I unfortunately attempted to start this and just never got into it, I may give it another attempt further down the line when I'm in a better headspace to read it

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I really loved this! It was a lot of fun, well written and the characters were well developed! I highly recommend this for others!! This was an important read and I found the book to be so great!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

DNF, I could not get into this one. I decided not to read it.

The title says it all in this one. This was a happy, messy, scary story. I thought I was going to fall in love with this one but sadly it never happened. I also DNFed it but I hate doing that. I fell so in love with this cover that I was hoping that the story was going to work out in the end but it just never really took off. The plot for this one made me feel like it was holding on by a thread and I just couldn't get into it.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.  Olivia did not get to do what she wanted to for the summer as the rest of her classmates announce their summertime adventures. She spends a lot of her time talking to her online friend talking about Horror Movies. Her mother gets her a job doing Zip-Line but she is scared of heights. This is where she meets Jake who is Elm and he does not know that Olivia is Carrie. It is a crazy story and it was a fun enjoyable read.

TL;DR – So many lies that were easily avoidable and are just not going to end well for anyone involved.

I’m just going to start by saying that I felt like I was too old for this book. There were so many times when I was face palming at Olivia’s poor choices. Now, part of the problem is that this is a book so you KNOW certain things are going to happen. Ordinarily, I might not have had much of a problem with Olivia sending a picture of her friend Katie to Elm, but since this is a book you know that she and Elm WILL meet in real life and that Katie WILL also show up at some point. The same applies to other decisions made throughout the book.

The characters were just okay for me. I didn’t find Olivia to be a super sympathetic main character (perhaps because of all of her poor choices) and Jake wasn’t really a compelling love interest. Their relationship would have been a lot more fun if Jake knew that Olivia was Carrie from the beginning, but then of course we wouldn’t have had a story. Olivia’s parents/aunt were kind of non-characters? I mean, they were there and every once in a while would play a role, but honestly they could’ve been any nondescript adult character. Same with the other employees at the ziplining company–they could’ve all just been “generic summer camp employees”. Katie at times was a really great and supportive friend for Olivia, but then at other times she was TERRIBLE. I wasn’t convinced by their friendship–they both seemed pretty selfish and I don’t actually see how their friendship works.

The plot wasn’t wholly original, like I said, there were many things that you KNEW were going to happen. So while this book was still a ticking time bomb (waiting for all of Olivia’s lies to catch up with her) the book still lacked suspense. You KNOW that Jake is going to find out everything and waiting for the “when” isn’t super suspenseful. One thing I didn’t like is that there was no acknowledgement of how Jake might feel being torn between two girls (Carrie and Olivia). Even though the reader knows they’re the same person, he doesn’t, so I feel like that should have played into it more. Like, he should have had more conflict hanging out with Olivia or he should have been pulling away from Carrie or something like that. Also, it’s ridiculous that Olivia based many of her screenplay characters on her coworkers and then sent it to Jake expecting him not to recognize anyone? Like, come on.

Overall, this book was just pretty meh for me. It took me a lot longer to get through it than it should have. I liked the setting and the overall premise was fine, but don’t be expecting any surprises, because there are none.

Overall Rating: 3
Language: Moderate
Violence: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: None

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cute, fun summer read that gives a nod to both Cyrano de Bergerac and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Olivia and Jake become online friends while sharing their love of horror films. When he asks for a photo and then sends one of himself, Olivia panics when she sees how cute he is and sends a selfie taken by her gorgeous best friend Katie. Little does she expect is that she’ll run into him when they both end up working at an adventure camp in upstate New York over the summer. When faced with the decision to reveal her true identity or perpetuate the lie, will she come clean or hope that Jake will fall for the real-life Olivia?

