Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
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- Create Date：2021-05-06 09:51:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Joya Goffney
- ISBN：1471410110
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Summary
A passionate， hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom debut full of juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page chemistry about how we choose to live our lives and what it means to live your truth。 For fans of Jenny Han， Nicola Yoon and Justin A。 Reynolds。 Quinn keeps lists of everything - from the days she's ugly cried， to "Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud，" to all the boys she'd like to kiss。 Her lists keep her sane。 By writing her fears （as well as embarrassing and cringeworthy truths） on paper， she never has to face them in real life。 That is， until her journal goes missing 。 。 。 An anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears， or else her entire journal will go public。 Quinn doesn't know who to trust。 Desperate， she teams up with Carter Bennett - the last known person to have her journal and who Quinn loathes - in a race against time to track down the blackmailer。 Together， they journey through everything Quinn's been too afraid to face， and along the way， Quinn finds the courage to be honest， to live in the moment， and to fall in love。 A razor-sharp， passionate and addictive YA romcom that readers will love。
Reviews
G。A。 Benoit
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Solid 3。5- very cute book。 Easy to follow， likable characters， and very age-appropriate for YA fiction。 Probably would be a good movie。
Lebo
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Randomly came across this and decided to read it and I'm so glad I did。 No book has made me feel this understood， especially as a young black woman。 I loved every moment of and am now writing this review in the middle of the night after just finishing it because it was unputdownable。I really loved Quinn's voice and Carter is my new book boyfriend that all real boys who try to get with me have to live up to lolol。 Randomly came across this and decided to read it and I'm so glad I did。 No book has made me feel this understood， especially as a young black woman。 I loved every moment of and am now writing this review in the middle of the night after just finishing it because it was unputdownable。I really loved Quinn's voice and Carter is my new book boyfriend that all real boys who try to get with me have to live up to lolol。 。。。more
Sarah
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I literally have no complaints about this book。 I loved the characters and the plot and the pacing was literally perfect。 I am extremely impressed with Joya Goffney as this is her debut book and I can’t wait to see what she writes next！！
vaish
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I knew from the first chapter that I was going to love this book！Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a fun， contemplative story that explores tokenism and privilege， with a refreshing and heart-meltingly cute romance。 If you're looking for a quick， fun contemporary， Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a must read。 This book left me wanting more of these characters I had fallen in love with。 I could have read 100 more pages of Quinn， Carter and their friends just hanging out。 The plot was simplistic， but led I knew from the first chapter that I was going to love this book！Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a fun， contemplative story that explores tokenism and privilege， with a refreshing and heart-meltingly cute romance。 If you're looking for a quick， fun contemporary， Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a must read。 This book left me wanting more of these characters I had fallen in love with。 I could have read 100 more pages of Quinn， Carter and their friends just hanging out。 The plot was simplistic， but led to some of my favorite character moments。 One of my favorite aspects of this book was the references， from 90's R&B to the sanctity of grandma's house。 Every reference felt genuine to the story and to the characters， and left me feeling nostalgic。 The romance of this book was EVERYTHING！ I loved every interaction between Quinn and Carter。 It was cute and swoon-worthy while still being realistic。 This book is definitely going on my "favorites of the year" list！ Thank you to Harper Collins for providing me this ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Silvia （roomforbooks）
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CW: racism Rep: Black mcs， biracial （white/Black） side characterThis is a typical YA novel: there’s drama， bullying， friends lost/friends gained and a love interest who’s not what they seem; still I really enjoyed it， I found it extremely easy to get into the story and empathize with the protagonist （her relationship with her grandma really resonated with me because it’s terribly similar to mine）， the narration was dynamic， there was never a quite or boring moment， the characters acted their age CW: racism Rep: Black mcs， biracial （white/Black） side characterThis is a typical YA novel: there’s drama， bullying， friends lost/friends gained and a love interest who’s not what they seem; still I really enjoyed it， I found it extremely easy to get into the story and empathize with the protagonist （her relationship with her grandma really resonated with me because it’s terribly similar to mine）， the narration was dynamic， there was never a quite or boring moment， the characters acted their age， the love story too was young， wild and free （I said what I said）， the way it’s supposed to be。 The “friends gained” part was my weakness， I love it when the main character finally gets the healthy friendship they deserve。There were some flaws: for example， a character that was introduced at beginning as a very close person to the main character， simply disappeared after a few chapters， only to reappear at the end。Moreover this was unnecessarily straight， literally not one lgbt+ character in sight which was disappointing。 。。。more
