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haley49's review
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
thenovelmaura's review
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
This was an enjoyable YA novel that has a lot to offer readers who are new to feminism and what it means to fight for gender equality. Obviously it's not a gender studies textbook, but I did relate to Eliza's confusion over what feminism is and whether she's betraying her ideals by falling for "the enemy," so to speak. I've grown a lot in my understanding of feminism since high school and this isn't too far off from what I would have thought back then! I also really loved Serena's character and all of the lessons she ended up teaching Eliza about how many ways there are to be a feminist. Eliza's friend Winona was an equally great resource to Eliza in terms of allyship and going beyond white feminism.
Of course, this book was also a romance and I thought Quach balanced the two elements of romance and feminism in a really fun and engaging way. Eliza and Len drew me in and I read this book in just a few days. I know Eliza's character won't be everyone's cup of tea, but like the title says, she's not here to be liked and I ended up liking her a lot!
Of course, this book was also a romance and I thought Quach balanced the two elements of romance and feminism in a really fun and engaging way. Eliza and Len drew me in and I read this book in just a few days. I know Eliza's character won't be everyone's cup of tea, but like the title says, she's not here to be liked and I ended up liking her a lot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
moogaloo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Sexism, and Misogyny
imstephtacular's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Racism, and Sexual harassment
serena_hien's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, and Sexism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Racism, Sexual harassment, and War
lucy_36's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism
isla_fox's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Alcohol, and Bullying
mariasilva's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
dlrosebyh's review
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this book is advertised as an academic rivals to lovers slow burn story, so that’s what i expected going in this book— and not here to be liked was definitely not that book.
i do understand why it’s marketed as an academic rivals to lovers. eliza, our protagonist, and len, our love interest, were competing against each other for the better editor. though it seems like an academic rivals to lovers trope, it’s more of an enemies to lovers trope as eliza was pretty much the only one exerting effort to prove herself worthy for that spot.
for the slow burn trope, this book was pretty much instalove. did they get together at around 85% of the book? yes. but only because they barely had interactions. i could barely sense their chemistry, and that sucked because this book was supposed to be a romance book.
i didn’t necessarily like eliza. she was very intolerable, especially her pride. her idea of feminism is not feminism at all, which threw me off.
the only thing i liked about this book was each characters’ development, and that basically was the only element i stayed for.
i do understand why it’s marketed as an academic rivals to lovers. eliza, our protagonist, and len, our love interest, were competing against each other for the better editor. though it seems like an academic rivals to lovers trope, it’s more of an enemies to lovers trope as eliza was pretty much the only one exerting effort to prove herself worthy for that spot.
for the slow burn trope, this book was pretty much instalove. did they get together at around 85% of the book? yes. but only because they barely had interactions. i could barely sense their chemistry, and that sucked because this book was supposed to be a romance book.
i didn’t necessarily like eliza. she was very intolerable, especially her pride. her idea of feminism is not feminism at all, which threw me off.
the only thing i liked about this book was each characters’ development, and that basically was the only element i stayed for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Bullying
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
bbivnca's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
it was okay, i enjoyed it. the book started out very strong and i was immediately gripped. half of the book was the events building up to the walkout, and the romance felt so rushed. it did not even feel like “academic rivals to lovers” because the love interest wasn’t competing against the mc at all. it definitely felt like an instalove (HATE this trope) because of the characters’ lack of interaction, and i was promised a slow burn. i really liked the mc because of her feminist beliefs and how determined she was to succeed, but i feel like she completely lost those qualities as soon as she developed feelings for her “rival.” this is just my personal preference, but i did not like how the love interest was a jock. it turned me off a bit. the east/southeast asian representation was well done though, and i really liked the use of vietnamese and cantonese phrases!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual harassment and Alcohol