Marisa Kanter

“Heartwarming, endearing, and sure to leave you swooning, What I Like About You shines with authentic characters you will absolutely fall in love with. This story is as sweet as the cupcakes you’ll be craving by the end!” —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can…but in the real world, its more complicated. In this debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, Marisa Kanter hilariously and poignantly explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes. Is it still a love triangle if there are only two people in it? There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash. He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything… Except who she really is. Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash. That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue. Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels. If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

What I Like About You

trixie

the mc was unlikable and i’m always cautious when authors make comments about how “black” a character is, but as a whole, very eliza and her monsters.

Victoria

2.5

I have so many thoughts, I don't even know where to begin. On one hand, Halle is annoying. On the other, I get where she's coming from...sort of.

Oh well.

--

Why is Halle so incredibly and annoyingly stupid????? Somebody please get this girl’s head out of her ass.

Fátima

Una carta de amor a los blogs y la comunidad lectora. Eso es este libro. Booktube, bookstagram, booktwitter... todos hacen su aparición aquí. Si eres parte de esta comunidad lo más probable es que te sientas identificado con alguna de las cosas que aparecen aquí. Las amistades a través de las redes, las lecturas conjuntas, las ferias, el proceso detrás de escribir un blog post, etc. 

That's the problem with words. In my head, words are magic. My thoughts are eloquent and fierce. On the page, words are music. In the clicks of my keyboard, in the scratches of pencil meeting paper. In the beauty of the eraser, of the backspace key. On the page, the words in my head sing and dance with precision of diction and the intricacies of rhythm. 
Out loud? Words are the worst.

Está lleno de referencias, de guiños a la vida lectora y la cultura pop. Incluso habla de la comunidad del YA, y como empiezas a quedar un poco fuera cuando la adolescencia se te está acabando. Habla del menosprecio que se le hace a la literatura juvenil y cómo esta es importante para tanta gente. De autores creando controversia en Twitter. Realmente retrata muy bien la actualidad y estos temas.

I love stories. Figuring out what makes them tick, how the pieces fit together. Seeing people like you fall in love with them. 

En realidad mientras lo estaba leyendo lo estaba disfrutando mucho, pero creo que lo que no me gustó fue el triángulo amoroso de dos. Ya saben, Nash enamorado de Kels y Hal que en realidad son la misma persona solo que el primero es su seudónimo para internet y el segundo su nombre real. No me lo creí, siento que él estaba enamorado de Kels y ya, se quedó con Hal porque pensaba que Kels lo había ghosteado pero realmente no estaba interesado en ella de esa manera. Incluso se nota cuando le miente a Hal para ir a ver el panel de Kels en la bookcon porque claro, él no sabe que son la misma. No sé, no me gustó esa relación. La sentí muy forzada. Por otra parte, tampoco me gusta que la autora metió un montón de tramas y detalles a los que luego no les dio continuidad. ¿Qué pasó con el documental de los padres de Hal? ¿Qué pasó con Ollie, su hermano? ¿de qué se trataba aquella afición que tenía a las cámaras por ejemplo? Lo hizo ver cómo que podría descubrir una nueva pasión y no fue así. Y tantas cosas que simplemente lo arruinaron un poco para mí. 

Sin embargo, el sentimiento positivo prevalece. Me gustó mucho este libro.

Debbi

3.5 💫 – I know there are mixed reviews for this book but I kind of like it. I love the characters a lot but I wished there was more romance? Also, the ending felt too rushed. 💔 The author could have elaborated on Nash and Halle/Kels’s future together.

