From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Oh my god, how I LOVED THIS BOOK! Netflix adaptation when?? I need it now. I loved Eliza and her relationships with each of the side characters, and how her understanding of others grew as the story went on. The flirting between Len and Eliza had me literally squealing while reading and made it impossible to put the story down. I really appreciated how human each of the characters and their fears were- being afraid of being alone, being afraid of being rejected, being afraid of being forgotten. The backdrop of the school newspaper was super intriguing to me, and I wish there had been at least one more scene in the 2nd half of the book "on assignment" so that I could have seen more of Eliza in that atmosphere. This book has easily become one of my new favourite YA contemporaries, and I can't wait to recommend it to anyone who will listen!

When I heard that this book was for fans of Moxie, I immediately knew that I would love it. If you haven’t read either of these books, this is your sign to do so. I don’t usually like or love YA contemporaries, mostly because I feel like a lot of books that fall into the genre are not complex enough and do not really edify in any way (no shade - this is just my personal opinion).

I loved this book BECAUSE of the themes that were central to the story. I’m realising that I enjoy YA books that speak to and about feminist issues. The main character in this story was very relatable and the issues that she navigated felt very real. I loved that the author spoke about radical feminism as well as feminism through the lens of POC.

The love interest (the face of patriarchy 🤣) was also a very real and relatable character and I enjoyed the part that he played in helping the story unfold. I would definitely recommend this book to younger readers (but not too young) or folks who are just getting into dissecting true feminism and understanding what sexism is.

Not here to be liked is one of those books I wished I had read in high school. Eliza Quan is a junior at Willoughby high school and a managing editor at the school newspaper, the Bugle. She has her eyes set on becoming the editor in chief in her senior year.

Election day arrives and Eliza doesn’t win. In a moment of anger she writes a manifesto with her feminism shining through and it gets published only she didn’t hit publish. The target of her manifesto is Len DiMartile. The jock turned Bugle’s next editor in chief. Eliza and Len are forced to work together on different school projects including the newspaper. Her disdain for Len is pretty evident especially because She doesn’t understand how he became editor in chief. Popularity and leadership aside is he really eligible? The two soon become close and sparks fly however can Eliza hook up with the enemy?

This book was funny, sweet and swoon worthy. I loved all of the diversity & immigrant representation. Kids of immigrant parents will understand the attitude and laugh out loud moments of Eliza’s parents as well.

The emotions I felt while reading this! Butterflies! RAGE! Anxiety! MORE RAGE! Nervousness! ETERNAL RAGE!

Which proves Michelle Quach told the story she set out to tell.

In <i>Not Here to Be Liked</i>, Eliza is a shoe-in for the position of Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper for her senior year. All she has to do is the formality of an election speech while running unopposed... until the day of the election when a newish member to the paper's staff, Len, throws his hat into the ring with no real experience and no real reason other than a whim to run.

And he wins because "he just seems more like a leader" and Eliza is "too cold" and all those other horrible things that women have been told since the dawn of time as to why an unqualified man was more qualified for a position than the most qualified woman.

Hence, my rage.

There were so many good discussions of gender politics in this and our own inherent misogyny, especially with how women treat other women. There's an exceptional part that discusses why Lady Macbeth is always seen as being conniving and evil when maybe she's just super supportive of her husband. And it's wild to me that in this, the year of 2021, I have never heard anyone describe Lady Macbeth as not "the real villain of the play." It rocked me and made me want to pick up the play and reevaluate all of it.

There's also the fact that school administrators seem to have so many policies that are archaic and favor the boys as opposed to any other gender of the school. There's a palpable frustration that echoes in these pages that we all know. We've all seen it. We've all lived it.

But in these pages, Eliza chooses to do something about it.

Honestly, the one part of this that didn't quite stick the landing for me was Eliza's inevitable relationship with Len. I wanted more of him and them together. He seemed almost like a non-entity at the beginning so when things come to light later, I found myself wanting to reread parts to see what I had missed.

But the fact that this book has me still digging deeper into all of my thoughts and if the could be misogynistic? That's a powerhouse of a story.

