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Off the Record
What would you sacrifice to expose the truth?
From Camryn Garrett, whose debut Full Disclosure was called "honest, eye-opening and heartful" by Angie Thomas, comes a ripped-from-the-headlines story of a teen journalist who stumbles across the #metoo story of the decade and has to weigh the risks against the need to fight for justice.
When seventeen-year-old Josie Wright wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she's equal parts excited and scared. Soon she is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet.
Josie's world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn't know whether she's flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, and then the secrets keep coming, she realizes she's in over her head. She wants to do the right thing, but is this her story to tell? What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead . . . but if Josie doesn't step up, who will?
This is a moving testament to the #MeToo movement, and all the ways women stand up for each other.
"Brave, necessary, and unflinchingly real, Off the Record is an instant classic." --Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends
From Camryn Garrett, whose debut Full Disclosure was called "honest, eye-opening and heartful" by Angie Thomas, comes a ripped-from-the-headlines story of a teen journalist who stumbles across the #metoo story of the decade and has to weigh the risks against the need to fight for justice.
When seventeen-year-old Josie Wright wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she's equal parts excited and scared. Soon she is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet.
Josie's world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn't know whether she's flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, and then the secrets keep coming, she realizes she's in over her head. She wants to do the right thing, but is this her story to tell? What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead . . . but if Josie doesn't step up, who will?
This is a moving testament to the #MeToo movement, and all the ways women stand up for each other.
"Brave, necessary, and unflinchingly real, Off the Record is an instant classic." --Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends
311 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2021
80 people are currently reading
9520 people want to read
About the author
Camryn Garrett
8 books862 followersCamryn Garrett was born and raised in New York. In 2019, she was named one of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 and a Glamour College Woman of the Year. Her first novel, Full Disclosure, received rave reviews from outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, the Today Show, and The Guardian, which called a “warm, funny and thoughtfully sex-positive, an impressive debut from a writer still in her teens.” Her second novel, Off the Record received three starred reviews. Her third novel, Friday I’m in Love, was an IndieNext Pick and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. Camryn is also interested in film and recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. You can find her on Twitter @dancingofpens, tweeting from a laptop named Stevie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 507 reviews
May 19, 2021
Oof, I feel pulled in a lot of directions right now, and hope I manage to do an okay job at explaining my thoughts with this one. But I think, not unlike another contemporary I've read this year (likely more than one, actually..) the main issues I had with OFF THE RECORD is that I think it's just trying to do too many things.
While reading this book I had actually forgotten what the main plot point was going to be because I felt like it just took too long to get there. Which naturally made the catch-up, the acceleration of it all, that much more.. frantic. Balancing this whirlwind adventure after having won a write-in contest to interview an upcoming actor, catching feels, making friends, battling anxiety, body issues, slowly realizing said friends had experienced something terrible, being convinced to write about it in addition to the profile on the actor, have a romance, bond with a sister.. there are a lot of spinning plates.
In addition to all that, there's also some good discourse over separating art from artists, which is something I know we all struggle with; more and more each day.
I don't necessarily think anything beyond the romance really suffered for being rushed (Marius was such a soft lovely human but to be honest I wasn't really convinced by the connection) but there's also the suspension of disbelief over how quickly all the pieces fell into place for the big climax.
Sadly I also don't think I liked any of the characters. No one was awful beyond the villain of the piece (though the main sister dynamic was tough for the majority of the story) but I was reading for the story, even oddly paced as it was, more than the characters. I'm not sure why I didn't like anyone; not even Marcus, despite his soft loveliness -- but I definitely felt for them. Josie's anxiety overwhelming her, the mixed feelings about her weight and acceptance of her body, I could connect so well to both. But there was just.. something. I can't put my finger on it.
The subject matter of this story is very relevant and important -- and, of course, trigger warnings surround the whole issue so please be conscious of that -- and despite my mixed overall feelings I definitely recommend people still pick this up.
Also, as always, you should take my review and my rating with a grain of salt. Though none of my criticisms touch on anything non-plot specific, please prioritize #ownvoice reviews over my own.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
While reading this book I had actually forgotten what the main plot point was going to be because I felt like it just took too long to get there. Which naturally made the catch-up, the acceleration of it all, that much more.. frantic. Balancing this whirlwind adventure after having won a write-in contest to interview an upcoming actor, catching feels, making friends, battling anxiety, body issues, slowly realizing said friends had experienced something terrible, being convinced to write about it in addition to the profile on the actor, have a romance, bond with a sister.. there are a lot of spinning plates.
In addition to all that, there's also some good discourse over separating art from artists, which is something I know we all struggle with; more and more each day.
I don't necessarily think anything beyond the romance really suffered for being rushed (Marius was such a soft lovely human but to be honest I wasn't really convinced by the connection) but there's also the suspension of disbelief over how quickly all the pieces fell into place for the big climax.
Sadly I also don't think I liked any of the characters. No one was awful beyond the villain of the piece (though the main sister dynamic was tough for the majority of the story) but I was reading for the story, even oddly paced as it was, more than the characters. I'm not sure why I didn't like anyone; not even Marcus, despite his soft loveliness -- but I definitely felt for them. Josie's anxiety overwhelming her, the mixed feelings about her weight and acceptance of her body, I could connect so well to both. But there was just.. something. I can't put my finger on it.
The subject matter of this story is very relevant and important -- and, of course, trigger warnings surround the whole issue so please be conscious of that -- and despite my mixed overall feelings I definitely recommend people still pick this up.
Also, as always, you should take my review and my rating with a grain of salt. Though none of my criticisms touch on anything non-plot specific, please prioritize #ownvoice reviews over my own.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
July 3, 2021
Camryn has done it again: she's written a spectacular and provocative story that just shines with its earnestness, sharpness, and astute teen voice. Off the Record is bloody amazing and will effortlessly be one of my top reads of 2021.
- Follows Josie, a Black bisexual teen journalist who wins a competition and wins the opportunity to write a celebrity profile and follow the cast of an upcoming movie on their tour. But when Josie discovers a terrible secret and more women come forward with a similar story, Josie will have to find her courage and voice to bring justice.
- I am so in love with how Camryn writes teen/younger characters. I love Josie's narrative voice; I loved that she didn't always know the answers, she asks questions, she navigates new territory. There's a vulnerability in Josie, which is what makes her such an engaging narrator.
- And I think a big reason why I loved Josie's voice so much was just how wonderfully the story captures so many parts of her life - her feelings of doubt, her feelings about being Black and fat, her anxiety, her romance - in a way that feels effortless, intrinsic, and natural. That's no easy feat but Camryn pulls it off.
- This book tackles the intersection of power and sexual violence in Hollywood, perfect for readers interested in reading a story that explores everything that came with the #MeToo movement.
- The relationships in this book are wonderful. From the complex yet loving parental relationships, to the nuanced sisterly relationship, to the tentative friendships that Josie forms, and also the romance she has with a budding actor.
