Kristin's Bookshelf

📚 Left on Read
✍️ Marissa Eller
🎧 Narrated by Laura Knight Keating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately, but I am SUPER obsessed with the YA books I’ve been reading.

This one specifically made me feel so nostalgic because Nova reminded me of who I was in high school. And Dr. Lowry (forgive the spelling… audiobook life) was my Dr. Dittmer. And Isha (again… spelling? 😂) was my Katrina.

We have our classic competing overachievers who put their differences aside and not only find a little romance, but also rally together to help their classmates survive Dr. Lowry’s class, a teacher who has more or less given up.

Together, Nova, Hayes, and their friends are navigating high school, dealing with exes who once felt like the end of the world, figuring out their futures, and trying to get their parents to see them for who they really are.

But Nova was absolutely the standout for me.

She internally spirals. She shuts down. She overthinks EVERYTHING. She holds grudges. She doubts her own self-worth. Basically, I wanted to reach into the book and hug her, but I know she likes her personal space, so I won’t. 😂

I just absolutely LOVED this character.

And while Left on Read is labeled YA, I think adults will enjoy it too. I mean – I’m nearing 50, and I did. Especially if you want a clean romance with a healthy dose of high school nostalgia. It definitely brought me back to a version of myself I haven’t thought about in a while. ❤️

🎧 Laura Knight Keating’s narration made it even easier to get wrapped up in Nova’s world. She really captured the emotions, awkwardness, humor, and internal chaos that made Nova feel so real to me.