4.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was INCREDIBLE! I absolutely loved it. The feminism, the characters, the growth. It was all fantastic! I haven't read a book that described the complexities of feminism that wasn't nonfiction in a very long time. Quach really crafted a winner here! This was fantastic. Eliza is smart, funny, and an overall really great character. I love how the romance in this developed. It seemed so natural, yet still had its challenges. This book really is a love letter in a way to not compromise who you are for those around you.

I think the writing in this was superb! There were so many moments my heart ached, I learned, I grew with Eliza as the book went on. It was really fantastic. I loved the way Len was written as well. He was such a great character. I'm a such for rivals to lovers and this one fit the bill to a tee. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this book. If you're looking for a YA contemporary but also is complex and teaches you something, while giving you feels- this is the book for you!

This is areally great YA book touching on many serious issues (race, feminism), but never feeling preachy. The romance between the two main characters was really fun.

Thank you HCC Frenzy for this free book! This book is really amazing if you’re into equal rights among genders, how girls have an unfair advantage and how we have to live up to all these ideals. While that’s fantastic and the book was written well, it wasn’t the book for me. It was advertised for fans of To All The Boys, and it just got way too political for my liking. If you are interested in that though I highly recommend!

Eliza Quan has primed herself to become the next Editor in Chief of the Willoughby Bugle. She's devoted hundreds of hours to the school paper over the past three years and is certain that she has nothing to worry about. On the day of the elections, Len, a recent addition to the Bugle, decides to throw his hat into the ring as well. Following his charismatic, but vague, speech, Len is chosen to be Editor in Chief.

Eliza is beside herself. To help her process what has happened, she does what any journalist would do: she writes. She laments the fact that all of her work seems to have been for nothing when a less qualified man decided he might like to be Editor. Eliza never meant for her rant to be published, but suddenly she finds her "manifesto" on the front page of the Bugle. Eliza then begins a feminist movement seeking to establish equality for all girls at her school. However, she soon learns that the face of the patriarch himself, Len, is going to be more trouble than she originally assumed.

This young adult novel is smart and charismatic. I thoroughly the witty banter exchanged between Eliza and Len. The Asian American representation was also excellent. The glimpse into the lives of many Asian immigrants is eye-opening.

Eliza Quan is prepared to be editor in chief of her high school newspaper. She’s the most qualified, with years of experience and multiple awards. Yet, ex-jock Len DiMartile gets elected instead. After Eliza writes an essay (meant only for herself) about how the school and the newspaper is clearly sexist, it’s mysteriously posted on the newspaper’s website—the beginning of a feminism movement at Eliza’s school—and she's the face of it. Which is great… except when she is forced to work side-by-side with Len, Eliza starts having feelings for the face of “the patriarchy”.

This was such a fun read. I loved that Eliza’s character wasn’t likable to those around her (though I personally had no problem with her!) The story explored the complexities of being feminist while making choices that others would consider anti-feminist. The story depicted not only teens, but humans, perfectly when it came to feminism—complex and often hypocritical. I loved Len and how vulnerable he was. Eliza’s family’s storyline was authentic and realistic, though a bit heartbreaking. Overall, I loved the change Eliza went through and the romance was adorable.

I loved the representation in this book – specifically, all the Cantonese! I’ve read books with Mandarin in it and books with Vietnamese, but never Cantonese. It was so special being able to see myself portrayed in the little mannerisms, customs, and language in this story.

If you’ve read the summary, it’s obvious that feminism is a big topic in this book too. Heck, the entire plot of this book revolves around gender equality. It was so nice seeing that ingrained into a book and made me realize how often we see this in society today. I’m glad this book tackled this issue and I hope it raises awareness in our own circles.

Having said all that, I think this book was a good read, but still not one that I would automatically think of when recommending books to others.

The reason why I wasn’t able to give this book a high rating was due to the plot and characterization. The first ⅓ of the book was interesting and intriguing – it had a lot of promise and I really expected it to grow from there – but it didn’t. I found myself reading pages and pages of events and dialogue but a lot of it didn’t matter much or drive the plot forward.

