Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
Emergency Contact meets Moxie in this cheeky and searing novel that unpacks just how complicated new love can get…when you fall for your enemy. Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.
When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.
Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.
MY OPINION: ***
I really don't remember where I came across this book but it was definitely either a TikTok or an Instagram post so we can thank social media for making me pick this one up. It was honestly kind of mid; nothing about it made me super excited but I also kept reading so I didn't give up either??
It's very rare to have Asian American representation in books and while it's becoming a tiny bit more popular especially with the Jenny Han stardom post-films/TV shows, it's still always refreshing to read a book with an Asian MC. I really resonated a lot with Eliza and her family values and constantly feeling like she wasn't enough. It was nice to feel seen in a YA novel, where I usually don't find myself in most of the characters.
That being said, Eliza was also extremely aggravating. She's very cold, callous, and a go-getter and she really doesn't care about other people's feelings as long as she is getting her way. Okay, maybe she's not that bitchy (I think that's the first bad word I've ever used in one of my book reviews... 2023 is going to be a new era!) but she definitely was not the most likable person (which is literally the point, I know). It was very hard to read from her perspective because of how annoying she was. She constantly got on my nerves and while I felt bad for her at times, she really made it hard for me to feel any empathy towards her character.
Eliza wants to be the new editor in chief for her school newspaper and she's so confident she's got it in the bag that she doesn't even try on "election" day or whatever it was; no really, she wears an ugly sweater and has no speech prepared (this girl literally is so annoying). I was involved in my school newspaper back in high school so I enjoyed reading about The Bugle.
Then she's shocked when a man who is, well, not as qualified but definitely more likable than she could ever be, wins the position and she, in her anger, writes a feminist manifesto about how sexist her school is that they would elect an under-qualified man over her. TBH, I will not lie, I would do the same thing but on my private story or something so props to her.
However, I think that she was really stretching it and pulling a sore loser move because quite honestly girlie pop, you have to face reality and maybe think about how you are the most unlikable person and have one friend for a reason (sorry not sorry).
So anyways, the rest of the book is about her newfound feminist campaign. A lot of the other girls begin to get involved, including the popular Serena, who really gets it going. I loved how this book explored feminism and especially called out the white-female bias that is often prevalent in the "feminist movement." I also liked how by the end of this book, the author really highlighted how feminism is not necessarily an "I HATE ALL MEN" movement but is rather about calling out the intrinsic sexism built into our patriarchal system and fighting for equality.
Along the way, Eliza starts to find herself falling for Len, the guy who beat her out for the EIC position. Look, he's cute and sweet but eh. I wasn't really seeing the sparks fly. The relationship between the two was honestly really jarring because it seemed to come out of left field. First they "hate" each other and suddenly they're making out?? Uhhh, IDK where that came from but it certainly wasn't on my radar. That really threw me off because I was hoping for a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers thing and instead we got a really fast-paced, confusing trajectory for these two with no chemistry and no cute one-liners or banter.
Overall, this was cute. It took a while for me to get through (much longer than expected) but it was a really fulfilling read by the end. While it wasn't my favorite YA novel ever, it covered important themes and featured a diverse cast of characters that made it fairly enjoyable. It's a good debut and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an underrated YA novel this winter break.
Main Character: Eliza
Sidekick(s): Winona, Len, Serena, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, misogyny, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
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