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Thanks for Listening
Perfect for fans of Loveless and You Should See Me in a Crown, this wry and insightful novel from the author of Epically Earnest features a sweet ace romance and a secret social media advice account that goes wonderfully, terribly astray.
Mia knows what she’s talking about.
Class schedules, significant others, existential life crises—you name it, she’s talked someone through it.
The problem? No one actually takes her advice.
So when her latest round of (very sensible!) guidance is ignored, resulting in a class flyer stapled to her best friend’s arm and her brother going steady with a girl he doesn’t have feelings for, Mia is done talking. Instead, she creates HereToHelp, an anonymous account to give advice. If her friends don’t know it’s her behind the account, maybe they’ll finally listen for once.
Throw in the girl of her dreams, a plethora of sound (and not-so-sound) advice, and a couple of best friends who seem to have a lot more to hide than Mia knows…and Mia could use some advice of her own to make it through this senior year.
Hilarious and deeply insightful in turn, Thanks for Listening is a must-read for fans of Not My Problem and Eliza and Her Monsters—and any reader who has wanted to feel fully, truly, completely heard.
Mia knows what she’s talking about.
Class schedules, significant others, existential life crises—you name it, she’s talked someone through it.
The problem? No one actually takes her advice.
So when her latest round of (very sensible!) guidance is ignored, resulting in a class flyer stapled to her best friend’s arm and her brother going steady with a girl he doesn’t have feelings for, Mia is done talking. Instead, she creates HereToHelp, an anonymous account to give advice. If her friends don’t know it’s her behind the account, maybe they’ll finally listen for once.
Throw in the girl of her dreams, a plethora of sound (and not-so-sound) advice, and a couple of best friends who seem to have a lot more to hide than Mia knows…and Mia could use some advice of her own to make it through this senior year.
Hilarious and deeply insightful in turn, Thanks for Listening is a must-read for fans of Not My Problem and Eliza and Her Monsters—and any reader who has wanted to feel fully, truly, completely heard.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2024
25 people are currently reading
4981 people want to read
About the author
Molly Horan
4 books47 followersMolly Horan is an adjunct professor teaching YA literature at NYU and writing for the web at The School of Visual Arts. A member of the BMI musical theater workshop, her plays and songs have been performed at 54 Below, The Duplex, and The PIT. Her debut picture book, I Have Seven Dogs, will be published in 2023 by Penguin/Paulsen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
February 25, 2025
Another win for the asexuals!
This is a YA book and for second there I thought it was going in the direction of Dear Wendy but it isn't. It does involve some social media advice giving that definitely goes awry but I think at it's heart this book is about a girl finding her own way and learning that she deserves people in her corner who will fight for her and listen to her. I like that there's room to grow for all of these characters in this book and an opportunity to do better.
Sapphic ace MC
This is a YA book and for second there I thought it was going in the direction of Dear Wendy but it isn't. It does involve some social media advice giving that definitely goes awry but I think at it's heart this book is about a girl finding her own way and learning that she deserves people in her corner who will fight for her and listen to her. I like that there's room to grow for all of these characters in this book and an opportunity to do better.
Sapphic ace MC
January 12, 2025
Thanks for Listening was such an easy and fast read which I will very happily recommend, especially for the ace rep!
I loved that it's quite a low-drama comfort book, a coming of age story about a girl growing up, starting to stand up for herself, and find the love and respect she now knows she's worthy of.
Let me tell you, the ace rep is PERFECT!
I wouldn't say it's the main focus of the book but it does take up quite a big part of Mia's questioning around her dating Sadie and Sadie's acceptance and love was very heartwarming.
I loved that it's quite a low-drama comfort book, a coming of age story about a girl growing up, starting to stand up for herself, and find the love and respect she now knows she's worthy of.
Let me tell you, the ace rep is PERFECT!
I wouldn't say it's the main focus of the book but it does take up quite a big part of Mia's questioning around her dating Sadie and Sadie's acceptance and love was very heartwarming.
