What do you think?
Rate this book
My Own Worst Enemy
She's her own worst enemy. So why does she only fall in love with people who look like her? The new fun, fresh and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from Lily Lindon.
Who said opposites attract? For actor Emmy Clooney, sparks only fly when she meets women who look just like her: butch and athletic, with short messy hair.
It shouldn't be a problem. Her friends say it's normal to see yourself in the people you date. But Emmy isn't so sure. Her lookalikes never seem to like her back.
Then Emmy meets Mae, a fellow actor who could be her twin, and she senses danger. Despite Emmy's inevitable attraction to Mae, their personalities could not be further apart. They clash on everything. Even worse, they are the same casting type – and Mae keeps swiping all the best parts.
When they get cast in the same play, will Emmy find a way to overcome her insecurities and act nicely with Mae? Or is it time to take their rivalry to the next stage...
Who said opposites attract? For actor Emmy Clooney, sparks only fly when she meets women who look just like her: butch and athletic, with short messy hair.
It shouldn't be a problem. Her friends say it's normal to see yourself in the people you date. But Emmy isn't so sure. Her lookalikes never seem to like her back.
Then Emmy meets Mae, a fellow actor who could be her twin, and she senses danger. Despite Emmy's inevitable attraction to Mae, their personalities could not be further apart. They clash on everything. Even worse, they are the same casting type – and Mae keeps swiping all the best parts.
When they get cast in the same play, will Emmy find a way to overcome her insecurities and act nicely with Mae? Or is it time to take their rivalry to the next stage...
400 pages, Hardcover
Published June 8, 2023
15 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
June 16, 2023
I received an ARC and I’m leaving an honest review.
[ you can also read the full review here ]
TW: ableism, manipulation, pressure to kiss and have sex, a LOT of toxic people and toxic behavior.
This book is kind of a mess, and kind of really unnecessarily long. Up until the 50% mark I had many concerns already, but I was still having fun with the plot. The second part of the book however destroyed almost every single positive thought I had.
I'd like to start my very long rant with the main thing I was concerned about: Emmy's neurodivergence. Now, I should preface this by clarifying that, while Mae is canonically dyslexic (it's mentioned briefly once and then never brought up again), Emmy is never said to be anything, which would normally make you assume she's neurotypical.
While Emmy is supposed to be neurotypical, she does not feel like it.
Emmy is generally a pretty awkward person, she tends to freeze is many situations and she's only able to act in social situations if she has a script or if she imitates someone - for example, at the end of a date with her girlfriend she imagines kissing scenes from plays and movies to be able to kiss Alice in real life, and in other social situations she pretends to be Mae (her rival) so that she can get through them.
Emmy has a fixation with acting (especially theater, and especially Shakespeare), and during the Twelfth Night preparation she starts info dumping about it because it's her favorite play.
She's an actress and she 'stubbornly' only applies to audition for a very specific type of role, and the through of trying out something different doesn't really crosses her mind.
During her first date with Alice she asks her to give her feedback on her performance as her date. She sometimes asks for clarification about things others said, or asks confirmation about whether or not someone is joking.
She has very specific rituals she does before acting or auditions, despite saying she's not superstitious, and she's aware that people think of her as an emotionless robot.
Now, what does all of this make you think of? If you answered 'autism', you would be right.
All of these traits, listed like this, could likely make you think that Emmy is a stereotypical autistic person, but I want to clarify that I personally didn't feel that way while reading it. She felt real, and honestly really relatable. If she had been canonically autistic, and not simply heavily autistic coded like this, I believe she would have been a great autistic character.
While I am a little upset that Emmy is not stated to be autistic on paper, my real issue is with how other people act around her. Especially Mae, who is supposed to be her love interest.
The story is marketed as enemies to lovers, and while their 'rivals status' can still be accurate because they're both actresses auditioning for the same roles, saying they're enemies is not really an accurate label. Mae and Emmy do not start as enemies: during a party (which is the second time they meet each other in the story), while they're trying to have a conversation, Emmy accidentally says something that comes off as rude and immediately gets misinterpreted (which in my humble opinion, was related to her being autistic, but mostly to her struggle with socializing and being able to properly voice what she's thinking/feeling). Instead of talking about it or asking for clarification, Mae's immediately makes it into a big deal and quite literally declares war to Emmy.
It's not enough to say you're enemies to actually be enemies. The definition doesn't hold up at all in this situation, and the real reason they started to 'disagree' with one another was just a simple misunderstanding.
The rivalry insults are often very childish, which makes both characters sound like they're high school girls and not in their mid twenties. For example, at one point Emmy snitches on Mae and then Mae steals her lunch, and then they keep doing small nasty things to each other, like high school bullies.
Because of how strongly autistic Emmy looks in my eyes, most of Mae's remarks or actions tend to look ableist to me. She likes to say that 'everything Emmy can do, she can do better', and she sometimes 'teases' Emmy about her need to follow a script or an order (or in general, her way of thinking).
Directly quoted from the book, Mae one time says: "How are you so composed all the time? I never know what you're really thinking! You're just a mask. Don't you feel anything?"
Sometimes in social situations Mae is trying to help Emmy look less awkward and while a couple of times it seemed sweet, there are moments when it also felt condescending and as if Mae herself was looking down on her.
When they're about to go out after their first rehearsal for Twelfth Night, Emmy is already going on an silent spiral about how she's already behind in making friends and everyone already feels close to each other while she's struggling to socialize with them, and then Mae asks her if she's going out with the her and the group, but she does it in a way that is supposed to tell Emmy that she should not go (implying that Emmy already had previous arrangements) because they both think they should not spend time around each other. Emmy begrudgingly ends up using the excuse that Mae already gave and ended up not going to drink with them. So basically Mae, for no real reason, alienated Emmy from the rest of them even more, despite knowing that Emmy struggles with socializing. She does apologize the next day, but then things escalate again and the conversation ends with Mae saying "Isolate yourself. Let the rest of the cast learn to hate you as much as I do."
A few chapters later Mae, who is feeling petty like she usually does, literally manages to make the director cut all of Emmy's character scenes so that she's basically confined to doing one single scene with a mask on, and then just working backstage.
Then, we have something that feels more like a side plot that we just magically leave alone at some point: Mae, who is a nepo baby, basically steals Emmy's identity by lying on her CV and online, making Emmy's achievements (her studies and acting roles) hers. Her excuse is that she did it to level the playing field. She says, "it was just to get me into the audition room. Wouldn't you agree that it's only fair to judge applicants on merits?" Only those merits are not hers because she never went to acting school or had any previous acting role (on the first audition they meet at, Mae confesses that she just decided she was going to become an actress like a week before).
