Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
- Downloads：8307
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-26 07:19:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Joya Goffney
- ISBN：0063024799
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Claudia Gomez Lucas
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ME ENCANTA ES UN PEDAZO LIBRO
Liz
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Kinda predictable but still a cute story with a great message。 Found Quinn's character very sympathetic and relatable too and thought she had a great romance with Carter and friendship with Olivia。 Kinda predictable but still a cute story with a great message。 Found Quinn's character very sympathetic and relatable too and thought she had a great romance with Carter and friendship with Olivia。 。。。more
shybookstagramer （Becca）
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I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did， but I’m so glad I did。 This novel was a fantastic read。 The characters were well written and felt real with their flaws and struggles。 They all had growth by the end of the story， which is very impressive and hard to pull off。 There was so much in this novel， from facing your fears to falling in love to dealing with racism。 I thought the author dealt with all these topics very well especially talking about race and racism between peers。 I highl I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did， but I’m so glad I did。 This novel was a fantastic read。 The characters were well written and felt real with their flaws and struggles。 They all had growth by the end of the story， which is very impressive and hard to pull off。 There was so much in this novel， from facing your fears to falling in love to dealing with racism。 I thought the author dealt with all these topics very well especially talking about race and racism between peers。 I highly recommend this to everyone it’s a beautiful story that’s cute and fun while also dealing with difficult topics in an appropriate manner and it’s led by an amazing cast of well rounded characters。 。。。more
Maddison Davies
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Really brill YA book！Follows basic YA storyline of secrets and falling in love， while tackling issues of causal racism and the next step in your life！
Ezinwanyi Chinyere
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This was a high school bully story based in Austin Texas where I went to college。 I was very invested in this story as I understood Quinn’s plight trying to meet her successful parents high standards。 I like the idea of the diary as a way to manage her feelings。 When the diary goes missing， Quinn blames her classmate Carter was behind the theft of her diary。 What’s worse is the thief has decided to blackmail her with the contents of her diary。How can one navigate high school， stress of applying This was a high school bully story based in Austin Texas where I went to college。 I was very invested in this story as I understood Quinn’s plight trying to meet her successful parents high standards。 I like the idea of the diary as a way to manage her feelings。 When the diary goes missing， Quinn blames her classmate Carter was behind the theft of her diary。 What’s worse is the thief has decided to blackmail her with the contents of her diary。How can one navigate high school， stress of applying to college， and crush with a blackmailer？This one was well written， and I felt the emotional stress she was under。 I also loved the slow progression of her relationship with Carter。 A lot of lessons to learn in this one。 。。。more
Jessica
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3。5 starsThis was nice。 Seriously， though， don't write your secrets down。 All of them！ In one notebook！ That could ruin your entire life！ I almost didn't read the book because it's so hard for me to suspend disbelief。 Under lock and key， maybe， but this was too easily lost。 3。5 starsThis was nice。 Seriously， though， don't write your secrets down。 All of them！ In one notebook！ That could ruin your entire life！ I almost didn't read the book because it's so hard for me to suspend disbelief。 Under lock and key， maybe， but this was too easily lost。 。。。more
KK
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This has got to be my favorite book that I’ve read this year！ There were moments when I was so excited and moments when I wanted to punch some of the characters。 It was amazing going along the journey of Quinn and getting to see her grow and redefine herself。 Can’t wait for other books by Joya Goffney :）
ale ♡
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uhm， excuse me， but this book looks pretty amazing！！
Agent_bugs
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Very cute， definitely recommend <3
Dani Elle
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Excuse me while I smile uncontrollablyI absolutely loved this story of family， friendship， growth， facing fears and making the hard decisions。 The main character is straddling so many fences in her life t she's bound to fall off soon。 The characters and subject matter were intriguing and timely。 Great story！！！ Excuse me while I smile uncontrollablyI absolutely loved this story of family， friendship， growth， facing fears and making the hard decisions。 The main character is straddling so many fences in her life t she's bound to fall off soon。 The characters and subject matter were intriguing and timely。 Great story！！！ 。。。more
Jessica
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Cute。 Some good discussion about racial appropriation and stereotypes。
