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Rowan & Neil #1
Today Tonight Tomorrow
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction (2020)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.
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.
364 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2020
About the author
Rachel Lynn Solomon
14 books7,608 followersRachel Lynn Solomon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk, Today Tonight Tomorrow, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Her books have been translated into more than fifteen languages and optioned for film. Originally from Seattle, she's currently navigating expat life with her husband in Amsterdam, where she can often be found exploring the city, collecting stationery, and working up the courage to knit her first sweater. Connect with her on Instagram @rlynn_solomon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,572 reviews
May 31, 2024
This book was SO cute!!!! And I love the concept. The entire book takes place in 24 hours on the last day of senior year. That’s such a great and transformative day for a 24 hour book. I remember my last day of high school being exciting and scary and sad and just having such a wide range of emotions. Plus I loved seeing what hour it was each chapter.
And the romance is adorable. It’s an academic rivals to lovers trope. Which is such. A. Good. Trope. We need more academic rivals to lovers books!!! The male love interest is also a nerd (an attractive nerd!) which was so fun!! Definitely going to be reading the sequel
And the romance is adorable. It’s an academic rivals to lovers trope. Which is such. A. Good. Trope. We need more academic rivals to lovers books!!! The male love interest is also a nerd (an attractive nerd!) which was so fun!! Definitely going to be reading the sequel
Read
March 20, 2021This was such a cute and unexpected read. I haven't had luck with my past couple reads so I looked to see what I had on my TBR that had the highest average rating and ended up picking this book up on a whim. I was sent this by the publisher and don't think I would've picked it up otherwise to be honest so I'm very grateful for that! I loved all the discussions that were brought up here. Romance as a real, respectable genre. The worries Rowan has as an aspiring writer were really relatable for me. I liked the focus on the difficult transitional period between high school and college and how she worries she hasn't done high school correctly. The romance between Neil and Rowan was great. I'm not the biggest fan of enemies to lovers but this was one of my favourites. It made sense to me why they had the enemies relationship and watching it blossom was so sweet. The characters' Jewish heritage is prevalent in the story as well and I loved seeing that! The scavenger hunt around Seattle was unexpected but a fun touch and backdrop for the story. Will definitely be looking out for more from this author!
February 26, 2024
Today Tonight Tomorrow is a delightfully precious love letter to the city of Seattle, as well as a celebration of first love.
Sticky sweet in every way, I absolutely adored this High School Romantic Comedy.
It's the last day of Senior year, and Rowan Roth wants nothing more than to beat her archenemy and academic rival, Neil McNair, one last time.
The two have been in a brutal competition with one another since the start of high school, coming in first and second at almost EVERYTHING.
From the very start of the day, Rowan has one thing on her mind, the final class rankings.
The honor of Valedictorian is a goal they both have been working towards. Rowan doesn't have to stay in suspense long, however, because at the very beginning of the school day it is announced that Neil has won the honor.
Rowan is understandably crushed. She now literally has one opportunity left to beat him. Senior Howl, a scavenger hunt arranged by the Junior class, and played by the Seniors on their last day.
Rowan is confident she has what it takes to go the distance with Howl. No one knows and loves the city of Seattle like she does. These clues don't stand a chance of tripping her up.
When word gets out that a group of Seniors want to take Neil and Rowan out of Howl, the odd couple must team up and work together if they want to survive the night.
Please note, by survive the night, I just mean that people playing against them have the ability to tag them out of play, not literally that people are trying to kill them. I feel like I need to clarify that because Horror is my favorite genre.
As the day and night go on, Rowan and Neil begin to open up to one another and something truly magical happens.
I have not felt this invested with two teens since Love & Gelato. They are both incredibly smart, well-balanced characters and their banter back and forth is everything.
While the relationship between Rowan and Neil makes up the bulk of the story, this book also delves into some fairly serious topics as well.
I think as an examination of the feelings and concerns someone on the cusp of adulthood may have, Solomon did a great job. It's a scary time, graduating high school and potentially leaving everything you have ever known behind.
It can be sad and scary, while also being exciting as you forge out on your own.
The dichotomy of those feelings can be incredibly confusing and I think the author did a phenomenal job of laying that out there.
Overall, I was really impressed with this. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves YA Contemporary stories.
I literally have no critiques. The more I think on it, the more I love it. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Rachel Lynn Solomon.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon Pulse, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. It was a blast!
Sticky sweet in every way, I absolutely adored this High School Romantic Comedy.
It's the last day of Senior year, and Rowan Roth wants nothing more than to beat her archenemy and academic rival, Neil McNair, one last time.
The two have been in a brutal competition with one another since the start of high school, coming in first and second at almost EVERYTHING.
From the very start of the day, Rowan has one thing on her mind, the final class rankings.
The honor of Valedictorian is a goal they both have been working towards. Rowan doesn't have to stay in suspense long, however, because at the very beginning of the school day it is announced that Neil has won the honor.
Rowan is understandably crushed. She now literally has one opportunity left to beat him. Senior Howl, a scavenger hunt arranged by the Junior class, and played by the Seniors on their last day.
Rowan is confident she has what it takes to go the distance with Howl. No one knows and loves the city of Seattle like she does. These clues don't stand a chance of tripping her up.
When word gets out that a group of Seniors want to take Neil and Rowan out of Howl, the odd couple must team up and work together if they want to survive the night.
Please note, by survive the night, I just mean that people playing against them have the ability to tag them out of play, not literally that people are trying to kill them. I feel like I need to clarify that because Horror is my favorite genre.
As the day and night go on, Rowan and Neil begin to open up to one another and something truly magical happens.
I have not felt this invested with two teens since Love & Gelato. They are both incredibly smart, well-balanced characters and their banter back and forth is everything.
While the relationship between Rowan and Neil makes up the bulk of the story, this book also delves into some fairly serious topics as well.
I think as an examination of the feelings and concerns someone on the cusp of adulthood may have, Solomon did a great job. It's a scary time, graduating high school and potentially leaving everything you have ever known behind.
It can be sad and scary, while also being exciting as you forge out on your own.
The dichotomy of those feelings can be incredibly confusing and I think the author did a phenomenal job of laying that out there.
Overall, I was really impressed with this. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves YA Contemporary stories.
I literally have no critiques. The more I think on it, the more I love it. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Rachel Lynn Solomon.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon Pulse, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. It was a blast!
October 17, 2022
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! 💃🏻💞💞
I want to wrap it in softest blankets, treating it chilled Chardonnay and strawberry cheesecake ice cream. ( that’s how I show my kindness to my loved ones. But of course my Chardonnay treat is limited with one glass😆)🥂🍨
This was the sweetest, smartest, most entertaining and also most thought provoking, brilliant novel and I can honestly say this is so far my favorite young adult reading.
It reminds you of Mindy Kalling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever’s frenemies rivalry between Devi and Ben.
At this book both Rowan and Neil are ambitious competitors, pushing each other’s limits for years and both of them are struggling when the graduation day comes because for years both of them’s most important plan is defeating the other so they both seem lost now! And you know what? they suddenly realize they will miss to push each other’s buttons.
Especially Rowan, child of successful writer parents who are famous with their children series, secretly wrote a romance novel, dreaming to become a writer even though both her parents and her best friends mock the romance novels, defining them as garbage. And of course her best friends’ decision to spend their family holiday excluding her increased her depression after hearing she lost valedictorian place to Neil.
She wrote a list when she was 14 for her future self and now she sees she couldn’t succeed anything from the list. She needs a backup plan and thankfully the traditional school game Howl: a vicious, action packed scavenger hunt gives her excellent opportunity to become a winner. She can kick ass of her long time nemesis and wipe the pretentious smile from his face forever with her victory dance.
But as soon as the competition starts, they reluctantly became partners because the other competitors are sick of their years long winnings.
This reluctance partnership slowly turns into something intimate as soon as they start to get rid of their emotional barriers and learn more each other’s lives. They realize maybe they never hated each other for years and they have so much things in common.
As you may imagine this is perfectly written enemies to friends and friends to lovers story. It’s about children’s struggles to get approval of their parents, dysfunctional family problems, friendship, people’s prejudice approaches to Jewish culture, future fear after moving on to your college life, sweet rivalry, obsession, realistic approach to VCard.
Overall: I smiled so much and my cheeks still hurt but it’s truly worth it! I’m giving my five, absolutely well-deserved,feel good, swoon, soft , sweet, intelligent, emotional stars!
I want to wrap it in softest blankets, treating it chilled Chardonnay and strawberry cheesecake ice cream. ( that’s how I show my kindness to my loved ones. But of course my Chardonnay treat is limited with one glass😆)🥂🍨
This was the sweetest, smartest, most entertaining and also most thought provoking, brilliant novel and I can honestly say this is so far my favorite young adult reading.
It reminds you of Mindy Kalling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever’s frenemies rivalry between Devi and Ben.
At this book both Rowan and Neil are ambitious competitors, pushing each other’s limits for years and both of them are struggling when the graduation day comes because for years both of them’s most important plan is defeating the other so they both seem lost now! And you know what? they suddenly realize they will miss to push each other’s buttons.
Especially Rowan, child of successful writer parents who are famous with their children series, secretly wrote a romance novel, dreaming to become a writer even though both her parents and her best friends mock the romance novels, defining them as garbage. And of course her best friends’ decision to spend their family holiday excluding her increased her depression after hearing she lost valedictorian place to Neil.
She wrote a list when she was 14 for her future self and now she sees she couldn’t succeed anything from the list. She needs a backup plan and thankfully the traditional school game Howl: a vicious, action packed scavenger hunt gives her excellent opportunity to become a winner. She can kick ass of her long time nemesis and wipe the pretentious smile from his face forever with her victory dance.
