Quindlen keeps upping the bar for contemporary YA!

Scottie is devastated over a breakup. Her archnemesis, Irene, is forced to carpool with her. Suddenly, Scottie has the genuine idea - fake-date Irene to help her win the Student Athlete of the Year award *and* piss off Scottie's ex because what can possibly go wrong other than catching real feelings?

Scottie and Irene have impressive chemistry on-page, as frenemies and fake girlfriends. They banter in the car over their poor music choices, find ways to tease each other and the fact that everyone can see it only makes their denial more amusing. Their development as enemies-frenemies/fake girlfriends-to actual girlfriends was a delight to watch because of how each girl learns how to break down their respective barriers. Quindlen does a phenomenal job about what it takes to open your heart and heal after an awful break-up. With distinct background characters (I heart Honey-Belle's relentless optimism) and the time-honored theme of loving yourself, this novel is the perfect happy read.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was so cute! Fake dating and enemies to lovers are two of my favorite tropes, so I loved how they were both included! I really enjoyed all of the family relationships, especially Scottie’s relationship with her sisters! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cute, quick read!

I'm gonna be honest: Early on in the story, I had no idea how I was going to end up rooting for Scottie and Irene. I've always loved the enemies-to-lovers trope (and the fake dating trope!), but even I couldn't fathom how these two nemeses could ever even become FRIENDS, let alone girlfriends. That's how you know Kelly Quindlen is talented, because about halfway through this book, everything changed, and I began to hardcore ship this couple. It no longer surprised me that Scottie would fall in love with Irene, simply because I, too, had fallen in love with Irene. (Seriously, she is perfect. I would die for her.)

This is such a fun, campy, cute read. It's so nice to read a story about two female leads fall for each other, especially since it feels like there's still so little sapphic fiction out there that actually gets published. Also, open communication! Healthy coping mechanisms! Actual self-awareness and self-care! It's especially nice to see this in a young adult novel, where it might very well prove useful to some of its readers.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that this book exceeded my expectations and that I would 100% recommend it if you're looking for a light, breezy read.

After I loved this author’s Late to the Party, I was already excited for her next release, but then I read the premise. This book gave me so much that I didn’t even know I needed. She Drives Me Crazy was such a fun f/f hate-to-love sports romance with fake dating!

Scottie is having one of the worst days of her life: first, she loses her basketball game against her recent ex whom she’s still in love with. Then she gets into a fender-bender with Irene, the head cheerleader against whom she’s held a grudge for the past year. When their moms force them to carpool, the two of them must spend time with each other. Eventually, Scottie bribes Irene into a fake dating scheme to make her ex jealous and to make her basketball team more popular.

This book was so much fun! I know that the “fake dating” and “hate-to-love” tropes combined can rely too much on either one without any real character development, but this book manages to balance all three aspects. It’s also a bit campy, but that’s what makes it fun! Fake dating is best when it’s humorous, honestly. Also, this is a gay sports book! Scottie is a basketball player, and Irene is a cheerleader.

I loved the characters! Scottie’s family is super supportive of her, as is Irene’s family. Their friends are always there for them as well. I liked that Scottie and her best friend Danielle both help each other realize what’s best for themselves. As for representation, Scottie is a lesbian, as is Irene. Irene is also Indian-American, and Danielle is Black.

Scottie and Irene’s dynamic is so great as well. Scottie hates her after she pulled a mean prank on her; Irene in general is blunt and upfront. Their banter is fun, and I liked their scenes!

I liked that this book leans into some of its stereotypes instead of making these characters one-dimensional. At first, Irene seems like a stereotypical mean girl, but as we get to know her, we see that she’s more than that without sacrificing the fact that she is a bit mean. While Irene’s best friend Honey-Belle seems like a typical airhead cheerleader at first, it’s clear that she holds a lot of emotional intelligence. Especially since they’re cheerleaders, people, including Scottie, hold this idea of who they are in their heads and refuse to see that they’re more than what’s on the surface.

Like I said before, this book has great character development. Scottie’s ploy of fake dating is an attempt to make her ex Tally jealous, but she also must get over Tally while doing so. She knows, logically, that Tally was toxic and manipulative, but she still has trouble letting her go. Throughout the book, the other characters, including Irene, help her to acknowledge her feelings and to move on. She also has to face the fact that Irene is more three-dimensional than what she initially envisioned her as.

