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dlrosebyh's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
i do understand why it’s marketed as an academic rivals to lovers. eliza, our protagonist, and len, our love interest, were competing against each other for the better editor. though it seems like an academic rivals to lovers trope, it’s more of an enemies to lovers trope as eliza was pretty much the only one exerting effort to prove herself worthy for that spot.
for the slow burn trope, this book was pretty much instalove. did they get together at around 85% of the book? yes. but only because they barely had interactions. i could barely sense their chemistry, and that sucked because this book was supposed to be a romance book.
i didn’t necessarily like eliza. she was very intolerable, especially her pride. her idea of feminism is not feminism at all, which threw me off.
the only thing i liked about this book was each characters’ development, and that basically was the only element i stayed for.
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Bullying
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
bbivnca's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual harassment and Alcohol
0701mango's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Alcohol
100acrewoodlibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Sexism
Minor: Alcohol
lainiereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
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!
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Alcohol
nisha_nee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Bullying and Alcohol
getbrekked's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, Sexism, and Bullying
Minor: War
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol and Vomit
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
gem114's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
From the publisher:
This novel bolsters a fun YA enemies-to-lovers story with serious discussions about sexism, feminism, slut-shaming, social media/internet privacy, freedom of speech, racism, stereotyping, and more. There is SO MUCH packed into this book, but the author manages it all while also avoiding becoming too preachy. Some issues are covered more superficially than others (class/wealth, for example), but I don't feel like it took away from the book at all.
Quach did a great job writing relatable characters across the spectrum of high school cliques. I love that the students were shown finding common ground through their efforts to make their school a more equitable place. I hope teens that read this book feel empowered to fight for change in their own communities.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/Katherine Tegen Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content