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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i wasn’t expecting len to have actually been the one to post it lol. that was pretty shit of him. don’t really know what point they were trying to make there tho. like he was being self deprecating?? idfk
idk overall, this book was just okay. very normal high school romance. nothing that special. made me want to be in love with miyuki kazuya more than i already want
idk overall, this book was just okay. very normal high school romance. nothing that special. made me want to be in love with miyuki kazuya more than i already want
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Because feminism, contrary to popular belief, isn’t about hating on guys like me. It’s all about all of us working toward equality, together.”
IMPORTANT: Do NOT read this if you’re looking for an enemies to lovers/academic rivals focused book because, unlike what the summary indicates, this is a book that revolves around feminism and other similar societal discussions.
No, seriously. Even the amount of enemies to lovers we got somehow linked back to the topic at hand: feminism and patriarchy.
Now, this is not to say either thing (enemies to lovers or feminism) was done badly or this was necessarily a big problem, I just wished that the author could’ve emphasized this fact more in the summary rather than promoting this as an enemies to lovers situation because, yes, we could tell they were enemies and then Eliza kinda started falling for him and kept on thinking about him and then they became lovers, but definitely not the point of the book.
Towards the beginning of the book and the end we got some fun academic rivals to lovers situation going on, which I did enjoy whenever it decided to pop in and say hi. Eliza and Len both had chemistry and I loved the moments where their banter really took the spotlight when they were forced to spend time together.
Len was an amazing character, and I have 0 complaints about him. He definitely gave me some Ann-Liang-men vibes which I liked and he supported feminism so…what’s not to like?
Eliza, on the other hand, started off as a character who misunderstood herself and somehow had her newspaper article with accusations about her news staff being sexist (after losing the editor in chief position to Len) turned into a feminist movement. How, you may ask. Well, that’s because Serena, the most well-known and admired girl of the school, showed her support for the article and feminism and *BOOM*, the whole school jumped onto the feminist movement.
Both of these two girls started off with not really understanding the true meaning of feminism and how to actually be a feminist. They also ended off that way (with some improvement, but not as much as I’d like).
That was my main problems with the book. I wished Eliza and Serena had developed into true feminists by the end of the book after participating and facing multiple circumstances related to feminism. Serena did improve her understanding of feminism as she talked more with Eliza, or at least it seemed as such, but even as the book was near its end, I disliked some of Serena’s actions and some of the things Eliza said. She did learn to embrace liking things she didn’t want to do before such as makeup and hair after realizing she can enjoy these things while still having her own identity.
If you’re interested in reading more of what I mentioned here then Click Here!
*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:* fav quotes *:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:*
“Because everyone likes a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.”
“Why couldn't Lady Justice just wear jeans and a T-shirt?' I complain. 'I mean, if she had a choice.'
'Good question,' says Winona.
'Because,' says Serena, swiping on the lipstick in two expert strokes. She grabs my arm and shepherds me over to the full-length mirror. 'Maybe she liked the way she looked in a dress.”
“Keeping things from Mom is one thing. That's just basic Asian-kid survival.”
IMPORTANT: Do NOT read this if you’re looking for an enemies to lovers/academic rivals focused book because, unlike what the summary indicates, this is a book that revolves around feminism and other similar societal discussions.
No, seriously. Even the amount of enemies to lovers we got somehow linked back to the topic at hand: feminism and patriarchy.
Now, this is not to say either thing (enemies to lovers or feminism) was done badly or this was necessarily a big problem, I just wished that the author could’ve emphasized this fact more in the summary rather than promoting this as an enemies to lovers situation because, yes, we could tell they were enemies and then Eliza kinda started falling for him and kept on thinking about him and then they became lovers, but definitely not the point of the book.
Towards the beginning of the book and the end we got some fun academic rivals to lovers situation going on, which I did enjoy whenever it decided to pop in and say hi. Eliza and Len both had chemistry and I loved the moments where their banter really took the spotlight when they were forced to spend time together.
Len was an amazing character, and I have 0 complaints about him. He definitely gave me some Ann-Liang-men vibes which I liked and he supported feminism so…what’s not to like?
Eliza, on the other hand, started off as a character who misunderstood herself and somehow had her newspaper article with accusations about her news staff being sexist (after losing the editor in chief position to Len) turned into a feminist movement. How, you may ask. Well, that’s because Serena, the most well-known and admired girl of the school, showed her support for the article and feminism and *BOOM*, the whole school jumped onto the feminist movement.
Both of these two girls started off with not really understanding the true meaning of feminism and how to actually be a feminist. They also ended off that way (with some improvement, but not as much as I’d like).