- I'm in awe of this book. It's just so brilliant and timely and profound. I just love this book so much.
Content warning: discussions and explicit recount of sexual assault and sexual harrassment, anti-fat microaggressions (challenged), racist microaggressions (challenged)
- Follows Josie, a Black bisexual teen journalist who wins a competition and wins the opportunity to write a celebrity profile and follow the cast of an upcoming movie on their tour. But when Josie discovers a terrible secret and more women come forward with a similar story, Josie will have to find her courage and voice to bring justice.
- I am so in love with how Camryn writes teen/younger characters. I love Josie's narrative voice; I loved that she didn't always know the answers, she asks questions, she navigates new territory. There's a vulnerability in Josie, which is what makes her such an engaging narrator.
- And I think a big reason why I loved Josie's voice so much was just how wonderfully the story captures so many parts of her life - her feelings of doubt, her feelings about being Black and fat, her anxiety, her romance - in a way that feels effortless, intrinsic, and natural. That's no easy feat but Camryn pulls it off.
- This book tackles the intersection of power and sexual violence in Hollywood, perfect for readers interested in reading a story that explores everything that came with the #MeToo movement.
- The relationships in this book are wonderful. From the complex yet loving parental relationships, to the nuanced sisterly relationship, to the tentative friendships that Josie forms, and also the romance she has with a budding actor.
- I'm in awe of this book. It's just so brilliant and timely and profound. I just love this book so much.
Content warning: discussions and explicit recount of sexual assault and sexual harrassment, anti-fat microaggressions (challenged), racist microaggressions (challenged)
May 21, 2021
Off the Record by Camryn Garrett follows Josie Wright who is jetted off on a press tour to interview up-and-coming actor, Marius Canet, after winning a prestigious journalism award. However, on the press tour, a young actress confides in Josie that she was sexually assaulted by a well-known and well-loved director. Josie wants to help take down this director but she quickly feels like she’s in over her head, and will it end her journalism career before she’s even got to start it?
This is an extremely important book for a myriad of reasons. The main character, Josie, is a fat, Black bisexual teen and all of these facets of her as a person are all equally celebrated in the book. We see Josie struggle with the – often well-meaning – fatphobic microaggressions from her friends and family, but we also see her celebrate and love her fatness, which is wonderful to see. She talks about how all of the fad-diets are exactly that – fads – and how easy it is to celebrate being fat online and on social media in general, but when it comes to real life and your faced with other people’s overt fatphobia, it’s a lot more difficult. I think for all the ways that Camryn Garrett discussed the experience of being fat in this book was so needed and it truly resonated with me – it’s definitely up there with some of the best fat representation I’ve ever read! Furthermore, both Josie and the love interest in the book are bisexual, and it’s mentioned on page. We see Josie talk about how cute she finds male, female and nonbinary people, and the love interest gushes about his ex-boyfriend, too. This type of explicit bi representation is so heartening to see, when so many YA contemporaries brush over it by instead saying that the character ‘likes boys/girls’, is gay or queer, or just implies it otherwise.
Aside from these parts of her, we really get to see Josie’s passion and drive for what she does. She is clearly a talented journalist and is proud about that. We also see her ambition of getting into her dream historically Black college that so many members of her family also went to. Speaking of family, there are definitely some complex, and often times complicated, family dynamics in this book, but there is also so much love for family and the role it plays in Josie’s life. We also see her dealing with failings and things not quite going her way but realising that some things don’t work out but it’ everything turns out well at the end, which I know will be truly heartening for so many teens to read.
The relationship at the heart of this book was so, so sweet and healthy and it was truly a joy to read among the tougher topics tackled in the book. As you start reading the book, you get a hint of who Josie is interested in and seeing that flourish and grow was lovely! Josie’s new friendships throughout the book also added to the calmer, sweeter aspects of the book and I still adore seeing strong female friendships in YA contemporary after years of seeing so much girl hate.
As for the main topic tackled in the book, sexual assault and the #metoo movement were handled so well and so sensitively. It’s a topic that has been really prevalent recently and I think that talking about it in a YA contemporary is so important. Two particular discussion points brought up in the book really resonated with me, the first is related to Josie’s own experiences. When she is in middle school she is sexually assaulted by a classmate, but she and other adults write it off as just ‘boys being boys’ and not so serious because of her age. Seeing her come to realise that, actually, that was a big deal and it was sexual assault was really cathartic for me to read, as someone who went through something similar. Another aspect that I found really important to read was the discussion of male sexual assault victims. A lot of the time when this subject is touched upon, it is brought up almost as a ‘gotcha’ when women and nonbinary people are talking about their experiences, but it was the complete opposite in this book. The male character in question is very respectful of these women coming forward and his experience is not treated in a way that feels insensitive, and I really appreciated that.
Overall, this was a really great book that I cannot recommend enough. It does tackle some sensitive topics, so I recommend being aware of the trigger warnings for sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape, as well as being in the right mindset before picking this one up, if you do think that it is for you. It’s such a powerful read that still has its sweet and heart-warming moments, and it’s a real shining star among recent contemporary YA releases.
Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, and TBR and Beyond Tours for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
This is an extremely important book for a myriad of reasons. The main character, Josie, is a fat, Black bisexual teen and all of these facets of her as a person are all equally celebrated in the book. We see Josie struggle with the – often well-meaning – fatphobic microaggressions from her friends and family, but we also see her celebrate and love her fatness, which is wonderful to see. She talks about how all of the fad-diets are exactly that – fads – and how easy it is to celebrate being fat online and on social media in general, but when it comes to real life and your faced with other people’s overt fatphobia, it’s a lot more difficult. I think for all the ways that Camryn Garrett discussed the experience of being fat in this book was so needed and it truly resonated with me – it’s definitely up there with some of the best fat representation I’ve ever read! Furthermore, both Josie and the love interest in the book are bisexual, and it’s mentioned on page. We see Josie talk about how cute she finds male, female and nonbinary people, and the love interest gushes about his ex-boyfriend, too. This type of explicit bi representation is so heartening to see, when so many YA contemporaries brush over it by instead saying that the character ‘likes boys/girls’, is gay or queer, or just implies it otherwise.
Aside from these parts of her, we really get to see Josie’s passion and drive for what she does. She is clearly a talented journalist and is proud about that. We also see her ambition of getting into her dream historically Black college that so many members of her family also went to. Speaking of family, there are definitely some complex, and often times complicated, family dynamics in this book, but there is also so much love for family and the role it plays in Josie’s life. We also see her dealing with failings and things not quite going her way but realising that some things don’t work out but it’ everything turns out well at the end, which I know will be truly heartening for so many teens to read.
The relationship at the heart of this book was so, so sweet and healthy and it was truly a joy to read among the tougher topics tackled in the book. As you start reading the book, you get a hint of who Josie is interested in and seeing that flourish and grow was lovely! Josie’s new friendships throughout the book also added to the calmer, sweeter aspects of the book and I still adore seeing strong female friendships in YA contemporary after years of seeing so much girl hate.
