There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless... (Light Novel) Vol. 4

There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless… Light Novel #4

by Teren Mikami, Eku Takeshima (Illustrator)

A high school yuri comedy about fake dating, real dating, competitive dating–and one very overwhelmed girl who’s accidentally doing all three at once?! Don’t miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas!

Awkward, introverted Amaori Renako is leaving her lonely middle school life behind, determined to become an outgoing and popular high schooler. Glamorous, confident Oduka Mai is Renako’s total wealthy, carefree, and a literal fashion model. Against the odds, the two girls form an immediate connection. Renako thinks she may have found the best friend of her dreams…until Mai’s love confession sends her feelings into a tailspin. Renako wants to prove to Mai that being BFFs is better than being girlfriends, but Mai is dead set on convincing Renako that they’re destined to be lovers!

Genres: Yuri, Light Novel, Romance, Fiction, LGBT

356 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2021

Reviews

[Johnny SkullTek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think vol 3 was going to be topped, but this one managed it. The back half of this one was *delightful*.

And that ending. *chef’s kiss*

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's hard to pick between this and volume 3 as my favorite volume so far. i think volume 3 was arguably a bit tighter and had some of my favorite moments of the series so far, but WOW it's hard to beat some of this one's bigger moments. i love these books so much!

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally get some Kaho fun! I love the cosplay action (looking forward to how the animators portray all of this), but did find that the Kaho-Renako development felt really random and forced.

BUT in other news, Renako FINALLY gives answers to both Ajisai and Mai… on a stage!? Definitely could not get more random than that. I was trying to imagine myself in the crowd looking up while the power throuple chat and cry with the microphones off lol.

I am excited to see what comes for “season two” of the series. Again, I’m sure I will always say this in every Watanare LN review… really wish I had this type of media growing up!

[Pravaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending.
In between sessions of reading this volume, I had an inkling of how it would end. But there's no way, I would refute myself — after all, this topic was too heavy.

But against all odds, the author made it work. In a perfect confluence of happenstance, character growth, and a powerful main character that outdoes herself when the chips are down, we got a ridiculous ending that had me clutching my head in gleeful exasperation. What a blessed disaster Renako is. May her love life flourish. XD

[Jessica Larkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Volume needs a trigger warning and a MA rating

And if it wasn’t for the great ending (think Volume one of Yuritama) it would be 1/5. That said while this series is not recommended for Yuritama fans, Yuritama is recommended for fans of this ending.

Details on the trigger warnings below…









Non-Consensual slavery via hypnotisim, with moderate sexual overtures and very mild sexual actions

[Mathxxl]

La première moitié du volume se concentre sur le dernier personnage du Quintet, Kaho, et sa passion pour le cosplay. La seconde moitié est plus centrée sur la romance de Renako avec ses prétendantes.

La série retombe un petit peu dans ses travers du premier tome (ALLO LE CONSENTEMENT ???), mais est sauvé par des passages touchants et surtout une deuxième moitié forte en émotions, à tous les égards.

Vive le yuri !

[Langely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has oscillated from kinda funny to really cringe-inducing. This volume in particular has some *lows*. But... MAN. That ENDING. Absolutely threw me for a loop, big smile on my face, tears streaming down my face, the only word echoing through my mind: "BASED BASED BASED." This is peak yuri trash.

[Sunset ZT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivan las novias!!!

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't not talk about this book without talking about the ending so spoiler ahead (also don't look at the tags lol)
I'll start with the non-spoilery part though. This volume starts with a massive tone shift. Our happy and fun-loving, if a bit chaotic, main girl goes through a very believable and realistic bout of depression and self loathing. It was something I felt all too often. The number of paragraphs that I've underlined out of the sheer "get-out-of-my-head"-ness of them is really something.
She fought her way out of it, and into a cute storyline that gives us more info about the least-developed character so far, Kaho. I fell in love with Kaho over the course of this volume, with all her quirks and foibles. But more than that, this volume was where I finally fell in love with Mai. Seeing her side of the story, and seeing how she's grown and developed over the course of these four books, didn't quite dispel the icky feelings I had about her (especially about the near-SA in volume one), but rather showed me that she is a complex and often flawed individual trying to make her way in a complicated world.
Okay, now for the spoilers (bear in mind the anime doesn't quite cover this book so these are spoilers for the upcoming movie as well):

Okay, this book does something that I always want from my harem romances but almost never get.
They resolve the love triangle with a polycule!!!!!
The whole way leading up to the final chapter I kept going "there's no way. There's no freaking way!"
And then Teren Mikami did it! The magnificent bastard went there!!! I shouted at my book when it got to that point and had to share it with everyone because omg the way it was handled was perfect! And then the little teaser at the ending... like it's clear the endgame is the Quinitcule but also getting there will be messy and complicated and people will get hurt but they will also be there to support each other. Each of the girls is such a fully realized character and I love them all dearly. I cannot put this series down and, spoilers, the next volume continues to be amazing!