Mitten ins Herz

Josephine 

Courtney ✿ @librarycutie

okay, it’s taken me so long to read this but finally—i have! i had to listen to the second half on audio because i just couldn’t get into it as much as i wanted. firstly, i loved that this is about book bloggers and the community that i’m so familiar with and in love with, it felt so comforting reading about it and understanding it. but, what i didn’t like was how halle/kels went about her identity and hiding it. i just couldn’t respect her, despite her reasoning. she was keeping this secret from someone close to her that she knew and i didn’t feel bad for her. i understand wanting to have a pen name or keeping yourself a bit of a secret from the internet because it can be scary having your whole self out there for people to see and judge. hallie’s reasons was a bit different, she had a popular family member(s) and didn’t want that to sway anyone from her passion from reading—but still. she was ghosting people who was supposed to be her friends, just ignoring them because things were getting too real and she didn’t want to deal with it so she though she could just put her second life on hiatus. not cool. i enjoyed the premise—one true pastry being a book blogger and all that excitement and wanting to do something more with it and more professional and dealing with the drama, but i didn’t like the main character, i couldn’t get on board with how she treated people.

Sofie

If words weren’t the absolute worst, I’d say, Nash, It’s me.

I don’t know how to explain it so it makes sense. Nash. It’s me, Kels. We were just talking about how I’ve never seen Lord of the Rings and oh, by the way, I got the cover reveal! I’m Kels—except I’m not Kels, I’m Halle. But … you can call me Kels. Though everyone else will probably call me Halle, so that could get weird. But yeah! Wow! Hi!

It would be a catastrophe. I would be a catastrophe.

I don't have much to say about this one. Another mid-pack YA novel. I probably shouldn't have read this so soon after reading Happy Messy Scary Love, which is virtually the same book: girl meets her online pen-pal in person by sheer coincidence, decides not to tell him for some wacky, unbelievable reason, the pair start seeing each other in real life and just when the girl gets up the courage to tell the guy the truth, he figures it out on his own. At least in What I Like About You, Nash (view spoiler)[stays mad for a more reasonable amount of time (hide spoiler)].

What is happening to this trope?? I LOVE secret-pen-pals-who-meet-IRL-and-fall-for-each-other, but there's something so insidious about one of the characters knowing the other is their pen-pal and not saying anything. I get that Halle's anxiety made her scared to tell him, scared she wouldn't measure up to her online personality, but really. It just didn't sit right with me. Also, this book could have been way shorter.

Ollie was the best part of the book and we barely saw him. We stan healthy brother-sister relationships!!

If you're looking for a good pen-pals book, I recommend Letters to the Lost instead.

Not my cup of tea.

Rebecca Browne

”I kinda fell in love with you twice, Halle Levitt. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

It was just the right amount of sappy and cuteness and reading a YA about YA bloggers and cupcakes and it was just.. ugh cuteness overload

Gabriel Noel 

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review

[2.5 Stars]
So, What I Like About You was something I thought I was going to fall in love with as soon as I got it. The plot had the makings and structure of something great but in the end felt hollow and emotionless. Halle's character was fairly unlikeable until the end and it made my interest fade very quickly. I had no connection or interest in most of the characters. I kept wanting to know more about any of them but the information never came. 

Some of the things that were done well in this book were the diverse rep on jewish teens and how people of all ages deal with grief and loss. I was impressed with the way Halle, Ollie, and their grandfather all dealt differently with the loss of the grandmother. It felt real and raw and organic.

Something that rubbed me wrong was the way Kanter wrote the internet bits. I found it glorified "cancel culture" without talking about the repercussions of jumping to conclusions about people on the internet. This is especially important since this book is written for teens who are often on the internet and are not always privy to checking sources or looking for the real facts rather than listening to hearsay. 

Overall this isn't a book I would jump up and recommend right away but not something I'd outright dismiss.

Aleena Korell

Caitlyn DeRouin

4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so invested in these characters and their stories. I just loved it. It definitely is making me think about starting up my bookstagram again 😂

I can't believe this is Marisa Kanter's debut novel, I'll definitely be picking up anything she writes!

laura

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

Overall I loved the concept of this novel so much. As book lover and someone involved in the world of books, reviews and supporting books that part of the book I adored. I thought that part was so true to my own life and really loved that part of the book. I also really loved the used of emailing and social media as a source of friendship and communication. I also really liked how Marisa explored how her main character tackled anxiety. I thought this book was super fast pace read. It is def a book I would re-read again in the future. I loved how this book also talked about the book industry in a honest way. I thought some elements of the books were not wrapped up nicely as I would like and also thought this book had some predicable moments but overall I loved this read. If you are booklover, this might be the perfect read for you and the romance was so cute overall but online and off!!

