EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY

After her journal goes missing, a high school senior is blackmailed into completing her most sensitive to-do list.

By all appearances Quinn has everything—her family is rich, she is well liked at her private school, and next fall she’s headed to Columbia, her parents’ alma mater. But it’s an act: Quinn uses her journal as a place to alleviate some of the pressure around her secrets and fears so she doesn’t have to directly confront them. The biggest among them are that she was in fact rejected by Columbia and has been lying about it and that being one of only five Black students at a mostly White school is really hard. When Carter, a Black classmate she crushes on, mistakenly takes her journal and then loses it, the person who finds it starts anonymously threatening her. If Quinn doesn’t complete her “To Do Before I Graduate” list, the mystery person promises to reveal her secrets on social media. Because Carter lost the journal, he volunteers to help her discover the culprit. The character development is excellent; even Quinn’s parents get rich storylines. Goffney’s explorations of race and class are also well executed. At its heart, this is a story about finding the courage to be honest and take risks and the freedom that follows from embracing authenticity.

A perfect mix of humor and romance—and a source of inspiration for being brave.