She Drives Me Crazy is both fun and heartwarming. I loved the characters, as well as the fact that this book fleshes out otherwise stereotypical characters. If you enjoy f/f fake dating stories with hate-to-love and a sports romance, She Drives Me Crazy is the book for you!

She Drives Me Crazy is about two high school girls who start out disliking each other. Circumstances throw them together, and for various reasons they decide to pretend to be in a relationship. It’s a cute, LGBTQ+ romance that touches on other topics like women in sports, how to move on from someone you love, and coming out. I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this book!!! The cover alone is amazing, and had my expectations up very high. I am so so excited to say that my expectations were exceeded. I love the underlying political commentary that rears its head a few times, which I think is necessary for any LGBT book featuring women of color. There will be times, mostly in the beginning, when you will hate the protagonist, but you will ultimately come to love both her and the love interest. This book covers important topics such as abusive relationships, racism, and sexism, all of which are tackled beautifully. This romance is delicious, and the character development strengthens through and aside from the romance, which is perfect for any good romance novel. I'm absolutely in love iwht everything about this book, and I hope you all go read it ASAP!

Where do I begin with this gorgeous book. Kelly’s take on teen queer love has been incredible. The lead characters, Irene and Scottie are two of my favorite characters so far. There is so much more than meets the eye. There is so much depth to them. Both Irene and Scottie are so great at surprising the reader. They are part of my heart and mind now. I want everyone to read this book and put themselves in the emotional shoes of the two girls as well as the other characters such as Honey-Belle and Danielle. Everyone has their own stories and insecurities. There is so much love between all these exceptional characters and the friendship that form will last forever. The families of the lead girls are incredible. They are understanding, loving and loyal.

I applaud Kelly on this novel and I cannot wait to what else is in store. I am so glad to see more LGBTQIA+ books be published each other. We need good stories that are inclusive and full of light.

-Rebeca

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. "She Drives Me Crazy" is a YA-coming-of-age novel, about our main character Scottie, in her senior year of high school. Suffering from heartbreak after her ex-girlfriend Tally breaks up with her and moves schools, Scottie becomes dead-set on finding any way to make her jealous. In a stroke of luck, the most popular cheerleader in school, Irene, agrees to pretend to date her. The only problem is that they can't stand each other. My initial thoughts on this book were super positive. I was so excited and drawn in by the cover art and the description. I mean it's a book about cheerleaders, fake dating, and enemies to lovers. I could not wait to start reading, Except, most times I found the story very hard to enjoy because of how out-of-touch the writing of these high schoolers was. It felt like what teens in movies are written like, except at least 20 percent more dramatic. That being said, I did enjoy the relationship. It was sweet and cute. I love Irene and her clever retorts and how smart and mindful she was as a person. I was mostly disappointed by the general lack of sports. I was expecting basketball and cheering to play a more important role than it ended up being, I kept waiting for some exciting gameplay. There was only a chapter or two of actual cheering and basketball. The relationship with Scottie and her siblings bothered me as well and struck me as unrealistic. They never really fight or yell at each other. It just doesn't feel like actual siblings whenever they interact. And the youngest, who's in middle school was depicted as sweet, caring, and innocent, even though she's 13. It's a cute read, but some parts stopped me from being able to enjoy it to its full extent. I enjoyed the diversity in the book, but one thing that kept nagging at me is how they never say the word lesbian, they always say gay, now this isn't bringing the book down any stars or anything, but lesbian is not a dirty word, and the fact that it was not used, even though this is a wlw book, where neither of them expresses interest in men, slightly annoys me.

4.5 stars!

This book was so cute!!

I am a huge fan of Kelly Quindlen's books. I've read all her published books and I've got to say, she's one of my favorite authors and an auto-buy for me no matter what. I love the way that she writes young adult romance and even though this was a lot sweeter than I anticipated, I still really enjoyed it.

