Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach is an adorable contemporary YA romance that did a really great job in exploring intersectional feminism and white privilege without being too dense in topic. The book remained a cute, light read without glossing over the important topics and I couldn't put it down.

Not Here To Be Liked is a story about intersectional feminism, figuring out how to be a feminist and falling in love with your supposed enemy. And I enjoyed every minute of it. Not Here To Be Liked follows the story of Eliza Quan, who want to be the next editor in chief of her school's newspaper, The Bugle. When Len DiMartile, an injured jock who has only been at the paper for a short time, is voted the next editor in chief, Eliza launches a feminist campaign to make Len step down from his role. But falling in love with her supposed campaign target was not really part of the plan...

Eliza Quan is described as an unlikable character who I happen to love and definitely identify with. She's fierce and smart and she knows what she wants while also having know idea what she really wants. Her journey of figuring out what it means to be feminist is written incredibly well and feels so familiar. I loved the development of not just Eliza, but all the different characters like Len, Serena and Winona.

Not Here To Be Liked in an entertaining, fun and smart read featuring important topics and pulls at your heartstrings. Highly recommend!

Not Here to Be Liked tells the story of Eliza, editor-in-chief candidate for her school newspaper and all round academic perfectionist. What she lacks in people skills, she makes up for with her desperation to be the best journalist their school has ever seen, and she’s obviously the ideal candidate to run the paper in her senior year…

Eliza’s plan to become editor-in-chief is completely foolproof – that is, until former footballer and reforming jock, Len, shows up and decides that he can steal her spotlight. Eliza is outraged that Len is running against her, and even more outraged that his popularity and masculinity seem to be ensuring he gets the position that she was always destined for.

The story that ensues is angry, feminist, and all too real, as Eliza fights for the position that is rightfully hers – against a boy who may have a little more to him than meets the eye.

This is easily the best contemporary I’ve read this year, and I haven’t stopped raving about it since I put it down. Eliza was sold as an unlikeable, angry protagonist and, whilst this would probably be true if she was in your class at school, she’s a really, really great character. She was very relatable, very real and completely honest with herself, which was so refreshing to read about. So many contemporary protagonists are unaware of their flaws or striving to be perfect, likeable individuals, but Eliza is a conflicted young woman with strong opinions, who is not afraid to admit her shortcomings, and I wish I’d read more protagonists like her when I was growing up.

Eliza wasn’t the only character I loved in this book, though. Len was the perfect love interest too. Not too ‘woke’ and perfect to be real (he definitely made his fair share of mistakes too…), he was still a completely likeable character that was easy to fall for. Serena was a prime example of taking the mean girl trope and flipping it on its head, and Winona was honest, tough, and incredibly relatable in her ambitions, so I found the entire cast to be entertaining and very well-developed.

This book tackles a lot of real life sociopolitical issues and, whilst feminism is becoming more and more prominent in YA, this book is definitely the best I’ve read so far that so openly explored the issue. It’s a masterclass in how to teach young readers about feminism in the real world and how to be an activist about it, without reading like a spoon-fed guide to gender politics and I (a woman who is possibly older than the intended target audience) came away with a refreshed outlook on the topic.

In case it isn’t already obvious, I absolutely adored this book. It’s fun, easy, informative, important, and so entertaining to read, and I will continue to recommend it to anyone who will listen.

A delightful own voices, YA novel, Not Here to be Liked was a fun and lighthearted read.

Eliza Quan's lifelong dream of becoming editor-in-chief of her school newspaper is dashed when 'washed up sports star' Len Di Martile waltzes in and takes her dream position from her. Sparking a huge school riot concerning feminism and all that it entails, Eliza sets off on a vengeful mission to regain what is rightfully hers.

However, soon, she begins to question how much her methods justify the ends of her plans. Recognising the limitations of human emotion and the complications they pose in theoretical concepts such as feminism, Eliza soon finds herself in predicaments, friendships, and relationships that she never anticipated.

I enjoyed how a YA novel introduced and explored big concepts including feminism and racial bias. It's a format that makes these concepts accessible to a younger audience, which I think is a great thing. It shows that feminism and love are not mutually exclusive, and teenagers navigating adolescent emotions are entirely valid in the exploration of their identity. The plot of this novel is relatively predictable, and YA isn't my favourite genre which is why my rating is only 3 stars. It's a lovely little story, but I am sure that there are readers out there who will be able to appreciate more than I have.

Thanks to NetGally and Usborne for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: sexism, internalised misogyny, bullying, racism.

I don't really know how to summarise my thoughts on this book.

One one hand the themes that were addressed throughout are important topics that aren't discussed an awful lot in YA literature such as, race, gender, sexuality, complex family and platonic relationship dynamics. I feel as though the target audience of this book will benefit from seeing Eliza's journey regarding what it means to be a feminist and how her meaning shifts as the story progresses. It is a perfect example of discovering your values and beliefs growing up as a teen in high school (which I am sure we can all admit is pretty complex).

On the other hand, the romance aspect just didn't do it for me. I don't think Eliza and Len had anything really going for them as a couple. Enemies to lovers is usually a storyline that I pine over, but in this situation, I just didn't. I don't know if it was because it felt so forced? I honestly can't put my finger on it and I think that is the reason why I am so mixed about this book.

