You can also find this review on my blog.

cw: underage drinking, consensual sex, sexual assault
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own.

I’m Not Missing is a beautiful contemporary YA romance that also tackles a handful of serious topics. From the beginning, I found it to be a compelling read and worked my way through it pretty quickly. I started it while I was on vacation and finished it soon after returning home. This will definitely make a nice summery beach read!

I really liked the main character, Miranda, because I related to her a lot. I’ve always been a bit of a hopeless romantic and her endless fawning over her crush reminded me of myself in high school and college. It seemed to me like a really accurate portrayal of teenage romance. Miranda also had her own unique quirks, like reading a book of saints every night before bed and reciting the Gettysburg Address when nervous. The book also demonstrated a really nice relationship between Miranda and her father. Miranda is latina and her father is white, so the story also delves a bit into how that has impacted Miranda’s life. The romance itself was cute and I enjoyed it. The love interest, Nick, was a nice boy and treated Miranda well. The author also wrote in a lot of affirmative consent, which I thought was fantastic.

Miranda’s best friend, Syd, is an interesting character because we get to see her in so many different lights. Before Syd runs away, Miranda holds her in such high regard. She seems to rely on Syd in a plethora of ways and thinks that Syd always knows what to do. After Syd leaves, this begins to change. Miranda is able to take a step back and to see Syd as she truly is. She’s also able to rely on herself more and to grow more independent as a person, making her own decisions instead of depending on others to make them for her.

Overall, this was a really great story and I loved reading it. I’d recommend it to all YA contemporary readers, in particular to folks who enjoy books that hit some serious issues alongside the fluff.

I would never have guessed the two states would feel so different. Crushing was so easy. It was a mild form of torture, an ache that never went away. But falling in love was big and sharp and unpredictable. It didn’t ache, it hurt. Because it was real, and it was actually happening. The feeling was so sharp, it felt like it could kill me, like it could slice right through to my very center and I could die from whatever I found there, from whatever my love for Nick revealed. ( )

Miranda’s life proves that hurtful things can happen when you give yourself completely to someone who doesn’t actually have your back, and being a teenager can really suck sometimes! Even through the awful parts of her high school experience, Miranda finds some truth that lightens her load and helps her begin to “become the person she is meant to be.” Fountain writes a meaningful story, with some great ‘Syd-isms’ and witty insights to boot. Great young adult, coming into oneself story.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review ( )