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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Cute lil high school YA romance academic rivals to lovers slop - the most common complaint is that they randomly decide to bring up social issues to talk about, which is true, though valedictorians lowkey speak like that IRL. Makes me wish I got a cute message in my yearbook.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I LOVED THIS SO SO SO SO MUCH ACTUALLY
the yearbook quote had me in tears
i smiled the entire time i read this
and for my first academic rivalry i loved it more than i thought i would
neil and rowan are so cute and hilarious and the banter was incredible
the yearbook quote had me in tears
i smiled the entire time i read this
and for my first academic rivalry i loved it more than i thought i would
neil and rowan are so cute and hilarious and the banter was incredible
I'm going to destroy McNair one last time.
Maybe then I'll feel like myself again.
Although I'd placed Today Tonight Tomorrow on my to-read shelf much earlier, I'd actually read Rachel Lynn Solomon's [b:The Ex Talk|53415121|The Ex Talk|Rachel Lynn Solomon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589505942l/53415121._SY75_.jpg|74638665] earlier. I gotta say that the latter didn't really wow me so I had mixed feelings about whether I should even bother with Today Tonight Tomorrow but I am so glad that I did because it was definitely one of the most adorable YA romances that I've read this year. Comparisons to [b:The Hating Game|25883848|The Hating Game|Sally Thorne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1467138679l/25883848._SY75_.jpg|45762345] are well-deserved because there's a slow-burn love-hate relationship between the two protagonists and I adored how well-rounded the two leads are.
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been perpetual enemies, constantly trying to one-up each other in all their classes throughout high school due an ill-fated encounter earlier on:
Our rivalry dates back to freshman year, when a (small) panel of judges declared his essay the winner of a school-wide contest about the book that had impacted us the most. I came in second. McNair, in all his originality, picked The Great Gatsby. I picked Vision in White, my favorite Nora Roberts, a choice he scoffed at even after he'd won, insinuating I shouldn't have gotten second place for picking a romance novel. This was clearly a really valid stance for someone who'd likely never read one.
Neil's comments have burrowed deep under Rowan's skin because, unbeknownst to him and even her closest friends and family, Rowan has a deep-seated love for romance novels. In fact, she's been secretly working on a romance novel even though she knows that her parents, renowned children's fiction writers, seem to look down on the genre as a whole. In any case, Rowan wants nothing more than to beat Neil once and for all even though they've been tied for nearly everything in their scholastic career - be it student council or their test scores. And, unfortunately for her, Neil is also named as their high school valedictorian.
Rowan believes that her relationship with Neil has been nothing but antagonistic throughout their career but slowly begins to realise that this may not be the case, especially when he makes an unexpected move after being announced as valedictorian:
"So - um. I was wondering. If you'd maybe sign my yearbook?"
I gape at him, convinced it's a joke. Except I have no clube what the punch line is. The words "Sure, why not?" dangle on the tip of my tongue.
What comes out instead is the single word right in the middle: ""Why?" I manage to utter it in the most obnoxious voice imaginable. And I regret it instantly.
His eyebrows crease together. It's an expression I've never seen on his face, not in the four years I've sparred with him.
It's something a little like hurt.
Perhaps Rowan and Neil's paths might never have crossed again - if not for their school's tradition of a game of Howl, a scavenger game that involves looking for certain objects and taking out assigned classmates as their targets. Howl brings Rowan and Neil together as she discovers that their classmates might not have been as fond as their rivalry as the teachers might've been and could be conspiring to take them out. Rowan and Neil decide to form an alliance for just one night but end up learning more about each other than they could've anticipated and Rowan begins to find herself falling for Neil, even though she might've started out the day hating him.
I adored the way that Rowan and Neil's relationship unfolded and thought that the conceit of Howl was really fun and clever. You can tell that the author truly adores Seattle, even without the author's note at the end, because she really weaves in little nuggets of info about Seattle as part of the game. Howl reads like a love letter to Seattle.
Not to mention, it also felt like Rowan and Neil's relationship progressed really organically as they start to come out of their shells and start to show each other more about their real selves.