C。M。 Lockhart
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I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book so thanks to Spark Point Studio for making that happen！In a single sentence: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was everything I've ever wanted from a romcom — I laughed， I squealed， I giggled， I couldn't put it down。I genuinely enjoyed this book from start to finish and I don't exaggerate when I say that it's everything I've ever wanted from a YA romcom。 Quinn is a Black girl who comes from a two-parent household with money。 She is loved and spoiled and ha I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book so thanks to Spark Point Studio for making that happen！In a single sentence: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was everything I've ever wanted from a romcom — I laughed， I squealed， I giggled， I couldn't put it down。I genuinely enjoyed this book from start to finish and I don't exaggerate when I say that it's everything I've ever wanted from a YA romcom。 Quinn is a Black girl who comes from a two-parent household with money。 She is loved and spoiled and has a crap-ton of anxiety that causes her to keep lists in order to keep everything in her head under control。 I loved that — it made Quinn super relatable in my opinion。 She grew up knowing that she's Black， but was often considered an “Oreo” by her friends and classmates， as if that's a good thing。 And then she had to learn to navigate those same friends and classmates when she could no longer pretend that designation didn’t bother her。This book gave me so many emotions and just pure happiness while reading it。 I felt lighter after reading this book because even though Quinn was full of anxiety in the beginning and had to face some very real issues in her life， she allowed herself to be uncomfortable， to grow， to change， to embrace herself and become a better person。 She allowed herself to fall outside the lines of her perfectly drawn life to see that what's on the outside isn't so bad。 The dynamic between her and Carter， and her and Olivia felt genuine — like how real friends would interact with each other。 Her butterflies whenever Carter caught her staring， or brushed her hand， or called her on the phone was spot-on and I lived for every moment of it。The romance and the comedy in the book were just my brand of authentic （enough that I laughed out loud several times） and made me feel like it's never too late to change — to have a fresh start — to embrace who I am fully， even if it isn't who I was yesterday。 This book made me excited for the future and I'd read it a hundred times for the first time if I could。 I truly can't wait to see what Joya Goffney writes next。Full review at: https://www。melaninlibrary。com/excuse。。。 。。。more
Reece
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First of all I would like to thank @hotkeybooksteen and @joya。goffney for my advanced readers copy of excuse me while I ugly cry。This is a young-adult debut novel by @joya。goffney。 It follows the story of Quinn who's a chronic list maker。 She has a list for every single thing in her life， from her favourite movies to watch， to her deepest darkest secrets。 She uses lists as a way to gather her thoughts from her head and into her note book instead。That is until there's a mishap with the notebook a First of all I would like to thank @hotkeybooksteen and @joya。goffney for my advanced readers copy of excuse me while I ugly cry。This is a young-adult debut novel by @joya。goffney。 It follows the story of Quinn who's a chronic list maker。 She has a list for every single thing in her life， from her favourite movies to watch， to her deepest darkest secrets。 She uses lists as a way to gather her thoughts from her head and into her note book instead。That is until there's a mishap with the notebook and then it's missing！ Next thing you know she's being blackmailed， to complete items on her list otherwise her lists will be publicised for all to see。I feel that this story is about Quinn's growth as a person。 Its about how she finds herself and becomes accepting of herself。 She confronts her fears and learns to deal with her issues rather then writing them down。 I feel that the book also takes a look at other deep themes like - racism， cyber bullying， stereotyping and peer pressure。 It also shows you the importance of trust and friendship。 She comes to befriend and trust Carter。 Who helps her accomplish the tasks on the list that the blackmailer is demanding of her。 This friendship helps Quinn to step out of her comfort zone。 It also sheds some light on some unexpected feelings - if you like enimies to lovers you'll like this book！ This book is all about self acceptance and shows the importance of racism in the current world。 Its a very black voices matter book， and an amazing read。 It does just want Joya says " something fun to read about black joy， black love and black growth" 。。。more
Abby Larson
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I really enjoyed this book。 It’s such a cute YA romance that delves into how to find yourself when everything you planned for your future goes awry。 This story follows Quinn， a senior at a predominantly white high school， who keeps lists of everything。 But one day when Quinn mixes up her journal up with Carter Bennet and ultimately loses her journal， until her lists start showing up on an anonymous social media account and she has to complete every task on her "To-do before Graduation list" or e I really enjoyed this book。 It’s such a cute YA romance that delves into how to find yourself when everything you planned for your future goes awry。 This story follows Quinn， a senior at a predominantly white high school， who keeps lists of everything。 But one day when Quinn mixes up her journal up with Carter Bennet and ultimately loses her journal， until her lists start showing up on an anonymous social media account and she has to complete every task on her "To-do before Graduation list" or else the account will keep releasing more lists。 We also follow as Quinn grapples with rejection， loss， and being Black in United States as she gains confidence and gets ready to move forward as High School graduation nears。 Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 I can't wait to read more books by Joya Goffney in the future！ 。。。more
