Sarah  Watson

Most Likely

Sarah Watson

From the creator of the hit TV series The Bold Type comes an empowering and heartfelt novel about a future female president's senior year of high school. Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha (listed in alphabetical order out of fairness) have been friends since kindergarten. Now they're in their senior year, facing their biggest fears about growing up and growing apart. But there's more than just college on the horizon. One of these girls is destined to become the president of the United States. The mystery, of course, is which girl gets the gig. Is it Ava, the picture-perfect artist who's secretly struggling to figure out where she belongs? Or could it be CJ, the one who's got everything figured out...except how to fix her terrible SAT scores? Maybe it's Jordan, the group's resident journalist, who knows she's ready for more than their small Ohio suburb can offer. And don't overlook Martha, who will have to overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of her dreams. This is the story of four best friends who have one another's backs through every new love, breakup, stumble, and success--proving that great friendships can help young women achieve anything...even a seat in the Oval Office.

This was only okay for me. The second half was better than the first. In theory, there was a diverse cast of characters, but they weren't fleshed out well and seemed all the same at the core. I would often forget who was who. In the second half, they suddenly seemed to get personalities and identity, but then it was over before we really got to know them. I did like the ending, but  as a fan of The Bold Type, I must admit that I was disappointed. 

Ashlei Cottom-Moran

Jordan /

Geared more towards teens I think; but was alright! Didn’t make me feel anything.

Sahi K

This book is my most anticipated YA contemporary release of the year because I have been super intrigued with the premise since the first time I read about. I haven’t ever watched Bold Type, but have only heard good things about it and had a feeling that this book would be just as good too. And as soon as I got it from my library, I picked it up on a boring Sunday afternoon when I was feeling sick and it gave me the respite I needed. 

While it’s fascinating to figure out who among the four main characters would end up being the President, and it’s definitely something that was at the back of my mind throughout the novel, that is not what this is about. This story is about four young women who accidentally met at a park when they were children and became friends and it’s the kind of friendship that we all yearn for in our life. Each of them is a flawed individual with their own set of problems, they can be impulsive or scared or make bad decisions, but ultimately they try to support each other at every turn in the best possible way they can. This is some of the best female friendship I have read in a long time and it reminded me of my own girlfriends and that was definitely my favorite part of the book. Though there is an underlying plot and multiple subplots, this book is very much a character study but that’s exactly the kind of books I seem to enjoy these days and it was no different here. If I have any complaints, it’s just that the beginning was quite slow (after the prologue) and it took a while to get me hooked, and the third person POV for all four characters was a bit confusing because I didn’t find the voices distinguishing enough. 

I also loved how many different issues the author managed to include and discuss through the circumstances of the characters, and also how relatable they all felt. The fear of not being smart enough to get into the top choice universities, how to afford to pay for college without financial aid, dealing with depression, questioning of sexuality and how to communicate the same with a parent, handling messy divorces, the anxiety of trying to connect with a birth parent, the drive to do something to save a piece of their childhood that is being sacrificed in the name of progress, the issues with accessibility that still exist despite ADA being law - every reader will find something that appeals to them and it’s all handled with quite a lot of thoughtfulness and sensitivity, so I really commend the author for that. And despite all the issues they are facing, every single one of these characters has the drive to do something more and make a change in society and that’s exactly why I thought each of the girls could be president at different points in the story. 

In the end, I found myself very invested in the lives of these young women and I’m so happy I got to meet them. If you love YA novels with strong female friendship as the main theme - the kind you know will last for decades to come - then this book is perfect for you. It can be a bit slow and very character focused, but I feel it’s worth a read. And I think you all will have fun figuring out who among the four girls would become the future president - props to the author for making me feel that every single one of them was a possibility, while also making it very satisfactory to know where they all actually ended up.

laura

*I got this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really loved how this book focused a on future female president senior year in high school. I loved that we had four strong and very different female characters and really loved seeing all their seniors year and to see how important their friendship was. This book was so diverse and tackled so many various issues that come up on senior year there is also activist element. I will say all these girls grew on me and made me so invested. I also really enjoyed the mystery element of who would be the next presidency and it was book that i really loved and the highlight is def all the experience that were share, friendship and also the mystery!

I'd give it 4 stars but I'm bumping up for great representation that didn't feel like it was trying too hard, especially because there was adoptee representation which I never see so I love this 😍😍

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from the publishing company as well as a physical copy. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Most Likely

Author: Sarah Watson

Book Series: Most Likely Book 1

Rating: 4.5/5

Diversity: LGBTQA+ themes/discovery, depression/mental health rep and discussion of it, disability themes

Publisher: Poppy

Publication Date: March 10, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 15+ (depression, discovering yourself, friendship)

Pages: 384

Amazon Link

Synopsis: From the creator of the hit TV series The Bold Type comes an empowering and heartfelt novel about a future female president's senior year of high school.

Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha (listed in alphabetical order out of fairness) have been friends since kindergarten. Now they're in their senior year, facing their biggest fears about growing up and growing apart. But there's more than just college on the horizon. One of these girls is destined to become the president of the United States. The mystery, of course, is which girl gets the gig.

Is it Ava, the picture-perfect artist who's secretly struggling to figure out where she belongs? Or could it be CJ, the one who's got everything figured out...except how to fix her terrible SAT scores? Maybe it's Jordan, the group's resident journalist, who knows she's ready for more than their small Ohio suburb can offer. And don't overlook Martha, who will have to overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of her dreams.

This is the story of four best friends who have one another's backs through every new love, breakup, stumble, and success--proving that great friendships can help young women achieve anything...even a seat in the Oval Office.

Review: I thought this book did super well with character development! They were so well detailed without bogging down the story! The plot of the story was intriguing and kept me hooked throughout the book and the world building was well done as well. The book was a great example of modern-day issues being well handled in books.

I did feel like the beginning was super slow compared to the rest of the book. The writing style was also nothing remarkable. I also thought it was weird that the presidency was the forefront of this novel, but there was no real build-up to it. The book began with a prologue from the president and the epilogue was from them too, but nothing in-between about it.

Verdict: A well done contemporary!

Lucy

4.5 
So cute! Really loved it! Such a quick read! The four girls are so amazing in their owns ways dealing with life’s struggles. Did not expect that girl to be president. Loved the suspense in a non horrifying way haha. It really kept the momentum of the book alive and paced perfectly.

Most Likely

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