January 18, 2025
I can't deny that it was Mia's ace rep that put Thanks for Listening on my radar. As a book club organizer, I'm always on the lookout for books that highlight all parts of the queer community, to give as recs to my members. The fact that this was a YA book made me especially happy, since it's nice to have a wide range of stories to share with different age groups. It's true that I also saw a little bit of myself in Mia. I too, was the friend who always wanted to fix her friends' problems and would often give us little bits of myself to avoid conflict. I was also the person who was always willing to give advice, but never willing to take it myself. I'm sure this book is going to resonate with a lot of readers out there for the same reason.
What I really liked though, was that Horan allows her characters to show some realistic growth within these pages. Mia finds a person who helps her blossom, and start to understand that her friendships may not be the healthiest. She learns to stand up for herself, and actually communicate her feelings. Younger me so needed a book like this, and so I see a lot of good here. Especially because Horan's solution isn't to cut Mia off from her issues, but instead to show how she can work on them.
Now I will say that even though the book is written from the POV of high school, this book is written in what felt like a younger voice. Which felt a little odd, since there are mentions of sex. It also bothered me a bit how oblivious Mia seemed to be about anything related to dating. I know Mia's character was ace, but I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't be able to spot a potential date when she was in high school and best friends with people in a relationship. Still, I can admit that it did make for some cute scenes so I was willing to keep reading on.
To wrap things up, this was a cute read but it just felt a little younger than I was expecting. I liked the messages about friendship and evolving, and really like Mia. The backdrop of high school theater was so well done. It made me smile more than once! For all those reasons, I'm happy to award this book a solid three star rating.
What I really liked though, was that Horan allows her characters to show some realistic growth within these pages. Mia finds a person who helps her blossom, and start to understand that her friendships may not be the healthiest. She learns to stand up for herself, and actually communicate her feelings. Younger me so needed a book like this, and so I see a lot of good here. Especially because Horan's solution isn't to cut Mia off from her issues, but instead to show how she can work on them.
Now I will say that even though the book is written from the POV of high school, this book is written in what felt like a younger voice. Which felt a little odd, since there are mentions of sex. It also bothered me a bit how oblivious Mia seemed to be about anything related to dating. I know Mia's character was ace, but I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't be able to spot a potential date when she was in high school and best friends with people in a relationship. Still, I can admit that it did make for some cute scenes so I was willing to keep reading on.
To wrap things up, this was a cute read but it just felt a little younger than I was expecting. I liked the messages about friendship and evolving, and really like Mia. The backdrop of high school theater was so well done. It made me smile more than once! For all those reasons, I'm happy to award this book a solid three star rating.
March 21, 2025
“I have to stop being afraid of being too loud. Maybe people will like loud me. Maybe they won’t, but it won’t matter, because I will.
Thanks for Listening is a short and sweet YA novel about an asexual teen who is sick of her friends not listening to her so she starts an anonymous online advice account.
This was such a quick read and exactly what I needed to help me out of my reading slump. The plot was engaging and I wanted to keep reading to see how it would all turn out. The book focused mainly on friendship and Mia’s advice account, but there was also a bit of romance. Also, bonus points for the story revolving around a bunch of theatre kids!
I truly felt for the main character. Throughout the book I saw her talk to her friends only to be ignored, forgotten or pushed aside. It really made me so angry on her behalf. I really understood her motivations for making her secret account, even if some of her actions could be a bit questionable at times.
This was my first Molly Horan book but I’d love to read more from this author in the future.
Thanks for Listening is a short and sweet YA novel about an asexual teen who is sick of her friends not listening to her so she starts an anonymous online advice account.
This was such a quick read and exactly what I needed to help me out of my reading slump. The plot was engaging and I wanted to keep reading to see how it would all turn out. The book focused mainly on friendship and Mia’s advice account, but there was also a bit of romance. Also, bonus points for the story revolving around a bunch of theatre kids!
I truly felt for the main character. Throughout the book I saw her talk to her friends only to be ignored, forgotten or pushed aside. It really made me so angry on her behalf. I really understood her motivations for making her secret account, even if some of her actions could be a bit questionable at times.
This was my first Molly Horan book but I’d love to read more from this author in the future.
