The main character in Leila Sales' "If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say" truly doesn't have anything nice to say! High school senior, Winter Halperin, is a high achieving, former spelling bee champion and aspiring writer. However, something she posts on social media changes her life drastically. The plot focuses on Winter's journey of self-discovery, redemption and ultimately realizing that not everyone is going to like her - and that's okay.

Overall, this is a difficult topic that isn't for everyone. It is definitely for more mature student readers as language, mentions of underage drinking/drug use and other sensitive material appear throughout the story.

This was a difficult book for me to read. It was a struggle to finish, as Winter Halperin (MC) isn't likeable. In fact, the inciting incident makes her almost despicable. This is definitely a book with a message, but I'm not sure I agree with the entirety of the message. Leila Sales is brave to tackle issues of privilege and microagressions. I'm just not sure if she got it all right...I think that is up for the individual reader to decide. ( )