"Then I kiss her"

I was sobbing and at some point I made unintelligible sounds at the amount of adorableness of the book. I think I will never fully recover from the “Then I kiss her and kiss her and kiss her”. And I did not expect the two grand gestures of love that happened at the end, but they were just perfectly justified and adorably corny. I cannot find it in me to be mad at them.

Starting with where I was left, I was very pleased to see how Irene did not rush to date Scottie. She let her heal and she kept her distance so that she could. I also loved the moment when Scottie asked her why she had not shared the picture of her and Charlotte kissing. She just proved she was the better person of the two right there by refusing to lower herself to Charlotte’s height.

The truth is, it was also interesting to notice how she never truly did something explicitly against Charlotte. Sure, the towing incident occured due to Irene’s vanity, but it was directed towards Charlotte’s boyfriend, not Charlotte herself. And again, refusing to talk back to her, to do something that could harm her...I do not doubt it has to do something with Irene’s morals and such things, but it could also signify the fact that she is not truly over Charlotte. Of course, it does not mean that she will be back with her if given the chance, but it reflects on how deep their relationship truly was. Irene still misses the idea of her friend Charlotte, she is not over her. The photo on her phone also indicates so. However, that does not mean Irene cannot move on from Charlotte. There is the fake idea that one should totally forget and condemn the person they break up with, and sometimes that is the case. There are more complex cases in which you cannot fully detach from the person you once loved. Much like grief: it is not actually about forgetting about the person’s death, but about learning to live with it. That is what Irene did.

The second gesture---Irene’s---is my favorite one because of what it is. It is a perfect example of what healthy relationships should aspire to. Irene is not quite fond of grand gestures for the sake of them, she is not into them. However, she knows Scottie loves them, and because she cares about Scottie she goes out of her way to make one. She not only makes the grand gesture because she feels obligated, she does not complain, and she does not mock Scottie---they banter a little, but that is what they do---but she puts effort and thought in it. And this gets me.

This book is somewhat campy and lighthearted---it is a young adult romantic comedy after all, and heavily so. However, that did not mean I could not empathize with the characters, or see myself in them, or take the presented themes seriously. She Drives Me Crazy has dealt with subjects very close to my heart: friendship breakups, the aftertaste of toxic relationships, and moving on. I loved how the book depicted them all as complex subjects of rather simple solutions.

I loved the character of Irene Abraham. She is strong, stubborn, proud, and witty. Her femininity and ferocity are so refreshing, and how she believes in herself although no one else seems to...truly inspiring. I liked her as a love interest, as her main conflict---Charlotte---had already been solved on her part. And her biggest obstacle being the pride and the walls she had put around her while at the same time being her greatest strengths?!?! Beautiful. I love her. She deserves the world.

I can say, with confidence, I was positively destroyed.