Happy Sunday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for FOLLOW YOUR ARROW by Jess Verdi! You guys, I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!! I’m so excited today to share my review and an interview with Jess, PLUS an aesthetic board, bookstagram photo, and reading journal!

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

Follow Your Arrow by Jessica Verdi
Published on March 2, 2021 by Scholastic Press
Genres: Contemporary, YA, Queer
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: TBR and Beyond Tours
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For fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, this is a riveting and irresistible take on love, life, and identity -- both online and off.
CeCe Ross is kind of a big deal. She and her girlfriend, Silvie, are social media influencers with zillions of fans and followers, known for their cute outfits and being #relationshipgoals.
So when Silvie breaks up with her, CeCe is devastated. She's lost her first love, and now she can't help but wonder if she'll lose her followers as well.
Things get even messier when CeCe meets Josh, a new boy in town who is very much Not Online. CeCe isn't surprised to be falling for a guy; she's always known she's bi. And Josh is sweet and smart and has excellent taste in donuts... but he has no idea that CeCe is internet-famous. And CeCe sort of wants to keep it that way.
But when CeCe's secrets catch up to her, she finds herself in the middle of an online storm, where she'll have to confront the blurriness of public vs. private life, and figure out what it really means to speak her truth.

What would you do if you spent the day with CeCe? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?

We’d definitely get fancy donuts and coffee, and then make a stop at Trader Joe’s for more snacks. We’d bring our dogs to the dog park, and an impromptu dance party would definitely happen at some point during the day. And of course we’d be posting about it all on social media!

If CeCe were to hang out with characters from other books, who would they be and why?

I think CeCe would really like Nick, Charlie, Tara, and Darcy from Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series, because not only do they have a lot in common with the LGBTQIA+ stuff, they’re often on their phones texting (and, as we all know, CeCe’s pretty addicted to her phone!), and they’re fun, kind, and welcoming.

Would you rather be a superhero or a supervillain? And what would your powers and name be?

Superhero! I’d love to be able to change the minds of racists, homophobes, and bigots with a single finger snap. Just call me Social Justice Woman! LOL. 

What does ownvoices queer representation mean to you?

I wish I’d had #ownvoices LGBTQIA+ books to read as a teen, especially books about bisexuality and what being bi looks like for different people. I’m so happy these books exist for teens today, and I’m honored to be able to contribute to the conversation with my own work.

What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?

I read a lot about the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, since that’s where Follow Your Arrow is set. I didn’t end up using a lot of what I learned for the book, but, as a New Yorker, my research gave me a deeper affinity for small cities in general!

What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Follow Your Arrow?

Probably the Pride parade scenes. We didn’t have Pride this year of course, due to the pandemic, and I’ve missed it so much!

DID I LIKE IT?

did you see my intro? I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH oh my stars you guys it’s SO GOOD!!!

FAVORITE CHARACTER?

JOSH. I love CeCe, but… Josh.

WILL I RE-READ IT?

um anytime I need a pick me up, YES, DEFINITELY!!!

THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE BOOK

love, QUEER, social media

QUICK THOUGHTS

here’s what I wrote on goodreads immediately after I finished: I’m crying happy tears again. Going to paste one of my very favorite quotes from the book here, because honestly it sums up my feelings towards the book pretty well: “I hope you like it, but it’s okay if you don’t. Because I LOVE IT.”

I have two for this book!

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS COVER? because wow I can apparently now id an Ana Hard design just by looking. THIS COVER IS SO BEAUTIFUL! I love how the rainbow is worked in, the tagline is perfection, and LOOK AT CECE’S SHIRT it’s just so AMAZING!

ten million out of ten stars!!!!

• The Simon Universe by Becky Albertalli
• Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell
• Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson
• What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

coming soon!

COMING SOON!

Jessica Verdi is an author of books for kids and teens about identity, family, acceptance, and love.

Though she’s always been a bookworm (her childhood was basically defined by the philosophy that working your way through giant stacks of library books is far superior to playing outside), she remained convinced throughout high school and college that theatre and music were meant to be her creative outlets. After nearly ten years in the NYC theatre world, she got an idea for a novel. While that first attempt at a “book” will never see the light of day—nope, don’t ask—it was the book that started her love affair with writing. Now she can’t imagine doing anything else.

Jess received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School and is a freelance editor of romance and women’s fiction. She lives in New York with her family.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

What do you think about Follow Your Arrow? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!