Krystal Barnes
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I Feel bad for Quinn because I have been the only black girl in class and school and have been afraid to speak up against racism not afraid to stand up but how it would be received。 However， when backed in a corner it always comes across as pent up anger。 I feel like Carter is brass but he is truthful and very realistic with Quinn。Quinn got the infamous speech that you have to work twice as hard with skin as dark as ours。As a black person raised in the suburbs or raised in an all white school ho I Feel bad for Quinn because I have been the only black girl in class and school and have been afraid to speak up against racism not afraid to stand up but how it would be received。 However， when backed in a corner it always comes across as pent up anger。 I feel like Carter is brass but he is truthful and very realistic with Quinn。Quinn got the infamous speech that you have to work twice as hard with skin as dark as ours。As a black person raised in the suburbs or raised in an all white school how many times have you gone in an all black establishment and felt out of place？When you get high up in life as a black person do you begin to hate the skin you are in？Stereotypes can change a person and can change you negatively。 As Carter stated， they changed how he dressed， the way he acted， and who he hung out with。 It can even have a negative impact by changing your grades if you allow it to。Journaling to get all your feelings out so that you never have to talk about them。So basically Quinn let Gia and Destany degrade her and downplay the fact that she is black in front of a group of white kids because she is known for not standing up for herself and black issues。I love how Quinn loves Hattie and relives all of the stories。 It makes me long for my grandmother。 What I wouldn’t do to have my grandmother sitting in her living room every weekend or sleeping in her bed right up under her。 The scene with her at the nursing home with Hattie is so sad。 “ Don’t you fear， I’m right here。” Hattie was always too big for outdoors and I feel that way about my grandmother。We can live so much in fear that we can miss out on life。Maybe the only thing one needs to remember is your name， who you love， and what you love about life。You know I say it all the time of racist friends and especially of the ones that I have since the Trump era that they try to be color blind and not see me as black。 But you cannot deny the color of my skin。 I am Black and I am Proud！！ 。。。more
Karla
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Oh my。 This is it; this is the peak of my reading experience and nothing will top this book。 Am I being overly dramatic？ Yes， but it’s true。This book is wonderful。 This is one of the cases where my review will not do this book justice。 It’s always harder to write a review for a book where I could not find a single flaw。This was the story of a girl finding and loving herself。 Coming to terms with who she is and it was nothing short of beautiful。I related to Quinn in so many ways and I loved how s Oh my。 This is it; this is the peak of my reading experience and nothing will top this book。 Am I being overly dramatic？ Yes， but it’s true。This book is wonderful。 This is one of the cases where my review will not do this book justice。 It’s always harder to write a review for a book where I could not find a single flaw。This was the story of a girl finding and loving herself。 Coming to terms with who she is and it was nothing short of beautiful。I related to Quinn in so many ways and I loved how she came into her “blackness”。 She is often called an Oreo: black on the outside and white on the inside。 Well people used to call me a bounty （you know the chocolate treat？） which conveys the same idea。 The author captured perfectly the struggle that is growing up in a predominantly white area where your peers forget your blackness or rather: erase it; they’re colorblind。 And I loved the whole discussion on colorblindness。 As my friend Rae says “if you’re colorblind， you’ll miss the rainbow”。 And truer words have never been spoken。 So that is why I LOVED reading about Quinn’s journey and seeing her embrace her identity。 That journey was also possible because she decided to be brave。 She was blackmailed into crossing off items from her secret to-do list or her deepest and darkest secrets would be revealed。 Some were， but she was brave and did it all。 I loved every single moment when she felt insecure， inadequate。 She had a real and honest voice and I really appreciated that。 She is far from perfect but she tried to be better and that was beautiful。 Her journey was even better with the friends she made along the way。 Forgiveness played an important part in the story （forgiving others， forgiving yourself and being forgiven）。 And on that subject， without spoilers I just want to say how much I loved Olivia。 This book has so many different layers and touches so many topics: friendship， family， wealth， health race but still keeps that light YA contemporary feeling that I love。 It had a perfect balance。 There were some cute moments with Carter’s sister and some laugh out loud ones。 And of course the ROMANCE played a huge part into my love of this story。 One word: swoon。 Carter Bennet I wish I had met you in high school and I am so glad Quinn got to experience and fall in love with such a wonderful human being。 This book was already great in terms of character development and plot but the romance was just the finishing touch that made me give this book five stars。 Do yourself a favor and read this important， light and beautiful book！ 。。。more
