Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

What's Not to Love is an academic-focused YA romance novel that follows two school rivals, Allison and Ethan, who compete for anything involving academics. That's made them rivals for years, leading up to the biggest rivalry - who is going to be accepted into Harvard. While they already spend all their school time together through AP classes and extracurriculars, they are forced to work together to help plan the upcoming 10 year high school reunion. While an enemies to lovers story is the main plot line, this book also touches on finding your purpose, life after high school and how someone's struggles and motivations aren't always as obvious as you might think.

I really enjoyed this easy and light read, which is a good option if you're looking for a fun and low pressure storyline. The romance was cute and the kind of characters you want to root for, flaws and all.

I listened to this book on audio and thought the narrator did a good job of matching the tone of the novel and the main character.

I'm upset because I really, really wanted to *love* this.

While it was still an enjoyable listen (despite some very noticeable inserted or edited audio that threw off the continuous narrative sound), I just felt like this story genuinely had no PLOT. I thought, "Oh, they're going to fall in love while planning this reunion together!" and that...was barely part of it. They just...excelled at school. I didn't feel invested in any of the characters, and there was hardly anything at stake to grip me to the story. I felt like Alison's character was wildly unrelatable and (sorry!) annoying. Like, failing a driver's test is your identity-crisis-causing failure? Cringe. By the end, I had the audio speed turned up in order to finish. I'm bummed.

(Also, even if it's not common in single POV audiobooks, I think it really could have benefitted from a male narrator doing the voice of Ethan. It would have given it that extra oomph and highlighted their dynamic.)

But story-wise, not a slam dunk for me, sadly. I'll try this duo's next one!

A big thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the audio review copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Alison is a oerfect student aiming for valedictorian and to get into Harvard, the only issue? Her rival Ethan is also aiming for those things. They have every class together and every extracurricular activity, which makes their competition unbearable not just for them but everyone around them, and when they are forced to plan a big school event together they will have to learn to work together or fail for the first time in their lives.

This is the perfect coming of age book with a true enemies to lovers trope. I have always felt disappointed when characters change rheir dynamic or personalities once they start having feelings for each other and I was happily surprise that this wasn't the case. All the characters are relatable and the author gives us glimpses into even the smallest characters in a genius yet short way.

I devoured this book and couldn't put it down, so I definitely recommend it.

What's Not to Love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a fun addition to the series of YA contemporary books written by this duo. This time we are met with an enemies-to-lovers storyline about fierce academic competitors Alison and Ethan who go head-to-head on everything - AP classes, newspaper, even somehow planning the ten-year reunion for a previous class. What everyone else figures out before they do is that there is a thin line between love and hate.

I had the chance to listen to this one as an audiobook, and it was a delight. It's definitely a fun book for the summer.

Many thanks to the author, narrators, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

The narrator is excellent and the voices were clear and distinct.
The story is age appropriated, younger YA readers will probably enjoy this book.

I couldn't really connect with Amanda and Ethan, but I am NOT the target audience for this book, so take the rest of my review with a grain of salt.

Their rivalry seemed a bit much at a times, and some of the things mentioned in this book felt unrealistic.
Yes, I know it's fiction, but even fiction has to follow certain rules.

But I think that younger readers, upper middle-grade and high school kids will enjoy this book.

Thank you for letting me listen to the audible.

I really really liked this Enemies with benefits storyline. While the heroine was a tad annoying with her perfectionist mindset I think she showed just the right amount of growth to be believable for a HS senior.

Thank you NetGalley and dreamscape media for this audiobook copy of Whats Not to Love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka!

Alison is an overachiever, a classic type a personality, I mean she literally has a white board in her bedroom with all her tasks, school assignments, etc. Point Alison. However, she also has an enemy, Ethan, a constant pain trying to one up her at every chance he can. Point Ethan.

When the principal puts these to know it alls in charge of planning a high school reunion, a war begins. Each one thinks they know best, but along the way they find out they may be the best for each other.

This is just the cute and silly ya romance that I LOVE. Alison and Ethan are some lovable. I cared about the side characters and they journey they went on (I mean literally rooting for Dylan to break up with Olivia 🙄) I think this just solidified that I’ll read anything they write!!

What's Not to Love is a take on a classic high school rivalry between two overachieving students. Everything is a competition for Alison and Ethan, and they certainly are not shy about it. But when they are tasked to work on a high school reunion together, it may change their outlook on their competition, life choices, and feelings for each other.

This is the first audiobook I have listened to and it was an interesting experience. The narrator seemed to be a great fit for Alison's character, and helped bring her story to life. After previously reading Always Never Yours and other books by the authors, I was excited to have the opportunity to listen to and review What's Not to Love. Alison seemed to follow suit with the authors' previous female leads: strong, opinionated, goal-oriented, and unapologetic. The rivalry was fun to follow along with and definitely had its laugh out loud moments. I liked the supporting characters and the depth they added to the book. The romance aspect was okay, I could see where it was going and why it went the way it did, but it didn't always really work well for me. Overall a good read, just not necessarily my favorite. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook; this is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing an ALC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my second book by the husband and wife literary team Wibbroka, and I really enjoyed it.

