In this compelling YA contemporary from author Miel Moreland, a bisexual teen's path to political staffer stardom is in jeopardy, until she convinces a cute new candidate to team up with her on the campaign trail.
On the worst day of her life, Madison is dumped by her girlfriend, then fired as said (ex)girlfriend’s campaign manager... plus she accidentally rear-ends the student government advisor―the one person whose good word might help her win a spot at a prestigious youth politics summer camp.
But Madison is nothing if not a girl with a plan, and she isn’t going to let a little thing like heartbreak (or a slightly dented bumper) get in her way. Soon, she has a new junior class president candidate to back―although the two of them might be getting a little too close on the campaign trail. Between navigating her growing crush and corralling a less than enthusiastic election team, Madison has had it with unexpected changes to her carefully laid plans. But when she and a group of queer classmates discover a pattern of harassment within the student government, Madison's forced to shift gears once again.
Something Like Possible is a love letter to ambitious girls, queer solidarity, and how to keep moving forward when the world seems set on pushing you back.
"For every ambitious girl who has been told that they are “too much,” Something Like Possible i s a validating promise that you are enough.” ―Marisa Kanter, author of As If On Cue
For a long time, I thought Something Like Possible would be a three-star read. Cute, very easy to read, but a bit too much high school drama for my taste, and somehow I didn’t care for Madison that much. I even got a bit restless and wanted the story to be finished (which means I started skim-reading at times), so I could pick up another book. And then the last quarter of the book began.
It felt like there were two stories in one. Those stories belonged together, don’t get me wrong, but the tone of the book shifted in the last part. Suddenly I was like, no, this can’t be true, and my chest tightened. A bit later goosebumps danced over my skin. Whereas the first three quarters were the easy-to-read high school drama, the last quarter was intense and far more emotional. As a sucker for darker stories with important topics, I loved the last quarter the most, and that’s why I rounded my 3.5-star rating up in the end. Be aware, though, that this part could be triggering.
I received an ARC from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from the Edelweiss TW: themes of sexual assault (nongraphic),predatory behavior & grooming , implied self harm, homophobia & biphobia, bullying & outing 4.5
Hello, one of my favorite books of 2023. If you too have been let down too many times to count by books whose blurbs claim to be “for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue”, only to realize it holds basically nothing of the book you love- I don’t want to talk this up too much, but it was everything I was hoping for.
The romance in this is so cute. Letting people into your bubble, allowing your vulnerabilities and- I read it this way at least- letting your mask slip as someone stops being just another stranger, rationalizing your feelings for someone to death until you have to admit it’s real. It’s adorable.
And I really did love the politics. It’s mostly school based, but there’s a very real focus on actual governmental politics, including Madisons’ future plans. There are also a few sneaky RW&RB references in here that were subtle enough to be fun easter eggs for readers without hammering you over the head. I think a big issue with other books trying to ride on the love for RW&RB is that they use politics as a trope and that’s it- politics, instead, are truly the heart of this book. It feels organic, it feels taken seriously.
It’s also rare to genuinely like all the characters in a book but I really, really did! I love the messiness, I love the inner belief that you’re took much too handle being slowly erased as you are embraced in your fullest form. I just love them!
And surprisingly, because this book isn’t solely a cute sapphic romance there’s a balance that needs to be struck well between fluff and heavy themes and I truly believe Morelands struck it perfectly. I know a few readers felt like the third act came a bit out of left field, but if you’re paying attention to the hints and cues it’s a really consistent slow build.
My only complaint is that while I do love Madison, her arc was just a bit iffy for me. I would’ve liked the pacing to have felt a little more dramatic, and I would have enjoyed seeing more concrete moments for me. Though there is something to be said about continual growth as well.
I love this book! This is exactly the kind of heart and characters I expect when I’m looking for a book that makes me feel even half of what RW&RB did, and I think it’s raised the bar.
Pre-review comments below oh RBG, we're really in it now 🥺
My main takeaway from this book is that Madison and I are VERY different people, but I ended up loving her SO much despite that. At first she was definitely a little too intense and overambitious for me, but as I got to know her better, I started rooting for her and wanting all the best things for her.
