Call it what you want: Für mich ist es Liebe

by Alissa DeRogatis, Larissa Bendl (translator)

Es ist wunderschön, es tut verdammt weh, es ist Call it what you want – für mich ist es Liebe.

Es ist ihr letztes Jahr am College – und Sloane will jede Minute davon genießen. Jede Menge Partys, billige Drinks und mit ihrer Mitbewohnerin zu The Chainsmokers singen, als ob die Nacht kein Ende hätte. Ihr Abschluss ist zum Greifen nah und sie träumt von New York und einer Karriere als Autorin. Das Letzte, was sie braucht, ist ein Mann, der ihren Zielen im Weg steht. Dann trifft sie Ethan. Er ist groß, attraktiv und irgendwie geheimnisvoll. Die Anziehungskraft zwischen den beiden bringt ihre Welt zum Stillstand. Doch er kann und will ihr nichts versprechen. Zu groß ist seine Angst, sich zu öffnen. Sloane verliebt sich hoffnungslos, und mit jedem unbeantworteten Anruf und jedem unerwiderten Blick bricht ihr Herz noch ein bisschen mehr. Wird Ethan jemals bereit sein, sie aufzufangen?



Eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt, herzzerreißend und healing, darüber wie wichtig es ist, seinen eigenen Wert zu kennen und sich mit nicht weniger zufrieden zu geben, als man verdient.

Der TikTok-Hit für alle Leser*innen von Laura Nowlin und Colleen Hoover und perfekt für dich, wenn du

-jeden Song von Taylor Swift feierst

-für Liebesgeschichten, die deine Welt ins Wanken bringen, lebst

-schon mal an jemanden geraten bist, der dich nicht so lieben konnte, wie du ihn geliebt hast …



Das sagen die Leser* »Du weißt sofort, dass du Sloanes Geschichte kennst. Von deiner Freundin, deiner Schwester oder von dir selbst. Ihre Geschichte ist nicht einzigartig, aber genau das macht dieses Buch so einzigartig. Deshalb ist dieses Buch ein Muss für jede, die schon mal gedacht Für mich wird er sich ändern.«

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Love, Contemporary Romance, Book Club, Chick Lit

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2023

About the author

Alissa DeRogatis is an author based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Call It What You Want is her debut novel and is a love letter to anyone who has had a hard time getting over someone they never dated.

Follow along with her on socials:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alissaderog...

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@alissaderogat...

Reviews

[Toni Sora · Rating 3 out of 5]

(ngl i enjoyed but…) is this fucking play about us??? like bffr sloane.

[Kelsey Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I genuinely do not have the energy to share all the problems I have with this book. But the most important topics: the author should have used an editor. So many mistakes, wrong words, bad sentence structure…forgetting where we are in the story…just so embarrassing!! The other thing is that these characters are the worst and they legitimately make no sense. This could have been such a good book based on the summary, but baby doll the execution did not happen. It felt like a high schooler wrote this. Big yikes. OH ALSO-a part of this story takes place in New York City. I live in NYC and there were so many things logistically wrong about how these peoples lives were written and obvious the author has never a) lived in nyc herself (which is fine) and b) literally did no research about the lifestyle here or terminology. Again…yikes.

[Maisie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was reeeeeal bad. Where was the plot??? Where was the back story??? Where were the actual conversations between Ethan and Sloane?? They had the least amount of chemistry as any two main characters I’ve ever seen. This was just 250 pages of some of the whiniest and most repetitive writing I’ve ever read.

[Maddie Sampson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t always trust what you see on TikTok

[sejal · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was supposed to give but did not give what was supposed to be gave

[Haley Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately, croutons have more personality than these 2 characters
and the taylor swift references were never gonna be enough to get me to root for sloane, a girl that instantly fell for a boring ass frat boy but spent 2 years avoiding having an adult conversation about it …😭😭😭😭
ill be the first to admit that miscommunication trope is a hard one to nail but this did not cut it

[lila ୧ · Rating 1 out of 5]

→1✰

──✶ ˙ ̟ note. this book has been edited since i read it (my copy was an arc) so some of these quotes may not be accurate!

lets get right to it why dont we?

"did you sleep with him?"..."but to answer your question, yes, i did. eight times."
╰ and how many STD's do you have? hm?