Genre: YA romance, coming of age
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Alison Sanger has clear goals: become valedictorian, get into Harvard, and get away from her nemesis Ethan Molloy. They share all the same classes and extracurriculars, and their competition is so intense that Alison comes to school with food poisoning to avoid missing a test. Things get even hairier as these enemies are forced to plan their high school's reunion celebration. As they work together, will love blossom?

I went to an competitive high school, so this book was a great trip down memory lane! Alison and Ethan definitely reminded me of my classmates and the intense vibe of high school. This book is marketed as YA romance, and I did enjoy the enemies-to-lovers story, but I think it's stronger as a coming of age story. Alison has been on the overachieving path her whole life, and I enjoyed seeing her learn more about the world outside academics. I loved her relationship with her older sister, who was undergoing major life changes after quitting her job and breaking up with her fiance.

I was a little surprised that the book was told solely from Alison's perspective, but I ended up enjoying being fully in her head and feeling her uncertainty about Ethan's thoughts and intentions. Narrator Elizabeth Cottle did a great job portraying Alison's teenage voice - it felt very age-appropriate and fitting with the story.

If you're looking for high school nostalgia, I definitely recommend this book!

This was a really good YA romance! I loved the fast pace of the book and that Allison and Ethan have such intense competition between them. The character development was really good, too. I think the only thing I didn't love was that the main romance wasn't fully gradual. It felt like a really quick transition from hate to like, but then again, I've never experienced what the main lovebirds experience in the book, so I have no idea if that transition is normal or not. I love that they were able to work previous titles from these authors into the book cover so seamlessly, too! You only notice it after looking closely at the shelves.

This was a perfect enemies to lovers YA romance! It took the “enemies” part to levels not often seen in romance—Alison and Ethan really felt like each other’s nemeses and their surprise at their ultimate feelings for each other felt so real. I would have found the story of go-getters like these two so relatable as a high schooler and I like the way we saw their individual journeys to figure their post high school selves out alongside their romance. A fun, funny romance with just the right amount of depth!

Narrator Elizabeth Cottle reflects the youthful voice of high schooler Alison Sanger. Sanger is a girl you’ll likely hate and then come to love. After all, the first half of the book is all about her maniacal focus on becoming valedictorian and getting into Harvard. She obsesses over beating out Ethan, her arch nemesis. Then she starts to grow up and the story improves immensely. Suddenly, Sanger discovers that life is not all about winning and competition. But boy oh boy, did I want to DNF this for quite a while.

I’m glad Sanger sees the light of day. There are several redeeming side stories that bring her around, including her sister coming home after college to “find” herself. And Sanger’s best friend is in a queer relationship. YAY. I appreciate that this YA novel includes an LGBTQ theme, which represents today’s high school existence. (Unlike mine)! Sanger and Ethan’s hateship-turned-love interest reminded me of all the TV shows and movies of years past where two people cannot stand each other. And then they end up ripping their clothes off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook via the NetGalley app. This is my honest review.

2.5 Stars

Amanda and Ethan have been rivals for everything throughout high school: grades, standardized test scores, student government positions, and college admissions. Their competition keeps them both up at night, gets them up in the morning, and pushes them to shrug off silly things like sleep and fun just to make sure they don't fall behind. Teachers, other students, and even the principal stay away from them and their toxic rivalry. Amanda and Ethan HATE each other, and it fuels them to be the best they can be so they can WIN. But when they're paired together to plan their school's 10-year reunion for alumni, things start to change. Suddenly, the things they thought they despised about each other don't actually seem all that bad. And the idea of a future together at Harvard if they were both able to get in doesn't horrify them nearly as much as they always thought it would. Maybe this hatred they've been nurturing all these years was really something else all along.

These authors know how to write. Their dialogue is sharp and snappy, and the characters are smart and introspective. However, even though I really wanted to like this book based on how good the writing is, it just didn't work for me. Amanda is just the worst. She's judgy, she's a know-it-all, she whines about not being taken seriously because of her young age but then acts like an immature child most of the time. She tells everyone what to think, she believes she's much smarter than everyone else and that they need her help to figure out their own feelings and motivations, but she's also completely clueless about her own shortcomings and where she could stand to grow a little. UGH. It was impossible to root for her to get together with Ethan (even though the "we're fighting, no wait, we're kissing" scenes were still pretty hot) because I just couldn't wish Amanda on anyone. Ethan was better, though we didn't get to know him nearly as well (the book is written from only Amanda's POV....I wish we had seen Ethan's because it might have balanced her abrasiveness a little). The supporting characters are fun, though. I really liked Amanda's parents, as well as her sister, Jamie.

The other big issue that I had with this book was that the "lovers" part of this enemies-to-lovers story came out of nowhere and felt entirely unbelievable. These two aren't just enjoying snarking at each other to cover up their deeper feelings. They are truly hateful to each other. They intentionally sabotage each other's projects, and they spend all their time thinking up ways to make the other person miserable. The teachers and other students avoid them because they truly are toxic. It's not cute, you're not just waiting for them to figure it out...because it seems like the last thing that would ever happen. So when it does, it feels forced and fake. It's the opposite of most enemies-to-lovers stories, where the enemies part is just a cover for their real feelings. The believable feelings here are the hatred and animosity, and it wasn't even fun to read about because the really seemed to be giant jerks to each other and love doing it. Yuck.