Sarah R
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Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for the free copy！
Lorena
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YES YES YES rtc
Kanmani
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I can’t with these perfect book boys
Paola
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I'm a big fan of the enemy-to-lover trope and a certified ugly crier and list addict， so this was an absolute delight to read。 A perfect mix of sweet moments and tough scenes， humour and emotional depth。 And the sizzling chemistry between Quinn and Carter was *chef's kiss* I'm a big fan of the enemy-to-lover trope and a certified ugly crier and list addict， so this was an absolute delight to read。 A perfect mix of sweet moments and tough scenes， humour and emotional depth。 And the sizzling chemistry between Quinn and Carter was *chef's kiss* 。。。more
Caitlin
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This book was everything。 An instant new favourite。 Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was on my list of anticipated books for 2021 as soon as I saw the beautiful cover， so I was super excited to pick it up。 Not only did it not disappoint， it exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t put it down。The plot is super engaging and the use of lists throughout to show the thought processes of the main character， Quinn， makes for a really entertaining addition。I loved Quinn and how complex she is。 The conversatio This book was everything。 An instant new favourite。 Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was on my list of anticipated books for 2021 as soon as I saw the beautiful cover， so I was super excited to pick it up。 Not only did it not disappoint， it exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t put it down。The plot is super engaging and the use of lists throughout to show the thought processes of the main character， Quinn， makes for a really entertaining addition。I loved Quinn and how complex she is。 The conversations surrounding her race and how she is seen by others and also the way she sees herself were really important。 Goffney examines stereotypes and how not fitting into one can be just as harmful as fitting into one due to the way that this can lead people to be treated by ignorant peers。 The romance in this book was so well written。 The chemistry between Quinn and Carter was electric right from the outset and I loved the journey they took together emotionally。The actual journeys were just as entertaining too。 I loved the dynamic between Quinn， Carter， Olivia and Auden and really enjoyed reading about their adventures。 I wish I had a best friend like Olivia， honestly。 This book was incredible from start to finish and leaves the reader wanting to push themselves and not let fear hold them back。 It makes you want to do all of the things you’ve been too afraid to。 It’s heartfelt， inspiring and so much fun！ The romance and friendships are to die for。 The only question I’m left with is when is it too soon to reread？ I can’t get these characters out of my head！ What a perfect debut novel！ 。。。more
smalltownbookmom
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This is a wonderfully vulnerable coming of age story featuring Quinn， one of the few Black teens in her Texas high school who deals with micro （and not so micro） aggressions from her white peers daily。 She loves making lists in her journal about all her secret feelings， fears and the lies she's told her friends and family。 When the journal goes missing and ends up in the hands of a blackmailer， Quinn has to face up to all the things she hasn't been brave enough to tell the people she loves。 I RE This is a wonderfully vulnerable coming of age story featuring Quinn， one of the few Black teens in her Texas high school who deals with micro （and not so micro） aggressions from her white peers daily。 She loves making lists in her journal about all her secret feelings， fears and the lies she's told her friends and family。 When the journal goes missing and ends up in the hands of a blackmailer， Quinn has to face up to all the things she hasn't been brave enough to tell the people she loves。 I REALLY enjoyed this one。 It's got some heavier moments dealing with race and racism but Joya Goffney does such a great job exploring the challenges facing Black teens today。 Highly recommend， especially for list-loving people and fans of Happily ever afters and The hate u give。Favorite quotes:"Speaking out against racism when you're the only Black kid in class seems like a bad idea to me。""I believe there comes a time when you have to learn what it means to have our skin。 It's like an awakening。""Fear is dangerous。 Fear kills Black men。""I want you to be able to celebrate our differences。 I need you to be aware that our differences will get us different outcomes in life。 That I need you to know that just because I don't fit into your stereotypes that doesn't mean I'm any less Black。""I wish I didn't have to have this conversation with you。 It's exhausting。""Our relationship has always been laced with toxicity but if I don't give myself this chance to explain my pain then it will always be that way and I'm so done with letting pain take the wheel。 Now， it's time to let love drive。" 。。。more
Jessica
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3。5 Super fun YA summer read。 PG13
Serge Metellus
