Not Here To Be Liked

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Eliza doesn’t need to curl her hair, wear coral lip tint or have pretty doe-liked eyes like her sister to be successful. Okay hear me out: you bash an ex-jock who stole your position as an editor-in-chief in a manifesto which surprisingly got published and now there’s a feminist movement growing in your school.

Eliza and Len are forced to work together, despite the fact that Eliza is campaigning to get him to step down. I admire how this was written, the imperfections that were shown, the human nature, and the unsureness and uncertainty at times that Eliza displayed. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. Eliza is, at first, an intransigent character who lives by a strict code and believes in what is right. The main character didn't really know what feminism was about and just used the words "feminism", "misogynistic" and "sexism" as protection to do anything she wanted.Unlikely friendship is one of my favourite things to witness in a book and seeing these three together, who’re actually so different from one another was amazing! Although, things do start to get a bit complicated when she starts to have feelings for the boy, ‘the face of the patriarchy’. Still, Michelle Quach does a great job of using this common trope to delve into more nuanced topics like intersectional feminism, internalized misogyny, and the Asian American experience. This brings in Serena, who is everything they stand against, having a popular jock boyfriend and they view Serena as "nice" which to them equivalates to thinking about how others perceive of her.

However, the role of editor in chief, a role Eliza aspired to and expected to get, goes to Len DiMartile, ex star baseball player. Part of me wants to say, “Well sure but she’s writing for teenagers who may just be learning about these things.Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author of The Atlas Six.

I could really understand Eliza’s frustration and struggle with misogyny and sexism existing in the society and I was also able to relate to her when she had conflicting thoughts about what is it to be a good or a bad feminist. She’s Chinese-Vietnamese-American and a graduate of Harvard University, where she studied history and literature. Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out—the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate, and then a fun senior year with their friends. The romance building with Len was lovely, they should hate each other but realise their views and beliefs aren’t so different. Warning: This book features an unlikable female character, intersectional feminism, and instruction for the fall of the patriarchy.Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male— just seems more like a leader.

It was nice to know more about Asian ways of things like their culture, their beliefs, what things are like in an Asian household, the family dynamics, etc. In this riotous young adult romp for fans of Recommended for You and A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, a teen girl has the worst Valentine’s Day ever—only to relive it over and over again.Last year, when she was a senior, I thought I’d finally be free of her when she graduated, but then of course she ended up at UC Irvine. My high school’s newspaper was a joke, so I’m always interested in YA books that have student journalists who actually know things and do stuff. Kim has switched over to penciling her eyebrows into the thick, horizontal style of K-drama heroines. Eliza isn’t here to be liked, but you’ll fall in love with her—and Michelle Quach’s bright new voice—all the same.