Title: Gutter Girl

Author: Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount

Pub. Date: May 10, 2021

Pages: 294

Pub: Entangled Publishing LLC (Teen)

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Goodreads

Star football player Jace Rovers has a secret. And not just any secret—a shocking secret… He writes romance. The kind with swords. And dresses. And kissing.

Nobody knows. Not the other kids at Twin River High. Not his overbearing parents. And certainly not the millions of fans who’ve read his book on the writing platform Scribbles. And that’s the way he plans to keep it.

Except suddenly one of the other football players grabs his notebook in jest and starts reading a kissing scene out loud…and Jace knows he’s busted.

But then McKenna Storm, resident goth girl who avoids the spotlight like a virus, snatches up the notebook and tells everyone she’s the author. And lucky for Jace, she later agrees to continue the ruse…for a price.

Heck, he’d give her anything not to reveal his secret. But when they start to fall for each other, he knows he’ll have to keep the biggest secret of all—his darkest character is based on her…

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was exactly the kind of book I needed to read.

I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, so it was really nice to take a step back and just read a super enjoyable YA contemporary.

I breezed through this book – two sittings, roughly half each sitting. It passes so quickly and so much happens and it’s just so enjoyable.

I do wish it had been just a little longer. Things happen quickly – it’s not a bad thing – but I kind of wish that the heavier topics/moments had, had more page time. Like, we see characters dealing with the pressures of living up to expectations and not being able to be who they want to be. But everything is just below the surface. I think a little more time would have truly sealed the deal, and it would have slowed the plot down just a little bit. I could have been in the world longer, with the characters longer.

With that being said, I still thought this book was incredibly cute and fun and kind of felt like basking in the summer sun. it just makes you feel good. I really liked the characters and the journey’s they go through. They have their own burdens, secrets and just shit they have to deal with, all while navigating high school. The progress of their relationship happened pretty quickly and organically – it helped that they had a past – I just wish things had been drawn out a little bit long.

Legit, my only real complaint for this book is just how short and quick everything happens. Though, on the other hand, I loved that it was a quick short read.

So much happens in this book, and a lot of it happens in ways I didn’t expect. I kind of knew the vibe this book was going to give off, and it lived up to those expectations. But it also did more, and that’s fantastic.

I just thoroughly enjoyed this, and I really cannot wait to start the next book in the series – it’s a good thing I have an eARC of it. I’m definitely going to be picking up anything and everything this author duo puts out – I fall into their books every single time I pick one up. I end up inhaling them and then needing more.

You should definitely pick this book up and read it.