Tweet Cute is a cute rom-com about social media, competition, and feeling like an Outsider. I’d also like to say that if anyone has seen “You’ve Got Mail” this is almost the YA answer. Rivals to friends and I am here for it.
Summary
Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.
Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.
All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.
As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Tweet Cute is an adorable rom-com spread from an internet tweet rivalry between competing sandwich stores that takes on an IRL spin. There’s even more than just their GIF battles, but it’s also a story about the conflict between our parents and our dreams, our feelings as the Outsiders, and the challenges of speaking up for ourselves. Tweet Cute is a story I devoured in a day. I couldn’t help but get drawn in by the witty banter, the dual POV of Pepper and Jack, and their conflicts with their parents.
What I really liked about Tweet Cute is that while there’s this whole level of story on social media and between their families, there’s also the events which unfold in school. An app connects people anonymously and while the school feels like this is going to be a problem, the app allows people to shed their masks. It allows us to see each other without our masks. The freedom that it can bring for us to confide in someone without the pressure of an image.
My other favorite element in Tweet Cute is the conflict between both Pepper and Jack with their parents. There are some moments where I just wish people would talk to each other more, but each of them struggle with parental expectations and our own dreams. Faced with different ideas of who we should be, Pepper and Jack have a difficult time figuring out who they really want to be and when to draw boundaries. Nothing is ever simple and it takes strength and courage to tell those we love that we are not who they want us to be.
Overall
Tweet Cute is funny and definitely in one of those cosmic ways, but it also has tinges of angst and drama, of family pressures and parents, of feeling alone and on the outside. How can we live with our past and still move forwards? It’s an adorable rom-com that’s a sure bet for people who want a story with modern social media banter and family drama.
Find Tweet Cute on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Macmillan’s Website, & The Book Depository.
About the Author
Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, grilled cheese, and a whole lot of love. Her sun sign is Hufflepuff, but she is a Gryffindor rising. TWEET CUTE is her debut novel. You can find her geeking out online at @dilemmalord on Twitter.
Great review! Pepper and Jack are definitely two new favourite characters. They have so much going for them. I really liked that it showed how social media helps a lot and the app too, with making friends and allowing everyone to be who they want to be. Of course, there are downfalls with social media and the app, and I was happy to see how that was shown.
My favourite rom-com would probably be 13 Going on 30?
Yes! Definitely thought the social media was a good touch and it seemed pretty realistic!
Wow that romcom movie brings me baaaaaaaaack. I loved that one too!