Technically, You Started It

Technically, You Started It

A hilarious, snarky, and utterly addicting #ownvoices debut that explores friendship, sexual orientation, mental health, and falling in love (even if things might be falling apart around you).
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Reviews

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menna@midnightcoffee
3 stars
Jan 31, 2023

wishing I could have someone to talk to like they talk to each other

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Fátima@fabooklover
5 stars
Sep 21, 2022

Este libro me recordó a mi época de ávida lectora de Wattpad, allá por el 2014 o 2015, porque allí es bastante común encontrar historias narradas exclusivamente a través de mensajes de texto. Tal vez las cinco estrellas que le di, no sean del todo objetivas. Pero disfruté mucho la historia y en cierta forma me hizo feliz así que quise dárselas. Me identifiqué mucho con la protagonista. Además, la relación (tanto de amistad como romántica) que se forma entre ambos personajes es la cosa más bonita. Sin mencionar que me reí y me morí de ternura (todavía no supero la forma en la que Martin se le declaró, ¿okay? okay). Y te amo Martin, por ser tan fan de los gif como yo. Haley es demisexual y de hecho la representación de este tema se me hizo muy buena y acertada. Además, es muy poco común encontrar un personaje que se identifique como tal, la única otra vez que leí a alguno fue Aled de Radio Silence, así que si tienen alguna recomendación de similares estaría muy agradecida porque de verdad me hace mucha falta leer más personajes así. Por otra parte, Martin es bisexual así que nos encontramos frente a un libro diverso, donde ambos personajes están tratando de hallarse a sí mismos y descubrirse, tratar de ponerle un nombre a lo que sienten y encontrar su lugar. Good night, Martin, who potentially likes anybody. Good night, Haley, who only likes people if they really deserve it. Soy muy fan de la forma en la que inicia todo este cuento, ya saben que uno de mis clichés favoritos es el hecho de que se comuniquen por mensajes o cartas en lugar de conocerse en persona. Además, todo el asunto de la confusión porque el primo de Martin se llama EXACTAMENTE IGUAL a él y por ende Haley no sabía con cuál de los dos estaba hablando realmente, me tenía muy entretenida y la forma en la que se da cuenta de sus sentimientos hacia Martin fue encantadora porque ella cree que está desarrollando sentimientos por ambos, aunque no es el caso y la confusión se me hizo adorable. Me encantó el sentido del humor, el intercambio y la interacción. Además, soy muy fan de que se toquen temas importantes así que vale la pena mencionar que también se trata la ansiedad. Frases que eran literalmente yo: I'm not used to people actually listening to me. Or remembering all the stuff I say. * EVERYONE I've liked hasn't liked me back. I've never managed to like anyone who COULD like me back. If I can like the wrong person at the wrong time, that's the only person I'll like. And I can never tell anyone because it's way too late and everything about it is wrong. I can screw up any chance at a relationship. It kinda comes with being me. -What do you mean? I'm freak out. You've seen it. I can make anything awkward. I like everything too much. I know more than any human should about things no one cares about. I barely speak aloud. Even my friends don't want to spend time with me. * You were so quiet so I thought you were shy. Like catatonic. But I could tell you were paying attention to everything. Like all the time. It's intimidating. * Yet you worry about imaginary people kissing. * -But you like people? -I mean, yeah. I LIKE tons of people, but it's kind of always too late to do anything about it. Even if they may have liked me at first, they get the sister vibe and don't want anything else. * It's not like I hadn't wanted to kiss someone before. But it's never been the right person at the right time. * It would have been so much easier to want things the way everyone else does. -But you only made yourself miserable. I get it. * I don't like MOST guys right away. I don't like most at all. * There's got to be this thing Oh, yeah, I get it, Like a spark. But, ugh, I hate that term, you know, just like someone flipped a switch. Like I'm just going alone and realize I can see one person differently. And once it's there... it's way bigger than the other kind of liking someone. * But I don't get that feeling everyone else describes as love or even lust until I've really gotten to know someone. So I let imaginary characters have crushes fo me. -Hence all the reading. Exactly! * I usually feel lonelier around more people. It goes with being the quiet one. * this really you or another celebrity crush cosplay update?

