“My ugly cry is especially ugly. My tears spurt out like a broken fire hydrant.”

“Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry” by first-time author Joya Goffney is a captivating story about discovering the confidence to be honest and take risks, as well as the freedom that comes with it.

It is filled with engaging talks about race, friendship, honesty, and the significance of authenticity, alongside the thrills and messiness of young love.

What happens when the journal containing your innermost personal thoughts goes missing?

Quinn is a high school senior who is torn between a sense of hope and apprehension. She has a journal in which she creates lists containing her hopes, dreams, fears, and things she would never admit out loud. One day, during a study session, one of Quinn’s classmates, Carter, accidentally mistakes her journal for his notebook. The next day when Quinn realizes she doesn’t have her journal, but his, she arranges for them to meet up and get back their respective notebooks, only to find Carter accidentally lost her journal. From then everything goes south.

One of Quinn’s lists gets posted to Instagram and some of her secrets get out. To make matters worse, whoever stole Quinn’s journal begins blackmailing her into confronting her worst fears or to face the consequences of everyone knowing her darkest secrets. At a loss on what to do and stumped by fear, Quinn resorts to trusting the last person who had her journal in the first place, Carter.

I recommend this book to people that enjoy fiction, romance novels with a perfect blend of humor and depth. This book will have you staying up to ungodly hours of the night waiting to read what happens next.