Eliza Quan and Len DeMartile are our main characters. They are supposed to be enemies that later become lovers but I found that at the halfway point, I still didn’t really care about them much. This might be due to the fact that Eliza’s character was hard for me to like. She didn’t seem like someone I could sympathize for or fully understand. On the other hand, even though he seemed a little bit out of it, I like Len a bit more because he seemed more real. You can see how this was confusing for me because as the reader, I think I was supposed to like Eliza and dislike Len, but it was the opposite for me.

Eliza and Len also started having feelings for one another. While I can imagine why constantly working together can cause you to fall in love, I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the two. It seemed like they did a lot together for the sake of the school paper and just conveniently had various times alone. When they had their first kiss, I was actually shocked! I remember thinking, “huh?” and “what!” because it didn’t seem realistic for them to even want to kiss one another at that point yet.

Overall, I’m glad this book raised many good points related to feminism and qualifications for leadership roles. I’m glad the two main characters were able to not hate each other anymore. I’m glad the Cantonese language was represented here so well. But I probably wouldn’t recommend this one to others.

*A big thank you to Harper Children’s and HCC Frenzy for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Firstly, I love the cover. With all my heart. It’s so gorgeous.

I really, really enjoyed this twist on the classic enemies to lovers trope. As an Asian Canadian woman, I absolutely loved seeing an Asian female protagonist who is complex and very real who reflects me and my friends.

The feminist themes and points made were spot on and I was punching the air in agreement when reading. I also appreciated how it portrayed feminism and how it’s a process of learning and it can get blurry.

This book was really interesting!
The themes were really well thought out and they're important, especially talking about feminism and such. And as the title says, "not here to be liked", I didn't really like the main character that much at first, and I think it's because she does things that I wouldn't have the guts to do and it slightly gave me anxiety because all I think about are the consequences of actions. This character just goes for it and good for her! She also had really good character development throughout the book which is always good! I will say her relationship between her and Len was cute but something about it felt incomplete and it just fell flat for me.

This is a fast and absolutely delightful romantic contemporary with a great flow to the writing. I enjoyed the way the characters grappled with major issues - including feminism/sexism, love and marriage, and the first and second generation immigrant experience - as well as works of literature in comprehensive and interesting ways without seeming too sophisticated to be realistic for teenagers. Interestingly, the story avoids using what I would have assumed to be the apparent moments of most tension in favor of later ones, which allowed for the tension to ratchet more in anticipation of the inevitable climactic moment and subsequent fallout. This pacing choice did leave the ending feeling a little rushed, but overall it's a great and compelling read with a really well rounded cast of side characters which made the school truly seem like a community.

I received an e-ARC of Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach from HCC Frenzy in exchange for an honest review.

Not Here to Be Liked has just joined my long list of favourites of 2021 reads because it was just the perfect combination of a YA contemporary romance, a much needed Chinese Vietnamese American main character to show that the Asian American experience is not one single entity, and a look at how feminism, sexism, and the fight against the patriarchy can be so complicated. I absolutely adored Eliza - she’s the tough, smart, opinionated girl that I would have respected and wanted to be more like when I was in high school. There’s just so much to unpack in her character as she deals with family expectations and also the high school drama that comes with feeling like your time and effort becomes nothing in the face of the patriarchy, all while experiencing feelings - and what that means when you’re a feminist. Michelle Quach tackles these tough issues in this novel and does it in such a way that made me love Eliza and Len - but also the other characters like Eliza’s best friend Winona and their new unlikely friend, Serena. I’m looking forward to any future stories by Michelle Quach and cannot wait to read more Cantonese-speaking main characters!

Going in I had high expectations for this book and it definitely surpassed them! I loved everything about it: the plot, the characters, the themes, not to mention this gorgeous cover! I absolutely love our main character Eliza. I found her to be incredibly real and relatable. She works tirelessly when it comes to things she cares about. She had a message she wanted to send and while she did what she thought was right, she also had lots of mishaps along the way. She felt authentic and reminded me of myself in many ways. I would definitely want to be her friend. The plot was intricately put together with just the right pacing, speeding up during exciting events but also really enjoyable during slower moments. It never had a dull moment and kept me hooked the whole time. I just had to know what was going to happen. We also can't forget about the amazing academic rivals to lovers romance! Len is definitely a new favourite book boyfriend of mine. I felt the romance progressed with great pacing and was realistic. It was really cute! Not Here to Be Liked is not just about the romance it also has great themes. It talks about what it means to be a "true feminist" and what a feminist actually is. It definitely made me think.

Needless to say Not Here to Be Liked is a new all time favourite of mine! I'll definitely be recommending this book to everyone.

NOT HERE TO BE LIKED follows Eliza Quan, the perfect candidate for editor in chief for her schools paper. She’s also the *only* candidate. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides to run against her. Len, who is new to the paper and is nowhere near as qualified as Eliza, wins the vote. After a private rant on feminism and sexism written by Eliza is posted without her permission, theres a divid within the school that sparks a feminist movement that Eliza isn’t sure she’s qualified to be the head of. Because the head of such a movement wouldn’t have a crush on the face of the patriarchy, would she?
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Eliza Quan is supposed to be an unlikable main character, so I didn’t go into this expecting to connect much with her, but I ended up really liking her. These characters feel like real high-school aged students. They’re a little messy and flawed, and their growth shows. Especially when the girls came to terms with their own sexist views. I also really enjoyed seeing Eliza finally accept that she can still be a feminist while caring about “silly things” like her appearance and having a crush on a boy.
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I appreciated that Elizas parents weren’t picture perfect. Their relationship is a reality for some families, so I’m glad it wasn’t fixed and wrapped up in a bow by the end of the book.
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Most of our cast of characters are Asian, and Elizas best friend, Winona, is Black. I thought this story did a good job of calling out white feminism and there was great discussions on those facts.
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I enjoyed the romance, but I did struggle with the reveal at the end. I just don’t fully understand Lens motive.
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If think you’ll like this book if you enjoyed Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan, and The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed.
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4/5 stars, NOT HERE TO BE LIKED by Michelle Quach is available September 14, 2021!
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Thank you to HCC Frenzy and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review.

“Because everyone loves a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.”

All Eliza Quan had ever wanted since she became part of The Bugle was to be editor in chief for the school newspaper. Being the only person running for the position, her dream was so close she could almost taste it…until Len DiMartile came in to ruin everything. Ex-baseball player and just recent fellow writer for The Bugle, Len takes the team by storm and wins the elections for editor.

But what is the reason behind all that unprecedented support for a practical stranger? Is it his jock charm? Is it her appalling lack of effort for being liked? Is it the inherent sexism present in her school? Eliza is not entirely sure, but she is ready to spill all her feelings into one rage-filled article that she has no intention of publishing. What she isn’t expecting, however, is that her words are about to get leaked, exposing her feelings to the entire school…and no one takes being called out too well.

Michelle Quach’s first work Not Here to Be Liked is an upcoming YA novel that has been widely compared to Moxie and rightfully so. Witty, assertive, and bold, Not Here to Be Liked hits all the marks when it comes to current well-known books that combine feminism, romance, and self-love.

Like Moxie, Michelle Quach’s debut deals with the subtle ways in which sexism works its way into every single aspect of social life: women have to be perfect to achieve their goals, both intellectually and physically. Women have to be pretty, smart, and kind—and women have to keep quiet. But this is the 21st century, and being a complacent woman is obviously outdated. Eliza Quan, our main character, is here to cause a ruckus and many of the girls in her school will join her in her quest for justice. We can only hope you, reader, will join her too.

However, what Not Here to Be Liked truly stands out for is its intersectionality and the focus on the influence of race in feminism. Being Chinese-Vietnamese-American—like Quach herself—Eliza is very aware of the struggles she faces, not only as a woman, but also as an Asian woman. And even if a bit superficial at times when addressing feminist issues, author and main character are adamant when calling out sexism both in and out of their community. Here, Quach takes the opportunity to address another layer of discrimination. She shows how there are different levels of injustice and oppression, because while both black and Asian women are socially overlooked and mistreated, the former are the ones who suffer from sexism and racism the most.

