It’s cliche to say, but it’s true, hurt people hurt people.
It’s in those sections of She Drives Me Crazy that the story really flourishes because it becomes about how heartbreak can change who you are. The plot pretty much slinks forward, often going through the motions until we finally land at the meat of the story which is what really happened the night Irene humiliated Scottie, why it happened, and how both girls’ trials with love are similar. Quindlen did create an interesting setting with the town of Grandma Earl and it’s Christmas themed everything but the characters for the most part seemed to fall into archetypes that didn’t quite go anywhere. For a book with a lead who loves romantic comedies, it lacks some of the tried and true elements of the genre with exception to the big romantic gestures at the end. It’s a win-win and a terrible plan that should have produced many a shenanigan as these two girls worked to convince their school and their friends that they’re together and in love whilst actually, and unexpectedly, falling in love. Scottie gets to make her ex-girlfriend Tally jealous, and Irene gets the money she needs to cover the deductible for her car repairs. Irene and Scottie intend to use each other for their own benefit.
It didn’t leave room for any actual romance that felt organic and earned considering how much the two seemingly hated each other which was disappointing because She Drives Me Crazy falls into the fake dating trope. So, the two going at each other’s throats just felt repetitively mean and unnecessary much of the time. Instead, Irene did something the previous year that was wildly out of line though her explanation of events clears up why it happened.Īs such the sniping Scottie and Irene aim toward one another lacks any kind of depth that speaks to a shared history outside of that unfortunate situation. Not from the cradle but at least multiple clashes over a period of time. To be honest, I thought this enemies-to-lovers narrative was going to be rooted in years long dislike of each other.
The two despise one another, and Irene is described as Scottie’s nemesis, but their animosity stems from an incident that on its surface is an act of bullying.
The premise of this romance centers on the fender bender that throws Scottie and Irene into each other’s orbit long enough to create a situation they both can benefit from. However, the book which name drops many a romcom doesn’t actually read as romantic or comedic for most of the story. If memory serves, She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen is my first YA romance of the year as such I was looking forward to it.
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