[E-ARC provided by Netgalley. This doesn’t affect my opinion or the content of my review.]

”All I want is to be a normal kid who can post whatever normal, boring crap I please without worrying about disappointing my family or upsetting hundreds of thousands of strangers. It’s a simple wish, and I hate how impossible it feels.”

[Quote from the e-ARC.]

I went into Just for Clicks expecting a cute read, nothing more. I didn’t expect to read the entire thing in less than twelve hours. It was cheesy and overly dramatic at times, but I loved it.

This novel is a fluffy contemporary that also explores very relevant things such as family, identity, and the negative side of fame. I think these elements were woven into the story very well, and added something special to it.

The main reason I loved this so much is because I managed to become so invested. I cared about the characters and what happened to them and how they felt. I sympathized and raged and mourned with them. There were many instances in which I wanted to hug Claire, and knock some sense into various other characters. Claire’s mom and sister could be terrible sometimes, but they weren’t shallow. They had reason, even if it was unfair or misguided. Then there was Rafael, the soft new boy who is technologically clueless and always had a joke at the ready. I found his story interesting.

It was really interesting to read about the social media aspect of Claire and Poppy’s lives. The story delved into the personal and mental toll of an online persona, how fame can affect people, and in general what it honestly means to be famous.

Admittedly, the format of my copy was a bit off-putting and jumbled, but that doesn’t affect my thoughts on the book. I don’t think that can really be helped, and I’m sure it’ll all look great in the finished copy. After each chapter there are texts, emails, social media comments, or some other form of interaction that I think helped immerse me in the story. It was fun to read the sponsor emails, though there were only a handful, because they could be a bit ridiculous.

The slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance was where the unnecessary drama came into play, but it was also, arguably, one of the best parts. Claire and Rafael fit together so well. I loved each of them on their own, so of course I was rooting for them as a couple.

The character arcs throughout the novel are admirable. I liked seeing Claire grow, and other characters as well. It felt genuine, and although I did really dislike some characters at some moments, I was happy for all of them.

There’s even a bit of a mystery present in the last third of the novel — at least I thought so. Even though it was fairly simple to figure out what the big twist was, I liked following along as certain characters dealt with the aftermath. I liked that answering questions led to mending relationships.

There was something present in this novel that I haven’t read much of: Claire loves to code. It was admittedly a minor element, but I liked it nonetheless. She wore coding pun shirts and designed a forum and there was a specific cute scene that involved coding. It’s not a common hobby for YA protagonists, at least not to my knowledge, so I was especially appreciative of its inclusion.

Although this is random and equally minor, I also liked how much Claire loved Halloween. She inspired me to reconsider my thoughts on the holiday.

”’There’s no pressure to buy the right gift or make the perfect meal or say the right thing. It’s nothing but fun. I love the idea that for one night a year, I can be anyone or anything I want.’”

[Quote from the e-ARC.]

Just for Clicks has a cute cover and an even cuter story, full of emotions, drama, romance, friendship, and more. At this rate, I can’t wait to see what McDowell writes next. I highly recommend you pick up this novel when it releases on February 19!