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 growingβdown to number four.
Trixie will do anything to get her name ranked over Ben's, including give up sleep and comic booksβwell, maybe not comic booksβbut 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 onβand 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.
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