I absolutely ADORED Miel Moreland's first book, and this is again a really good one. I have to say it spoke a little less to me personally, but that's just a matter of preference, so I'm still super excited to read any future books from this author.
My one criticism would be that the harrassment plotline comes into action very far into the book, which made the book feel a little incohesive, and in my opinion didn't give this plotline the attention or resolution it deserved. I did love the queer solidarity that rose from it, though!
3.5 - This was a really nice YA book about being an ambitious young woman, figuring out where your priorities lie, friends-to-lovers sapphic romance, and learning how to fight back against harassment. Madison was an interesting character to follow. I enjoyed how she didn’t always do the “right” thing in little moments, but when it came down to major events she really stepped up for others and herself.
The journey of following Madison needing to find a new person to be campaign manager for in her school elections might not sound like the most interesting plot on the surface. But that story worked to show her ambition, what she wants to do in the workforce, and show how her new relationship with Victoria differs from her previous relationship with her ex-girlfriend Jade.
There’s also a storyline of Madison uncovering a pattern of sexual harassment at her school and trying to figure out what to do about it. I thought that it was handled really well and showed tricky gray areas where people might feel like what happened to them isn’t serious enough to speak up about. Or how people could try to tell them that they’re just misinterpreting something innocuous. However, I was a bit disappointed by how late that element was added to the story. It ended up feeling a bit rushed, being that it’s mentioned in the plot synopsis I was anticipating more time to be spent on it rather than it just being in the last quarter. It just feels like an important topic that bears having enough time to fully flesh everything out.
But overall I did enjoy the book. I think it brings up important conversations while also remaining a fun YA book with a sweet romance.
This was a good read. A lot of it is that cringey-cute that comes from a young protagonist finding her way in the world and messing up. She read very clearly as neurodivergent to me and I appreciated that immensely. The last quarter of the book is intense and a bit tonally different from the rest of it, but in a way that absolutely needs to be told, and I’m glad this did. This book is gonna mean a lot to a lot of kids, and to that I say this:
For everyone who’s ever felt like “a lot,” who doesn’t quite fit in and has been made to believe they need to tone their passion down. For everyone who’s been hurt and felt the need to bear it alone, who doesn’t know who will believe them, who needs to know that there are people out there who will support them no matter what, this book is for you, all of you, and it is a triumph
Miel Moreland is seriously one of the most underrated authors of queer YA fiction. To be completely honest, I didn't know what to expect from Something Like Possible because it's so different from Miel's first book, but it was so amazing—I devoured it in a span of hours. You know how there's discourse about YA books pandering towards adult audiences? Not a concern here; this book was absolutely written for teens. It really took me back to being fifteen years old and feeling like every single little thing I did would monumentally change my future. Madison is just as annoying as I was at that age, and I love her so much. What an amazing, well-written story.
Trigger warnings for this book: non-graphic depictions of sexual assault and self-harm, bullying, homophobia, biphobia, and nonconsensual outing.
I adore Miel Moreland's writing.
I'm not quiet about the fact that Moreland's debut, IT GOES LIKE THIS, is one of my favorite books of all time. So, needless to say, this was a highly-anticipated release for me.
These days, I don't often find myself gravitating to many stories that take place in high school, especially earlier high school (as the main characters in this book are sophomores), but Moreland's writing has a way of making these characters feel like authentic teenagers while still making them relatable to someone in her mid-twenties.
I adore Madison and would defend her with my dying breath. She's passionate and knows what she wants and determined and, yes, a little intense, but I connect with her. Anyone who's ever been told they were "too much"--Madison is for you. She is unapologetically herself, and I feel like a part of younger-me healed by reading her story.
The story starts by focusing on Madison, who is chasing her dream of becoming a campaign manager by managing her girlfriend's campaign to become junior class president. But when her girlfriend dumps her and fires her, Madison needs a new candidate.
