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Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.
Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.
All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.
As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.
Review:
As the name suggests, Tweet Cute, by Emma Lord, is a YA book about an adorable "meet-cute", and an epic Twitter war. It also deals with the pressure to create the perfect college app with an insane mix of perfect grades, AP classes, and extra-curricular activities. One might think this book is unrealistic, but I can tell you that the pressure of college applications is all too real. This was a fun, romantic book.
What I Liked:
Setting:Pepper goes to an elite, private New York City high school, and she is thrown into a world of insane expectations. I could relate to how hard Pepper and her classmates were working towards perfection. My kids went to a very high pressure public high school that was exactly like Peppers.
I also loved the depictions of New York City. Pepper is from Nashville, so NYC is really intimidating for her. She has limited herself to the small area between her school and her apartment. By doing this, she is missing out on the wonderful variety of cultures, people, and food, around the city. She is achingly aware of it, too. Will she be able to overcome her fears and jump into the full New York experience?
Characters:
I liked that Pepper and her peers were very human. Yes, they were doing a ridiculous amount of work for school, but the book showed the steep toll it took on the students. Emma Lord did not glamorize the process. Most of the kids were sleep deprived and stressed out.
I liked Pepper and Jack so much. They each had their own issues to deal with (Pepper's divorced parents, and Jack's mixed feelings about his twin). I liked that they were not perfect people.
Story:
The story of how Pepper and Jack become involved in a Twitter war seems extreme, but I found it very believable. Pepper's family owns a huge chain of fast food restaurants called Big League Burgers, while Jack's family owns a small, neighborhood deli in New York. When it looks like BLB stole the recipe to the deli's signature grilled cheese creation, the war is on!
Twitter wars can and do start over the smallest things, escalating exponentially. I liked that Pepper and Jack knew more about Twitter politics than the adults. I think most people over forty-five know little about how Twitter works, and how public perceptions of companies can ping back and forth quickly. A tweet can come out that rubs the public the wrong way, and suddenly you are a piriah.
I also liked the storyline of Jack's app, Weazl. It showed, once again, that some adults don't get youth culture. Kids use their phones constantly and while we adults may bemoan this, that is the reality. What we adults get is that this is not necessarily a bad thing. I liked that the book showed some positive effects of social networks. It can bring people together for collaborations, and support. Of course, there are some significant problems too, such as bullying, and that is addressed as well.
Romance:
While the book often strayed close to many clichés such as jealousy from misunderstandings and identity mix ups, the author didn't choose the simple path. She showed how Pepper and Jack genuinely liked each other. They each boosted the other in various ways. They also didn't overreact to situations. I dislike it in novels when a couple breaks up over a tiny misunderstanding that could be easily cleared up. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with Tweet Cute.
I also liked that Jack's twin Ethan had a sweet romance going. Ethan was gay, and I appreciated a depiction of a gay character with a romantic partner without a bunch of drama. Ethan wasn't all angsty or worried about what his classmates thought. He was just living his life as any other teen would. This was so refreshing and positive!
What I Was Mixed About:
Food:
Pepper and her sister have a baking blog and there are amazing descriptions of fun dessert creations such as Monster Cake, and So Sorry Blondies. I just wish there had been actual recipes to go along with these descriptions. I really wanted to try me some Monster Cake!!! If you are going to make a food item an integral part of the plot, then you need to include the recipe, for goodness sake!
Parents:
I really hated Pepper's mom and Jack's dad through most of the book. They both seemed really selfish and had no problem guilt-tripping their kids into doing their dirty work. They were redeemed at the end, but I wished that they were not putting so much pressure on their kids to have grown-up responsibilities like manage their social media presence!
Rating:
Release Date: January 21st, 2020
Author: Emma Lord
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: YA Romance
Page Length: 368 Pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A fun teen romance with lots of social media references. Highly entertaining.