Obviously the two of them argue about it, Mae keeps giving weird excuses. She tells Emmy that she's only a good actress because she gets on her nerves so much that Emmy gets "out of her own head". She literally says "any success you've had since we met is because of me."
They fight pretty badly, simulating a fight scene on stage, then Emmy gets hurt and they just… become friends. They drop the identity theft topic and never bring it up again, and decide to have a truce.
I'm getting emotional whiplash, I swear.
But Mae's not the only toxic person Emmy has around: she also has a girlfriend.
During a party Emmy meets Alice thanks to an old friend, and Alice starts to flirt with her right away. They do go out a few times and then one night Emmy hears Alice call them 'girlfriends', and while she's confused because they never agreed to it or even talked about it, she just goes along with it.
Emmy feels like she has to date Alice because 'Alice told her she likes her' and 'that's how dating works'. Even when she thinks about breaking up with her, Emmy tells herself she needs to come up with a script for it first, to be able to do it properly, which always ends up with her postponing the breakup. Every time she's debating if she should break things off, she feels obliged to keep dating because (quoted directly) "in my twenty-five years on this earth, I've never been in an official relationship! Alice is my best chance to be a real adult".
Alice takes advantage and manipulates Emmy in many situations, and is generally really creepy. She keeps touching Emmy and inviting her over to her flat so that they can have sex, and Emmy always gently refuses because she doesn't want to do that with her. She finally gets Emmy to go to her apartments after crying and telling her she just wants her company and that they don't have to do anything she doesn't want to do - only for Alice to immediately jump on her as soon as they walk into the house (they didn't even get to turn on the lights), starting to kiss her and trying to undress her.
She also took advantage of a vulnerable moment for Emmy, to get her to go live with her.
When Emmy does finally tell Alice she'd like to break up because she doesn't feel the same way she does, Alice (who is a theater reviewer) threatens her by saying that if they break up she'll post a bad review and neither Emmy nor her co-stars will likely ever work again.
Alice also made it clear at one point that she chose to pursue Emmy just because she can imagine her as the man in the relationship, and then when they're having that one final fight, she says that Emmy and Mae would never work together and the fact that they look alike (aka: they're both butches) would make them a 'freak show'.
This book is supposed to be a romance (between Emmy and Mae), but we spend 4/5 of the story following the main character having a relationship with someone else, and in the meantime Emmy and Mae are never actually bonding, they're always just picking on each other and then suddenly pretending they're friends just to go back to being mean a few pages later. All of this to end with them quickly getting together in that one last chapter.
Last, but not least, I see everyone pointing out that they're both butch lesbians. Mae actually mentions once that she's bisexual. Did I miss a moment where she said it was a joke, or is everyone wrongly labelling her? (I'm genuinely confused).
EDIT: the more I think about this book the more pissed I get so I lowered the rating (previously 2 stars). I think it's more like 1.5 stars, but you know how goodreads works...
[ you can also read the full review here ]
TW: ableism, manipulation, pressure to kiss and have sex, a LOT of toxic people and toxic behavior.
This book is kind of a mess, and kind of really unnecessarily long. Up until the 50% mark I had many concerns already, but I was still having fun with the plot. The second part of the book however destroyed almost every single positive thought I had.
I'd like to start my very long rant with the main thing I was concerned about: Emmy's neurodivergence. Now, I should preface this by clarifying that, while Mae is canonically dyslexic (it's mentioned briefly once and then never brought up again), Emmy is never said to be anything, which would normally make you assume she's neurotypical.
While Emmy is supposed to be neurotypical, she does not feel like it.
Emmy is generally a pretty awkward person, she tends to freeze is many situations and she's only able to act in social situations if she has a script or if she imitates someone - for example, at the end of a date with her girlfriend she imagines kissing scenes from plays and movies to be able to kiss Alice in real life, and in other social situations she pretends to be Mae (her rival) so that she can get through them.
Emmy has a fixation with acting (especially theater, and especially Shakespeare), and during the Twelfth Night preparation she starts info dumping about it because it's her favorite play.
She's an actress and she 'stubbornly' only applies to audition for a very specific type of role, and the through of trying out something different doesn't really crosses her mind.
During her first date with Alice she asks her to give her feedback on her performance as her date. She sometimes asks for clarification about things others said, or asks confirmation about whether or not someone is joking.
She has very specific rituals she does before acting or auditions, despite saying she's not superstitious, and she's aware that people think of her as an emotionless robot.
Now, what does all of this make you think of? If you answered 'autism', you would be right.
All of these traits, listed like this, could likely make you think that Emmy is a stereotypical autistic person, but I want to clarify that I personally didn't feel that way while reading it. She felt real, and honestly really relatable. If she had been canonically autistic, and not simply heavily autistic coded like this, I believe she would have been a great autistic character.
While I am a little upset that Emmy is not stated to be autistic on paper, my real issue is with how other people act around her. Especially Mae, who is supposed to be her love interest.
The story is marketed as enemies to lovers, and while their 'rivals status' can still be accurate because they're both actresses auditioning for the same roles, saying they're enemies is not really an accurate label. Mae and Emmy do not start as enemies: during a party (which is the second time they meet each other in the story), while they're trying to have a conversation, Emmy accidentally says something that comes off as rude and immediately gets misinterpreted (which in my humble opinion, was related to her being autistic, but mostly to her struggle with socializing and being able to properly voice what she's thinking/feeling). Instead of talking about it or asking for clarification, Mae's immediately makes it into a big deal and quite literally declares war to Emmy.
It's not enough to say you're enemies to actually be enemies. The definition doesn't hold up at all in this situation, and the real reason they started to 'disagree' with one another was just a simple misunderstanding.
The rivalry insults are often very childish, which makes both characters sound like they're high school girls and not in their mid twenties. For example, at one point Emmy snitches on Mae and then Mae steals her lunch, and then they keep doing small nasty things to each other, like high school bullies.
Because of how strongly autistic Emmy looks in my eyes, most of Mae's remarks or actions tend to look ableist to me. She likes to say that 'everything Emmy can do, she can do better', and she sometimes 'teases' Emmy about her need to follow a script or an order (or in general, her way of thinking).
Directly quoted from the book, Mae one time says: "How are you so composed all the time? I never know what you're really thinking! You're just a mask. Don't you feel anything?"
Sometimes in social situations Mae is trying to help Emmy look less awkward and while a couple of times it seemed sweet, there are moments when it also felt condescending and as if Mae herself was looking down on her.
