Book Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

We’ve been in summer for a while, which means it’s time to read all those cute contemporaries you’ve been waiting on (unless it’s just me that vibes those types of books this time of year)! I’ve been wanting to pick up Tweet Cute for forever, but just haven’t gotten to it. I’ve been constantly distracted by other books (since fantasy is my main reading genre) and it’s also taken forever to get from the library, since there are like two copies spread among ten people who want it.

BUT, I finally did get it yesterday, and I managed to read it all in the same day. Now I know there are some people who whip out 19304830 books a week, but I am not one of them. That might have been me last year, but I have been in the absolute worst slump this year. This book managed to get me out of it for at least one day, which I’m thankful for.

So…here’s my review of Tweet Cute by Emma Lord!

I know this is incredibly vague, but the concept of the book is really interesting. It focuses on a Twitter war between two grilled cheese companies. They both fire back witty comments on each other’s food. However, these Twitter accounts are actually being managed by two high schoolers, who, by coincidence (crazy, right?), attend the same high school. Slowly, they fall in love in real life and in an online chatroom where their names are held secret to each other. It’s a super cheesy book but you know, sometimes they’re nice and feel-good every once in a while.

I really enjoyed the idea of the Twitter war. I feel like this isn’t really something I’ve seen much of, even though it is very prevalent in our daily lives. It was interesting to see it being used as a major story plot point. I think that it greatly reflected the social-media heavy lives we live in, and an event that really does occur (namely with Wendy’s Twitter comebacks).

I also enjoyed reading about the two main characters, Pepper & Jack. Throughout the story, their relationship develops more and more, which is interesting. The book alternates perspectives between the two, which works out really well for the story. It gives a great glimpse onto what these two are thinking, and it makes for a really interesting story. Additionally, because there is a subplot with them secretly texting each other on an anonymous app, it adds another layer to that. We as the reader know that they’re talking to each other, but they don’t, so it’s interesting to see how they react to each other’s messages.

I thought that they complimented each other really well as a romantic pairing, and that while they weren’t the same, they weren’t totally different either. Both shared similar characteristics, which I thought made their relationship work out well. I also love the interactions between them as they’re super humorous and fun to read. Even on Twitter, their constant bashing was interesting to read about.

One of the sub-plots to the story is Pepper and her family owning a baking blog. And okay, while this isn’t really related to the book execution, it was enough to make my mouth water. All the recipes mentioned in the book sounded SO GOOD and I just really want someone to make a fan-blog with recipes matching the ones in the book.

Like they make literally every single dessert you can think of, and it seriously made me want to get up from reading and bake something for myself.

Yeah, so this isn’t really a “real” literary reason why I liked it, but I just did. The desserts looked too good to not mention. More related to the book though (and more seriously), the baking really brought Pepper’s family close together, and it was interesting to see how they bonded through that. Even though their family was torn apart after Pepper’s parents’ divorce, their blog helped pull them together as a family. While many things have changed for the family, the blog remains a constant in their lives, which is interesting to read about.

I enjoyed the fact that there were real life references to brands and companies that exist in real life! The characters talk about companies like Wendy’s casually while they’re discussing their Twitter strategy, and the entire book is literally based off of Twitter. The main characters are also in the process of applying to college, so popular universities like Columbia or Princeton are tossed around as well. I know it isn’t that big of a deal, but I really did enjoy these real life references.

I feel like they really helped center this story around a life like the one we’re living in right now! It made it seem more real, and it framed the story in an environment like ours, which suited it perfectly! It felt like the characters were experiencing life alongside me, instead of in a foreign or fantasy world. This might be a common occurrence in contemporary (and I would have literally no idea since I only read fantasy), but it was a nice break from the whimsical fantasy worlds I normally read books about.

So that finishes up my review! I hope you all enjoy this book if you ever get to read it! Let me know if you are reading any other contemporaries this summer! I’m always in the mood for them this time of year, and I’m constantly looking for new recommendations.

Happy reading!

-Allison