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?

Oh my gosh. This book was everything light and fluffy and I loved it!! It was totally staged like our beloved 80s/90s teen rom coms and it was PERFECT! The displays of romance even rivaled the bleacher scene in 10 Things I Hate About You. I’m a sucker for enemies turned lover tropes, and Quindlen did NOT disappoint. Plus, adding lesbians, sports, and confirmation that cheerleading IS a sport was perfect. Just the light hearted, endearing read we all need.

I fell hard for this YA romance book. Scottie and Irene are acquaintances who devolve into enemies when Irene has Scottie's car towed during a party. When their car woes escalate with a small fender-bender, Scottie's parents make her give Irene a ride to and from school. As Scottie continues to pine for her ex-girlfriend, she realizes that Irene's popularity and influence can provide the girls' basketball team with some much-needed hype. One of my favorite parts of this story is Scottie's strong bond with her family. So often YA novels show aloof parents, parents who reject their LGBTQIA+ children, or teens who attempt to solve problems without their families. The enduring love and support of the Zajacs is heartwarming.

Will Scotie jump at the chance to rekindle the flame with her ex? Is Irene really who Scottie thinks she is? Who will be dubbed as Student Athlete of the Year? Check out this book when it releases in April 2021!

A fantastic and solid queer ya read. While the plot was a bit predictable and the pacing took a bit to get into, She Drives Me Crazy is a sweet and realistic representation of high school angst, friendship, and love. I especially appreciated the way the relationship between Scottie and Tally was portrayed, as it was incredibly realistic and relatable. Irene is undoubtedly the character I was rooting for the most, but as a narrator Scottie wasn't an issue - just not as engaging as a personality as Irene was.

I absolutely adored Kelly's Late to the Party earlier this year. It's easily one of my top reads of 2020, so I was completely overjoyed when I was given an advance copy of She Drives Me Crazy to read and review ahead of the April 2021 release date! Kelly's follow-up is a fun, campy romantic comedy that features tons of my favorite things: diverse characters, queer romance, enemies to lovers, fake dating, there's-only-one-bed, romance during the holidays, and - best of all, for the rom-com lovers - a character and story that weaves classic rom-coms into casual conversation and, eventually, her love life.

SDMC follows Scottie, a high-school senior basketball player still reeling after breaking up with her ex, Tally, who transferred to the rival high school and their basketball team. After a rough game against their rival team and Tally for the first time, Scottie ends up ramming into head cheerleader Irene's car, her literal enemy. This situation forces the two to end up carpooling with each other, but when Scottie overhears that Irene is also gay and that her cheerleading career is at risk because of the accident, she approaches Irene with a plan: fake-date so she can get the money from Scottie that she needs to pay for damages, and avoid getting a job so she can keep cheerleading, while Scottie can make Tally jealous. A simple plan - if only they can stick to it!

As per Kelly's writing so far, this book comes disguised as light-hearted fare but actually delves into a lot of interesting and emotional topics. The novel explores girls' sports and being female athletes, deftly weaves through the age-old debate of cheerleading as a sport, ducks into toxic relationships, and also manages to have hefty and important conversations on self-love, relationship grief, healing, and finding yourself.

That being said, there's also plenty of the light, fun stuff! Plenty of snark and banter, darling side characters (I adore Honey-Belle and Danielle both), and families who are really tight-knit. Seriously, it's so refreshing to read queer YA where any family drama isn't centered around their kid's queerness! Amazing! IT CAN BE DONE!

Scottie and Irene are wonderful characters, and the book does a great job emphasizing how opening up to others really and truly lets you be seen, and how discussion and communication are actually useful tools, thank you very much! All in all, this book is wonderful and fun and surprisingly heart-warming, and if it's not already on your radar, it should be.

I loved Late to the Party so when I saw Kelly Quindlen had another book coming out I jumped and the chance to read and review it and it did not disappoint. This book was cute and real. I loved the characters. The were all such real people people who I could imagine myself being friends with. The relationships felt authentic. The plot kept me interested the whole time and it never felt to long or drawn out. I honestly can't think of a bad thing to say about this book.

This book was so much fun to read. I loved how Scottie and Irene's relationship evolved as they got to know each other. There were some great moments in this book of Scottie dealing with a past relationship and the scars it left her but also leaning on her family and friends. I am not a sports lover, but I love how Kelly Quindlen was able to write about basketball game events and still make me root for Scottie's team. This was a fun, easy read, perfect for if you want to read a quick book that is still entertaining.

This was a quick, easy, and fun read! Kelly Quindlen really knows how to create characters that are beautifully flawed; I loved Scottie and Irene! I wish that more time was spent on fleshing out their relationship because their scenes together were my favorite of the book.

3.5! This was super cute and it’s exactly what I wanted. I thought some of the pacing was super weird which would pull me out of the story because I had to figure out where I was but otherwise this was great.