We start by following Madison and Victoria on their campaign journey, but along the way, a pattern of harassment by one of the school's teachers is uncovered, and the story becomes about something so much bigger.
It's an intense story, but these issues are handled delicately and with the care they deserve.
I loved everything about this story: the romance, the friendships, the queer solidarity, and I think it's an important story to read, especially for high-schoolers. However, make sure you're aware of the trigger warnings before starting the book, and make sure you're in a healthy space to handle these difficult discussions.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars rounded up for this YA queer realistic fic book about a school election. Spoilers ahead.
Madison has known (apparently since like, toddler years) that she wants to be in the world of politics, namely campaign management. The book starts with her being dumped by her girlfriend Jade and fired as her campaign manager for junior class president. Madison wastes no time and pairs up with another candidate: Victoria. Romance and drama ensue.
This book left me with mixed feelings. I found much of the campaign minutiae uninteresting and the romance just so-so. I did appreciate that Madison and Victoria felt like individuals with relationships and interests outside of the relationship as that's not always the case in YA romance. The characters are 15 in the story and it felt like the author showcased that authentically. I found Madison's zeal for electoral politics a little unbelievable, but I'm sure there's some kid out there that will feel seen by it. The characters also deal sensitively with coming out which I appreciated.
At nearly the 75% mark in the story, there's an abrupt turn in the plot as Madison reels from an assault by a "friendly" teacher. The author did a decent job of handling this, but I found myself wishing she had let this be the primary focus of the plot rather than the campaign drama. It's an important story and it was well handled, I would have appreciated giving the topic more time and attention. As it was, it wrapped up so quickly and neatly that it almost felt shoe-horned in.
Overall an entertaining read and enjoyable. Not a favorite of mine but decently well-done. Not sure what kind of reader would really enjoy it though!
Something Like Possible is about a girl named Madison who's having the worst day of her life. Her girlfriend, Jade, dumped her and fired her as her campaign manager and then she rear ended her teacher's car during her driving lesson. Instead of wallowing in self pity, she comes up with a new plan: be a campaign manager for someone else. Enter Victoria, a girl who does poetry slams. Everything seems to be looking up for her until she and some other queer classmates uncover a pattern of harassment within the student government. So, Madison is intense. She's always focused on the campaign, numbers,, etc. She considers Victoria's friends employees of the campaign basically and acts like they need to get in line. Glitter on high school election posters? Not on her watch! She needs Victoria to win so she can use the campaign as her entry to a prestigious youth politics summer camp. The relationship between Madison and Victoria is ok, but there doesn't seem to be much to it. The last part of the book annoyed me. Sexual harassment is an important topic and should be discussed, but the way this book goes about it didn't seem realistic. I already wasn't a big fan of the book and this lowered my rating.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
Content notes:
Gosh, this was so good! In the beginning I worried I wouldn’t like Madison because her ambition and drive sometimes felt like a lot, but as the story progressed I fell wholly in love with her, especially her drive, but also the ways she just wants what she believes those around her deserve - which is always the best. In so many ways this is a story of friendship as much as it is about school political campaigns and a sweet romance. Amrita is such an amazing person and I love her so much, especially the bond she and Madison share, the ways in which they lift each other up and are there at the drop of a hat. Louis is also amazing and such a great friend to Victoria, and I love how he also becomes friends with Madison and Amrita. I do have some wibbles that the targeting of queer girls mentioned in the synopsis didn’t really come into play until about 80% into the book, but the way that arc of the story was handled absolutely had me in my feelings and, again, loving the solidarity and friendships. I highly recommend this book, full of heart and a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to put in the work to achieve her dreams.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I LOVED It Goes Like This so naturally I was thrilled about receiving an ARC of Miel Moreland's newest book! Maybe my expectations were a bit high because I liked it, but not as much as I loved It Goes Like This!
Madison is a great campaign manager and she won't let her breakup and layoff as campaign manager of her now-ex girlfriend stop her from achieving her well-deserved success. Soon, she has a new candidate, even though history might be repeating itself and finds a pattern of harassment within the student government that makes her question everything.
