that in this current time where most of us are facing lots of uncertainty, I sort of either want to read a book that brings and feels a sense of normalcy, or read super depressing and horrible to make myself feel better that our world isn’t that bad yet. I picked up this book before I guess I was looking for something that would be fairly light-hearted and fun, which it definitely was, and I really enjoyed it. It was fun and there lots of cute moments and fairly interesting characters. There wasn’t really any plot, but it’s a contemporary romance so I wasn’t really expecting any and I’m sure most people don’t read a romance for the plot.

I actually found that this book perfectly highlighted the fact that unfortunately, or fortunately, that nothing lasts forever, and everything is frankly subject to change. You may have planned out your life for the next decade but small thing could derail that completely and that happens a fair lot in this book and I was glad that it wasn’t entirely smooth and there lots of good that happened to our main character, Natalie, but also some things that she was not expecting. I mean, this book begins with her parents announcing their divorce. I found that the title fit quite well with the events in the novel as Natalie had planned things out and everything was going to work, and it sounded great in her head, but then reality happens, and things change, and people change, and the world changes.

It’s actually really good for me to be reading books by Australian authors as for once, I actually where the characters are, and it’s just really nice for some reason. This novel takes place in my home city of Melbourne and some of the language used and abbreviations of things are what we Melburnians use so everything made a lot of sense and I didn’t have to look up any of the locations that the characters go to.

I really for Natalie as a character, who deals with low self-esteem and anxiety as well as body image problems for things that people around her have said about her acne. I thought that it was represented well and there’s only a little bit of development in terms of coming to terms with certain things, but since most of this novel only takes the place of just a few weeks, it is very understandable as to why there’s isn’t a lot of change. It also raises the point that we need to learn to be polite and not make fun or talk about how others look as it could potentially scar them for life and make them feel uncomfortable with their body.

The best way for me to describe the romance is cute. It’s not super serious or romantic or anything, but it’s cute and nice and I liked it. There’s the whole sharing the bed trope which was pretty amusing, ngl, and it sort of just feels like a teenage relationship. Thankfully there were no blatant declarations of love, and they pair of them(Natalie and Alex in this case) had their fair shares of ups and downs and, and arguments, but also time where their relationship really consolidated into something more meaningful. The book leaves it pretty open as to what direction it is headed in and that was fine by me. It wasn’t overly developed, but it did a decent job considering it is quite a short book. I liked both Lucy and Zack as characters and what they represented to Natalie, but as the book was so heavily centred on Natalie, Lucy and Zack’s relationship was a bit underdeveloped and we never really see much of it.

I liked the ending, it was sort of bittersweet and it wasn’t overly joyful, but it heralds for an interesting, but also sort of uncertain life ahead, where things have completely changed to what Natalie was planning just a few weeks prior. It does show the characters are still moving on with life and aren’t letting things stop them from reaching their dreams in life.

It’s probably not going to be very memorable to be honest, but I liked it while I was reading it, it was fun, and it was cute and it was what I needed in the moment. 7.5/10 ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2020 Emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review HERE

I know I'm in the minority when I say that I think this book was just okay, but it's how I truly feel.
I really appreciated how the theme of Natalie's insecurities was dealt with. Bad acne has obviously left her with physical and psychological scars and I think it's important to talk about that.
But what I didn't like was how annoying she was and I also could not take her asking ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Aug 05, 2020 Jacob Proffitt rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, romance

I'm having a hard time writing this review and I don't know why. And now it has been over a week so I'm essentially throwing in the towel and just doing the best I can. I think the cover copy is awful as it doesn't at all convey the spirit of the book. For one, it overplays her past semi-crush on Zach and implies way more resentment than she actually has. For another, it doesn't even hint at how deeply affected Natalie is by a crippling case of anxiety over her looks. It's seriously a I'm having a hard time writing this review and I don't know why. And now it has been over a week so I'm essentially throwing in the towel and just doing the best I can. I think the cover copy is awful as it doesn't at all convey the spirit of the book. For one, it overplays her past semi-crush on Zach and implies way more resentment than she actually has. For another, it doesn't even hint at how deeply affected Natalie is by a crippling case of anxiety over her looks. It's seriously a center-point of the story and important to her character arc (or her character at all, frankly).

Kenwood makes an interesting choice in having Natalie on the extreme end of adolescent acne. Such that, even with careful and fully modern treatment, she's left with scars on her back and a deep-seated anxiety from having children literally recoil at her appearance. She's "better" now, but still carries those scars (literal as well as emotional) and that's material to every interaction she has with others—particularly romantic overtures (as you'd expect). Kenwood does a fantastic job making that reality present and a strong pull on this reader's engagement with Natalie and that's at least part of what makes this story outstanding.

