Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
gosh why did i like this so much HAHAHAH will let this marinate because i will have more thoughts for sure. right now tho, 5 stars đȘ okay, now i have a few complaints like what kind of name is len dimartile or whatever. and ms author is using too many big words i just wanted to have a silly little read. BUT FINE ITS NOT A SILLY LITTLE READ BECAUSE THE TOPICS ARE VERY REAL AND SERIOUS đ and i loved that slay keeping it at 5 stars still
LMAO Iâm done with reading high school romance YA novels. It was nice to see the Chinese-Vietnamese-born American representation. Took place in OC which was kinda cool. It was cute, but cringe now that Iâm in college ig.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this one! It was fun and cute and feminist. I think this is definitely a good read for high school readers. It is a good introduction into feminism and the intricacies of it as it as well. One thing that I loved that it touched on was if there is a good and bad feminist. Another accept it added was a perspective from an immigrant woman of color because the main characterâs mom is an immigrant. I just loved all the conversations that were had in this novel and how accessible they were. At some parts, it was a little heavy handed but other than that it was well done. And I kind of liked how the romance wasnât a HUGE part of the story but it was an understandable amount of the story. Overall, I really liked the story and characters and Iâm looking forward to reading more stuff from this author.
The feminist read I didnât know I needed.
âI try really hard to make everything seem easyâŠI didnât realize it until I read what you wrote in the manifesto, but I try really hard, all the timeâŠI just never thought about sexism being the reason whyâŠYour whole ânot here to be likedâ thing is so gutsyâŠBut I could never in a million years be as chill as you about the fact that no one liked me.â
ââLife seems to work out better for girls who care about stuff like that thoughââŠâMostly,â she agrees. âBut itâs also exhausting, worrying what everyone thinks all the time.ââ
âI try really hard to make everything seem easyâŠI didnât realize it until I read what you wrote in the manifesto, but I try really hard, all the timeâŠI just never thought about sexism being the reason whyâŠYour whole ânot here to be likedâ thing is so gutsyâŠBut I could never in a million years be as chill as you about the fact that no one liked me.â
ââLife seems to work out better for girls who care about stuff like that thoughââŠâMostly,â she agrees. âBut itâs also exhausting, worrying what everyone thinks all the time.ââ
DNF at 30% I tried my best. I really did.
The cover of this book is lovely. The actual book is not. I am all about feminism messages in books, but not when it's done like this. Every minute, the book kept flashing a huge sign in my face that said "THIS IS ABOUT FEMINISM! OUR MC IS A FEMINIST!" Okay, I get it. The idea of this book was honestly so good, but the way it was executed was incredibly disappointing.
Before I get into the problems about the feminist message, I want to compliment the two main characters, Eliza and Len, or rather, their dynamic. I love it when the enemies to lovers trope is not forced. I love it when the two characters have room to grow. Right off the bat, I could identify the characters' flaws (not in a bad way), and I could see how they might grow closer to each other. Potential: check. Their interactions were real and I found myself really looking forward to seeing them in scenes together.
That being said, though I enjoyed their dynamic, I was not fond of the individual characters. Eliza was, to put it simply, annoying. She seemed like someone who would be hard to be friends with (and I guess she did basically only have one and a half friends at school). On the first page, I immediately got that feeling that you get when you just know that you're not going to like someone. It was completely irrational, and I did not want to stop reading just because the MC's vibe was off. I do have MC syndrome, after all. Every time she said anything, I felt a mix of secondhand embarrassment, disgust, and boredom. I kept giving it the benefit of the doubt, but I kept coming back to my comfort spot of "I cannot stand Eliza, and I am not having a good time." A MC needs flaws, yes, but it can get frustrating when that is all they are. The book was rightfully titled, "Not Here to Be Liked," and it really took it to heart. Great job, I indeed, do not like Eliza.
Len, on the other hand, was just kind of... there. He was just, a guy. He was a bit bland to me, but I also don't think I can make a complete judgement of his character from just reading 30% of the book. I think he had potential to get better, but when the book is in Eliza's first-person POV, it gets hard to care.