This book is so much more than a romance. It has such important messages throughout the book about self-worth, moving on from toxic friends and relationships and so much more. By the end of the book I cared so much about all the characters and the small town they lived in. Each of the characters are so interesting and multi-faceted I felt like they were real people that I knew. I loved being on Scottie's journey to happiness and loving herself and I loved being with Irene who is so badass and so strong and has the world on her shoulders. I also need to mention how diverse this book was and how much I am in love with it. NEED. MORE. OF. THIS.!!!

But to get back to the romance: it was glorious and perfect. Irene is so supportive of Scottie and Scottie in return really sees Irene underneath all the layers that make up our confident, but quiet cheerleading superstar. While this book definitely starts off with both characters hating each other, I loved watching their relationship slowly progress to something more. They didn't want each other based solely off physical attraction, but rather, really started to get to know each other and realize that there is more going on with each of them than meets the eyes and more importantly, they start to realize that they make each other feel safe in a way they haven't felt before.

They both have a journey to go through in this book and I felt the author did them both justice. Even when it wasn't necessarily easy to read, I was so grateful for the attention to detail that the author added about who they were, why they (and the other characters around them) reacted to things they way they did and what would be necessary in order for them to move past their problems.

She Drives Me Crazy is the sweet yet thought-provoking enemies to friends to lovers sapphic romance that your hearts needs this year!

This book is such a perfect break from everything heavy in the world; light, fun, and cavity-inducing in its sweetness! I am so happy to see such a well written and beautifully put together novel center it’s story on sapphic (and sappy) love admist high school woes. Would absolutely recommend!

4 stars

Scottie, the m.c., is a high schooler who plays basketball, has a close and supportive family (parents AND sisters AND cats), and has great friends, but she is also going through a really tough break up with her ex-girlfriend, who seems pretty awful in some age appropriate ways. While Scottie believes the popular girl at her school - Irene - is her nemesis, it turns out that she's actually the love interest Scottie didn't know she needed.

This novel is light, cute, WILDLY SAPPY, and the perfect thing to read when you need 99% happiness. It's not complicated in any way, but it is highly enjoyable. Bring your favorite '80s love scenes; they'll come in handy here.

I loved _Late to the Party_ and was thrilled to be approved for this arc, too. I'm an official Quindlen fan and will highly recommend this novel to students and all others who are looking for great queer rep, a feel-good love story, and a generally adorable tale.

I was honestly surprised by my feelings about this novel. For about the first third, it really felt very much like a somewhat predictable story. Girl dates girl. Girl gets dumped and is heartbroken. Girl stages 10 Things I Hate About You-esque plan to make her ex jealous. Girl suddenly catches feelings for her new fake girlfriend.

In many ways, that's the premise for She Drives Me Crazy, and yet, what I honestly didn't expect was the examination of what it is like to go through a breakup with a person who is toxic for you, who makes you question your worth and your value, and yet who you still love and care for. Quindlen, through her writing, captures the essence of how we feel when we are dumped (no matter what type of relationship you're in) and how you can know in your head that someone is bad for you and yet still love them with your whole heart. She captures the strain and the difficulty of moving on beautifully through Scottie's story and choices, and really helps the reader connect and relate to trying to show that she's okay, even if she's really not.

The presentation of queer relationships in this novel I thought was done well. No spoilers, but there are many assumptions made by various characters that felt real to me when I was reading it and it read very much as a true YA romance. The characters were making choices that teens would make, including whether or not to disclose things to friends and family. I also appreciated that I didn't like all of the characters straight away. Scottie is kind of selfish at the beginning of the novel, and quite nasty to Irene (her soon to be fake girlfriend). But she learns and she grows and she becomes more of herself as she experiences change and a shift in her perspectives.

I'm not sure that this is a novel that I'll reread, but this is definitely one I"ll be passing along to students, and to students who worry that there might be a right way to be who you are or who feel pressured to just "get over" a relationship that has ended. 4/5 stars.

Kelly Quindlen has done it again. She's a must-read author for me.

Scottie is a big dummy who is quick to anger and I just totally and completely adore her. Irene is quiet and smart with more pressure on her than anyone realizes. Quindlen does a great job bringing them together, and showing Scottie dealing with a previous toxic relationship. I'm so happy this book exists.

