Title: What’s Not to Love

Author: Emily Wibberly & Austin Siegemund-Borka

Pub. Date: April 20, 2021

Pages: 400

Pub: Puffin

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads

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An academic enemies-to-lovers YA with all the nerdy drama, high school antics, and heart pounding romance of the Netflix original series Never Have I Ever

Since high school began, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy have competed on almost everything. AP classes, the school paper, community service, it never ends. If Alison could avoid Ethan until graduation, she would. Except, naturally, for two over-achieving seniors with their sights on valedictorian and Harvard, they share all the same classes and extracurriculars. So when their school’s principal assigns them the task of co-planning a previous class’s ten-year reunion, with the promise of a recommendation for Harvard if they do, Ethan and Alison are willing to endure one more activity together if it means beating the other out of the lead.

But with all this extra time spent in each other’s company, their rivalry begins to feel closer to friendship. And as tension between them builds, Alison fights the growing realization that the only thing she wants more than winning…is Ethan.

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This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy to review. If I hadn’t needed to go to work, I would’ve inhaled this in one sitting. I loved this. The rivals to lovers plot was stellar, and that moment when things get a little intense…a little steamy. 👀

When I saw I was invested, I mean it.

I seriously loved this book.

Alison and Ethan are honestly, Top Tier.

I don’t know if I have words, because I’m just sitting here kind of geeking out about how much I enjoyed this book. I just want to talk about all the things that happened in it, but those would be spoilers. The intensity of their rivalry was so good – I thoroughly enjoyed myself. But that moment – phew.

I’ve read a lot of enemies/rivals to lovers books – but that scene in the locker hallway…

Y’all.

I don’t know if I want to say that this is one of the best rivals to lovers I’ve ever read, but I also want to say that this is one of the best rivals to lovers I’ve ever read.

Ugh, I don’t have words! I just loved this book and you should read it.

The chemistry between Alison and Ethan – *chef’s kiss* so good. Alison’s parents are amazing, and I loved them. And I loved her friendship with Dylan – and just how relatable it was.

Everything that lead up to and culminated in the Big Moment between Alison and Ethan were so good – and lowkey it was funny that the teachers weren’t really fond of them.

 I’m still just sitting here giddy with how much I loved this book, so I’m sorry if this review is all over the place.

I will say that Alison is a little uptight, a little judgmental and a little bossy. These traits get a little annoying at times, but I also think that she’s a pretty accurate representation of a high school teenager. I remember being her age and feeling this intense pressure to get the grades, do the extracurriculars – make a mark. Now, I wasn’t to the extent she was, but I could also relate to the not going to parties, or school events – basically just not “living the traditional high school experience”. Those things never really interested me. So, I could connect with Alison.

I had suspicions about Ethan that ended up being completely unfounded – I was reading his emotions way wrong, but it’s fine. I still loved him and how he changes over the course of the book.

But honestly, you should pick this book up. I’ve never read anything else by this co-author duo, but now I want to read all their books. If they’re as good, as enjoyable, bingeable and cute as this one, I want them. I had like, no expectations going into this book, other than “I’ll probably enjoy it”. I’m about to chuck this book at my best friend and demand she reads it.  She loves YA contemporary, and this will be right up her alley.

I’m so glad that I read this and fell in love with it – I can’t wait to read their other books. You can pick up What’s Not to Love now, it’s out today!