So, while I love these authors and continue to be impressed with their writing, this book wasn't my favorite of theirs. I hope they are able to go back to their feel-good romances like Always Never Yours and If I'm Being Honest, because those were a lot more fun.

PS. I *did* enjoy the audiobook narrator here. Her tone was fun and she voiced the different characters well.

**Thank you to NetGalley and DreamScape Media for the Audio ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

4 stars

What's Not to Love is a fun throwback to the highs and lows of high school. complete with overachieving leads and a healthy dose of nostalgia. Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka get great mileage out of the enemies-to-lovers trope and I applaud their ability to really dig into the social and mental whirlwind that comes with heading off to college. I would have loved a little more of a slow burn with the central relationship (it really doesn't start to heat up until over 50% into the book), but the authors were balancing so many other narratives that I completely understand why they wrote it that way. I found myself multiple times sitting down to listen to "just one more chapter" only to find that I had spent an hour in the hallways of Fairview High. Honestly, can you ask for anything more from a book?

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

2/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook-arc.

I didn't know what to expect going into this audiobook. The execution was fine. There were some inconsistencies tho, the tones of the voice being of different registers. On the other hand, I didn't mind the writing. Not bad but not the best at the same time. Now let's get to the story.

We read this from Alison's pov. I'm going to get this out of the way: she's a cunt. To be fair, she's a bit like me but I lack the dedication she possesses. All she thinks about is school, beating Ethan Mulloy....in school and sometimes she occupies her mind with the only friend she has.

Speaking of, poor woman. I mean who names their daughter Dylan? Second, she's bisexual. We love that!.....Well...She doesn't have the most fabulous character development. She doesn't start well, with her not getting over her ex yet, dating a guy who questions her past queer relationship and an unnecessary piece of dialogue where she over-sexualizes a character we don't even recognize. She then finally relieves herself off of a specific burden but only to move forward our annoying protagonist's story. Which I suppose is the point of this whole book which I can't the authors for.

Before concluding the rant with fully trashing Alison, let's talk about Ethan........If there's anything to talk in regards to him that is. He's passive. That's it. He's smart, not the most likeable, white....that's it. A huge chunk of his actions depend on Alison. And of course he starts changing just in order for Alison to feel relief and no sense of burden.

*sigh* Here we go. Alison isn't likeable. She doesn't care about anybody but herself, putting everyone around her to the self-made standard she made that isn't that achievable. She treats her sister, that's currently in a mid 20s crisis, like shit just because shes not doing the same girlboss moves that Alison does. Alison point out her various points of hypocrisy in the book. Does anything happen? Not really. Things just get brushed off and she doesn't change. Heck, the people around her change in favour of her own tastes, even if it isn't the most right thing in the situation

Also this book isn't exempt of criticism just because of its market range. All teenagers aren't cunts. Some are, and I suppose that's valid. But at the same time I won't hesitate to critique novels of this kind when other various voices aren't being given the opportunity to flourish. I have to give merit where it's due so I guess thanks to the author for making a book that made me write this much due to various negative emotions

Okay. I want to know who gave Emily and Austin a look into my high school life. Or large chunks of it at any rate. While I couldn't say that I was going to an Ivy or had the potential for a HEF/HEA with my nemesis, I could not help but feel like I was listening to an alternate experience heading into college.
Ethan and Alison are constantly stepping over the other in their need to be the best. Their rivalry is epic and yet now they have to work together on another class's reunion to get a recommendation letter to Harvard. When Alison's enemy becomes her frenemy, she's bound to struggle with the paradigm shift.
The narrator, Elizabeth Cottle, has a great voice for a YA read and fit Alison's POV to a T. Her intonation led to more relatability and a trip down memory lane.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This one did not work for me at all. The rivalry just seemed too toxic for me and the way they both fell into a relationship in the midst of the rivalry was not my speed. I've read and loved several enemies-to-lovers YA stories but this didn't work for me. I also wish we'd heard more from the male protagonist, but that did not happen. The narrator, however, was excellent.

I usually really enjoy books from these authors. What's not to love has all the tropes I enjoy. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorites. With all that being said I found this to be very slow, my attention drifted often. I did enjoy the characters and the ending was great. The ending felt true to a real high school senior.

The narration was fantastic. She never disappoints. I think it added to the story. I would have even loved a dual perspective. I can just imagine how good the audio would have been.

All in all it was a solid 3 star read.

I think that I have aged out of enjoying and appreciating young adult romance for what it is. As much as I enjoyed the writing and love the tropes within this novel, I just found myself feeling uninterested. I know that's an absolutely bias reason to not rate this higher. I just did not like either love interest and I really did not enjoy Alison's voice.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Definitely not my favorite of their books, the romance felt a bit forced and I did not find the backstory as compelling. However, everything they write is cute enough and this certainly did the job. 3.5 rounded up