Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee Published by Entangled: Teen in May 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.
And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?
Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.
Ask me anything…except how to make things right.
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own.
I’m going to throw this out there now. If it wasn’t obvious from the synopsis, Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee is a very sex-positive novel. Personally, I think Lee addressed the topic of sex education in a very unique and positive way, and I absolutely loved it. Not only is it a solid YA romance, but I think it can spark discussion about sex education in schools. Also, Ask Me Anything does have a feminist vibe, which was a nice addition. As a warning, it does reference sexual assault and rape in the novel. I believe it’s discussed tastefully, but if you are triggered by those topics, please proceed reading Ask Me Anything with caution.
The story focuses mainly on Amber and Dean, two hackers that are acquaintances and become friends in Code Club. It all starts with a competition between the two hackers to end their senior year on a bang, particularly by annoying their principal. However, things quickly escalate. I really enjoyed reading about Amber and Dean. They had quite the chemistry, and I thought there was obvious growth in the story as they succeeded and made mistakes. I particularly loved that there were moments when they admitted they needed help. It made me love Amber and Dean even more.
I also enjoyed the format of Ask Me Anything. It included chats between Amber and Dean along with some of Amber’s blog posts. It really enforced the coding aspect of this story without using a ton of code speak, if that makes any sense. Personally, as someone that knows nothing about coding, I appreciate that it wasn’t very technical. The inclusion of blog posts also helped enforce Amber’s intentions. Truthfully, I thought the blog posts were very relevant topics.
I did find the situation with their principal to be a bit over the top. I also wish there was a stronger presence by the secondary characters. However, I absolutely loved the story regardless. I also appreciate the fact that the adults weren’t completely absent from this story. Amber’s parents and the vice principal makes various appearances throughout the story.
I highly recommend reading Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee. I found it to be a wonderful YA romance, and I think it’s a great discussion starter. I know not everyone will agree with the viewpoint of the story, but I think regardless, it at least expresses the importance of discussion between teens and parents and between romantic partners. If you choose to dive into Ask Me Anything, I hope you love Amber and Dean as much as I do.