But as soon as the competition starts, they reluctantly became partners because the other competitors are sick of their years long winnings.
This reluctance partnership slowly turns into something intimate as soon as they start to get rid of their emotional barriers and learn more each other’s lives. They realize maybe they never hated each other for years and they have so much things in common.
As you may imagine this is perfectly written enemies to friends and friends to lovers story. It’s about children’s struggles to get approval of their parents, dysfunctional family problems, friendship, people’s prejudice approaches to Jewish culture, future fear after moving on to your college life, sweet rivalry, obsession, realistic approach to VCard.
Overall: I smiled so much and my cheeks still hurt but it’s truly worth it! I’m giving my five, absolutely well-deserved,feel good, swoon, soft , sweet, intelligent, emotional stars!
May 26, 2020
Y'all, I have been anticipating this book since it was originally pitched as a "YA mix of the Hating Game + Dazed and Confused" and I am SO HAPPY TO SAY that this was exactly what I was hoping it would be and honestly just an all-around perfect YA contemporary for me. I laughed, I teared up, I SWOONED. It has my favorite trope (enemies to lovers) set in one of my favorite cities (Seattle) and it was just so perfect in every way. If you're looking for something fun to escape into this summer, look no further. I absolutely ADORED this and I think that you will, too!
TW: antisemitism
TW: antisemitism
March 21, 2023
2 Stars
This should have been a slam dunk for me ~ enemies-to-love, Seattle setting, and a YA rom-com. As it stands, I'm having a hard time finding things that I really liked. Mostly, it was mediocre to frustrating for me.
I was immediately bothered by the personality and attitude of the heroine. From experience with one of my favorite tropes, I know that first impressions and character personalities can shift, but I never really warmed up to Rowan or her personality. I had liked Neil more, but since the book was written with a single, 1st person narrative, I was limited to what Rowan observed or told me.
Beyond Rowan's characterization, there were too many agendas for one book and rather than inspiring, it felt forced and conspicuous. Below are examples of the many social agenda's presented once or multiple times throughout the book:
Jewish stereotyping/antisemitism
Feminism
Romance novel stereotyping
Veganism
Marijuana legality
Gender equality
Sex positivity
Alone or subtly explored, I can enjoy social issues being addressed in romantic fiction, but in this book I was overwhelmed with constantly being told about them, rather than shown. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t a big fan of the protagonist and had to endure her numerous expositions.
I know this next criticism will sound picky, but hear me out. I was taken aback by the chronic use of the F-word. I’m not necessarily a prude when it comes to language in a book, but the fact that it started to annoy me tells me that it was overused, especially in a YA book. Occasional use creates emphasis, while overuse simply becomes crass and unimaginative.
Overall, I had liked the idea of the story, as well as a deeper look into their families, but I think having Neil's POV would have helped shape the story a bit more and taken the sole focus away from the heroine.
March 30, 2021
The Written Review
New week, New BookTube Video - all about the best (and worst) literary couples
Unless you've been under a rock for the last four years, everyone knows Rowan and Neil hate each other.
It all started with a clash in class, then spiraled into student council elections and next thing you know, anything thing that could be construed as a competition because a life-or-death battle for Rowan and Neil.
When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan finds herself filled with...emptiness.
Four years of fighting tooth-and-nail and it's all over? Just like that?
Luckily there's one last time she'd be able to beat him - the Howl. A city-wide scavenger-hunt-ninja-assassination game that all the seniors get to play upon graduation.
And this time? She's not going to lose.
But when an unexpected alliance is formed, Rowan begins to wonder what (or who) she's truly afraid to lose.
Could there be more to their push-and-pull?
Overall, I thought this one was surprisingly cute.
I don't usually go for contemporaries but this one ended up working for me.
I thought I was going to have issues with Rowan and Neil with the way they were constantly at each other's throats but it ended up working pretty well in the book - a bit leaning towards banter opposed to straight-up arguing.
I thought the plot was fun and fast-paced.
And while I kind of kept thinking of all the reasons this would definitely NOT be allowed in modern era, it was enjoyable to watch them run across town and strategize against their "enemies".
I do wish the book had covered a bit more time (opposed to just the one day) but ah well.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
September 14, 2021
i wish this high school experience had been one of my high school experiences. sigh.
this is a really fun story, filled with academic rivalry, a city wide scavenger hunt, enemies becoming friends to only realise they are actually something more, and growing bonds between family and friends. its a cute story with some really good things to offer.
however, im personally not a fan of stories that take place during a set time frame, as its often too limiting. with this particular book, it takes place over the course of 24 hours, so we dont see anything that happened before that day or anything that happens after. because of that, its a lot of telling and no showing and it made me struggle to believe the any of the different stages of connection between rowan and neil.
overall, this is a lighthearted and entertaining story, i just personally would have loved to see it take place over throughout senior year, rather than just the last day of school.
↠ 3.5 stars
this is a really fun story, filled with academic rivalry, a city wide scavenger hunt, enemies becoming friends to only realise they are actually something more, and growing bonds between family and friends. its a cute story with some really good things to offer.
however, im personally not a fan of stories that take place during a set time frame, as its often too limiting. with this particular book, it takes place over the course of 24 hours, so we dont see anything that happened before that day or anything that happens after. because of that, its a lot of telling and no showing and it made me struggle to believe the any of the different stages of connection between rowan and neil.
overall, this is a lighthearted and entertaining story, i just personally would have loved to see it take place over throughout senior year, rather than just the last day of school.
↠ 3.5 stars
May 4, 2021
The thing about this book is that I only wanted one thing from it.
Nothing makes me feel summerier than a romantic YA contemporary, and nothing feels better than feeling summery.
And this was a fun romance that worked for me.
So even though the social issues felt very forcefully inserted, even though the other relationships in this book besides the central one fell by the wayside, even though overall this felt very tryhard...
I don't care about any of it.
Because romance.
Bottom line: For once I'm not picky ENOUGH!
-----------------
pre-review
okay. this was really cute.
like actually maybe too cute.
like i'm in pain.
review to come / 3.5 or dare i say even 4 stars
-----------------
tbr review
it's warm outside, so you know what that means: i'm about to spend the next 4 months only able to read contemporaries
Nothing makes me feel summerier than a romantic YA contemporary, and nothing feels better than feeling summery.
And this was a fun romance that worked for me.
So even though the social issues felt very forcefully inserted, even though the other relationships in this book besides the central one fell by the wayside, even though overall this felt very tryhard...
I don't care about any of it.
Because romance.
Bottom line: For once I'm not picky ENOUGH!
-----------------
pre-review
okay. this was really cute.
like actually maybe too cute.
like i'm in pain.
review to come / 3.5 or dare i say even 4 stars
-----------------
tbr review
it's warm outside, so you know what that means: i'm about to spend the next 4 months only able to read contemporaries
August 6, 2023
This book made me feel like I’m sitting all cozied up in bed with my favorite cup of tea. Aka I loved it.
.
.
.
This book is definitely a happy feeling and fun good vibes book. Just basically any synonym for good and happy and fun could describe this book.
I love rivals to lovers especially in the academic field and this book is no expedition. I loved reading about their past moments and seeing how they competed with each other but I also loved seeing how it developed into what they are currently going through.
Overall I was just smiling the entire time while reading this book. I loved the little romance as well as the riddles and the adventures.
Let’s not forget about the fact that these characters actually go through a lot of development and own up to their mistakes??? I know shocking. Not a lot of characters have to talk about their mistakes and apologize BUT YAYYY THEY HAD TO AND I LOVED IT!!!
The only reason this book isn’t getting 5 stars is because of something that was said in the last scene where I was just like ugh nooo because it just ruined the vibe and was wayyyyy too early.
Final rating. 4.5 stars
.
.
.
This book is definitely a happy feeling and fun good vibes book. Just basically any synonym for good and happy and fun could describe this book.
I love rivals to lovers especially in the academic field and this book is no expedition. I loved reading about their past moments and seeing how they competed with each other but I also loved seeing how it developed into what they are currently going through.
Overall I was just smiling the entire time while reading this book. I loved the little romance as well as the riddles and the adventures.
Let’s not forget about the fact that these characters actually go through a lot of development and own up to their mistakes??? I know shocking. Not a lot of characters have to talk about their mistakes and apologize BUT YAYYY THEY HAD TO AND I LOVED IT!!!
The only reason this book isn’t getting 5 stars is because of something that was said in the last scene where I was just like ugh nooo because it just ruined the vibe and was wayyyyy too early.
Final rating. 4.5 stars
March 24, 2023
2nd Read
God I love this book. It was a great distraction. Still unsure if I'm out of my mental/reading slump yet, but reading this made me happy and that's what matters right now.
<><><><><><><><>
“There’s this word in Japanese: tsundoku,” Neil says suddenly. “It’s my favorite word in any language.”
“What does it mean?”
He grins. “It means acquiring more books than you could ever realistically read.”
🠑 This books speaks to my soul 🠑
This book is my new comfort read and I am completely OBSESSED
Also, whenever someone mentions anything with the word freckles in it, I think of Neil. I have a book hangover lmao 💀
I have so many updates for this book it isn't even funny: I would literally have 364 of them if I wrote one for all the cute moments but I was able to refrain from doing so. You're welcome.
I read this book in one sitting, and I stayed up late into the night to do so, and it was well worth it! I haven't read books in one sitting a lot, which means that this book is special!
I love reading books with competitions in them, and this one was so much fun! It was like this book was made for me: academic rivals to lovers, the main characters loves to read and write romance novels, and oh my gosh, so many things in this book were so relatable and just freaking ADORABLE.
