Scottie hasn’t quite gotten over the fact that her girlfriend Tally broke up with her and then transferred to the more exclusive, rival high school. (She also can't seem to get over Tally.) Facing Tally at a basketball game, Scottie and her team get humiliated, and she wants to get even.
Leaving the game, she gets into a fender-bender with Irene, head cheerleader and all-around queen bee, who caused one of Scottie’s most humiliating moments. When Irene is left without a car, it’s decided by the mothers of both girls that Scottie can drive Irene to school—much to both of their displeasure.
Scottie quickly sees that her proximity to Irene raises her profile at school, and suddenly Irene and her minions start attending the girls’ basketball team’s games, which motivates them to play harder. (Plus, Tally is getting jealous, so, win-win.)
So Scottie does what everyone else would—she essentially convinces/bribes Irene to pretend to date her, in order for people to keep coming to the basketball games and hopefully motivate the team to beat their rival in the Christmas Classic. (And if it upsets Tally in the process, oh well!)
Through the course of their “relationship” both come to realize their assumptions about the other are wrong. Both have serious hurts they’re dealing with and have their guards up, but could a real relationship flourish amidst all of this?
I thought She Drives Me Crazy was a great story. There’s a lot going on here—issues with self-esteem and trust, toxic relationships, using people’s sexuality as a weapon against them—but it never gets too heavy. The characters aren’t perfect (who is?), so everything feels very real.
There are some really terrific moments here—some cheesy, some funny, some emotional. I need to go back and read Quindlen’s first book now! (I also couldn't get a mash-up of Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy" and Britney Spears' "(You Drive Me) Crazy" out of my head.)
Pride Book Tours and Roaring Brook Press sent me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available and inviting me on the tour!!
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