As for the main topic tackled in the book, sexual assault and the #metoo movement were handled so well and so sensitively. It’s a topic that has been really prevalent recently and I think that talking about it in a YA contemporary is so important. Two particular discussion points brought up in the book really resonated with me, the first is related to Josie’s own experiences. When she is in middle school she is sexually assaulted by a classmate, but she and other adults write it off as just ‘boys being boys’ and not so serious because of her age. Seeing her come to realise that, actually, that was a big deal and it was sexual assault was really cathartic for me to read, as someone who went through something similar. Another aspect that I found really important to read was the discussion of male sexual assault victims. A lot of the time when this subject is touched upon, it is brought up almost as a ‘gotcha’ when women and nonbinary people are talking about their experiences, but it was the complete opposite in this book. The male character in question is very respectful of these women coming forward and his experience is not treated in a way that feels insensitive, and I really appreciated that.
Overall, this was a really great book that I cannot recommend enough. It does tackle some sensitive topics, so I recommend being aware of the trigger warnings for sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape, as well as being in the right mindset before picking this one up, if you do think that it is for you. It’s such a powerful read that still has its sweet and heart-warming moments, and it’s a real shining star among recent contemporary YA releases.
Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, and TBR and Beyond Tours for an eARC in return for an honest review!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
July 23, 2021
:(((( as much as i wanted to LOVE this book, it had many shortfalls for me.
PROS:
- fat black girls written by actual fat black girls! love to see it
- said black girl is a protag with career ambitions and opportunities, and aims for excellence!
- her whole family is black and attended an hbcu- more excellence.
CONS
- at about 60 pages, the story stops being about Josies independence and evolution as a journalist and starts being about the romance
- i’m not kidding, maybe i missed the romance label but EVERY professional event she attended, she was rendered speechless or incapable because THE Marius Canet was in the same general vicinity. there’s nothing i hate more than seeing a protag reduced to shambles because of a crush
- the direction of this story was everywhere. is this book about josies coming of age? the press tour? blackness in film? me too stories and their complexity? fatphobia and how it permeates relationships? i honestly couldn’t tell you, because it seemed like all of the above. i don’t have a problem with complex themes, but this novel consistently bit off more than i could chew
- also the involvement of twitter was insufferable. josies bite sized tweets and mentions of her mutuals were so heavy handed, and the novel could have done completely without them. it made the novel seem written by somebody entirely Too Online and laughable to actual teenagers. i would never plead to my parents that my twitter mutuals are my “real friends”, and it was so cringey to read.
- josies professionalism was awful. i’m not referring to her genuine disability and mental illness interfering with her work, but abandoning deadlines, drinking on the job, and various other boundaries broken makes her seem flimsy and unprofessional. as a black teenager who writes freelance for magazines- none of this would slide
- overall the tone and attempts to integrate big hot topics with twitter language and emotional immaturity turned me off during each chapter. not my fave read of the summer
PROS:
- fat black girls written by actual fat black girls! love to see it
- said black girl is a protag with career ambitions and opportunities, and aims for excellence!
- her whole family is black and attended an hbcu- more excellence.
CONS
- at about 60 pages, the story stops being about Josies independence and evolution as a journalist and starts being about the romance
- i’m not kidding, maybe i missed the romance label but EVERY professional event she attended, she was rendered speechless or incapable because THE Marius Canet was in the same general vicinity. there’s nothing i hate more than seeing a protag reduced to shambles because of a crush
- the direction of this story was everywhere. is this book about josies coming of age? the press tour? blackness in film? me too stories and their complexity? fatphobia and how it permeates relationships? i honestly couldn’t tell you, because it seemed like all of the above. i don’t have a problem with complex themes, but this novel consistently bit off more than i could chew
- also the involvement of twitter was insufferable. josies bite sized tweets and mentions of her mutuals were so heavy handed, and the novel could have done completely without them. it made the novel seem written by somebody entirely Too Online and laughable to actual teenagers. i would never plead to my parents that my twitter mutuals are my “real friends”, and it was so cringey to read.
- josies professionalism was awful. i’m not referring to her genuine disability and mental illness interfering with her work, but abandoning deadlines, drinking on the job, and various other boundaries broken makes her seem flimsy and unprofessional. as a black teenager who writes freelance for magazines- none of this would slide
- overall the tone and attempts to integrate big hot topics with twitter language and emotional immaturity turned me off during each chapter. not my fave read of the summer
July 6, 2021
I think this was phenomenal. Full RTC.
April 27, 2022
Eigentlich würde ich diesem wichtigen, lesenswerten Buch gerne die volle Punktzahl geben.....doch dazu habe ich wirklich zu viele Punkte, die mir nicht gefallen....
Josie ist 16 Jahre alt, dick, in ihrer Sexualität unentschlossen, schwarz .....und eine wirklich begabte Journalistin.
Als sie einen Wettbewerb gewinnt, darf sie, begleitet von ihrer ungeliebten Schwester, an der Promotion Reise zu einem neuen Film teilnehmen....denn sie soll über den jungen Hauptdarsteller Marius ein Portait schreiben....
Doch dann gerät alles außer Kontrolle....Josie entwickelt Gefühle für Marius....und unglaubliche Vorwürfe gegen einen Regisseur stehen plötzlich im Raum....Und damit die Entscheidung :
Soll Josie damit an die Öffentlichkeit gehen...!?
Insgesamt wirklich interessant und gut ausgearbeitet lag für meinen Geschmack der Fokus dieses Jugend Romans zu sehr auf der Love Story zwischen Josie und Marius....was für mich einfach zu sehr vom wichtigen Thema der sexuellen Belästigung ablengte...
Insgesamt wirklich lesenswert für reflektierte Menschen ab 16 Jahren...!
Josie ist 16 Jahre alt, dick, in ihrer Sexualität unentschlossen, schwarz .....und eine wirklich begabte Journalistin.
Als sie einen Wettbewerb gewinnt, darf sie, begleitet von ihrer ungeliebten Schwester, an der Promotion Reise zu einem neuen Film teilnehmen....denn sie soll über den jungen Hauptdarsteller Marius ein Portait schreiben....
Doch dann gerät alles außer Kontrolle....Josie entwickelt Gefühle für Marius....und unglaubliche Vorwürfe gegen einen Regisseur stehen plötzlich im Raum....Und damit die Entscheidung :
Soll Josie damit an die Öffentlichkeit gehen...!?
Insgesamt wirklich interessant und gut ausgearbeitet lag für meinen Geschmack der Fokus dieses Jugend Romans zu sehr auf der Love Story zwischen Josie und Marius....was für mich einfach zu sehr vom wichtigen Thema der sexuellen Belästigung ablengte...
Insgesamt wirklich lesenswert für reflektierte Menschen ab 16 Jahren...!
