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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
I really enjoyed this one. The banter is great, and the fake dating your nemesis to then catching feelings is always a fun trope! This one had a lot of choatic drama but it worked for me! It was written in such a way, I literally can see this as the next "Netflix adapatation" really fun read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Outing, Alcohol
Harry Potter references
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so excited for this book, I kept on refreshing the bookstore page waiting for it to be back in stock and now that I've read it, it was very underwhelming. The premise was solid, but there were too many things that felt wrong to me in this book. Scottie the main character felt very manipulative and the "deal" she and Irene made felt more like an ultimatum because Irene needed the money for her to achieve her dream. Another thing about the deal that I didn't like was that Irene wasnt out at school, she was also extremely popular so here coming out isn't something under the radar and here Scottie is saying "hey if you come out at school with 2 days notice I'll give you 1000$ and you also have to pretend to date me," the fake dating trope can be done well but this one for me was not. If you can get past that the first half of the book was enjoyable, funny banter and a solid start to the enemies to lovers storyline this novel was following. Around the halfway mark I started noticing how much Scottie was talking about her ex. Then the story took the wild turn where she went to visit her ex and the get a picture taken of them kissing. For a book that's less than 300 pages this caused too much drama that was glazed over. Irene also didn't seem bothered by Scottie's arrogant and manipulative behaviour either which was weird as well. Irene I think deserves better. All in all this book was fine for me I can see the intrigued and reasons why people would love it but there were things I had trouble overlooking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Vomit
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
She Drives Me Crazy is a delightful queer contemporary that surprised me. It seemed to have a fairly simple premise and I thought it would be fairly typical, and a nice palate cleanser after a couple of more intense books. And in a way, it is that, but it is so much more.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the romance itself, as enemies-to-lovers is so hit-or-miss for me. But I feel like Quindlen created a balance that is so hard to master with this trope by having Scottie and Irene start off with genuine enmity, but come to an understanding of each other as the story goes on, with the two having a bit more in common with regards to toxic people in their lives they ought to cut out, but are still attached to in some way.
On a related note, I did feel a bit more attached to Irene as the story went on than Scottie, as I feel like one of the problems with first person is I feel like the protagonist doesn’t really feel as well defined as the people around them. And a huge part of that played into the darker tone the book took about halfway in with a dark revelation about Irene’s relationship with her “friend.”
That plays into my reluctance to call this book a rom-com, in spite of its branding. So many books seem to want to have their cake and eat it by branding themselves as lighthearted but also delve into tough topics that could catch people off guard, and while the book overall is lighthearted, that plot twist really altered the tone of the book for me.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy this overall, and think as long as you go in with that knowledge, this book is an enjoyable book that will resonate with readers. And if you love queer romance, I absolutely recommend picking it up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
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, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Car accident
Minor: Biphobia, Infidelity, Vomit, Grief
Several Harry Potter references, underage alcohol use