Review: Fresh, Margot Wood

I’m always looking forward to reading more YA books set in college. Fresh is about Elliott in her very first year away for college, so I was particularily eager to read this book. While it was entertaining, some things prevented me from completely falling for it. Let’s get into my review, shall we!

Fresh by Margot Wood
Published by Harry N. Abrams on August 3, 2021
Genres: contemporary, young adult
Format: Hardcover
Source: Abrams & Chronicle Books
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Bookshop, Blackwell's
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A hilarious and vulnerable coming-of-age story about the thrilling new experiences––and missteps––of a girl's freshman year of college
Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest with herself (and with you, dear reader), she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process . . . Well, maybe. 

I received this book for free from Abrams & Chronicle Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

drinking, drug use, profanity, sex, sexual assault, slut-shaming

☂️ DIVERSITY:bisexual main character, queer characters.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• If there’s one thing that makes Fresh stand out, it’s definitely the main character’s voice. Excuse the pun, but it really was a fresh read in that sense. Right from the very first page, Elliott takes the narration with her witty, unapologetically herself voice. She’s bold, she’s making mistakes, she’s a bit of daredevil, at times. While I had some issues with this, at first (I’ll tell you all about it later on), I can’t deny that this voice is one of the strongest suits of this book and definitely what makes it stand out.
• One of my favorite things about Fresh is the story’s setting. It’s so, so wonderful to read a YA book set in college. While everything that happens in this story is definitely not everyone’s experience, I found it so good that such a story exists. Elliott’s adventures as she tries to fit into this new environment, make friends and tie new relationships, were wonderful.
• Our main character, Elliott, is refreshing and what I loved the most about her was her growth. From the moment she arrives at college to the last pages of the book, she learns so much about herself, connecting with other people, dealing with new emotions and friendships and unique situations, too. I loved that!
• There’s a lovely place for new friendships in this story and yay! The roommates’ friendship was my favorite one. It has its ups and downs, but I found it so lovely how the girls clicked.
• I loved how sex-positive this book was. Elliott explores new relationships and has a couple messy hook-ups and I feel like it’s so, so important to see in stories characters just like her, so certain and comfortable with their own sexuality, too.

• Obviously, there is a little place for romance in this story, too. It doesn’t take the entire book and it’s not entirely obvious, at first, but I really liked seeing the romantic potential of a certain relationship slowly coming to light and coming true, too. No spoilers, but I shipped them!
• The little glimpse of family we got in this book was lovely. Elliott has a big family with both parents and sisters and I loved it when they made an appearance. It was good to see her father dropping her off and being here for her in all of her messy, complicated, hard moments. The interactions with Elliott’s sisters was siblings’ interaction ON POINT and I appreciated that, too.
• While it seems like Fresh is all about fun and entertainment, at first, the book takes a dark turn mid-point. Please check the trigger warnings above before heading into this, as I was a little shook by it? That being said, the way the story deals with the aftermath of this was realistic and I appreciated it.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• While the main character’s voice was unique, I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, at first. It’s something entirely personal, of course, but I didn’t immediately click with it. More over, the footnotes scattered all over the story were sometimes taking me out of the story.
• I mentioned how I appreciated the friendship, but I also wished it had been a bit more… developed? It felt a little too instantaneous for me.
• Elliott was a great character to follow, but, personally, in order to connect with the story more and therefore, to rate it higher, I would have liked to connect with her a little more. Both her personality and the experience she has and makes of college in this story didn’t feel familiar to me, at all. It’s entirely personal, of course.

OVERALL

☂️

Fresh was a highly entertaining, refreshing read about going off to college, first experiences in a new environment and more. While I had some issues with the narrative voice, I still recommend it if you’re looking for a book set in college!

FINAL RATING : 3 stars!

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📚 Books similar to Fresh that I’d recommend:

• For more YA books set in college, try Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi or American Panda by Gloria Chao.

Did you read Fresh or do you want to? Do you have any recommendations of books set in the first year of college? Let me know in comments!

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