Although this sweet romance skews a bit young for a YA book, it has so much to love and messages to share. It’s refreshing to have main characters who come from loving families and aren’t abusing substances or sleeping around, yet don’t come off as goody two-shoes…although Jake IS adorable inside and out! Although Olivia is insecure enough about her looks to hide behind her friend, she still believes that all bodies are beautiful. By the end, she recognizes that everyone has insecurities, even if they seem perfect on the surface. The message about self-love and seeing yourself through others’ eyes is clear, but not preachy. A few more observations worth mentioning: horror film junkies will love that they feature heavily; there is a queer character who does not appear gratuitous; and, the lesson Olivia’s friend Katie learns about acting is a good one that applies to life in general: giving up and walking away isn’t the correct response when you don’t get a part, and that a key to success is knowing that you’re not right for every role. This is a winner that will appeal to romance-loving teens.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Amulet Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I have definitely been on a feelgood streak the last couple of months and Happy Messy Scary Love fit this category to the tee. The feelgood genre is one that I fall into when I am in a reading slump and wanting to get back into my reading mojo. I know it’s purely because they are generally easier to read than something that has 86 characters with 400 subplots, not that I don’t love those books. I do. But they aren’t the best when you’re struggling with reading in general. Happy Messy Scary Love was a lovely nice romance story based around the issues that come with being friends with people online.

For me Happy Messy Scary Love was the perfect mixture of a rom com with the right amount of angst for me. I think the downfall for some of these YA romance is the amount of back and forth, especially with the juvenile reaction that comes with that. I hate the insta-love that plagues YA at the moment but this book doesn’t fall into any of these traps. It was refreshing to see relationships and friendships build through mutual interests and actually getting to know people before jumping into “this is the boy I will change my entire life for”.

I enjoyed the horror film aspect of this story, as someone who grew up with a mother who loved Stephen King and watched horror films as a regular thing. So it was great to see all the horror references in Happy Messy Scary Love. They were so well integrated into the story line that it felt like such a natural part of the plot and I loved the way that it played into each of the characters stories and backgrounds. I would have loved for it to have had a bigger part in the actual story.

I definitely think that Happy Messy Scary Love is meant for a younger audience which is why I think I it only got a 3-star rating. I found some of the themes to be a little simplistic and there was definite potential for character development and growth. It goes back to whether I’m outgrowing YA in general, I don’t think so but I do think I’m leaning towards more complex characters and story lines.

I would recommend Happy Messy Scary Love, and I really enjoyed reading it. I just wished there had been more of complex story and characters. These feel-good stories are the perfect answer to my reading slumps!

Sophie’s favorite book this month was Happy Messy Scary Love by Leah Konen. The central protagonist of this YA novel is Olivia whose dream of spending summer at an NYU screenwriting program has been stopped in its tracks after she failed to secure a place. So while all her friends will be off having amazing adventures, Olivia is stuck working at a ziplining company in the Catskills.

The one good thing about this is that she will be able to spend more time binge-watching horror movies, writing her own horror screenplay, and chatting with Elm, the funny guy she’s been talking to on Reddit. Nevermind that when he requested they swap photos she panicked and sent a photo of her gorgeous BFF Katie; it’s not like they’re ever going to meet in real life. So, of course, Elm turns out to be Jake, the cute guy who’s spending his summer at the same ziplining company.

The majority of this light-hearted tale sees Olivia getting wrapped up in ever more convoluted lies as she tries to balance both her real-life persona and her online horror-obsessed identity. The more she realizes she really likes Jake/Elm, the more difficult it seems to reveal the truth to him, and when Katie turns up unexpectedly, everything gets even trickier.

Sophie thought this was a great, fun read that will go down really well as a summer read for teens and anyone who has ever put their foot in it when it comes to romance. The farcical elements of Olivia’s awkward double-life are reminiscent of Shakespearean comedies, with the reader wanting to shout at the characters to just reveal the truth and straighten everything up. In fact, the only thing she really didn’t like was the cover, which didn’t suit the story at all.

