[Skye’s Review]: What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

What I Like About You
by Marisa Kanter
Pages: 416
Published by Simon & Schuster
Release Date: April 7th 2020
Genres: YA, Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC
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Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can... but in the real world, it's more complicated. In this debut novel Marisa Kanter explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes.

There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash.

He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything…

Except who she really is.

Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash.

That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue.

Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels.

If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

What I Like About You is a cute story that will warm all book lovers’ hearts. The main character, Halle, runs her own book blog and has dreams of working in publishing (something we have probably all dreamed of at one point or another). 

Okay, let’s start off with some of my favorite things about this book: 

1. There were so many wholesome, adorable moments–whether it be Halle’s experiences in the online book community or sweet moments with her brother Ollie. I smiled a ton while reading this book.
2. Halle and Ollie’s relationship is beyond sweet. I loved seeing a positive, uplifting sibling relationship. Ollie and Halle are truly best friends. They trust each other completely and keep each other in line. We stan a healthy sibling relationship.  
3. It’s easy to relate to Halle. She’s smart yet awkward. She hates making big decisions and taking chances for fear of things not working out (we can ALL relate to that). Oh yeah, and she spends a lot of time online with her online friends. 
4. Lastly, Nash. This boy is the definition of wholesome. He is a cinnamon roll through and through. He’s a graphic artist with a heart of gold.
   
   Next up, what I wasn’t in love with:

1. The fact that Halle will not tell Nash who she is. I understand that’s the whole plot of the book, but there were so many times where I was yelling at her to just tell him. I’m not a fan of miscommunication in books, but I can handle a healthy amount. There was wayyyy too much in this book which is why I ended up giving this book 3 stars rather than 4. 

Overall, this was an entertaining, easy read. I don’t want it to seem like this isn’t a good book because it definitely is. When I rate a book I rate it based on my enjoyment of the book. 3 stars means I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. If you’re a fan of YA Contemporary and books that are centered around the book blogging community, then I think you’ll enjoy this book!