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First book I've read in a whileAnd it did not disappoint！！！ I love it so much and I could barely put the book down。 I love that I couldn't guess what would happen next。 Must read。 Someone call Netflix because this needs to be made into a movie。 First book I've read in a whileAnd it did not disappoint！！！ I love it so much and I could barely put the book down。 I love that I couldn't guess what would happen next。 Must read。 Someone call Netflix because this needs to be made into a movie。 。。。more
Tia
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3。5🌟This was super cute！！ Quinn was a great protagonist and her lists were fun to read haha。 I loved Carter as a love interest， he was super sweet and understanding， what a dream man。I really liked Quinn's friendship with Livvy， it was nice to see her have a friend who she could truly be herself with 🥺️ also Livvy was funny as hell lmaooo， I adored her。 Quinn's relationship with her grandma was also so wholesome， I cried over them:'））I loved the discussions and challenging of racism， how Quinn f 3。5🌟This was super cute！！ Quinn was a great protagonist and her lists were fun to read haha。 I loved Carter as a love interest， he was super sweet and understanding， what a dream man。I really liked Quinn's friendship with Livvy， it was nice to see her have a friend who she could truly be herself with 🥺️ also Livvy was funny as hell lmaooo， I adored her。 Quinn's relationship with her grandma was also so wholesome， I cried over them:'））I loved the discussions and challenging of racism， how Quinn felt about her own Blackness， and how she tackled and faced the racial stereotypes her white friends had put on her， same with her father and some other characters。 Some of the white characters in here were so ignorant and I'm glad they got what the deserved 😌。・゜゜・ ・゜゜・．。・゜゜・ ・゜゜・． Trigger Warnings: Alzheimer’s Disease， blackmail， cyberbullying， racism， slut shaming。 。。。more
L
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enemies to lovers？ not really but it was still a good read :）
Alex Kogay
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I am rounding up because I want to support debut novels for young new authors。 My review contains some minor spoilers that are not super relevant to the bit plot twists but still might reveal some things。 I think I have officially outgrown YA contemporary romance。 I also think there's a whole new definition/genre of YA Contemporary Romance that is balancing between the deep pain of being 17-18 and extremely sexually loaded but also wants to explore issues beyond prom dresses。。。 So， I am probably I am rounding up because I want to support debut novels for young new authors。 My review contains some minor spoilers that are not super relevant to the bit plot twists but still might reveal some things。 I think I have officially outgrown YA contemporary romance。 I also think there's a whole new definition/genre of YA Contemporary Romance that is balancing between the deep pain of being 17-18 and extremely sexually loaded but also wants to explore issues beyond prom dresses。。。 So， I am probably judging this book way too harshly because of the cynical lense I'm looking at it through， so I'll try to focus on the positives: 1。 Showing that despite families being different and complicated， children （teens？！） can still rely on adults， even if as a last resort （just TALK to each other）2。 Addresses the consequences of cyberbullying 3。 Olivia - she's everything that is good in this book， best character with the most adequate actions， reactions， goals， motives， etc。4。 Showing that prestige is not everything？ Idk。。。 they all still end up going to college & have very cookie-cutter futures set in front of them， but I guess that's the message of this book5。 Talks about race and the maaaaaany different complicated nuances， shapes， forms， ideas it comes in。 It's not only racism vs antiracism， it's not only belonging vs rejecting， it's just not simply one way to be， feel， think， dress， talk， think of oneself。 Much bigger spoilers ahead:**********************************However， Quinn （for me） was an extremely unlikable character and I don't feel like by the end of the book she grew a whole lot - hence the "no strong character development" from me。 She is presented as incredibly spoiled， privileged （despite her struggles with being black）， and clueless。 My main problem with her was how she treated her relationship with her grandmother - yes， watching someone you love fade away and facing their mortality is scary， but I'd expected to see better coping mechanism and explanation around dementia and what it entails， rather than "I guess she remembers who I am after all， so good"。 Lastly， the turning point for me when this lost an entire star was when Quinn got upset at her parent for selling her grandmother's land to pay for the college she LIED she got in， and she dared to accuse them of not telling her how they - her parents - intended to go about their financial decisions - when she LIED to cause those financial troubles in the first place。 And they just glided over this， smoothing it over since the suggestion came from the grandmother in the first place and it wasn't done behind her back。 Excuse me， dear parents， but just because she's 18 it's not too late to school her for this behaviour - which， btw， she was never reprimanded for her lie: the mother went straight into repair mode and the father kept caring more what she's wearing to parties。 。。。more
girlmeetsbooks_
