I received an e-ARC of Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach from HCC Frenzy in exchange for an honest review.

Not Here to Be Liked has just joined my long list of favourites of 2021 reads because it was just the perfect combination of a YA contemporary romance, a much needed Chinese Vietnamese American main character to show that the Asian American experience is not one single entity, and a look at how feminism, sexism, and the fight against the patriarchy can be so complicated. I absolutely adored Eliza - she’s the tough, smart, opinionated girl that I would have respected and wanted to be more like when I was in high school. There’s just so much to unpack in her character as she deals with family expectations and also the high school drama that comes with feeling like your time and effort becomes nothing in the face of the patriarchy, all while experiencing feelings - and what that means when you’re a feminist. Michelle Quach tackles these tough issues in this novel and does it in such a way that made me love Eliza and Len - but also the other characters like Eliza’s best friend Winona and their new unlikely friend, Serena. I’m looking forward to any future stories by Michelle Quach and cannot wait to read more Cantonese-speaking main characters!