Happy Messy Scary Love is a contemporary and cute romance about Olivia who is a horror film lover and hopes to become a screenwriter and her online friend Elm who also is a horror film lover. This book is a lot like the title describes: its happy and cute and gets kind of messy and complicated but it is well written with such beautiful characters which make it a super fun read.
For me, the best part about this book were the characters. They were all different, well fleshed out and very..human. They dealt with emotions in a realistic way especially our main character Olivia. The things Olivia went through, the emotions she felt, her relationships, her friendships were all very realistic and well written.
I love Elm who was this fun, understanding and smart character but for me Olivia was the main hero because we see her becoming true to herself and learning to live her journey. I loved Katie, Olivia’s best friend, who shows what a true best friend is and who loves and supports Olivia wholeheartedly. Her parents and her aunt Chrissy were just as great.
The writing was really good, the story was alright but the characters drove the plot forward a result of which it never got boring. Its relatable, sweet, heartwarming and overall a really beautiful read!

Olivia has finally found someone who loves horror movies as much as she does. The only problem is they don't know each other in real life, just on Reddit, where they use aliases. When Olivia's online friend asks to swap pictures, she is delighted and terrified at how cute he is. Filled with anxiety and low self-esteem, Olivia sends a picture of her beautiful best friend saying it is her. All seems fine until Olivia starts her summer job and there is her online friend in the flesh. As Olivia and Jake grow closer, Olivia finds herself sunk deeper and deeper into a web of lies.

Konen unfortunately doesn't add anything new to a cliche premise, but still delivers a fun summer romance. The horror movie references and silly humor add to the story, but it all plays out like the similar books that have come before. I've really enjoyed Konen's previous books and this doesn't measure up, but I still liked it.

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

This was a quirky YA contemporary novel that covers self-esteem, artsy tropes, friendship, first real crushes & catfishing.

All in all a nice read, nothing that will blow you out of the water but nothing wrong with it. It’s a quick read with a nice resolves ending.

I want to start by saying Happy Messy Scary Love was an adorable book and I really enjoyed reading it. It was written in a way that brought me in and got me invested in the story, however unbelievable that story was...

If I didn't stop and actively think about it, it was easy to just fall in with the characters and the inevitable downfall of Olivia's "plan". I'm a thinker though, so I did eventually pause and note the fact that this scenario was pretty far-fetched. We're supposed to believe that Olivia, who lives in Brooklyn, meets a guy from North Carolina on Reddit-- and they both coincidentally end up in the Catskills working at the same outdoor zip-line tour company, without either of them knowing beforehand. The world is not that small.

Also, instead of just TELLING Jake that she is the girl he's been chatting with (which is what EVERYONE ON PLANET EARTH WOULD DO), she pretends she doesn't know him and starts pretending to be someone different in real life in order to differentiate herself from her online self. It was just head-shaking behavior.

Putting that out of my head, the romance was cute. Olivia and Jake had real chemistry (online and in real life), and I loved how aware Olivia was of it. She was self-conscious, obviously, but she wasn't one of those people who have zero awareness about a connection they are making with someone.

The thing is, I've read this book before. And yeah, I like reading books like these every now and again-- but I want the story to be different in some sort of way from the other stories. I didn't find that here. That also takes the surprise-factor out of it, because I knew how this was going to go.

By the time the best friend, Katie, shows up to help push along the big blow-up, I was thinking it was time to wrap this book up. It kind of goes on a little too long where the characters go on and on about horror movies (sometimes out loud and sometimes in their heads) because they literally have nothing else to do but wait for this lie to come out. Speaking of BFF Katie-- I HATED her. Maybe it's just me, but OMFG this girl was awful and the book kept telling me she was wonderful. Just no.

Maybe if they were working somewhere that pertained to horror movies, the coincidence would make sense. Maybe if Olivia didn't try to pretend she didn't like horror and be a different person, I would've been more on board with the lie. Maybe if the story was somehow different from all the other "You've Got Mail" retellings. I have a lot of maybes here, but somehow I still really enjoyed reading this book?!?!?

OVERALL: It's cute, it's light, it's fun. It's been done before. I've read this exact book before with different characters and settings. Luckily it was written in a way that allowed me to fall into it without being too bored or annoyed, but I still don't think that makes up for an unbelievable/unoriginal story. I do recommend it due to it being completely readable and fun, but if you're into YA Contemporary Romance, be ready for déjà vu.

A very fun YA romance, this is perfect for fans of the genre. It's more like a 3+.