Along with the intertwining of sexism and race, Quach also introduces the reader to the life of Eliza as a second-generation immigrant and how the children of immigrants experience life in the US. She offers a glimpse into the tight-knit communities that people build in an attempt to keep a certain sense of cultural roots, bringing a small piece of their home-countries to their new location to survive the so-called American-dream.

To wrap things up, it is very stimulating to read about a main character who is aware of being unlikeable by society’s standards and yet, never strives to change her ways. For the most part, this is very refreshing to read. Eliza is strong, intelligent, independent… and unapologetically so in a delightfully snarky manner. And yet, she is also self-righteous and tends to judge people by their cover. Those would have been perfectly acceptable flaws for an unlikeable character, if not for her constant harshness towards girly women. And for a novel that mostly revolves around feminist issues, that lack of sorority is quite…disheartening.

Overall, Not Here to Be Liked is a quick read with an easy-going prose for those who want to enjoy a fun, feminist take of the tropes we all have learned to love in the last couple of years. With a couple of unexpected turns, some loveably unlovable characters, and a cute romance doused in bubble tea, Not Here to Be Liked is—despite its title—one novel you’ll have no hard time liking.

i feel like there’s a pretty basic high-school-girl-becomes-feminist-and-fights-for-equality-in-her-school trope. and i’m not saying this book didn’t follow that trope. however, i don’t think that’s a bad thing, especially for not here to be liked!! i actually really like this story and the romance and all the messy parts of YA. because i think this message is so important, and this book’s voice was so amazing.

it follows eliza, who, as the title says, doesn’t care if other people like her. she’s tough. she is an editor of her school newspaper. she cares, a lot, actually. when a newer recruit to the club, len, somehow gets elected as editor in chief, eliza’s dream position, eliza is frustrated not only at len, but at the fact that there has been no female editor-in-chiefs. it’s this lack of female representation that leads to her manifesto being posted, calling out len and her school. and that’s just where things start.

making *personal connections*, eliza’s situation felt quite relatable?? i’m in high school and in model united nations, and i’m like one of maybe four females in the club. and thought it’s not a *big deal*, i felt where eliza was coming from. the lack of representation in leadership of male dominated spaces, even as teens, and the misogynistic origins of that.

eliza’s goals were so strong throughout this novel: make things fair, spread equality for women, become editor in chief. she was very determined, and cared so much about what she was doing. i think the feminism in this novel was depicted in beautiful ways, and i think the biggest thing that stood out to me was the intersectionality of it all?? eliza, along with the majority of her classmates, are asian. winona, eliza’s best friend, is black. michelle quach talked about intersectionality of these identities, as well as what the feminist movement meant for each character.

i also can’t go this entire review without talking about the romance!! a soft enemies to lovers, len and eliza’s romance was so wonderful. though len was eliza’s competition, and the “face of the patriarchy”, seeing their relationship and even eliza’s fear of being deemed un-feminist for dating him was well written. i loved seeing them together!!

this book exceeded all of my expectations 🤩 we follow eliza as she navigates high school as a feminist and learns about what it means to be a feminist. I truly think this is an important read for young readers and adult readers alike, I just loved the story, the conversations, and the romance (just a little!)
things that made it so great:
💜 I truly loved how feminists were represented. I think Quach did a really good job showing how being a feminist can mean different things for different people, and also all the “rules” of feminism don’t necessarily need to be followed to still be a feminist
💜 the representation. I loved that we got a diverse Asian cast. I liked that Eliza and Len could relate to each other and share their similar but different experiences of their families coming to America as well as living in America
💜 the romance. it was very light and didn’t take away anything from the story. but was also adorable
something that left me wanting more was the ending. I felt the last 5-10 chapters were maybe a bit slow and didn’t go quite how I would have enjoyed. but the epilogue was cute and did a good job of wrapping it up.
overall I totally recommend this book for everyone ! it was a great read😊
thank you to netgalley and harper collins for the e-arc!