“Girls get judged for their past; guys get judged for their potential.” —Eliza Quan, page 31

i . . . don’t know how to review this. I didn’t particularly enjoy it. on the surface, it seems like something i’d enjoy—rivals to lovers, unlikeable female characters, feminism—but every aspect i would’ve enjoyed fell flat. the chemistry between the main characters isn’t really present enough to warrant the way this book was marketed; eliza was an unlikeable character in a way that was more boring than it could’ve been interesting (she fell into that very specific early-2000s trap of I’m Not Like Other Girls!); and the way everybody went about feminism is just so odd. considering this is a socal high school in orange county, i can guarantee 80% of the student body would know what feminism is. i understand this book is supposed to be a teaching moment for those who are shrugging off their cloak of misogyny at like the tender ages of 14-17, but there is something weirdly hollow about the way quach goes about it. honestly, the most interesting conversations about sexism and misogyny and what feminism can be happen between eliza and her mom, but that’s about it.