Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Not Here to Be Liked

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!

Content Warnings

imstephtacular's review

Go to review page

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

serena_hien's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

bbivnca's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

blahblahblah123's review

Go to review page

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Personally i found this book to be very intriguing. I read it during a field trip performance and had a hard time putting it down. Usually I don’t read, but this really got me out of my block. Despite it being very intriguing, there was a lot of frustrating moments.

during about the hookup/relationship between Len and Eliza, I felt like it could’ve been elaborated more. A lot of moments I’m at points where I’m like, “is he playing her?” “should they really be together?”. There is a decent amount of chemistry between them, but I feel like there should be a second book or separate chapters with Len’s point of view. If there was moments of Len acting nervous towards Eliza, then I would’ve rooted for their relationship more. I really appreciate the realistically of the book. Although there are moments where Eliza frustrated me, like, “why are you falling for him?” “why are you doing this” I know that I would also be doing the same thing (I’d fall for Len too if i were in her situation). This goes to Len as well. In my perfect world Len would stick up for her in the midst of all the humiliation in the beginning, and although he didn’t it’s a part of his character, and thats what’s realistic. Same with the other characters, subjects, and plot line. The Asian-American struggles and the family culture. The public reaction of Eliza’s situation, the use of modern technology and terms. The characters and their personalities; especially Serena. I also feel like there should've been another chapter between Len and Eliza, after she got out of detention. I wanted to see more of their relationship develop that lead to their hook-up. When finishing it, during the end I couldn’t but squeal and get butterflies. I’m glad they patched up their relationship and I’m glad Eliza had a happy ending.</spoiler/> Overall, the book was a good read. I’m glad I read it and it’s realistically was great. When I first heard about this book, having: sexism, Asian American struggles, academic enemies to lovers trope, etc. I was extremely excited. Throughout the book, I got disappointed, however upon finishing it and reflecting, I don’t regret it. There definitely could be improvement, but I do not regret.

Content Warnings

amethyst_'s review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

lainiereads's review

Go to review page

emotional funny medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Such a cute romance read! I read the first 60ish percent of this book in one day (which is very unusual for me) and then finished it that following night. I just couldn't put it down, partially due to the romance, but also because of the conflicts that the main character, Eliza, had to deal with. I just had to keep reading to see what she would do next!
Speaking of Eliza, I love her. Often with angry leads in books, you'll see them go overboard and take their anger too far, but Eliza was able to use her anger in productive ways and realize when she needed to stop fighting and shift gears. She's also great because she didn't stop being angry at the end of the story. Many times, authors will have their characters begin very fiery, but by the end, they learn to not be angry anymore. That always infuriates me because, more often than not, their anger was justified! Michelle Quach avoids this and acknowledges that Eliza's cause is just and she can grow as a person without having to stop fighting for what she believes in.
The other main character, Len, was also great. He fits both the cocky jock stereotype and the thoughtful, quiet guy stereotype, which is the best combination. I think my only critic of him is that I wish he stood up for Eliza more? Like, I know she doesn't need him to defend her, but it just felt weird to me to see people just stand around while she was being bullied- especially when that person is the love interest! He makes up for this by the end though, so I still definitely love him.
This book covers a lot of real issues, such as racism, infidelity (not in the main couple though, don't worry), and a LOT of blatant sexism and slut-shaming. While all of these things are tough to read about, Quach handles them well and makes sure all of the main characters realize how awful these issues are. If you are able to read about topics like these, then I definitely recommend this for a great story and a great romance!

Content Warnings

More...