12 to 22 | ARC Review

Turning 12 1/2 shouldn’t be the most exciting birthday in the world. It’s a half birthday after all. But Harper is thrilled because she is getting the biggest gift of all: her parent’s approval to finally get social media accounts. 
 
Except when she goes to post her first photo, there is a filter she has never heard of before. One that shows you what you will look like when you are older. Curious, Harper clicks on it…but ends up flash forwarding in time to when she is 22. 
 
She will quickly find that being in her twenties means the freedom she always wanted, money for the glow up she didn’t know she needed and working for her idol! But Harper soon discovers a lot more has changed than she expected—including the person she wants to be. Will Harper be able to use the filter to get the life of her dreams? Or will there be more glitches?

Jen Calonita with a “13 Going on 30” retelling? Yes, please!! Calonita is an auto-request/buy author for me so this book was a no-brainer as far as me wanting it goes. But on top of that, it was a retelling of a fantastic movie! How could I say no?!

I loved the modern take she took on this beloved movie. She took a popular social media app, TikTok, and wrote a great story with it! Also, she worked Taylor Swift into every possible moment throughout the book (which I loved). I admire her ability to see the current trends in middle graders/teens lives and turn them into awesome books.

I really liked the main character, Harper, who had a hard time speaking up, wanted so desperately to be popular, and was nervous to mess up her friendship with her best friend by having a crush on him. She felt relatable as she went through the struggles of being twelve and wanting so badly to have the freedoms of an adult. We see a lot of growth from her as the book progresses as I love the girl we’re left with at the end.

Also, I really loved Reese, Harper’s younger sister. I won’t say too much about her since it can get spoilery, but just know, I wanna be Reese when I grow up!

I did feel like something was missing at the end. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but I was left missing something.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book! I devoured it in one night and regret nothing. It was fun, modern, and taught a great life lesson about what’s important in life. It has similar vibes to THE RETAKE so if you liked that one, you’ll also enjoy this book!

Jen Calonita with a “13 Going on 30” retelling? Yes, please!! Calonita is an auto-request/buy author for me so this book was a no-brainer as far as me wanting it goes. But on top of that, it was a retelling of a fantastic movie! How could I say no?!

I loved the modern take she took on this beloved movie. She took a popular social media app, TikTok, and wrote a great story with it! Also, she worked Taylor Swift into every possible moment throughout the book (which I loved). I admire her ability to see the current trends in middle graders/teens lives and turn them into awesome books.

I really liked the main character, Harper, who had a hard time speaking up, wanted so desperately to be popular, and was nervous to mess up her friendship with her best friend by having a crush on him. She felt relatable as she went through the struggles of being twelve and wanting so badly to have the freedoms of an adult. We see a lot of growth from her as the book progresses as I love the girl we’re left with at the end.

Also, I really loved Reese, Harper’s younger sister. I won’t say too much about her since it can get spoilery, but just know, I wanna be Reese when I grow up!

I did feel like something was missing at the end. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but I was left missing something.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book! I devoured it in one night and regret nothing. It was fun, modern, and taught a great life lesson about what’s important in life. It has similar vibes to THE RETAKE so if you liked that one, you’ll also enjoy this book!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Jen Calonita, go to her GoodReads profile or her website.