"that new chainsmokers song!" jordan pleaded. "i'm obsessed!" "'closer'! yes!" lauren reiterated. "from your roomate back in boulder, we ain't never getting older!"
╰ shush! be quiet! im getting flashbacks

i hated sleeping with clothes on.
╰ ew ew ew ick ick ick get away from me u weirdo

his reply was dismissive. "it was nothing, sloane."
╰ ERRRRR red flag. don't trust a man who waves off ur questions like they're not valid

"seriously?" he rolled his eyes. "why do you always have to make everything into a bigger deal than it is?"
╰ wow! another red flag! dont walk run

i would do anything for him to give me just the slightest bit of attention
╰ babes he should be giving u all the attention

"things between us escalated so fast and became something i can't do. i should have never let it get this far. i think we should stop seeing each other."
╰ the fact that when he said this it had been months of them hooking up and they hadn't even dated yet

"jamie, you're with me." i blurted out, trying to channel some sort of alpha vibe. girls loved a guy who took control.
╰ you are not an alpha special guy!

"we probably need a res. it's a friday."
╰ stop abbreviating reservation when you're having a real life face-to-face conversation thanks <3

"happy thanksgiving, turkey. can't wait to get home and gobble you up 😉"
╰ kill me

"i can't do this anymore, sloane. i think this needs to end."
╰ i'm not over exaggerating when i tell you this is the third time this has happened

both have been reminders of how beautiful, sometimes sad but mostly beautiful, life is.
╰ can we get an editor?

the end
[thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!]

p.s. everything i have stated is my opinion. this review is not meant to be offensive. happy reading! <3
.𖥔 ݁ ˖
pre read
i desperately need to get my netgalley feedback ratio up so here we are! i've heard absolutely nothing abt this book so im going in blind

[dee ౨ৎ [ia] · Rating 1 out of 5]

2 stars ☆
⊱ contemporary romance
— minor spoilers in this review
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

i was so disappointed by this book. based on what i heard about it i was expecting it to be an amazing read.

: ̗̀➛ i. the plot

⟡ the idea was great but it all comes down to execution. the plot was so repetitive, it felt like i was re-reading the same thing all over again. i understand what message was trying to be sent, but we were just going around in circles. there wasn’t any backstory either so i was honestly just getting frustrated. it just feels like a bunch of been there, done that.

: ̗̀➛ ii. the characters
⤿ there wasn’t any development with our main characters which is so upsetting because after reading the same thing for 250 pages who’d be expecting something.

⟢ sloane i can’t even defend her. it happened 3 times. 3 times and she never learned! i get it, she persuaded herself into thinking that ethan was this perfect version she made in her head but i don’t think you can use that as an excuse for everything she did. she was contradicting herself so much and just acting like an oxymoron.

⟢ ethan i hate him. i’m sorry but no. if you know that you have problems and you can’t commit to a relationship then good for you atleast your self aware, but you can’t keep hurting people the way he did.

: ̗̀➛ iii. would i recommend

honestly i could recommend to someone who’s been in a situation like this and can relate to it more than me. there were some good parts about this book, it just was definitely not for me.

note: don’t let this review change your opinion on this book <33

→ quotes

“your dreams and ambitions aren’t ridiculous. they’re what make you you.”

“it’s easy to remember the good moments when they’re all we want to see.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

pre-read 🎀 ⊹ ࣪ ˖ this is already published but it’s on netgalley, i heard one good thing about this book and requested it 😭 pls don’t disappoint 🤞

[j.michalskax · Rating 2 out of 5]

somewhere in the haze got a sense I've been betrayed 👀

sadly, this was quite a disappointing read. the prologue got me so excited, I genuinely cried after reading it. I was hoping for a punch in the gut, for an angsty bomb and I got none of it.

I totally get the idea of this whole situationship between Ethan and Sloane, this one sided love and creating a perfect version of someone in your head. I get that there are many people in relationships like this one and I'm glad it was covered, BUT! for me it was lacking any chemistry. there was no proper backstory (although the majority of the book focuses on the past), no solid base for them, or mostly for Sloane to fall for him so badly. they just...happened. I felt no attachment to their story.

I feel like this book wouldn't be so disappointing if it weren't for the writing. it was so dull, so easy, so flat. the author focused mainly on events and dialogues and completely forgot about deeper thoughts and inner monologues. how am I supposed to feel any emotions when there are no emotions to even read about? it felt like reading a diary or report or something – she said this, he did that, the end.

[cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

this took a turn and I'm very very pleased with how it ended, even though the road to get there was bumpy and concerning (and frustrating at times, I'll admit).

ladies. don't lose yourselves for anyone, especially for some guy. he really is just some guy. hit him with your car.

thank you so much to netgalley for this copy!

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5

no plot, no character depth, no dialogue, no chemistry.

nothing.

[DG. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can very easily put into words why this book was a whirlwind of emotions. From heartbreak, to anger, to confusion. I felt it all. At one point, I said this was going to be a 2 star read. I ugly cried.. “This is a love letter to all girls who have had a hard time getting over someone they never dated”

“It’s one of those stories where the person who is in pain gets up, brushes themselves off and realizes their worth”

Bravo on a phenomenal debut book. As angry I was on how this all played out, you made me realize Sloane and I had much more in common than I wanted to admit. Losing someone that was never truly yours hurts just as much as losing someone that was. It’s a wake-up call on what love should be and shouldnt be. Never settle for less.

[manzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have NEVER hated two main characters or a “plot” line more. No one is as insufferable as Sloane. She’s a terrible friend, a terrible person and an absolute idiot. She’s a reflection of the type of people in real life that I hate. No.

[Miranda Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in less than eight hours, I couldn’t put it down! Yay for slow work days!
I wish my nineteen year old self could read this. Brought me back to a time I think a lot of people can relate to.
Congrats on a beautiful debut, Alissa!!

[nala&#x1f47c; · Rating 2 out of 5]

before i give my constructive criticism, i want to recognize the good things. i liked that the author always recognized the toxic parts of sloane and ethan’s relationship and never sugarcoated it. i also liked that the book was an easy read and a good palate cleanser - especially after a thriller. i also loved loved loved lauren i thought she was such a good friend with so many good qualities.

then the things i didn’t like are a lot longer than what i did like. the way the author wrote lacked a massive amount of imagery. i didn’t know what half the characters looked like or what the places looked like. all of the restaurants they went to, ethan’s apartment, 0 idea so i had to make it all up. along with that there was very little dialogue and it felt like reading a blog or a diary instead of a book.
then there’s the perspectives. the author would switch perspectives everytime something big happened and instead of picking up where she left off, she would reenact the entire scene but from the other characters perspective every single time. i don’t want to reread the entire scene all over again especially when you describe it the exact same way the second time.
then there’s the drinking. i understand that they are college kids and i’m not so i don’t understand but it’s not okay to normalize the amount of drinking they did. every chapter they drank at least 4-5 drinks everywhere they went. every-time she came home it was three glasses of wine. every-time she went out, it was 5 drinks and 3 shots. it was just a lot of unnecessary drinking. the only time she wasn’t drinking was at school or work and no one thought it was a problem. the book was normalizing the excessive drinking and it wasn’t okay.

despite these things, i see a lot of potential in the authors writing and i think that with future books, she could get better and have more in depth and mature books.

thank you for reading and good luck to the author with future books! 🩷🩷

[Isabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

the only thing that kept me going was taylor swift

[Addison Briann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started so strong and did have a couple great quotes and insights HOWEVER no. Just no.

[Annika Morrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

if i could give this 0 stars i would. absolutely nothing was given to make me understand why she even liked the guy. there was no dialogue between the two and every interaction was boring. the writing was bad at best and i feel like this is the most overhyped book on tiktok i have ever seen. it's only like 200 pages and it took me 2 weeks because it was so painful to get through.

[Patricia Cooper · Rating 1 out of 5]

delulu

This book had so much promise but was so unbelievably poorly written that it completely negated the entire story line. There were so many continuity errors that it actually made it difficult to read. Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors were blatant throughout the entire book. Sloane’s delusions about Ethan’s intentions and feelings towards her were only heightened by the choppiness of writing and lack of transition between scenes. So disappointing!!

[Elizabeth Schorr · Rating 1 out of 5]

My god. Two slices of bread have more chemistry than these people. I am so confused how they were in love when we literally saw 0% of their romantic connection. The writing was so all over the place with spelling errors and jumping in time so quickly I was like what the heck. Also, Sloane has a drinking problem.

[Surajat Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ call it what you want, but to me it was love

Sloane honey, no it wasn’t❤️

Conflicted about this one, because I’m leaning heavy towards victim blaming the FMC, and I don’t like myself for that..

——————————————-

a situationship, a heartbreak, a mistake

ready to be broken (positive)

[Xiclalic · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is honestly a one star but the ending saved it.

This book sucked ass!!! Legit so many plot holes! Sloane constantly going back to Ethan when he clearly tells her that he doesn’t want a relationship and then getting upset when he in fact does not want a relationship. Don’t get me wrong tho Ethan is an actual douche! fuck him fr!!!

Sloane’s friendships didn’t feel real. There was no actually connection or chemistry! And why were they always drink like the only time they spent time together they had to be drinking! These friends also gave awful advice/ comfort. Also that one time they were shitting on Graham for no reason like first she’s saying he’s one of her good friends then she saying fuck him like wth!!! And then she calls him up like she didn’t just called him a shitty friend🙄 honestly Graham was the only tolerable character

Okay now moving a way for the actual plot, the writing sucked. Nothing flowed and everything felt very rushed. There were sudden setting changes, time jumps, people turning away mid convo, hanging up the phone out of no where. It was honestly annoying! The entire book was all choppy!!

