How to Speak Boy

Sweet Mountain Air

by Tiana Smith

Quinn and Grayson have been fierce speech and debate rivals for years. They can't stand one another, either in competition or in real life.

But when their AP Government teacher returns their school assignments to the wrong cubbies, they begin exchanging anonymous notes without knowing who the other is.

Despite their differences, the two come together through their letters and find themselves unknowingly falling for the competition. Before the state tournament, the two of them need to figure out what they want out of life, or risk their own future happiness. After all, what’s the point of speech and debate if you can't say what's in your heart?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Enemies To Lovers, Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Young Adult Contemporary

288 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 7, 2020

About the author

Tiana Smith is a web designer turned novelist who grew up in the Rocky Mountains. She graduated from Westminster University with double degrees in Honors and English with a focus in creative writing. In her spare time she’s learning sign language with her hard of hearing husband and she volunteers with special needs individuals attending the bi-weekly activities for Utah County’s SNAP program.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about high school speech and debate, an activity I participated in when I was sixteen years old and therefore the worst person alive.

In many ways this sentenced me to spend hundreds of pages occasionally considering a time in my life when I was terminally awkward, and for that reason alone it would have been difficult to like.

Allow me to shed some light on the type of memories I mean.

When I was in high school, I competed in exactly two speech and debate tournaments, in spite of the fact that I am so introverted that in second grade some of my classmates thought I was mute. (I have since worked on this, and if you’ll permit me to brag: I can occasionally be heard speaking in public.)

At one of these tournaments (YALE to be exact), I overheard someone reference me as “the girl with the weirdly big eyes,” and if you’re wondering if I immediately became so fixated on it that I brought it up so many times under the pretense of a joke in the car that two people interrupted me (one to say IF YOU’RE ONLY DOING SPEECH AND DEBATE TO GET REVENGE ON SOMEONE, YOU SHOULDN’T DO IT - which, fair, but in truth I wasn’t doing speech and debate at all; and one to begin debating whether churches should ever be called aesthetically pleasing considering the history of violence they stand for. Fun group, right?)...

Anyway, if you’re wondering that, the answer is definitely no. I’m cool as a cucumber.

Similarly to these characters, I did have a crush on someone on the team, and he did not reassure me about the normalcy of my eye size. The girl on the church tirade did eventually interrupt her philosophical question in order to tell me that Disney princesses have weirdly big eyes and are considered paragons of beauty. (She now runs a German sex-positivity Instagram account and is for all intents and purposes the coolest person alive.)

So as you can tell, any experience in which I am forced to return to this time in my life would have been a RIDE. But this book was that in and of itself.

The characters were, to me, very flat. There is one girl character who has two friends, and one boy character who is the love interest and has no friends. This is not an excessive number of characters, so you may be tempted to think they’d have a trait or two to split between them, but you would be wrong.

Well, that’s not strictly true - the girl character (Quinn) does fall under the umbrella of my new least favorite trope: Female Characters in YA Contemporaries Who Constantly Jump To Conclusions And Are Generally Really Judgmental And Horrible.

So if you count that as a trait, there you have it.

There were also many, many ups and downs and conflicting turns in this romance, which on paper (haha) I would be a fan of, seeing as my favorite part of any romance is the Rock Bottom Drama part.

But this was not so fun.

Plus a lot of conflict was introduced and then resolved within the last 20 pages, which is never a blast.

Turns out I have twice as many thoughts about my recollections of speech and debate than I do about this book.

Even in my review of this book.

Bottom line: Head empty! No thoughts.

------------

well, i wouldn't say i'm fluent after this.

review to come / 2.5 stars

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i'm hopping on the trend of learning a new language in quarantine

(thanks to the publisher for the arc)

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent read! Right away I’m hooked on this story when I read on how competitive Quinn is and how her mouth “twisted in distaste” when she hears of her competitor’s name. I’m the same way as Quinn on study and homework. I take a lot of time and it’s definitely unfair when others just seems to study very little but still get A’s. I love books with witty banter characters and this book has it. Grayson seems like a cool guy!

This book is told in the first person point of view following Quinn, 17 as she’s out buying pantyhose with her bff Naomi for her speech and debate tournament. Quinn is highly competitive but so is Grayson, the tall dark and handsome competitor. They either tie out or he wins. They compete on everything. She so badly wanted to win him out. Quinn dislike Grayson to the max, but unexpected thing happened and now the hate has other meanings. On the other hand, her life is not completely dislike because she’s falling for her mysterious pen pal!

