Joya Goffney

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by debut author Joya Goffney is an own voices story of an overly enthusiastic list maker who is blackmailed into completing a to-do list of all her worst fears. It’s a heartfelt, tortured, contemporary YA high school romance. Fans of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Kristina Forest’s I Wanna Be Where You Are will love the juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page sexual tension. “A hilarious and swoonworthy story.” —Kristina Forest, author of Now That I’ve Found You “A fun, emotionally rich romance with a sweet, imperfect character who will win your heart.” —Liara Tamani, author of All the Things We Never Knew Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud” and all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing . . . Then an anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal—in a race against time to track down the blackmailer. Together, they journey through everything Quinn’s been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry

Molly

You are. I mean, I know it's not up to Columbia's stan- dards, but . . . neither are you."

A passionate, hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom debut full of juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page chemistry about how we choose to live our lives and what it means to live your truth. For fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Sun is Also a Star. Quinn keeps lists of everything - from the days she's ugly cried, to "Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud," to all the boys she'd like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears (as well as embarrassing and cringeworthy truths) on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing . . . An anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn't know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett - the last known person to have her journal and who Quinn loathes - in a race against time to track down the blackmailer. Together, they journey through everything Quinn's been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love. A razor-sharp, passionate and addictive YA romcom that readers will love.

The most anticipated YA romcom debut of 2021

Sophia

It was really good! Loved how bot having her journal made her force herself to open up and be honest with her feelings! 

Kyra

lexie

As someone who journal, i will not forgive anyone who read it. carter’s so hot aushshsjs

Raven K

Woah. I literally couldn't put this book down. I loved it so much!

Kelsey Munson

YA romcom that thoughtfully tackles relevant issues and experiences (CW: racism, cyber bullying) while also celebrating love and authenticity.

Charlsy Sekyere

I can only speak positively about this book. The premise of this book is excellent, as well as the journey to discover who was responsible for the stolen journal. It was a very enjoyable read for me from beginning to end.

Quinn's parents' dream of attending Columbia reminded me greatly of Charming as A Verb and Henri, which gave me much joy.

I felt bad for Quinn. When it comes to losing a journal, no one should ever have to go through what she was put through. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Blackmail, mystery, Quinn's exploration of the experiences and nuances of being black, everything about this book appealed to me.

I found it refreshing to have a dark-skinned female protagonist talking about the nuances of being black in a predominantly white area. Her conflicting feelings and thoughts within the story just felt so authentic and heartfelt to me, I loved how it was incorporated into the story. It was fascinating to observe Quinn's growth and thought process as she discussed concepts such as self-love, identity, and conforming to or diverting from stereotypes. In addition, I enjoyed her fun side and how she interacted with Carter, which made me like her even more.

As a romantic couple, Carter and Quinn make a great pair. Carter and Quinn have witty banter and conversations. Very light and fun. They seem to be able to admit their faults and openly discuss their judgemental views about each other and other people of their own race. I really enjoyed their relationship. They both allow each other to be heard, seen, and understood, which is essential for any healthy relationship. The chemistry between these two is great. I honestly felt giddy reading their interactions. So many subtle, cute moments.

Carter is simply everything. He is pretty laid back, considerate, respectful, witty, intellectual, mature, sincere. Honestly, I could go on forever. He has all the qualities of a great partner. His relationship with his little sister is so cute. I repeat, this man is everything. Definitely one of the most lovable heroes in a romance novel.

Enjoyed all the side characters. Liked Auden and LOVED Olivia. She is my bestie. She gives off the impression that she is just a cool girl, one who can make anyone feel comfortable in her presence. But most importantly, she seems to be true to herself, just like Carter. She has a kind of 'what you see is what you get' vibe about her, which I highly respect. She is just my type of girl. 

One of the best young adult romance books I've read. I rarely fall in love with a young adult book, but this one is exceptional. Definitely worth reading.