That was my main problems with the book. I wished Eliza and Serena had developed into true feminists by the end of the book after participating and facing multiple circumstances related to feminism. Serena did improve her understanding of feminism as she talked more with Eliza, or at least it seemed as such, but even as the book was near its end, I disliked some of Serena’s actions and some of the things Eliza said. She did learn to embrace liking things she didn’t want to do before such as makeup and hair after realizing she can enjoy these things while still having her own identity.
If you’re interested in reading more of what I mentioned here then Click Here!
*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:* fav quotes *:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ:*
“Because everyone likes a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.”
“Why couldn't Lady Justice just wear jeans and a T-shirt?' I complain. 'I mean, if she had a choice.'
'Good question,' says Winona.
'Because,' says Serena, swiping on the lipstick in two expert strokes. She grabs my arm and shepherds me over to the full-length mirror. 'Maybe she liked the way she looked in a dress.”
“Keeping things from Mom is one thing. That's just basic Asian-kid survival.”
this was equal parts fun and stressful to read. i say stressful not because the writing was bad but because the drama felt too real and i just wanted good things for the characters. this book wasn't perfect but it was a hard-hitting read that was also cute and entertaining. highly recommend the audiobook!
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a perfectly fine book. I liked that throughout the book Eliza questioned what she’s been taught by society about girls and how they’re treated. One thing: Winona wasn’t really fair in how she treated Eliza after finding out about Len; the only thing that was hurtful was that she didn’t find out first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is a jily fic in another universe and you cannot convince me otherwise. no i will not be elaborating. i am simply correct
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
“Because everyone loves a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.”
According to the title and the publisher, Eliza is supposed to come off as unlikable. Reviewers say she starts off as unlikable and I couldn’t disagree further. I’ve been in the same position as Eliza - feeling that your identity is so closely linked to a club, a club you work tirelessly for that you think everyone around you is going to work just as hard for it but when they don't, you don’t get it. You don’t understand they may not love it as much as you do. Her peers were annoyed that she was so sure that she was going to be the editor-in-chief. The media we’ve been exposed to has always had us pitting for the female MC who’s an underdog - she doesn’t know how beautiful she is, she just isn’t aware of her worth and so every once in a while, when we do get a MC who’s sure of herself and who knows her qualifications make her worthy for a position, it makes everyone uncomfortable. Even us as readers with all our wokeness encompassed by instances of people getting cancelled on twitter will still stop and say, “oh but she is unlikeable”. I politely disagree because I simply don’t see why it makes us uncomfortable to see someone who knows what she wants.
Why are we not uncomfortable at the fact that someone decided to run for the position on the very last day as if it was so inconsequential to them but they can get it? Why are we not questioning ourselves as to why a woman must be well-dressed for a speech but a man can just show up and that’s all it takes? She’s told that “you try too hard which makes you unapproachable, you know what I mean?” at which point, my girl, the icon, says -
“No”, I say, “No, I do not know what you mean.”
The book hit so close to home that most of my annotations are angry mumblings of “fuck you” and “how would you feel if i just kicked you out of the milky way?” - a topic that feels all too familiar can do that to you. The initial misgivings of all those that said she cried wolf and that she should stop looking for attention made me so angry at the students in the moment but when I look back, it’s so reflective of the world we live in today. The newer generation is suitably woke, aided by countless resources and even more “#YouAreOver” trends on twitter, but in all of this, I do think microaggressions get a slip by. Veiled under the guise of dark humor, jokes and misplaced anger as instant as ramen, sexist microaggressions are evident, no matter where you look. We’ve internalised the broader picture of sexism in comparison of which, “one class president being female amongst a constant trend of males in the last decade” seems shining and a step in the right direction. Eliza’s relationship with her appearance was very well-developed. We start off the book with her sticking to a baggy sweatshirt and not putting much effort into her looks and her sister’s overbearing self about the same can get quite annoying but over time, you see how Eliza grows from her own experience of being the new feminist icon and finds herself more comfortable in her own body to be able to try out these things. The experience of finding things to be very black-and-white wherein assuming putting on makeup makes you any less of a feminist and submitting to the patriarchy was very prevalent in the past decade, bringing with itself the “not like other girls trend” - an attempt to create more division in women based on looks and how it correlates to how smart/successful you are, something Eliza suffered from at the start and it was great to see her character growth,
I loved the characters. There’s no question about that. My relationship with most of them was push-and-pull, the setting of Asian households feeling all too adjacent with my own upbringing (minus the internalised sexism, thank you mom). Beyond just Eliza, I really appreciated the depth bought to other characters like Len (my actual sweetheart bunny), Serena (my favorite trope over is mean girl assumed to be an airhead turns out to be an actual human with feelings and the main character bonds with them while feeling shitty about their assumptions) and Amanda (her conflicted feelings on participating in the rally at odds with the stereotypes of her own race and finding herself solitary in the way she felt was so well-done)