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May 18, 2021off the record is out in the world now !!
thank you so much to tbr and beyond tours, as well as the author and publisher for giving me a copy of off the record in exchange for an honest review !
content warnings: sexual assault, sexual harassment.
representation: fat, anxious & bisexual black protagonist, bisexual black love interest, side black characters, side latina character, side minor korean-american character.
to read the full review, click here to be directed to my blog post !
thank you so much to tbr and beyond tours, as well as the author and publisher for giving me a copy of off the record in exchange for an honest review !
content warnings: sexual assault, sexual harassment.
representation: fat, anxious & bisexual black protagonist, bisexual black love interest, side black characters, side latina character, side minor korean-american character.
to read the full review, click here to be directed to my blog post !
August 22, 2021
This was just a perfect book. Between Full Disclosure and this, I'm so impressed with Camryn Garrett's writing.
June 22, 2021
Is there anything better than a group of women teaming up to write an expose of their abuser? Yes, a story where that effort is spearheaded by a fat bisexual Black girl and delves into the "open secrets" in the film industry about abusive directors, discussions on the line between "problematic fave" and stanning someone who's actively harmful, and discussions on well-intentioned fatphobia. I felt so seen by Josie's descriptions, feelings, and fears about her weight. I wasn't the biggest fan of FULL DISCLOSURE but I loved this one so much!
June 14, 2021
Powerful, painful and utterly addictive. This was superb.
TW: mentions of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault and fatphobia.
TW: mentions of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault and fatphobia.
August 15, 2020
I read an early draft of this! Camryn Garrett is a force to be reckon with y'all and absolutely everything she writes is spectacular. This one specifically is SO special. Just wait until you meet these characters and fall in love like I did - I know you will. It's impossible not to.
September 6, 2021
off the record is without a doubt a powerful and important story. it tackles many real issues that aren't nearly talked about enough and i'm so, so glad that this book exists. the blurb on the back of the copy i have definitely didn't lie: this story is, in fact, "unflinchingly real".
i really enjoyed it and can only recommend it, but i can't say i loved it.
r a t i n g - o v e r v i e w :
characters: 3/5
writing: 4/5
vibes: 3.5/5
plot: 4/5
enjoyment: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 3.5/5
representation: fat/bisexual/black mc with anxiety, bisexual/black li, black, latina, korean-american scs.
trigger/content warnings: sexual assault, sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, fatphobia, racism, dieting, biphobia.
i guess sometimes you can see a story is objectively really good, but you don't feel it. that's what i had with this book.
and besides that, i expected the story to delve in deeper, i guess? deeper into everything that happens, deeper into journalism, deeper into these women's stories. this book left me craving for more about all of this.
i also wanted to see more of the characters. i can tell josie is amazing and i definitely would die to be her friend (sign-ups where??), however...i felt like a lot of her character was telling instead of showing. that's probably the thing i missed the most with this book: to feel everything intensely.
plus, i'd kinda really sell my soul to see more union between the women in this story.
so yeah, this was such a good and important story, especially looking at it objectively. unfortunately i didn't totally feel that spark, but i still feel like this is a must-read!!
i really enjoyed it and can only recommend it, but i can't say i loved it.
r a t i n g - o v e r v i e w :
characters: 3/5
writing: 4/5
vibes: 3.5/5
plot: 4/5
enjoyment: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 3.5/5
representation: fat/bisexual/black mc with anxiety, bisexual/black li, black, latina, korean-american scs.
trigger/content warnings: sexual assault, sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, fatphobia, racism, dieting, biphobia.
i guess sometimes you can see a story is objectively really good, but you don't feel it. that's what i had with this book.
and besides that, i expected the story to delve in deeper, i guess? deeper into everything that happens, deeper into journalism, deeper into these women's stories. this book left me craving for more about all of this.
i also wanted to see more of the characters. i can tell josie is amazing and i definitely would die to be her friend (sign-ups where??), however...i felt like a lot of her character was telling instead of showing. that's probably the thing i missed the most with this book: to feel everything intensely.
plus, i'd kinda really sell my soul to see more union between the women in this story.
so yeah, this was such a good and important story, especially looking at it objectively. unfortunately i didn't totally feel that spark, but i still feel like this is a must-read!!
June 17, 2021
content and trigger warnings: mentions of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, fatphobia, dieting, biphobia (mentioned)
I have some mixed feelings about Off the Record, but overall it is a fast, engrossing, and important read. The things Camryn Garrett did well were excellent, and I truly appreciate her pouring so much of herself into this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The representation in this book is wonderfully done. The main character, Josie is a fat, Black bisexual teen who has anxiety and loves to write. It's easy to so see her passion for writing throughout the book, and to understand how much she truly loves and cares about what she does. Garrett makes it to feel how much she struggles with self-doubt about writing despite also knowing that it is a strength of hers, and her general experience with anxiety. Throughout the novel, Josie often has to deal with fatphobic comments from people around her (including friends and family members), but it also shows beautiful, joyous moments of her embracing and loving her body. I also love that both Josie and the love interest in the story are openly and explicitly stated on the page to be bisexual, because that is something I haven't seen often when reading YA (or most genres, really). I also think that Garrett handled the topic of sexual assault with great sensitivity and care, which I appreciate. Additionally, the book touched on the topics of complicated relationships with family, race, silent complicity, power dynamics in Hollywood, and more.
While there were aspects of the book that I loved, I do think that there was too much going on. I love that Garrett wanted to address multiple important topics in the book and I don't want to detract from the importance of any of them, but the layers to the plot became overwhelming at times. With so much going on at once (the romance, Josie's impending graduation and college applications, the writing project, family issues, etc.), it sometimes felt like the overall plot got lost. There was too much crammed into the relatively short book, which make it feel rushed or lacking depth at times. Some of the plot points didn't get as much page time or development as they should have. This left me unsatisfied by the resolution of some of the plot lines, and I was jarred by the seemingly abrupt ending of the novel.
I have some mixed feelings about Off the Record, but overall it is a fast, engrossing, and important read. The things Camryn Garrett did well were excellent, and I truly appreciate her pouring so much of herself into this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The representation in this book is wonderfully done. The main character, Josie is a fat, Black bisexual teen who has anxiety and loves to write. It's easy to so see her passion for writing throughout the book, and to understand how much she truly loves and cares about what she does. Garrett makes it to feel how much she struggles with self-doubt about writing despite also knowing that it is a strength of hers, and her general experience with anxiety. Throughout the novel, Josie often has to deal with fatphobic comments from people around her (including friends and family members), but it also shows beautiful, joyous moments of her embracing and loving her body. I also love that both Josie and the love interest in the story are openly and explicitly stated on the page to be bisexual, because that is something I haven't seen often when reading YA (or most genres, really). I also think that Garrett handled the topic of sexual assault with great sensitivity and care, which I appreciate. Additionally, the book touched on the topics of complicated relationships with family, race, silent complicity, power dynamics in Hollywood, and more.
