Blog Tour: What I Like About You

Author: Marisa Kanter Genre: YA Contemporary Release Date: 04.07.20 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Source: Publisher My Rating: 4/5 stars Synopsis: “Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can… but in the real world, it’s more complicated. In this debut novel Marisa Kanter explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes. 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.”

Review:

I have a bookish hangover that only a pile of cupcakes could fix! I really enjoyed reading What I Like About You and it has left me in a pile of feels. I sat down and read this book in practically one sitting, I just couldn’t get enough of it! It’s a cute and quick read full of cupcakes, baking fun, AND the narrator is a book blogger. How cool is that? Up until now I’ve never read a book following the point of view of another teenager who also runs a book blog, and it was a cool experience to do so. I found that I could relate to Halle when it came to managing a blog/online persona which wasn’t something I ever thought I ‘d find in a book! For example, my real first name that I go by in real life isn’t Alexis. I know, shocker. But, it was really cool and refreshing to see a character with similarities to me, like the whole “different name online thing”. I also couldn’t get over the baking! Like, Halle, I love to make cupcakes so seeing her creative process and watching her stress bake was both inspiring and a complete mood. All of the different recipes and baking adventures were fun to read about and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. On top of that the characters were really sweet. I especially loved Halle, as you can tell, and Nash. They were all very well rounded and I enjoyed how the relationships between characters developed. It felt authentic and watching the relationships grow was heart warming. So, overall, I really enjoyed reading this book! It’s very sweet and a lot of fun. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something that’ll give you all the feels, make you wish for an endless supply of cupcakes, and keep you hooked until the final page! Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon and Schuster, for including me on this tour. Opinions are all my own. What I Like About You can be purchased here, or anywhere books are sold!