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I just want to hug this book tight, it gave me all the feels.
It made me want to compete with someone and, eventually, fall in love. 🥺
What’s not to love is an enemies-to-lovers romance between two high school rivals, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy competing on everything from AP classes, school paper & projects to becoming Valedictorian, and even joining Harvard. Despite their rivalry, they unfortunately share all of their classes and when their Principal selects both of them for organizing a previous class’s ten year reunion, they have to spend extra time in each other’s company. And with all of the more time spent together their rivalry begins to feel closer to friendship.
“I think in high school and college, we’re told what to want and aspire to. With grades and degrees, I had these obvious signs of success. It became easy to mistake them for what I really wanted and easier to let those markers guide my decisions. When I was in the real world, I had to choose for myself what success should mean.”
I have such a soft corner for this book for so many reasons. When I started this one, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do now.
Reading this will make you reminisce about your high school days and teen years. Especially, if you’re someone who would always study in your free time, score highest in your classes, take part in assignments and projects a lot. If you were someone who had everything planned out, this book touches so many valid points and scenarios related to that. I thought it would have the same YA drama (it did have) because of the first few chapters, but it turned out to be such a meaningful story.
Usually, I would have gotten bored reading about the day-to-day life of a high school student, especially with so much elaboration. But this wasn’t boring in the least. In fact, I found myself relating to her and genuinely wanting to know more about her studies and projects. I think the credit goes to the writing, because along with her family relationships and friendships, her heated rivalry with Ethan was portrayed perfectly. It was truly fun to read.
The second half was definitely stronger. While the plot mostly revolves around high school activities and a few family interactions, I actually found myself enjoying it. At first, I found Alison’s thoughts about her family and friends a bit irritating, especially in the early chapters. But as the story progressed, she grew as a character and her perspective gradually shifted, not just about her family, but about everyone around her. It felt good to witness that growth. I also really liked the way it was written and the points it made.
“No one knows everything about themselves,” Dad says. “Sometimes the unexpected stuff is the best,”
Mom continues, “No, we’re not. We’re just saying you shouldn’t shut the door on new experiences or shaking up your own self image. You might surprise yourself.”
It brought back all the high school memories and tumultuous emotions for me.
At its core, this book reminds us to step outside our comfort zones and explore the unfamiliar, because no one has everything figured out all the time. No matter how much you preplan and organize your life, there will come a point where you’ll feel uncertain. And it’s alright to feel that way. Uncertainty is the path towards growing and moving forward. You’ll never know how good or bad you’re at something, until you try it. So, let go of the inhibitions holding you down, try something new and then see for yourself. It can turn out to be either a good or bad experience, but the best part is that you can always learn from it. (This is turning to a TED talk lol)
I really liked Alison’s character development, it was the biggest highlight for me. The way such a stubborn and haughty main character came to realize so much about herself and gradually changed was amazing to see.
When I started the book, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it much. Alison felt too judgmental, and she and Ethan were constantly arguing. I kept wondering, Why is she being like this? But as the story progressed, everything began to make sense.
She was judging her sister instead of being the support Jamie needed during such a crucial time in her life. I understand, Alison is a teenager, and she probably has no real idea how Jamie is feeling. But I still didn’t like hearing her inner thoughts about Jamie, especially since she had so many misconceptions about adults and their jobs.
Then you realize Alison is just a super organized, anxious, and nerdy teen. That’s simply her way of seeing the world. And that perception starts to change as the story progresses. These moments lead into the second half of the book, where Alison begins to recognize her mistakes and question her way of thinking. That growth was the heart of the story, and I loved watching her mature and evolve. ❤️
With every win, I’m showing myself, and everyone around me, that I’m capable of anything I set my mind to. (go girl!)
Only better than everyone else thinks I can be. There’s a difference, one I wish the world would recognize.
I’m grateful for the chance to prove my worth. To prove not that I am the best, but that I can be the best.
I tried to think like Alison, why she’s so organized and so determined to win every competition. On some level, I could relate to her. It reminded me a bit of my own high school self. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about studies and projects as she was, but I was definitely organized and missed out on a lot of fun school activities. Still, I have no regrets, just like Alison feels, because what I did was my own definition of fun, and I enjoyed my school life that way.
There’s a dialogue where they discuss whether they’ll regret not enjoying high school like others did, why people think that way, and Ethan shares his perspective. (one of the only civil conversations they had before they became friends lol)
“I think it’s probably because high school is where you start to figure out who you really are,” (that’s kind of true)
“I don’t know. I do know I haven’t been pining for you this whole time. I’m not the kind of guy who’s awful to a girl because his feelings are unrequited. And I don’t think you’re the kind of girl who’d fall for a guy who treats her poorly.” (It’s a relief to know that the rivalry was real and not just unrequited love.)
Oh my gosh, did I mention that kiss? The kiss, the angst..damn! The authors perfectly captured the sizzling chemistry and intense animosity between the two characters. You know how in other stories you can predict what’s coming next like, “Oh, he did that, so now they’re going to fight,” or “They went to this place, so maybe they’ll make out.” But in this book, you never really know. One moment they’re constantly fighting, and the next, they’re kissing.
What I loved most was how they’re actually growing and maturing while keeping their fiery rivalry alive throughout the story. I swear, this was literally an enemies-to-rivals-with-benefits (lol, spoiler) to lovers romance. You could really feel their competitiveness and animosity, and it made the story so entertaining.
Sure, there were plenty of clichés, but what can I say? I love clichés done right 😉.
In short, this book is a winner for me.
The interesting thing is that, based on the cover, I assumed it was an office romance (I’m not sure why, perhaps I didn’t see it fully), even though it actually shows a high school setting. So in the initial chapters, I was surprised to discover that it would be a high school romance. I am glad I continued reading, as I absolutely adore this book now!