Liana

** spoiler alert **
           Absolutely loved it very cute he’s very protective of her I have it a 4 not a 5 bcse I didn’t rlly remember it too much but I love how they were always doing a project and it felt like I was watching a film also it’s was a great plot twist how he lost the journal and she got blackmailed by her fake friends and became friends with Olivia who made her feel better about her race and who she was. Olivia also her her see true friendship and how she shoul really see things.

The main character is discriminated by her fake and old friends about her race and she took it as a joke as she don’t know how to act and she felt like she wasn’t black. He and Olivia made her realise that she’s beautiful and he took her to a restaurant full of black people and she felt like she didn’t fit in but he helped her and someone tried making a move on her and made her feel uncomfortable but he saved the day.

What a book! It had been on my shelf for a little while and I’d seen good reviews when this book came out but YA books aren’t my go to anymore so it got overlooked non so happy I finally gave it a chance as once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. 

Quinn was such an easy character to like. You see her flaws at the start. She is afraid of confrontation and speaking her mind and it allows others to have power over her but as she goes through the book trying to find her lost journal and getting to know Carter, Livvy, and Auden she discovers things about herself she didn’t realise and becomes this amazing strong woman and I loved it. I also liked that the invasion I to her privacy with her secret thoughts in her journal weren’t brushed off. It was incredibly invasive and the fact there were consequences for the perpetrators made me happy. 

Where this book truly hit me was in her grandma Hattie’s condition. She was sick and Quinn was scared to see her and have it change her memories of her. I know that feeling and although I went through a different situation it really made me tear up because it’s hard seeing the ones we love go through illness but seeing how Quinn approached it and was honest about her struggles was amazing. 

This book was fantastic. Absolutely recommend it was so worth the read. I’m glad I bought it. 

Becky

What a book! It had been on my shelf for a little while and I’d seen good reviews when this book came out but YA books aren’t my go to anymore so it got overlooked non so happy I finally gave it a chance as once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. 

Quinn was such an easy character to like. You see her flaws at the start. She is afraid of confrontation and speaking her mind and it allows others to have power over her but as she goes through the book trying to find her lost journal and getting to know Carter, Livvy, and Auden she discovers things about herself she didn’t realise and becomes this amazing strong woman and I loved it. I also liked that the invasion I to her privacy with her secret thoughts in her journal weren’t brushed off. It was incredibly invasive and the fact there were consequences for the perpetrators made me happy. 

Where this book truly hit me was in her grandma Hattie’s condition. She was sick and Quinn was scared to see her and have it change her memories of her. I know that feeling and although I went through a different situation it really made me tear up because it’s hard seeing the ones we love go through illness but seeing how Quinn approached it and was honest about her struggles was amazing. 

This book was fantastic. Absolutely recommend it was so worth the read. I’m glad I bought it. 

4.25 stars - I like that this book was not centred purely around romance and that other things where happening in Quinn's (protagonist) life. Got me out of a long ass reading slump & made me feel giddy lol get this book away from me! 

Olivia wanted allll the smoke and I was here for it, babygirl stay doing you! 

Joy KBA

4.25 stars - I like that this book was not centred purely around romance and that other things where happening in Quinn's (protagonist) life. Got me out of a long ass reading slump & made me feel giddy lol get this book away from me! 

spoiler

spoiler

spoiler 

Olivia wanted allll the smoke and I was here for it, babygirl stay doing you! 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by debut author Joya Goffney is an own voices story of an overly enthusiastic list maker who is blackmailed into completing a to-do list of all her worst fears. It's a heartfelt, tortured, contemporary YA high school romance. Fans of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Kristina Forest's I Wanna Be Where You Are will love the juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page sexual tension. Quinn keeps lists of everything--from the days she's ugly cried, to "Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud" and all the boys she'd like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing . . . Then an anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn't know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett--the last known person to have her journal--in a race against time to track down the blackmailer. Together, they journey through everything Quinn's been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love.

Samaa alaa eldin

5 years back I would've enjoyed this . I can't believe she called him BAE! this was my 13th reason tbh plus obvs the fact that Quinn is a spoiled cringey teen who is such a pick me and had the whole 'I'm so different from all the other girls pls pick me Carter' and immediately ditched her feelings for matt as if the guy never existed, says alot about her .To say I was in pain is an understatement.