I knew I would love this book as soon as I saw that it was for fans of Casey McQuiston, not to mention it follows all the classic tropes I love: enemies to lovers, fake dating, and I would even argue found family. I always love reading books set in small towns as well because you just know that you are going to want to protect each and every character with your life (except Charlotte). It's a story about moving on from your first love, learning to love yourself enough to let go of the toxicity in your life, and finding love and friendship where you least expect it, and I loved every second of it.

I was glad to see Scottie actually wrestle with her struggle to move on, and I'm so glad that it didn't just happen overnight. I feel like the fact that Scottie actually took the time to figure out how to get over her ex is something that you never see in contemporary romances, it's always like the protagonist is able to move on as soon as they meet their "true love," when that's really not what happens in real life.

My only complaint is that at times it felt like the high school social hierarchies were a little over-dramatized, because at least when I was in high school, no one cared who drove to school together, and the levels of popularity were really not that defined, but hey, everyone's experience is different, so what happened at my school could be totally different from what happens at a small-town high school.

And of course, it wouldn't be a rom-com without an epic declaration of love, that is perfect for every hopeless romantic out there. I always love reading the planning stages of a grand gesture, because you get to see all the characters come together in such a fantastic way. It's cheesy, it's cute, it's comforting, and it's absolutely perfect.

I read this book in one sitting, which should be a good indicator of how much I absolutely adored it. The supporting characters are each amazing in their own right, and I loved each of the side relationships almost as much as I loved the relationship between Scottie and Irene. Speaking of our favorite leading couple, they are definitely up there for one of my favorite couples of the new year. Their banter is always on point, and they work together so well, I can't wait to see everyone fall in love with them when this book comes out.

It's so tropey, and why not? There's enemies to lovers, a quirky small town, fun friends, a villainous ex, sports, a big romantic gesture, like, it's hard to argue with it. I enjoyed reading it! It's like a sapphic high school Hallmark movie (with a bit more swearing)

Okay, so. Me and YA Contemporary books haven't been in good terms for years. I think it's just because of my age and outgrowing high school settings. Also, my most favorite books are YA Contemporary and they're pretty hard to beat. So, I'm not often excited for or interested in most books in this genre.

But when I first saw the cover of Kelly Quindlen's She Drives Me Crazy, I thought, "why not?" First of all, a woman of color front and center on this beautiful, beautiful cover. Second, it's sapphic!!! Third, it's a romance between a cheerleader and a basketball player, which is just!!! And finally, it's enemies-to-lovers, the god of all tropes.

Admittedly, I was so nervous when I started this yesterday. I didn't know if I was going to like it considering my tumultuous relationship with the genre. But four hours later, I was already 70% into the book and I have loved everything I've read so far. It's just so funny and full of that angst specific to enemies-to-lovers. It's also the kind of read that induces that delicious butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling.

I love Scottie and her imperfect heart. I love Irene and her confidence. I love the friend group in this book for their banter and for being actual friends. I love the families in this book for being so freaking wholesome I wanted them to adopt me. I love the different relationships in this book for being completely messy and full of feels and complicated. This book is just so...real, yet so feel-good.

I enjoyed the meet-cute that throws Scottie and Irene together, as well as the way in which their relationship sort of naturally evolves. Scottie's pining over her ex was a BIT much, as were some of the ways in which said ex shows up to throw twists into things. However, I loved the supporting families and friends, and thought the Christmas-immersive setting helped the story stand out from the pack.

What a cute story! I love seeing more sapphic stories! The writing was well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot. My heart melted the whole time.

I went into this hesitant because lately YA contemporary and I have not been getting along. However, I ended up loving this so much. It definitely provides an interesting look at loving and letting go. Especially the focus on toxic relationships and their impact. I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope, and feel like it was done really well. The banter was super compelling and I really believed them catching feelings at a realistic pace.

She Drives Me Crazy is cute. It's reminiscent of 80s rom-coms, which is no mistake considering the book itself often evokes those movies. It takes a few twists and turns but it's more or less a predictable journey. That isn't a bad thing. You want the two protagonists to find their way to each other. This isn't a complicated read, but it is sweet and it's nice to see so much support and acceptance from friends and families of the LGBTQ+ characters. Most importantly, it contributes to visibility. It matters. What better way to show what we all have in common than a sweet romance?