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This book definitely gives me “A” vibes in the beginning if you’ve ever watched the show Pretty Little Liars。 The difference is that although Quinn is forced to face the truths she wrote in her journal， it also takes her on a journey into become more fearless， living in the moment， and understanding who she is and existing in her blackness。 Along the way， she forms and rebuilds friendships she wouldn’t have if her journal hadn’t been taken， and finds a love that challenges her in every way。**Tha This book definitely gives me “A” vibes in the beginning if you’ve ever watched the show Pretty Little Liars。 The difference is that although Quinn is forced to face the truths she wrote in her journal， it also takes her on a journey into become more fearless， living in the moment， and understanding who she is and existing in her blackness。 Along the way， she forms and rebuilds friendships she wouldn’t have if her journal hadn’t been taken， and finds a love that challenges her in every way。**Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review** 。。。more
Staci Vought
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So cute！ Just what I needed to read right now。 I could totally identify with Quinn since I was a huge journal writer in high school and would have been mortified if someone found them， read them， and shared them。 It is perfectly told， genuine， and refreshing compared to so much I have read lately。
Jessica （readalongwithjess）
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5/5⭐️ to Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney！ I received an arc of #ExcuseMeWhileIUglyCry by from @hccfrenzy yesterday， which got me very excited！ Then this morning， I decided to devour this cute， emotional romance in one sitting 💙 It follows Quinn， who loves to write lists in her notebook as her way to deal with things， everything from moments she wouldn’t ever tell anyone， to her fave movies to rewatch。 This notebook is pretty much everything to Quinn。 So when it goes missing and Quinn 5/5⭐️ to Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney！ I received an arc of #ExcuseMeWhileIUglyCry by from @hccfrenzy yesterday， which got me very excited！ Then this morning， I decided to devour this cute， emotional romance in one sitting 💙 It follows Quinn， who loves to write lists in her notebook as her way to deal with things， everything from moments she wouldn’t ever tell anyone， to her fave movies to rewatch。 This notebook is pretty much everything to Quinn。 So when it goes missing and Quinn starts to get blackmailed， she enlists the help of Carter & a few other friends to help her stop the blackmailer。 That aspect really carried the story and kept me flying through the pages。 The main couple had so much chemistry and a “we really like each other but we really shouldn’t” angstyness。 I adored the whole cast of characters， especially our main girl， Quinn ❤️ There was also so much amazing discussion about what it is to be Black， dealing with racism & micro aggressions， friendship， family， and facing your fears。 A story with such heart！ This book is out now， so please go check it out whether from a bookstore or your local library！！ Full review on my GR to come ☺️ 。。。more
Lillian Woodall
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You know those books where you can pinpoint the moment you knew？ This book hooked me on like page 10 and I read it in a day。 It's easily my favourite of 2021， I haven't read anything that could touch it in well over a year。 I would die for at least 4 of the characters。 The conflicts and hypocrisies of the characters were written with such clearness and kind of an undercurrent of compassion/understanding that blew me away。 It felt like every word was chosen perfectly。 Every word made me feel or l You know those books where you can pinpoint the moment you knew？ This book hooked me on like page 10 and I read it in a day。 It's easily my favourite of 2021， I haven't read anything that could touch it in well over a year。 I would die for at least 4 of the characters。 The conflicts and hypocrisies of the characters were written with such clearness and kind of an undercurrent of compassion/understanding that blew me away。 It felt like every word was chosen perfectly。 Every word made me feel or learn something。 Anyway I only just finished this book， brb while I spend the next three hundred days thinking about it。 。。。more
Dalene
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I received this book in exchange for an honest review。Imagine your most private journal is out in the public？ Quinn is the person that happens to。 She accidentally switches journals with Carter， a boy she wants nothing to do with。 Instead now Quinn and Carter have to work together to find out who is black mailing Quinn and revealing all of her secrets。 The whole concept of this book captivated me and made me want to read the books。 The development of the characters and story throughout the book I received this book in exchange for an honest review。Imagine your most private journal is out in the public？ Quinn is the person that happens to。 She accidentally switches journals with Carter， a boy she wants nothing to do with。 Instead now Quinn and Carter have to work together to find out who is black mailing Quinn and revealing all of her secrets。 The whole concept of this book captivated me and made me want to read the books。 The development of the characters and story throughout the book kept me reading。 I loved Quinn and how her relationship with Carter development。If you want a great YA novel， this is it。 。。。more
Suellen
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