The romance in this book was so freaking cute, it made me laugh out loud and giggle SO MUCH. Neil is precious and I will protect him at all costs.
Rivals to reluctant allies to slow friends to lovers? PERFECTION WITH SPRINKLES ON TOP.
So, let's talk about Rowan. She is an incredibly relatable main character. As I said, she loves to read and write, and though I'm not smart enough to get in the top two of my class (In my dreams), apparently she cried over a book (so have I), she said she would use $5,000 to buy books (literally me if I weren't so broke).
Here's a quote: “As much as you love books, please don't forget about the outside world.”
HAHA. No.
The side characters are all great and diverse and I LOVE them.
And now. Neil. Freaking. McNair. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH IT'S HARD TO BREATHE. He's the sweetest human being ever and I want someone like him. He literally made me CRY out of how sweet he was. THAT'S NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. I've only ever cried over sad moments, and the only time I almost cried out of happiness was while reading the last chapter of The Queen of Nothing. He literally gave her a first edition of a book she loves, I CAN'T. He even gave her cream cheese. He CRIED in front of her. He has red hair and freckles. But I must admit, I was skeptical at first: his name is Neil and he wears fancy clothes to school. But I was wrong.
Rowan and Neil's relationship deserves more praise. They were so freaking cute, having to work together "reluctantly" but I could feel the chemistry from the beginning. They have now become one of my favorite couples. Also, she let him read her book, though she didn't trust anyone else 😭 Also again, that moment in the museum? 🤭 And then in Rowan's bedroom at the end? 😉
Overall, this was so cute, so sweet, I'm in love with Neil McNair, their chemistry was off the charts and I found literally no problems with this book.
“How do you tell the person you’ve spent four years trying to destroy that you have a crush on them?”
5 stars
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OH. MY. GOSH. THIS WAS LITERAL PERFECTION IN 364 PAGES. I READ THIS IN ONE SITTING, AND I LITERALLY JUST BOUGHT THIS BOOK TODAY. JUST A LITTLE NOTE THOUGH: NEIL MADE ME CRY. I'VE NEVER SHED HAPPY TEARS WHILE READING A BOOK BEFORE SO THIS IS NEW.
FANGIRLING RTC
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Pre-read: ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS I NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW
God I love this book. It was a great distraction. Still unsure if I'm out of my mental/reading slump yet, but reading this made me happy and that's what matters right now.
<><><><><><><><>
“There’s this word in Japanese: tsundoku,” Neil says suddenly. “It’s my favorite word in any language.”
“What does it mean?”
He grins. “It means acquiring more books than you could ever realistically read.”
🠑 This books speaks to my soul 🠑
This book is my new comfort read and I am completely OBSESSED
Also, whenever someone mentions anything with the word freckles in it, I think of Neil. I have a book hangover lmao 💀
I have so many updates for this book it isn't even funny: I would literally have 364 of them if I wrote one for all the cute moments but I was able to refrain from doing so. You're welcome.
I read this book in one sitting, and I stayed up late into the night to do so, and it was well worth it! I haven't read books in one sitting a lot, which means that this book is special!
I love reading books with competitions in them, and this one was so much fun! It was like this book was made for me: academic rivals to lovers, the main characters loves to read and write romance novels, and oh my gosh, so many things in this book were so relatable and just freaking ADORABLE.
The romance in this book was so freaking cute, it made me laugh out loud and giggle SO MUCH. Neil is precious and I will protect him at all costs.
Rivals to reluctant allies to slow friends to lovers? PERFECTION WITH SPRINKLES ON TOP.
So, let's talk about Rowan. She is an incredibly relatable main character. As I said, she loves to read and write, and though I'm not smart enough to get in the top two of my class (In my dreams), apparently she cried over a book (so have I), she said she would use $5,000 to buy books (literally me if I weren't so broke).
Here's a quote: “As much as you love books, please don't forget about the outside world.”
HAHA. No.
The side characters are all great and diverse and I LOVE them.
And now. Neil. Freaking. McNair. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH IT'S HARD TO BREATHE. He's the sweetest human being ever and I want someone like him. He literally made me CRY out of how sweet he was. THAT'S NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. I've only ever cried over sad moments, and the only time I almost cried out of happiness was while reading the last chapter of The Queen of Nothing. He literally gave her a first edition of a book she loves, I CAN'T. He even gave her cream cheese. He CRIED in front of her. He has red hair and freckles. But I must admit, I was skeptical at first: his name is Neil and he wears fancy clothes to school. But I was wrong.
Rowan and Neil's relationship deserves more praise. They were so freaking cute, having to work together "reluctantly" but I could feel the chemistry from the beginning. They have now become one of my favorite couples. Also, she let him read her book, though she didn't trust anyone else 😭 Also again, that moment in the museum? 🤭 And then in Rowan's bedroom at the end? 😉
Overall, this was so cute, so sweet, I'm in love with Neil McNair, their chemistry was off the charts and I found literally no problems with this book.
“How do you tell the person you’ve spent four years trying to destroy that you have a crush on them?”
5 stars
<><><><><><><><>
OH. MY. GOSH. THIS WAS LITERAL PERFECTION IN 364 PAGES. I READ THIS IN ONE SITTING, AND I LITERALLY JUST BOUGHT THIS BOOK TODAY. JUST A LITTLE NOTE THOUGH: NEIL MADE ME CRY. I'VE NEVER SHED HAPPY TEARS WHILE READING A BOOK BEFORE SO THIS IS NEW.
FANGIRLING RTC
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Pre-read: ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS I NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW
December 6, 2020
If art isn't already dead, it will be soon. I've never seen an author as hellbent on using a YA novel to spew social justice ideas and identity politics. Propaganda masquerading as a teen romance novel. I think Rowan had a poor attitude and was a far from likable protagonist. If I learned anything from this book, it is that I am honestly concerned for the generation of boys growing up in this era where they are hated, belittled, and made to feel lesser-then all because of their gender. This book is a heartbreaking commentary on a brand of "feminism" that does not want equality, but instead the oppression of the opposite sex.
The main male character, Neil, is called out for "mansplaining" when he is simply talking about something to friends. He immediately becomes silent. He's not allowed to like books by Hemingway or Dickens or Fitzgerald because the writers were white men. (I wasn't even going to write a review until the main character dissed Great Expectations. No one does that on my watch ;) Oh- and I am a girl by the way. College age, too.) In order to be seen as acceptable in this story, Neil has to confess to a liking of romance novels, I guess to somehow cleanse himself of his sin of enjoying Dickens. Rowan likes her school librarian simply because she put more books by women and people of color on the school reading list. If a book is good, why should it matter who wrote it? And, to build up a book, tearing another book or author down should not be necessary. Diversity becomes our weakness instead of our strength when we become so hyper focused on it that we can no longer live our lives with our own interests or fulfillment in mind, because we are so busy worrying that we have not consumed enough entertainment produced by women or people of color or any other group that happens to be trending support at the moment.
The attitudes towards sex were too much on top of everything else in this political cesspool of a book, with Rowan being rather "easy" just because if she has sex she'll be seen as a "slut" but if she doesn't, she'll be seen as a "prude" so she may as well just do what she wants. Why is she concerned with what other people think of her, and why is this okay to teach children? She should be concerned with knowing her own self worth rather than sleeping around and treating sex with a blasé attitude. And, if the author insisted on going down this route, she should have included information on the dangers of STDs/teen pregnancy for all of the young teens who just read this book and now think that sleeping around is perfectly safe. While many teens will do this regardless, there is no need for more external resources to be desensitizing them to potentially harmful and regrettable actions.
Also, the random drug scene where they take some edibles before seeing an exhibit at the zoo seemed a bit unnecessary. Especially considering that they then drove after the incident. Great habits to normalize for teens whose brains are still developing.
Bottom line, if you want to write a book like this, make the characters college students. And, if you want to read this, be prepared for countless "f-bombs" (a few are fine, but this was like, a few on every page at some points) and lots of "toxic masculinity", "mens rights are fake", and "every classic book should be called 'White Man in Peril' because they're all the same." When I saw that this book had such high ratings, I swear a little piece of me nearly died. It's 2020. We can do better. Is this the politically correct, male-hating society that we want to build for future generations? For the love of God, not every book has to be a modern political statement. I'll stick with Charles Dickens.
The main male character, Neil, is called out for "mansplaining" when he is simply talking about something to friends. He immediately becomes silent. He's not allowed to like books by Hemingway or Dickens or Fitzgerald because the writers were white men. (I wasn't even going to write a review until the main character dissed Great Expectations. No one does that on my watch ;) Oh- and I am a girl by the way. College age, too.) In order to be seen as acceptable in this story, Neil has to confess to a liking of romance novels, I guess to somehow cleanse himself of his sin of enjoying Dickens. Rowan likes her school librarian simply because she put more books by women and people of color on the school reading list. If a book is good, why should it matter who wrote it? And, to build up a book, tearing another book or author down should not be necessary. Diversity becomes our weakness instead of our strength when we become so hyper focused on it that we can no longer live our lives with our own interests or fulfillment in mind, because we are so busy worrying that we have not consumed enough entertainment produced by women or people of color or any other group that happens to be trending support at the moment.
The attitudes towards sex were too much on top of everything else in this political cesspool of a book, with Rowan being rather "easy" just because if she has sex she'll be seen as a "slut" but if she doesn't, she'll be seen as a "prude" so she may as well just do what she wants. Why is she concerned with what other people think of her, and why is this okay to teach children? She should be concerned with knowing her own self worth rather than sleeping around and treating sex with a blasé attitude. And, if the author insisted on going down this route, she should have included information on the dangers of STDs/teen pregnancy for all of the young teens who just read this book and now think that sleeping around is perfectly safe. While many teens will do this regardless, there is no need for more external resources to be desensitizing them to potentially harmful and regrettable actions.