Spoiler
I thought that it was especially cute how Neil's such a huge fan of the books written by Rowan's parents and how he actually read Vision in White because of Rowan. Who doesn't love a protagonist that can admit their initial prejudices was wrong and actually does the work of reading a book that they had earlier written off?I also appreciated how Rowan addressed the conflict with her friends, as she actually does self-reflect and realise that she has ditched her friends in her desire to defeat Neil. I liked how she grows and admits her flaws to both her friends and Neil. Overall, the story was incredibly sweet and I can understand why it's gotten such good reviews here.
★★★★☆ - 4 stars
this was a super cute, quick read. the perfect book for anyone looking to get out of a reading slump!
i liked both of the characters. Neil and Rowan had more depth than i was expecting, which made this an interesting read. i’m really glad this book talked about modern anti-Semitism and what it looks like for high schoolers. sometimes people don’t realize what they’re doing is offensive, but i learned from this book that small actions do affect others and everyone deserves respect no matter what religion they follow.
Neil was a great character. his father was in prison and he was facing a lot of bullying at school for it. i felt very connected to him because despite what kids think of him at school, he is so sweet. i loved all of his nerdy quirks.
Rowan also was an interesting character. she was obsessed with romance novels from a young age, which can be a weird subject to talk about with others. i particularly liked her statement she was making which basically said, one’s gender does not determine what they can or cannot read. i’ve been saying this for so long! men can read books about women and women can read books about men and so on. books are meant to teach others about the human experience. every person, no matter their gender, should be able to understand others. books are a great way to do so. Rowan was very persistent and strong-willed, i loved that she was willing to make her own choices about her future.
the romance was so cute!! it developed at the perfect pace. not too fast. not too slow. their scenes together made me blush! i loved their words of affirmation to each other. every teen has insecurities, so finding someone that appreciates them is important. i wish Rowan and Neil the best!
i enjoyed this mostly because the plot was very fast-paced. this book took place over the span of 24 hours, so each chapter was a different time. i was not able to put this down. i also really liked the graphics at the end of each chapter, whether it was a journal entry, text thread, or email. it was so cool and made my reading experience even more enjoyable.
i also think the writing was good! there isn’t quite anything that stands out about it, but i had no issues with it. there was a nice amount of humor and development, while still being easy to understand.
this book does say ages 12+ on the back, but i would like to argue it’s for 14+ because of the language and mentions of sex. keep that in mind when reading!
overall, i enjoyed this!! if you want a quick YA romance, this is the perfect pick.
this was a super cute, quick read. the perfect book for anyone looking to get out of a reading slump!
i liked both of the characters. Neil and Rowan had more depth than i was expecting, which made this an interesting read. i’m really glad this book talked about modern anti-Semitism and what it looks like for high schoolers. sometimes people don’t realize what they’re doing is offensive, but i learned from this book that small actions do affect others and everyone deserves respect no matter what religion they follow.
Neil was a great character. his father was in prison and he was facing a lot of bullying at school for it. i felt very connected to him because despite what kids think of him at school, he is so sweet. i loved all of his nerdy quirks.
Rowan also was an interesting character. she was obsessed with romance novels from a young age, which can be a weird subject to talk about with others. i particularly liked her statement she was making which basically said, one’s gender does not determine what they can or cannot read. i’ve been saying this for so long! men can read books about women and women can read books about men and so on. books are meant to teach others about the human experience. every person, no matter their gender, should be able to understand others. books are a great way to do so. Rowan was very persistent and strong-willed, i loved that she was willing to make her own choices about her future.
the romance was so cute!! it developed at the perfect pace. not too fast. not too slow. their scenes together made me blush! i loved their words of affirmation to each other. every teen has insecurities, so finding someone that appreciates them is important. i wish Rowan and Neil the best!
i enjoyed this mostly because the plot was very fast-paced. this book took place over the span of 24 hours, so each chapter was a different time. i was not able to put this down. i also really liked the graphics at the end of each chapter, whether it was a journal entry, text thread, or email. it was so cool and made my reading experience even more enjoyable.
i also think the writing was good! there isn’t quite anything that stands out about it, but i had no issues with it. there was a nice amount of humor and development, while still being easy to understand.
this book does say ages 12+ on the back, but i would like to argue it’s for 14+ because of the language and mentions of sex. keep that in mind when reading!
overall, i enjoyed this!! if you want a quick YA romance, this is the perfect pick.