"Ellie Is Cool Now" by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren is a heartfelt coming-of-age story that navigates the ups and downs of teenage life. The authors capture the essence of self-discovery and friendship, making it a relatable and engaging read for young adults. Ellie's journey is filled with authenticity and growth, offering a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of adolescence.

I love romantic comedies, and this novel grabbed my attention. Ellie is a writer/tv producer that is forced to go back to her high school reunion, even though she hated high school. This novel kept me guessing about what was coming next. I always enjoy a slow burn with a second-chance romance. I liked Mark, but sometimes it felt like Ellie was a little mean. This was the first novel I have read by this author, and I liked it.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Ellie is Cool Now is the Wattpad sensation by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren. It’s now being published by the wonderful Headline Eternal and is out on the 21st. It’s a fast paced, funny and quick read rom com. This is a book that will have you laughing out loud, but it’s also a book that deals with some very significant issues as well.

With that said there are some TWs, mostly linked to side characters, namely alcoholism, chronic illness, bullying, intent towards assault (but stopped) and toxic parental relationships.

Ellie is Cool Now is, unsurprisingly, the story of Ellie Jenkins, a woman who HATED her time at high school. Ellie has moved on in life and is now a writer for a hit teen drama show in LA. Yet when she gets an invite to get 10 year school reunion she’s faced with an ultimatum: go to this reunion or lose her big break forever.

Taking the bait, Ellie heads back to school, but no one at the reunion is what she expected. Not her ex-best friend, nor her secret crush, who has only gotten hotter, sexier, and way more complicated.

The only way she's going to survive this whole weird ordeal is by fixing her bad high school karma, kissing the boy who got away, and getting the hell out of Ohio for good. But as Ellie soon discovers - in real life, you can't just rewrite the script.

This really was a fun and fast paced read. Ellie is a an interesting FMC; she’s funny and ambitious, but also kinda mean and pretty judgey (a critique levelled at her by others within the novel). Though she has her faults I still loved reading about her. I especially enjoyed the way that she came to understand that there is a lot more to the people that she’d previously dismissed and how much insight into herself she gained by going back to high school.

I enjoyed all the interactions we got to see between Ellie and her best friends Vic and Tina, they were real scene stealers in the novel. Mark, the MMC, was another interesting one. He’s a sweet guy but his life is in a bit of a flux/mess. Ellie and Mark had great chemistry but I would have preferred his history with Liz was a little less fresh!

This is a great one for small town vibes, second chances and childhood to adult crushes.

I think this has to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far! I always enjoy stories when they aren’t afraid to have flawed characters and being in your 20s is such a weird age I found I could relate to so many of these characters.

This would definitely have been 5* for me if there’d been a bit more about Mark. I think the connection between Ellie and Mark was so obvious but I just found myself wanting to know him a little more.

This was both funny and heartwarming. It’s always a great premise to have someone go back to a high school reunion feeling hotter and generally more successful than they were at school. I think we all long to do the same!
Ellie having a project to force her to attend hers was a good idea and the characters she encountered felt very real. My favourite part of her list was having to prank the class clown!
I read this quickly which is always a sign of how good a book is.

Who hasn't got some terrible feelings towards their high school years? Well, you are not alone. Ellie out main character absolutely despised high school. So when her boss sends her to her high school reunion to get a fresh perspective of high school and stop being so cynical, to say she isn't thrilled is an understatement.

What ensues is just what you what expect. This book was fairly predictable but that being said I flew through it and I really enjoyed it. It can't say that I loved it because I didn't really connect with the main character Ellie. I found her to be quite emotionally immature and slightly annoying to be honest.
However I did enjoy the book and it was a quick, light-hearted read, that I will certainly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read! It was a messy love story full of angst. I liked that it wasn’t perfect, her high school crush isn’t exactly available and it’s interesting seeing the characters war with this in a realistic way. The epilogue was sweet.

From a UK point of view… I struggled with the MMC being called Mark Wright because Towie Mark Wright (ew) 😂