A review by stephanieluxton
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I didn't have high expectations for this book because I don't really read YA fiction much these days but I ended up really enjoying it! The plot was whatever, but the characters were really excellent. We have our relatable flawed protagonist who's on apathy to discover who she is as a young woman. Her character arc and relationships with other characters, especially her grandmother and Olivia felt really wholesome to me. I loved Carter's character because he was super imperfect and felt real. He's interesting because he has his own things going on and doesn't exist just to be a heart throb. His entire personality isn't built around being a love interest and I appreciated that. Almost every character in this book has a satisfying character arc and changes by the time we get to the end. Even the smaller characters learn things throughout the ride. Also I liked that the author touched on race and class related struggles without getting ridiculously political. Overall, it was definitely worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Alcohol

Minor: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Classism

It's a YA adult so nothing crazy or explicit happens. There's some obvious bullying as the MC is being blackmailed by someone who's threatening to reveal secrets from her stolen journal. There's themes regarding what it's like to be the only black person growing up in an upper class white area so a bit of classism and racism is discussed as the MC is figuring out how her race co tributes to her identity. There's a scene were a bunch of teens get drunk.