Publication date: August 3, 2021
Genres: Young Adult/New Adult, LGBTQ+, Contemporary
Format: eARC
Source: Amulet Books and Netgalley
4 Stars
Fresh was lively, quirky and fun and had me feeling happy that I picked it up and gave it a try. Eighteen-year-old Elliott is a college freshman who has shown up at Emerson College ready to spread her wings and take on the world, or at least her dorm in the Little Building. What ensues is a whole lot of hook-ups, parties, new friends, and new experiences. What doesn’t happen is attention to classes, studying, and an appreciation for her place at the private university. At times Elliott has a shocking lack of self-awareness, which makes her a perfectly flawed narrator, and completely believable as a young woman straddling that no man’s land between teenager and adult.
While Fresh was full of razor-sharp humor and laugh out loud dialogue, the sex-positive story also dealt with topics like misogyny, shaming, intimacy, sexual assault, and the ups and downs of friendship. Elliott was often a hot mess – sometimes immature, sometimes downright reckless – but she learns, and she grows, and her journey was well worth the ride. My only complaint (and it’s a minor one) would be the footnotes. There are ninety of them throughout the novel and I think it’s going to be a love-‘em-or-hate-‘em aspect for readers. I found them to be overdone and a distraction, particularly in the digital version.
Anyone who remembers Margot Wood from the old Epic Reads
Tea Time videos will read this while hearing her voice, seeing her facial
expressions, and her wild gestures. This coming of age story is funny and heartfelt
and, like me, after reading it you’ll never be able to think about tender
chicken again. If you know, you know. :)
You did it, and you liked it! That worked out. I like seeing more of these NA books that are about growth and navigating the post high school work vs. romance. The world needs both.
ReplyDeleteYes! I was so meh about picking it up when it came time for it but it was such a pleasant surprise. I could practically see and hear Margot while reading it (and that's a good thing). Elliott was such a mess but she really came a long way.
DeleteI'm glad you ended up enjoying it!! I really enjoy stories about growth.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alison! It was a lot of fun.
DeleteI knew her name sounded familiar! lol
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fun and I hadn't heard of it. And bonus points for a fun/original cover.
Karen @For What It's Worth
I agree. The hardcover is pretty cool because it has no dust jacket.
DeleteSeeing a character being a hot mess can make me nervous, but I do like positive character growth. Nice to hear you enjoyed it, Tanya!
ReplyDeleteShe definitely did a lot of growing over the course of the story.
DeleteThis sounds like a book I would like to read, but those footnotes have me pausing. I can imagine how annoying they would be in a digital edition. Great review!
ReplyDeleteYeah, maybe the footnotes will work better in a physical copy but it was pretty clunky to deal with in a digital version.
DeleteSo I was fully on board till the footnotes... why are they even needed? I could see how they'd be in the way on the digital version for sure!
ReplyDeleteYeah, they were super funny but also felt a little gimmicky? And maybe they'd work okay in a physical copy where it's easy to flip back and forth, but in a digital copy... meh.
DeleteOh wow, those footnotes would bother me too. Glad to hear it was such a fun read even with that distraction.
ReplyDeleteThe footnotes were a little bothersome but it was easy enough to still really enjoy the story.
DeleteI love that this book really focuses on the first year of college, that's not something I see often!
ReplyDeleteRight? It's an overlooked time period for sure.
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting read. I'm glad you gave it a try and ended up enjoying it ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Maureen! I was so glad I dove in and gave it a try. :)
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