Mary Claire
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I 👏🏼 love 👏🏼 teenagers 👏🏼 so 👏🏼 much 👏🏼
Sacha Black
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This book is about race and identity， about facing your fear， falling in love and all the ugly pieces inside us。 It is a beautiful story that everyone should read。 Quinn obsessively writes out her secrets， fears， truths and darkness into lists。 Secrets she kept safe until one day it gets lost and a blackmailer finds it and forces her to confront one of her lists or face public shame。 Quinn is a character with huge depth， undergoing a difficult change， having to face truths about herself， her rac This book is about race and identity， about facing your fear， falling in love and all the ugly pieces inside us。 It is a beautiful story that everyone should read。 Quinn obsessively writes out her secrets， fears， truths and darkness into lists。 Secrets she kept safe until one day it gets lost and a blackmailer finds it and forces her to confront one of her lists or face public shame。 Quinn is a character with huge depth， undergoing a difficult change， having to face truths about herself， her race and the society she's been brought up in。 Quinn has to choose whether to confront herself and those she loves， or continue living as a coward。 Goffney taps into a universal truth in this book， all humans， no matter their race or identity have darkness inside them and all of them can face it and find the light if they're brave enough。 I loved this story， I loved the romance， the side characters， everything。 I hope this book finds a home with many， many readers。 。。。more
Nicole Jones-Ojo
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I stan for any author and book that evokes memories of Texas！ This novel was easy to listen to and grabbed my attention early。 I was able to complete it in a few days。 As an African American female， I could relate to some of the things Quinn experienced as a senior in high school。 The character evolvement of Quinn and Carter felt natural。 I was disappointed in how Quinn's relationship with Matt disappeared as the storyline continued， given he was such an integral person in her life at the beginn I stan for any author and book that evokes memories of Texas！ This novel was easy to listen to and grabbed my attention early。 I was able to complete it in a few days。 As an African American female， I could relate to some of the things Quinn experienced as a senior in high school。 The character evolvement of Quinn and Carter felt natural。 I was disappointed in how Quinn's relationship with Matt disappeared as the storyline continued， given he was such an integral person in her life at the beginning of the novel。 We never learned who created the social media posts。 This would have been nice to know。 。。。more
Zoë ☆
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Okay this was v wholesome 🥺 Loved the romance， the friendships， the development of the characters throughout the book， how important topics were discussed - I would definitely recommend this！！ 🙊
Katie
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Happy pub day to EXCUSE ME WHILE I ULGY CRY & @joya。goffney！！ 🥳🥳When I heard about EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY， I knew I had to read it。 A book about a girl who keeps a journal that she writes all sorts of lists in and then it goes missing。 😱 I’ve kept a journal since 1995 and have filled up over 38 now， but my biggest fear（s） about them is someone reading and/or losing one。 This debut book that Joya Goffney wrote was a thrill for me （although let me be clear it is not， I repeat not， a thriller） Happy pub day to EXCUSE ME WHILE I ULGY CRY & @joya。goffney！！ 🥳🥳When I heard about EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY， I knew I had to read it。 A book about a girl who keeps a journal that she writes all sorts of lists in and then it goes missing。 😱 I’ve kept a journal since 1995 and have filled up over 38 now， but my biggest fear（s） about them is someone reading and/or losing one。 This debut book that Joya Goffney wrote was a thrill for me （although let me be clear it is not， I repeat not， a thriller） to read because it brought one of my fears to life in such a cool way。 The story is super creative。 It’s narrated by Quinn， who is the journaler。 Shortly into the first chapter， we already get one of her lists。 I love this aspect that Goffney interwove in the book along with making each chapter seem like it was part of a list。 Again， creative， but it just made the book cozy and like I was really inside Quinn’s head。 By the end of the book， I felt I knew her and she was my friend。 EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY is filled with important situations that Quinn has to face like racism， Alzheimer’s of a loved one， and bullying。 Goffney handles these topics with respect， but is also very real about it。 She doesn’t sugarcoat the situations。 She allows you to feel Quinn’s emotions - whatever those emotions are - and allows you to determine your own feelings about them as well。 I enjoyed my experience of feeling and learning from Quinn and her journey。Chemistry: Goffney writes it so well！ The friend group chemistry was fantastic。 Can I please hang out with them？ And romantic chemistry… 🔥 a nice slow burn enemies to lovers， which I’m always a fan of。 I’m so happy I won an arc of EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY when I found out about it。 It was everything I hoped it would be and more！ Quinn’s story is such an amazing one that readers need to experience her journey to finding her journal。 Definitely recommend！Now off to make sure my journal is in my… well put away。 😉Thanks to the author， Joya Goffney， for an advance copy to review when I won it from a giveaway off her Instagram！EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY is out today！ Content Warning: racism， racial slurs， Alzheimer’s， bullying 。。。more
