A review by bianchibooks
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

challenging lighthearted relaxing medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

i hate the phrase "camp" and I am the type of person to roll my eyes whenever I hear someone use it, ironically or not, but I have to say with how self-aware quindlen is that this story is "camp", i could not help falling in love with it.

there are some tropes in this book that i am generally not particularly fond of. the biggest issue I had with this book is the "fake dating" trope. fake dating is fine for what it is, but $1,000 to fake date in high school with the prospect of making an ex-girlfriend jealous seems obscenely high to me. maybe if it was $100 I would understand... $1,000 though??? that is more money than i have made from my part-time job this whole year. at the end of the day, Spoilerscottie blackmailed irene no matter how much quindlen tries to convince me otherwise, and i am not a big fan of the message this sends to fellow teenagers.

at the beginning of the novel and throughout the various basketball games scattered throughout the book, quindlen seems to tell us what is happening instead of showing what is going on, but when the characters are experiencing real and raw emotions towards one another, the author's style of writing reflects this sincerity. i wish more of the writing had this same feeling for me. 

"Because before you can worry about who's in your passenger seat, you have to learn to drive yourself."


i see why quindlen noted this quote as what she wants people to take away from the novel. the journey of self-discovery and healing scottie goes on, albeit annoying and insensitive at times, is a lesson that i think we all can learn in mending our hearts back together after someone has stolen a piece that cannot be replaced. 

my favorite character had to be irene though. the world needs more headstrong, badass women in charge and that is exactly what irene is; but when she allowed scottie, her mom, and her friends to see through her facade, the tender emotions that were revealed were quite beautiful. 

i am very excited to read more from this author in the future. if you are looking for a relatively quick heartwarming and inspiring, yet honest and raw read, i highly recommend indulging in this novel! i do not think you will regret it. who doesn't love sporty lesbians and cringeworthy high school romances?! i know i love both of those things, hence why this book landed so well with me.
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