Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it canbut in the real world, its more complicated. In this debut novel thats perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, Marisa Kanter hilariously and poignantly explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU by MARISA KANTER
Series: Standalone
Publication date: April 7, 2020
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA romance
Synopsis
Is it still a love triangle if there are only two people in it?
There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash.
He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything…
Except who she really is.
Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash.
That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue.
Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels.
If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.
Praise For What I Like About You
"Heartwarming, endearing, and sure to leave you swooning, What I Like About You shines with authentic characters you will absolutely fall in love with. This story is as sweet as the cupcakes you’ll be craving by the end!"
– Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart
"With a charming, modern teen voice and a cast of characters I refuse to believe aren't real people, this debut explores the connections we make online and IRL. A love letter to storytelling, fandom, and all kinds of friendships, I'm still hugging What I Like About You tightly to my chest."
– Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
"This book is like a cupcake - delicious and to be devoured in one sitting."
– Laura Silverman, author of Girl Out of Water and You Asked for Perfect
"We fell in love at first DM with this delightfully readable debut. Equal parts clever contemporary romance and celebration of the joys of reading and connecting with people regardless of distance or medium, What I Like About You is what we love about YA."
– Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of If I’m Being Honest
"What I Like About You is real, relatable, and as sweet as a One True Pastry cupcake. Marisa Kanter's voice will resonate with readers. I couldn't put this one down!"
– Gloria Chao, author of American Panda and Our Wayward Fate
"WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU is utterly unputdownable and completely enchanting. Along with fantastic Jewish representation, Kanter's debut is an ode to fandoms, teen readers, and the friendships we make through our communities, on and offline. So fun, so relatable, I was rooting for Halle and Nash the whole time."
– Katherine Locke, award-winning author of THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON and co-editor of IT'S A WHOLE SPIEL
"Cupcake cute and Belle-brainy. Fans of Miranda Kenneally and Jenny Han will like Kanter’s smart (and a little bit awkward) main character whose romance is based on more than the physical...but also the physical"
– School Library Journal
"With humor and compassion, Kanter’s debut is fun to read...Kudos to Kanter for featuring Jewish teens and telling a sweet story that also examines the blurring of online and real lives."
– Booklist
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marisa Kanter has worked in publicity for major publishers and covered YA books for MTV. Currently, she works in sales, on the distribution side of the publishing industry. She can often be found searching for the best iced chai in NYC, or reading on the 3 train. What I Like About You is her first novel. Follow her at marisakanter.com and on Twitter @marisakanter
What I Like About You by Marisa KanterMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you liked Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, you just found your next YA fix. I was immediately drawn to this book because the heroine is a book blogger. She also suffers from social anxiety, so she's more than a little awkward in social situations when she's not online. Nerdy/shy characters are my jam, so obviously this book was kind of made for me. While I enjoyed how relatable Halle was in the blogging aspects of her character, she certainly wasn't without her faults. This is a young teen filled with insecurities and fear, she's dealing with grief over the recent loss of her beloved grandmother. I'm not going to lie, I did get impatient with her inability to be honest with everyone in her life, but saying that, it came from a realistic place.
Halle, or Kels as she's known online, has just moved in with her grandfather temporarily for her senior year of high school. She's used to a nomadic upbringing, traveling with her parents to remote locations for the production of their documentaries. The loss of her grandmother is hitting her hard, however, and she needs to put down roots with her brother. Up until this point, the most exciting thing she thought about herself was her online presence running One True Pastry. She joined the love of baking with books, and her following has grown into the six figures. As Kels, she can use her new identity to be the person she wishes she could be in person. Someone who isn't afraid in large crowds, or uncertain how to act when forging new relationships with people. Then her safety net was ripped away from her when she suddenly came face to face with her online best friend, Nash. In her panic that her real life personality will not match up with his expectations, she bungles everything. Nash has no idea that the new girl in town is none other than Kels.
There's quite a bit of a yo-yo effect in how Halle treats Nash after he introduces her to his friends. She verges from shyly trying to open up to him to being downright rude in order to push him away. Just when they start to get a little bit close, it scares her. Her two "lives" will surely crash spectacularly, and the longer she keeps quiet the worse the end result will be. She can't help but gravitate towards him though, and she starts to realize that even Nash had been keeping private and personal information from her online. She wasn't the only one using the distance as a protective barrier. He was starting to open up to her and reveal a very vulnerable side of himself, but there was one last thing that was standing between them. Herself. If the boy you like thinks he's in love with your alter ego, things get really complicated.
Kels, who always knows what to say, who gets cited in major publications and thrown in the middle of YA scandals, who manages to run One True Pastry like it’s a full-time job. I know he likes her, but she’s the branded version of me—she’s not me. Could Nash like this version of me? I actually want to find out.
I’m always so hung up on saying the right thing, on stringing the perfect sentence together. Maybe it’s okay for my words to come out messy and wrong sometimes, as long as they’re true.
I would definitely read more from this debut author, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she'll offer us next.
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