Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry: The hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom

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We’re Marie (she/her) and Nyx (she/her), two sisters screaming about books at each other and now with you, too. There were times when I felt like the book was going a bit off track, but I find that this is a common issue with debut YA novels where so much is happening at the same time. When EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY begins, Quinn, a Black teen, loses her notebook, a collection of lists about her life. The main character is an African American girl who's a senior at a predominately White high school in Austin, Texas. While I’m not going to comment on the Black representation and this topic further, since it’s not my place to do so at all, I personnally appreciated the discussions about race in this story, too!

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney | Waterstones

Publicly humiliated, Marisa Banks is blindsided by the news that the man she’s been dating for months is married. It was a really fun read and I think the formatting was done perfectly, it wasn’t too journal heavy, but the lists still played a significant role, and they were perfectly executed. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything. Quinn can be insecure and anxious, but she's not annoying in her insecurity like a lot of main characters can be.After her journal goes missing, a high school senior is blackmailed into completing her most sensitive to-do list.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry Joya Goffney | Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry

The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. I had a hard time picking who I shipped Quinn with in the beginning and my one complaint is that there wasn't nearly enough Matt in the book (for someone who is one of Quinn's closest friends).In her list of reasons why she wished her and Olivia would’ve been friends sooner, two stuck out to me. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. For those who love gritty, somewhat nasty mysteries with weird, and an exotic setting in one of the world’s most famous cities, this thriller mystery will satisfy. It personally didn’t feel like instant love, which is so important for me because that kind of romance tends to be so unrealistic and a major turn off for me.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney Review: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney

A compassionate novel that encourages teens to prioritize the control, safety, and comfort of their own bodies. A contemporary romance has to be exceptional for me to a) remember it for a long time and b) love it so much I want to cry. I wasted so much time living in fear that I thought I was comfortable, but I was writing in a cage that I didn't know existed, making lists of all my worries with no intent to do anything about them. I just need to push the love interest off of the metaphorical throne he has taken and shoved its spikes into my heart. Helloooo, my life doesn't have drama (thank the moon goddess), I need to leech it out of wherever I can get it.When her notebook goes missing and a stranger starts blackmailing her into doing some of her worst fears, everything changes.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry Quotes by Joya Goffney - Goodreads Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry Quotes by Joya Goffney - Goodreads

Parents need to know that in Joya Goffney's Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, 18-year-old Quinn, a Black girl in a predominately White high school in Austin, Texas, is blackmailed after her journal falls into the hands of a mystery person. The characters are sensitively portrayed, as is their recovery, and the hopeful ending is realistic. Featuring a believable protagonist and realistic home dynamics, this book tackles several timely issues from racism to parental pressures and the college admission hustle. They both struggled with a concept that is not really talked about as much: being an exception to a stereotype. He rarely takes anything seriously, lives in the moment, and indulges in as much pleasure with women as possible.I like the storyline/idea and the awareness of how some of the things we are less conscious about could affect people around us negatively, and regardless of our differences, race, gender, status, etc. i highly recommend this book, a fresh unexpected debut being an honest coming of age story with layered characters, easy to absorb high school drama, family dynamics, teenage adventures, and a perfectly imperfect romance!