January 9, 2025
I may not have been a theatre kid, but thanks to being in dance I was always very adjacent to my peers who chose that after school activity and I have a soft spot for all things performing arts. The moment I read the short synopsis for Molly Horan's newest release, Thanks For Listening I knew it would be a must-read, I reserved a copy immediately and devoured it as soon as it arrived.
Horan perfectly captured the emotion, drama and joy of being a teenager and I was thrilled to see an ace relationship so well-written. I would recommend this title to any teen or reader who struggles with finding their place and just wants to be seen by their peers. For Mia, social media becomes an outlet to give advice to her friends who seem to ignore what she tells them, and I found her relationship with Sadie endearing. With fun banter and easy to like characters, and even a nod to The Land Before Time and Dawson's Creek, I was hooked!
"But that isn't today, and I watch her walk off, wondering how the thought of one-eleventh of my high school pie chart possibly approaching an end makes me want to cry more than thinking about the end of every other piece of the chart put together."
"Because this is how we're together. This is how we're a couple. And I love being us."
Horan perfectly captured the emotion, drama and joy of being a teenager and I was thrilled to see an ace relationship so well-written. I would recommend this title to any teen or reader who struggles with finding their place and just wants to be seen by their peers. For Mia, social media becomes an outlet to give advice to her friends who seem to ignore what she tells them, and I found her relationship with Sadie endearing. With fun banter and easy to like characters, and even a nod to The Land Before Time and Dawson's Creek, I was hooked!
"But that isn't today, and I watch her walk off, wondering how the thought of one-eleventh of my high school pie chart possibly approaching an end makes me want to cry more than thinking about the end of every other piece of the chart put together."
"Because this is how we're together. This is how we're a couple. And I love being us."
February 8, 2025
Though a fairly minor aspect of the story, I really appreciated the asexual representation in Thanks for Listening. Seeing Mia navigate a relationship as an ace person, establishing her boundaries and having them be respected by her partner warmed my heart. And it is an important reminder to ace folks that ace/allo relationships are not only possible, but they are valid relationships. They are beautiful relationships. It is so meaningful to see Mia and Sadie’s relationship depicted in this story.
January 15, 2025
This was such a good book! I have never related so much to a character. This is a great book to help you realize your worth and how you deserve to be treated by those who are close to you
March 17, 2025
3.5⭐️, YA
featured
September 24, 2025Mia from Thanks for Listening is asexual!
https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...
https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...
November 29, 2024
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This is a book about growing up, about learning to stand up for yourself and advocate for yourself. It’s also a low-angst, very feel good book showing how friend groups change over time — often for the better — and how an outside opinion can sometimes help people see the things they didn’t want to see. Honestly, it’s just a very good book with a very good message. The writing is good, the pace is brisk, and it’s overall just a pleasant read.
If you’re looking for a nice YA with a happy ending, a fun friend group, and a bit of high school high-jinx, give this book a try.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
This is a book about growing up, about learning to stand up for yourself and advocate for yourself. It’s also a low-angst, very feel good book showing how friend groups change over time — often for the better — and how an outside opinion can sometimes help people see the things they didn’t want to see. Honestly, it’s just a very good book with a very good message. The writing is good, the pace is brisk, and it’s overall just a pleasant read.
If you’re looking for a nice YA with a happy ending, a fun friend group, and a bit of high school high-jinx, give this book a try.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
December 10, 2024
This is a very unassuming story, which, I was pleased to discover, didn't have much drama despite having actual theater drama production as part of the plot. It's a book about growing up and changing the nature of relationships which had been coasting on proximity and shared history, but are long overdue for a re-evaluation, and about starting new ones more fitting to one's grown self.
I found the characters endearing and the story quietly touching.
I found the characters endearing and the story quietly touching.
December 18, 2024
For clarification purposes, I did win this book in the Goodreads giveaway. But I am super picky with books, and I do rate them with as little bias as possible. I’m also going to keep this review pretty spoiler free.
The beginning was cheesy, but cute. I didn’t think I’d get attached to any of the characters as much as I did when finishing the book.
The Plot- The book is the equivalent of a cheesy teen movie. I’m not expecting anything revolutionary or controversial in it. I’m expecting to read something for fun. It delivered. It’s a fun book and I liked it. Would absolutely recommend to a friend.