Overall, this is a worthwhile read that I will highly recommend to the age group of the target audience! Thank you so much to NetGalley, Usborne Publishing and Michelle Quach for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC exchange for my honest review.

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.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hope. But it is not the book´s fault, I just expected a little more from it. I appreciate for mentioned some important themes. But after all, it did not give me any new insight. I did not get wind of anything new. It was a disappointment for me.

What is more, I didn't believe the thing that Eliza and Len had, it seemed pretty unrealistic to me.
3,5/5

I didn't get to add it to my library before it was archived, but I'll buy it when I get the chance and read then update this review

This was a sweet YA romcom that I definitely would have enjoyed when I was younger. There's a lot of YA that you can read as an adult but to me, this was one that really is for younger people. It has that very specific slant on activism where you're really intense and it becomes your whole personality that is very much associated with being in your teens and early w0s. I found myself thinking 'people aren't really like this though' until I remembered what it was like to be youthful and discovering the world. So it probably is pretty realistic.

The pacing of the romance was lovely, not at all rushed and it develops in a way that felt true. It brings us along in understanding why they fall for each other and the obstacles in their way. All in all, it was a really nice read and one that I think a lot of people will end up loving.

Thanks to Usborne Publishing for letting me read the ARC!

Literal masterpiece!
Absolutely loved everything about this book. The characters, the plot, EVERYTHING!

I loved this book! Michelle Quach got things right on so many levels. She touches on so many current concerns and topics, yet manages to do so in a very natural way. The portrayal of various Asian families and the in-family dynamics from those who are first generation children of immigrants to those who are better off economically but still have expectations to navigate showed an everyday reality of these children. The levels of racism encountered and how it is still harder for some groups that others to be considered a normal and equal component of the social fabric. I liked that the student names intrinsically demonstrate the ethnic make up of the school.
The treatment of Eliza and Len at the end was also revealing and true in that girls get a lot more tack than boys in certain situations and this is not OK, but the boys have to realize this and be the ones to make the change,
I also loved the exploration of ‘feminism’ and also how the different girl groups were represented and importantly that often there is a lot on infighting that can so easily be avoided by bridging the gap and getting to know the girls behind the stereotype.

This is definitely a book for all types of girls, whether they are the social butterfly, the intelligent one who wants to be noticed on merit and not looks or for any style/type in between. It’s unlikely to be picked voluntarily by a boy, but would make a fantastic set reading book for the 14-16 years age group (male and female) as there are a huge number of topics than can be discussed. The book club questions at the end are really useful too.

This review has been submitted to Amazon, I’m waiting for it to be approved.

I picked this one up once but couldn't get into it. Everything about it annoyed me.

But the second time, I stuck it out because, gradually, I began to like the characters.

The story, itself, wasn't anything new or wow for me. And by the latter, I mean it had some cliches we encounter in many books, movies and teen TV series.

The message that came through was a pretty powerful one, though.

The main lead, Eliza, is a first generation American born from Chinese-Vietnamese parents who immigrated to the US for a better life. They worked hard and put up with many things, in order for Eliza and her sister, Kim to have more options and everything they wanted to achieve.

Eliza is running to become editor at her school newspaper, even though it would have been a sure win. But her world is tilted off its axis when the newest member to join, Len (the other main lead) runs, as well and ends up winning.

That's when Eliza decides enough is enough and patriarchy needs to go down. She's a feminist, but she gets called all kinds of nasty stuff. But, along the way, people join her cause and it becomes this huge thing.

And of course that, in the mean time, she gets to know her opponent, Len (whom she actually called "patriarchy" and many jokes were made about this, throughout the novel) and kind of begins to develop feelings for him.

Now the plot is more complex than what I've written here, so if you like the enemies-to-lovers trope, talks about feminism, sexism and misogyny - and don't mind some cliches - then I recommend you read this book.

P.S. I really believe the author intended for neither of the characters to be liked, at first but for them to gradually grow on you. I mean, I'm a huge fan of Len and his smile.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy via Netgalley. Thank you to the publishers. My rating is 3.5 - 4 stars.

This book is a fierce debut novel about a Chinese-Vietnamese-American teen standing up for her feminist beliefs and sparking a movement in her school.

Eliza Quan is supposedly a dislikable character, as the title may suggest, but I liked her. She was bold, blunt and yes, flawed, but that made her all the more realistic. Being in her mind could be confusing but I know that’s because she herself was confused.

The romance was super cute, I was really rooting for Len and Eliza the whole time. It is a rivals-to-lovers situation, which is one of my absolute favourite tropes.

I also liked the discussion of feminism from multiple angles. I think it’s a good introduction for teenagers who may not be very informed on the topic. Some of the information was a bit dense, but it was mostly embedded well into the story.

Anyway, I really liked this book and it moved pretty quickly. Quick enough, in fact, that I’m pleased to say I’m finally out of my reading slump!

