This book was such a joy to read!

A perfect YA romcom, such an amazing story about feminism, and being Asian in the US. It's the story ALL teens need to read, teaching you so much without you even known about it! The development of the character, especially Eliza is amazing!

Have you ever had a moment when you see the book cover then you read the synopsis and instantly knew that you’re going to like it? That is the beginning of my wonderful journey with Not Here To Be Liked. Upon my approval of the ARC, I put it in my July TBR because I couldn’t wait to read it. A YA feminist contemporary with a Chinese-Vietnamese-American female lead? Say no more.

Before I start explaining on why you should read this book, let me introduce you to Eliza Quan—
her dream is to be the next Buggle’s editor in chief. She was ambitious and know precisely what she wanted. She even believed everything will go as planned until Len DiMartile—the ex-jock, the one who never truly contributed anything significant for the Buggle—decided at the last minute to be the other candidate for the position Eliza has worked hard and sacrificed everything for.

If that’s already piqued your interest, wait until the end of this post because this book was so much more than enemies-to-mutual respect-to-lovers story. Not Here To Be Liked may be the title but this book is certainly going to make readers ending up liking it—or even loving it—because it portrays feminism through the real-life lens, expectations, immigrant families dynamics, being Asian in the US, and so much more wrapped in an easy-to-read writing with lively characters.

I, for one, had a great time savoring this book in only one day. Even though it tackled heavy topics, I never once had the difficulties to digest everything. Instead I kept flipping the pages until 2 A.M. because the writing flowed flawlessly. Through Eliza’s first-person POV, I learned her experience as the second generation immigrant, a multiracial living in the Southern California, and a feminist.

I loved how this book brought out all the little details that were not there only as a description but rather giving backgrounds and soul to the characters which helped me understand them better. For example, the way Eliza’s family sometimes communicate using three languages: Cantonese, Vietnamese, and English. And what I stood out for me—because it speaks to my experience with my sister—is the siblings dynamic between Eliza and her older sister, Kim. How they grew up in the belief of each of their role which was Kim is the pretty one, Eliza is the smart one.

Another detail that I’d like to mention is this book also explored the life of Eliza’s mom before she came to the US. It dived deep enough to tell the readers how big her dream was to change her life from a girl grew up in a camp into a woman with fire in her veins.

The way this book tackled feminism was awesome. Through Eliza, we see how she and her peers view this concept. Thus, feminism in this book was easy and enjoyable to read. I know some people may be wary of it because of somehow it got twisted into something else. But through this book, feminism is about gender equality: not above, not below, but equal. Also, can we talk about how this book also mentioned female hygiene? Because that topic is important and I’d love to see it in more YA contemporary books!

All the themes and topics written in the book would not hit me so hard without the help of the well-developed characters. I will start with Eliza because she’s my favorite! From the first few chapters, Eliza came across as cold, harsh, and unforgiving but all of that only made me like her even more. The truth is I saw myself in her, all the good and bad, and I couldn’t help but rooting for her. Yes, Eliza was “unlikeable”; she could be angry, sad, and aloof but she was also determined, brilliant, and strong.

Of course I wouldn’t left out my girls, Winona and Serena. They surprised me with their own unique traits. Winona was Eliza’s best friend, her passion and strong will pushed her to made movies for the competition even though she got rejected last year. She confronted the stereotype of angry Black women and not backed down against racism. On the other hand, Serena was the popular girl that everyone looked up to. But throughout the story, it revealed that she was so much more than that. Her kindness and loyalty won me over.

From the last two paragraphs, it’s obvious that I’m in love with the female characters and that they’re all amazing! Thus, this book also has one of my favorite girls friendship ever. What I wouldn’t give to spend a day with Eliza, Winona, and Serena drinking boba together.

Oh, and of course there is the romance which I loved so much! I just want to say Eliza and Len look so good together. All the texting and sneaking, writing on articles together, and when they went to a baseball game; my heart could burst from too much yearning and the sexual tension. They were simply adorable! Even though there wasn’t enough Len, he still managed to steal the spotlight with his gentle heart and sweet words.

Overall, Not Here To Be Liked was a page-turner YA contemporary that will urge you to learn more and have a discussion about feminism while also give you joy and the sense of lightness that you couldn’t help but smiling from ear to ear. This has become my favorite contemporary book in 2021 so far. I would recommend it for those who enjoy young adult books with Asian rep, enemies-to-lovers, and currently looking for a read that raised important issues wrapped in a fun, eye-opening, and heartwarming story.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would.
I liked seeing a kind of unlikable main character who in some parts reminded me of my past self. Eliza showed some character development and I really enjoyed seeing that. She changed her strict beliefs and got opener and more approachable.
I liked Len a little more than Eliza but I sadly didn’t love him. Both characters made mistakes, I think Lens were a little worse than Eliza’s but he just got away with them. Their romance was cute but nothing special or new, it was a little rushed. But I still enjoyed their banter.
I liked that they addressed important topics such as feminism and sexism but it felt a little plain and at some parts even crazy. The book could’ve gone more into depth with the topics but it was just focused on the sexism in their school.
But other than that, the story was easy to read and fast paced due to Michelle Quach’s writing style, the chapter length was good too – that way you can binge read it.
I enjoyed reading it but it was sadly nothing special, that’s why it’s a 3/5 star read for me.
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes high school romance with a little enemies to lovers and feminism.