When they're about to go out after their first rehearsal for Twelfth Night, Emmy is already going on an silent spiral about how she's already behind in making friends and everyone already feels close to each other while she's struggling to socialize with them, and then Mae asks her if she's going out with the her and the group, but she does it in a way that is supposed to tell Emmy that she should not go (implying that Emmy already had previous arrangements) because they both think they should not spend time around each other. Emmy begrudgingly ends up using the excuse that Mae already gave and ended up not going to drink with them. So basically Mae, for no real reason, alienated Emmy from the rest of them even more, despite knowing that Emmy struggles with socializing. She does apologize the next day, but then things escalate again and the conversation ends with Mae saying "Isolate yourself. Let the rest of the cast learn to hate you as much as I do."
A few chapters later Mae, who is feeling petty like she usually does, literally manages to make the director cut all of Emmy's character scenes so that she's basically confined to doing one single scene with a mask on, and then just working backstage.
Then, we have something that feels more like a side plot that we just magically leave alone at some point: Mae, who is a nepo baby, basically steals Emmy's identity by lying on her CV and online, making Emmy's achievements (her studies and acting roles) hers. Her excuse is that she did it to level the playing field. She says, "it was just to get me into the audition room. Wouldn't you agree that it's only fair to judge applicants on merits?" Only those merits are not hers because she never went to acting school or had any previous acting role (on the first audition they meet at, Mae confesses that she just decided she was going to become an actress like a week before).
Obviously the two of them argue about it, Mae keeps giving weird excuses. She tells Emmy that she's only a good actress because she gets on her nerves so much that Emmy gets "out of her own head". She literally says "any success you've had since we met is because of me."
They fight pretty badly, simulating a fight scene on stage, then Emmy gets hurt and they just… become friends. They drop the identity theft topic and never bring it up again, and decide to have a truce.
I'm getting emotional whiplash, I swear.
But Mae's not the only toxic person Emmy has around: she also has a girlfriend.
During a party Emmy meets Alice thanks to an old friend, and Alice starts to flirt with her right away. They do go out a few times and then one night Emmy hears Alice call them 'girlfriends', and while she's confused because they never agreed to it or even talked about it, she just goes along with it.
Emmy feels like she has to date Alice because 'Alice told her she likes her' and 'that's how dating works'. Even when she thinks about breaking up with her, Emmy tells herself she needs to come up with a script for it first, to be able to do it properly, which always ends up with her postponing the breakup. Every time she's debating if she should break things off, she feels obliged to keep dating because (quoted directly) "in my twenty-five years on this earth, I've never been in an official relationship! Alice is my best chance to be a real adult".
Alice takes advantage and manipulates Emmy in many situations, and is generally really creepy. She keeps touching Emmy and inviting her over to her flat so that they can have sex, and Emmy always gently refuses because she doesn't want to do that with her. She finally gets Emmy to go to her apartments after crying and telling her she just wants her company and that they don't have to do anything she doesn't want to do - only for Alice to immediately jump on her as soon as they walk into the house (they didn't even get to turn on the lights), starting to kiss her and trying to undress her.
She also took advantage of a vulnerable moment for Emmy, to get her to go live with her.
When Emmy does finally tell Alice she'd like to break up because she doesn't feel the same way she does, Alice (who is a theater reviewer) threatens her by saying that if they break up she'll post a bad review and neither Emmy nor her co-stars will likely ever work again.
Alice also made it clear at one point that she chose to pursue Emmy just because she can imagine her as the man in the relationship, and then when they're having that one final fight, she says that Emmy and Mae would never work together and the fact that they look alike (aka: they're both butches) would make them a 'freak show'.
This book is supposed to be a romance (between Emmy and Mae), but we spend 4/5 of the story following the main character having a relationship with someone else, and in the meantime Emmy and Mae are never actually bonding, they're always just picking on each other and then suddenly pretending they're friends just to go back to being mean a few pages later. All of this to end with them quickly getting together in that one last chapter.
Last, but not least, I see everyone pointing out that they're both butch lesbians. Mae actually mentions once that she's bisexual. Did I miss a moment where she said it was a joke, or is everyone wrongly labelling her? (I'm genuinely confused).
EDIT: the more I think about this book the more pissed I get so I lowered the rating (previously 2 stars). I think it's more like 1.5 stars, but you know how goodreads works...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2024
My Own Worst Enemy is a book in large part filled with fun and silliness and deeply unserious situations being experienced by an MC who is very serious about all things. Everything is a competition and an opportunity to get it right. Wherever 'it' is. The constant study and comparison to others and performing both on stage and off has led Emmy to see everyone else in her profession as a threat. But no one more so than the girl whose arrival turns her world on its head.
Their toilet meet cute at an audition sours fast when Emmy realises Mae is infuriately not only her exact casting type... but her romantic type too. This is of course far too many feelings. Becoming friends with fellow actors? Sounds fake. The only rational solution?
Immediately inform this girl that you are now mortal enemies. Ignore the attraction. Cause havoc in each other's lives.
Naturally, messiness galore ensues.
But there's also family and friendship and pizza and masc women falling in love with each other! There's theatre and backstage drama and trying hard to be a Real Adult.
I don't know how I could ever not enjoy a rom-com with that premise and I'd love your thoughts if you pick it up.
Their toilet meet cute at an audition sours fast when Emmy realises Mae is infuriately not only her exact casting type... but her romantic type too. This is of course far too many feelings. Becoming friends with fellow actors? Sounds fake. The only rational solution?
Immediately inform this girl that you are now mortal enemies. Ignore the attraction. Cause havoc in each other's lives.
Naturally, messiness galore ensues.
But there's also family and friendship and pizza and masc women falling in love with each other! There's theatre and backstage drama and trying hard to be a Real Adult.
I don't know how I could ever not enjoy a rom-com with that premise and I'd love your thoughts if you pick it up.
August 7, 2025
Af en toe een slechte romcom kijken helemaal chill. Maar een slechte romcom lezen, wat een verschrikking. Helemaal met een verhaal als deze, je ziet het plot van mijlenver aankomen, de hoofdpersoon als enige niet. In de tussentijd zijn er wat twists die de rivaliteit tot iets naars maken. Maar uiteraard begint het plots opeens allemaal prima te worden en hebben we een happy ending die praktisch niks van dat nare gedrag echt heeft opgelost.
Op minstens 1/3e al redelijk bored in het lezen, toch maar uitgelezen omdat het meezeulen van dit boek op vakantie anders echt heel zonde voelde 😅
Op minstens 1/3e al redelijk bored in het lezen, toch maar uitgelezen omdat het meezeulen van dit boek op vakantie anders echt heel zonde voelde 😅
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2025
Wat een leuk boek! Verdiend meer aandacht 💕
December 31, 2023
Een romance met originele setting, namelijk de theaterwereld van Londen! Ik vond dit echt een leuk boek dat lekker weglas. Emmy is in het begin niet per se likable en de trope 'rivals to lovers' betekent in dit boek dat de twee love interests elkaar in het begin écht niet kunnen uitstaan. Maar naarmate het boek vordert merk je langzaam maar zeker dat ze toch wel gek op elkaar zijn en dan wordt Emmy ook echt een stuk leuker. Verder vond ik de bijpersonages héél erg leuk, die maakten het boek compleet. En ik vond de humor ook echt goed: ik heb een paar keer zitten gniffelen. Aanrader voor liefhebbers van 'Het charmeoffensief' en 'Rood, wit & koningsblauw'!