The Characters- Mia my girl you are so underrated by everyone. I love her to bits. While I’m not ace I thought the Ace rep was pretty accurate to some of my Ace friends talk. Tho I do know some that like making out/ are sex pos. I think the characters were well rounded and likable. Even when I was annoyed at them (you know who I’m talking about) I still couldn’t hate them. I just wanted them to do better.
Honestly what I got out of this book is another author to watch out for at the bookstore. I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I got it in the giveaway, because I now I have a copy of it. It’s definitely a book I would have picked out on my own from the library anyway.
(Also the hardback itself is so beautiful I love a pretty book)
(Also book on Addy when please???)
The beginning was cheesy, but cute. I didn’t think I’d get attached to any of the characters as much as I did when finishing the book.
The Plot- The book is the equivalent of a cheesy teen movie. I’m not expecting anything revolutionary or controversial in it. I’m expecting to read something for fun. It delivered. It’s a fun book and I liked it. Would absolutely recommend to a friend.
The Characters- Mia my girl you are so underrated by everyone. I love her to bits. While I’m not ace I thought the Ace rep was pretty accurate to some of my Ace friends talk. Tho I do know some that like making out/ are sex pos. I think the characters were well rounded and likable. Even when I was annoyed at them (you know who I’m talking about) I still couldn’t hate them. I just wanted them to do better.
Honestly what I got out of this book is another author to watch out for at the bookstore. I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I got it in the giveaway, because I now I have a copy of it. It’s definitely a book I would have picked out on my own from the library anyway.
(Also the hardback itself is so beautiful I love a pretty book)
(Also book on Addy when please???)
January 5, 2025
I haven’t read a YA story in a loooooong time so it was interesting to see how things have changed over the years — like the incorporation of social media, Gen Z talk, etc. A very easy and engaging read and I really liked the writing style.
January 31, 2025
apparently i‘m illiterate bc i genuinely thought her account was called heterohelp the entire time. i was so confused lol.
November 25, 2025
I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. The humor is incredible. It’s just zinger after zinger. Reading it I just kept thinking how does the author shove so much funny stuff in here! It’s an impressive feat. I absolutely love books that involve the theater world, especially when the characters are not actors. The mc is a stage manager which is so fun to read about! It honestly seems like the coolest job in theater cause they get to be a little bit involved in mostly everything from what I know lol. The mc is also ace, so it’s awesome so see that representation and see her fall in love and have a beautiful relationship. The characters are definitely the other big strength of this book. I adore Mia, Sadie, and Addie. Someone already said this but I’m going to say it again: we need a book about Addie SO BAD she’s so iconic, I’m obsessed with her! All the characters (even the one I didn’t adore like Essie and Talley, and the minor characters like the parents and brother) felt fully flushed out, 3 dimensional, extremely real people. I want to go to the family themed dinners so bad! If you’re looking for a character driven, extremely voicey fun fluffy read that will make you laugh out loud this is your book.
The plot didn’t seem like the most interesting thing to me from reading the blurb, but I decided to read it anyway because how can I not read a sapphic YA romcom with a stage manager protagonist! That was checking too many of my boxes to pass up. It was executed pretty well I think, although honestly maybe it just felt like that cause I was so obsessed with the voice and humor and characters that it was just a very breezy read. I’m not sure but I did end up enjoying it either way. One thing that bugged me about the plot was when she gave that burnt out girl who did sports and theater and would fall asleep during rehearsal the shitty advice to just… bullet journal? So she just gave her another thing to stress her out about doing. Mia eventually realized that this was shitty advice, but not until the girl ended up in the hospital from falling asleep at the wheel. This felt out of character to me, because all of Mia’s other advice was very wise. There was absolutely no thought process behind the bullet journal thing (she literally just sent her links to buy bullet journal stuff like wtf girl, are you making money from ads now or something) and to me it didn’t track the way Mia normally thinks, which made it seem it was just added for unnecessary drama.
