Okay, okay, I'll admit this now: I requested an ARC of this book solely because of its adorable cover. BUT, YES, OKAY, ALL SHALLOWNESS ASIDE, this book was more than just cute cover design.



You know all those movies where teenagers have, like, THE SUMMER OF THEIR LIVES?

This summer is probably not going to be that.

Source: Everything that's happened since yesterday ...

The last thing sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin thought she'd be doing this summer is entering a beauty pageant.

Not when she's spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone.

Not when her Dad is AWOL for Christmas and her gorgeous older sister has returned to rock Maisie's shaky confidence. And her best friend starts going out with the boy she's always loved.

But Maisie's got something to prove.

As she writes down all the ways this summer is going from bad to worse in her school-assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture-device might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn't let anything, or anyone, hold her back...



As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for my participation in the blog tour/my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.  

What I Like About Me was a nice change of pace from what life has been throwing our way these last few weeks. It was a nice change of pace, as well, when compared to the books that I've been reading. Truly. It sparkled of light in a sea of darkness and was another in-one-sitting read. What I Like About Me proved to be more than fluff, though, and its message is one of great importance: self-love. 

And, to be perfectly honest with you, What I Like About Me was damn important and the sort of book I wish I had around as a teenager. I feel as though, to some degree, the significance of this book will be wrongfully brushed aside for one reason or another. Maybe I don't appreciate it in the same way that I would have then, but I still do. 

All the body positivity alone makes this a surely wonderful read for all ages. What I Like About Me has all the makings of a fantastic coming of age story. There's a little bit of angsty quality to it, as our lead character's summer doesn't get off to the start she'd hoped. The novel proceeds to tackle many things young women face at virtually any given moment. 

It takes these topics, explores them with an honest tone, never underestimating its audience, and leaves you feeling buzzed with a sort of hopefulness.

What I Like About Me, too, feels like the ultimate beach-read. Part of me almost forgot that, as I was reading it, we were living through a pandemic. And that it wasn't even spring, yet. The world was shockingly quiet outside my window, but What I Like About Me felt loud in the best sort of way. If there's one thing you could take away from this novel, its that its prose lends a strong voice that seemingly injects itself in the reader's veins. 

Talk about a mood boost! This novel is certainly one to look out for this spring and summer. What I Like About Me brought some much needed warmth and light to an otherwise dreary, cold, and isolated March. Jenna Guillaume pens a lovely and smooth story in a way that feels like the summer's breeze.