November 17, 2023
Ik mocht dit boek als ebook ontvangen van uitgeverij Harper Collins. Officeel komt het boek pas 22 november uit en dit is wat ik er van vond.
Als je van plezier houdt, de trope van de enemies tol overs met een twist, dan zul je dit geweldig vinden. Het is een perfecte leuke LGBTQ-romcom om te lezen, niet alleen voor de Pride-maand, maar het hele jaar door.
Het is veel geschreven vanuit het perspectief van Emmy. En speelt zich af in Engeland Heden.
De Auteur van het boek is Lily lindon, dit is het eerst boek wat ik van haar lees en ben er erg snel doorheen gegaan. Ondanks mijn drukke baan had ik hem in 3 avonden uit.
Het verhaal gaat over Emmy Clooney ( geen familie van) die een reizende ster is in de acteer wereld. Bij een auditie ontmoet ze Mae Jones die qua uiterlijk veel op Emmy lijkt. Emmy is bang dat Mae haar rollen inpikt maar gaat dat haar lukken?
Het is een erg leuk verhaal voor tussendoor. En leest zeker snel weg. De karakters zijn goed uitgewerkt en dat vind ik zelf altijd wel belangrijk in een verhaal omdat ik echt lees in beelden.
Ik moet eerlijk zeggen dat ik niet echt min punten heb aan dit boek of dingen die me irriteerde.
Het is een echt LGBTQ boek zeker leuk als je daar van houd, althans ik wel!! Dus ik zou het zeker aanraden.
Zou zeker wel meer van deze auteur willen lezen, omdat ze zo’n fijne schrijfwijze heeft.
Als je van plezier houdt, de trope van de enemies tol overs met een twist, dan zul je dit geweldig vinden. Het is een perfecte leuke LGBTQ-romcom om te lezen, niet alleen voor de Pride-maand, maar het hele jaar door.
Het is veel geschreven vanuit het perspectief van Emmy. En speelt zich af in Engeland Heden.
De Auteur van het boek is Lily lindon, dit is het eerst boek wat ik van haar lees en ben er erg snel doorheen gegaan. Ondanks mijn drukke baan had ik hem in 3 avonden uit.
Het verhaal gaat over Emmy Clooney ( geen familie van) die een reizende ster is in de acteer wereld. Bij een auditie ontmoet ze Mae Jones die qua uiterlijk veel op Emmy lijkt. Emmy is bang dat Mae haar rollen inpikt maar gaat dat haar lukken?
Het is een erg leuk verhaal voor tussendoor. En leest zeker snel weg. De karakters zijn goed uitgewerkt en dat vind ik zelf altijd wel belangrijk in een verhaal omdat ik echt lees in beelden.
Ik moet eerlijk zeggen dat ik niet echt min punten heb aan dit boek of dingen die me irriteerde.
Het is een echt LGBTQ boek zeker leuk als je daar van houd, althans ik wel!! Dus ik zou het zeker aanraden.
Zou zeker wel meer van deze auteur willen lezen, omdat ze zo’n fijne schrijfwijze heeft.
Read
November 20, 2023Ik heb dit boek na 35% geDNFd. Dit was echt niets voor mij!
June 10, 2023
I read My Own Worst Enemy the other week and think it is a hilarious, heartfelt and brilliant romcom from Lily Lindon, author of Double Booked which I also absolutely loved. If you're looking for a swoony, hot and laugh-out-loud romance to start off Pride month, I can heavily recommend this to you!!
Emmy is another brilliant protagonist from Lindon, so set on the rivalry between her and Mae (which may or may not be entirely one-sided). Emmy is terrible at seeing the wood from the trees which makes her a compelling protagonist and also someone you want to shake
One of the best things about UK romcoms is that I think we're great at pulling out the comedy as well as the romance, and Lindon is a master at both. I was really rooting for the rivals-to-lovers storyline, which is absolutely RIFE with sexual tension. I’m weak for a good enemies to lovers, which I think is hard to pull off in contemporary romance but is done effortlessly here with a spiteful, absolutely silly acting rivalry.
As ever, Lindon gives our characters strong family backgrounds that inform their (often terrible) decisions, and I really loved the storyline here of Emmy's family and their beloved pizza restaurant with an excellent pun name.
Where Double Booked interrogated stereotypes about bisexuality by asking us the reader if we believed them while we watched a messy bisexual make every mistake in the book, My Own Worst Enemy explores the relationship dynamics between lesbians and sapphics that we’ve come to expect. It’s so wonderful to read a butch x butch romance, something that we don’t get enough of if in queer fiction or media.
It's out now in hardback and ebook!
Emmy is another brilliant protagonist from Lindon, so set on the rivalry between her and Mae (which may or may not be entirely one-sided). Emmy is terrible at seeing the wood from the trees which makes her a compelling protagonist and also someone you want to shake
One of the best things about UK romcoms is that I think we're great at pulling out the comedy as well as the romance, and Lindon is a master at both. I was really rooting for the rivals-to-lovers storyline, which is absolutely RIFE with sexual tension. I’m weak for a good enemies to lovers, which I think is hard to pull off in contemporary romance but is done effortlessly here with a spiteful, absolutely silly acting rivalry.
As ever, Lindon gives our characters strong family backgrounds that inform their (often terrible) decisions, and I really loved the storyline here of Emmy's family and their beloved pizza restaurant with an excellent pun name.
Where Double Booked interrogated stereotypes about bisexuality by asking us the reader if we believed them while we watched a messy bisexual make every mistake in the book, My Own Worst Enemy explores the relationship dynamics between lesbians and sapphics that we’ve come to expect. It’s so wonderful to read a butch x butch romance, something that we don’t get enough of if in queer fiction or media.
It's out now in hardback and ebook!