DeAnne
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。As someone who to this day carries notebooks around with them （and would be in a panic if I lost any of them） the premise of this one really intrigued me from the start。 Quinn's notebook comes across more as a journal， so that would make losing it all the worse。 It's apparent pretty quickly that Quinn has lots of areas where she could grow， her notebook contains a lot of things she's scared about， dreams about and more and with *I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。As someone who to this day carries notebooks around with them （and would be in a panic if I lost any of them） the premise of this one really intrigued me from the start。 Quinn's notebook comes across more as a journal， so that would make losing it all the worse。 It's apparent pretty quickly that Quinn has lots of areas where she could grow， her notebook contains a lot of things she's scared about， dreams about and more and without it she has to learn how to gain courage and sometimes take chances to face her fears。 There are definite themes of racism， blackmailing， general high school pressures （including those from parents） and more。 With everything that was packed into this book I almost felt like the romance wasn't needed since there was so much more to unpack， but it was still a nice addition。 All in all I really enjoyed this debut and would look forward to reading more from Joya Goffney in the future。 The writing style flowed really well and made it a fast paced read for me。 。。。more
Amber
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What a wonderful debut。 I love a story with a journal as a center piece， especially bucket-list esque items。 Overall， I really enjoyed Quinn as a character and following her journey trying to tick items off in order to get her beloved journal back。 I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however， all opinions are my own。
Hayli
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Quinn is an avid list maker of everything including all the days she has ugly cried to the boys she’d like to kiss。 In the beginning of this book her notebook full of all her lists- and her biggest secrets- is stolen and someone begins to blackmail her online into completing her list of biggest fears。 Or else the anonymous blackmailer will post her entire private journal for everyone to see。 This is a young adult contemporary perfect for fans of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda！ The storyline is Quinn is an avid list maker of everything including all the days she has ugly cried to the boys she’d like to kiss。 In the beginning of this book her notebook full of all her lists- and her biggest secrets- is stolen and someone begins to blackmail her online into completing her list of biggest fears。 Or else the anonymous blackmailer will post her entire private journal for everyone to see。 This is a young adult contemporary perfect for fans of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda！ The storyline is super easy to get into and is about friends， family， and facing your fears。 I really enjoyed the racial commentary between friends and family。 It really gives us readers something to think about。**I’m super grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an audiobook copy that I could listen to！ 。。。more
Stephanie
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4。5 stars。 Quinn is an enthusiastic list maker， but after her journal goes missing， she's being blackmailed into completing her to-do list of her worst fears。I loved Quinn's growth in this story。 She was struggling with her identity and found the courage to face her fears and learn how to talk about her feelings instead of just writing it all down。 The story highlights the importance of friendship as Quinn forges bonds with people she judged prematurely。The book covered a lot of ground with deep 4。5 stars。 Quinn is an enthusiastic list maker， but after her journal goes missing， she's being blackmailed into completing her to-do list of her worst fears。I loved Quinn's growth in this story。 She was struggling with her identity and found the courage to face her fears and learn how to talk about her feelings instead of just writing it all down。 The story highlights the importance of friendship as Quinn forges bonds with people she judged prematurely。The book covered a lot of ground with deeper themes too as it addresses racism， cyber bullying， trust ， and forgiveness。 There's also a sweet romantic component that is adorable and will have you smiling。Highly recommend this one for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before or coming of age stories。 Pick it up when it publishes May 4！Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for my advance copy in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Jess
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I don't know what I was expecting from this book but it was an extremely enjoyable YA read。Quinn， a senior in high school， is never away from her journal。 Her journal is all of her private thoughts， her worries and fears， the lies she has told herself and others。 It is beyond personal。 And when it gets stolen， and Quinn starts getting blackmailed， she pairs up with Carter Bennett to not only check some things on her bucket list but find out who is holding her hostage。 The beginning of this book I don't know what I was expecting from this book but it was an extremely enjoyable YA read。Quinn， a senior in high school， is never away from her journal。 Her journal is all of her private thoughts， her worries and fears， the lies she has told herself and others。 It is beyond personal。 And when it gets stolen， and Quinn starts getting blackmailed， she pairs up with Carter Bennett to not only check some things on her bucket list but find out who is holding her hostage。 The beginning of this book really pulled me in - Quinn is so lonely。 As one of only a few Black kids in her high school， and a wealthy one at that， she struggles finding her place。 Who is she？ Who does she want to be？ She goes through a significant amount of growth in this book: recognizing the biases she has against her own community， understanding the ways she used silence to fit in with white people， and realizing the restrictions she put on herself。"Being the exception to Black stereotypes automatically means that you're not as Black。"WHEW - that is a realization I didn't have until I was post college probably。 I really loved the themes of race and internalized racism in this book， although some pieces felt pretty heavy handed （Gia anyone？）。 I did love that there were varying degrees of racism in the book - some super overt and some where it was just silence。 The latter felt super real and was difficult to read。 Lastly， the side plot of Quinn and her grandmother was beautiful and so sad。 Alzheimer's impacts that Black community severely and seeing Quinn struggle with her grandmother's diagnosis was heartbreaking。 There was a great back and forth between Carter and Quinn about not punishing people because they are sick， while recognizing the difficulty of watching someone you love disappear。 My grandmother passed away from Alzheimer's and watching her deteriorate over 5 years is something I will never forget。 Overall， this book is a definite read， a highly recommend。 A beautiful story of growth， coming of age， and what it means to be young， Black and trying to find your place。 Thank you to HarperCollins for my copy to review 。。。more
Ravyn +
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The book made me extremely happy。 I was smiling the entire way through。 Quinn and Carter are just so 😆🥺🥰
Graciella Delgado
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*Thank you， NetGalley for an ARC*I expected the themes of race and identity， overcoming fear， forgiveness， young love， and pushing toward honesty regardless of how difficult it may be would all get jumbled or fight for dominance but they didn't。 The story and the various topics it handles flowed seamlessly in and out of each other。 The writing style with lists each chapter kept the story fresh and the dialogue between characters felt so real and comfortable。 Quinn， Olivia， and Carter navigate li *Thank you， NetGalley for an ARC*I expected the themes of race and identity， overcoming fear， forgiveness， young love， and pushing toward honesty regardless of how difficult it may be would all get jumbled or fight for dominance but they didn't。 The story and the various topics it handles flowed seamlessly in and out of each other。 The writing style with lists each chapter kept the story fresh and the dialogue between characters felt so real and comfortable。 Quinn， Olivia， and Carter navigate life as Black students in a predominantly white private school and the various experiences， approaches， and reactions to being othered in privileged， white spaces was real in a way that hurts。 I deeply appreciated seeing how differently these three navigate that experience without one approach being perceived as "better" than the other。The focus on truth and forgiveness made me cry。 There were a lot of moments with a few characters working through personal guilt and shame that I found incredibly powerful。 Also， the romantic moments between characters had me squealing at 1am- SO CUTE 。。。more
Julianna
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What happens when a notebook that has all your secrets written in it goes missing？ What happens when that journal is found， and the person that finds it uses it to blackmail you？ Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney is a relatable book because we all ugly cry and have secrets we wish wouldn’t get out。 This book also touches upon so many important topics from racism， cyber bullying， and the high pressure teens face from parents。 The only thing that held me back from giving it 5 stars is tha What happens when a notebook that has all your secrets written in it goes missing？ What happens when that journal is found， and the person that finds it uses it to blackmail you？ Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney is a relatable book because we all ugly cry and have secrets we wish wouldn’t get out。 This book also touches upon so many important topics from racism， cyber bullying， and the high pressure teens face from parents。 The only thing that held me back from giving it 5 stars is that I wish it was longer - I wish the ending had been more developed， but it is truly a book I think everyone should read。 Thank you so much to NetGalley & Harper Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Alisha
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Quinn makes lists to calm her anxiety。 She makes many lists in her journal。 One afternoon， while working on a group project， Quinn’s journal and Carter’s notebook get mixed up。 Quinn’s journal ends up in the hands of someone who ends up blackmailing her with the information contained inside it， her greatest fears。 Teaming up with Carter to find out who has her journal and tackling her fears， Quinn sets out on a journey she did not expect。 I really liked how the use of lists were used throughout Quinn makes lists to calm her anxiety。 She makes many lists in her journal。 One afternoon， while working on a group project， Quinn’s journal and Carter’s notebook get mixed up。 Quinn’s journal ends up in the hands of someone who ends up blackmailing her with the information contained inside it， her greatest fears。 Teaming up with Carter to find out who has her journal and tackling her fears， Quinn sets out on a journey she did not expect。 I really liked how the use of lists were used throughout this book。 It helped with the characterization of Quinn and the pacing of the story。 It was a really get device to depart information to the reader that may not have been there in the scene otherwise。 Also， some of them were funny。 My favorite character was Olivia。 She was a badass。 While Quinn just took the casual racism her classmates dealt out， Olivia did not put up with much。 She was the opposite of Quinn。 Olivia was honest about who she was while Quinn had layers of secrets。 Quinn herself was kind of unlikeable at the beginning。 She was pretty whiny。 She gets better when she starts sticking up for herself。 Carter has a positive influence on Quinn。 He’s a good guy。 This was a well written book that anyone looking for a coming of age， romantic， young adult book to spend a lazy afternoon with will enjoy。 4/5 。。。more
