Call It What You Want

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They start seeing each other because of a calculus homework, and they grow close too fast to be honest (also because calculus was almost never the reason they met), but their relationship was great. First of all, Rob talked freely with Meagan about their relationship. I don’t understand why YA characters are so fixated with waiting for the other one to text first the day after the first kiss, but here it didn’t happen. Finally, what makes Call It What You Want my new favorite book from Kemmerer is the fact that she really had me thinking about some tough topics, especially as they pertain to Rob. Rob is desperate to try to fix what his father did and contemplates crossing into morally gray territory to make it happen. It really got me thinking about right and wrong. Can you ever really make something right by committing a wrong? I love a book that can engage me with such important and thought-provoking topics.

I won’t lie to you guys-I begged for this book. It wasn’t classy. It wasn’t dignified. And it was honestly a bit pathetic-but IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT. This book? It’s gold. I loved every minute of it. He is filled with anger regarding his deteriorated circumstances and begins lashing out at those around him.

I always love the star-crossed lover books where a popular guy is paired with an unpopular girl, or vice versa, on a project, so this was right up my alley. Except, here, we have two totally different social groups coming together…but they’re both now outcasts, and I loved the twist on that trope I love so much. And, even more than that, I love that Kemmerer could explore trust among two ‘wrongdoers’, along with betrayal, friendship, attraction-and standing up for what you believe to be right. I loved it. It’s all so convoluted and twisty and turny in the sense that Maegan doesn’t know what to think about Rob, whether he was involved or not, and where his morality is questioned as he finds himself turning into a modern day Robin Hood. A must-have for any YA collection. Give to teens who enjoyed A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky -- starred review - SLJ When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…

My love for Brigid Kemmerer grows and grows with every book of hers that I read. Her books are addictive and her characters are precious ✨ Even if I wanted to stop Rob I could understand his reasoning. His motives. And that’s why I say Brigid Kemmerer is brilliant, making me empathize with him while reproving what he did. So, about the plot. I love the idea of "exposing" the BL industry, and they definitely took a much more serious approach than Lovely Writer. It was almost a bit too heavy for me, but it was probably also realistic. Either way, there is for sure so much shit going on behind the scenes. Not in all instances, but some, and it's so sad to think about. We need to remember BL actors are also people, so we should treat them as such. No forcing them to go on insane diets, no forcing them to get surgery, no robbing them of their freedom. Basically, let them have their basic human rights. Also, no fanservice unless they're completely comfortable with it. Let's not get too invested in relationships that most likely aren't real. It can be very damaging. I honestly almost cried in the beginning of this book. Mostly because I thought I was diving into another sad depressing book that would put me in a funky mood. Thankfully, things start looking up and the characters were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. No, not heaven.. but friendship.This book makes you think, question your rights and wrongs, clench your fists and hit against the walls, curse heavily, ache for the characters, cry for the unfairness but finally smile because karma always does its work impeccably. The actors acting are also great. I don't know if they are newbies in the industry, but the way they showed their characters is gripping and captivating. I think the director also has a hand on it.

Meaghan made one bad decision when she tried to cheat on the SAT and got caught. Invalidating the scores of all the other students. When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship . . .

They begin to confide in one another and discover they have more in common than they ever could have guessed. I really hoped to see more of Bas and Marco together. I assume there is going to be another season, though, for two reasons. First, the way it ended insinuated things weren't over. Second, there were scenes in the trailers for the series that didn't show up in the actual series. Scenes where Bas and Marco were more than friends. In this series, they didn't really bond until the final episode. So, they, of course, weren't at a point where they would be making out. I look forward to seeing more of them. They have such amazing potential. Yay for a new Brigid Kemmerer book! I loved both LETTERS TO THE LOST and MORE THAN WE CAN TELL, so as soon as I heard about CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT, I wanted to read it. Connected by a Calculus project and their dads (Maegan’s cop father was first on the scene when Rob’s dad shot himself), the two outcasts strike up an unlikely friendship, and more. Alongside their romance and the gripping twists, I loved the moving camaraderie between Rob and Owen, whose single mom was thrown into crippling financial hardship by Rob’s dad.

Everyone LOVES Kemmerer's contemporaries. Everyone. I mean, I feel like every single review on this book is 4 or 5 stars. Same for Letters to the Lost and More than We Can Tell. But for some reason...they're well-written, they're well-paced, they've got interesting characters, but there's something MISSING, at least for me. Maegen and Rob are outcasts: Maegan cheated on her SATS and Rob's father defrauded almost the entire town of their life savings through a fraudulent investment scheme. When the story opens, Rob and Maegan are both just in survival mode, each trying to lay low and get through the school year drawing as little attention to themselves as possible. When Rob and Maegan get paired up on a project in Calculus class, however, everything changes. One mistake can change your whole life, the way you’re viewed, and can influence each new decision you have to make, and we get to see what the aftermath is like for both someone who made a one-time mistake that marred their chances of getting into ANY college when they were a shoe-in before, and someone who didn’t do anything wrong, nor know anything about it, yet pays the steady cost of betrayal every day, both at school and, more devastatingly, in his own home. This book showed how easy it is to misunderstand a person or situation and how important it is to hear information straight from the source’s mouth before judging or jumping to conclusions. There are two sides to every story and things may not always be as they first appear. Lastly, it left me pondering two valuable reminders: we are not our parents and one mistake does not define us.

Reviews

Two beautiful souls shunned by popular kids of school, left alone, suffering from family dramas, trying to exist at the high school jungle, surrounded by meanness, unfairness, judgmental perspectives of people which pushes Rob having some dangerous choices to atone his father’s sins to bring the justice in Robin Hood way : Taking from people who have so much and sharing it with the people who need to stay alive!