Also, the random drug scene where they take some edibles before seeing an exhibit at the zoo seemed a bit unnecessary. Especially considering that they then drove after the incident. Great habits to normalize for teens whose brains are still developing.
Bottom line, if you want to write a book like this, make the characters college students. And, if you want to read this, be prepared for countless "f-bombs" (a few are fine, but this was like, a few on every page at some points) and lots of "toxic masculinity", "mens rights are fake", and "every classic book should be called 'White Man in Peril' because they're all the same." When I saw that this book had such high ratings, I swear a little piece of me nearly died. It's 2020. We can do better. Is this the politically correct, male-hating society that we want to build for future generations? For the love of God, not every book has to be a modern political statement. I'll stick with Charles Dickens.
Read
November 22, 2020Release day update:
Today Tonight Tomorrow is officially out in the world, and I'm so thrilled to share that it's Barnes & Noble's YA Book Club pick for August!!
Update:
Today Tonight Tomorrow's publication date has been moved to July 28, 2020 as a result of the pandemic. I'm sorry it'll take a bit longer, but I'm still so excited for you to meet Rowan and Neil this summer! Stay safe and be well 💙
Earlier updates:
Hi! This book was so incredibly fun to write, and I can't wait to share it in summer 2020. While it's contemporary YA like my first two books, it's a romantic comedy (complete with a happy ending) and thus significantly more upbeat. Some facts about it:
• It's an enemies-to-lovers (or more accurately, rivals-to-lovers) romance.
• It takes place in 24 hours on the last day of senior year.
• The protagonist, Rowan, wants to write romance novels, and there's a lot of discussion about them as valid pieces of literature and the way society is quick to tear down the interests of women and teens.
• The love interest, Neil, loves words and wants to study linguistics. He's both infuriating and awkward, and he has red hair and many, many freckles.
• Rowan is anxious about leaving Seattle and high school behind, while Neil can't wait to get out.
• Both Rowan and Neil are Jewish.
• Some of my inspirations: The Hating Game and the movies Dazed & Confused and Before Sunrise.
Today Tonight Tomorrow is officially out in the world, and I'm so thrilled to share that it's Barnes & Noble's YA Book Club pick for August!!
Update:
Today Tonight Tomorrow's publication date has been moved to July 28, 2020 as a result of the pandemic. I'm sorry it'll take a bit longer, but I'm still so excited for you to meet Rowan and Neil this summer! Stay safe and be well 💙
Earlier updates:
Hi! This book was so incredibly fun to write, and I can't wait to share it in summer 2020. While it's contemporary YA like my first two books, it's a romantic comedy (complete with a happy ending) and thus significantly more upbeat. Some facts about it:
• It's an enemies-to-lovers (or more accurately, rivals-to-lovers) romance.
• It takes place in 24 hours on the last day of senior year.
• The protagonist, Rowan, wants to write romance novels, and there's a lot of discussion about them as valid pieces of literature and the way society is quick to tear down the interests of women and teens.
• The love interest, Neil, loves words and wants to study linguistics. He's both infuriating and awkward, and he has red hair and many, many freckles.
• Rowan is anxious about leaving Seattle and high school behind, while Neil can't wait to get out.
• Both Rowan and Neil are Jewish.
• Some of my inspirations: The Hating Game and the movies Dazed & Confused and Before Sunrise.
July 18, 2024
3.5 stars ⭐️
⤷ minor spoilers ahead!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
the academic rivalry between rowan and neil was only briefly touched upon at the start of the book, and the misunderstanding at the end made me want to bang my head against the table. their relationship moved too fast as well imo, but it was still a cute and enjoyable high school romance read overall!! 🥰
“You’re ambitious, clever, interesting, and beautiful. I put “beautiful” last because for some reason, I have a feeling you’d roll you eyes if I wrote it first. But you are. You’re beautiful and adorable and so fucking charming. And you have this energy that radiates off you, a shimmering optimism I wish I could borrow for myself sometimes… I am in love with you, Rowan Roth.”
“I love you too… I’m in love with you, Neil McNair—Neil Perlman— and I think maybe I’ve been in love with you for a long time. It just took my brain a while to catch up to my heart. I don’t know how I missed it, but you are pretty fucking great.”
pre-read:
academic rivals to lovers??! say less!! 🩵
⤷ minor spoilers ahead!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
the academic rivalry between rowan and neil was only briefly touched upon at the start of the book, and the misunderstanding at the end made me want to bang my head against the table. their relationship moved too fast as well imo, but it was still a cute and enjoyable high school romance read overall!! 🥰
“You’re ambitious, clever, interesting, and beautiful. I put “beautiful” last because for some reason, I have a feeling you’d roll you eyes if I wrote it first. But you are. You’re beautiful and adorable and so fucking charming. And you have this energy that radiates off you, a shimmering optimism I wish I could borrow for myself sometimes… I am in love with you, Rowan Roth.”
“I love you too… I’m in love with you, Neil McNair—Neil Perlman— and I think maybe I’ve been in love with you for a long time. It just took my brain a while to catch up to my heart. I don’t know how I missed it, but you are pretty fucking great.”
pre-read:
academic rivals to lovers??! say less!! 🩵
March 11, 2024
꒰ 3.5 stars ꒱ؘ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
this was such a cute book💐😮💨 it's a romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of 24 hours, the two rivals in question are Rowan Roth (the fmc) and Neil McNair (the LI).
The build-up was good, I enjoyed their little witty banters and how they slowly open up to each other.
Then there was something the fmc said to hurt Neil which I'm still a little salty about����If I were him I would have gained +50 of more trust issues, packed my bags and left😙okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic...
another thing is that I wished we would have seen them more together as a couple, I wanted to read a bit more of them🤕heard there's going to be a book#2 hehe, can't wait to get to that!!💫💫
other than that I think it was worth reading, medium/ fast paged and easy to read.
So if you still haven't read this, you should def give Rowan and Neil a chance🤞🏼🫂
*:･ﾟA SONG MADE FOR THEMೀ⋆｡
Genius
by LSD ♥︎
⇄ ◁◁ 𝚰𝚰 ▷▷ ↻
⁰⁰'²⁵ ━━●━━───── ⁰²'⁰⁸
⋆🖇₊˚ tropes
𓋼 frenemies to lovers
𓋼 academic rivals
~vibes~
────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────
rec from my bb giulyy: thank you pretty, this was much better than my expectations🫶🏼
「also the fmc's name is Rowan and her nickname is RoRo?! totally won't imagine my star roro as her🤝🏼」
“My favourite books got happily-ever-afters— why couldn’t I?”
this was such a cute book💐😮💨 it's a romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of 24 hours, the two rivals in question are Rowan Roth (the fmc) and Neil McNair (the LI).
The build-up was good, I enjoyed their little witty banters and how they slowly open up to each other.
Then there was something the fmc said to hurt Neil which I'm still a little salty about����If I were him I would have gained +50 of more trust issues, packed my bags and left😙okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic...
another thing is that I wished we would have seen them more together as a couple, I wanted to read a bit more of them🤕heard there's going to be a book#2 hehe, can't wait to get to that!!💫💫
other than that I think it was worth reading, medium/ fast paged and easy to read.
So if you still haven't read this, you should def give Rowan and Neil a chance🤞🏼🫂
“There’s this word in Japanese: tsundoku,” Neil says suddenly.
“It’s my favorite word in any language.”
“What does it mean?”
He grins. “It means acquiring more books than you could ever
realistically read.”
*:･ﾟA SONG MADE FOR THEMೀ⋆｡
Genius
by LSD ♥︎
⇄ ◁◁ 𝚰𝚰 ▷▷ ↻
⁰⁰'²⁵ ━━●━━───── ⁰²'⁰⁸
⋆🖇₊˚ tropes
𓋼 frenemies to lovers
𓋼 academic rivals
~vibes~
────────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────
rec from my bb giulyy: thank you pretty, this was much better than my expectations🫶🏼
「also the fmc's name is Rowan and her nickname is RoRo?! totally won't imagine my star roro as her🤝🏼」
November 18, 2020
7/28/2020:
HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO THIS GEM! So excited to foist this on all my friends so we can Zoom-gush together 💙💙💙
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
This book has my WHOLE. DAMN. HEART. It's like the love child of Booksmart and The Hating Game, but also just so uniquely Rachel Lynn Solomon??
Today Tonight Tomorrow reminds me of all the reasons I absolutely love contemporary YA fic. It’s witty and uplifting and progressive. It shows characters inhabiting a reality very much like my own. People who share my insecurities and my passions. People who could be my friends, who I relate to today—but also who I could be, someday.
There are seriously too many things I adored about this book. It features such a diverse rep of characters. It toasts a beautifully eclectic tribute to Seattle (Nirvana, Gum Wall, quirky cafés named after Where'd You Go, Bernadette and all). It's got gorgeous book design—text bubbles and Messenger group chats, bucket lists and pizza receipts, even one tearjerking yearbook message.
What I loved best of all, though, was how this book touched on SO many important topics.
Today Tonight Tomorrow confronts anti-Semitism, bullying, and microaggressions. It affirms the unique comfort of connecting with someone who shares your religion, identity, and experience. And reading about the solidarity that Rowan and Neil found together as Jews in Seattle—it made my heart hurt. It made me stupid happy.
Sometimes I felt it was a little too on-the-nose with social justice issues, a little too direct. Even so: This book crafts characters who are self-aware, self-deprecating, and capable of complexity. Rowan’s a passionate feminist who’s unafraid to admit she wants someone to love, a straight-A student who has sex in cars. Neil geeks out over etymology, turns into a snarky tomato around Rowan, and loves his little sister; he’s also ashamed of several aspects of his home life.
