Review Detail

Lily Anderson’s sophomore novel follows Elliot "Ever" Gabaroche during an intense summer program to compete for a scholarship. It’s Not Me, It’s You readers will see many familiar faces, but this can still be read as a stand-alone.

A few things I adored about this book:

-The academic competition- No one writes cutthroat academia like Anderson. Teens feeling the stress of college applications, scholarships, rankings, and more will find Ever’s world utterly relatable.

-The voice- From page one, the voice draws you right in. The dialogue is quick and realistic with plenty of snappy banter.

-The world building- Usually the fantasy genre discusses world building the most, but in my opinion, good world building/setting is just as crucial in contemporary books. Anderson crafts a fully immerse setting with more than a sprinkle of geek culture, The Importance Of Being Earnest parallels, and what it’s like when a group of highly intelligent teens compete for a scholarships away from home.

Overall, Anderson’s second novel (and first and third and likely all future novels...) is not to be missed.