Book Review – Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?

My rating:

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Call it what you want is a look at how life looks different depending on your circumstances and whether or not something bad is always bad. I enjoyed it, but it felt a little more heavy handed in some of the themes when compared to Letters to the Lost. Especially Meagan who is trying not to be judgemental but still has a very black and white view of right and wrong. This works well for her sister but less so for Rob.

Also the way she struggles with secrets and pressure felt a bit stretched. I didn’t think the cheated substory was really needed? We didn’t really get enough for me to justify what she did (or how, or how she got caught).

Rob’s guilt and shame is beautifully handled though – as are people’s views on it. The lack of understanding that he’s ashamed of his fathers actions instead of guilty that he knew is really well played out.

Overall I did enjoy this, but Letters to the Lost remains my favourite of her contemporary books. 3.5 stars.

Buy Call It What You Want from Amazon UK.