Mia finally realizing that her only two friends she spends time with outside of school/drama/group drama activities are incredibly shitty, self-centered “friends” was something I think a lot of kids will find relatable. Friendships are often formed just based on proximity and happenstance and then maintained simply due to history. The conversations Mia has with Addie and Sadie about this are really well done and show the nuance to the situation. I honestly doubt they will all stay friends, but I think Mia is going to feel better if they do have a falling out later down the road because she’ll know that she had the difficult convos with them and stood up for herself and told them she needs them to be better friends. When Talley was like do the album notes for me tonight, okay? I wanted to FIGHT that boy! Like how dare you treat Mia like your unpaid intern you absolutely piece of trash! Not our sweet Mia!
Lastly- the romance. I adored this couple. Their banter is everything and their honest and open communication is beautiful and such a positive example. My only complaint is I would have liked to see the romance slowed down more because it was very fast from first meeting to date to becoming gfs. Basically I would just want more Mia and Sadie content. Sadie is the only character who never really seems to mess up or say or do anything wrong. She could’ve been made a little more realistic, but also she wasn’t as huge of a part of the story as a love interest typically is in a book like this, so I’m willing to say that maybe she wasn’t perfect but that she just wasn’t included enough to need to show her flaws? Idk.
The plot didn’t seem like the most interesting thing to me from reading the blurb, but I decided to read it anyway because how can I not read a sapphic YA romcom with a stage manager protagonist! That was checking too many of my boxes to pass up. It was executed pretty well I think, although honestly maybe it just felt like that cause I was so obsessed with the voice and humor and characters that it was just a very breezy read. I’m not sure but I did end up enjoying it either way. One thing that bugged me about the plot was when she gave that burnt out girl who did sports and theater and would fall asleep during rehearsal the shitty advice to just… bullet journal? So she just gave her another thing to stress her out about doing. Mia eventually realized that this was shitty advice, but not until the girl ended up in the hospital from falling asleep at the wheel. This felt out of character to me, because all of Mia’s other advice was very wise. There was absolutely no thought process behind the bullet journal thing (she literally just sent her links to buy bullet journal stuff like wtf girl, are you making money from ads now or something) and to me it didn’t track the way Mia normally thinks, which made it seem it was just added for unnecessary drama.
Mia finally realizing that her only two friends she spends time with outside of school/drama/group drama activities are incredibly shitty, self-centered “friends” was something I think a lot of kids will find relatable. Friendships are often formed just based on proximity and happenstance and then maintained simply due to history. The conversations Mia has with Addie and Sadie about this are really well done and show the nuance to the situation. I honestly doubt they will all stay friends, but I think Mia is going to feel better if they do have a falling out later down the road because she’ll know that she had the difficult convos with them and stood up for herself and told them she needs them to be better friends. When Talley was like do the album notes for me tonight, okay? I wanted to FIGHT that boy! Like how dare you treat Mia like your unpaid intern you absolutely piece of trash! Not our sweet Mia!
Lastly- the romance. I adored this couple. Their banter is everything and their honest and open communication is beautiful and such a positive example. My only complaint is I would have liked to see the romance slowed down more because it was very fast from first meeting to date to becoming gfs. Basically I would just want more Mia and Sadie content. Sadie is the only character who never really seems to mess up or say or do anything wrong. She could’ve been made a little more realistic, but also she wasn’t as huge of a part of the story as a love interest typically is in a book like this, so I’m willing to say that maybe she wasn’t perfect but that she just wasn’t included enough to need to show her flaws? Idk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2025
warning this will probably have light spoilers. This book was cute - If there is a book that involves emails/letters/advice columns, or anything like that, I will read it basically every time. So I saw the synopsis and immediately went in to this book not knowing much else. It wasn't exactly what I expected (the advice account was basically an anonymous tiktok page), but I enjoyed it. There were times that were a little tense/angsty, and a fair share of drama, but nothing was super high stakes in the end. The main character Mia has had 2 best friends throughout her school years. Now in senior year, these friends are dating each other, and they are all over each other, all the time. Mia ends up in this weird position, where they are still a friendship trio, but she is sort of on the outside, because her friends that are dating spend so much time together. Mia meets and begins dating a new kid at school, Sadie. All of this is happening while the school play preparation is in full swing (Mia is stage manager!), and did I mention the advice account is a COMPLETE secret??
