WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE
by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-BrokaRelease Date: April 20, 2021; Viking Books for Young Readers
From Goodreads:
An academic enemies-to-lovers YA with all the nerdy drama, high school antics, and heartpounding romance of the Netflix original series Never Have I Ever
Since high school began, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy have competed on almost everything. AP classes, the school paper, community service, it never ends. If Alison could avoid Ethan until graduation, she would. Except, naturally, for two over-achieving seniors with their sights on valedictorian and Harvard, they share all the same classes and extracurriculars. So when their school’s principal assigns them the task of co-planning a previous class’s ten-year reunion, with the promise of a recommendation for Harvard if they do, Ethan and Alison are willing to endure one more activity together if it means beating the other out of the lead.
But with all this extra time spent in each other’s company, their rivalry begins to feel closer to friendship. And as tension between them builds, Alison fights the growing realization that the only thing she wants more than winning…is Ethan
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
“Kiss me, and then try to tell me it’s average.”
Anyone who knows me knows enemies to lovers is my absolute kryptonite. I would never not obsess over this trope. But holy sh*t. This book took it to a whole new level. I have legit never seen a more competitive and fearsome rivalry than what Ethan and Alison have.
I admit I have very mixed feelings over Alison. It's not that I don't like her streak of determination, competitiveness and her penchant for bluntness. I adore all these things about her. She's unapologetically herself and I love that. But at times she just came off a bit judgmental and uncaring? She's definitely not the conventional likable heroine I was expecting. Ethan on the other hand was definitely swoon worthy. I enjoyed seeing his confused, vulnerable side. Especially when it came to his feelings about Alison. The chemistry was off the charts. And I honestly wanted more of the banter and kissing. Definitely kissing. Lol.
What's Not to Love resonated with me deeply. At the stage of my life I'm in right now, eventhough it's super scary to admit, I still haven't truly found myself. Or what I really want. Or what makes me truly, immeasurably happy. Life rarely goes the way you planned it or expected it to. I envy those people, like Alison, who has this unwavering sense of who they are and where they want their life to lead. It's not wrong to be that kind of person. But it's also not wrong to feel a little lost sometimes and take your time to figure things out. To figure out who you are. What you want. And what makes you happy.
This review has gone on longer than I intended. But I cannot end this without mentioning the Sangers. Jamie was the one I most empathized with. Alison's parents were a blast! The few times they were on the scene were such a delight. The on-going bets they had? Hilarious! I just love them so much!
Add this on your tbr! A definite must read!
“I think it’s probably because high school is where you start to figure out who you really are,” he says, his voice taking on the quiet deliberateness it does when he’s delivering one of his more insightful comments in class. He looks past me, his eyes on the waves. “Sometimes, I guess you need skinny-dipping to find out.”
“Why aren’t you in the water, then?” I ask. “Do you know exactly who you are, no skinny-dipping required?” His comment catches on the questions I’ve had recently, the suspicion Ethan’s a shiny, smart package surrounding a center I can’t see into.
“No,” he says.
"The world is so much bigger. You just don’t know it yet."
I received an e-arc to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.
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