But part of what really sealed this for me, too, is Natalie's fumbling towards a relationship with Zach's brother Alex. He's a popular, good-looking guy who didn't really prioritize academics. So you'd think they wouldn't have any way to relate (Natalie turned her restless energy towards study when her appearance took such a detrimental hit). But seeing his caring nature and fundamental kindness and watching him work out how to reach Natalie was fantastic. And not least because we get to see how he recovers when he screws up.

I'm less happy about the best friends, Zach and Lucy. It's clear that they care about Natalie, but they're often negligent. And Zach is so judgmental and selfish enough to grate on me. They're good friends, yes. And there for Natalie when she needs them. But they occasionally need reminding to step up and I'm not happy with the resolution of their character arc, either.

I'm not quite willing to extend this a full five stars, despite it being a really strong and engaging story. Natalie is a bit too extreme to fully relate to and that was uncomfortable. Like, I had pretty bad acne as a teen so I can almost relate to how it affected her. But I didn't have it that bad so even as I could say "yeah, that stuff sucked" I couldn't actually relate to her much more extreme case. So this is a strong four stars and I'm glad I was able to track down a copy at my local library.

A note about Chaste/Steamy: There's lots of talk about sex. And some detailed foreplay. But we don't get any actual explicit sex on page. Or, at least, I don't remember any. So there's enough I can't call this "chaste" but not enough that I can reasonably tag it "Steamy", either. The one almost-sex-scene was deeply endearing, though, and I fell for Alex wholly, there. ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Aug 02, 2020 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, lol, unexpectedly-good, somebody-s-sick, reality-bites, easy-read, young-adult

This is unbelievably relatable. Had I read this when I was 18, I would have hugged Natalie in solid camaraderie that she is not alone because I was exactly like her except I didn't have PCOS which understandably ups her anxiety level more. Also, my parents never announced a divorce.

But in all things that mattered, Natalie and I were the same, both introverts, both uncomfortable in our own skin, both socially inept, both hated parties. Even our clothes were the same. Big jumpers, beanies, jackets ...more

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

May 25, 2020 Kate (GirlReading) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult

This was an utter delight. JUST SO CUTE.

The Good:
- THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED.
- The romance was SO CUTE I literally found myself squealing at 2am but it was also messy and honest and imperfect and I loved that.
- It was incredibly easy to read, allowing me to fly through it in two sittings.
- YES TO PCOS REP!
- I adored the discussion of the deep, both physically and emotionally scarring effects puberty and acne can leave on a person.
- Natalie wasn't perfect. She snipped and could be mean but this ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2020 madandelion [hiatus 160420] marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

Okay, so imagine The Edge of Seventeen as a book.
Now read that title.
And look at that cover.
I'm sold.

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

May 26, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: beautiful-covers, read-in-2020, underrated, tbr-2020, most-anticipated-2020, tbr-physical, 4-star, books-i-own, comfort-reads, best-of-ya

I started this book on a whim because I was in desperate need of escapism, and this was absolutely perfect. A new comfort read for sure, this was filled with just the right amount of tropes that made it so enjoyable. It's familiar at times - I mean, we've got dating your best friend's brother, 'there's only one bed', etc etc. Even still, this was truly SUCH a delight to read. I mean sure, it's predictable, but it's also entertaining and funny and wholly relatable. It's a book about I started this book on a whim because I was in desperate need of escapism, and this was absolutely perfect. A new comfort read for sure, this was filled with just the right amount of tropes that made it so enjoyable. It's familiar at times - I mean, we've got dating your best friend's brother, 'there's only one bed', etc etc. Even still, this was truly SUCH a delight to read. I mean sure, it's predictable, but it's also entertaining and funny and wholly relatable. It's a book about experiencing your 'firsts', and the end of high school, and grappling with an unknown future. It's a book about learning to be comfortable in your skin and living in spite of your insecurities. And it's about adjusting to a new life when everything unexpectedly changes and nothing's going as planned.

I really am beginning to love YA contemporaries focused on older YA narrators (like 18, 19, etc). because it's so insanely relatable to me. Books about facing the uncertainty in your future, and dealing with the 'I have no idea what I'm doing with my life.' This book portrayed that wonderfully, and I loved it. Natalie is such a likable narrator because I truly understood her. My insecurities are not the same as hers, but I could still emphasize with everything she was going through. I just love narrators that are flawed and imperfect and real, yet still have their own unique personalities. They show what it's really like, to be a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, and how frightening yet exciting it is at the same time.