Highly qualified and motivated Eliza Quan is expecting to be voted editor in chief of her school newspaper, when she loses to last minute entry Len who is considered more likeable. The ex-baseball player, who seems to have joined the Bugle just to have something to do, must now be her enemy. But what happens when feelings start to change in spite of the situation? And the situation sparks a movement for change?

With an endearing narrative and an almost whimsical use of figurative speech, this adorable enemies to whatever (not spoiling) story shines the light on social subjects from sexism and gender roles to the shallowness of the popularity game, all through feelgood lenses.

Full of amusing mishaps and misunderstandings plus protagonists thrown together in unexpected situations, reading this you will smile A LOT. And cheer the 'sparks of revolution'. The 'antagonism' between the two lead characters is written quite well and is very entertaining. It is a narrative blessing that they keep each other on their toes.

I love how this isn't just a fluffy rom-com (nothing wrong with that), and it spotlights the theme of unexpected people changing the tide to something more positive while having a social impact. The 1st person POV shows the intelligence of the protagonist, who presents a healthy notion of societal fairness. In her musings she points out what is wrong, as she quells her natural inquisitiveness for life's quirks and lessons.

An unpredictable, thought-provoking want to hug the book kind of romance, that also urges you to applaud it for its ideas of equality.

A topical yet entertaining story, that delivers a sweet romance while exploring some pretty big ideas.
Our main character, Eliza, is a rather serious young woman. Her parents want her to succeed in school so she has a choice for her future career. Eliza is desperate to be editor-in-chief for her school paper and it seems she’s a guarantee for the role. But she hadn’t banked on new writer, Len, applying for the role…and when he gets it she is disappointed.
Eliza throws herself into venting her thoughts, blaming his success on the misogyny at play. When her vent is published it sparks a school-wide movement…but things get complicated when Eliza is forced to work with Len and finds herself developing feelings for her purported enemy.
The enemies to lovers thing isn’t new, but I liked that we get to see both views here and are not expected to see everything simply. The focus on parental expectations in certain family environments was interesting, and it was good to have characters that were a little more nuanced than we might have expected for a group of teens.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to access this before publication.

This story follows Eliza, an Asian American teen who hopes to become the editor in chief of her school newspaper.Eliza didn't grow up to me from the beginning I needed some time to like her and understand her.

“And that, friends, is how lady justice find herself straddling the patriarchy atop a well-made bed”

The romance between Len and Eliza was cute, I really liked Len!I loved the concept and the writing was very good that you want to read more and more.

Loved it!

This book is much more than your typical YA love stories. With the theme of feminism dominant throughout the book, it discusses the inequality done between a boy and a girl in everyday life.

I loved how this book point outs small details from everyday life that we all generally choose to overlook. For example, when a boy while playing throws a ball weakly, he is told that he should "quit throwing like a girl". Also, in Eliza's case, it didn't matter that she was much more qualified than Len for the editor in chief position. All that mattered was that Len was a male so it was natural for him to be the leader.

I totally agreed to how this book explained feminism. As one of the characters said,
"... feminism, contrary to popular belief, isn't about hating on guys... It's about all of us working towards equality, together."

With a majority of half Asian and half American characters, it also briefly touches the topic of racism.

It was also quite funny in many parts and I really loved the friendship between our female characters.

The author has done a remarkable job with this book. I loved it. Highly recommended to everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Not Here To Be Liked tells the story of Eliza Quan, a dedicated and hard-working teen who loves working for her high school paper, The Bugle, and is next in line to fulfil her dream of being editor-in-chief. She's the most qualified, determined and is a sure thing - that is, until Len DiMartile, injured jock superstar, rocks up the night before and steals it from under her nose. This is a fun YA story about feminism, racism, and kissing the patriarchy.

This book is wonderfully written and deals with some really tough themes for a YA novel whilst still being light-hearted and entertaining. I think it's a perfect starting place for teens, especially feminist ones, to explore how being a feminist can intersect with sexuality and dating. There's plenty of important themes to unpack in here, but it doesn't feel heavy or overly preach-y, as sometimes books like this can.

Even though she is supposed to be unlikable, I certainly did like Eliza and understood a lot of her reasoning, however it is clear why (from a high schoolers perspective) she wouldn't have been widely popular, and that is the main point of the book. Exploring how and why women are held to much higher standards to be given positions they are perfectly qualified for, when the same men will be given them with no question.

I enjoyed the romance elements, and would've liked for this to be explored in a little more depth at times, but it was certainly a very cute read.

This book was wholesome and sweet and totally badass. It is feministic, encouraging, inspiring and empowering in every way. THIS is the type of books that should be read in schools, given to young adults and discussed frequently; it’s about time we started recognising that feminism doesn’t mean anything without the support of both women AND mean. If you wanna fight for equality, you gotta help educate other people as part of that. And this book is a cute and fun way to do it.

The classic enemies to lovers trope is in full effect here in this purposely placed YA rom com that my students will adore.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book - the start was a little slow but once the initial premise had been established and the issues of feminism became integral to the plot, the narrative really pushed forward. The representation was excellent and Eliza was a really identifiable character. I think this book introduces feminism and activism to younger readers in a way that actually makes sense for their lives, rather than as an abstract concept, and for that it deserves a wide readership.