Jasmine Stells
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The thing that I enjoyed about Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is it deals with something a lot of us do on a daily basis; lists。 We make lists for various things， whether it’s a shopping list or a to-do list， we have created one or more。 Now， I have never gone as far as writing lists about people I want to kiss or lies people believe about me。 That’s some super secretive stuff you don’t want anyone getting their hands on。 Unfortunately， Quinn is not so lucky when some classmates take her journal。Qui The thing that I enjoyed about Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is it deals with something a lot of us do on a daily basis; lists。 We make lists for various things， whether it’s a shopping list or a to-do list， we have created one or more。 Now， I have never gone as far as writing lists about people I want to kiss or lies people believe about me。 That’s some super secretive stuff you don’t want anyone getting their hands on。 Unfortunately， Quinn is not so lucky when some classmates take her journal。Quinn’s journal is extremely personal and although she has done some simple lists， there are also some that reveal things she would never want anyone to ever know。 Things like lying to her parents about getting into Columbia， that she’s not bothered by her white friends using the N-word around her， or that she has a crush on， and wants to kiss her classmate Carter Bennett。Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is about so much more than a lost journal。 It involves racism， and cyberbullying which are two subjects that are often hard to talk about。 When her journal goes missing and one of her lists is uploaded to an unknown Instagram account， Quinn initially suspects Carter。 After a study session， he mistakenly took it home and because they don’t exactly get along， she thinks he’s doing it as a way to get back at her for being the rich black girl who has everything。 He assures her that’s not the case。Carter did have her journal but his intention was to return it to her until he lost it in one his classes。 He genuinely feels awful about losing it because he can see just how upsetting it is and knowing that someone is using it to blackmail her makes him feel even worse。 They both decide to work together to figure out who could have taken it to start a smear campaign against her。I found Quinn to be such a relatable character。 As a person of color， like Quinn， I’ve experienced my own set of microaggressions and it’s something that we often refuse to address outright especially when it comes from the people around us。 For Quinn， writing her lists is almost like a diary where she can get her feelings about these things out。 From time to time， I write in a journal so I felt how violated she did when it was stolen from her。 The things we choose to write are not always things we choose to share with others。The sad thing is， Quinn is controlled by her lists to the point she doesn’t know who she is without them。 What I love about this story is that she slowly starts to realize this and work to live her life beyond what she’s allowed her lists to dictate。 There’s also some romance in there which I also enjoyed。 Her moments with Matt， who was her crush until Carter came along were pretty cute。 They spent time hanging out on his trampoline in the backyard and it was such an intimate space for the two of them。 It was a space where they could share their thoughts and feelings。Carter on the other hand is much different than Matt。 First off， Carter is black and Matt is white。 While Quinn and Matt get along， it’s clear that Quinn feels more comfortable around Carter and he’s the first black guy she’s been into at her school。 They’re from different backgrounds but the more they spend time together， the more they realize how much they actually have in common。While I loved Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry， my only issue was that Quinn stopped being friends with Destany without even telling her why。 I get that she was bothered by some of Destany’s actions that were racially insensitive but， I really felt like she should have talked to her about them instead of ghosting her。 Our friends make mistakes quite often but we should be able to tell them when they are acting in a way that makes us uncomfortable。 I get that Destany should have known better but， there is nothing wrong with us providing that much needed education from time to time。One of the other things I wish Quinn had done early on was tell her parents about the cyberbullying。 I think if she had told them from the beginning they could have put a stop to the whole thing。 I do understand the difficulty of having to face her parents because if she did go and tell them about the cyberbullying， it would have opened the door for a lot of questions。 Her parents would want to know why it was being done and then she would have had to come clean about everything on the list。I really do think that anyone can enjoy Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry because it’s a story that teaches us to respect people’s boundaries， the ramifications of cyberbullying， and that it’s okay to express our feelings out loud。 That’s one of the biggest lessons that Quinn learns because for the longest time her lists defined everything about her。All in all， I really liked Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry。 It was a creative story with a relatable plot and it had some fun and sweet romantic moments as well。 。。。more
Sara