This book got an extra star because it wasn’t a happy ending like Ethan and Sloane didn’t end up together. They were so toxic for each other and honestly it just wasn’t gonna work. But why did she keep getting dudes like I think ms. girl needs to be single for a while she is always jumping into relationship like girl take a mf break!!

Anyways that’s all I have to say sorry not sorry🤷🏽‍♀️

[Kaeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was the biggest eye opener for me. i actually am sitting in my bed rn thinking about the past few months and how much i relate to this book. i feel empty after finishing it but in a good way. here’s my favorite quote from the book:

“i don’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking ‘is this my great love story?’ because i want more. i deserve more. i dont want calls that go unanswered or texts that are never read. i dont want to spend holidays, or any day, begging someone to choose me. i deserve someone who chooses me without question. someone who loves me without doubt. i want someone who shows up and i realize that my relationship with ethan isn’t any of those things. it likely never will be. maybe this really is the end.”

[Kendall Watson]

DNF almost half way through. i just don’t need to read the manuscript of the worst relationship i’ve ever been in and hated myself during. i read the last page just to see if it would be worth it and ✨it’s not✨

[Sarah Liz ⋆˙⟡♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. Another book that has been overhyped from TikTok. I understand most of us girlies have been in situationships but....

I don't understand the moment of her falling in love with him. there was no emotional or spiritual connection. what did they have in common? Ethan was a coward and was not able to communicate well. grow up. Love is not supposed to be hard. She deserved so much better than him. Although this book annoyed and frustrated me, at least she learned her lesson in the end, or so we hope lol.

[North Hansen · Rating 1 out of 5]

A 2-year long "situationship" for a man who was in PIKE is romantic?! Two of the most insufferable people ever, Sloane somehow getting this high level editorial job in New York? How. This girl needed to stand TF up. She also had a drinking problem and cheated on her boyfriend...and I'm supposed to sympathize with her about this. Ethan was even worse. Could not string a sentence together. I would say he had the personality of a wet blanket, but I think that would be too generous. To top it all off, it is an adult romance that reads like a middle schooler wrote it. Not even a couple of random, awkward Taylor Swift lyrics being thrown in could save this.

[Ali Wine · Rating 2 out of 5]

if “big is moving to paris” was a novel

[Sahar Jennah · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah… I needed to hear this

[julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ˖⁺‧✮

”sometimes loving him feels I’m lingering in the doorway of his bedroom, waiting for him to let me in. will he ever let me in?”

characters
Sloane || he broke her heart three times, and each time she was willing to give him another try. i guess her love was bigger than all his faults and bad decisions. she was ready to do anything for him; to prove that she was enough; that he was enough. therapy is her only way to get away from him and not getting into these traps in the future.

”the moment was my undoing. Ethan Brady had me and he knew it. as much as I did want to admit it, he was holding my bare heart in his hands. i was so afraid of what he might do to it, but i also couldn’t wait to find out”

”the girl would‘be loved you through anything.”
“i’d do almost anything to please him. i wanted to make him realize that i was more than enough.”


Ethan || just no. i have no feeling toward this guy. his actions, his words were not proven, not for me not for sloane. why was he torturing her and himself? sure, trauma had an impact on him, but still 5 years…. i really wished he would’ve told her the truth. i really wished he would have left sloane alone, or would go to the therapy!!!!!!

“ ihate them for leaving him, but i hate them even more for making him feel like he isn’t deserving of being loved.”

Lauren ||personally, i liked her. she was a great friend and she did warned sloane about ethan. i really hope author will write a book for her story.

“he’s your first love, so you’re never going to forget him, not really anyway. a part of you will always love him, but not in the way you used to. in the way that you love an old friend you no longer talk to. in the way that you love a restaurant that you can’t return to because it closed - it’s an empty kind of love. you’re happy to have experienced it, and maybe you’re sad from time to time that it’s over, but you know it wasn’t meant to last forever. “

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

would i recommend?
yes and no. if you don’t have anything to read, sure, try “Call it what you want”. if you ever have been in similar situation, yes, i believe you’ll be able to connect to charterers more than i did. if you want to know how it feels to be in situationship, maybe this book is a great option. in other categories, i would say no :)

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

other quotes:

”we were lying in the same bed, but it felt like we were hundreds of miles apart.”

“i look at my hand and i notice there’s a large piece of glass wedged into my palm. why can’t i feel it?”

“an open letter to the guy who didn’t want to date me.”

[vie ཐི ♱ ཋྀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i picked up this book thinking it'll have the angst that could potentially send me to the psych ward, instead it fueled my anger issues and now i want to bash my head against the wall repeatedly because every single fucking person in this is infuriating