While there were aspects of the book that I loved, I do think that there was too much going on. I love that Garrett wanted to address multiple important topics in the book and I don't want to detract from the importance of any of them, but the layers to the plot became overwhelming at times. With so much going on at once (the romance, Josie's impending graduation and college applications, the writing project, family issues, etc.), it sometimes felt like the overall plot got lost. There was too much crammed into the relatively short book, which make it feel rushed or lacking depth at times. Some of the plot points didn't get as much page time or development as they should have. This left me unsatisfied by the resolution of some of the plot lines, and I was jarred by the seemingly abrupt ending of the novel.
June 16, 2021
This book has a lot things going for it but also not enough is flash out. Best part for me is Josie as character and her development but ending was rushed.
October 17, 2022
give Camryn all the stars, it's been ages since I've enjoyed and devoured a YA book so thoroughly, but this was so heartfelt and just an absolutely engaging reading experience. I absolutely adored Garrett's debut and loved this one too and am so excited for FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE. just *chef's kiss* a perfect read all around.
April 25, 2021
Off the Record By Camyrn Garrett is about a young inspiring writer who has won a contest to do a meet and great with an up and coming young star name Marius Canet.
Not only does she get to interview Marius Canet several times to get a better sense of who he is she gets to meet the whole cast of the upcoming movie he is in.
A secret that has been kept hidden for years is come to light and Josie doesn't know if she should do an article about it or finish what it is she was sent out to do.
I liked the story. I felt that some parts of the story were a little long and repetitive. I understood the seriousness of why this topic is important and should be talked about. B-
Thank you Netgally and Random House Children's for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
Not only does she get to interview Marius Canet several times to get a better sense of who he is she gets to meet the whole cast of the upcoming movie he is in.
A secret that has been kept hidden for years is come to light and Josie doesn't know if she should do an article about it or finish what it is she was sent out to do.
I liked the story. I felt that some parts of the story were a little long and repetitive. I understood the seriousness of why this topic is important and should be talked about. B-
Thank you Netgally and Random House Children's for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
May 31, 2021
Content and trigger warnings: graphic depiction of sexual assault, dieting, biophobia, anxiety/panic attacks, mentions of gaslighting and racism.
*.·:·.☽✧ 2.7 stars ✧☾.·:·.*
"Off The Record" tried to accomplish too many things, and lost not only its main focus in the process, but my interest in it as well.
For 17-year-old Josie Wright, writing articles and pieces is her identity, and is the one thing that grounds her when her whole life is a mess. I was very interested in her home life because there are mentions of how her life at home is, and it seemed like there was such an intricate dynamic between Josie and her family. Because of her anxiety disorder, I feel as if Josie's view and judgement of her family was clouded, and I really wish that they could've talked about it. But sadly, this is one of the plot points that's forgotten. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she's immediately jetted off onto a multi-city tour with her sister Alice and becomes very fond of her celebrity profile subject, Marius Canet.
Now while this seems like a dazzling world, she soon realizes a dark side of fame that she just can't ignore. But when she makes a commitment to shed light on this issue in an article and has to simultaneously write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she begins to recognize that she's in over her head. I mean, that would be an obvious realization to anyone who plans the logistics of this whole "plan". When Josie does complete the celebrity profile in one day, I found that completely unrealistic. I understand that this is a novel, and that she had the materials to do so before-hand, but that just didn't make sense to me.
My main issue with this novel was the inconsistent plot points and focuses. I know that from the way I described the novel, it would seem clear what the main idea of this novel was, but it wasn't for me. Like, is this novel about ageism, image insecurity, and finding love through the mist of it all? Or is this about sister rivalry, the "Me Too" movement, and white feminism? Now, I'm not making this claim to discredit the importance of these topics. I just feel as if when these various topics were juggled around, they took away from Josie's character. And because of this, I couldn't absorb what she was thinking or try to find out who she was since I was trying to comprehend all the other things happening in the novel.
While the plot was the main reason I disliked this noel, I still appreciated the various forms of representation throughout the novel. There was a fairly diverse cast of characters through the book that made me cheerful and somewhat content with the story. To be honest, the representation was the main reason that I even finished the novel.
But to be frank, I'm just disappointed. I had fairly high expectations for this novel before reading it because I thoroughly enjoyed Garrett's debut YA novel "Full Disclosure", so I expected "Off The Record" to be better executed than it was. I didn't think the romance was necessary, and I wish that I could've learned more about Josie's character by herself than with Marius. Because of the issues I had with this novel, I sincerely doubt that I will read this again.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title!
Blog Review | Review: "Off The Record" by Camryn Garrett - The Literary Log
*.·:·.☽✧ 2.7 stars ✧☾.·:·.*
"Off The Record" tried to accomplish too many things, and lost not only its main focus in the process, but my interest in it as well.
For 17-year-old Josie Wright, writing articles and pieces is her identity, and is the one thing that grounds her when her whole life is a mess. I was very interested in her home life because there are mentions of how her life at home is, and it seemed like there was such an intricate dynamic between Josie and her family. Because of her anxiety disorder, I feel as if Josie's view and judgement of her family was clouded, and I really wish that they could've talked about it. But sadly, this is one of the plot points that's forgotten. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she's immediately jetted off onto a multi-city tour with her sister Alice and becomes very fond of her celebrity profile subject, Marius Canet.
Now while this seems like a dazzling world, she soon realizes a dark side of fame that she just can't ignore. But when she makes a commitment to shed light on this issue in an article and has to simultaneously write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she begins to recognize that she's in over her head. I mean, that would be an obvious realization to anyone who plans the logistics of this whole "plan". When Josie does complete the celebrity profile in one day, I found that completely unrealistic. I understand that this is a novel, and that she had the materials to do so before-hand, but that just didn't make sense to me.
My main issue with this novel was the inconsistent plot points and focuses. I know that from the way I described the novel, it would seem clear what the main idea of this novel was, but it wasn't for me. Like, is this novel about ageism, image insecurity, and finding love through the mist of it all? Or is this about sister rivalry, the "Me Too" movement, and white feminism? Now, I'm not making this claim to discredit the importance of these topics. I just feel as if when these various topics were juggled around, they took away from Josie's character. And because of this, I couldn't absorb what she was thinking or try to find out who she was since I was trying to comprehend all the other things happening in the novel.
While the plot was the main reason I disliked this noel, I still appreciated the various forms of representation throughout the novel. There was a fairly diverse cast of characters through the book that made me cheerful and somewhat content with the story. To be honest, the representation was the main reason that I even finished the novel.
But to be frank, I'm just disappointed. I had fairly high expectations for this novel before reading it because I thoroughly enjoyed Garrett's debut YA novel "Full Disclosure", so I expected "Off The Record" to be better executed than it was. I didn't think the romance was necessary, and I wish that I could've learned more about Josie's character by herself than with Marius. Because of the issues I had with this novel, I sincerely doubt that I will read this again.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title!
