A review by melbsreads
Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending by Jodi McAlister

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Trigger warnings: mental health, grief, death of a sibling (in the past), emotional abuse, stalking, vomit

If I had to describe this book in a single word, it would be MESSY. And that honestly sums up the undergraduate experience. Like, if you get through undergrad without being a mess, you're doing undergrad wrong (and I say that as someone who didn't drink or date or generally spend time with people during undergrad, and I was still messy as hell). 

As someone who was obsessed with the In Death series in my early 20s, I found myself giggling every time Roarke was on the page. And the dynamic between Will and Libby reminded me a little of Saving Francesca. I did want a LITTLE more of the friendship between Libby and Ella. Like, we know that they've been best friends since childhood, but it felt a lot like this year and this book is when their friendship starts to change, and I wanted a liiiiiiiittle more of them finding their footing again. 

Anyway, I had a lot of fun reading this, although I don't entirely think I would agree that it's a YA title...