February 15, 2024
Excited to read this, pitched as a butch/butch queer romance set in the theatre world, sounded interesting and unusual. If you like an enemies to friends romance with a main character that makes many mistakes, which make her miserable until the end of the book, then this is the book for you. I found it difficult to enjoy especially half way through the book when the 'rivalry' between the two main 'enemies' descends from banter with sexual tension into meanness. The character of Emmy is very much written as Autistic but whether she is aware of that or not is unclear and worse she is often treated terribly by her 'enemy' and exploited by another character who manipulates her into being her girlfriend. I kept reading because I wanted to see how it was going to end and was hoping for a happier ending, which does happen, thankfully. I really enjoyed the passion, knowledge and skills Emmy has for acting, whilst also wishing that the final chapters recognition of that would come a bit earlier. There is the skeleton of a really great book in here showing how women/AFAB with autism are often under diagnosed and the impact of that, one that is less painful to read, especially when presented as a light-hearted romance. Particularly, at times it felt like it was refreshing the trope of someone being mean to you, means they like you, which can lead to controlling relationships, that I thought we were past.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 24, 2025
Mijn standaarden voor lesbische stationsromannetjes liggen uitzonderlijk laag, maar op de een of andere manier slaagde dit boek erin om daar toch nog onder te kruipen. Bij momenten voelt het AI-gegenereerd aan en de personages zijn zo eendimensionaal als een illustratie op een cornflakesdoos.
January 3, 2025
Het liefste wil ik dit boek beoordelen met ⭐️⭐️,5 maar dat kan niet via Goodreads dus ik heb het maar afgerond op ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ik vond dit boek gewoon oke, niets meer en niets minder.
Het was best leuk voor tussendoor en de setting van de Londense theaters vond ik origineel.
Verder had het tekstueel voor mij uitgebreider gemogen of 100 pagina’s korter.
Er was veel herhaling, maar weinig diepgang. Het enemies to lovers heb ik in andere verhalen beter ervaren, ik vond het hier af en toe was afgezaagd.
Wel was er een goede afwisseling in emoties en ook kwam er wat humor aan te pas.
Ik vond dit boek gewoon oke, niets meer en niets minder.
Het was best leuk voor tussendoor en de setting van de Londense theaters vond ik origineel.
Verder had het tekstueel voor mij uitgebreider gemogen of 100 pagina’s korter.
Er was veel herhaling, maar weinig diepgang. Het enemies to lovers heb ik in andere verhalen beter ervaren, ik vond het hier af en toe was afgezaagd.
Wel was er een goede afwisseling in emoties en ook kwam er wat humor aan te pas.
December 21, 2022
My Own Worst Enemy is a romantic comedy novel about an up-and-coming actress who runs into someone with the same casting as her in an audition, who also happens to be just her type, and they spark up a rivalry that threatens to turn into something else. Emmy Clooney is obsessed with acting and came top of her year at drama school, but now she's graduated, she's floundering, not quite getting anywhere and overthinking everything. At an audition she meets Mae, who looks similar to her—short, dark hair, masc clothing—and is, in Emmy's eyes, far more charismatic. Clearly, they must become rivals, as there's not much room in acting for two people like them going for roles, but things get more complicated than that.
This has a classic 'enemies to lovers' set up, combined with a romance between two butches, so it is likely to appeal to plenty of people looking for those elements. Emmy makes a lot of classic romantic hero mistakes—she makes a lot of assumptions about people and their thoughts and motives without actually checking, she assumes that her new crush must be much more popular and confident than she is—and though she can be frustrating, she's also written in a way that does make sense to have some of these traits, particularly in such a competitive business. We learn less about Mae as what we see is through Emmy's eyes, but the hints towards more than her exterior are interesting. Emmy's flatmates (who are also her best friends) are fun supporting characters (and believable potential London flatmates), though Emmy's pizza-obsessed dad's disapproval of her acting felt a bit random, as his entire character is 'loves pizza and doesn't outwardly support her acting'.
The twists and turns of Emmy' new relationship, the queer Twelfth Night production, and Emmy's relationship with her mum bring a lot of the later plot, with one character in particular a bit of a comedy villain who raises red flags from the start, but that is often the case in romance novels. This is a fun novel, a light read that doesn't delve deep into things, but keeps the enemies to lovers plotline and the acting world at the forefront.
This has a classic 'enemies to lovers' set up, combined with a romance between two butches, so it is likely to appeal to plenty of people looking for those elements. Emmy makes a lot of classic romantic hero mistakes—she makes a lot of assumptions about people and their thoughts and motives without actually checking, she assumes that her new crush must be much more popular and confident than she is—and though she can be frustrating, she's also written in a way that does make sense to have some of these traits, particularly in such a competitive business. We learn less about Mae as what we see is through Emmy's eyes, but the hints towards more than her exterior are interesting. Emmy's flatmates (who are also her best friends) are fun supporting characters (and believable potential London flatmates), though Emmy's pizza-obsessed dad's disapproval of her acting felt a bit random, as his entire character is 'loves pizza and doesn't outwardly support her acting'.
The twists and turns of Emmy' new relationship, the queer Twelfth Night production, and Emmy's relationship with her mum bring a lot of the later plot, with one character in particular a bit of a comedy villain who raises red flags from the start, but that is often the case in romance novels. This is a fun novel, a light read that doesn't delve deep into things, but keeps the enemies to lovers plotline and the acting world at the forefront.
November 20, 2023
Bedankt voor het ebook World of Romance!
Emmy Clooney (geen familie van) is net afgestudeerd van de toneelschool. Ze is druk bezig met carrière te maken, ook al wordt ze veel getypecast als ‘kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig’. Nog voor haar doorbraak, die ongetwijfeld binnenkort gaat komen, ontmoet ze een andere rijzende ster: Mae Smith-Jones. Zij is ook een kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig, en dus Emmy’s grootste concurrent. Helaas voor Emmy is ze ook charismatisch, getalenteerd en waanzinnig knap. En eigenlijk precies Emmy’s type…
Emmy en Mae beginnen een wedstrijd ‘wie de meeste rollen kan krijgen’ en worden elkaars rivalen. Als ze in hetzelfde toneelstuk worden gecast moeten ze toch gaan samenwerken. Blijven ze elkaars rivalen of worden ze de ultieme match?
Emmy is van zichzelf erg onzeker. Ze wilt graag goed presteren en een leuk liefdesleven hebben, maar dat is nogal moeilijk als je snel aan dingen twijfelt. Gelukkig is er niet zoveel concurrentie voor het type waarvoor Emmy vaak wordt gecast. Maar dan komt ze overmaat van ramp Mae Smith-Jones tegen, die precies hetzelfde type is als Emmy. Alleen doet zij het beter dan Emmy. Ze heeft meer charisma en mensen voelen zich tot haar aangetrokken. De perfect rivale, maar ook erg aantrekkelijk voor Emmy. Volgens Emmy kan er maar één iemand getypecast worden als kortharige lesbienne en dat is zijzelf. Laat de rivaliteit maar beginnen!
