Seize Your Copy Kiss And Repeat Scripted By Heather Truett Formatted As Copy

read/listen

DISCLAIMER: I read this audio arc on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


This book had a decent storyline and got an extra star for touching on topics that I don't see much.
The biggest thing that made me happy that this book discussed a bit is ableism, It doesn't go into it too much and people that don't know much about disabilities probably wouldn't always pick it up but I was happy to see some representation of what people with disabilities have to go through.
There are more than a few times that I wis the character would've said something about it or got at least angry but understand a lot of people especially when your disability is so prevalent are just tired of having to deal with it and don't want to worsen a situation.
As someone who is also neurodivergent, I found myself relating to this character a lot and even though I don't have the same condition I still felt understood.
I think this portrays tics/Tourettes pretty well especially for a book but obviously, things could've been better here or there.


I really dislike organized religion and especially Christianity/catholicism because of personal experiences but surprisingly liked some of what we saw in this book about it.
I really liked how it describes that the church was ableist towards the main character, though it was a very small part I appreciated the author bringing attention to that because so many of us go through that.
People can't pray away disabilities and saying your sorry is not an appropriate response to someone telling you they have a disability, so I was so happy to see the main character even lightly touch on this.


I disliked more than a few things in this book though, Though being accurate, I could've done without all the sexism and Christians being "pure" and how men will only want women if they're "pure" and "perfect".
It just bothers me when people who are "perfect" act as though everyone else is a sin but thankfully the MC didn't view things like this I think to an extent he had some of these views as he implies some girls are sluts.
I also extremely hated his parents but that's probably just me,

Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to finish its and this is in part to being a short audiobook and having a good narrator.
I think the average person would enjoy this if it sounds up their ally but if you are sensitive to some topics like religion and sexism I would skip out on this one.
This is a fun and informative debut novel told by a male teenager with Tourette's Syndrome, I appreciate the thoughtfulness the author put into this story for those like me who know very little about Tourette's.
Watching Stephen struggle with not only his tics but normal angsty teen stuff like bullies and girls, is realistic and eyeopening.


Being the son of a Methodist minister, Stephen has to toe the line, but when the stress of school, his best friend's big mouth, and rumors going around about his kissing experiment to see if kissing several girls will still his tics, he comes to the conclusion that there is only one girl he wants to kiss.
If only she wasn't involved with the biggest bully in school,

Stephen is a really good kid and my heart goes out to him as he slowly digs himself deeper into a hole of lies and deception.
The whole kissing thing backfires as he gains a "girlfriend" he doesn't really want, pisses off a longtime friend in a drunken bender, and gains a questionable reputation that gets him grounded by his parents.
When he finally gets the girl of his dreams, everything blows up in his face all at once.
So he man's up and tells the truth while getting points for a grand gesture to get his girl back.
 

The supporting characters were very important to the story such as Stephen's best friend, Ballard, who is a bit of a douche, but was one of the first kids to accept Stephen as he is.
Stephen's parents are also a big part of the story as they wrestle with Stephen's changing attitude and the fear of a mental break.
 

Though I felt the ending was a bit rushed, overall, I enjoyed this young adult story about being yourself and not letting a mental or physical disorder define you.


Thank you to Ms, Truett for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an audiobook arc of this book,


This was such a fun, cute, and quick read, I was also pleasantly surprised with the audiobook narrator, usually I have to speed up my audiobooks so I dont have to fall asleep.
And I didnt have to this time around which is always nice, There were times though that I wish the narrator put a little more feeling into the main character.


The plot was definitely fast pace, but parts of it felt dropped only to be randomly picked back up later with no explanation.
My main issue was defiantly with the weird love triangle of this book, The author focusing on two different girls throughout the book, made it hard to connect with the main characters final decision.


The main character was by far my favorite part of this book, Seeing high school, love, and family felt realistic and awkward, which is what being in high tends to be like.
Nothing about the characters emotions or struggles were sugar coated or down played, This may be the first book I've read that has a main character with Tourette's, I really liked how it was portrayed, seeing how Stephen's ticks change and increase or decrease depending on his stress levels and mood.
I don't know how accurate it was, but it seemed genuine to me,

The plot was pretty straightforward and predictable, I didn't necessarily love any of the characters, they all had moments where they were mean, petty, or jealous.
There were a couple cute moments, especially with Stephen and Pilar, I wish they were endgame instead, I thought they worked well as a couple, Joan was hot and cold and I didn't understand why she dated someone who bullied others and treated her so poorly.


The pacing is very fast and the narrator for the audiobook did a good job embodying Stephen.
I would have liked more of Stephen and his parent's relationship, I think there was more to be explored.


I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy, .