Good morning friends! Today's ARC review is Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough, I was totally surprised by this novel and how much I enjoyed it.
Publish Date: May 21st, 2019
RATING: 4.5 stars
Amelia Westlake is nobody, and yet, everyone wants to be her. After their swim coach's inappropriate behaviour is ignored, two girls make up Amelia to make some of the wrongdoings at their prestige school a little more known. Harriet Price, wealthy and top of the class, and Will Everhart, troublemaker, are unlikely allies, making them the perfect pair for Amelia, if they can pull it off. As secrets are made and lies are told, how long will it be before they caught? And catch up with their growing feelings for each other?
I adored this contemporary tale, filled with humour, romance, and girls taking a stand for justice - even if it was an uncommon method of doing so haha. The two main characters were interesting, and I liked that readers saw both POV's throughout the novel. Each character went through their own development, but Harriet's was more prominent for me. The writing pace was quick and kept it engaging.The feminist and empowerment vibes were probably my favourite part of the book, they were strong and bold, and perfect for today's society. No one should be taught to tolerate that behaviour, and it was great to read about girls doing something about the way they were treated. There are also mentions of elitism, homophobia, and racism, but I thought it was presented and handled well by the author.
I am glad the characters found their right paths in the end, but I do wish the romance had started a bit earlier in the book. That would be my only negative, otherwise it was a great read. Overall, highly recommend this one to contemporary fans.
* Thank you HBG Canada for sending an advanced copy my way, in exchange for an honest review *