The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.
Today, she hates him.
It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.
Tonight, she puts up with him.
When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.
As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.
Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him. (taken from goodreads.com)
*Before I jump in, I want to thank Rachel and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a physical ARC of this novel! I feel so luck to have all three of her novels as ARCs and my small collection of Jewish YA novels is slowly starting to grow more, making me SO happy.*
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been nothing but terrible to each other throughout their four years of high school. But then on the last night they have before they are no longer Westview High School students, they team up and their whole relationship is turned on its head.
*It’s very hard for me to be able to give this review without just ruining the whole book and giving all the spoilers because I have SO many thoughts. And I loved this book SO much. And the graphic that is the featured image, I made that! *
Rowan is a hopeless romantic. She reminds me a lot of myself and some of my closest friends, the way she’s holding out for this perfect thing. Just ah! Like Rowan, I love romance novels and the fact that she has to keep them a secret is something I understand. I can not even begin to count the amount of times when someone has asked me “What books do you like?” And I’ve kinda looked down and been like “Oh, you know. Contemporary.” When in reality I just want to gush about the romance novels I have been DEVOURING.
When I was in eleventh grade, my dad told me I was getting to old to read Young Adult books and I would have to stop. This infuriated me. I know I am not the target audience, but there is no reason I can not continue to enjoy something that makes me happy.
Rowan is passionate, driven, optimistic and strong. She is creative, smart and loving. Her and Neil are an amazing balance.
Neil is sweet, smart, funny and shy. He is just as hopeless as Rowan in certain areas and loves the idea of love and wanting to fall in love. The two of them together are an explosion of emotions, brains and so much more. They are my favorites.
The story revolves around a city wide scavenger hunt that the junior class organizes for the senior class, called HOWL. This is just the perfect amount of craziness and nostalgia that is the last night of high school.
The duo go on an adventure throughout the city of Seattle, making it a place filled with their memories and making the city truly their own. In a way, this novel is also a love letter to Seattle and its gems.
This story had my chest aching for those memories of when I was a senior in high school, wanting to collect all those memories and put them in a jar somewhere so that when I need those shiny memories I can pop them out and remember them in an instant.
For Rowan, leaving high school is exciting but it’s also terrifying. Its a change she doesn’t think she’s ready for, while for Neil it’s a change he can not wait to happen. Change isn’t easy, and this novel is one big change happening slowly throughout the novel. And its amazing.
I’m pretty sure we see a cameo of a character from one of Rachel’s other books, which made me very happy to be able to get a check in and see how she is doing. And I think we might know Rowan’s cousin from somewhere too if I’m not wrong.
Something that is very important to Rowan throughout the book is the fact that she is Jewish. She is one of the few Jews in her school and her community, making it something that causes her to stand out in certain ways. Neil and Rowan discuss their experiences with anti-semitism by their classmates, sometimes making them feel othered when trying to make sure they feel included.
I am extremely lucky that I have never experienced any anti-semitism (and G-d willing never will) but I will never forget sitting with a group of teens whose Jewish Student Union Club I supervised at a local public school who told me about the things they have had to endure. They told me stories about comments made their way and the way they were always “accidentally” forgotten when the annual showcase came around, showcasing different cultures and religions. We would have meetings were some of our non-Jewish guests and members would ask what they could do to help make school a safer place for their Jewish friends.
The conversation that Rowan and Neil have is candid and real, bringing together all the words that sometimes we can’t find when it comes to something as painful as anti-semitism. Not just this conversation, but so many of the other conversations that Rowan and Neil have throughout the novel are important and just so many feelings.
Neil and Rowan are two people who are just I don’t even know. They give me so many feelings. And this book has made me just feel like I was floating while I was reading. This is a book you SHOULD NOT MISS OUT ON!!! Mark your calendars for July 14th, 2020 when this book will be hitting shelves!