How to Speak Boy is well written and a fun read! I smile often especially when both want to have the last words. I can relate to Quinn because I don’t like phone calls and prefer emails so that I would have time to think. So it’s impressive when Grayson talks on the phone and relatable when it’s her turn. The love story is cute and I like that extension on the failed meet up. This story is centered around speech and debate and I guess it would have been great to read their speech, especially on the topic that they dared each other. Quinn’s mom is such a cool mom. Overall, this book is a great read and I recommend everyone to read it.


Pro: fast paced, page turner, competitive, humor, friendship, love, witty banter

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Fierce Reads for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This unexpectedly sweet and delightful teen rom-com introduced me to apparently super competitive world of Speech and Debate Tournaments. I never realised how interesting this extra-curricular activity can be and how much preparation goes into being able to deliver one's arguments smoothly and effectively.
Quinn and Grayson, the protagonists of the book, are both successful debaters and even become co-captains of their school team, so they have to work together to help the others improve their perfomances. The problem is they do not really get along. At least, this is what Quinn thinks. While she has to work extremely hard on every single aspect of her life (and that includes memorising her speeches), Grayson seems to win it all hands down. He is gorgeous, charming, smart, comes from a well-off family, and is a straight A student. Quinn, on the other hand, is about to fail her AP Government. One day the AP Government teacher puts a wrong assignment in her locker. Quinn leaves it in the right one and adds a note. Her notes gets a response and so begins a fascinating exchange, where both teens remain anonymous, but gradually open up to each other and speak about their everyday problems, worries as well as bigger dreams and aspirations.
The story may be predictable (although the author throws in a few spanners in the works), but it is, nevertheless, very entertaining and easy to read. I loved the way neither Quinn, nor Grayson are perfect. Quinn is overthinking everything, but she is also feisty and witty. Grayson's charm grows on you as you continue reading and by the end of the book you will become his fan. He has his share of worries. Being a politician's son, he doesn't feel he is free to choose his career path because of his family expectations.
I thought the anonymous note exchange part was fun, although it did make me think about our digital world where we form relationships and friendships with people we've never met in real life. Sometimes we open up and share our innermost thoughts and get great advice from people who are not blinded by their knowledge of what we look like or sound like, or all the cute and embarrassing things they remember us doing.
There was a very strange love triangle /triangles in this story (the protagonists of the story and the anonymous note-writer) and before you say 'Oh no, not again!' I want to say that liking several people and having to work out your feelings is also a part of high school experience. Just be honest with them and yourself, and behave according to your beliefs.
Lighthearted, clean, and entertaining. Recommended for all romantics looking for a quick and enjoyable read.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Swoon Reads for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[julianna ➹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

don't u think it's pretty god level of me to finish 3 books in 3 days? idk i think it's pretty god level of me

also anonymous romance in ya? :) you know you love it

[Yna from Books and Boybands · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But if there was anything I knew about competition, it was that some things were worth fighting for."

How To Speak Boy is an enticing YA contemporary read about rivals-turned-lovers! The trope itself is an exciting one that would raise everyone’s interests. Competing leads with witty banter, mixed in a You’ve Got Mail type of set up. In fact, knowing that this was within students that are members of the speech and debate team reminded of me of Candy Jar, a movie that I watched on Netflix.

I was expecting lots of soft and fluff for this YA romance, and definitely, this is what I got. If you want something that is tooth-rotting adorable and sweet, try this one. How To Speak Boy is a read where you will know after the few pages that they already have feelings for each other and are in extremely deep denial. This might make you scream in frustration, but the cuteness is actually worth the wait.

The interaction within the two leads are cute and fluffy, but there’s something about the personalities of all the characters in this book that does not really stuck to me as much as I wanted to. Some scenes are a little disconnected, too, and lots of the story is too predictable.

The worst part, I realize, is that the blurb has already spoiled everything but the two characters are clueless. It would have been perfect to be as clueless as them throughout the story, for a little thrill, a la how the reveal was perfect during Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

But there’s no denying that this book is a quick read, I was able to read it for 3 to 4 hours. I recommend this read for people who love a quick read cheesy and clean romance and witty banter between two characters.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Swoon Reads for providing an earc of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

"...strange, how easy it was to talk to a perfect stranger. Like, by not knowing who he was, I could tell him anything...Anonymity made me bold."