My Own Worst Enemy wordt verteld vanuit Emmy’s perspectief. Het is geschreven in de eerste persoon, maar soms komen er toneel dingetjes er in voor zoals ‘einde scène’. Zelfsabotage is een groot onderdeel in My Own Worst Enemy. Het creëert grappige momenten, maar kan soms ook frustratie opwekken. Emmy heeft het gevoel dat ze faalt als dochter, vriendin en acteur, maar weet niet zo goed wat het probleem precies is. Dat Mae haar loopt te stangen werkt ook niet echt mee. Gelukkig maakt Emmy een persoonlijke groei door gedurende het verhaal en doet ze aan zelfreflectie.
My Own Worst Enemy is een queer enemies to lovers boek met zelfsabotage en een toxic relationship. Daardoor is het geen moment saai!
Emmy Clooney (geen familie van) is net afgestudeerd van de toneelschool. Ze is druk bezig met carrière te maken, ook al wordt ze veel getypecast als ‘kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig’. Nog voor haar doorbraak, die ongetwijfeld binnenkort gaat komen, ontmoet ze een andere rijzende ster: Mae Smith-Jones. Zij is ook een kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig, en dus Emmy’s grootste concurrent. Helaas voor Emmy is ze ook charismatisch, getalenteerd en waanzinnig knap. En eigenlijk precies Emmy’s type…
Emmy en Mae beginnen een wedstrijd ‘wie de meeste rollen kan krijgen’ en worden elkaars rivalen. Als ze in hetzelfde toneelstuk worden gecast moeten ze toch gaan samenwerken. Blijven ze elkaars rivalen of worden ze de ultieme match?
Emmy is van zichzelf erg onzeker. Ze wilt graag goed presteren en een leuk liefdesleven hebben, maar dat is nogal moeilijk als je snel aan dingen twijfelt. Gelukkig is er niet zoveel concurrentie voor het type waarvoor Emmy vaak wordt gecast. Maar dan komt ze overmaat van ramp Mae Smith-Jones tegen, die precies hetzelfde type is als Emmy. Alleen doet zij het beter dan Emmy. Ze heeft meer charisma en mensen voelen zich tot haar aangetrokken. De perfect rivale, maar ook erg aantrekkelijk voor Emmy. Volgens Emmy kan er maar één iemand getypecast worden als kortharige lesbienne en dat is zijzelf. Laat de rivaliteit maar beginnen!
My Own Worst Enemy wordt verteld vanuit Emmy’s perspectief. Het is geschreven in de eerste persoon, maar soms komen er toneel dingetjes er in voor zoals ‘einde scène’. Zelfsabotage is een groot onderdeel in My Own Worst Enemy. Het creëert grappige momenten, maar kan soms ook frustratie opwekken. Emmy heeft het gevoel dat ze faalt als dochter, vriendin en acteur, maar weet niet zo goed wat het probleem precies is. Dat Mae haar loopt te stangen werkt ook niet echt mee. Gelukkig maakt Emmy een persoonlijke groei door gedurende het verhaal en doet ze aan zelfreflectie.
My Own Worst Enemy is een queer enemies to lovers boek met zelfsabotage en een toxic relationship. Daardoor is het geen moment saai!
February 16, 2024
This was an incredibly fun sapphic rom-com following a young butch aspiring actor trying to navigate the world of auditions, productions and love.
Emmy Clooney (no relation) is struggling to make a splash in the world of acting. Yes she graduated from acting school with honours, and yes she knows everything there is to know about the craft of acting, but she is well aware that her casting type of ‘short-haired lesbian’ puts her in a very narrow hiring window. And that window gets even narrower when she meets her almost-doppleganger, Mae Jones, at an audition… Emmy feels that Mae is just a better version of her; she’s terrified she’s going to get all her roles and be left unemployed and unhappy. It doesn’t help that Emmy feels things every time she bickers with her rival and maybe doesn’t hate her as much as she should…
There was a lot going on in this book, which made it extremely fast paced, but very enjoyable. The book covers a lot of deep topics such as nepotism, mental health (anxiety and imposter syndrome), gender portrayal in the LGBT+ community, manipulative relationships (including love-bombing and gaslighting) and the cutthroat world of acting. There were some absolutely incredible side characters, some hilarious moments and an absolutely lovely ending.
The only reason this didn’t get 5* from me is because I felt the romance simply never really got going… I didn’t feel the connection between Mae and Emmy. This book was so immersive in other ways and dealt with so many difficult subjects, especially the unhealthy relationship that Emmy initially finds herself in with another character, I just felt the romance element fell a little flat.
Even so, I would very much recommend this book, as it was a super fun read!
Emmy Clooney (no relation) is struggling to make a splash in the world of acting. Yes she graduated from acting school with honours, and yes she knows everything there is to know about the craft of acting, but she is well aware that her casting type of ‘short-haired lesbian’ puts her in a very narrow hiring window. And that window gets even narrower when she meets her almost-doppleganger, Mae Jones, at an audition… Emmy feels that Mae is just a better version of her; she’s terrified she’s going to get all her roles and be left unemployed and unhappy. It doesn’t help that Emmy feels things every time she bickers with her rival and maybe doesn’t hate her as much as she should…
There was a lot going on in this book, which made it extremely fast paced, but very enjoyable. The book covers a lot of deep topics such as nepotism, mental health (anxiety and imposter syndrome), gender portrayal in the LGBT+ community, manipulative relationships (including love-bombing and gaslighting) and the cutthroat world of acting. There were some absolutely incredible side characters, some hilarious moments and an absolutely lovely ending.
The only reason this didn’t get 5* from me is because I felt the romance simply never really got going… I didn’t feel the connection between Mae and Emmy. This book was so immersive in other ways and dealt with so many difficult subjects, especially the unhealthy relationship that Emmy initially finds herself in with another character, I just felt the romance element fell a little flat.
Even so, I would very much recommend this book, as it was a super fun read!
December 10, 2023
My own worst enemy – Lily Lindon
Emmy Clooney (geen familie van) is net afgestudeerd aan de toneelschool en werkt hard aan haar carrière, ook al wordt ze vooral gecast voor kleine rollen als ‘kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig’. Nog voor haar doorbraak, die ongetwijfeld binnenkort gaat komen, ontmoet ze een andere rijzende ster: Mae Jones. Zij is ook een kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig, en dus Emmy’s grootste concurrent. Maar ze is ook charismatisch, getalenteerd en waanzinnig knap. En eigenlijk precies Emmy’s type…
Emmy en Mae beginnen een felle strijd om de beste rollen, maar als ze in hetzelfde toneelstuk worden gecast, moeten ze toch gaan samenwerken. Zijn ze de ultieme rivalen? Of de ultieme match?
De leuke cover, waarop al duidelijk een toneelscène te zien is, en de achterflap maken dat ik zin heb om deze queer-romcom te gaan lezen.
De auteur Lily Lindon was mij nog onbekend, maar de schrijfstijl is luchtig en met veel humor.