Photo of Elisa Bieg
Elisa Bieg@bookishexpat
4 stars
Aug 26, 2022

What an absolutely adorable book. Told entirely in text message form, this includes a meet-cute, misunderstanding, a hint of enemy-to-lovers (one-sides at least), some geeky goodness, and some really fun banter. It has helped me a ton in my efforts to snap out of a book slump and it was really fun and refreshing, so I’m rounding up my rating to 4 STARS and recommending you give it a go if you need something, light, fun, and easy to follow to lift your spirits or get your out of a funk!

Photo of Dee B.
Dee B. @deeisreading
4 stars
Aug 19, 2022

Aw. That was cute. Haley is so oblivious it hurts 😅😅😅

Photo of Zahia Saeed
Zahia Saeed @zahiawrites
3 stars
Aug 15, 2022

This was fun because I pretended I snuck into someone's phone and was reading their messages.

Photo of Roz
Roz@irasobrietate
4 stars
Mar 27, 2022

I just really love stories in unconventional epistolary formats where you get as much information from the absences as you do from what's actually told. Was it 100% believable that all their conversations happened over text, especially at the end when everything is getting cleared up? Of course not. But it's still a ton of fun to read and a super interesting concept. I had a super good time reading this and seeing Haley work out her demisexuality on page was absolutely amazing. Absolutely recommend picking this one up.

Photo of Candyce Kirk
Candyce Kirk@thebookdutchesses
3 stars
Dec 9, 2021

Cute story! Full review to follow soon!

Photo of Alice
Alice@chatspirates
4 stars
Nov 17, 2021

4.5

Photo of Nathalie Matsuda
Nathalie Matsuda@coffeepensandpaper
5 stars
Nov 17, 2021

this was so cute and funny and my inner teenager is very satisfied right now

Photo of Lena
Lena@sunnielena
4 stars
Nov 16, 2021

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for review. This is how you do a book featuring a bisexual character without making that the entire plot. This is how you do a nerdy character without overloading the reader with references and aging the book instantly. This is how you do a fun light read! This is how you do a book of teens texting! I loved that the only person to use "U" "R" was a mum trying her gosh darn best. If you're in the mood for just a fun time give this a try!

Photo of Clara hash
Clara hash@clarahash
4 stars
Nov 7, 2021

this was 100% cute.

Photo of B. K.
B. K.@bk
4 stars
Oct 29, 2021

4 stars. Sweet. Adorable. Loved the text-conversation format. Read for The Reading Rush 2019 (Challenge #4: Read an author's first book).

Photo of Angie
Angie@1bookthief_99
5 stars
Oct 19, 2021

So sweet. I loved it 😍😍😍

Photo of Tera West
Tera West@teraxwest
1 star
Oct 19, 2021

This book made me sad. Not because of what happened in it, but because of what didn’t. It really does have a lot of potential, it could have been a 5 star, but it just wasn’t. There was more drama than necessary between the female main character and the female side characters. So much that I actually lost track of who was the bad guy, all with in a 5 hr audiobook. Also the main conflict was blown way out of proportion and could have been fixed way before it was even addressed. I wanted to love this book so bad but it honestly just sucked.

Photo of Tiffany Engler
Tiffany Engler@tiffanygiovino
5 stars
Oct 17, 2021

I really enjoyed this book. It's not a book I thought I would enjoy due to it's format. If anything, it's made me want to pick up more books like this! It did it so well. I loved Haley and Martin. They fit together. They're soul mates. For sure. I want more! Read my full review here: https://mybookishfantasy.com/2019/10/...

Photo of Becca Futrell
Becca Futrell@astoldbybex
3 stars
Oct 5, 2021

On one hand, this story was so CUTE & I got my way in the end. However, there were times when I just couldn’t dig it??? I don’t think books that take place ENTIRELY in text messages are for me.

Photo of Dominika
Dominika@mimis_readss
3 stars
Sep 13, 2023
Photo of Crystal L
Crystal L@umcrystal
5 stars
May 2, 2023
Photo of Emily N
Emily N@emnieves
4 stars
Nov 19, 2022
Photo of Courtney
Courtney @readitandweep
2 stars
Aug 26, 2022
Photo of Kelli Grafton
Kelli Grafton@kel_graf
4 stars
Aug 21, 2022
Photo of arwa
arwa @arwareads
4 stars
Aug 12, 2022
Photo of Sara S
Sara S@redgileon
4 stars
Jun 11, 2022
Photo of Amanda Kordeliski
Amanda Kordeliski@akordeliski
3 stars
Mar 9, 2022

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