Set in Boise, Idaho, How To Speak Boy , is a YA romance centered around a pair of feuding speech competitors throughout their senior year of high school. 

Seventeen year old Quinn Edwards wants nothing more than to beat Grayson Hawks at his own game. Scratch that. She wants to beat him at every game. Whether it's the coveted captain position on their speech and debate team, or coming in first at all of their tournaments, Quinn wants it all. Especially if it's at Grayson's expense. Grayson, however, seems to take it (it being Quinn's animosity) in stride:

"I'm on your bad side simply for being good at what I do. You take it personally. But it's not personal, I promise."

This uneven enemies-to-lovers balance is the first thing that made this contemporary feel a little bit off. It's hard to root for Quinn when she's consistently at Grayson's throat for no apparent reason. A job that becomes increasingly challenging given how charismatic Smith made Grayson's character. I mean his personality and swagger practically drip off the page. You'll be helpless to his charms, dear readers. Fortunately, this imbalance is quickly rectified by the introduction of the letters between the mysterious 15511 and 15211. 

You see, after a graded school assignment is accidently put in Quinn's cubbie (15511) she has to return it to its proper owner, whom she only knows as the school ID number listed on the page (15211). Returning the misplaced assignment to its proper cubbie, Quinn leaves a note asking for her own assignment back from this unknown peer. This incident sparks a chain of back-and-forth banter that really elevates the book's game. 

The mystery element is -- at times -- odd given that the "reveal" is provided in the synopsis of the novel. I mean obviously the characters don't know so it works, but I feel like this is probably a detail that should have been cut or edited differently in the summary so that we can experience this right along with the MCs.

Minor issues aside this was still a light and fun read. The scenes at the tournaments flashed me right back to my own days as a teenager on the high school debate team. And while adult me wanted to cringe at the misunderstandings and misread signals that take place throughout this novel, young me understood it because I lived it. We all did. It's this relatability and connection that always keep me coming back to books like this one. 

While it wasn't without its flaws (and a major douche side character), I quite enjoyed watching Quinn learn How To Speak Boy.   

All quotes were taken from an advanced copy of this novel and may not match the final release.



ORIGINAL THOUGHTS:
3.5 out of 5 Stars

And just like that my first read of 2020 is complete! *Jumps in the air in freeze frame* Jokes aside, this was a quick read that came hard for my former high school debate team heart. Although the plot is fairly obvious given the synopsis, this was still a cute and enjoyable read.

I'll elaborate via full review next week closer to this contemporary's release date!

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Speak Boy is a fun YA romance that reads like a retelling of You've Got Mail, except involving rivals on a high school speech and debate (forensics) team. Having done speech and debate myself back in the day, I really enjoyed that element of it. Also, it's hard to bomb the You've Got Mail setup with rivals falling for each other, while not realizing they are also writing anonymous letters to each other. It's generally a good time. In this case, I did feel like the later part of the book dragged a bit and this would have benefited from including the boy's perspective, at least some of the time. I suspect the idea was to make it a mystery whether he was really the one writing the letters, but anyone who knows the plot to You've Got Mail will figure it out very quickly and I just wanted something more from this emotionally.

If you want this You've Got Mail style rivals to lovers plot in a YA book but very funny and excellently executed, I would recommend checking out Tweet Cute by Emma Lord. That said, it was a good time and I loved all of the debate related things. Worth picking up if you enjoy the trope! I received an advance copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

[kav (xreadingsolacex) · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith is a YA rom-com about Quinn, who is dedicated to winning speech and debate this year, but whose plans just might get a little difficult when her rival Grayson turns out to be a new crush. To make matters even worse, Quinn may also be crushing on her anonymous pen pal in AP Government.

This was such definitely a cute read. I found myself truly shipping the romance between Quinn and Grayson - enemies-to-friends-to-lovers??? the suspense of an anonymous pen pal??? we love to see it!!!

I found Quinn to be the perfect YA main character (although I personally feel that this book is geared more towards younger YA readers - which is not a bad thing by any means, that's just the audience I'd feel this book is more suited for).

I loved Quinn's dedication to speech and debate, and her hard work in getting good grades. Something I particularly loved about her character was that she is someone who truly has to work for everything she has. School doesn't come easily to her, so Quinn really has to pour her all into her schoolwork. While that was more of a minor part of the story, it was something I really personally loved.