With banter and compassion, Rowan and Neil challenge each other to be vulnerable, take risks, and grow ever closer to the best versions of themselves. There are humbling moments when Rowan owns up to being a shitty friend to her best friends, and Neil apologizes for hurting her feelings. This sort of honesty was SO refreshing to read.
AND—this book speaks openly and frankly about sex!! To which I say: YES TO SEX POSITIVITY. MASTURBATING. ASKING IF THIS IS OKAY. REHASHING THE NIGHT. BEING AWKWARD. BEING AFFECTIONATE. ALL OF IT—YES.
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
UPDATE 8/12/2020: The reason I've changed my review from 5 to 4 stars is bc I still can't get over the at the end??? Like I get that maybe . Gah. Doesn't diminish my love for this book or its characters, though—I still loved this one, and I really think you will too.
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME… I will be recapping Rowan/Neil highlights via Booksmart gifs **all spoilers are tagged**
When they co-led the student council meeting that lasted until midnight—
When Rowan breaks the physical-touch barrier for the first time and comforts Neil about his dad—
Anytime Rowan talks about the epicness of romance novels (and how empowering they can be for women)—
When they and it was so ANGSTY—
When they finally acknowledge the everyone else has known since forever—
When Rowan tackles Brady Becker and —
When Rowan calls Savannah out for making that comment about her nose—
When Chekhov's condom comes into play like I KNEW it would—
And last but not least: when they accept all of the uncertainty that comes with happily-ever-after…
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
these are the songs i'm bopping to while reading Today Tonight Tomorrow
...aka Booksmart but make it ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS
💫 Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this e-ARC!
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
This book has my WHOLE. DAMN. HEART. It's like the love child of Booksmart and The Hating Game, but also just so uniquely Rachel Lynn Solomon??
Today Tonight Tomorrow reminds me of all the reasons I absolutely love contemporary YA fic. It’s witty and uplifting and progressive. It shows characters inhabiting a reality very much like my own. People who share my insecurities and my passions. People who could be my friends, who I relate to today—but also who I could be, someday.
There are seriously too many things I adored about this book. It features such a diverse rep of characters. It toasts a beautifully eclectic tribute to Seattle (Nirvana, Gum Wall, quirky cafés named after Where'd You Go, Bernadette and all). It's got gorgeous book design—text bubbles and Messenger group chats, bucket lists and pizza receipts, even one tearjerking yearbook message.
What I loved best of all, though, was how this book touched on SO many important topics.
Today Tonight Tomorrow confronts anti-Semitism, bullying, and microaggressions. It affirms the unique comfort of connecting with someone who shares your religion, identity, and experience. And reading about the solidarity that Rowan and Neil found together as Jews in Seattle—it made my heart hurt. It made me stupid happy.
There is so much I love about Judaism, the history and the food and the sound of the prayers, but it isolates me, too. Yet here’s someone I labeled as an enemy who was maybe feeling isolated in the same way.
Sometimes I felt it was a little too on-the-nose with social justice issues, a little too direct. Even so: This book crafts characters who are self-aware, self-deprecating, and capable of complexity. Rowan’s a passionate feminist who’s unafraid to admit she wants someone to love, a straight-A student who has sex in cars. Neil geeks out over etymology, turns into a snarky tomato around Rowan, and loves his little sister; he’s also ashamed of several aspects of his home life.
With banter and compassion, Rowan and Neil challenge each other to be vulnerable, take risks, and grow ever closer to the best versions of themselves. There are humbling moments when Rowan owns up to being a shitty friend to her best friends, and Neil apologizes for hurting her feelings. This sort of honesty was SO refreshing to read.
AND—this book speaks openly and frankly about sex!! To which I say: YES TO SEX POSITIVITY. MASTURBATING. ASKING IF THIS IS OKAY. REHASHING THE NIGHT. BEING AWKWARD. BEING AFFECTIONATE. ALL OF IT—YES.
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
UPDATE 8/12/2020: The reason I've changed my review from 5 to 4 stars is bc I still can't get over the at the end??? Like I get that maybe . Gah. Doesn't diminish my love for this book or its characters, though—I still loved this one, and I really think you will too.
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME… I will be recapping Rowan/Neil highlights via Booksmart gifs **all spoilers are tagged**
When they co-led the student council meeting that lasted until midnight—
When Rowan breaks the physical-touch barrier for the first time and comforts Neil about his dad—
Anytime Rowan talks about the epicness of romance novels (and how empowering they can be for women)—
When they and it was so ANGSTY—
When they finally acknowledge the everyone else has known since forever—
When Rowan tackles Brady Becker and —
When Rowan calls Savannah out for making that comment about her nose—
When Chekhov's condom comes into play like I KNEW it would—
And last but not least: when they accept all of the uncertainty that comes with happily-ever-after…
◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️◻️
these are the songs i'm bopping to while reading Today Tonight Tomorrow
...aka Booksmart but make it ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS
💫 Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this e-ARC!
June 11, 2022
4.25 ⭐️ this was so fun & cute!! academic rivals? sign me tf up 💅🏻 I loved the game & the characters, and I specially loved the discussion of romance novels and how important they are to women. this was the type of book that u could keep reading until the end of time. I wish it didn’t just abruptly end tho?? like epilogue where?? graduation? speeches? nothing? I would’ve liked to see where the couple was at a couple years later. regardless a very fun read.
“artoo & mcnightmare” <3
“artoo & mcnightmare” <3
June 23, 2024
2024 update: I decided to reread Today Tonight Tomorrow to get ready for the just-released sequel, [Past Present Future]. My original review is below, but to cut to the chase: This book ... this book just gave me all the feels. Rowan is a great, well-written character, and her feelings and interactions with Neil ring true at every turn. Like Rowan and Neil, my wife and I knew each other for years in school but weren’t really friends, and then fell for each other during our Senior year, so the story felt surprisingly personal in a lot of places. But it’s much more than that. Today Tonight Tomorrow really captures the feelings and insecurities of that unique time in your life around high school graduation. When you really cared about whether or not you went to Prom or had that perfect high school girlfriend or boyfriend. When your feelings are so raw and jumbled that you keep pushing someone away because you might just be the last person to realize that you’re actually interested in them. That rush of feelings of first love, and the leap of faith you have to take just before you tell them. It’s an adorably sweet, and very funny, YA novel that will leave you happier than when you started it. Highly recommended.
Original review:
Rowan Roth has a lot of things happening on her last day of high school. Will she be named valedictorian, or will that honor go to her arch rival and nemesis, Neil McNair? There’s the Howl, a game for the graduating Seniors that’s one part Senior Tag and one part scavenger hunt around Seattle. She also has plans to go to a book signing for her favorite author, a romance novelist who has inspired Rowan to write her own romance novel. And she’s feeling nostalgic about leaving Seattle for college, worried about whether her friendships will survive, and scared that her parents won’t approve of her plans to try for a career as a romance novelist.
Oh, and she’s finally realizing that she might just be in love with Neil. So yeah, Rowan’s going to have a pretty dramatic 24 hours.
Today Tonight Tomorrow works especially well because it grafts a few specific ideas and themes on top of the love story. The Senior Tag/scavenger hunt creates a fun portrait of the city of Seattle (“He’s wearing Seattle’s official flag, a plaid flannel shirt”). The story also explores the experience of being Jewish in any American town or city where that is rare, and the unique challenges and choices it creates. Rowan’s interest in being a writer allows for some discussion of the emotional risks for people (especially women) who try for a career in a creative field.
Finally, the fact that Rowan wants to write romance novels allows for Today Tonight Tomorrow to operate at a meta-level as a defense of romance novels as a genre. Now, I’m not sure how rare this discussion actually is. I don’t read many romance novels, but I’ve reading more of them lately because ... *gestures broadly* ... and this book is at least the third one (also Beach Read and The Bromance Book Club) that has this discussion. Is every romance novel so defensive? Just the good ones that get popular enough that I read them? Or maybe just the ones that are themselves about romance novels? Anyway, for what it’s worth, I thought this book offered the best explanation of the merits of romances, summed up in a single sentence: “They’re fun, and they’re emotional, and they have better character development than most other books out there.”
But the last couple of paragraphs, while true, have over-complicated this review. This book ... this book just gave me all the feels. Rowan is a great, well-written character, and her feelings and interactions with Neil ring true at every turn. Like Rowan and Neil, my wife and I knew each other for years in school but weren’t really friends, and then fell for each other during our Senior year, so the story felt surprisingly personal in a lot of places. But it’s much more than that. Today Tonight Tomorrow really captures the feelings and insecurities of that unique time in your life around high school graduation. When you really cared about whether or not you went to Prom or had that perfect high school girlfriend or boyfriend. When your feelings are so raw and jumbled that you keep pushing someone away because you might just be the last person to realize that you’re actually interested in them. That rush of feelings of first love, and the leap of faith you have to take just before you tell them. It’s an adorably sweet, and very funny, YA novel that will leave you happier than when you started it. Highly recommended.
Original review:
Opposites attract is my favorite trope, so it made sense to start there. Because, of course, the thing about opposites: they always have a lot more in common than they think.
Rowan Roth has a lot of things happening on her last day of high school. Will she be named valedictorian, or will that honor go to her arch rival and nemesis, Neil McNair? There’s the Howl, a game for the graduating Seniors that’s one part Senior Tag and one part scavenger hunt around Seattle. She also has plans to go to a book signing for her favorite author, a romance novelist who has inspired Rowan to write her own romance novel. And she’s feeling nostalgic about leaving Seattle for college, worried about whether her friendships will survive, and scared that her parents won’t approve of her plans to try for a career as a romance novelist.