Overall, I would say that this book was about the main character (Mia) learning that she deserves friends who actually consider and care about her perspective, respect her, and root for *her* and what she wants, not whoever they think she is and whatever they assume she wants. I liked that part of the book a lot. While it wasn't the main focus of the book, I also appreciated the way the relationship between Mia and Sadie was written, and how Mia's doubts and confusion around dating and romance were treated with respect by the author and many (but not all) of the other characters. I think the book did a good job showing that asexual people can have all sorts of different types of relationships. There are not that many ya books with ace characters, and I do think this adds something important to that category. Nobody is perfect, and every character made mistakes and had moments when they realized they could have handled things differently, and for the most part tried to make amends. It made me reflect on friendships/relationships I have, and have had, much more than I anticipated. 3.75
Overall, I would say that this book was about the main character (Mia) learning that she deserves friends who actually consider and care about her perspective, respect her, and root for *her* and what she wants, not whoever they think she is and whatever they assume she wants. I liked that part of the book a lot. While it wasn't the main focus of the book, I also appreciated the way the relationship between Mia and Sadie was written, and how Mia's doubts and confusion around dating and romance were treated with respect by the author and many (but not all) of the other characters. I think the book did a good job showing that asexual people can have all sorts of different types of relationships. There are not that many ya books with ace characters, and I do think this adds something important to that category. Nobody is perfect, and every character made mistakes and had moments when they realized they could have handled things differently, and for the most part tried to make amends. It made me reflect on friendships/relationships I have, and have had, much more than I anticipated. 3.75
November 27, 2024
(3.5 Stars) Mia is a senior in high school, she is out about being Ace, and is a theater kid. She loves helping people which makes her a good stage manager. But when she notices people don’t actually follow her advice or suggestions she decides to take action. With the help of her IT talented cousin, she creates an anonymous online account to give advice. And although she and the people she interacts with disguise themselves with filters. She often recognizes who at her school she is giving advice to.
She also welcomes new to their school, Sadie, a musical prodigy. I love her inadvertently asking her out on a first date without realizing it. There is a lot of fun in the theater references too. When Mia says her face drains “of all color until I look like Satine at the end of Moulin Rouge”, I laughed out loud. Her best friends are Talley and Essie but they don’t always treat her well. The story follows them through most of senior year and as they make plans for their futures.
I was a little mixed on the story and it slowed in the middle instead of building momentum to the conclusion. There are some time jumps as they progress through the year that left me wondering. It is a big leap from a first date to being girlfriends for two months. And I wish Mia explained where she was on the Ace spectrum. I appreciate the representation and Sadie’s easy acceptance, but I would have liked to understand her better. I thought Mia’s friends' treatment of her is something many people can relate to and I liked that she got to call them out on their behaviors.
I was entertained by the story and enjoyed the characters. And it is written for eighth grade and up. I would like to see what the author writes next. Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books for the digital copy and I am leaving an honest review.
She also welcomes new to their school, Sadie, a musical prodigy. I love her inadvertently asking her out on a first date without realizing it. There is a lot of fun in the theater references too. When Mia says her face drains “of all color until I look like Satine at the end of Moulin Rouge”, I laughed out loud. Her best friends are Talley and Essie but they don’t always treat her well. The story follows them through most of senior year and as they make plans for their futures.
I was a little mixed on the story and it slowed in the middle instead of building momentum to the conclusion. There are some time jumps as they progress through the year that left me wondering. It is a big leap from a first date to being girlfriends for two months. And I wish Mia explained where she was on the Ace spectrum. I appreciate the representation and Sadie’s easy acceptance, but I would have liked to understand her better. I thought Mia’s friends' treatment of her is something many people can relate to and I liked that she got to call them out on their behaviors.
I was entertained by the story and enjoyed the characters. And it is written for eighth grade and up. I would like to see what the author writes next. Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books for the digital copy and I am leaving an honest review.
February 4, 2025
"I had always thought being understanding was just something good I had within me. Like compassion or a vast knowledge of the cutest types of frogs-a combination of traits and things I'd cultivated that I was lucky to have. But it's seemingly increasingly possible the understanding is less a virtue and more a coping mechanism to deal with two people who I've had to extend more understanding toward than I probably should have."