I also loved Quinn's relationship with her best Naomi and with her mom. I felt that they were great side characters, and they really enhanced Quinn's narrative in a great way.

The story was a bit cliche at times, and it took me a while to get into it, but I think it was an adorable rom-com with two really great main characters.

disclaimer: i received an arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this in no way impacted my opinions.

[Samantha Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming YA rewrite of You’ve Got Mail that had me at Speech and Debate. Quinn is a determined heroine who isn’t perfect, doesn’t know everything, and isn’t a super model. She is refreshingly normal with plenty of spunk. Quinn makes her fair share of mistakes as she navigates her college applications, the state speech tournament, friendship, and her love life. But you can’t help but cheer her on.

This is a witty and wonderful romcom that will appeal to both teens and adults.

And #Netflix ... this would make a great movie!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a simply delightful YA contemporary romance. I enjoyed the relationship building between Quinn and Grayson. Their dialogue was real and witty. I appreciated that the author kept this book clean from sex and swearing. I will definitely recommend this book to others and can't wait to read more by this author!!!!

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was a lot of fun and Quinn and Grayson has a great and flirty enemies to lovers situation which is always enjoyable. This was such a quick and engaging read - super addicting and pure fun. My main complaint is the big time jumps that happen within the story, it makes it a bit harder to buy some of the development between the characters. And I could have done without Quinn's friend Carter, but other than that this was an enjoyable read that had a quintessential romcom feel.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Krysti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely ADORABLE! Full review TK!

[Nadja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm I find it quite difficult to rate this. I liked it in the beginning but wished in the end that
a. the whole speech and debate thing would have played a bigger role
b. the story wasn't as similar to our beloved 'You've Got Mail' inspiration (why can't for once the girl find out the secret first?)
c. the whole Carter situation would have been dealt differently! The resulation seemed lazy and an easy cop-out.
Overall yes it's a cute and fluffy young adult contemporary but the heart is missing.

[Mary]

THIS BOOK SOUNDS SO CUTE I COULD DIE

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received an arc from raincoast book. Full review to come but this one was a MESS. Not to mention the synopsis is a huge spoiler.

[Sarah Monzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A YA adaptation of You’ve Got Mail? What’s not to like!?!!

[hannah! (lowkey gone) · Rating 2 out of 5]

nope yuck nope yuck
everyone was a bitchhhhhhhh ughhh

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words for this book!!!

I got to read this amazing book with my amazing friend (you know who you are) and we could have not fan girled over it enough. Seriously!

This book is about two rivals who end up sharing the position they worked so hard to fight for and end up having feelings for one another. But with the main character Quinn, she has been secretly writing to a person she has never met due to a mix up in assignments. She also starts falling for the person in notes and must soon decide if she wants to meet the person or let then remain perfect on paper. In the end, this book was very heart felt and you really want to yell at some characters sometimes (Yeah I am talking to you CARTER!!) but I flew through this book because it has you until the last page, leaving you wanting more.

I started reading this book and no joke I was so surprised I was on chapter six when I thought I was still on page 4. Honestly, I will take these characters to be my friends any day. Five star rating all the way⭐️😇!!

[~~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was amazing!! i loved how sassy Quinn was, and the banter between her and Grayson was everything! i also found the relationship between Quinn and her mother to be particularly significant as they had such a close and trusting relationship, which is something we don’t see quite so often in books. i admired how selfless and accepting Quinn’s mother was of whatever college Quinn chosen, and how she never pressured her into choosing a certain college.

Naomi and Quinn’s friendship is too was such a brilliant portrayal of a healthy friendship, from the way they are so respectful of each other’s relationships, to their unwavering loyalty to each other (especially the part where Naomi made it clear to Carter where her loyalties lay, YES!!)

Speaking of Carter, what can i say, except that he irritated the living daylights out of me, and (evil as this might be), i was so happy when Quinn finally said enough and put an end to their friendship. his persistence despite Quinn’s obvious discomfort was ridiculous and frustrating, and i had a vehement dislike for him.

one thing i would’ve liked to see more of was definitely the speech and debate aspect of the book. before i actually read this book, the thing that caught my eye in the synopsis was the speech and debate part, since it’s pretty unique and uncommon to find books centering around speech and debate. i found that much of the competitions and speeches were glossed over, and the focal point of the competitions were the pre-competition jitters. i really wanted to see one of Quinn’s speeches! especially the part where Quinn and Grayson assigned each other topics to speak about, if the script had been included i would have the laughing fit of the century!

lastly, thank you to my incredible friend for agreeing to read the book with me. the whole reading experience was enhanced by our very entertaining discussions, crazy gushing and fangirling, attempts to control the urge to yell at Grayson and Carter, and how we were up wayyy too late reading!

to wrap things up, this book was excellent and very entertaining. a definite 5 stars!!