Alice

Alexis 

4.5/5 Stars 

* I was. Provided an E-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

This was everything I needed it to be. It was cute, it had heart, and was kinda relatable. This book deals with friendships in real life vs social media. I loved that it was bookish related, I think that made me connect to the characters a bit more. I do wish the romance was just a bit more, and I feel like the ending wrapped up supper quick that it kinda felt a bit off. I also really loved the family dynamic with the main character. It was incredibly realistic. Overall it was a super easy and very quick read. I read it all in one sitting and didn't even realize I finished it unit I hit the last few pages. I completely recommend this book!

Silvana Ruiz

** spoiler alert **
           This was a really light and fun book to read. I loved Halle’s relationship with her brother, who is really mature for a 15 year old and how he sometimes takes the roll of an older brother even if he is younger than Halle. Also, gramps growth throughout the book was amazing, seeing how he went from not being -there- to actually take care of himself and build a beautiful relationship with his grand children.

Now, what I didn’t like was how Halle’s knew right from that start that Nash was -her- Nash and how she had a million opportunities to tell him but always chose to stay quite. I do understand why she didn’t tell him right away, but as the book continued it felt really forced and dragged out.

Heather Harrington

**I received a copy of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Halle Levitt lives two lives: one is her usual life as the daughter of two well known documentary directors, and the other is as a popular YA book blogger and cupcake baker named Kels. Kels is everything that Halle isn't: she's confident, outspoken and everyone like her, but the one thing Halle enjoys the most about being Kels is her online best friend, Nash, a talented graphic artist who loves books almost as much as she does. The pair have spent years getting to know one another online, but have never met. Until Halle and her younger brother move in with their grandfather, who just so happens to live in the same small town as Nash.

After a chance meeting at the library, Halle can't bring herself to tell Nash who she really is. Things get even more complicated once she and Nash make a real life connection. As their relationship grows and blossoms into something more, Halle must face her fears and tell Nash who she really is. But what if he doesn't feel for Halle what he feels for Kels?

The whole premise of this sounded cute, but it was a little too juvenile for me. I didn't really love or connect with Kanter's writing style. I'm not a huge fan of using internet lingo in dialogue, so whenever a character used "AF" or "IRL" in conversation just made me cringe. Aside from that, I also found the story line a bit too predictable, so there was nothing that really surprised me. I think maybe if I were a little younger, I would've liked this a bit better, but it just wasn't for me.

Mehrin Rahman 

A book about books and book bloggers? You got me. And the book cover inspired cupcakes were the icing on the top.
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Halle has a confident online personality, Kels, a YA book blogger who makes books inspired cupcakes in oppose to her shy, awkward self. Her world is pretty much shaken up when she moves in with her gramps and runs into Nash, her online best friend who has no idea who she really is.
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This is one of those stories in which from the get go as the reader you know it's a bad idea for the main character to hide her true identity from her potential love interest but you just have to roll with it and hope things will work out in the end.
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It’s full of swoony romance, cupcakes, diverse characters and deals with grief, family, friendship and so much more. Also did I mention cupcakes? Who wouldn’t want yummy book inspired cupcakes! Seriously every time read about it all I could think about was cupcakes. I wanted to bake cupcakes. Eat cupcakes. Breathe cupcakes.
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I loved all the characters. They were so wholesome. Nash is definitely a cinnamon roll. And I really loved how close Halle was with her brother Ollie. Not only that, all the relationship dynamics were handled beautifully. The writing was so beautiful and the feelings described there was on point. As a book blogger, I related big time; I felt personally attacked with every turn of the page.
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“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙄𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙, 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘. 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚. 𝙊𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘. 𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙠𝙚𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧. 𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙧, 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙮. 𝙊𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙝𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙢.
𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙? 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩.”
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What I liked most is that the author portrayed the essence of being a book reviewer and book lover perfectly: the obsession over cover reveals, the joy of receiving arcs, all the creativity in running a huge platform. It was amazing. Period.
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“𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚.”
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It’s a love letter to YA and all teen readers out there. Fans of Ps. I Like You and Moment of Truth by Kasie West will definitely love this.
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Grace Christensen 

