About the Book:

Title: This Might Get Awkward

Author: Kara McDowell

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: March 1, 2022

Pages: 336

Genre: YA Contemporary, YA Romance

Synopsis:

Sophie Kinsella meets Sarah Dessen in the most hilarious, romantic book of the summer about a girl with social anxiety and the boy who refuses to let her hide herself away.

Seventeen-year-old Gemma’s favorite kind of beach is an empty one. Social interactions are too much for her to handle. She always says the wrong thing—if she manages to say anything at all. She can’t even bring herself to speak to her longtime crush, Beau Booker, without losing sleep over her own awkwardness.

During a solo outing to her favorite beach, Gemma realizes—to her horror—that the popular kids from school have shown up to throw a party. Before she can sneak away (and possibly puke behind her car) Gemma is pulled into the action and ends up talking to Beau, who asks her to pretend that they’re “close.” Gemma is too flustered and flattered to refuse, and mostly, she’s wondering why Beau is talking to her at all . . . right up until the moment when he falls off the boat, hits his head, and ends up in a coma.

After rescuing Beau from the water, Gemma is mistaken for Beau’s girlfriend by his friends and family, including his mysterious older brother, Griff, who has returned to town after a year away. Gemma tries to correct the record, but her social anxiety (and a nosy reporter) gets in the way at every turn. Before she knows it, she’s in too deep to backtrack. And when Beau’s warm, boisterous family pulls Gemma into their orbit, she realizes how much she wants to keep them in her life.

For the first time, Gemma has everything she’s ever wanted: friends, big family dinners, and Griff—a boy who she can be herself around. But how can she embrace her new dream life when everything is built on a lie?

Review:

*I received an arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Scholastic Press.*

I ADORED this swoon-worthy romcom by Kara McDowell! This is my second book I’ve read by her, and I loved it just as much as the first. It’s the perfect summer read, and I especially loved the social anxiety rep, the humor, how the author tackled some tough topics, and the angsty romance.

Gemma is a seventeen year-old high school student who has social anxiety. She keeps to herself as social interactions are just too much for her to handle. She always feels like she says the wrong things, and that’s if she can bring herself to say anything at all. She’s never been able to even say a word to her long time crush. She often loses sleep over her awkwardness, and sometimes gets physically ill from her embarrassment.

On a day trip to the beach where Gemma plans on being alone and enjoying the peace and quiet, she finds herself being surrounded by all the popular kids from school who are there to throw a party. She winds up finally talking to her crush, Beau Booker, who tells her to pretend they’re “close” just before he falls off a boat, hits his head, and winds up in the hospital in a medically induced coma.

Gemma was Beau’s rescuer who pulled him from the water and gave him CPR, and friends and family mistakenly begin to identify her as Beau’s girlfriend. Due to her anxiety, she feels as though she has to go along with this lie, which leads to even more lies. Beau’s family also draws her in to their embrace, and she doesn’t want to let go.

Gemma at long last has friends, and then she also meets Griff, a boy that she can finally be herself around. She’s living her dream life, but she’s not sure how to carry on when everything is built on lies.

This has been comped to While You Were Sleeping, and this was the YA version that I didn’t know I needed, but I’m so glad that I have! If you love romcoms, I definitely think you will enjoy this story. This is out March 1, 2022, so add this one to your TBR.

About the Author:

Born in the mountains and raised in the desert, Kara McDowell spent her childhood swimming, boating, and making up stories in her head. As the middle of five children, Kara entertained her family on long road trips by reading short mystery stories out loud and forcing everyone to guess the conclusion. After graduating from Arizona State University with a BA in English Literature, Kara worked as a freelance writer. Now she writes young adult novels from her home in Arizona, where she lives with her husband and three young sons.