It Sounded Better in My Head

Cute YA book, with a heroine who is funny without being all-out snarky. She also has cystic acne, which you don't see in a YA romance novel every day. I had pretty much garden-variety acne (although it has lasted well into middle age) but I could still identify with Natalie's reluctance to socialize or show any skin when she's having a bad breakout, and let's not even get started with the side effects of Accutane and the dire warnings regarding pregnancy that accompany every single dose.

I wish I had been more engaged in Natalie's first relationship with Alex, her friend Josh's older (only by a year) brother. He was cute and kind, but he made a few bonehead mistakes, and I had to agree with Josh that she could do a lot better. Still, while Natalie is very careful to make sure she doesn't allow her self-esteem to depend on having a real boyfriend, there's no doubt that he helps her realize her potential and her ability to deal with all the changes involved in being 18 years old, going to uni, and having your parents suddenly split up.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.