Oh, and she’s finally realizing that she might just be in love with Neil. So yeah, Rowan’s going to have a pretty dramatic 24 hours.
Today Tonight Tomorrow works especially well because it grafts a few specific ideas and themes on top of the love story. The Senior Tag/scavenger hunt creates a fun portrait of the city of Seattle (“He’s wearing Seattle’s official flag, a plaid flannel shirt”). The story also explores the experience of being Jewish in any American town or city where that is rare, and the unique challenges and choices it creates. Rowan’s interest in being a writer allows for some discussion of the emotional risks for people (especially women) who try for a career in a creative field.
Finally, the fact that Rowan wants to write romance novels allows for Today Tonight Tomorrow to operate at a meta-level as a defense of romance novels as a genre. Now, I’m not sure how rare this discussion actually is. I don’t read many romance novels, but I’ve reading more of them lately because ... *gestures broadly* ... and this book is at least the third one (also Beach Read and The Bromance Book Club) that has this discussion. Is every romance novel so defensive? Just the good ones that get popular enough that I read them? Or maybe just the ones that are themselves about romance novels? Anyway, for what it’s worth, I thought this book offered the best explanation of the merits of romances, summed up in a single sentence: “They’re fun, and they’re emotional, and they have better character development than most other books out there.”
But the last couple of paragraphs, while true, have over-complicated this review. This book ... this book just gave me all the feels. Rowan is a great, well-written character, and her feelings and interactions with Neil ring true at every turn. Like Rowan and Neil, my wife and I knew each other for years in school but weren’t really friends, and then fell for each other during our Senior year, so the story felt surprisingly personal in a lot of places. But it’s much more than that. Today Tonight Tomorrow really captures the feelings and insecurities of that unique time in your life around high school graduation. When you really cared about whether or not you went to Prom or had that perfect high school girlfriend or boyfriend. When your feelings are so raw and jumbled that you keep pushing someone away because you might just be the last person to realize that you’re actually interested in them. That rush of feelings of first love, and the leap of faith you have to take just before you tell them. It’s an adorably sweet, and very funny, YA novel that will leave you happier than when you started it. Highly recommended.
August 26, 2020
4.5 stars, rounded up.
So much to love about Rachel Lynn Solomon's new book, Today Tonight Tomorrow .
Neil and Rowan have been bitter rivals all four years of high school. From an essay contest freshman year, they’ve battled over everything—grades, SAT scores, pull-ups in gym class, college acceptances—they even had to be student council co-presidents. They constantly taunt and torture one another, and Rowan is hoping that today, the last day of high school, she’ll be named valedictorian over him.
When that doesn’t happen, she has one more chance to beat her rival, playing Howl, a senior-class game that is part scavenger hunt, part “assassin.” But when Rowan overhears a group of classmates talking about beating her and Neil together, she decides to pair up with him for one opportunity for them to finish one-two.
As they race all over Seattle for the game and take care of some other obligations along the way, they start to let their guard down with the other for the first time, and discover there’s more to like about their rivals than they ever knew. Both have been hiding secrets which few other people know, but for some reason they feel comfortable sharing them with each other. But what does that mean ultimately?
So rom-com fans know where this book is headed, but it has such charm and heart, it doesn’t matter that the plot is predictable. There were lots of things Solomon threw in the book to give the characters more depth and I loved them—some things aren’t typically discussed in YA rom-coms.
"But I do want something big and wild, something that fills my heart completely. I want a fraction of what Emma and Charlie or Lindley and Josef or Trisha and Rose have, even though they're fictional. I'm convinced that when you're with the right person, every date, every day feels that way."
This could be such a fun movie, with gorgeous Seattle as a backdrop and great music as a soundtrack. Hope someone is paying attention to that idea!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
So much to love about Rachel Lynn Solomon's new book, Today Tonight Tomorrow .
Neil and Rowan have been bitter rivals all four years of high school. From an essay contest freshman year, they’ve battled over everything—grades, SAT scores, pull-ups in gym class, college acceptances—they even had to be student council co-presidents. They constantly taunt and torture one another, and Rowan is hoping that today, the last day of high school, she’ll be named valedictorian over him.
When that doesn’t happen, she has one more chance to beat her rival, playing Howl, a senior-class game that is part scavenger hunt, part “assassin.” But when Rowan overhears a group of classmates talking about beating her and Neil together, she decides to pair up with him for one opportunity for them to finish one-two.
As they race all over Seattle for the game and take care of some other obligations along the way, they start to let their guard down with the other for the first time, and discover there’s more to like about their rivals than they ever knew. Both have been hiding secrets which few other people know, but for some reason they feel comfortable sharing them with each other. But what does that mean ultimately?
So rom-com fans know where this book is headed, but it has such charm and heart, it doesn’t matter that the plot is predictable. There were lots of things Solomon threw in the book to give the characters more depth and I loved them—some things aren’t typically discussed in YA rom-coms.
"But I do want something big and wild, something that fills my heart completely. I want a fraction of what Emma and Charlie or Lindley and Josef or Trisha and Rose have, even though they're fictional. I'm convinced that when you're with the right person, every date, every day feels that way."
This could be such a fun movie, with gorgeous Seattle as a backdrop and great music as a soundtrack. Hope someone is paying attention to that idea!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
January 4, 2022
✧･ ﾟ 5 stars ﾟ ･✧
“Crush’ is too weak a word to describe how I feel. It doesn’t do you justice, but maybe it works for me. I am the one who is crushed. I’m crushed that we have only ever regarded each other as enemies. I’m crushed when the day ends and I haven’t said anything to you that isn’t cloaked in five layers of sarcasm.”
Today Tonight Tomorrow is the perfect romance story. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair are academic rivals, having competed against each other through high school, the ultimate prize is valedictorian, and as Neil wins, Rowan sees the opportunity to best him in the senior class game. Their chemistry is noticeable right away, their conversations are incredibly witty and quick, charming the reader and making you want them to be together.
I immediately identified with Rowan, with her love for writing and reading romance novels, desire for academic achievement, struggle with relationships, and idealistic thoughts that self-sabotage many opportunities. Her passion for romance novels was one of the main themes in the book, and it was portrayed brilliantly. The romance genre is usually depicted as weak and meaningless, romance readers are often told that they’re less smart, and people often make you feel bad for liking it. This book defies all those stereotypes and defends the romance genre through Rowan in the best way.
Neil was such a sweetheart; he’s smart, clever, and loves to read. While he almost passes off as cocky and arrogant, he is very soft and caring. He is unlike any male love interest I’ve ever read, and just overall so imperfectly perfect. Can we please talk about the yearbook note? Oh my God, it was the most beautiful letter I’ve ever read, I was screaming and crying and everything all at once! Also, they’re the same height! I absolutely loved that because I kept imagining them fitting perfectly, just agh so cute.
The plot was simple but amazingly written, set in their last day of senior year of high school. Through the day they play the senior class game, while going from rivals to reluctant allies to friends to lovers. The author includes some flashback scenes of their interactions through the years, adding depth to their relationship, making the reader fall in love with them even more. The pacing was perfect, it was quick and easy to read, but complex in its own way. It never felt like one scene was unnecessary, or rushed, even though all happens in one day.
Howl, the game, was a scavenger hunt through Seattle; it showed the different special landscapes for locals and unique places the city had to offer. The imagery of the city was truly wonderful to read, it immersed you in the story, making it feel so real. As the plot developed, the author seamlessly incorporated topics that added complexity to the story and unraveled them in such a brilliant way. It just made me love the book even more.
This novel was everything I wanted to read and more! It truly warmed my heart and made me so incredibly happy. The experience of reading this doesn’t compare to any other book ever, and I will cherish it forever. Rachel Lynn Solomon made me fall in love with this wonderful story and it became one of my favourites immediately!
✧･ ﾟ ﾟ ･✧
my spotify
“Crush’ is too weak a word to describe how I feel. It doesn’t do you justice, but maybe it works for me. I am the one who is crushed. I’m crushed that we have only ever regarded each other as enemies. I’m crushed when the day ends and I haven’t said anything to you that isn’t cloaked in five layers of sarcasm.”
Today Tonight Tomorrow is the perfect romance story. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair are academic rivals, having competed against each other through high school, the ultimate prize is valedictorian, and as Neil wins, Rowan sees the opportunity to best him in the senior class game. Their chemistry is noticeable right away, their conversations are incredibly witty and quick, charming the reader and making you want them to be together.
I immediately identified with Rowan, with her love for writing and reading romance novels, desire for academic achievement, struggle with relationships, and idealistic thoughts that self-sabotage many opportunities. Her passion for romance novels was one of the main themes in the book, and it was portrayed brilliantly. The romance genre is usually depicted as weak and meaningless, romance readers are often told that they’re less smart, and people often make you feel bad for liking it. This book defies all those stereotypes and defends the romance genre through Rowan in the best way.
Neil was such a sweetheart; he’s smart, clever, and loves to read. While he almost passes off as cocky and arrogant, he is very soft and caring. He is unlike any male love interest I’ve ever read, and just overall so imperfectly perfect. Can we please talk about the yearbook note? Oh my God, it was the most beautiful letter I’ve ever read, I was screaming and crying and everything all at once! Also, they’re the same height! I absolutely loved that because I kept imagining them fitting perfectly, just agh so cute.
The plot was simple but amazingly written, set in their last day of senior year of high school. Through the day they play the senior class game, while going from rivals to reluctant allies to friends to lovers. The author includes some flashback scenes of their interactions through the years, adding depth to their relationship, making the reader fall in love with them even more. The pacing was perfect, it was quick and easy to read, but complex in its own way. It never felt like one scene was unnecessary, or rushed, even though all happens in one day.
