We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison
Two high school girls begin to write a weird fanfic about two boys at their school.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Pros: so much going on, great writing style, relatable characters, twists and stress inducing but in a good way
Cons: a bit blurry at the end, but that could have been intention
Trigger Warning: Sexual assault, Bullying, Child abuse, Self harm, Kidnapping, Stalking, Homophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship
THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR LETTING ME READ THIS EARLY WE MADE IT ALL UP RELEASES JULY 2022
This was the first book I was approved for on Netgalley and so, it was the first one I decided to read and review. I really enjoyed it, start to finish. It was a page turner with intriguing characters and storylines, I enjoyed the way the chapters were written, alternating between past events and present day. All around, a great start to my Netgalley experience and a fun, intense YA mystery/thriller by Margot Harrison.
So in this story, we follow Celeste, a young girl who recently moved from Montreal to a small town in Montana. She meets a girl named Vivvy and they hit it off fairly quickly, even though they are seemingly very different from one another. What really bonds them together is the strange fanfic they begin writing. Fanfic isn't strange, I love fanfic, but what makes it strange is that it is an queer love story about two boys that go to their school, one of which the girls have a mutual crush on. But hey... high school is weird and art can be therapeutic.
We learn bits and pieces about Celeste, not as much through the narration but through the fanfic they write. A story in a story! Vivvy is very outspoken, bold, confident, we learn a good bit about her just from the unprompted talking she does. Celeste on the other hand, is very guarded, very wary, very anxious and she more is more comfortable revealing things about herself/her past through her writing. Like I said, therapeutic.
The story takes a turn when something horrible happens and it starts to get really dark. From the very first chapter though, I knew it was going to be messy and I was living for it. I had such a blast reading it and I don't want to give too much away because I think you should read it for yourself. I plan to get one of my own as well because there were some really great lines in the book that I'd like to go back and annotate once I get a system worked out. Also, I'd like to own a physical copy since it was my first Netgalley read. :) Thanks again to Netgalley and Margot for letting me read this gem before the masses. I wish you a successful release & if you'd like to grab yourself a copy, you can preorder via the links below: