It's so nice to see genderqueer representation in lesbian fiction! I wish there had been more discussion of gender and butchness, and identity in general - this was more silly romps than considerate identity introspection, which is what I'd been wanting - but otherwise it was truly lovely.

Really fun and entertaining just like Lily’s debut. I found the characters more relatable in this one than the first, but did find myself wanting a bit more depth in some places. A super quick and easy read though!

What is cool about this book is the background info, the way being an actor/ress is depicted. Of course, there are lots of clichés, I think, but still. I guess not everyone would care for the side stories, but I liked them. The love story building continuously over the book was well exectued. A bit enemy to lover, and not in a basic way.

"My Own Worst Enemy" by Lindon presents a personal journey. The narrative explores inner conflicts and growth, though pacing can feel uneven. Lindon's introspective writing carries a sense of authenticity, yet some sections might lack the depth to fully resonate. The book offers moments of self-discovery, making for a contemplative read that navigates the complexities of personal struggle, but its execution might not consistently captivate all readers.

Thank you to Aria for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley – views remain my own.

This is one of those books that feel like it could have been a whole lot better if it was just that bit shorter. It’s partly due to the MC – she’s not one of those characters who is particularly a lot of fun to spend time around. It’s great for a while, but Emmy often shows herself to be selfish, judgemental, and self-obsessed. She instantly judges Mae and decides they must be rivals/professional enemies as they’re both the same casting type. Emmy has a tendency to get ideas fixed in her head, and an unwillingness to consider further information when it’s in front of her.

These could all be interesting aspects to the character, if we witnessed any growth/self-realisation a little earlier in the book. Instead, it feels like so much is crammed in right towards the end, and oh everything is fine now let’s skip off into the sunset. It doesn’t feel like any of Emmy’s relationships – with friends, family or others – aren’t in some way toxic. It’s a huge shame, because some of the book is actually really good, and when Emmy and Mae are more lightly sparring with each other, it works really well, and you can feel the chemistry between them.

At other times, both are frustrating and downright cruel to one another. There are some parts where I felt incredibly sad for Emmy, and it didn’t seem like she actually had anyone she could properly talk to.  I really thought part of this was going to end up being Emmy actually confiding in Mae, and the pair offering each other real help and advice, but when it edges towards that it all kind of blows up instead.

Emmy is, evidently, kind of stubborn, and more than once goes down the “cut your nose off” route without actually seeming to learn from it. Most of this book had things I liked, but all come with a kind of ‘at times’ disclaimer. I liked her roommates, at times, until they were dismissive about the issues Emmy was facing in her clearly unhealthy toxic relationship. Her dad could have been a really sweet character, but he’s so dismissive about Emmy’s actual dreams and it goes beyond “I’m just trying to be realistic” and enters more “you have to learn the family business” controlling territory.

I was really looking forward to this book – a queer, sapphic romcom set in the world of theatre should be something I adored, but there wasn’t enough of the actual romance and actually quite little theatre stuff compared to my expectations, and overall this book could have done with being shorter and allowing the MC a bit more growth instead.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a sweet and compelling storyline and I loved our main characters.  Would definitely recommend.

It took a while to get going for me but it was a lot of fun in the end. These two are a real slow burn, going back and forward between detesting each other and attraction. Centring it around a play was a great way to create structure and force Emmy and Mae into proximity. Overall it's a sweet read and I'd pick up something else by the same author.

An adorable, enjoyable romance that was a delight to read. I loved the relationship between the two main characters, and the glimpse into acting life. Would highly recommend!

ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

In My Own Worst Enemy, we follow Emmy Clooney (no relation) out of drama school and into the world of acting, and she is happy to be type cast believing herself to have a hold on a niche, until she meets Mae Jones. They’re exactly alike in looks and opposite in personality, and their rivalry sparks intense competition for roles, having drastic effects on each others careers. 