Blog Review | Review: "Off The Record" by Camryn Garrett - The Literary Log
August 14, 2021
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
When 17-year-old Josie Wright wins a journalist competition, she is given the chance to write a celebrity profile for up-and-coming star Marius Canet. As she spends more time with Marius, she begins to fall for his charm. Then, a young actress tells her a terrible secret about a famous director. As more women come forward with their own accounts, Josie needs to decide whether to expose the man responsible or keep it to herself in order to not jeopardize her career before it even started.
This was a great story about a very important topic, but it can definitely be triggering for things such as sexual assault and fatphobia. I enjoyed the story, but at times I felt the pacing was a little off. It took so long to get to the #metoo movement plot point, that I had forgotten that that was the main point of the book. But aside from that, I loved these characters. Josie was extremely relatable, and I liked watching her begin to understand her anxiety more and more as she continued on the 2-week interview cycle. Both Josie and Mauris are bisexual, and I loved seeing their relationship blossom as the story progressed. I also liked the messy sister relationship as well. It was nice to see them grow closer throughout their time together.
Overall, an important read with great bisexual, fat and anxiety rep!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
When 17-year-old Josie Wright wins a journalist competition, she is given the chance to write a celebrity profile for up-and-coming star Marius Canet. As she spends more time with Marius, she begins to fall for his charm. Then, a young actress tells her a terrible secret about a famous director. As more women come forward with their own accounts, Josie needs to decide whether to expose the man responsible or keep it to herself in order to not jeopardize her career before it even started.
This was a great story about a very important topic, but it can definitely be triggering for things such as sexual assault and fatphobia. I enjoyed the story, but at times I felt the pacing was a little off. It took so long to get to the #metoo movement plot point, that I had forgotten that that was the main point of the book. But aside from that, I loved these characters. Josie was extremely relatable, and I liked watching her begin to understand her anxiety more and more as she continued on the 2-week interview cycle. Both Josie and Mauris are bisexual, and I loved seeing their relationship blossom as the story progressed. I also liked the messy sister relationship as well. It was nice to see them grow closer throughout their time together.
Overall, an important read with great bisexual, fat and anxiety rep!
April 20, 2022
Loved this so much! Garrett writes such impactful and incredible books.
Off the Record follows seventeen year old Josie Wright. Her passion has always been writing and now she has the opportunity of a lifetime. When Josie wins a contest for Deep Focus magazine, she feels like all her dreams are coming true. First, she'll just have to convince her parents to let her go on a nationwide tour for two weeks.
As she navigates the world of high class celebrity life, Josie is let in on a secret. This leads her to finding other women who have been assaulted and Josie knows she can't let this story go. But the farther in Josie goes, the more it seems like she's over her head.
This was such an impactful book. There are so many good conversations around sexual violence in this book and I hope more people read it. I hope books like this continue to spark conversations that will lead to change. The one thing I really loved about this book is that it makes sure to include women of color and men in the conversation. People of all genders are victims of sexual violence, but people of color are almost always left out of the conversation.
I really loved Josie's character. Josie is still figuring out what she wants and needs to succeed. I loved that we got to see her grow along with her writing. She was so easy to relate to and her anxiety felt realistic and similar to mine. I did wish other characters had given her more accommodations for her anxiety and I didn't like how her sister went behind her back and told Marius about it. I also loved seeing Josie and Alice (her sister) grow closer. At the beginning of the book, they're more standoffish but by the end definitely more friends.
Garrett writes such amazing and impactful stories, I truly cannot wait to see what she'll write next.
Rep: Fat Black bisexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black French bisexual cis male side character, various cis white women side characters, Latine cis female side character, various Black side characters.
CWs: Sexual assault, sexual harassment, fatphobia, body shaming, panic attacks, mental illness (anxiety), sexual violence, bullying, cursing, gaslighting, misogyny. Moderate: Biphobia/bimisia, rape, racism, discussions disordered eating/dieting/purging, underage alcohol consumption, sexism. Minor: Vomit, homophobia/homomisia, self harm, pregnancy.
Off the Record follows seventeen year old Josie Wright. Her passion has always been writing and now she has the opportunity of a lifetime. When Josie wins a contest for Deep Focus magazine, she feels like all her dreams are coming true. First, she'll just have to convince her parents to let her go on a nationwide tour for two weeks.
As she navigates the world of high class celebrity life, Josie is let in on a secret. This leads her to finding other women who have been assaulted and Josie knows she can't let this story go. But the farther in Josie goes, the more it seems like she's over her head.
This was such an impactful book. There are so many good conversations around sexual violence in this book and I hope more people read it. I hope books like this continue to spark conversations that will lead to change. The one thing I really loved about this book is that it makes sure to include women of color and men in the conversation. People of all genders are victims of sexual violence, but people of color are almost always left out of the conversation.
I really loved Josie's character. Josie is still figuring out what she wants and needs to succeed. I loved that we got to see her grow along with her writing. She was so easy to relate to and her anxiety felt realistic and similar to mine. I did wish other characters had given her more accommodations for her anxiety and I didn't like how her sister went behind her back and told Marius about it. I also loved seeing Josie and Alice (her sister) grow closer. At the beginning of the book, they're more standoffish but by the end definitely more friends.
Garrett writes such amazing and impactful stories, I truly cannot wait to see what she'll write next.
Rep: Fat Black bisexual cis female MC with anxiety, Black French bisexual cis male side character, various cis white women side characters, Latine cis female side character, various Black side characters.
CWs: Sexual assault, sexual harassment, fatphobia, body shaming, panic attacks, mental illness (anxiety), sexual violence, bullying, cursing, gaslighting, misogyny. Moderate: Biphobia/bimisia, rape, racism, discussions disordered eating/dieting/purging, underage alcohol consumption, sexism. Minor: Vomit, homophobia/homomisia, self harm, pregnancy.
September 20, 2023
3.5
this book is very, very important and touches on serious, very much still current topics. however, i feel like it tried to tackle way too many things at once, and never went too deep with any of them, so its potential got lost a little bit along the way
this book is very, very important and touches on serious, very much still current topics. however, i feel like it tried to tackle way too many things at once, and never went too deep with any of them, so its potential got lost a little bit along the way
May 18, 2022
Finished this in April, but just marking now. It was a solid read, both for the characterization and the difficult issues within. Will be working on a full review soon.
June 15, 2021
CW: internalized fatphobia, body shaming, fatphobia, body dysmorphia, sexual assault and harassment, self-harm (hair pulling), anxiety, panic attack, mention of dieting, and weight loss, mention of conversion therapy, homophobia.