I could really relate to Madison's character and I adored her relationship with Victoria. Both characters were well-rounded and I particularly loved Madison's intensity and dedication.
The queer solidarity was everything and I strongly believe this is a book every high schooler should read.
Towards the end, Miel talks about the sensitive topic of harassment and I appreciate how delicately this was handled.
I highly recommend it to people who were always told they were too intense or their dreams were unrealistic. This is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.
Haven’t read a YA book in a while and this was such a wonderful book to jump back into the genre! It feels like those teen rom-com Netflix movies and I mean that as the highest of compliments! Every character in this book reads like their ages(no euphoria syndrome here!) but it doesn’t read too young. Wonderful queer representation and being able to touch on more serious topics throughout, but in a way that can be digested by younger readers. The romance was so fun and cute and really encapsulates the teenage butterfly in stomach, innocent, crushes touching knees while watching a movie type of romance. A book that will for sure have younger LGBTQ+ readers feeling represented in literature. The setting of school politics is one that all may not be able to connect to but it’s a fresh setting and nice to be so pro-getting kids to think politically. This book will have you cheesing, smiling, and cheering for Madison and Victoria on their way down the campaign trail.
Something Like Possible feels like the book a lot of older queer adults probably wished they had growing up. A story of community, young love, how to show up for friends in need, queer solidarity, and standing up in the face adversity.
-actually gets the texting style of teens right imo -mentions the lizzie bonnet diaries!! -just like with It Goes Like This, i was crying or tearing up for a lot of this, especially the later parts -i really enjoy Miel Moreland’s writing!! i think she’s talented and i appreciate the way these teenage antics felt realistic but not annoyingly over-dramatic -the callback to It Goes Like This 🥺 -this will not become a comfort reread for me for obvious reasons, but i thought it was a fantastic book and a definite recommend for a sapphic YA book (and in general!) but i highly recommend you look up TWs before reading -miel moreland is 100% going to be an auto/read author for me. i thought she was going to be already after IGLT but now it’s confirmed.
eta: i’m assuming it’s victoria on the cover with madison but the book mentions marisa wearing a fishtail braid (the type on the cover) so 🤔
This was interesting and I enjoyed it but not as much as the previous book by this author.
I enjoyed Madison's focus and determination regarding her ambitions but felt like there wasn't enough attention/nuance to the relationships side, which makes both of the relationships she's in feel a bit shallower than I would have liked. We also fast forward over some important bits that we build up to, or important events happen off stage, so this one didn't hit quite as hard for me. Still very good and enjoyable, however.
Politics obsessed Madison is in her junior year, and her goal for this year is to manage a class president campaign to success. Fortunately, her girlfriend Jade is running, and allowing her to be her manager. Soon after though, Jade breaks up with Madision, while also breaking up their campaign partnership, forcing Madison to find a new campaign to manage. Madison finds a new campaign to manage, ran by Victoria, poetry master. The campaign is on a roll, and while Madison tries to keep it professional, she finds herself having more PERSONAL feelings about Victoria...
Seemed like it was pretty basic for about 3/4s of the book and then turned into a whole bunch more.... Ya adult high school No sex but some hard topics..glad I read it
I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Madison's girlfriend dumps her and then she fires her as campaign manager, and you don't understand but that's much worse. She needs this to get into a very prestigious camp, it's part of her life plan. So, she has to find a new candidate to back up so she can achieve her dreams and stick it to her ex, except it seems like she's developing a little crush on her new candidate and that just cannot happen.
I really loved this. The characters were far from perfect and that made them so captivating. I loved the plot, the romance, the side plot towards the end was also, in my opinion very well brought up and while I did see it coming, I'm glad I did. It was one of those things I wouldn't have liked to be totally surprised by. I really loved Madison's drive and ambition and also seeing this side of High School political campaigns. It was just a great read and it spoke of heavier subjects with tact. I really loved this book even when it got harder for me to read. Another gem by Miel Moreland in my opinion.