This book had everything I wanted going in, it’s scandalous, flirty and fun, with a nice, light plot and believable characters. Unfortunately for me, Emmy, our main character, made me so angry at times that it was almost too believable & I struggled to like her. Her obliviousness borders on ignorance and it made me quite uncomfortable. I completely understand why the choice to have this character this way was made, but it took away from my personal enjoyment a little in the 1st and 2nd acts. 

However… I could simply not stop reading this. Emmy was a car crash through the majority of the book and yet by the end I WAS rooting for her. I wanted everything to go well for her and her friends, I wanted to see her get something good, and I really wasn’t disappointed. Act 3 is perfect, the scandalous twists and turns of the previous 300-400 pages get tied up in a genuinely lovely way.
I also flat out adore Mae. She’s worth every little cringe moment she draws out of Emmy.

This is a well written book, however I just couldn’t get stuck in with it and the characters weren’t my cup of tea. Sorry, I will however read another book by this author when one is released.

A very aptly titled book and a terrific fun read. I very much enjoyed the rivalry between Emmy and Mae although towards the end some of their behaviour became a little childish and in Emmy's case overdoing the bitchiness a little which I don't think suited her character. I loved the auditions which were hilarious and the improv scenes that sparked with electricity between the two main characters. The Twelfth Night production was a treat, a wonderful backdrop for the build up to the final momentous events.
Other characters played their parts well, Emmy's family providing solid if under appreciated support and the chemistry between Emmy and her flatmates worked to a tee. The plot was more than a little predictable but there were enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning.
All in all I was thoroughly entertained by a book that is well written with style and a great sense of humour.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

A very good book that made me reflect on life. The title says it all we are our own worst enemies.
Caught in stereotypes, other's expectations and simply not living our life.
A young actor that has done all by the book, finished acting school, extremely well read and serious at her job suddenly finds competition in an mirror image girl. We get a clash of educated vs. improv acting. Self achievement vs. nepotism. A story of opposites and attractions.
I would suggest this book to everyone even if you are not interested in lgtb themes, young people's problems or acting world.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎭🌭🥛🍕🤺

If I have to give you any advice for this book, it is to make sure you have a lot of time free, because you're not gonna want to put this book down.

My Own Worst Enemy is a cute YA/NA romcom about a butch lesbian actor named Emmy Clooney (no relation) who is the most precious character I have come across. She wants nothing more than to be a successful actress. She's smart, she's funny and she prepares to the max when it comes to roles, and she is more comfortable being someone else and following scripts than she is talking to people on her own. She is shy and anxious, seconds guesses herself and is afraid people are going to abandon her when she's not acting. She's certain she's going to get lots of queer butch roles, because there are so many femme lesbians, but not that many that a butch, so when she meets fellow aspiring actress, Mae Jones, who looks exactly like her, and seems to be way more of a natural actor than her, Emmy feels threatened. 

Queue the declared rivalry between the two characters, where there is back-and-forth tension, that borderlines with intense flirting, self-growth and awareness of own faults, and we get this beautiful book. There are laugh-out-loud moments (like seriously, I peed my pants) there are parts that made me cry, and there were parts that made me wish I was a part of their world.

The side characters were great too. I loved the side story going on in the background with Emmy's best friends/roommates.  I loved the queer representation throughout the book. (Lesbian, Bisexual, Pansexual, Gay, Non-Binary.) I didn't like Alice, and neither will you when you read this book, but she was a core element of Emmy's growth. 

Thank so much to Lily Lindon, Netgalley and Aria Fiction for the copy of the eArc. This review is left voluntary.

2.5

I struggled massively with this book, there were several times I wanted to dnf but pushed through it

I just didn't connect with the main character at all, like I didn't really understand her reasoning behind the decisions she made. Also at the start I found her constant comparison of herself to others, her automatically thinking that other people think they're 100x better than her, and her thinking that others don't want to be around her very annoying very quickly

I enjoyed the last 25% a lot more than the start

A lovely rom com about two females trying t get parts in plays. A lovey easy read novel and one for the holidays when you have time to relax. Well written and a pleasure to read. 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I think it's a well written story but I wasn't a fan of the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a perfect time to get into a cute queer rom-com none other than pride month! 