After not writing a movie script for an application and spending her whole time talking with her internet friend Elm, Olivia's plans for summer are gone now she's sabotaged herself out of the filmmaker course in NYU. Her mother then sends her to work at the small town they're staying, where she meets Jake. Who happens to be Elm. Who happens to think the photo of Olivia's best friend is Olivia and has no idea he's really talking to his internet friend. The situation only gets worse as Olivia is unable to tell the truth the closer they get in real life.

Olivia's situation is all too familiar to anyone. She borderline-crushes on her best friend Katie, who she calls the manager of her life and seems to have everything Olivia doesn't. While she faces a writer's block she meets Elm online and the two connect all too well until he asks for a picture and Katie's is the one he gets. Olivia lacks that much in self-esteem. Of course it wasn't supposed to make a difference until they end up meeting in person, but she still can't come out to him. I don't know if I'd have the nerves to let it snowball like that, but her internal conflicts are undoubtedly relatable to teenagers and even to me. Who doesn't compare themselves to someone close, right? I think that was the best part of this story, how real it seems.

There are also lots of horror films references but since I'm not a fan (at all), I can't say if it'll entice those. What I do tell you is that it was interesting to learn about it and it wasn't too much to a point it becomes a school book or something. I think the writer knew the exact amount she could include to make it real horror was her hobby.

There are also side characters and it's a pity there wouldn't be room to learn about everyone because they did seem interesting. On the other hand, I feel the important ones acquired depth enough, especially Katie. There's a lesson there for anyone reading.

So why didn't I rate it higher? There's nothing actually wrong. This was quick and pleasant to read. But there isn't enough to get it more. It's a good YA but it's just like any other good YA. It'll surely be great for fans but I don't think it'll go beyond that.

Which doesn't change anything. If you like contemporary YA including romance, this is a read you shouldn't miss this summer.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

A cheesy romantic comedy that can be slow paced but too short for its own good. Happy Messy Scary Love has all the elements any teen would want in a young adult novel with the added romance, passion for horror films, and overcoming one’s fears.

The themes in the novel were relatable, which is essential for every coming of age novel: insecurities, fear of failure, fear of rejection, and procrastination (just to name a few). I find myself relating to the main character (except the catfishing part). This is a YA novel that is catered to many people because the characters are both likable and relatable.

My only issue was that the romance wasn’t given enough time to develop in an organic way. Instead, it felt very much like “insta-love.” Additionally, characters can seem kind of flat. For some characters, there needed to be some time or more introspection before their views changed. Like, all of a sudden, the mc just decides to stop feeling scared. There just wasn’t enough introspection nor time given for the main character to change. This book was truly written to be plot-driven and I didn’t want it to be written at the expense of its characters. Unfortunately, it was the case for this book.

It had also been difficult to get into the story (at first) because of the slow pacing and the juvenile conversations. Granted, it’s a YA novel so ‘juvenile’ shouldn’t be an issue at all. I just had to bring this up for those readers who think that this may be an issue.

Even if this had been the case, I liked the friendships and the family supporting the main character in this book. It also reminded me of other feel good YA novels, books from Jenn Bennett and Morgan Matson easily comes to mind. Note that I did enjoy reading this book and I’ll be reading more books from this author!

Leah Konen started off the story pretty well. At the start, it didn’t drag into summer break—there was only one scene of school then POOF summer was here! That made me read quickly as Olivia instantly got online and into the horror fan base. The number of horror movies and techniques used in this was awesome. It stayed on track. I can see that Konen did her homework with that one. At times, I’d read and feel left out because I’m not that into horror but these two characters made me think I needed to get into it! Once the climax reached, it sort of dragged from there. There were a few fillers scenes that could be left out as they repeated it. There weren’t any huge subplots, I guess that’s what made it more boring. I thought Olivia’s and Katie’s friendship would’ve been a subplot but it was a minor complication. 

I related to Olivia, not only because she was a writer herself but because she was insecure. I’ve read past reviews who found it absurd that she sent a photo of her friend (Katie) instead of herself. I wouldn't have the guts either way. I felt her lack of confidence. Then again, when Katie found out she said Olivia was curvy and pretty—blind to see her beauty. That pushed me off a little. 