I ENJOYED…
☂️
When Eliza Quan loses the spot of next editor-in-chief of her school paper, to a new, unexperienced boy, she accidentally starts a whole feminist movement at her high school…which turns really messy when she falls for that same very unexperienced boy at her coveted spot.
Honestly, Not Here To Be Liked is so excellent I don’t know where to start. Let’s take our main character, Eliza. She’s unapologetically herself. She doesn’t care about being the best dressed, all she cares about is doing a great job with the school paper. All she cares about is what is fair. She might seem a bit selfish and hard to fall for, at first, but damn, I really did. I loved how sharp she was, I loved how complicated she was, too. Her growth through the story was spectacular and while she makes so many mistakes, she learns so much from them, too. I loved Eliza!
This story tackles feminism and sexism with nuance and I appreciated it so much. It’s messy, complicated at times, but it’s just so real and that’s what we need to read about, too. All of the messiness of trying to do the right thing.
Obviously, there’s a bit of an enemies to lovers romance here, but I found it so well developed. From strangers to animosity, to a little more respect to a tentative friendship and more, I really liked how Len and Eliza’s relationship grew through the story. It didn’t feel like a forced chemistry, at all, it was at just the right pace to be believable and lovely, too.

There’s such a great place for friendships in this story, I appreciated it so much. I loved how some unlikely friendships grew and how some others were challenged, too.
I liked that the family was present and accounted for in Not Here To Be Liked, too. From Eliza’s parents’ struggles with their job and their lives overall to her relationship with her older sister, I really liked this included in the story, too.

OVERALL
☂️
Not Here To Be Liked is, if you ask me, a must-read contemporary. I loved the characters, the nuanced discussion on feminism and just, everything. A great book I 200% recommend.

Brilliant, a quick read which I found myself addicted to and read it in the space of two days! I will be looking out for more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I absolutely adored this book! Not only is it an on-the-edge-of-your-seat enemies-to-lovers romcom, but it also discusses sexism, racism, and the challenges of modern-day feminism in a fantastic, never on the nose way. The characters are so well-written they almost seem real, and the story moves at such a fantastic pace that you'll barely be able to put the book down. If you are looking for a brilliant romance that is adorable and super smart at the same time, this is the book for you!

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and empowering and showed a more realistic view of what it's like for young women to find themselves and feeling empowered and that it won't be perfect but you learn and grow and change. I liked seeing multiple young women working together even when they didn't always agree with each other's idea of what is empowering.

I think my main issue is that I just didn't enjoy the romance side of the story, I didn't feel much chemistry between them but I think that's more of a me problem.

Overall this was a fun great read with an empowering message.

I liked this book and would rate it a 4 star! It has a fake hating trope mixed up with feminism, The title suggests the MC is not likeable but she is infact very much likeable. She knowingly/unknowingly starts out a revolution at school just like Moxie and is unapologetically herself. And how cool was it to read a book about high school students who are mostly Asian Americans.

Boy I loved this book!! So much more than I was anticipating!
I was worried that with the feminist undertones that it might be a little preachy (especially because it's YA) and/or too focussed on facts and getting a message across but I actually thought this book was really fun.
The book is written in a really easy and engaging way and the plot is well crafted to keep you guessing about what's coming next (there were definitely some moments I didn't anticipate). And I thought there were some really great topics and themes that were explored.
I adored our main character and the fact that she had core values that she stuck with throughout the book while learning more about herself. I enjoyed the friends that she made and the romance too.
I definitely think this would be a fantastic book for the target audience to delve into but I also think that it can be enjoyed across the board.

ahhh i just love the rivals to lovers trope so much! this book was such a quick and that i never wanted to put down. 4/5 stars

This was the YA contemporary I had been looking for for quite some time. It felt like part Moxie and part To All The Boys, but at the same time also bigger than both of those combined.

