Review Detail

Checking You Out was my first introduction to Jennifer Chen's work. It's an adorable and cheesy YA romance with a fantastic concept.

I loved the idea of finding love through a secret mysterious admirer at the library. It was so cute that they (Dylan and Lizzie) would write notes back and forth to one another, anonymously. It's not a big mystery for the reader, since the story is in dual POV it is quite obvious.
Another thing I loved was the Found Family trope. Lizzie's group of friends were so close to one another, much like siblings. Dylan also found the same thing in his two friend, even if it was slower on the take.
And who doesn't love kittens? Checking You Out highlights not only volunteering, but the importance of animal shelters and adoption.
A few other things given a highlight in Checking You Out are bullying, sexual representation, and Gender representation.

While I loved several things about the book, there were a couple things that were difficult for me to get around.
These kids, these young adults, were supposed to be just graduating.. but their dialogue was more akin to middle schoolers.
I was super disappointed with the Fellow Fantasy Reader reveal. It was underwhelming when we had been leading up to it that whole time, the climax just sort of flatlined there at the end.

While I have mixed feelings about this book, I do recommend it to young adult readers. There is little to no foul language and the romance doesn't get much beyond a few kisses.