Camryn does it again with a spectacular sophomore novel following Josie, a 17-year old Black girl who loves writing and journalism. She wins a writing contest and spends 2 weeks traveling with the cast of a movie featuring a Black boy who is sent to conversion therapy. As a part of the contest,
Josie has to write a profile piece of the main actor, Marice Canet. Josie spends a lot of time with him and we get to know both characters pretty well. Both Josie and Marice are bisexual and I loved seeing a blossoming romance between two bisexual leads. This is such an important story about sexual assault and harassment and also starts the conversation of any gender being harassed or assaulted. Off the Record talks about the power imbalance male directors have over their talent and the disgusting behavior that goes on behind the scenes and how they easily get away with it. I also really enjoyed and could relate to Josie's anxiety. The anxiety rep was done very well and I loved the line of Josie saying her anxiety never leaves, even if it feels at ease. Anxiety levels vary day to day and we really go to see that through Josie. Garrett also writes a complicated and messy sister relationship and I loved how it developed toward the end and that she and her sister, Alice still bicker and it isn't fully resolved. Highly recommend this! However, do see the trigger warnings because of the subject matter.
"Maybe I find it disappointing because I put faith in people I don't know"
Camryn does it again with a spectacular sophomore novel following Josie, a 17-year old Black girl who loves writing and journalism. She wins a writing contest and spends 2 weeks traveling with the cast of a movie featuring a Black boy who is sent to conversion therapy. As a part of the contest,
Josie has to write a profile piece of the main actor, Marice Canet. Josie spends a lot of time with him and we get to know both characters pretty well. Both Josie and Marice are bisexual and I loved seeing a blossoming romance between two bisexual leads. This is such an important story about sexual assault and harassment and also starts the conversation of any gender being harassed or assaulted. Off the Record talks about the power imbalance male directors have over their talent and the disgusting behavior that goes on behind the scenes and how they easily get away with it. I also really enjoyed and could relate to Josie's anxiety. The anxiety rep was done very well and I loved the line of Josie saying her anxiety never leaves, even if it feels at ease. Anxiety levels vary day to day and we really go to see that through Josie. Garrett also writes a complicated and messy sister relationship and I loved how it developed toward the end and that she and her sister, Alice still bicker and it isn't fully resolved. Highly recommend this! However, do see the trigger warnings because of the subject matter.
"Maybe I find it disappointing because I put faith in people I don't know"
March 5, 2021
4.5 rounded
This was a huge surprise of a book, I did not expect to be blown away like this. I will say that you should check trigger warnings before picking this up.
Off the Record has so many layers to it, and dealt with so many important issues. Josie as our main character was so fun to follow. She’s a plus sized, black, teenage girl who was just so authentic. She has insecurities, she has to deal with so much BS from the world around her, and I know so many people will see themselves in her. I know I did. Josie was a lovable girl, and watching her explore this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was an amazing experience.
Throughout this novel, Camryn Garrett puts emphasize on multiple topics, but the main one was sexual harassment, specifically sexual harassment in entertainment. Powerful people can get away with disgusting things, and Garrett didn’t shy away from that. All the women in this story support each other and listen to each other, which I love. Pitting women against women is an overdone plot that needs to be put to rest. I think everyone can benefit from reading this.
The reason I took off a half star is because I wish that the conflict had come earlier. Things don’t pick up until about 40% in, but by the end I wanted the story to keep going. The ending felt too rushed, I wanted to see a trial, court battles, and so much more. While I did want more from this, I’m satisfied with what we did get, and I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world.
This was a huge surprise of a book, I did not expect to be blown away like this. I will say that you should check trigger warnings before picking this up.
Off the Record has so many layers to it, and dealt with so many important issues. Josie as our main character was so fun to follow. She’s a plus sized, black, teenage girl who was just so authentic. She has insecurities, she has to deal with so much BS from the world around her, and I know so many people will see themselves in her. I know I did. Josie was a lovable girl, and watching her explore this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was an amazing experience.
Throughout this novel, Camryn Garrett puts emphasize on multiple topics, but the main one was sexual harassment, specifically sexual harassment in entertainment. Powerful people can get away with disgusting things, and Garrett didn’t shy away from that. All the women in this story support each other and listen to each other, which I love. Pitting women against women is an overdone plot that needs to be put to rest. I think everyone can benefit from reading this.
The reason I took off a half star is because I wish that the conflict had come earlier. Things don’t pick up until about 40% in, but by the end I wanted the story to keep going. The ending felt too rushed, I wanted to see a trial, court battles, and so much more. While I did want more from this, I’m satisfied with what we did get, and I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world.
May 12, 2021
Huge thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours, as well as the author and publisher for sending me an eARC of “Off the Record” in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a roller coaster. I loved, loved, loved it. And I also have too many thoughts, but let’s try to write a review anyways.
The book’s main character is 17 year old Josie Wright, an aspiring journalist. Josie was so interesting. I loved her. I loved everything. I loved reading about her journey of self-confidence.
I loved Penny. I think some people were annoyed with her, but I wasn’t. I think I understood what she was trying to say, and what she had to do.
Marius was so sweet. I think at the beginning something about him rubbed me wrong that was stopped really quick. I learned to love him.
I loved the writing style. Formal and crisp, yet I could believe that it was a teenager's perspective. I haven't read the author's other book, Full Disclosure yet, but I really want to, especially if the writing is this good.
The anxiety representation was very well done. Josie says at the beginning of the story that she sees a therapist because of her anxiety. Josie tries to keep it under control by herself but that’s not how you get better, which she slowly learns. She realizes over the course of the novel that you can be emotional even if you have anxiety, you shouldn’t be ashamed because it’s something that a lot of people deal with too. Josie learns that she’s not alone in her mental illness.
There were beautiful messages of self-love throughout the book. Josie mentions at the beginning of the book that she knows that she is fat. She is insecure about her body, like many people, but at the same time, she doesn’t want people to look at her a different way, which is understandable. But, something that stood out to me was that she told herself that she was beautiful and the realism of it was so amazing. She talks about her not being what people thought of when they thought of “beautiful“. She comes to terms with this throughout the book and I loved reading about her journey.
Overall, this was amazing.
_____________________________
So sweet and inspiring!
Full review to come.
This book was a roller coaster. I loved, loved, loved it. And I also have too many thoughts, but let’s try to write a review anyways.
The book’s main character is 17 year old Josie Wright, an aspiring journalist. Josie was so interesting. I loved her. I loved everything. I loved reading about her journey of self-confidence.
I loved Penny. I think some people were annoyed with her, but I wasn’t. I think I understood what she was trying to say, and what she had to do.
Marius was so sweet. I think at the beginning something about him rubbed me wrong that was stopped really quick. I learned to love him.
I loved the writing style. Formal and crisp, yet I could believe that it was a teenager's perspective. I haven't read the author's other book, Full Disclosure yet, but I really want to, especially if the writing is this good.
The anxiety representation was very well done. Josie says at the beginning of the story that she sees a therapist because of her anxiety. Josie tries to keep it under control by herself but that’s not how you get better, which she slowly learns. She realizes over the course of the novel that you can be emotional even if you have anxiety, you shouldn’t be ashamed because it’s something that a lot of people deal with too. Josie learns that she’s not alone in her mental illness.
