Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord.  Unabridged digital audiobook. ~ 10 hours. Read by Dan Bittner and Emily Shaffer. Macmillan Young Listeners, 2020. 9781250262752. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library)

Teen Tuesday feature Tweet Cute by Emma Lord. Fans of romance will just eat up this updated twist on You've Got Mail. 
Seventeen-year-old Pepper was unwillingly transplanted to New York City from Nashville four years earlier when her mom's burger joint, Big League Burger hit the big time. Even though the franchise has someone to manage their social media, it's Pepper that they and her mom turn to. She's a genius at managing - the great grades, the swim team, almost anything but navigating the streets of New York and friendship.

Jack lives in the shadow of his identical twin brother, Ethan. Jack can't understand Ethan's gravitational pull. He's also resentful of having to constantly cover for his twin working the family business - a small East Village deli called Girl Cheesing. When Big League Burger announces a new menu item on Twitter that looks like it has been stolen from Girl Cheesing, Jack fires off a tweet. And then, it's war.

The two classmates don't realize at first that they are behind the tweets that launched the war. They also don't realize that they've gotten close corresponding on an app that Jack developed called Weazel, where classmates get to connect anonymously before the app reveals their identities.

While there's a lot a angsty fun, this is not a totally breezey romance. Debut author, Ms. Lord does a deep-dive into the myriad of issues the use and mis-use of social media have spawned. The novel is also peopled with interesting characters and an energetic New York vibe. It's a story that keeps the reader guessing to its inevitable romantic end. Warning though: don't read while hungry. I've been on a grilled cheese kick since reading this.

Tweet Cute was such so refreshing and delightful. I'm eager to read more from Ms. Lord. 

The audiobook performances were well-paced. Both narrators sounded appropriately young and engaging. 

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