Howl, the game, was a scavenger hunt through Seattle; it showed the different special landscapes for locals and unique places the city had to offer. The imagery of the city was truly wonderful to read, it immersed you in the story, making it feel so real. As the plot developed, the author seamlessly incorporated topics that added complexity to the story and unraveled them in such a brilliant way. It just made me love the book even more.
This novel was everything I wanted to read and more! It truly warmed my heart and made me so incredibly happy. The experience of reading this doesn’t compare to any other book ever, and I will cherish it forever. Rachel Lynn Solomon made me fall in love with this wonderful story and it became one of my favourites immediately!
✧･ ﾟ ﾟ ･✧
my spotify
July 12, 2020
Rachel Lynn Solomon's first two books were hard hitting, bitter sweet books so when I learned that her newest one would be light & fun, I was ready.
It did not disappoint either! This book takes place in a day and is fun and romantic and gives you all the Seattle vibes! It made my 10 things I hate about you heart so happy.
Also I Love how Solomon weaves the Jewish faith into each one of her books. I don't know nearly enough about the Jewish faith and I always appreciate learning more.
A fun book that's def. a new favorite!
It did not disappoint either! This book takes place in a day and is fun and romantic and gives you all the Seattle vibes! It made my 10 things I hate about you heart so happy.
Also I Love how Solomon weaves the Jewish faith into each one of her books. I don't know nearly enough about the Jewish faith and I always appreciate learning more.
A fun book that's def. a new favorite!
December 29, 2021
Academic rivals to reluctant allies to friends to lovers. Nuff said.
September 7, 2023
•*⁀➷ tonight, today
tomorrow ! ༉‧₊˚
— by rachel lynn solomon
— 4.75 stars out of 5 ☆
➸ oh how i love the academic rivals-to-lovers trope. today tonight tomorrow proves that trope is THE trope. neil and rowan have every inch of my heart and soul. their story was so hopeful.
➸ rachel lynn solomon really knew how to portray the last day of school, especially the last day of senior year in high school. from the yearbook signings to the discussions of summer plans, to the mentions of assemblies and graduation ceremonies— it truly felt like i, myself, was reliving those memories of my own school experience. there was something so nostalgically comforting about how rowan was afraid of letting everything go— she was vulnerable and genuinely afraid about starting her new life as an adult and i genuinely found myself resonating with that.
➸ there was something so beautiful and charismatic about the relationship neil and rowan had. their personalities found such a captivating way to blend with each other, i absolutely adored the way they played off with each other. neil and rowan were able to find so much common ground (that they didn’t originally realize) and it ultimately made their relationship stronger.
➸ i absolutely cherished and adored how careful neil and rowan were about each other insecurities. there were things neil and rowan both had previously teased each other about, without truly realizing or even knowing that it was a soft spot or insecurity for the other party. the very moment they found out about a specific insecurity, they apologized and proceeded to discuss that topic with positivity and love. (a prime example being neil, his freckles, and rowan, her romance novels) even though there were “rivals”, “enemies”, or “competitors” they still spoke to each other with respect— it was a perfect foundation for their romantic relationship.
➸ these side characters were genuinely everything— i would read an entire series about kirby and mara. they brought the perfect energy to the book and gave that “small friend circle” feel about school, it was comforting and oddly validating.
➸ the discussions about the future and life after high school and before college originally made me uneasy, for i, myself, find myself in a similar situation to neil and rowan’s individual cases. seeing their open struggles and their distinct fears about growing up, not being excepted for doing what you love, and worrying about responsibility brought me unspeakable volumes of consolation. the message of this book brought me a lot more joy and comfort than i originally thought.
➸ this book ultimately feels like high school musical: senior year but if troy and gabriella were academic rivals who had been in love with each other forever. i ate up every last bit of this book, i absolutely adored it. an instant five stars. this was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. this was my first impression of rachel lynn solomon and it was a fantastic one, i cannot wait to read more of her work.
tomorrow ! ༉‧₊˚
— by rachel lynn solomon
— 4.75 stars out of 5 ☆
“i’m in love with you. you are the most interesting person i know, and i’ve never been able to talk to anyone the way i can talk to you. i’ve devoted the past four years to leaving seattle, but you… you are the best thing about this city. you are going to be the hardest to leave. i love you so much.”
➸ oh how i love the academic rivals-to-lovers trope. today tonight tomorrow proves that trope is THE trope. neil and rowan have every inch of my heart and soul. their story was so hopeful.
➸ rachel lynn solomon really knew how to portray the last day of school, especially the last day of senior year in high school. from the yearbook signings to the discussions of summer plans, to the mentions of assemblies and graduation ceremonies— it truly felt like i, myself, was reliving those memories of my own school experience. there was something so nostalgically comforting about how rowan was afraid of letting everything go— she was vulnerable and genuinely afraid about starting her new life as an adult and i genuinely found myself resonating with that.
➸ there was something so beautiful and charismatic about the relationship neil and rowan had. their personalities found such a captivating way to blend with each other, i absolutely adored the way they played off with each other. neil and rowan were able to find so much common ground (that they didn’t originally realize) and it ultimately made their relationship stronger.
➸ i absolutely cherished and adored how careful neil and rowan were about each other insecurities. there were things neil and rowan both had previously teased each other about, without truly realizing or even knowing that it was a soft spot or insecurity for the other party. the very moment they found out about a specific insecurity, they apologized and proceeded to discuss that topic with positivity and love. (a prime example being neil, his freckles, and rowan, her romance novels) even though there were “rivals”, “enemies”, or “competitors” they still spoke to each other with respect— it was a perfect foundation for their romantic relationship.
➸ these side characters were genuinely everything— i would read an entire series about kirby and mara. they brought the perfect energy to the book and gave that “small friend circle” feel about school, it was comforting and oddly validating.
➸ the discussions about the future and life after high school and before college originally made me uneasy, for i, myself, find myself in a similar situation to neil and rowan’s individual cases. seeing their open struggles and their distinct fears about growing up, not being excepted for doing what you love, and worrying about responsibility brought me unspeakable volumes of consolation. the message of this book brought me a lot more joy and comfort than i originally thought.
➸ this book ultimately feels like high school musical: senior year but if troy and gabriella were academic rivals who had been in love with each other forever. i ate up every last bit of this book, i absolutely adored it. an instant five stars. this was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. this was my first impression of rachel lynn solomon and it was a fantastic one, i cannot wait to read more of her work.
May 8, 2022
This was a decent YA rom-com rival-turned-love book. 😘 Definitely predicted that outcome, but still entertaining to read. 😉
July 9, 2023
4 ⭐
I didn't have super high expectations going in, but I ended up really enjoying this!! 🤩🤩 Looking for a fast-paced, cute academic rivals to lovers romance? Then this is the book for you!! 💘💘
Today Tonight Tomorrow follows our mc Rowan Roth who has been competing with Neil McNair for her entire high school career. It is now their last day and there is one final competition between them- the senior game of Howl, a scavenger hunt-type thing that involves solving clues and 'killing' other players. When Rowan and Neil are forced to work together, she discovers she doesn't hate him quite as much as she thought she did- and maybe he doesn't either...
I feel like I'm really living for quick ya romances at the moment and this was a really fun one! 🥰 this was my second Rachel Lynn Solomon book (I've also read See You Yesterday) and this just proves she's a really great ya author!! 💘💘
There's lot to love about this book! ✨ I really liked both of our main characters- I thought their development throughout this book was really good and I was rooting for both of them 🤩🤩 both of them had issues to work through and I liked how they supported & encouraged each other 💕 The writing and story was also good!! 🥰 I read this super quickly bc the writing was soo easy to read and the plot definitely kept me invested. The game of Howl they played was so fun and entertaining ✨
Obviously the romance was also good 🥰🥰 this does take place within a short period of time and I know this bothers some people bc it feels like instalove- but in this book it didn't for me? The development of their relationship felt very natural to me and if you just ignore the 24hr time period it's fine 😅
But yeah I really liked Neil & Rowan as a couple! 💞 I love a good academic rivals to lovers and this was done well ✨ they had some really cute moments and I got really invested in them 🥺🥺💘💘 it wasn't the most realistic or whatever but I didn't really care 😂
Overall, a really fun read!! 🤩🤩 Would recommend if you want:
✔Academic rivals to lovers
✔Well developed characters
✔Interesting plot
✔Super cute romance
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought i would 💘
《 2023 Challenge: Book 88 of 110 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was really fun!! 🤩🤩 a super cute academic rivals to lovers with a believable romance 💗💗 I had a great time 🥰
RTC!
I didn't have super high expectations going in, but I ended up really enjoying this!! 🤩🤩 Looking for a fast-paced, cute academic rivals to lovers romance? Then this is the book for you!! 💘💘
Today Tonight Tomorrow follows our mc Rowan Roth who has been competing with Neil McNair for her entire high school career. It is now their last day and there is one final competition between them- the senior game of Howl, a scavenger hunt-type thing that involves solving clues and 'killing' other players. When Rowan and Neil are forced to work together, she discovers she doesn't hate him quite as much as she thought she did- and maybe he doesn't either...