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*Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*Quinn's life， secrets， and inner most thoughts are all compiled in nice， neat lists。 Lists that will never leave her journal or be spoken aloud。 Or so she thought。 When her journal goes missing and the thief begins to blackmail her into completing the items on her To-Do list， Quinn's neatly organized life is thrown into turmoil。 But， it could just be the push she needs to break free of her ordere *Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*Quinn's life， secrets， and inner most thoughts are all compiled in nice， neat lists。 Lists that will never leave her journal or be spoken aloud。 Or so she thought。 When her journal goes missing and the thief begins to blackmail her into completing the items on her To-Do list， Quinn's neatly organized life is thrown into turmoil。 But， it could just be the push she needs to break free of her ordered life and really start living。 Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry was a pleasant surprise。 A charming， thought-provoking， and sweet tale of a high school girl who comes to find her inner-strength。 I enjoyed Excuse Me While I Ugly Cried and found myself devouring page after page。 Quinn is a relatable character who is wonderfully flawed and real。 While I can't speak to her experiences as a Black girl， I can relate to her struggle to speak her truth。Author Joya Goffney has infused her story with wit and heart。 i was cheering for Quinn throughout the book and couldn't wait to see how everything turned out in the end。 An #ownvoices book I highly recommend！ 。。。more
Libriar
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I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley。 3。5 stars。 A mostly light high school romance book about one of the few Black girls at a private school in Austin， Texas。 She keeps a notebook filled with various lists that ends up in the wrong hands。 The plot was good but I felt like the various characters didn't fit together as well as they could have。 Not my top choice for teen romance books but a decent read for those looking for something new。 I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley。 3。5 stars。 A mostly light high school romance book about one of the few Black girls at a private school in Austin， Texas。 She keeps a notebook filled with various lists that ends up in the wrong hands。 The plot was good but I felt like the various characters didn't fit together as well as they could have。 Not my top choice for teen romance books but a decent read for those looking for something new。 。。。more
Cassandra
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Alright， I'd like to take a second to apologize to the main character for calling her annoying and losing faith in her by the eight chapter mark。。。。 I take it back。 Quinn has a lot of thoughts， feelings and ideas for herself。 As a high school senior， she's taken note of a lot of the events in her life and compiled them into her journal of lists that she can't go anywhere without。 Anything between her to-do list， to all the boys she'd like to kiss， right down to reasons why she's hurt/upset。。。 it Alright， I'd like to take a second to apologize to the main character for calling her annoying and losing faith in her by the eight chapter mark。。。。 I take it back。 Quinn has a lot of thoughts， feelings and ideas for herself。 As a high school senior， she's taken note of a lot of the events in her life and compiled them into her journal of lists that she can't go anywhere without。 Anything between her to-do list， to all the boys she'd like to kiss， right down to reasons why she's hurt/upset。。。 it's all in there - so you could imagine that when it goes missing， she is in a panic。 The last person to have seen it is Carter Bennett， someone who she thinks is now blackmailing her to complete one of her lists or else the rest go public。 Carter has nothing to do with it other than accidentally taking it home and losing it but he agrees to help her check off some things on her list so she can get it back。Quinn's new mission brings out more of herself than her list ever did。 She learns to be honest to herself and the people around her， while also taking new risks and opening her eyes a little more to the world around her。Listen， Quinn was a LOT at first。 The constant yelling at Carter got old the second she blamed him even after he had promised he wasn't blackmailing her。 However， she has some really good character growth throughout the book and I also need to remember that she's 17/18 years old and I am 9 years older than her。 ANYWAYS， this book covers a lot of issues I don't see tackled very often in YA。 Blackmail， cyberbullying， racism。。。。 all huge， HUGE topics and I think Joya Goffney did a very good job in showcasing them in one book。 It wasn't at all messy and was super important to start this conversation。 We also touch a bit on grief and the fear of loss。。。 which is a feeling I know very well。 Quinn fears losing her grandma Hattie and starts to avoid seeing her change so drastically。 When my nonna was sick， I loved to see her but I was also so sad to watch her physically change so much from the woman I'd known my whole life。 It's a terrible feeling watching someone you love have to be in so much pain。Quinn was a very smart girl。 Like super smart （despite struggling in school）。 Even though the issue was she lacked the courage to confront things that scared or upset her， she found a way to deal with people who made her unhappy that she felt comfortable with。 In the entire book you wonder what Destany could've done to make Quinn drop her as she did， and when the truth comes out。。。 you cannot help but feel immense anger and frustration over how teenagers are （now and even when I'm a teenager）。 THEY'RE JUST SO CRUEL AND TOXIC SOMETIMES。 It also covers this lack of awareness。。。 but I think it's best if you read that yourself。Watch Quinn find this new life for herself with Carter， Auden and Olivia was wonderful。 I was super happy for her to find people who helped her build healthy relationships。 Olivia was the friend Quinn deserved and I would've loved to see that even more。Thank you to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Jennifer Bourque （ButterflyReader77）