There were beautiful messages of self-love throughout the book. Josie mentions at the beginning of the book that she knows that she is fat. She is insecure about her body, like many people, but at the same time, she doesn’t want people to look at her a different way, which is understandable. But, something that stood out to me was that she told herself that she was beautiful and the realism of it was so amazing. She talks about her not being what people thought of when they thought of “beautiful“. She comes to terms with this throughout the book and I loved reading about her journey.
Overall, this was amazing.
_____________________________
So sweet and inspiring!
Full review to come.
August 20, 2021
C/W:
Off the Record tackles a lot of topics in a relatively short page count with mixed results. I found Josie's journey to grow in her confidence as a journalist really compelling and appreciated her complicated relationship with her sister, Alice. This book had a powerful emotional climax that was very well-written. It was also great to see YA grapple with questions about separating the art from the artist, which is a discussion that only seems to grow more important.
For what didn't quite work for me -- The romance between Josie and Marius felt a little bit under-developed. I would've loved seeing more of them navigating romantic interest before jumping all-in. The pacing felt a bit wonky as well. The events in the synopsis don't happen until around the 100-page mark but then so much is packed into the remainder of the book.
I just wish Off the Record had been a smidge longer. I would've loved a bit more time with Josie and Marius, particularly . There are many topics in this book that would have benefitted from more exploration. All that said, though, I found Off the Record a compelling YA contemporary that did an excellent job thoughtfully tackling #metoo.
Off the Record tackles a lot of topics in a relatively short page count with mixed results. I found Josie's journey to grow in her confidence as a journalist really compelling and appreciated her complicated relationship with her sister, Alice. This book had a powerful emotional climax that was very well-written. It was also great to see YA grapple with questions about separating the art from the artist, which is a discussion that only seems to grow more important.
For what didn't quite work for me -- The romance between Josie and Marius felt a little bit under-developed. I would've loved seeing more of them navigating romantic interest before jumping all-in. The pacing felt a bit wonky as well. The events in the synopsis don't happen until around the 100-page mark but then so much is packed into the remainder of the book.
I just wish Off the Record had been a smidge longer. I would've loved a bit more time with Josie and Marius, particularly . There are many topics in this book that would have benefitted from more exploration. All that said, though, I found Off the Record a compelling YA contemporary that did an excellent job thoughtfully tackling #metoo.
August 5, 2021
Thank you to penguin random house for a eARC of this book.
This is the first five star I’ve given this year! 😮
It was phenomenal, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It follows Josie, a teen in her senior year who wants to be a journalist. She wins a contest to do an exclusive on a character in a new movie and she goes on a PR tour with the other actors and actresses as they do a few PR events.
One of the young actresses in the movie let out a big secret. One woman’s accounts leads to another and leads to another. Will Josie expose the sercrets of Hollywood?
Content warning for rape and sexual abuse
I think the story handled this topic very well. It’s a sensitive topic and some thing that is still a serious problem in celebrity worlds today. Each chapter started off the story with a Twitter post from Josie that related to the chapter in someway and I absolutely love that addition. It was really enjoyable and made the story more real.
I also love the way the story handles anxiety as well as being plus size and what that means in society today. It’s probably the first book that discusses plus size in a way that I felt like I could relate.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a more serious contemporary read. A must read!
This is the first five star I’ve given this year! 😮
It was phenomenal, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It follows Josie, a teen in her senior year who wants to be a journalist. She wins a contest to do an exclusive on a character in a new movie and she goes on a PR tour with the other actors and actresses as they do a few PR events.
One of the young actresses in the movie let out a big secret. One woman’s accounts leads to another and leads to another. Will Josie expose the sercrets of Hollywood?
Content warning for rape and sexual abuse
I think the story handled this topic very well. It’s a sensitive topic and some thing that is still a serious problem in celebrity worlds today. Each chapter started off the story with a Twitter post from Josie that related to the chapter in someway and I absolutely love that addition. It was really enjoyable and made the story more real.
I also love the way the story handles anxiety as well as being plus size and what that means in society today. It’s probably the first book that discusses plus size in a way that I felt like I could relate.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a more serious contemporary read. A must read!
June 24, 2021
This was so, so good.
Off the record examines a lot. Mostly centering around a high school student who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a series of sexual assault cases after she wins a contest to write a profile on a celebrity and instead finds a lot of women in the industry looking for someone to tell their stories, it also delves into her self image as a fat, Black, queer woman, her family dynamics, romance, and anxiety.
I do think that because there was so much going on some of the plot threads or themes being examined felt a tad underdeveloped but all in all, this was excellently well done.
Off the record examines a lot. Mostly centering around a high school student who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a series of sexual assault cases after she wins a contest to write a profile on a celebrity and instead finds a lot of women in the industry looking for someone to tell their stories, it also delves into her self image as a fat, Black, queer woman, her family dynamics, romance, and anxiety.
I do think that because there was so much going on some of the plot threads or themes being examined felt a tad underdeveloped but all in all, this was excellently well done.
December 7, 2023
Das Buch hat mich sehr beeindruckt. Es war streckenweise schwer zu lesen, weil der Content wirklich heavy ist. Aber am Ende ist es ein Buch mit einer wichtigen Message, wie der deutsche Untertitel es so passend ausdrückt: unsere Worte sind unsere Macht. Und das dürfen wir uns nie nehmen lassen.
Als YA Buch fand ich es zwar ab und an etwas lästig (Josie benimmt sich öfter extremst unprofessionell, das Schwestern Drama ist etwas viel so zu allem anderen noch hinzu, die Romance kst eher so meh), aber am Ende überwiegt für mich die Kraft, die in diesem Buch steckt.
Absolut empfehlenswert!
*Leseexemplar vom Verlag via NetGalley erhalten*
Als YA Buch fand ich es zwar ab und an etwas lästig (Josie benimmt sich öfter extremst unprofessionell, das Schwestern Drama ist etwas viel so zu allem anderen noch hinzu, die Romance kst eher so meh), aber am Ende überwiegt für mich die Kraft, die in diesem Buch steckt.
Absolut empfehlenswert!
*Leseexemplar vom Verlag via NetGalley erhalten*
May 13, 2021
tw: sexual assault and sexual harassment
this book follows Josie, a seventeen year old journalist who just won a prize to write an article about a movie coming out for a really famous magazine.
along the way, she meets famous people and discovers everything is not what it seems, and ends up writing an article about it that could end her whole career.
there was also a bit of romance that i enjoyed because even though it was a male/female relationship, both people were queer and poc.
thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
this book follows Josie, a seventeen year old journalist who just won a prize to write an article about a movie coming out for a really famous magazine.
along the way, she meets famous people and discovers everything is not what it seems, and ends up writing an article about it that could end her whole career.
there was also a bit of romance that i enjoyed because even though it was a male/female relationship, both people were queer and poc.
thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
February 1, 2023
Another great book from a young author. Well worth a read about how the #MeToo movement also hits home for younger women.
4/5
4/5
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