I feel like I'm really living for quick ya romances at the moment and this was a really fun one! 🥰 this was my second Rachel Lynn Solomon book (I've also read See You Yesterday) and this just proves she's a really great ya author!! 💘💘
There's lot to love about this book! ✨ I really liked both of our main characters- I thought their development throughout this book was really good and I was rooting for both of them 🤩🤩 both of them had issues to work through and I liked how they supported & encouraged each other 💕 The writing and story was also good!! 🥰 I read this super quickly bc the writing was soo easy to read and the plot definitely kept me invested. The game of Howl they played was so fun and entertaining ✨
Obviously the romance was also good 🥰🥰 this does take place within a short period of time and I know this bothers some people bc it feels like instalove- but in this book it didn't for me? The development of their relationship felt very natural to me and if you just ignore the 24hr time period it's fine 😅
But yeah I really liked Neil & Rowan as a couple! 💞 I love a good academic rivals to lovers and this was done well ✨ they had some really cute moments and I got really invested in them 🥺🥺💘💘 it wasn't the most realistic or whatever but I didn't really care 😂
Overall, a really fun read!! 🤩🤩 Would recommend if you want:
✔Academic rivals to lovers
✔Well developed characters
✔Interesting plot
✔Super cute romance
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought i would 💘
《 2023 Challenge: Book 88 of 110 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was really fun!! 🤩🤩 a super cute academic rivals to lovers with a believable romance 💗💗 I had a great time 🥰
RTC!
February 15, 2022
OH MY JESUS. When it comes to rom coms theres a thin line between a good book and a rewrite of literally any sally thorne book. BUT this book omfg THIS BOOK. It was cute, witty and made my nerd heart smile and literally explode. Rowan and Neil are my academic rivals to lovers DREAM and literally are my favorite short couple LMAO. Their banter>>>> literally let me be insulted by either of them I would cry of hapiness. While they go all over seattle to find clues they develop like the cutest friendship ... then relationship ever and NEIL READS ROMANCE BOOKS EVERYONE HE WAS EMBARRASSED OF IT BUT HE DOES OMFG. and the whole thing is just so so perfect and at no time was I thinking "hm this is like another book ive read" its its own entirely amazing new thing.
July 8, 2021
“There’s this word in Japanese: tsundoku,” Neil says suddenly. “It’s my favorite word in any language.”
“What does it mean?”
He grins. “It means acquiring more books than you could ever realistically read.”
Academic rivals to lovers, an exciting end-of-the-year competition, unrequited love, secret yearning (and more) wrapped into an incredible book- WHY HAVEN’T YOU READ THIS YET? Better question, WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO FINALLY PICK THIS UP? I literally hate myself for not reading this earlier.
⇢The Plot
The plot of this novel was the perfect mix of simple and complex; the idea itself wasn’t anything crazy but the details and smaller plot lines added here and there are what made this fantastic. This was almost a coming of age, except it took place in the span of the day and had more romance than most coming-of-ages do. I loved following the two main characters on their short journey, and the competition was so fun and exciting that I wasn’t ever bored.
And as I mentioned, the smaller conflicts were what made this book as good as it was. I loved the feminism, the focus on Jewish culture, the focus on friendships, and the way that Rachel Lynn Solomon discussed topics that society considers taboo so unflinchingly.
⇢The Characters
I am wholeheartedly in love with Rowan Roth. She is by far one of the most relatable characters I have ever had the chance of reading about, and this book would not have been as fantastic as it was if not for her spunk, tenacity, and humour. And it was so nice that her interest/main hobby was writing, and specifically writing romance books, because it just suited her so well.
“While I love romance, I’ve never believed in the concept of soul mates, which has always seemed a little like men’s rights activism: not a real thing. Love isn’t immediate or automatic; it takes effort and time and patience.
The truth of it was that I’d probably never have the kind of luck with love the women who live in fictional seaside towns do. But sometimes I get this strange feeling, an ache not for something I miss, but for something I’ve never known.”
Honestly, people who look down on the romance genre NEED to read this book because all the things the author brought up about it were so true. Romance as a genre is something heavily associated with femininity and women, and as we know, society is sexist and frowns upon female-dominated industries. The book did an amazing job of incorporating that into the plot in a way that people will be able to understand. (And before anyone feels the need to comment this, of course you can dislike reading romance for whatever reason. But what’s not okay is hating on it for no reason and looking down on the genre just because you think the content is less serious or whatever. Just read the book, it explains all this better than I do.)
“Boy bands, fan fiction, soap operas, reality TV, most shows and movies with female main characters . . . We’re still so rarely front and center, even rarer when you consider race and sexuality, and then when we do get something that’s just for us, we’re made to feel bad for liking it. We can’t win.”
And I can’t not talk about Neil; he was the perfect other half for Rowan. I loved how many stereotypes his character defied; we need more love interests like him. AND Y’ALL- HE LIKES STAR WARS (my inner nerd is going crazy), HAS A GREAT MUSIC TASTE, READS, AND IS SMART?? EXCUSE ME?
⇢The Romance
Oh my god, the romance in this book was just so good. I think it’s obvious that I’m a romance fanatic, and the academic rivals to friends situation that went on in this book was so good. AND THAT YEARBOOK NOTE FROM NEIL?? I wanted to combust it was so cute.
*4.5
. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ❦ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .
MY SPOTIFY ❦
MY LINKTREE ❦
April 18, 2021
Update: this beautiful and amazing gem of a book is out now.
An exquisite book that manages to convey so many beautiful feelings at once. Today Tonight Tomorrow has a delicious format usually seen in movies, where all the events happen during the final day of high school for Rowan Roth and Neil McNair.
In the four years, they both have been attending the same school they have been rivals competing for everything, from grades, a position on the student council, science projects, and most recently the coveted position for valedictorian.
But, the last day also has a special celebration for all seniors, a game of HOWL - a scavenger hunt assassin game across the city of Seattle, with a major prize of 5 thousand dollars to the winner. And the battle to settle all scores between Rowan and Neil.
Although this is a brief synopsis of Today Tonight Tomorrow I can't begin to encapsulate here how this book is successful in relating those exact feelings that every graduate went through at some point. The giddiness of the last day, paired with fear, regrets, nostalgia, but deep excitement for what's to come. I can't praise Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing skills enough. I hear and talk about books that are unputdownable, this was more than that, I was glad to keep reading it even if it had over 900 pages and never wanted it to end. It was a complete delight to turn every page.
I loved how the game o HOWL made this a tribute to Seattle, where we got to follow the clues and guess the locations with the characters. Loved how Rowan has a great passion for romance novels and how throughout the book she goes from embarrassed about them to defending how important and successful the genre is. I loved the tiny details at the beginning of the chapters that added depth and context to the story.
Today Tonight Tomorrow was fun, refreshing, and clever. Definitely, a book that I will come back to and read whenever I want something witty and heartfelt. This is going straight to my favorites of the year list, and I can't recommend it enough.
Thank you so much Simon and Schuster for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
---
Previous update:
This book... It deserves all the stars, it freaking deserves a category of its own awesomeness. I love everything about this. It was so good I've been rendered speechless. I'll come back soon with a more intelligent review, but just know that for now, I can't get over how much I LOVED THIS. It was fun, smart, original, nostalgic, heartfelt, swoony, and spectacular all around.
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An exquisite book that manages to convey so many beautiful feelings at once. Today Tonight Tomorrow has a delicious format usually seen in movies, where all the events happen during the final day of high school for Rowan Roth and Neil McNair.
In the four years, they both have been attending the same school they have been rivals competing for everything, from grades, a position on the student council, science projects, and most recently the coveted position for valedictorian.
But, the last day also has a special celebration for all seniors, a game of HOWL - a scavenger hunt assassin game across the city of Seattle, with a major prize of 5 thousand dollars to the winner. And the battle to settle all scores between Rowan and Neil.
Although this is a brief synopsis of Today Tonight Tomorrow I can't begin to encapsulate here how this book is successful in relating those exact feelings that every graduate went through at some point. The giddiness of the last day, paired with fear, regrets, nostalgia, but deep excitement for what's to come. I can't praise Rachel Lynn Solomon's writing skills enough. I hear and talk about books that are unputdownable, this was more than that, I was glad to keep reading it even if it had over 900 pages and never wanted it to end. It was a complete delight to turn every page.
I loved how the game o HOWL made this a tribute to Seattle, where we got to follow the clues and guess the locations with the characters. Loved how Rowan has a great passion for romance novels and how throughout the book she goes from embarrassed about them to defending how important and successful the genre is. I loved the tiny details at the beginning of the chapters that added depth and context to the story.
Today Tonight Tomorrow was fun, refreshing, and clever. Definitely, a book that I will come back to and read whenever I want something witty and heartfelt. This is going straight to my favorites of the year list, and I can't recommend it enough.
Thank you so much Simon and Schuster for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Previous update:
This book... It deserves all the stars, it freaking deserves a category of its own awesomeness. I love everything about this. It was so good I've been rendered speechless. I'll come back soon with a more intelligent review, but just know that for now, I can't get over how much I LOVED THIS. It was fun, smart, original, nostalgic, heartfelt, swoony, and spectacular all around.
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May 22, 2022
dnf @ 55%
How this book is so high rated?? Rowan is so preachy and such a drama queen about the fact that she loves romance novels, saying that everyone will judge her for it (nobody really cares) and keeps repeating the same thing over and over.
Also, the dialogues seem forced and the book looks more like a monologue.
Neil is not bad, i kinda of liked him but Rowan is just so annoying and honestly I couldn’t keep reading this, she’s immature and acts like she’s 15 instead of 18 (I’m 20 and I felt old reading this).
How this book is so high rated?? Rowan is so preachy and such a drama queen about the fact that she loves romance novels, saying that everyone will judge her for it (nobody really cares) and keeps repeating the same thing over and over.
Also, the dialogues seem forced and the book looks more like a monologue.
Neil is not bad, i kinda of liked him but Rowan is just so annoying and honestly I couldn’t keep reading this, she’s immature and acts like she’s 15 instead of 18 (I’m 20 and I felt old reading this).
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