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A review by fabilous_books
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Too in-my-face for me. I think I’ve grown out of the YA contemporary.
Basically it’s about Eliza being salty about Len being editor and she has EVERY RIGHT TO BE!! Let me say this, this has happened to me so many times in competitions especially since I was in a girls school so even though our team made more sense in the debate contest, the boys would win. But it’s not about me! I felt like the message is way too obvious for me. The girls legit had I AM A FEMINIST badges, they planned a walk out. I don’t know, it’s too obvious for me. I would have liked more subtlety. The plot is low-key predictable and I think it had potential but the romance kinda ruined it for me. I don’t think the romance part should be such a main focus in the book.
Eliza is not very well-developed for me. She started out very rigid and uptight. To be honest, she wasn’t very uptight for me. She’s just goal-oriented. I think that made more of a point that society’s standards for women are definitely not the same as men than the whole walkout/manifesto situation. If the male character was the one who was goal-oriented, no one would have had a problem. Anyway, I’m going off at a tangent here, I did not find her likeable or interesting… sorry?
Len is a bit of a boring character too. I didn’t really relate to him since he’s a mixed kid like me. I wished that part of his life was more discussed. Their chemistry did not really work well for me, basically I wish he were not a love interest.
Winona is the designated black bff in this book. She’s artistic and outspoken. Very generic. I was surprised to see that she’s not queer as well.
I loved Serena. She’s the popular girl who dates the jocks. But she’s nice, I wish her storyline was discussed more as well because she talks about how she feels like her boyfriend defines her life/status.
One thing I liked was the Cantonese inclusion!! I speak Cantonese and I loved all the parts, especially when there’s no translation. Loved the mom’s story as well. Also, the writing is easy to follow and quick to read.
Basically it’s about Eliza being salty about Len being editor and she has EVERY RIGHT TO BE!! Let me say this, this has happened to me so many times in competitions especially since I was in a girls school so even though our team made more sense in the debate contest, the boys would win. But it’s not about me! I felt like the message is way too obvious for me. The girls legit had I AM A FEMINIST badges, they planned a walk out. I don’t know, it’s too obvious for me. I would have liked more subtlety. The plot is low-key predictable and I think it had potential but the romance kinda ruined it for me. I don’t think the romance part should be such a main focus in the book.
Eliza is not very well-developed for me. She started out very rigid and uptight. To be honest, she wasn’t very uptight for me. She’s just goal-oriented. I think that made more of a point that society’s standards for women are definitely not the same as men than the whole walkout/manifesto situation. If the male character was the one who was goal-oriented, no one would have had a problem. Anyway, I’m going off at a tangent here, I did not find her likeable or interesting… sorry?
Len is a bit of a boring character too. I didn’t really relate to him since he’s a mixed kid like me. I wished that part of his life was more discussed. Their chemistry did not really work well for me, basically I wish he were not a love interest.
Winona is the designated black bff in this book. She’s artistic and outspoken. Very generic. I was surprised to see that she’s not queer as well.
I loved Serena. She’s the popular girl who dates the jocks. But she’s nice, I wish her storyline was discussed more as well because she talks about how she feels like her boyfriend defines her life/status.
One thing I liked was the Cantonese inclusion!! I speak Cantonese and I loved all the parts, especially when there’s no translation. Loved the mom’s story as well. Also, the writing is easy to follow and quick to read.