Fresh

By: Margot Wood

Narrated by: Lori Prince

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A hilarious and vulnerable coming-of-age story about the thrilling new experience - and missteps - of a girl's freshman year of college.

Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot's mind when she's too busy experiencing all that college has to offer - from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose's patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When the sex she's having isn't that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate's boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she's honest with herself (and with you, dear listener), she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process.... Well, maybe. 

©2021 Margot Wood (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Fun story

The story kept me engaged and the narrator really captured the feel of the story.

Not bad enough to be funny

This book mistakes genuinely creepy behavior for sex positivity. I went to Emerson and I don't think talking about your sexual exploits for a class would be acceptable even there. Other examples include: developing your partner's nudes in public, someone else butting in to look at said nudes without permission, writing a blog about the sexual exploits of everyone on your floor, and a presumably late 20s med student sleeping with their friend's 18 yr old sister.

Elliot isn't relatable, she's insufferable. She also constantly sexualizes everything to a degree where she seems like one of the exagerrated 13 yr olds in Big Mouth. Writing women interested in women the way horny guys are portrayed in sitcoms is lazy. She seemingly can't be around a girl with her shirt off without oogling despite presumably being in locker rooms with other women her whole life. Liking someone doesn't mean you are suddenly unable to look at their body without sexualizing them.

There are also scenes in this book, especially at the beginning, that feel like an alien wrote them. A great example is Elliot's dad abandoning his clearly lost daughter on move in day in college to...play ping-pong? I think the author's attempts at humor often come off as simply weird.

The characters also do things to push the plot forward that look terrible zoomed out and it's never addressed. Elliot convinced her best friend to ignore a good guy and instead go for one who turned out to be sexual predator. Rose completely ignores Elliot's boundaries for the sake of FINALLY getting them together, which could easily have been achieved a scene earlier. If a guy thought he'd been rejected and then followed a girl to the laundry room and insisted he told her he loved her despite her repeatedly asking her to leave him alone, it would be obviously creepy.

Last but not least, why is laundry such a central character??

P.S. Sassy gay best friends don't just appear for women on their first day of college.

really cute

I really liked the characters. This is really well written as well. Very much like how being 18/19 is..thinking you are an adult but fumbling through life on your own.

Growing Pains

I feel like I have a love hate relationship with the main character Elliot. Some of the things she does is stuiped and selfish, but I have to remind myself that she is still a child and she will make dumb decisions. What I love about Elliot is she learned from those decisions and like that is all we can do as humans is learn and grow and for that this book was excellent. Elliot still gets on my nerves a little but she grows on you,. The supporting characters are the real stars of the book though, her sisters, Rose, Marco and roommate and the Brad's are wonderful. 5 star 🌟 ✨ book.

Very fun listen

This book a better then I thought. Very fun and easy to listen story, and a few laugh out loud moment.

The 7 Stages of College Life

Elliot is a lovely zany character—wise, confused, Direct, honest, and error prone. She has this insightful classification of drinking into 7 stages, a memorable paradigm, and this mirrors her life. She has all the experiences College has to offer and in total the are overwhelming. The reader will love taking this journey with her and listening to her authentic voice, made so vivid and striking by there excellent narration. This book is an experience and a half and you can’t stay detached. You will get sucked into Elliot’s intensity and laugh and cry with her. You’ll love her company.

Coming of age, Romantic Dramedy - An easy favorite

I've both read the book and listened to it and I feel like the reading was better; but it was funny either way. It's my second time listening to the story now and I've literally laughed out loud on more than one reading. I can say it easily makes for one of my favorite reads even if it's a bit heavy on the topic of sex.

Also thought I'd mention it makes for a great book club read!!! It works anytime of year but (in my opinion at least) best if done June-September. The theme for our book club meeting this month is "College Orientation" - with orientation being a double innuendo. Plus, the question asked at most standard orientations will help your book club get to know it's members better.
Like I said, an easy favorite ❤️

Not my cup of tea

I’ve heard from so many that loved this book, and how funny it was, so I had to grab it. Sadly it wasn’t my kind of book.
I didn’t vibe with most of the characters, and the main character is unlikable throughout, never having a meaningful redemption.
The voice actors performance was pretty good!

Like I said, so many LOVE this book, so this is a “it’s not you, it’s me” situation.

Must READ!

I loved this book & the performance was pure magic! So real, funny & entertaining! I want more

Awesome book

This book was an awesome read/listen from start to finish. LGBTQ+ books like this are so needed in society and I appreciate the representation and the character’s perspectives. Great book!