I will agree that this reads like the first 260 pages of a 350+ page book. There was a bit that felt incomplete, especially since Natalie and Alex were still in the early stages of a relationship at the end. Still, that didn't bother me much. I needed a quick and enjoyable read, and this was so satisfying. I really enjoyed their relationship, even if it was not fully developed at the end of the novel, because that's kind of the point. It's about the beginning stages of a romance, and navigating the uncertainty that comes from experiencing it for the first time.

I would highly, highly recommend this to anyone looking for a hilarious, lighthearted read. This book is so underrated, and I truly wish more people were reading this book.
——————————————————————
this was so cute and yet, also painfully relatable? trust me, I will never get over this. so good

yet again, review to come // 4 stars ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2020 Alaina rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-ng, 2020-arcs, romance, fiction, young-adult, april-2020, contemporary

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It Sounded Better in My Head was honestly a really cute ass book. In it, you will meet Natalie and Alex. Now Natalie is completely and adorably awkward. I instantly loved her and definitely felt her confusion, pain, and excitement in everything she did. Even if she probably did better in school than me.

The only difference between me and her is that I'm a lot more outgoing - still awkward though. When we see her outside of ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Dec 13, 2019 Jeann (Happy Indulgence) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary, romance, young-adult

It Sounded Better in My Head is heart-warming, adorable, relatable and exactly what I needed to read.

Having graduated high school, Natalie hears that her parents will be separating and she also starts dating for the first time. She's on the cusp of major change in her life that will be happening whether she likes it or not.

Natalie's voice is immediately relatable, describing her insecurities with having acne and anxious thoughts about her friends, future, parents splitting up and pretty much ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2019 Donna rated it really liked it

Shelves: thoughtful, 2019, teen_scene, australian_author, funny, teen, bildungsroman, friendship, romantic, trust

First time in a long time that I have read a book in one sitting. Such an enjoyable, engaging conversational style of writing. I reckon many girls reading this will easily relate to Natalie. I empathized with her acne agony and felt the cringe worthiness of her social isolation and awkwardness. Was I reading a novel or holding a mirror to my teen self albeit last century?

Great mix of teen characters - joyous, funny and at times quite poignant.

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2019 Marianne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It Sounded Better In My Head is the first novel by Australian author, Nina Kenwood, and winner of the 2018 Text Prize of YA and Childrens Writing. When Natalies father announces on Christmas Day that he and her mother are separating, its a shock. This news, and their infuriatingly calm manner of imparting it, is almost eclipsed, however, by the fact that they kept this from her for ten months. Her world (already somewhat disordered when her two best friends, Zach and Lucy decided they were in It Sounded Better In My Head is the first novel by Australian author, Nina Kenwood, and winner of the 2018 Text Prize of YA and Children’s Writing. When Natalie’s father announces on Christmas Day that he and her mother are separating, it’s a shock. This news, and their infuriatingly calm manner of imparting it, is almost eclipsed, however, by the fact that they kept this from her for ten months. Her world (already somewhat disordered when her two best friends, Zach and Lucy decided they were in love) has now turned upside down.

Further disruptions to her reassuringly predictable, neatly mapped-out life are not welcome, and when Alex decides to take a romantic interest in Natalie, she’s wary, even sceptical: surely he’s not genuinely interested; there must be some other motive. An added complication is that Alex is Zach’s older brother, and Zach is uncomfortable with the whole situation for a number of reasons, only one of which doesn’t totally irritate Natalie.

Kenwood gives the reader a cast of very believable characters who are appealing for all their flaws and quirks. Eighteen-year-old Natalie is, as Zach says, “smart, funny and interesting”. Kenwood includes lots of entertaining dialogue which means that readers should avoid reading this novel in the quiet carriage on public transport as the inevitable laughing out loud might disturb other travellers, but this also means it would make an excellent telemovie.

For the extremely fortunate many who will never suffer it, in Natalie’s description of her experience with cystic acne Kenwood shines a spotlight on the effects, both physical and psychological, of this devastating condition: “...pimples that turned, almost overnight, into deep cystic acne. Thick, hard, welt-like lumps formed under my skin on my back, shoulders, neck and face... It was gross. I was gross. I woke up every day thinking that for a long time.”