Met het hoofdpersonage Emmy had ik helaas geen klik. Ze is onzeker en sociaal onhandig en de ruzietjes die ze met Mae uitvecht blijven een beetje hangen in kinderachtig drama. Naarmate de relatie met May zich verder ontwikkelt wordt Emmy gelukkig wel een iets gezelliger persoon, maar helaas was dat al zo op het eind dat ik het niet meer voelde. Ook met de andere personages klikte het bij mij niet en dat maakte het lezen er niet makkelijker op. Het kwam op mij allemaal een beetje ‘gemaakt’ over.
De toneeltermen die af en toe aan het begin of eind van een hoofdstuk gebruikt worden vond ik dan weer wel erg leuk: fade-out, establishing shot of einde scène.
Het eind van het verhaal maakte ook weer veel goed, grappig en super schattig!
Alles bij elkaar is My Own Worst Enemy is een leuke queer-enemies to lovers-romcom.
3 ★
Bedankt HarperCollins voor dit recensie-exemplaar in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
Emmy Clooney (geen familie van) is net afgestudeerd aan de toneelschool en werkt hard aan haar carrière, ook al wordt ze vooral gecast voor kleine rollen als ‘kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig’. Nog voor haar doorbraak, die ongetwijfeld binnenkort gaat komen, ontmoet ze een andere rijzende ster: Mae Jones. Zij is ook een kortharige lesbienne van midden twintig, en dus Emmy’s grootste concurrent. Maar ze is ook charismatisch, getalenteerd en waanzinnig knap. En eigenlijk precies Emmy’s type…
Emmy en Mae beginnen een felle strijd om de beste rollen, maar als ze in hetzelfde toneelstuk worden gecast, moeten ze toch gaan samenwerken. Zijn ze de ultieme rivalen? Of de ultieme match?
De leuke cover, waarop al duidelijk een toneelscène te zien is, en de achterflap maken dat ik zin heb om deze queer-romcom te gaan lezen.
De auteur Lily Lindon was mij nog onbekend, maar de schrijfstijl is luchtig en met veel humor.
Met het hoofdpersonage Emmy had ik helaas geen klik. Ze is onzeker en sociaal onhandig en de ruzietjes die ze met Mae uitvecht blijven een beetje hangen in kinderachtig drama. Naarmate de relatie met May zich verder ontwikkelt wordt Emmy gelukkig wel een iets gezelliger persoon, maar helaas was dat al zo op het eind dat ik het niet meer voelde. Ook met de andere personages klikte het bij mij niet en dat maakte het lezen er niet makkelijker op. Het kwam op mij allemaal een beetje ‘gemaakt’ over.
De toneeltermen die af en toe aan het begin of eind van een hoofdstuk gebruikt worden vond ik dan weer wel erg leuk: fade-out, establishing shot of einde scène.
Het eind van het verhaal maakte ook weer veel goed, grappig en super schattig!
Alles bij elkaar is My Own Worst Enemy is een leuke queer-enemies to lovers-romcom.
3 ★
Bedankt HarperCollins voor dit recensie-exemplaar in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
January 7, 2024
now this hit not the way i wanted it to. i feel kinda let down, but i guess it’s my own for relying on the one “falling for your sexy pirate co-star”-review on the book.
don’t get me wrong. i thought the idea was great. i really only had one problem and that was emmy, the main character. and not even in the usual “the main character is some kind of fool with too little personality”. emmy maybe had a little too much personality. she consistently made the wrong choices. i’m still shocked by the amount of self sabotage a single character can go through. and it was took the joy from reading because i turned the page and it just got worse and worse. the main part of the book was really not entertaining but sooo draining
did i cry while reading the last two chapters nevertheless? of course
don’t get me wrong. i thought the idea was great. i really only had one problem and that was emmy, the main character. and not even in the usual “the main character is some kind of fool with too little personality”. emmy maybe had a little too much personality. she consistently made the wrong choices. i’m still shocked by the amount of self sabotage a single character can go through. and it was took the joy from reading because i turned the page and it just got worse and worse. the main part of the book was really not entertaining but sooo draining
did i cry while reading the last two chapters nevertheless? of course
November 11, 2024
heart warming queer love story ❤️ an absolutely perfect read! it’s light and funny, but also has depth, it’s so nice to read queer stories that aren’t full of trauma. i just wish i could carry on reading more and more and more. also think there is space in the market for a lesbian pizza restaurant.
July 10, 2023
you ever read a book where the mc is the least interesting character in the whole thing? yeah, this is that kind of book.
the mc is mean-spirited and a poor friend and daughter but it's okay because everything works out great for her in the end!
the mc is mean-spirited and a poor friend and daughter but it's okay because everything works out great for her in the end!
November 22, 2023
We need more butch4butch rep
Also I cried, so extra star
Also I cried, so extra star
February 19, 2024
Wholesome, slapstick vibes.
April 19, 2024
4.5 loved this!
November 10, 2024
6.57/10 on CAWPILE -> 3.5 stars
November 13, 2024
equal parts fun and absolutely terrifyingly painful
May 7, 2024
erg langdradig
January 18, 2024
Why aren’t more people talking about this book??
Super refreshing to read a romance about two butch women. Lovey story, felt very connected to the outcome of the story. Can’t wait to see what else Lindon writes.
Super refreshing to read a romance about two butch women. Lovey story, felt very connected to the outcome of the story. Can’t wait to see what else Lindon writes.
dnf
August 17, 2023Dropped mid chap 19, I wanted to like it but it was just not for me.
May 19, 2023
ARC courtesy of netgalley. this was mehhhh. i expected more of a sapphic theatre romance but it just missed at all levels. the end was cute and i loved the best friends - which gave it the 3 stars. but i just GAHHH. i wanted to love it so bad. but this took slow burn to a whole new level. we got like? 3 chapters of romance? and i need more than that. also the fact that they looked the same gave me the ick. and they kissed for the first time on set NOOO
June 8, 2023
This was my first read of the year, and it did not disappoint.
If you are smart but also stupid, this is a book for you; it balances intelligence and wit with silliness and stupidity in a way that is surprising, page-turning and, above all, so much FUN. My favourite example of this is when the protagonist, Emmy, and her enemy, Mae, have a fight in an audition via alternating lines of Viola's ring monologue from Twelfth Night. As someone who is extremely intelligent (see my masterful use of semi-colons as evidence), I found myself shouting the final line of the monologue in my head, because it is omitted, which literally and actually shed new light on Shakespeare for ME, someone extremely intelligent: 'It is too tight a knot for me to untie!' is, like, probably a nod to 'tying the knot' with marriage, right? Anyway.
