green_ghost 's review for:

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach

3.0

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This book, is special in that the characters feel real. Not caricatures, but honest, flawed humans just trying to get through life - trying to do what they believe they should, “failing”, and through that becoming more nuanced people.

Now the characters, at some points are incredibly infuriating, and it’s difficult to see that they too are just trying to do what they think is right, not out of malice, but it can’t be ignored that their actions hurt others, regardless of good intent. 

I found Eliza to be likeable throughout, even in some of her more unkind moments, her actions made sense, and they were within reason. If I were in her position I honestly don’t think I’d handle it anywhere near as well as she did. The growth she has throughout the book and her relationship with feminism I found very relatable. A lot of the time when you first begin learning about feminism, the loudest voices aren’t always the ones that speak for all. I appreciate that her feminism grows to become intersectional.

Where I have criticism is that I believe the idea of how the patriarchy harms everyone would have been a great thing to delve into, to further the nuance that this book has. I also feel for this book to truly be intersectional, there should have been some queer characters (instead of just a brief mention of one), as well as disabled characters to show how intersectional feminism is vital in moving forward as a society.

Overall this was a great book, and I loved Eliza’s journey to understanding that not everything is black and white, and how important it is to step back, to see those around you as who they are, not who you think they are.