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She Drives Me Crazy - Kelly Quindlen

She Drives Me Crazy combines two of the best romance tropes in a combination similar to Red, White, and Royal Blue that I simply can't pass up. An accident forces together mortal enemies when gorgeous, popular Irene Abraham accidentally crashes into Scottie Zajac. When their parents arrive to work out the insurance details, they pretend to be friends to avoid some awkwardness. Maybe they were a little too convincing because now Scottie has to drive Irene to school until her car can get repaired. They spend a week antagonizing each other, until Scottie realizes that dating a perfect cheerleader like Irene would be just the thing to drive her ex crazy. So she proposes a fake dating scheme, and to her amazement Irene agrees. 


Kelly Quindlen used two of my favorite tropes in this work, so I certainly enjoyed it. It's a sweet and simple plot with a lot of drama. But I enjoyed how Quindlen emphasized healthy relationships, healing post-breakup, and finding yourself before finding a new date.  

This is a textbook YA novel. The kids are in high school, with high school problems. But there are a lot of references that I think will resonate better with slightly older readers. For example, lots of call backs to John Hughes movies and things like that. There's simply so many, that it may lessen the story for younger readers.  

If you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers plots, or fake-dating-oops-real-dating schemes, She Drives Me Crazy is a quick and easy read with a satisfying ending.