Not Your #LoveStory
Sonia Hartl
Page Street Kids
Published September 1, 2020
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About Not Your #LoveStory
Macy Evans dreams of earning enough income from her YouTube channel, R3ntal Wor1d, to leave her small, Midwestern town. But when she meets a boy named Eric at a baseball game, and accidentally dumps her hotdog in his lap, her disastrous “meet-cute” becomes the topic of a viral thread. Now it’s not loyal subscribers flocking to her channel, it’s Internet trolls. And they aren’t interested in her reviews of VHS tapes—they only care about her relationship with Eric.
Eric is overly eager to stretch out his fifteen minutes of fame, but Macy fears this unwanted attention could sabotage her “real-life” relationships—namely with the shy boy-next-door, Paxton, who she’s actually developing feelings for. Macy knows she should shut the lie down, though she can’t ignore the advertising money, or the spark she gets in her chest whenever someone clicks on her videos. Eric shouldn’t be the only one allowed to reap the viral benefits. But is faking a relationship for clicks and subscribers worth hurting actual people?
My Review
Lots of things about this story are so much fun. Macy is spunky and surrounded by fierce and loyal friends and family members. I liked the circle of quilters her grandmother was part of best of all, I think.
NOT YOUR #LOVESTORY doesn’t shy away from the gross awfulness that the internet can be. Macy becomes obsessed with her social media feeds and the need to boost her income from her YouTube channel even further. As her story with Eric goes viral, the trolls come out in droves, insulting her clothes, her looks, and shaming her for things they assume she did.
Her friends rally around her, but it’s clear they’re not fans of the fake dating relationship with Eric. Like it or not, though, her internet fame has changed things between them, and Macy has to figure out how much of her real life she’s willing to give up for her YouTube stardom.
Underneath the explorations of the cost of social media fame and the pressure of growing up poor in a small town, this is a simple story about a girl falling in love with her best friend.
I think readers who enjoyed WILD AND CROOKED by Leah Thomas will enjoy the small town setting and exploration of harmful assumptions. Fans of Hartl’s first book, HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME, will find another sex-positive, spicy romance layered with social issues.
Lots of things make this a great read, but there is a lot of mature content. Check the content section for details.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 17 up.
Representation
Macy’s best friend is dating another girl.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used throughout the book.
Macy also spends a great deal of time reading through nasty comments about her on her social media streams. There are some really ugly, shaming comments on there.
Romance/Sexual Content
References to two girls kissing and being intimate. Macy’s mom raised her to be proud of her sexuality and reject any attempts at shaming her for wanting to have sex. At the same time, her mom also expects her not to have sex while she’s in high school. (Macy already broke that rule with a past boyfriend.)
There’s also some reference to masturbation while fantasizing about a different sexual experience.
After Macy meets Eric at the baseball game, rumors that she hooked up with him in the bathroom go viral, and Macy’s social media feeds fill with judgment and cruel comments.
Late in the story, Macy shares, in detail, having sex with her boyfriend.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Two boys bully and threaten Macy. She later learns that one boy’s dad brutally beat his mom and sometimes him.
Drug Content
Macy and her friends drink alcohol. Macy’s grandma and her friends smoke pot outside the house. Macy hangs out with them for a few minutes.
Note: I received a free copy of NOT YOUR #LOVESTORY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.