[winds]

this book sounds like a blessing to my rivals to lovers shipping heart

[T.H. Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinn is serious, hardworking, and in desperate need of a little fun, but she’s vying for President of the Speech and Debate Club against her arch nemesis, the utterly swoon-worthy Grayson, so fun isn’t on the agenda. She’s as competitive as she is smart, but unfortunately, nothing comes easy to Quinn. She has to work twice as hard as Grayson to be successful, or so she believes. That makes it hard for her to let her guard down around him. Even though he’s adorably perfect. Quinn’s two closest friends, Naomi and Carter, have their own ideas about Grayson. Naomi is pro-romance and Carter is dead-set against it. Apparently Grayson has a reputation of sorts and wants to protect Quinn. But the more time that passes, the more it becomes clear that Carter has an ulterior motive in keeping Quinn and Grayson apart. Underlying it all is a mysterious student who Quinn corresponds with the old fashioned way — pen to paper. With three boys vying for her interests, she’s not sure where to turn or who she can really trust.

Plot
The main plot is the romance between Quinn and Grayson, but there are a number of subplots that involve Quinn’s college future, the mysterious letter writer, her speech performance at the state finals, and her relationship with Carter. All expertly weave into the main plot to drive conflict and up the stakes. Although the reader knows who the letter writer is, well, if they read the synopsis, it’s fun watching Quinn try to figure it out. But it also adds an element of wanting to see if they’re just going to tell each other, that made turning the page to see what would happen compelling. While it did take me a good few chapters to really get into this story, because I’ll admit, speech and debate didn’t interest me in the least, once I was invested int he characters, I was all in to the story. So don’t let this aspect of the plot detract you from picking up this really awesome book.

Characters
The characters are what I loved most about the book. Quinn is so relatable as an awkward teen who strives to do her best in everything, but keeps coming up short. Her growth comes across as authentic and organic. Her BFF, Naomi is the everything Quinn’s not but wishes she was, making her the perfect sidekick. Carter was a little annoying, but necessary. Not every character needs to be likable, and who doesn’t know at least on Carter? Grayson was adorable as the self-assured son of the the Governor who seems to have everything he’s ever wanted, but underlying it all is a vulnerability that only adds to his attractiveness.

What I Enjoyed About HOW TO SPEAK BOY
1. Quinn. She’s adorkably awkward and utterly endearing. I couldn’t help rooting for her.

2. Grayson. He’s sweet, smart, and hot. The perfect BBF.

3. Quinn’s Mom. I love their relationship. She’s the proper blend of confidant and authoritarian, just what Quinn needs, when she needs her to be.

4. Letter Writing. In a digital world, it was a refreshing throwback to my own high school days.

5. Speech and Debate. Okay, so I’m still not sure I’d ever join this club or find going to these events interesting, but the way the author wrote about these moments, definitely piqued my interest.

What Didn’t Quite Work for Me
The story and characters were amazing and I loved the speech angle. But the ending fell flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a HFN ending, but I didn’t have quite the bang I was hoping for, what I felt it was building up to. That said, the author wraps everything up in a satisfying conclusion.

Bottom Line
A cute contemporary romance with adorable characters you can’t help pulling for.

Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Quinn has goals that she plans to meet this year, starting with being named Team Captain of her debate team. But when she is named co-captain with her arch enemy, it seems like everything starts to unravel. When her History assignment gets returned to the wrong person, she ends up getting into a note exchanging relationship with a stranger that keeps her going. But the question is, does she really want to learn the identity of her mystery pen pal?

I was lucky enough to meet this author last year when she came to talk to my book club about her debut novel Match Me If You Can (which was so cute and adorable!) when she mentioned her next book was a YA version of the movie You've Got Mail where the enemies converse anonymously mixed with the drama of speech and debate, I knew I was going to read it. I am happy to report that the story lived up to mt expectations and it was such a fun story to get lost in.