Though it took me a minute to mesh with the narrator's voice, I really enjoyed this one. The main character experiences personal growth by the end and the lessons about speaking up for oneself in friendships that may not be so kind and about letting go of the tendency to control everything were very meaningful and relatable to me.
Great ace rep as well - not heavy-handed or clumsy, but a natural part of the story. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on being ace as a trade-off like any other that allo people are able to make when choosing relationships.
November 28, 2024
3.5 rounded up for the positive ace rep.
The way the relationship started with Mia and Sadie was so bizarre I didn’t feel it was genuine. And the fact that her friends were so quick to judge Sadie when not even knowing her. And then they thought they knew a huge secret and decided to keep it from Mia when it was that awful? Like what? Her friends were just awful. Thankfully she was able to tell them that. I would have dropped them but this was a good lesson in forgiveness and growth for all parties involved. It was just a tiny bit annoying how every character had to be a bit quirky. The ace rep was very well done and I liked how Mia was portrayed and how accepting Sadie was without a second thought. They were cute, even if it was really random. Books like these always remind me I had nothing going on in highschool. Going home was my highlight. These kids are winning. This story had some hits and misses but it was enjoyable.
The way the relationship started with Mia and Sadie was so bizarre I didn’t feel it was genuine. And the fact that her friends were so quick to judge Sadie when not even knowing her. And then they thought they knew a huge secret and decided to keep it from Mia when it was that awful? Like what? Her friends were just awful. Thankfully she was able to tell them that. I would have dropped them but this was a good lesson in forgiveness and growth for all parties involved. It was just a tiny bit annoying how every character had to be a bit quirky. The ace rep was very well done and I liked how Mia was portrayed and how accepting Sadie was without a second thought. They were cute, even if it was really random. Books like these always remind me I had nothing going on in highschool. Going home was my highlight. These kids are winning. This story had some hits and misses but it was enjoyable.
January 10, 2025
This was a breath of fresh air and I’m so happy I read it.
Love that the book didn’t fully revolve around her relationship with Sadie ( even tho I did love those moments between them and how they actually communicated rather than letting things fester and how they were there for each other.) but it focused on Mia dealing with the problem of being ignored/ used by the people around her and how she’ll deal with that. It was honestly the perfect balance in my opinion.
I totally forgot the main reason i picked up this book was because of the ace rep ( I wanted to read more ace/demisexual representation). While I can’t speak on the accuracy, I did appreciate learning more and getting a better understanding on the community.
Anyways my eyes was low key misting towards the end, I’m going to miss these characters. I would say it almost makes me miss when I was that age but I’ll be lying.
Love that the book didn’t fully revolve around her relationship with Sadie ( even tho I did love those moments between them and how they actually communicated rather than letting things fester and how they were there for each other.) but it focused on Mia dealing with the problem of being ignored/ used by the people around her and how she’ll deal with that. It was honestly the perfect balance in my opinion.
I totally forgot the main reason i picked up this book was because of the ace rep ( I wanted to read more ace/demisexual representation). While I can’t speak on the accuracy, I did appreciate learning more and getting a better understanding on the community.
Anyways my eyes was low key misting towards the end, I’m going to miss these characters. I would say it almost makes me miss when I was that age but I’ll be lying.
December 26, 2024
I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I want to love it because I really related to Mia. My friendships in high school were not great, and I always felt like a filler friend or a third wheel. I was the disposable friend, and I knew it.
However, I knew exactly where this book was going from the get-go, so it really didn't offer me much? It was fine, I liked it fine, I liked that it was more about platonic relationships/friendships than romantic, but also there are books that capture those hard friendship feelings so so well that this one just falls a little flat for me. I think this book will be someone out there's all time favorite read that they reread every year for the feelings, but it's not going to be mine.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I want to love it because I really related to Mia. My friendships in high school were not great, and I always felt like a filler friend or a third wheel. I was the disposable friend, and I knew it.