Eliza Quan is prickly, hard-working, determined, ambitious. She's also a shoe-in to be the next editor-in-chief of the school's newspaper, a goal she has been working toward ever since freshman year. But then popular baseball player Len DiMartile, who seemingly only joined the paper to have something to do while he's injured, decides to run against her. Eliza, more experienced but less liked, loses the election. She calls out the staff's sexism in an opinion piece that was never supposed to be shared with anyone. But then someone publishes it on the paper's front page, sparking a fierce school-wide debate about sexism and feminism. Spurred on by the reactions from her peers, Eliza decides to fight for the job that should have been hers, even if it means becoming even less liked than before. Except someone really does like her. Too bad it's also the boy who stole the job.

Eliza, despite starting as rather cold and stand-offish, is an easy character to root for. She's also very relatable. She isn't perfect, she judges other people and makes mistakes. A lot of them. But she's also constantly learning to do better, figuring out who and what she wants to be in life. Kudos to the author for writing this story in an easy flowing rhythm without losing out on the discussions about and interpretations of feminism different characters have. There's a lot of nuance in how different characters approach the issue without making it feel like you're reading or listening to an academic lecture.

My only problem with this book is the use of the word 'girlboss'. I hate that word. Absolute hate it. But since that's a me thing, I'm not holding it against the book or the author.

Not Here to Be Liked is a wonderful YA contemporary rom-com which has an excellent balance of rivalry romance, friendships, focus on important topics and stereotypes. I had seen a number of reviews for this book which gave it nothing but praise, so of course I had to give it a read.

Eliza, the main character, is ‘not here to be liked’ and as readers we can gather this within the first few chapters of the book. As we come to learn more about Eliza we see why it is she is like that and I grew to love her character. We follow Eliza on her journey to shine a light on her high school’s history of sexism alongside her amazing friends. I loved Eliza’s discussion about how there is no ‘textbook’ definition of what a feminist looks like. I felt this was something that many people need to read and think about. Eliza is an all-round wonderful character who I thoroughly enjoyed reading about.

Then we have Len, who is Eliza’s rival. We slowly get to know who he is and what his true motives are for what he does as we move through the story. He is cute and I enjoyed his character. The romance between Eliza and Len is very cute. I loved how this developed and the dynamic between the pair, it certainly made me smile.

The friendships we get to see throughout this book as so outstandingly done. The friendship between Eliza, Winona and Serena is wonderful. They all bring something different to their friendship and their quest to highlight the misogyny within their high school. Not only do we get to see Eliza develop but we also get to see Serena and Winona develop and learn to be themselves which I found wonderful.

This book discusses so many important things. I feel this is one of the best YA books I’ve read for feminist discussions. It also discusses internalised misogyny, sexism and how difficult it can be to live in the patriarchal society. All of these topics raise questions with the reader and it really does make you think. I think so many teenagers and adults alike with benefit from reading this book. This book also has a very diverse cast of characters which is always refreshing to see.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut by Michelle Quach. You can tell how much though, research and consideration has been taken when writing this book. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Overall, if you are looking for a thought-provoking read, with discussions of feminism, a diverse cast, strong female friendships, rivals to lovers and exploration of identity, then this is the book for you. Not Here to Be Like was a thoroughly enjoyable book that I would highly recommend!

So when I say I feel like Eliza, I mean I'm also ambitious and I don't generally feel like I'm polite to others? So I definitely loved reading about her, and see that she really works hard for what she wants. The romance was also really cute! I didn't really expect anything else from these types of books though, which is exactly why I wanted to read it. I think for a debut it's really good that Quach touched on a difficult subject like this.

A FANTASTIC FEMINIST COMING OF AGE! Perfect for fans of MOXIE.
Quach's characters feel like people you've met or come across in real life, her conflict feels palpable and her story feels like a call to arms and a reality check all at once. This is the kind of book I'd like to throw at as many teens as possible and hope they take the most out of it.

Very cute teem romance, uplifting and entertaining. Loved the characters and the feminist themes. Writing was engaging and sweet.

unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I struggled a lot to finish it because I really disliked Eliza, and at some point, this feeling was so strong that it was everything I could see. The way she acts; the way she is ready to everything to get what she want. I know there is explanations for this but it didn't change my feelings. I'm really sad because I really wanted to enjoy it as it was one of my most anticipated releases!

One of my absolute favorite tropes is academic rivals to lovers. As an overachiever and romance book lover, I just love the tension between two students fighting for the number one spot in class. When Not Here to Be Liked was announced, it immediately became one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. And it did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed the writing style and I was intrigued by the story from page one. Michelle Quach managed to immediately suck me into the story with a sharp narrative and I quickly connected with the main character Eliza.

In the beginning, I feared Eliza might be one of the "I'm not like other girls" protagonists - she doesn't really care about her appearance, doesn't think she's pretty and (as the title says) she's not here to be liked. And while Quach definitely played into these stereotypical attributes of smart girls, they're also just one of the many things that are challenged and that a girl's appearance says nothing about her intelligence is a lesson that Eliza has to learn herself. Her character has so much depth and I really liked seeing her development as the story progressed. Eliza is tough, ambitious and knows what she wants. I love seeing female characters that are flawed and angry and who stand up for what they want. It was interesting to see her relationship with her parents and her sister, the way she treated her classmates and friends and how some of these dynamics changed over the course of the story.

