Call It What You Want by Alissa DeRogatis brings a real love story and Taylor Swift references to the fiction genre. 

DeRogatis experienced a traumatic and unhealthy relationship in her late teens into her adult life, so she decided to let everyone else who has been in her situation know that they are not alone through writing. She met this guy, Ethan, at a college party, and it was love at first sight. Ethan has had a traumatic childhood, and that keeps him from being able to commit to someone, but Alissa kept looking over this fact because all she wanted was to be with him. They get together and break up a few times. Eventually, Alissa moves to her dream city, New York, with her best friend Lauren. She starts dating a new guy named Reese. He is the Disney movie, picture-perfect boyfriend, but he is just not Ethan Brady. Lots of ups and downs begin once New York comes along. 

The book itself is very appealing. It has a bright pink cover with white bubble letters. The title of the book is the title of a Taylor Swift song, and that is what caught my interest. The book is the perfect size to carry around, and it is not too thick. The chapters are not long at all, so it makes it great to pick up and read for a quick five minutes.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in stories that are raw and real. I loved how I could feel the emotion DeRogatis was trying to express. It provides a new perspective to those who have friends who are not in the best relationships and why they keep going back. 

This book is definitely one of my top recommended books. I will probably go back and read this book again one day because there is so much to unpack. 

As DeRogatis said “Love is compromise. Love is understanding. Love is accepting.”