However, I knew exactly where this book was going from the get-go, so it really didn't offer me much? It was fine, I liked it fine, I liked that it was more about platonic relationships/friendships than romantic, but also there are books that capture those hard friendship feelings so so well that this one just falls a little flat for me. I think this book will be someone out there's all time favorite read that they reread every year for the feelings, but it's not going to be mine.
January 1, 2025
I don't think I read the book synopsis correctly because the actual story is quite different from what I was expecting. The meet-cute is pretty unique and wildly romantic. I love both of the main characters (Nick and Swanee). Yes, it could be somewhat predictable them getting together but if you don't want them to get together, you probably shouldn't read romance. I needed something light during the holidays but certainly entertaining enough to keep my interest. The romance is sweet and feels authentic. I liked this book and I'm leaving 2024 on a very pleasant feeling because of this book. I'm holed up in bed due to surgery so this book has really brightened the last few days for me. I will have took out for more books from this author.
July 13, 2024
This was a fun read. I appreciated Mia’s frustration with her friends for not heeding her advice, and enjoyed her solution, in the form of an anonymous social media account. Mia started out with good intentions, but it seemed as though, inevitably, her self-interests supplanted her altruism. I also read it with the cautionary idea that you aren’t necessarily as anonymous as you think you are online; Mia pretty much recognized every one of her friends who DM’d HereToHelp, in spite of the filters they used to mask their identities. I especially recommend this book for readers who enjoyed Love Letters for Joy by Melissa See and Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao.
June 3, 2024
absolutely adored this one, I’m a lot more picky with ace books since I AM ace and it’s a lot more personal to me, and this one ticked all the boxes for me. It really felt like a wish-fulfilment kind of book and that’s totally okay, it wasn’t 100% easy and conflict-free, but it was cozy and even while the main character had her angst, it worked out in the end and it was just such a sweet warm hug of a book.
November 10, 2024
I love a messy YA coming of age drama that explores friendship, new relationships and features a main character on the ACE spectrum. This was even more fun set in the world of a high school theater production of A Christmas Carol with a secret online advice account run by the protagonist. Good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Claire Kahn and Melissa See. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
November 28, 2024
Mia feels taken for granted - by her long time friends Essie and Talley, who are dating each other, and by the high school theater community. When Mia starts to date new student Sadie, she’s able to explore her Ace identity more thoroughly and start an anonymous online advice app where she’s finally able to see some results from her good advice. Often light-hearted and often laugh-out-loud funny, Mia’s story is a truly unique rom-com. EARC from Edelweiss.
January 10, 2025
2.5
The writer seems to confuse being ace with being socially incompetent. Simply because one doesn't feel sexual attraction, doesn't mean you have zero concept of what dating is, what asking someone out to gether alone would sound like (aka a date) and, despite the fact the character is apparently ace (hmmm) she's doling out endless relationship advice but doesn't even know how to hold hands with somoene? at eighteen?? c'mon now.
The writer seems to confuse being ace with being socially incompetent. Simply because one doesn't feel sexual attraction, doesn't mean you have zero concept of what dating is, what asking someone out to gether alone would sound like (aka a date) and, despite the fact the character is apparently ace (hmmm) she's doling out endless relationship advice but doesn't even know how to hold hands with somoene? at eighteen?? c'mon now.
May 29, 2025
I ended up liking this a lot more than Dear Wendy, a book with a very similar premise. It’s a short, sweet, and low-stress novel great for anyone in search of a cute comfort read. Even so, the banter was too much for me. There were times it was charming and fun and other times it felt excessive, like it was there to pad out the novel.
I will say the romance was very cute and I LOVE ace and sapphic rep! I really wish I enjoyed it more than I did. 3.5/5
I will say the romance was very cute and I LOVE ace and sapphic rep! I really wish I enjoyed it more than I did. 3.5/5
July 28, 2024
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Definitely a YA book, even though I knew this author from her picture book, I Have Seven Dogs.
I really with there were more YA books that didn't have language or situations in them that I am uncomfortable handing to middle school students. Fine for high school, but I'll have to pass for middle school.
Definitely a YA book, even though I knew this author from her picture book, I Have Seven Dogs.
I really with there were more YA books that didn't have language or situations in them that I am uncomfortable handing to middle school students. Fine for high school, but I'll have to pass for middle school.
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