Onto Katie herself who I actually wasn’t fond of. In the beginning, she was okay then Olivia just preached Katie. It’s like she was asking for it. Katie was bossy and controlling, especially with Elm. I felt so sorry for him at times, I wouldn't be able to see him, let alone become friends with him if I was lying to his face every day. Katie was into acting so she took things too far and played the victim afterward… all the time. Yikes, like give Olivia a break, it’s her first guy friend. 

I loved the side characters like Olivia’s aunt, father, her coworkers although I think the author added a queer character just to make it a bit different even though she didn’t contribute much. It seemed like some of them just filled the gap of summer break, meeting new people kind of vibe. 

At first, I thought friendship would be a central theme in this novel but I guess not. It was more of a coming out of your shell and comfort zone. Olivia gained confidence in different ways just not in the most important way as to grow the courage to tell Elm the truth. 

Other than that, I adored the conversations between Elm and Olivia whose name I remembered now was Carrie, online. There wasn’t too much or too little. The ending didn’t surprise me either; it was one or the other…

Happy Messy Scary Love is one of those cute rom-coms that you pack for a day at the beach. It’s got a lot of humor (mainly the adorkable dialogue between Olivia and Jake) and heart.

When I picked up this book I was quickly immersed in the story. I’m not a fan of horror movies, but I loved that Olivia was, because that made her unique and interesting. She often made movie reference jokes and was all around quirky and fun, and I could totally see myself being friends with someone like her.

Jake was awkward and totally nerdy, which after brooding bad boys, is my favorite book-boyfriend type, so I had a little crush on him.

I was able to read Happy Messy Scary Love in one day, because the characters were so interesting, and the dialogue humorous and fun. The whole story just flowed so well, that before I knew it, I was at the last page.

I’m definitely planning on reading more contemporary books by Leah Konen in the future.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club.

Having read and loved the author’s other work, The Romantics (you can read my review here), I was pretty psyched to find out I was given the opportunity to read and review her latest book. The premise of this book was just as interesting for me as The Romantics’ premise was, so I had no problem getting into this one.

Olivia Knight, also known as CarrieRevenge on Reddit, is an aspiring screenplay writer and is a huge horror buff. That’s why, on her late night escapades on Reddit, she met a fellow horror fan on there with the handle named Elm. They’ve hit it off right from the start and after months of online friendship, Elm sends a picture of him to Olivia (or Carrie) and asks one in return. So, in typical teenage fashion, Olivia lets her uncertainties get the best of her so she sends a picture of Katie, her best friend, instead. It’s totally fine because there’s no chance in hell that they would meet, right? Wrong!

From the beginning, readers get to be well-versed on who our main character is and what events prompted the mess that would eventually befall her. Olivia was an okay main character for me. Because although I do enjoy her enthusiasm for horror films and understand the self-issues she’s been dealing with, she never really warmed up to me all that much. Still, I really loved getting to explore about her happy, messy and scary summer romance.

Elm, on the other hand, was a character in the book that I absolutely adored. For a fictional character, he just seemed so real to me. He is so charming, nerdy and an overall sweet guy. That, amongst other things! Katie was another one that made the book so enjoyable! Another touch of spice and realism to an otherwise fictional story. She’s honestly the best best friend anyone can ask for; the one that’s always got your back but isn’t afraid to let you know when you’re being too much. Her own character was explored for a bit in this book too, despite the story not revolving around her, which I appreciate a lot.

The romance itself was sweet, because Olivia and Elm are perfect for each other, and thrilling, in the sense that I have this anticipation of when Olivia’s facade will all come tumbling down. The banter that they had, both online and in person, were a delight to read and I can see how they get on so well together. However, I do think that the ending wasn’t what I hoped it would be. It was a bit rushed, in my opinion.

Overall, though, this was a good read! Happy Messy Scary Love is a cute and fun read whenever you’re in the mood for something quick, especially during the summer season!