The main problem that I--and many others-- have with this book is the feminist message. If I highlighted every part in the book that was trying too hard to be "feminist," I'd be left with more yellow than white. The way it was presented was so unrealistic that it was almost comical (derogatory). There is no way real high school students--or anyone, really-- would say or do anything that was written in Not Here to Be Liked. For lack of better words, it was cringey. It was like watching a movie that casted adults who looked too old to be teenagers, and who had lines written by someone who did not care to understand or learn about teenagers and their culture.
The characters were constantly trying to say that feminism was meant to be in a certain way, and not something else, but the book then continued to ignore its own advice. I apologize; I would talk more about how awful the feminist message was in the book, but I cannot make myself care enough about it.
The book was constantly feeling the need to remind the reader that it was about feminism, and the character was a feminist, and all these other characters were also feminists! It was tiring. But hey, at least this book was not one of those enemies to lovers books that felt like it had to keep telling the reader that one character hates the other!
The cover of this book is lovely. The actual book is not. I am all about feminism messages in books, but not when it's done like this. Every minute, the book kept flashing a huge sign in my face that said "THIS IS ABOUT FEMINISM! OUR MC IS A FEMINIST!" Okay, I get it. The idea of this book was honestly so good, but the way it was executed was incredibly disappointing.
Before I get into the problems about the feminist message, I want to compliment the two main characters, Eliza and Len, or rather, their dynamic. I love it when the enemies to lovers trope is not forced. I love it when the two characters have room to grow. Right off the bat, I could identify the characters' flaws (not in a bad way), and I could see how they might grow closer to each other. Potential: check. Their interactions were real and I found myself really looking forward to seeing them in scenes together.
That being said, though I enjoyed their dynamic, I was not fond of the individual characters. Eliza was, to put it simply, annoying. She seemed like someone who would be hard to be friends with (and I guess she did basically only have one and a half friends at school). On the first page, I immediately got that feeling that you get when you just know that you're not going to like someone. It was completely irrational, and I did not want to stop reading just because the MC's vibe was off. I do have MC syndrome, after all. Every time she said anything, I felt a mix of secondhand embarrassment, disgust, and boredom. I kept giving it the benefit of the doubt, but I kept coming back to my comfort spot of "I cannot stand Eliza, and I am not having a good time." A MC needs flaws, yes, but it can get frustrating when that is all they are. The book was rightfully titled, "Not Here to Be Liked," and it really took it to heart. Great job, I indeed, do not like Eliza.
Len, on the other hand, was just kind of... there. He was just, a guy. He was a bit bland to me, but I also don't think I can make a complete judgement of his character from just reading 30% of the book. I think he had potential to get better, but when the book is in Eliza's first-person POV, it gets hard to care.
The main problem that I--and many others-- have with this book is the feminist message. If I highlighted every part in the book that was trying too hard to be "feminist," I'd be left with more yellow than white. The way it was presented was so unrealistic that it was almost comical (derogatory). There is no way real high school students--or anyone, really-- would say or do anything that was written in Not Here to Be Liked. For lack of better words, it was cringey. It was like watching a movie that casted adults who looked too old to be teenagers, and who had lines written by someone who did not care to understand or learn about teenagers and their culture.
The characters were constantly trying to say that feminism was meant to be in a certain way, and not something else, but the book then continued to ignore its own advice. I apologize; I would talk more about how awful the feminist message was in the book, but I cannot make myself care enough about it.
The book was constantly feeling the need to remind the reader that it was about feminism, and the character was a feminist, and all these other characters were also feminists! It was tiring. But hey, at least this book was not one of those enemies to lovers books that felt like it had to keep telling the reader that one character hates the other!
4.5 stars. I loveddd this book, mostly because it made me think in depth about feminism and performative activism all while maintaining an interesting plot. It wasnât perfect by any means, but it was well-written and dynamic, and I couldnât tear myself away.