In particular, thoughtless, uninformed or downright nasty comments from strangers about appearance undermine self-esteem: “My body was a shameful disaster. I was too embarrassed to go outside unless I absolutely had to. No, it was worse than that. I was too embarrassed to exist” to the extent that Natalie actually decides “…’my parents are splitting up’ is a refreshingly normal and acceptable problem to have, and it’s far less embarrassing than an ‘I-have-an-infected-pimple-that’s-so-huge-and-disfiguring-that-it-has-sent-me-into-a-spiral-of-depression-so-I-won’t-be-getting-out-of-bed-today kind of issue’”

So Natalie’s anxiety over what could be her first love (and possibly first sex) is, naturally, enhanced by her insecurity, and her second-guessing just about every social interaction is hardly unexpected. Her voice is genuine, often self-deprecating, and her inner monologue oscillates between hilarious and heart breaking.

While it is labelled Young Adult and will definitely appeal to that age group, that does not mean that older adults will not enjoy it. This is an outstanding debut novel; if you've overdosed on psychological thrillers lately, take a break with this delightfully fresh and funny feel-good story.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Text Publishing
...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2019 Sofia Casanova rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary, 5-star, 2019

This is one of my favourite books of 2019! It Sounded Better in My Head is a gorgeous and hilarious YA debut about friendship, longing and how to navigate life after high school. The protagonist Natalie is a quirky big-hearted girl whose parents have announced theyre getting a divorce. Turning to her best friends Zach and Lucy, who have recently become a couple, shes left feeling awkward and unsure about her life. Why hasnt it turned out how she expected it to? And when she starts spending more ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2020 fra ☆ rated it it was amazing

4.5
i can't believe nina kenwood wrote a book about me and didn't even tell me

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2020 Marie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, 2020-releases, all-times-favorites

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)
Diversity: queer side character, main character with polycistic ovarian syndrom and cystic acne.

I just loved this SO much, I think it's one of the very rare times where I found a book character SO damn relatable and speaking to teenage-me that I just have to recognize that. I adore Natalie, I really liked the friendship, the slow burning relationship and all the messy complex ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2019 Amanda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit, arc, i-have-a-copy, text-publishing, family, realistic-fiction, contemporary-fiction, aussie, female-pov, 2019-release

LOVED this! I laughed and I cried, it's excellent.

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2019 Tracey (Life and Literature) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars

This book was adorable, and sweet, and real, and laugh out loud funny, and oh so relatable. Natalie was me as a teen and parts of her are still me now as an adult. LOVED IT!

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Jul 08, 2019 Nadia King rated it it was amazing

Natalie has left school and everything should be going according to plan; her best friend Zach and Lucy are going to be there for her and they will all go to Melbourne University together. Except on Christmas day, Natalies parents tell her theyre getting divorced. Natalie reels from the news.

It Sounded Better in My Head by first-time author and long-time bookseller, Nina Kenwood won the 2018 Text Prize. Its a book about dealing with isolation and how our external appearances can shape our lives. ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2020 JP rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, favorites

OMG! I loved this book About the book 304 pages YA Contemporary Published by Flatiron Books Release date April 7, 2020 Debut novel Great characters Engaging Relatable Adorable in an awkward way Couldnt put down Highly recommend Please dont miss this great book Netgalley by the Publisher All opinions about this were my own I gave a totally honest review ♥ ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge Corner: It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood --> Starting April 14th 2020	11	6	Apr 25, 2020 07:04AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Young Adult

207 users

Romance

194 users

Contemporary

181 users

Fiction

31 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

29 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Romance

18 users

Family

15 users

Young Adult > Coming Of Age

14 users

Audiobook

12 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

11 users

See top shelves…

About Nina Kenwood

Nina Kenwood

128 followers

Nina Kenwood has worked in the book industry for more than ten years. She is currently the marketing manager at Readings bookshop in Melbourne. It Sounded Better in My Head is Ninas first novel. ...more

News & Interviews

Readers' Most Anticipated Books of December

“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” That’s Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani human rights...

Trivia About It Sounded Better...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from It Sounded Better...

“I'm currently alone in the downstairs bedroom that's closest to the front door, and I'm scared. Why didn't I think of the risks of bed-swapping? I'll be the first person murdered because of Zach and Lucy's horniness.” — 8 likes

“Everyone knows you can't really trust any feeling you have at night - and the later the hour, the less trustworthy it is. Anything you feel after 10pm is suspect, anything after midnight should be discounted altogether.” — 7 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

It Sounded Better in My Head

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Nina Kenwood

News & Interviews

Trivia About It Sounded Better...

Quotes from It Sounded Better...

See a Problem?

Preview — It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

It Sounded Better in My Head

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Nina Kenwood

News & Interviews

Trivia About It Sounded Better...

Quotes from It Sounded Better...

new topic
Discuss This Book