Ever have a book that just gets you — that moment, that feeling you had in that moment, and that feeling of sweet, sweet nostalgia?
For me, that was Call It What You Want by Alissa DeRogatis. It tells the story of Sloane, an aspiring writer that meets the emotionally unavailable Ethan in the fall of her senior year back in 2016. The two have an undeniable connection and “date” but soon get into the messy waters that is a relationship.
The book was such a relatable read. I discovered this book when going down a rabbit hole about self publishing books, and knew I had to read it. If you were in college in the late 2010s this had everything from the Chainsmokers to Migos. I could both smell and hear the book the whole time that I was reading it.
As someone that was in a situationship in that timeframe, I found myself relating to Sloane so much. I know a lot of people criticized her as being insufferable, but as someone who has been through a situation like that, she was painted out in a realistic light. As someone who is in a situation ship, you do retract back to that person over and over again, despite the healthy relationship you’re in, despite your friends telling you not to, despite knowing that you deserve better. Sloane embodies all of that, and she’s someone that could easily be any girl who wants a guy to love her.
Further, I found Ethan to be very realistic as well. Yes, he’s a jerk, let’s just get that out of the way. But, he is like the guys that are in these situationships — emotionally unavailable, emotionally uncertain, and broken. It’s hard not to feel empathy for Ethan. His upbringing? Super rough. However, the way he treated Sloane was inexcusable. And unfortunately, that’s the case with many guys that are out there.
And as someone who has read this book in 2026 and as a married woman, I couldn’t help but love the book. It was a quick read and I was able to finish it in a few days.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is a very different type of romance and I enjoyed reading it and recommend it for the nostalgia and relatability— and of course, the Taylor Swift references if that’s your jam.
Rating: 3.5 stars