Len’s relationship with Eliza deserves its own paragraph. I don’t care, I make the rules of my review. They were adorable and I was positively gushing. Their first visit to the boba tea shop and him taking pictures of her was just cute - just give me wholesome couples is all I ask. This book has one of the tropes I adore which is, “MC reads books to talk about it/better understand their love interest” - it slaps every single time. Len was incredibly understanding and honestly, complemented Eliza so well. I was so happy with the route author chose to took and made Len a feminist icon instead of a sexist ex-jock who had to learn how to respect girls (gag)
recommended for anyone who's looking for a fresh YA romance with feminist themes and lots of drama
According to the title and the publisher, Eliza is supposed to come off as unlikable. Reviewers say she starts off as unlikable and I couldn’t disagree further. I’ve been in the same position as Eliza - feeling that your identity is so closely linked to a club, a club you work tirelessly for that you think everyone around you is going to work just as hard for it but when they don't, you don’t get it. You don’t understand they may not love it as much as you do. Her peers were annoyed that she was so sure that she was going to be the editor-in-chief. The media we’ve been exposed to has always had us pitting for the female MC who’s an underdog - she doesn’t know how beautiful she is, she just isn’t aware of her worth and so every once in a while, when we do get a MC who’s sure of herself and who knows her qualifications make her worthy for a position, it makes everyone uncomfortable. Even us as readers with all our wokeness encompassed by instances of people getting cancelled on twitter will still stop and say, “oh but she is unlikeable”. I politely disagree because I simply don’t see why it makes us uncomfortable to see someone who knows what she wants.
Why are we not uncomfortable at the fact that someone decided to run for the position on the very last day as if it was so inconsequential to them but they can get it? Why are we not questioning ourselves as to why a woman must be well-dressed for a speech but a man can just show up and that’s all it takes? She’s told that “you try too hard which makes you unapproachable, you know what I mean?” at which point, my girl, the icon, says -
“No”, I say, “No, I do not know what you mean.”
The book hit so close to home that most of my annotations are angry mumblings of “fuck you” and “how would you feel if i just kicked you out of the milky way?” - a topic that feels all too familiar can do that to you. The initial misgivings of all those that said she cried wolf and that she should stop looking for attention made me so angry at the students in the moment but when I look back, it’s so reflective of the world we live in today. The newer generation is suitably woke, aided by countless resources and even more “#YouAreOver” trends on twitter, but in all of this, I do think microaggressions get a slip by. Veiled under the guise of dark humor, jokes and misplaced anger as instant as ramen, sexist microaggressions are evident, no matter where you look. We’ve internalised the broader picture of sexism in comparison of which, “one class president being female amongst a constant trend of males in the last decade” seems shining and a step in the right direction. Eliza’s relationship with her appearance was very well-developed. We start off the book with her sticking to a baggy sweatshirt and not putting much effort into her looks and her sister’s overbearing self about the same can get quite annoying but over time, you see how Eliza grows from her own experience of being the new feminist icon and finds herself more comfortable in her own body to be able to try out these things. The experience of finding things to be very black-and-white wherein assuming putting on makeup makes you any less of a feminist and submitting to the patriarchy was very prevalent in the past decade, bringing with itself the “not like other girls trend” - an attempt to create more division in women based on looks and how it correlates to how smart/successful you are, something Eliza suffered from at the start and it was great to see her character growth,
I loved the characters. There’s no question about that. My relationship with most of them was push-and-pull, the setting of Asian households feeling all too adjacent with my own upbringing (minus the internalised sexism, thank you mom). Beyond just Eliza, I really appreciated the depth bought to other characters like Len (my actual sweetheart bunny), Serena (my favorite trope over is mean girl assumed to be an airhead turns out to be an actual human with feelings and the main character bonds with them while feeling shitty about their assumptions) and Amanda (her conflicted feelings on participating in the rally at odds with the stereotypes of her own race and finding herself solitary in the way she felt was so well-done)
Len’s relationship with Eliza deserves its own paragraph. I don’t care, I make the rules of my review. They were adorable and I was positively gushing. Their first visit to the boba tea shop and him taking pictures of her was just cute - just give me wholesome couples is all I ask. This book has one of the tropes I adore which is, “MC reads books to talk about it/better understand their love interest” - it slaps every single time. Len was incredibly understanding and honestly, complemented Eliza so well. I was so happy with the route author chose to took and made Len a feminist icon instead of a sexist ex-jock who had to learn how to respect girls (gag)
recommended for anyone who's looking for a fresh YA romance with feminist themes and lots of drama