This is the book for you if you like:
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Fake dating
- 80s movies references
- The feel of a 2000 teen comedy but with inclusive characters and plotlines
Review:
If I had to summarise my reading experience of She Drives Me Crazy with one word, it would be entertaining. Sure, there are a thousand words I could utter, but above all, this book was just incredibly fun to read. There are fun reads, and there are funny reads and then there’s She Drives Me Crazy which I couldn’t put down because it felt like a Mean Girls-esque movie playing in my head, which is basically the biggest compliment I can give. Quindlen mentions in her acknowledgment how much fun it was to write this enemies-to-lovers fake-dating extravaganza and the thing is, you can tell while reading. The excitement and joy literally run through the sentences, which of course automatically makes it my favourite Quindlen book (yet).
There was so much to love here – from the 2000s teen comedies references to the nemesis-to-lovers aspect that had me invested from the moment I met Irene. The friendships and the achingly sweet Christmas scene when Irene and Scottie drive around to look at the Christmas lights and decorations. Basically, this book was an amalgamation of riveting and entrancing moments, tied up with a cute ribbon.
Also, we need to talk about Scottie and her sisters because as an only child I experienced intense envy of the relationship Scottie has with her siblings – they are fierce and protective of her but also not afraid to tell her when she’s acting unlike herself. Not to mention that the three of them regularly watch iconic 2000s teen movies (and we all know that teen movies were never better than the early 2000s – I mean, Mean Girls, John Tucker Must Die, What a Girl Wants, The Princess Diaries? Unsurpassable) together and talk about everything and are immeasurably supportive of one another.
Also, speaking of movies, Quindlen makes it her mission in this book to rectify some truly harmful situations in 80s teen movies. It’s been a few decades since those movies released so obviously, times have changed and we recognise that the behaviour we thought to be so romantic – you know, guys not talking to girls but then showing up at their house with a boom box which suddenly makes up for everything they did or didn’t do instead of communicating – is not so romantic once you think about it. I loved how Quindlen incorporated this love for those iconic movies but also acknowledged the self-awareness that grand gestures might be awesome and all but an open and honest conversation would go a super long way, too – even if it’s not that cinematic.
Lastly, the romance. The romance. I’m sure if you strain your ears, you can still hear me frolicking and squealing all the way in Germany because the romance between Scottie and Irene was so captivating. The book starts out with Scottie and Irene being nemeses – which basically boils down to them being on opposite sides of the food chain at school and some past misunderstandings that make for fun banter and some pretty pointed barbs. With the fake-dating aspect comes a lot of discussion of how appearances may deceive you and how cheerleading is still primarily seen as entertainment without acknowledging how much effort and time goes into being an athlete. Both Irene and Scottie are under a lot of pressure to ‘perform’ the way the world wants them to while also trying to be themselves as much as possible and I loved this juxtaposition between two types of sports where one is criminally underappreciated (cheerleading) in general and then on a more local level (baseball in their school district). It made for some excellent character development.
All in all, I can’t recommend this book enough. I already know that this will be one of my top reads for 2021 because even weeks after reading the ARC, my mind keeps returning to Irene and Scottie. It’s one of those stories that will become a comfort read like Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda.
Charming and extraordinarily funny, She Drives Me Crazy takes an entertaining spin on the “don’t judge a book by its cover” trope and delivers the romcom enemies-to-lovers romance reminiscent of the iconic 80s teen movies, but with a necessary and greatly updated focus on communication and self-love. This book earns its place in the ranks of queer iconic YA novels and is surely the feel-good romcom of 2021.
She Drives Me Crazy is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 20th 2021.
Will you be picking up She Drives Me Crazy? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
High school nemeses fall in love in this queer YA rom com perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuisten.
After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.
Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages. From author Kelly Quindlen comes a new laugh-out-loud romp through the ups and downs of teen romance.