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4 StarsI want to say thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for my complimentary copy of "Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry"。 I Loved this book。 I should note my version was an audiobook。The story focuses on Quinn and her journal of lists。 Quinn keeps personal lists on everything from her sexual fantasies to her to-do list by graduation。 Her journal is private and for her eyes only。 It's holds all of her secrets and lies she has told to everyone around her。 When her journal goes missing it ends up in 4 StarsI want to say thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for my complimentary copy of "Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry"。 I Loved this book。 I should note my version was an audiobook。The story focuses on Quinn and her journal of lists。 Quinn keeps personal lists on everything from her sexual fantasies to her to-do list by graduation。 Her journal is private and for her eyes only。 It's holds all of her secrets and lies she has told to everyone around her。 When her journal goes missing it ends up in the wrong hands and she becomes the victim of blackmail。 One of her lists is revealed to her entire school by the blackmailer and now her secrets and lies are exposed。Quinn teams up with Connor and a few of his friends to track down her journal and bring the blackmailer to justice。 In order to do this though， Quinn must complete one of her lists or more of her private life will be revealed。 She is required to complete the to be completed before graduation list。 Connor and her new friends will help her complete the list all while working together to determine who is putting Quinn's life in ruins。On her journey to complete her list， Quinn learns much about herself， she learns to place trust in others， and she learns the importance of honesty。 The book touches on some racial topics and brings forth the significance of the troubles still faced by African Americans in today's modern society。"Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry" is a fantastic coming of age book of a young woman trying to find herself and shape her future。 Her search for her missing journal will take her out of her comfort zone and force her to make some tough decisions。 The book offers a cute love story， and endearing friendships。 It's a perfect book for those looking for a heartfelt， charming story。 。。。more
Hal
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Check out this review over on my blog too！ : https://hdsreadinglife。wordpress。com/。。。arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewI got an audiobook version of this arc and I really did not like the narrator。 They were just too robotic for me and that took me out of the story often！ I don’t usually read young adult contemporary but I was drawn to this one by the synopsis！ We follow Quinn after her journal has gone missing， a journal full of her thoughts put down in Check out this review over on my blog too！ : https://hdsreadinglife。wordpress。com/。。。arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewI got an audiobook version of this arc and I really did not like the narrator。 They were just too robotic for me and that took me out of the story often！ I don’t usually read young adult contemporary but I was drawn to this one by the synopsis！ We follow Quinn after her journal has gone missing， a journal full of her thoughts put down into lists。 Lists about boys she’d kiss， drama going on at school and more personal issues to name a few examples。 Basically， everything you wouldn’t want the entire school knowing but that’s what might happen when her lost journal is found by someone who uses it to blackmail her。I really liked Quinn as a protagonist。 Her character development was done so well。 She went from depending on her lists to learning how to cope without it。 She ended up doing things she’d listed that she thought she’d never do， she accomplished so much！ The friendships she formed warmed my heart so much！ They developed into true and healthy friendships which I think is great for young readers to see。 Her relationship with Carter was so cute too。 I was really glad that after a certain plot element， she made him work for her forgiveness， she didn’t just hand it over。 The race element in here tugged at my heartstrings because it’s entirely different to be in someone’s head who experiences racism like Quinn has had to deal with when you’ve never really experienced it like she has。 The micro aggressions are everywhere， even her own “friends” were doing it。 I was glad when they got called out for it and that it was addressed and that she made better friends！Overall， this was a super solid read！ If you like young adult contemporary with deeper messages but also full of teenage angst， drama and love， definitely check this one out！！4/5⭐️ 。。。more
Robin
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Quinn is a senior near the end of her high school career。 She seems to have it all: she's well-off， well-liked， and she's been accepted to the college her parents have been dreaming of sending her to since she was born。 Well， one of these things is actually a lie but Quinn has been keeping it a secret， only writing it down in her beloved journal。 This girl is a huge fan of lists and she keeps them all in her journal。 When her journal goes missing and one of her lists ends up on social media， Qui Quinn is a senior near the end of her high school career。 She seems to have it all: she's well-off， well-liked， and she's been accepted to the college her parents have been dreaming of sending her to since she was born。 Well， one of these things is actually a lie but Quinn has been keeping it a secret， only writing it down in her beloved journal。 This girl is a huge fan of lists and she keeps them all in her journal。 When her journal goes missing and one of her lists ends up on social media， Quinn panics。 Someone is blackmailing her to get her to right her wrongs and face her fears。 The person she first suspects of being her tormenter turns out to be her savior。 Thanks to HarperAudio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this title！ 。。。more
Carole Rae
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