Valentine's Day Read!! Call It What You Want by Alissa DeRogatis

Happy Valentine's Day readers! I love today, and no, not because of romance. To me, Valentines Day is like my birthday: an excuse to do something nice for myself. Well, and dress on theme (red sweater!!). When it comes to treating myself, I like to grab a coffee at a local a café and walk around my small town. So before I tell you about today's book, consider doing something nice for yourself today. What is your simple pleasure?

Call It What You Want is NOT a cutesy romance. It is, however, a good February read. Our lead gal pal Sloane Hart meets Ethan Brady her senior of college in 2016 because they are neighbors. The connection is instant, but try as she might, Sloane can't make Ethan settle down with her. At the end of the day, they never advance from sex to boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, Ethan is her first love: the man she can never get out of her head even when she moves to a different city. Even when she finds a boyfriend who loves her more than anything. Sloane's heart is Ethan's, but will his ever be hers? Before I get mean to Sloane in my review, the author Alissa DeRogatis herself has said that this book is inspired by her own situationship in college. To that, I say that I am sorry and guys can truly suck.

Alright. The thing about on again/off again romances in books is that they make me want to hit the MC over the head a million times over. Sloane is no exception. She keeps crawling back to Ethan and accepting terrible treatment. He says she ruins good nights by asking to be more. He strings her along. He gives his number to other girls. She accepts it every time. When she finally gets a boyfriend that treats her well, she knows it. She says in her narrative that this guy is the one she should be with. Does that stop her treating him badly? God, no. Because she has been treated poorly, she now treats this poor schmuck badly, and it is all because of some loser who will never commit to her. Sloane needs to take a break from dating and be single. It is okay to be alone. You should be comfortable with yourself. Of course, she lives in a book and needs a character arc that shows transformation from the beginning to the end, so she does have to be flawed.

Something I truly liked about DeRogatis's writing is that it did feel true to life because of the details she employed to date the story. Some people hate when books date themselves, but I love it because they feel real. The characters are graduating in 2016. They listen to The Chainsmokers and wear chokers. It feels like 2016 in the most cringey way possible. We were all there. We all lived through it. Now we get to read about it. That is so fun! Then, we get to see the music and background change as time goes on. Great.

Overall, I liked this book and it is a quick read. My favorite? No. If she were with me right now, I'd tell Sloane to sit down and watch He's Just Not That Into You. It's a great movie with a good lesson. You need to know your worth to find the love you deserve and have the courage to leave when you are not loved.