Before I get into my review, this has to be said. YA Authors: please stop using internet slang in your books. "It's lit", "AF", "Mood", etc. It really detracts from the voice of the story. It's jarring and unnatural. I say things like that in real life all the time, but it doesn't translate to writing. It also dates your books. In months, your book will sound weird and out of touch. 

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. It was straight-up adorable. The characters were cute and lovable, the plot was interesting, and the various relationships were complex and realistic. I thought it was really well done. 

I especially liked how the main characters were nerds, but not nerdy. A lot of YA books have a main character that's nerdy and quirky for the sake of being nerdy and quirky. They're one-dimensional and annoying. Halle and Nash, however, were still nerdy and awkward, but that's not all they were. It didn't feel forced, they felt like people. There was never a point where Halle said something mean about a pretty/popular girl just because she's nOt LiKe OthER GiRLs (that's a major pet peeve for me). I do wish that we would've seen more about each character's personalities, what they like or don't like, how they interact with people who aren't Halle, etc. But I can't see how that would've fit into the storyline, so I won't hold it against it. 

Another thing I really liked about this particular story was how they handled LGBT+ characters. I personally am not a part of the LGBT community, so I don't feel I have any authority to talk about how it handled the issues. But as a reader, I liked how it wasn't forced or awkward. A lot of times in similar stories, I've felt that authors throw in a queer character because it's the right thing to do. They usually end up tossing out the fact that they're lesbian, or gay, or bi, but they never really affect the story. In What I Like About You, however, Halle talks with her brother about his sexuality. It actually affects the storyline, but it also doesn't make a huge deal out of the fact he's gay. I thought it was a nice addition to an already sweet story, but I'd like to here from someone who is LGBT+ to see what they thought about it. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to friends or fellow YA romance readers. I already know it's going to be one I read again in the future.

Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can…but in the real world, its more complicated. In this debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, Marisa Kanter hilariously and poignantly explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes. Is it still a love triangle if there are only two people in it? There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash. He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything… Except who she really is. Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash. That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue. Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels. If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

Lillian Trickey 

Loved this story so much. It was sweet yet infuriating. So many times did I close the book and scream at Halle (and Nash sometimes)!

Pippa 

Omg was für ein süßes Buch! 
Idh habe es total geliebt.
Ich konnte mich sehr gut in Halle hineinversetzen da sie auch eine Buchbloggerin ist, so wie ich. Ich habe noch nicht oft Bücher gelesen wo die Protagonistin das gleiche macht wie ich.
Am Anfang dachte ich, dass Halles einziges Ziel mehr Follower, mehr Aufmerksamkeit und Reichweite war und fand es unsympathisch, dass sie nicht sie selbst war, aber im Laufe des Buches konnte ich ihre Gründe nachvollziehen.
Die Beziehung zwischen Ollie und Halle hat mir auch mega gut gefallen. Geschwisterliebe ist einfach ein anderes Level.
Auch gefallen hat mir wie sich Halles Bild von Freundschaft sich im Laufe der Geschichte verändert hat. Generell hat Halle eine tolle Entwicklung durchgemacht, die sie wirklich authentisch und sympathisch gemacht hat.

Geneviève Rouleau

"I solemnly swear that your cupcake is so moist. The moistest, dare I say."

"Moist is the grossest word on the planet and he knows it." 😂😂😂😂

I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the book-related social media aspect, it was at the same time familiar and new to me, since I'm not on Twitter. I love how this is about the importance of YA (and it's definitely not less important because the target audience are teens!) and that the "social media you" isn't cooler/better than the "in real-life you". Also, CUPCAKES.

I definitely recommend the audiobook 👌

What I Like About You

Reviews