Okay admittedly it took me a while to get into this, I felt like the beginning may have lacked a bit of the 'OMGosh you need to keep reading' factor but then a few chapters later I was fully invested in Emmy's love story. 

I absolutely found it so endearing how naive she was when it came to not realising how much Mae was into her. Her character was so well written and her insecurities both in the acting world and in the dating world were literally screaming off the page. I enjoyed all the characters apart from Alice I found came across as controlling and honestly really desperate. 

The book was paced well and was full of funny and cringe-worthy moments which definitely added to my enjoyment. 
Overall it was a cute enemies to lovers romance thay I'd highly recommend to anyone wanting to read a queer romance.

‘My Own Worst Enemy’ was an absolute joy to read! Also a little stressful, but not in a bad way, more that I got really invested in the characters and their story way. There is so much to love about this novel. There are so many elements of the story, from Emmy’s internal monologue to her love of her craft, that made me feel so seen. Something I love to find with queer romance novels I read.

It’s been a while since a book has made me full body laugh. It was wonderful to find this with My Own Worst Enemy (though as I had a bad cough at the time of reading, the laughter sometimes brought on coughing fits, which weren’t so great, but worth it regardless). At times I found myself kicking my legs or burying my face in a pillow at some of the events of the novel, with Emmy managing to put her foot in it or just end up in situations I couldn’t just read with a straight face. It made for a delightful reading experience.

The rivalry between Emmy and Mae was so entertaining to read as they continued to try and one up each other. Though I won’t lie, so me of the things they did I really didn’t expect them to go that far. The chemistry between the two characters was, to me, tangible, from the get go - only making me further invested in their story and relationship. Especially with a certain character that made me feel uneasy with how she treated Emmy, and honestly made me want to sit Emmy down and tell her what was going on (I will protect Emmy with my life if needed).

I loved the emotional growth for Emmy throughout this novel. It made me so happy by the time I finished reading, I just wanted to start the novel over again just to spend some more time with the characters. 

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for gifting me this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title was published 8th June 2023.

I wanted to like My Own Worst Enemy way more than I did, and, if I’m being honest, if this wasn’t an arc I probably would’ve DNF’ed — there were so many occasions were I thought about it. 

It’s a shame, really, because I think this book could’ve been really good. At certain points I thought it was picking up, only to be let down again, the feeling of wanting to pull my hair out returning.

First, I’ll start off with a few things I did enjoy about this book. 

I thought the commentary on typecasting was interesting, and very relevant to the industry we see today: not just in musical theatre, but in all areas of the arts.

I also thought the discussion of sexuality, particularly how being a lesbian/sapphic, can impact how you are cast and what you are cast in. Again, I thought the discussion on representation and diversity in the arts was a timely conversation. 

I enjoyed Emmy’s growth with her mum. I thought that was a nice plot line, and I liked how it developed. I teared up several times. 

Outside all of that, sigh. I just don’t know. Emmy and Mae most certainly were enemies, they were horrible to each other. For most of the book. That’s all there was. Where was the chemistry? Where was the redemption? I couldn’t find it. It just popped up out of no where at the end of the book. Sure, the author tried to weave in *tender* moments in throughout the book but it wasn’t working for me, like at all. 

Also, I just didn’t really like any of the characters. I found most of them absolutely insufferable. Nothing was making me root for them — except for maybe Emmys two best friends and roommates. 

The ending just came out of no where and didn’t really feel like it was earned. Just wrapped up in a neat bow, because this is a romance book and there should be a HEA and I guess we are at that point now in the book. Terrible. 

Also, this book had some serious themes — like an abusive/manipulative partner — but it sort of just like . . . Glossed over it? Which I thought was awful.

Thank you so much aria and Aries for this ARC 


My own worst enemies is an easy quick read that I liked but didn’t overall love. A theatre themed enemies to lovers romance which looks into social and personal issues.