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storykath's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
I came in expecting another silly lesbian romance, wonderful in its way but not remarkable. What I got was a one-day binge-read that had me laughing and crying and cheering the whole way through.
Each with their own motivations, basketball player Scottie and cheerleading captain Irene hatch a fake-dating scheme, despite their strong dislike for one another. As you might expect, their animosity soon gives way to other feelings, but each girl's past and emotional baggage challenge them to grow and heal.
What really struck a chord with me in She Drives Me Crazy was the real, messy, heart-aching depiction of breakups and healing. Scottie's relationship with her ex, Tally, is complicated and painful and undefined, and there's no attempt to oversimplify it or brush it away. It's something I've rarely seen in the romance genre, at least not in a way that's so centered and relatable. Scottie's pain and emotions are so human, in the sense that I was often frustrated with her but always rooting for her.
Sure, there are many cheesy high-school-romance moments in this book, and tropes like the mean girl bully and the cliquey-ness of high school can be over the top. Somehow, that didn't reduce my enjoyment of the story! I could suspend my disbelief and appreciate the wonderful narrative coming together.
Once again, She Drives Me Crazy has exceeded my expectations. Even with its fairly simple prose and neatly-wrapped storylines, it hit close to home and provided me with much-needed heartache, comfort, and joy.
Each with their own motivations, basketball player Scottie and cheerleading captain Irene hatch a fake-dating scheme, despite their strong dislike for one another. As you might expect, their animosity soon gives way to other feelings, but each girl's past and emotional baggage challenge them to grow and heal.
What really struck a chord with me in She Drives Me Crazy was the real, messy, heart-aching depiction of breakups and healing. Scottie's relationship with her ex, Tally, is complicated and painful and undefined, and there's no attempt to oversimplify it or brush it away. It's something I've rarely seen in the romance genre, at least not in a way that's so centered and relatable. Scottie's pain and emotions are so human, in the sense that I was often frustrated with her but always rooting for her.
Sure, there are many cheesy high-school-romance moments in this book, and tropes like the mean girl bully and the cliquey-ness of high school can be over the top. Somehow, that didn't reduce my enjoyment of the story! I could suspend my disbelief and appreciate the wonderful narrative coming together.
Once again, She Drives Me Crazy has exceeded my expectations. Even with its fairly simple prose and neatly-wrapped storylines, it hit close to home and provided me with much-needed heartache, comfort, and joy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Grief and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cursing, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, and Drug use
ruthiedr89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcohol and Classism
aleesquer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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: Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Outing
emliza's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Outing
crackedspines_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
OVERALL: I was really excited for this book but it was a disappointment. Between the harmful rep, Harry Potter references, toxic relationship, and general bad writing, I didn't much enjoy this book.
PLOT: The plot was very weirdly paced, specifically the romance and Scottie's arc of healing from Tally. Both of these plot threads started out veeeery slow, and in the last 10-20% of the book suddenly were resolved with little to no buildup or exploration.
SETTING: Grandma Earl was a really cool setting! I liked it a lot. It was really unique and interesting, and I also enjoyed the contrast between Grandma Earl and Candlehawk.
THEME: I was really hoping for and expecting a nice, thoughtful exploration of toxic relationships and healing from them, but instead I got whiplash from how quickly Scottie went from loving Tally to being completely over her. I didn't see any growth or learning on Scottie's part; instead, I only knew how she was feeling and stuff because the author told me.
CHARACTERS: I really liked Honey-Belle. She was so sweet and authentic, and I love that she was an "innocent" character who was allowed to stay innocent and happy as opposed to being "introduced to the real world." I also liked Irene a lot - she was also very authentic, and she was determined and strong and honest. However, I really didn't like Scottie. Throughout the first ~80% of the book, she was selfish and very rude to Irene, and she made a lot of really stupid choices. Throughout the book, she didn't really have a proper growth arc; instead, the author basically just told the reader that Scottie had learned and was better now. Additionally, the rep was really bad. The Indian rep was SO harmful. It played into many stereotypes - e.g. very strict doctor/lawyer parents, Indian parents highly valuing grades and not supporting "frivolous" activities like art or cheerleading for a career, etc. - and it was also inaccurate. There are several instances in the book where Irene blushed. Indian people rarely blush, especially someone as darkskinned as Irene is based on the cover. It was also a really weird choice for the author to make Irene and her entire family devout Catholics. Obviously some Indians are Catholic/Christian, but the majority of Indians are Hindu or Muslim, and Irene mentions that her family is from Kerala, where less than 19% of the population is Catholic. It felt like the author just wanted to pick something easy that didn't require research. Also, I do not want to overstep, but the Black rep seemed pretty harmful to me based on what I have heard many Black bookstagrammers talk about. Danielle seemed to exactly fit into the harmful "supportive Black character" stereotype.
PLOT: The plot was very weirdly paced, specifically the romance and Scottie's arc of healing from Tally. Both of these plot threads started out veeeery slow, and in the last 10-20% of the book suddenly were resolved with little to no buildup or exploration.
SETTING: Grandma Earl was a really cool setting! I liked it a lot. It was really unique and interesting, and I also enjoyed the contrast between Grandma Earl and Candlehawk.
THEME: I was really hoping for and expecting a nice, thoughtful exploration of toxic relationships and healing from them, but instead I got whiplash from how quickly Scottie went from loving Tally to being completely over her. I didn't see any growth or learning on Scottie's part; instead, I only knew how she was feeling and stuff because the author told me.
CHARACTERS: I really liked Honey-Belle. She was so sweet and authentic, and I love that she was an "innocent" character who was allowed to stay innocent and happy as opposed to being "introduced to the real world." I also liked Irene a lot - she was also very authentic, and she was determined and strong and honest. However, I really didn't like Scottie. Throughout the first ~80% of the book, she was selfish and very rude to Irene, and she made a lot of really stupid choices. Throughout the book, she didn't really have a proper growth arc; instead, the author basically just told the reader that Scottie had learned and was better now. Additionally, the rep was really bad. The Indian rep was SO harmful. It played into many stereotypes - e.g. very strict doctor/lawyer parents, Indian parents highly valuing grades and not supporting "frivolous" activities like art or cheerleading for a career, etc. - and it was also inaccurate. There are several instances in the book where Irene blushed. Indian people rarely blush, especially someone as darkskinned as Irene is based on the cover. It was also a really weird choice for the author to make Irene and her entire family devout Catholics. Obviously some Indians are Catholic/Christian, but the majority of Indians are Hindu or Muslim, and Irene mentions that her family is from Kerala, where less than 19% of the population is Catholic. It felt like the author just wanted to pick something easy that didn't require research. Also, I do not want to overstep, but the Black rep seemed pretty harmful to me based on what I have heard many Black bookstagrammers talk about. Danielle seemed to exactly fit into the harmful "supportive Black character" stereotype.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Car accident and Drug use
Minor: Biphobia, Vomit, Infidelity, and Grief
Several Harry Potter references, underage alcohol use
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