It also made me cry at the end, twice. Part of me thought, hmm, having your protagonist cry a lot at the end for many different reasons is probably a good way to get the tear ducts of your readers working. But then I also thought that I would not have shed a single tear if I did not feel connected to the characters, and realised that there were at least 7 characters to whom I felt connected and tied emotions to and the confluence of all of these characters, and the emotions I associate with them, at the end made me sob on the tube. The characters are extremely well-drawn, and the outpouring of my own emotions at the end is testament to this.
We all love romance, and it has sexy erotic queer romance in spades. Of course, I fancy Mae and wish she was real and single. But what it also presents is love in so many different forms; if this were translated into Greek, all of those different words for love would be in here. I particularly enjoyed friend love and self-love, though the familial love thread was one that made me cry.
10/10 no notes loved it loved it loved it
If you are smart but also stupid, this is a book for you; it balances intelligence and wit with silliness and stupidity in a way that is surprising, page-turning and, above all, so much FUN. My favourite example of this is when the protagonist, Emmy, and her enemy, Mae, have a fight in an audition via alternating lines of Viola's ring monologue from Twelfth Night. As someone who is extremely intelligent (see my masterful use of semi-colons as evidence), I found myself shouting the final line of the monologue in my head, because it is omitted, which literally and actually shed new light on Shakespeare for ME, someone extremely intelligent: 'It is too tight a knot for me to untie!' is, like, probably a nod to 'tying the knot' with marriage, right? Anyway.
It also made me cry at the end, twice. Part of me thought, hmm, having your protagonist cry a lot at the end for many different reasons is probably a good way to get the tear ducts of your readers working. But then I also thought that I would not have shed a single tear if I did not feel connected to the characters, and realised that there were at least 7 characters to whom I felt connected and tied emotions to and the confluence of all of these characters, and the emotions I associate with them, at the end made me sob on the tube. The characters are extremely well-drawn, and the outpouring of my own emotions at the end is testament to this.
We all love romance, and it has sexy erotic queer romance in spades. Of course, I fancy Mae and wish she was real and single. But what it also presents is love in so many different forms; if this were translated into Greek, all of those different words for love would be in here. I particularly enjoyed friend love and self-love, though the familial love thread was one that made me cry.
10/10 no notes loved it loved it loved it
December 16, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎭🌭🥛🍕🤺
If I have to give you any advice for this book, it is to make sure you have a lot of time free, because you're not gonna want to put this book down.
My Own Worst Enemy is a cute YA/NA romcom about a butch lesbian actor named Emmy Clooney (no relation) who is the most precious character I have come across. She wants nothing more than to be a successful actress. She's smart, she's funny and she prepares to the max when it comes to roles, and she is more comfortable being someone else and following scripts than she is talking to people on her own. She is shy and anxious, seconds guesses herself and is afraid people are going to abandon her when she's not acting. She's certain she's going to get lots of queer butch roles, because there are so many femme lesbians, but not that many that a butch, so when she meets fellow aspiring, Bisexual actress, Mae Jones, who looks exactly like her, and seems to be way more of a natural actor than her, Emmy feels threatened.
Queue the declared rivalry between the two characters, where there is back-and-forth tension, that borderlines with intense flirting, self-growth and awareness of own faults, and we get this beautiful book. There are laugh-out-loud moments (like seriously, I peed my pants) there are parts that made me cry, and there were parts that made me wish I was a part of their world.
The side characters were great too. I loved the side story going on in the background with Emmy's best friends/roommates. I loved the queer representation throughout the book. (Lesbian, Bisexual, Pansexual, Gay, Non-Binary.) I didn't like Alice, and neither will you when you read this book, but she was a core element of Emmy's growth.
Thank you so much to Lily Lindon, Netgalley and Aria Fiction for the copy of the eArc. This review is left voluntary.
🎭🌭🥛🍕🤺
If I have to give you any advice for this book, it is to make sure you have a lot of time free, because you're not gonna want to put this book down.
My Own Worst Enemy is a cute YA/NA romcom about a butch lesbian actor named Emmy Clooney (no relation) who is the most precious character I have come across. She wants nothing more than to be a successful actress. She's smart, she's funny and she prepares to the max when it comes to roles, and she is more comfortable being someone else and following scripts than she is talking to people on her own. She is shy and anxious, seconds guesses herself and is afraid people are going to abandon her when she's not acting. She's certain she's going to get lots of queer butch roles, because there are so many femme lesbians, but not that many that a butch, so when she meets fellow aspiring, Bisexual actress, Mae Jones, who looks exactly like her, and seems to be way more of a natural actor than her, Emmy feels threatened.
Queue the declared rivalry between the two characters, where there is back-and-forth tension, that borderlines with intense flirting, self-growth and awareness of own faults, and we get this beautiful book. There are laugh-out-loud moments (like seriously, I peed my pants) there are parts that made me cry, and there were parts that made me wish I was a part of their world.
The side characters were great too. I loved the side story going on in the background with Emmy's best friends/roommates. I loved the queer representation throughout the book. (Lesbian, Bisexual, Pansexual, Gay, Non-Binary.) I didn't like Alice, and neither will you when you read this book, but she was a core element of Emmy's growth.
Thank you so much to Lily Lindon, Netgalley and Aria Fiction for the copy of the eArc. This review is left voluntary.
May 23, 2023
Lily Lindon's My Own Worst Enemy is another sweet, queer romcom along the lines of Alyson Derrick and Rachael Lippincott's She Gets The Girl and Adiba Jaigirdar's The Henna Wars. Twenty-five-year-old Emmy, a butch lesbian, is an aspiring actor who's all too aware that there's usually only room for one masculine-presenting woman in any given film, play, advert or TV show. All's going well until she meets Mae, who's her spitting image - except more confident and perhaps more naturally talented, despite her lack of formal training. Emmy and Mae become declared enemies - but they keep bumping into each other on the same casting calls. Will their mutual obsession become something more?
I enjoyed this fun romance and the representation of a butch lesbian/bi pairing, although I felt the secondary characters, with the exception of Emmy's parents and her refreshingly non-stereotypical straight best friend Ruth, were a little thinly drawn. In particular, I found Heather caricatured and unbelievable. Emmy herself could also be a little too clueless and dithery at times for my liking, as well as intensely self-absorbed - I wanted to hear more from Mae. However, although this wasn't on a par with the titles mentioned above, it's still a warm, likeable read. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
I enjoyed this fun romance and the representation of a butch lesbian/bi pairing, although I felt the secondary characters, with the exception of Emmy's parents and her refreshingly non-stereotypical straight best friend Ruth, were a little thinly drawn. In particular, I found Heather caricatured and unbelievable. Emmy herself could also be a little too clueless and dithery at times for my liking, as well as intensely self-absorbed - I wanted to hear more from Mae. However, although this wasn't on a par with the titles mentioned above, it's still a warm, likeable read. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews