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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I don't read much young adult these days, but She Drives Me Crazy caught my attention immediately when I saw some friends talking about it. I do love a good fake it till you make it story. There's nothing quite like being the third party who watches two characters fall for each other before they even realize what's happening. This was a fun book and the audio was very enjoyable.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This book was so so sweet. I needed a pick me up and this was the perfect book.
I was a little frustrated at first with Scottie's attitude in the beginning because of her attitude towards Irene and wanting to push her boundaries but I am so glad Irene was just as stubborn.
Realising how complex Scottie's relationship was with her ex-girlfriend made so much more sense with regards to Scottie's general attitude later on and I love that it wasn't a quick 'I forgive you' situation. Scottie had to do the work of healing and getting over her ex to truly confront her new feelings for Irene. I also loved seeing how Scottie's relationships with her sisters and her parents flourished especially after everything hit the fan.
I loved the entire storyline and I would love to read more books written by Kelly Quinlen.
I was a little frustrated at first with Scottie's attitude in the beginning because of her attitude towards Irene and wanting to push her boundaries but I am so glad Irene was just as stubborn.
Realising how complex Scottie's relationship was with her ex-girlfriend made so much more sense with regards to Scottie's general attitude later on and I love that it wasn't a quick 'I forgive you' situation. Scottie had to do the work of healing and getting over her ex to truly confront her new feelings for Irene. I also loved seeing how Scottie's relationships with her sisters and her parents flourished especially after everything hit the fan.
I loved the entire storyline and I would love to read more books written by Kelly Quinlen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
fast-paced
emotional
lighthearted
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
This was another YA novel where I didn't vibe with the main character. I didn't get 99% of what Scottie did in the story and that was coupled with the fact that I found Irene, Danielle and Honey Belle a lot more interesting than her.
This book is a mix of a fake dating trope and enemies to lovers. Or, at least, perceived enemies to lovers. After feeling as though Irene was part of the popular crowd that used to bully her and a bad break up with her ex girlfriend from hell, Scottie and Irene get in a car accident. Irene doesn't have the money for the deductible so Scottie agrees to give her the money if she'll agree to pretend to be her girlfriend so she can get back at her ex Tally. In typical fake dating fashion, they get to know each other as they pretend to be lovey dovey.
So, not the best start to a relationship when money exchanges hands. My biggest issue with this book is that I found Scottie to just be extremely self centered and often just an asshole. I know, most people defend YA protags being self centered with "they're teenagers", but that doesn't really fly when everyone else in the book is more capable of thinking about other people. The fact that Scottie's self centeredness causes trouble for everyone around her more than once didn't make her all that much better than her ex, to be honest. She's downright rude to Irene several times with no real justification because "you towed my car" was just not enough reason for the constant digs at Irene. Especially the stuff about her mother. This is a story where I found myself saying repeatedly "Irene can do so much better".
Danielle appeared to be the black best friend stereotype, right down to supporting Scottie way more than Scottie ever supported her. Made even more apparent by the fact that Honey Belle gave Danielle better advice within like 5 minutes of really speaking to her. Honestly, there aren't a lot of YA novels that do the best friend thing without it feeling really uneven. Also, sidenote, I ended up thinking Danielle and Irene must've been lighter than I thought they were because they're described as blushing a few times and darker skinned people don't do that so...
Irene is a great character, a lot more interesting than Scottie, in my opinion. She makes everyone around her stay on their A game, she's passionate about cheerleading and she grew and matured instead of letting resentment fester. She's a pretty well rounded character and I just wanted more of her, to be honest. She was my favorite character in the book.
Also, gotta say, whenever there's a book about teenagers in today's era and they're obsessed with 80s movies and music, it just reminds me how old the author is. Because either they're kids who think they're so edgy and unique for liking "classic" music (and trust me, several times, Scottie expressed that "I'm not like other girls" mentality) or the author is just putting in their own interests. Also, I could've done without the HP references.
As for pacing, it moved along just fine. I feel like you do sort of get a feel for the town they live in. I don't know that I would've liked this more if I was much younger because, again, I just don't think Scottie's self centeredness could be chalked up to her being a teenager. Even as a teen, I don't think I would've been that clueless as to how my actions affected everyone else.
This book is a mix of a fake dating trope and enemies to lovers. Or, at least, perceived enemies to lovers. After feeling as though Irene was part of the popular crowd that used to bully her and a bad break up with her ex girlfriend from hell, Scottie and Irene get in a car accident. Irene doesn't have the money for the deductible so Scottie agrees to give her the money if she'll agree to pretend to be her girlfriend so she can get back at her ex Tally. In typical fake dating fashion, they get to know each other as they pretend to be lovey dovey.
So, not the best start to a relationship when money exchanges hands. My biggest issue with this book is that I found Scottie to just be extremely self centered and often just an asshole. I know, most people defend YA protags being self centered with "they're teenagers", but that doesn't really fly when everyone else in the book is more capable of thinking about other people. The fact that Scottie's self centeredness causes trouble for everyone around her more than once didn't make her all that much better than her ex, to be honest. She's downright rude to Irene several times with no real justification because "you towed my car" was just not enough reason for the constant digs at Irene. Especially the stuff about her mother. This is a story where I found myself saying repeatedly "Irene can do so much better".
Spoiler
Perhaps the most uncomfortable moment for me in reading Scottie's dislike for Irene was when we read that she wanted to thank whoever gave Irene the scar above her eye. Like... really??Danielle appeared to be the black best friend stereotype, right down to supporting Scottie way more than Scottie ever supported her. Made even more apparent by the fact that Honey Belle gave Danielle better advice within like 5 minutes of really speaking to her. Honestly, there aren't a lot of YA novels that do the best friend thing without it feeling really uneven. Also, sidenote, I ended up thinking Danielle and Irene must've been lighter than I thought they were because they're described as blushing a few times and darker skinned people don't do that so...
Irene is a great character, a lot more interesting than Scottie, in my opinion. She makes everyone around her stay on their A game, she's passionate about cheerleading and she grew and matured instead of letting resentment fester. She's a pretty well rounded character and I just wanted more of her, to be honest. She was my favorite character in the book.
Also, gotta say, whenever there's a book about teenagers in today's era and they're obsessed with 80s movies and music, it just reminds me how old the author is. Because either they're kids who think they're so edgy and unique for liking "classic" music (and trust me, several times, Scottie expressed that "I'm not like other girls" mentality) or the author is just putting in their own interests. Also, I could've done without the HP references.
As for pacing, it moved along just fine. I feel like you do sort of get a feel for the town they live in. I don't know that I would've liked this more if I was much younger because, again, I just don't think Scottie's self centeredness could be chalked up to her being a teenager. Even as a teen, I don't think I would've been that clueless as to how my actions affected everyone else.
"If you're going to heal, you have to stop avoiding the hard shit. Trust that you can handle the bad parts of yourself."
I'm such a sucker for the fake dating trope. I will read the crap out of any book that features two characters dating each other for kicks and giggles because we all know what happens with these characters. It brings such joy to my heart. In this book, we start off by meeting basketball player Scottie. She is still getting over the breakup with her girlfriend, who moved to the rival school across town. As she's driving home after this humiliating loss, Scottie gets in a fender bender with her worst enemy: cheerleading star Irene. Unfortunately, Irene's car is damaged to the point where it has to go to the shop and Scottie is forced to drive Irene to school while her car is in the shop. Since everyone at school follows Irene's every move, it doesn't take long for Scottie and Irene's picture to end up online. Scottie realizes the power Irene has, especially when her ex is still following her online. Scottie agrees to help Irene finance the cost of the car repairs if Irene agrees to fake date Scottie for a short time.
Since we already know I enjoy fake dating tropes, I was completely captivated with Scottie and Irene's story. I was really excited to read this story because I haven't read many fake dating romance stories with LGBTQ+ characters. This was a nice change of pace from the typical ya romance stories I read. I am looking forward to more romance tropes making their way into stories featuring the LGBTQ+ community. I also appreciated getting to know Irene better so she became more than the stereotypical "mean head cheerleader" character. The references to the 80s and 90s was a fresh take for a romance set in today's world. It definitely made this millenial feel a little more connected to today's young people. This was a fun story to read and one I would recommend for ya contemporary romance fans.
TW: homophobia, car accident, bullying
**Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm such a sucker for the fake dating trope. I will read the crap out of any book that features two characters dating each other for kicks and giggles because we all know what happens with these characters. It brings such joy to my heart. In this book, we start off by meeting basketball player Scottie. She is still getting over the breakup with her girlfriend, who moved to the rival school across town. As she's driving home after this humiliating loss, Scottie gets in a fender bender with her worst enemy: cheerleading star Irene. Unfortunately, Irene's car is damaged to the point where it has to go to the shop and Scottie is forced to drive Irene to school while her car is in the shop. Since everyone at school follows Irene's every move, it doesn't take long for Scottie and Irene's picture to end up online. Scottie realizes the power Irene has, especially when her ex is still following her online. Scottie agrees to help Irene finance the cost of the car repairs if Irene agrees to fake date Scottie for a short time.
Since we already know I enjoy fake dating tropes, I was completely captivated with Scottie and Irene's story. I was really excited to read this story because I haven't read many fake dating romance stories with LGBTQ+ characters. This was a nice change of pace from the typical ya romance stories I read. I am looking forward to more romance tropes making their way into stories featuring the LGBTQ+ community. I also appreciated getting to know Irene better so she became more than the stereotypical "mean head cheerleader" character. The references to the 80s and 90s was a fresh take for a romance set in today's world. It definitely made this millenial feel a little more connected to today's young people. This was a fun story to read and one I would recommend for ya contemporary romance fans.
TW: homophobia, car accident, bullying
**Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest I kind of struggle to rate this because I feel like it could be anywhere from 3.5 to 5, it was such a nice read, super easy to follow along with I literally blazed through it in about 6 and a half hours, and thats including the time spent having my exam and doing some other things today. It started off really good but for a bit I really struggled to like the main character but as I read more she grew on me a lot, I also adore the rep of the love interest being an Indian girl, same as me, both of our families were even from the same part of India. This really was such a good book with great humour too.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
pivoting between 1984 and fun romcoms is an experience everyone should try once
This was SO CUTE! Enemies to lovers, fake dating, lesbian high school jock and cheerleader, literally I loved every part of this book. I thought the main relationship was so good, so cute. And I totally love Honey Belle, she was just the SWEETEST thing ever. Obsessed. This book was so good, if you want a lesbian teen romcom done right, this one is GENIUS.