While this was most certainly a romance, my favorite parts of the book had to do with the relationships between the main character and her mom and the main character and her best friend. She had such great relationships with both of them, so positive and supportive the way they should always be! I also really enjoyed how independent and straightforward Quinn was, she knew herself and her goals and was not going to stop just because she had feelings for a boy or was potentially made fun of. But of course there was a romance aspect to the story as well (which we all love!), and I was always a fan of her love interest with his charm and snark. There was so much going on in the plot but all pieces fit together so well for a cohesive story.

Tiana was able to create a sophomore book that was just as fun and cute as her debut story which shows me that she is going to be one of my go-to YA contemporary romance authors. I highly recommend this story for anyone who likes enemies to lovers, slow burn, high school drama, and great strong characters.

[Christa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't enjoy writing a review that isn't praising a book. But I also think it's not fair to give a low star rating without justification. This was an ARC I got free from a local bookstore. This book is not ready to be published though I think it has a good concept. On paper, this book has everything I want in a book. Unfortunately, it got bogged down by metaphors and similes, as well too much tell, not enough show. Don't tell me that a character is blunt and honest without regard but then never show that happening.

I guess it just boils down to false advertisement. It was a hate to love story because neither of them hated each other. It was barely a version of You've Got Mail because we don't even see most of the letters where they're supposedly falling in love.

I just think it could've been improved and after a lot of changes are made, hopefully it can be edited because the amount of metaphorical language was clunkier than platform shoes that are a size too big.

[Janet | purrfectpages · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have known to pass on this one based on it’s silly title which does nothing to sell the story. This book promises a love/hate type romance, set against the backdrop of speech and debate. However, it’s super clear really early on that despite the minor setbacks and trappings that occur, the two main characters will wind up together. That’s not spoiling anything, it’s just plain fact.

[Carol Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to read this, but through no fault of the book. Just a busy schedule. I enjoyed the humor throughout, the characters, and how the plot played out even though I knew what was going on with the letters. I really liked the courthouse scene when they were to meet up in real life. Nice twist at the end, and a sweet (albeit a bit mushy-romantic to me) resolution.

[ضحى الحداد · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
I really liked the idea of this book, I was looking for a book with the same idea for a while, really cute :)
So the story follows Quinn who is a competitive debater in her school and her top nemesis is Grayson, One day her teacher accidentally switches her homework with a guy in her class and she doesn't know who he is .. so they switch letters and over time they find friendship with each other .. the thing is Quinn is confused .. who could be the guy ? is it Grayson or her best friend Carter ?

I liked the story until the end, but there were some things that bothered me .. but overall really nice

[diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't not like it. But to tell you honestly, this wasn't very memorable. The romance was okay. I have a love-hate relationship with Quinn. And Grayson was... well, I was expecting more.

I received an e-arc from the pubisher via Edelweiss+ to read and review.

[A ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was so cute and wonderful. Haters and rivals-to-lovers who flirt but can't stand each other, with a geek touch on the side? Yes, please!

[Kaitlyn Hutmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out a little slow, I’m not going to lie! However after the tenth or so chapter, I couldn’t put it down! I got so invested in the characters, and I found myself wanting to see what was going to happen, the entire time! Highly recommend picking it up!

[Thamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not so typical story about rivals who fall in love and need to deal with this change.

3.5, but not enough to round up.

Quinn and Grayson compete in the debate club, and Quinn knows Grayson has once made a girl fall for him only to break her heart and win in the school's election, so this won't be a story of hate becoming love. Or will it? While she exchanges messages with an anonymous boy getting the tips she needs to improve in AP Government and in her speeches, her feelings toward Grayson start to change.

This was a lovely YA romance that kept me entertained and swooning. Along with the rivals trope, we also get the letter exchanges. I'll be honest and say I wasn't sure of who'd be the boy writing to her though we always tend to imagine it is her love interest.What I liked about the use of this trope here was we didn't have to go through all those steps all books seem to feel a need to—among which, my most hated "I'm sure it's this dreamy guy, even though of course there's no logical reason except the ones the writer inserted because he wanted".

I also liked the conclusion, there were some twists before that me wonder if it would please me in the end it actually wrapped pretty well, I was a little impressed. However, the second half of the book wasn't that good, in my opinion. It felt a little aimless, perhaps? The characters seemed to move at random, trying to find the best path, and it made the book lose pace and the romance, its impact. I could see they were a good couple, but the swoon it gave me in the first half became lukewarm during the last.

It's still above average and I recommend of fans of this trope, but it lacked that shine when it felt so close, so apt to reach perfect.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.