If These Witches Don’t Burn and She Drives Me Crazy had a baby it would be this book. Madison is a headstrong and spreadsheet-savvy teen with larger-than-life political aspirations. From behind the scenes that is. But when her girlfriend and junior class president nominee breaks up with her and subsequently dumps her as her manager she is left reeling. And in her distress ends up hitting her teacher’s car, who just happens to be the junior class president campaign advisor. Which is just the icing on top of everything. Fear not though, Madison always has a plan. Soon she has a new junior class president candidate to manage and efforts to repair her relationship with her campaign advisor are going surprisingly well. All seems to be going smoothly, despite the pesky crush Madison is getting on her new nominee and a less-than-stellar campaign team. But when a candidate suddenly drops out of the race and the current junior president announces she isn’t running again Madison finds herself in the middle of a true scandal. Can she manage the campaign while avoiding her spiteful ex-girlfriend as this new information comes to light? Or is the world of high school politics more trouble than she expected? This book! Where to even start. The story is described as a “love letter to ambitious girls” and that it is. Honestly, I have never read a more consistent character than that of Madison. Although she wasn’t the most endearing protagonist I have to admit that she really sticks to her guns. Her predictability and confident nature just make her all the more real. I’ve met people in real life just like her and they’re just as annoyingly charming. Madison’s that person who is so morally upright that it’s painful to be around yet you can’t help but admire them. We all know one. If you need a refresher just look for your high school superlatives under “most likely to succeed.” Madison’s…personality doesn’t leave a lot of room for internal growth. She doesn’t face a ton of internal conflict. Her character mainly changes as a response to external conflict. Which also left room for another character to shine, her class presidential candidate Victoria. I fell absolutely in love with her over the course of the book. As an adult, I think she is just the most adorable but as a teenager, I’m sure I would’ve swooned alongside Madison. Truly makes you nostalgic for that innocence of high school love. One aspect of this book I really wanted to highlight was its treatment of queer identities. A fair amount of characters weren't publicly out and I loved how everyone else respected their choices no question. There was no pressure to say or do anything. I wish that more people in general were as accepting and respectful of diverse queer experiences. So for every single character in this book to have their own very individual queer story and not be made to feel “different” just hit right. If you are like me and need to heal your inner queer teen, this book is a great place to start. The first two-thirds of this book are very classic high school YA romance. Mainly chronicling Madison and Victoria’s campaign with very typical high school problems. Family issues, jealous ex-girlfriends, sabotage, and inter-campaign team arguments. But the final one-third takes a 180. I was suddenly thrown into a totally different story. Full of emotions, harassment, and situations no one, especially not a high schooler should find themself in. I am still processing everything that happened. The first two-thirds of the book were three-star to three-and-a-half-star material. I enjoyed the romance and campaign antics. The characters shone through and laid the foundation for me to really care about them. Then bam! The last third knocked it up to four stars. The plot really took the lead and ran with it. And because I was already so attached to the characters the events hit so much harder than if the book had started that way. Quite a sucker punch to the gut for an unassuming YA romance. All in all if you are a a fan of YA romance then I’m just going to go ahead and recommend this book. I have included a few content warnings. Please do read them because I was caught off guard by one and was slightly triggered. And I don’t want that to taint anyone else’s experience of this book because it is really good. This book appeals to fans of sapphic reads everywhere so make sure to check it out. It would look great on your bookshelf. CW // anxiety, bullying, depression, divorce, PTSD, self-harm, sexual harassment, car accident
Another teen LGBTQ+ story that melts my heart. I like there's a side plot related to politics and abuse. The only thing that made me confused is that we don't know what happened to the professor in the end (or I didn't hear that part in the audiobook).
skimmed through some of the politics...would have liked a little more of the romance plot line...author introduces some heavy topics too far towards the end of the story and doesn't really give any after care so it brought down the tone and left me feeling icky. I also feel the harassment plot line wasn't well written at all...I'm not sure what it did for the book or why it was there. It's treated in this sort of lofty way that I didn't care for and the author didn't know how to resolve it once she introduced it and essentially waved a magic wand in the epilogue.
overall disappointed - i was obsessed with her 1st book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.