Chelsea van Rer

this book was so close to being perfect. it was a solid 4.5 star read until about the last fifteen pages. 
the last thing on the to do list was lame and anticlimactic. 
also, people in books need to stop going back to their friends after they break up for valid reasons. maybe i just dont like my friends as much as i think i do, but if any of them did anything half as bad as the things people do in these types of books i wouldnt think twice about dropping them.
anyway, good book. is there a sequel? i hope so. if not, there should be.

lindsey

A passionate, hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom debut full of juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page chemistry about how we choose to live our lives and what it means to live your truth. For fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Sun is Also a Star.

jupiter

serious and jocular 🫶 quinnolivia my babies

Preye

When you read a book deserving of all your five stars, you don't hesitate. You give it out with all your heart and with the utmost care. Dear author, you've found a big fan in me. You've written a story with characters that are endearing and handled (delicately and tenderly) issues that are rather ignored in this sphere. If I regret anything about this book, it's the amount of time it took me to finally read it. For me, Quinn's courage led me to confront some truths about myself- made me think about the things I have held onto for too long. The items I have unwittingly made an extension of myself. I now recognize beauty and perfection in all its shapes and sizes. Reading this book is the highlight of my year.

madeleine

I loved this book so much!!
It is able to be a fun teen romcom kinda book but also takle major issues like racism, grief and bullying.
And it was honestly just a really captivating fun book that got me out of a multiple year long reading slump.


Sarah 

Excuse me while I absolutely gush over this book. It’s such a cute coming of age story. Like it wasn’t a sappy romance. It was more about coming to terms with yourself and who you are. Quinn is a work in progress, she keeps herself in check using lists and journals. And that habit of hers gets her into trouble. The story line was actually kinda interesting. Like it was pretty out of the ordinary, and I enjoyed that. 

Carter is cute. Like he genuinely cares for Quinn and they’re completely sweet for each other. The character developments in this book were just so idk how to say it, but just so nice. It had great characters, and the hardships they had to go through were believable. 

Another major aspect of the book was how the book went to delve as deeply as it did to show how racism still is an issue and how hard and confusing it is for a Black person in a white community. The book revolves around all that and being proud to be of your skin colour.

Also love Livvy? Like she is a bad bitch. Freaking amazing. Might like her more than Quinn n.ot even gonna lie.

The book was great, fast paced while also engaging. My only issue is the fact that nothing about Matt is said towards the end and I would have loved to know what happened with Matt and Quinn. It was still enjoyable. And I really liked it. 

Rating: 3.75/5 stars 
Started: 01st April 2022
Finished: 02nd April 2022

Tatyana

A young adult romance with a side of relevant issues going on in today's world (cyber bullying, judging, racism). I enjoyed this romance.

Man I’m literally overflowing with love for this book. The racism against black people and how it affects them, not just externally but internally too, was so wonderfully laid out that my eyes kept watering constantly. 

The story follows Quinn and how she forces herself to be someone she’s not, just to adjust in the world where she’s treated differently because of the color of her skin. I loved this book from the beginning till the end. I am someone who says whatever is in my head and can’t imagine doing otherwise so watching Quinn suppress her feelings about her racist ‘friends’ and parents who fight all the time and her grandma who is slowly becoming a stranger, made me so upset. But the way she grew when she became friends with Carter, Livvy and Aude (the only white person acceptable) - people who actually cared about her feelings and made her feel seen that she started fighting back, started righting her wrongs and being honest, I was so proud of her. 

The book follows a main character that slowly starts loving herself and tries to find her own path in this universe. The writing was amazing and so was the plot. I instantly fell in love with the characters, especially Carter (who was a jerk in the beginning) and Livvy (who has become my sole idol in life). But I didn’t like how there was a lack of description for their facial features like tf I had to imagine their faces all blank and shit. Also wtf happened to Matt cause like the author just forgot about him 😭

Monae Reads

I loved this book. 
The relationship dynamics felt so real. Not just the romance, Quinn’s grandmother, her mom and father, her friends, etc. 
I was so proud of her at the end. She was vulnerable and honest about how she not only lied to people around her, but she lied to herself. Self denial is powerful and hard to overcome.