Michelle Quach delivered a rivals-to-partners-to-lovers story that was more complex than I anticipated and took a turn I did not expect. I really liked her twist on this trope and I think it brought a lot of nuance to the story. Len was a great love interest and I adored his character - he's somehow both charming and awkward and just very lovable.

The main theme of the book was of course Eliza's fight for more equality at her school. Feminism can often be very white-washed so the intersectional approach in Not Here to Be Liked raised many issues that concern all women - not just white ones. The way misogyny, sexism and the patriarchy were discussed never felt preachy but instead just encouraged the reader to question societal structures and inequality alongside the diverse cast of characters.

The three main female protagonists are all BIPOC and there were some great discussions about what their experiences as young East Asian/Black girls in the US are like. I also loved Eliza's conversations with her Chinese-Vietnamese family about their history and struggles today. I cannot speak on the representation but so far I have only heard great things from #OwnVoices reviewers.

I did expect there to be some more concrete measures to fight against the misogyny at Eliza's school because the synopsis speaks of a feminist movement but I really can't complain about much else. I did really enjoy the book.

Not Here to Be Liked is a thought-provoking and entertaining YA contemporary about friendships, first love, fighting for what you believe in and what it means to be a leader.

Enemies to lovers in an academic setting? Sign me up right now!!

I loved this book, it was wholesome and sweet whilst also have a badass main character and a whole lot of feminism. I could not help but fall in love with all the characters.

The relationship between Eliza and Len was so sweet and I loved seeing them go from being enemies to friends to lovers. Although the relationship is one of the main plot points in this story, I loved the storyline of seeing Eliza grow and change and become a stronger, independent woman who could stand up for herself and seeing her reach outside of her comfort zone and learn to love new things was my favourite part of the story.

I think the only reason I did not rate this book five stars is because I wanted more scenes of just Len and Eliza on their own, like the scenes in the boba shop or when they went to the baseball game together. I think if we had maybe one of two more of the scenes between them I would've rated this five stars, but despite that the relationship between these two characters was so sweet and I loved them so much!!

If you love enemies to friends to lovers with a touch of feminism, I highly recommend reading this book as you will fly through it so fast and you won't be able to stop yourself from falling in love with the characters, story and the writing. I can't wait to read more books by this author!!

Thank you to Usborne Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not Here To Be Liked is a fun and fast paced YA contemporary that follows Eliza Quan who finds herself in the middle of a feminist movement in her school after the essay she wrote on how she was unfairly not elected to be editor-in-chief for her school newspaper as she was a girl vs the other candidate who was under qualified but was chosen because he was a 'male' goes viral.

Eliza is a generally 'unlikeable' girl, being ambitious, hard working and not bothered to be polite to others and I absolutely loved it! She knows what she wants and what she is worth and goes for it despite how others react to it and what they say about her. I also really enjoyed seeing how she was herself flawed and she acknowledged that and doubted herself and tried to do her best.

The romance between Eliza and Len was also pretty cute! I liked how it developed and how we got to know Len slowly and liked him as we understood his true motives and it was really cute and fun to read about!

I also really liked all the side characters and how well fleshed out they were! We also get to see the side character's perspectives on different issues and how they should be handled and this really helped make the conversations in the book nuanced and intersectional and allowed us to look at different perspectives and how different people approach feminism.

Overall, I highly recommend this book!

Eliza Quan is going to be the chief of her school paper. Of course. She is the most qualified for the job. She writes amazing pieces, is 100% dedicated, she put in the time and effort. Ok, she isn't miss popularity, but that shouldn't matter, right?

Well... it shouldn't until the ex-jock 'full of smiles' Len DiMartile steps in and successfully wins the election.

Then, Eliza realizes that there was never a woman in front of the school paper. And maybe, Len DiMartille stole her position because he's an entitled male. That thought, and subsequently manifesto that Eliza writes gets published and launches an entire debate about sexism in her school. Questions are asked and sides are taken. Feminism takes the front seat, but in the back, Eliza and Len are catching feelings.

This was definitely an interesting YA coming to age, and I loved the debates it brought up. I'm just not sold on the romance. Although Eliza and Len were cute, there was a lot going on, and until the very end of it, I wasn't sure they were a great pair. There were some great sparks at some point, but it then fizzled out.

I did enjoy the story as a whole, and I really appreciated Michelle Quach's writing. I would be keen to read more from her in the future.

If you like a good coming of age story, that has a lot of depth and character, this is definitely a good pick.

Thank you so much Usborne Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.