Trixie Watson has her senior year goals set: save up money
to spend at her favorite comic store and, most importantly,
take third ranking in her class from Ben West. Since they
were kids, Ben and Trixie have been at war. When their best
friends start dating, the two are forced into a shaky truce.
However, as the two get to know each other more, especially
each other's fandoms, a friendship, and maybe some more,
grows. When a cheating scandal breaks in their class,
fingers point to Trixie's best friend, and sides must be
chosen...even if it means going back to hating each other.
My excitement and nervousness for THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN
ME IS YOU were at roughly equal levels when I heard of this
book. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is my personal favorite
Shakespeare play, and I was worried how Beatrice and
Benedick might change. Fortunately, Lily Anderson is a
mastermind and created one of the most fun, hilarious, and
heartwarming stories I've ever read. While Beatrice and
Benedick are now Trixie and Ben in contemporary, elite
high school, their fiery chemistry and biting wit are as
true as ever. All the fandom, comics, etc. references are
brilliant, and fellow fans of the Doctor, Sherlock, Marvel,
and more will devour the geekery.
Anderson also provides fleshed-out nuances to Trixie and Ben
that I never knew I needed. In Anderson's novel, she shows
that biting wit is, well, biting. It has teeth and leaves a
mark. Trixie and Ben both say harsh things to each other,
and at some point, they have to deal with the fact that they
caused unnecessary pain. They learn the value and necessity
of kindness as they grow to care for each other. Their
friend group is fabulous, and you'll likely find
yourself laughing and groaning alongside them as the school
year develops.
THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU lives up completely to
its 10 Things I Hate About You comparison. This Much Ado
About Nothing re-imaging is wit, laughter, romance, and
originality all rolled into one beautiful package.
Trixie Watson has two very important goals for senior
year: to finally save enough to buy the set of Doctor Who
figurines at the local comic books store, and to place third
in her class and knock Ben West--and his horrendous new
mustache that he spent all summer growing—down to number
four.
Trixie will do anything to get her name ranked
over Ben's, including give up sleep and comic books—well,
maybe not comic books—but definitely sleep. After all, the
war of Watson v. West is as vicious as the Doctor v. Daleks
and Browncoats v. Alliance combined, and it goes all the way
back to the infamous monkey bars incident in the first
grade. Over a decade later, it's time to declare a champion
once and for all.
The war is Trixie's for the
winning, until her best friend starts dating Ben's best
friend and the two are unceremoniously dumped together and
told to play nice. Finding common ground is odious and
tooth-pullingly-painful, but Trixie and Ben's cautious truce
slowly transforms into a fandom-based tentative friendship.
When Trixie's best friend gets expelled for cheating and
Trixie cries foul play, however, they have to choose who to
believe and which side they're on—and they might not pick
the same side.
Stephanie Perkins meets 10 Things I
hate About You in The Only Thing Worse than Me Is
You, a fresh, romantic debut from author Lily Anderson
inspired by Much Ado About Nothing.