Elena

4/5 stars

I enjoyed this book its not one of those cliche books I mean yes it's a little cliche but I like it because it was a new kind of book I have not read a book like this I mean the characters weren't the best. Amani and Oliva were amazing but I did not fall in love with Carter or Quinn (Queen). Nothing majorly bad I actually liked how much attention it brought to the black community of how some people say racist things without thinking about it and that we should educate ourselves a little more and pay attention to that. Wasn't the most amazing book I have read wasn't the worst I'm kind of in the middle.

Beth Livingston

I would like to thank NetGalley & HarperTeen for an eARC of this book. The main character Quinn likes to write lists in her journal that are her secrets. One day she looses her journal and starts to get blackmailed into doing one of her lists. She teams up with classmate named Carter to help her find the journal and try to find out who is blackmailing her. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was a good read. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tatiana Alvarez 

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not going to lie, the cover drew me in! A YA romance with POC? Sign me up right now please!

Quinn is a senior in high school and an avid list maker. Everything she is, does, or plans to do, goes in the journal. It tells all of her deepest secrets and desires and has been a companion throughout her life. 

However, after Carter, a young black boy who judges Quinn initially for not being black enough, comes to study, they accident switch up journals. Planning on returning it to Quinn the following day, he ends up using it and it is soon found by an unknown party who starts black mailing Quinn to complete things on her list or they will make her journal go live. 

At first, Quinn was sure that Carter was the one that is doing the blackmailing to force her out of her comfort zone, but the more she gets to know Quinn, the more she realizes that she also judged him wrong. They work together to complete the things on her list. Not only that, but Carter also helps Quinn realize she has put up with racism for far too long because she doesn’t believe she was “black enough” to say anything. 

This story also takes place in Austin, Texas, which is where I live! So I loved that connection because I could so picture where they were going. 

Such a cute and fun read, I definitely recommend it to contemporary romance lovers!

Charlee Boone

I loved being able to better understand the perspective of a young black woman. mentions quite a few racial issues and works through them during the book. this felt like a very realistic story. young love cuteness.
plot wise I did guess the antagonist early on which was a bummer. 
as a YA totally fine though. recommended on Instagram just a bit too young for me.

This book had a lot to be amazing but unfortunately it lacked a bit for me. 
My main issue with this book is how childish the main character is, considering she's someone who's about to fo to university. 
It's important the race situation in this book. However, for me, I think everyone is an equal, no matter what color of skin you have. I respect each culture and it was sad to see how certain characters acted in this book - but I like to not compare anyone so a few comparisons throughout the book made me not only uncomfortable but also it's something I couldn't relate just because it's not how I act in my daily life. 
I don't know if it's because I always try to have a great plot twist at the end of a book, but I wanted something more interesting to happen with the journey and the blackmail but it turns out it was so obvious and anticlimactic. 
Carter is a good character, I like him almost all of the time, saving a few exceptions. 
Overall, the writting and a few moments were really nice but I really wanted to throw this book across the room most of the time.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by debut author Joya Goffney is a story of an overly enthusiastic list maker who is blackmailed into completing a to-do list of all her worst fears. It's a heartfelt, tortured, contemporary YA high school romance. Fans of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Kristina Forest's I Wanna Be Where You Are will love the juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page sexual tension. "A hilarious and swoonworthy story." --Kristina Forest, author of Now That I've Found You "A fun, emotionally rich romance with a sweet, imperfect character who will win your heart." --Liara Tamani, author of All the Things We Never Knew Quinn keeps lists of everything--from the days she's ugly cried, to "Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud" and all the boys she'd like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing . . . Then an anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn't know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett--the last known person to have her journal--in a race against time to track down the blackmailer. Together, they journey through everything Quinn's been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Epic Reads Recommended Pick at Target

Jerish Shermaine Goffney

My sister wrote this book so I'm biased, but it's adorable, read it. 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry

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