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There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless… Light Novel #1
There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless... (Light Novel) Vol. 1
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 opposite: 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!
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 opposite: 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!
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2020
54 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 8, 2023
First and foremost, content warning about sexual assault and date rape.
The original description of this series when I preordered it made it sound like an almost playful enemies-to-lovers bullying story. However, it is very far from that. It is far more like, "spoiled girl has no concept of respecting boundaries and will take whatever she wants whenever she wants and ignore all protests, but MC really likes her flaws and all." A very "girl likes really problematic girl" story.
I ended up enjoying the MC's clumsy, "but I'm not ready to be a lesbian" comphet attitude even as she flirts with every girl around her and locks up every time guys show up. I even find it endearing, but I can imagine some people would not. I also liked that the varied personalities and development of their whole friend group. They didn't read as dry depthless background character like often happens in romance.
The MCs insecurities are annoying throughout the book, but she grows over time at least somewhat. But I come back to the fact my biggest complaint is that that the MC was sexually assaulted multiple times by the girl she was developing feelings for/falling in love with. The saving grace is that this isn't played as a joke or as something that is ok, but as actual harm being done, and there are repercussions and fallout from this, unlike how I have seen in most manga and light novels.
I think the MC lets her off easy in the end, but this book doesn't quite have a HEA either, but as it is labeled 1 in a series, I assume there will be more of these two's stories.
While the multiple sexual assaults threw me off, this isn't the first "dark" romance I read, and it was still pretty enjoyable when read as "girl likes very problematic girl" and not the more playful LN content I was expecting.
The original description of this series when I preordered it made it sound like an almost playful enemies-to-lovers bullying story. However, it is very far from that. It is far more like, "spoiled girl has no concept of respecting boundaries and will take whatever she wants whenever she wants and ignore all protests, but MC really likes her flaws and all." A very "girl likes really problematic girl" story.
I ended up enjoying the MC's clumsy, "but I'm not ready to be a lesbian" comphet attitude even as she flirts with every girl around her and locks up every time guys show up. I even find it endearing, but I can imagine some people would not. I also liked that the varied personalities and development of their whole friend group. They didn't read as dry depthless background character like often happens in romance.
The MCs insecurities are annoying throughout the book, but she grows over time at least somewhat. But I come back to the fact my biggest complaint is that that the MC was sexually assaulted multiple times by the girl she was developing feelings for/falling in love with. The saving grace is that this isn't played as a joke or as something that is ok, but as actual harm being done, and there are repercussions and fallout from this, unlike how I have seen in most manga and light novels.
I think the MC lets her off easy in the end, but this book doesn't quite have a HEA either, but as it is labeled 1 in a series, I assume there will be more of these two's stories.
While the multiple sexual assaults threw me off, this isn't the first "dark" romance I read, and it was still pretty enjoyable when read as "girl likes very problematic girl" and not the more playful LN content I was expecting.
June 23, 2023
could be cute, comes off rapey
The story in and of itself is cute. The MC is an introvert who is tired of being lonely. So she bucks up and puts on a show for high school. It works. She is accepted into the top tier group of girls.
One day while seeking to recharge her batteries she is on the roof. The ‘super amazing mai’ the most popular, famous, model girl in the school comes up to relax as well, and mistakes the MC for a suicide risk. She ‘saves’ her and the two talk. Mai decides she likes the MC. Wants to date her. The MC doesn’t want that, she wants to be best friends. So they decide to do a trial of it. One day best friends, the next day girl friends and so on.
But Mai is a sociopath, and constantly forces herself on the MC. Forces kisses on her, gropes her, assaults her in a bath tub, while the MC says no, and stop. It culminates at the MC’s home where Mai strips the MC of her panties and top and assaults her before they are interrupted by the MC’s sister who decides later that it’s ‘so cool’.
The MC then tells of Mai, slaps her for her sins, and then spends the next 20 pages telling herself how it’s her own fault and she over reacted and she needs to apologize.
Seriously concerning. It’s meant to come off as cute, really it’s just uncomfortable.
The story in and of itself is cute. The MC is an introvert who is tired of being lonely. So she bucks up and puts on a show for high school. It works. She is accepted into the top tier group of girls.
One day while seeking to recharge her batteries she is on the roof. The ‘super amazing mai’ the most popular, famous, model girl in the school comes up to relax as well, and mistakes the MC for a suicide risk. She ‘saves’ her and the two talk. Mai decides she likes the MC. Wants to date her. The MC doesn’t want that, she wants to be best friends. So they decide to do a trial of it. One day best friends, the next day girl friends and so on.
But Mai is a sociopath, and constantly forces herself on the MC. Forces kisses on her, gropes her, assaults her in a bath tub, while the MC says no, and stop. It culminates at the MC’s home where Mai strips the MC of her panties and top and assaults her before they are interrupted by the MC’s sister who decides later that it’s ‘so cool’.
The MC then tells of Mai, slaps her for her sins, and then spends the next 20 pages telling herself how it’s her own fault and she over reacted and she needs to apologize.
Seriously concerning. It’s meant to come off as cute, really it’s just uncomfortable.
April 1, 2024
I like that the light novel version of this story gives a more insight into *why* Rena is so hesitant to get in a ‘as lovers’ relationship compared to the manga, which was nice… but man, Mai’s pushy-ness probably comes off even worse in written form vs. drawn, and bits with Rena feeling bad about perfectly valid reactions to Mai not taking ‘no’ for an answer are kinda extra iffy, to put it lightly.
Edit: Having now finished book 3 in the series, I'm *really* glad I kept reading past volume 1!
Volumes 2 and 3 both ended up getting a (relatively rare for me) 5 star rating on account of it turning out pretty much all the 'iffy' stuff that happened in this volume turns into real plot points with consequences and character development.
Edit: Having now finished book 3 in the series, I'm *really* glad I kept reading past volume 1!
Volumes 2 and 3 both ended up getting a (relatively rare for me) 5 star rating on account of it turning out pretty much all the 'iffy' stuff that happened in this volume turns into real plot points with consequences and character development.
April 4, 2024
Safe to say I didn’t enjoy much. There were plenty of rape-y parts and I thought it wasn’t gonna happen more than once but what the heck do I know?
1/5
1/5
July 19, 2025
It was all going well (more less, since there are MANY problematic parts) until the end… It was definitely not what I expected. I suppose the next light novels will be better than this one, hopefully.
February 5, 2023
最初はなんか「これ普通だな」って感じだったが二章が始まってからかなり面白くなってきた。 最後で何も解決してないみたいな、中途半端に終わったみたいな気がしてならないが、それでも大目に見ることは出来る。 特に気に入ったのは主人公のナレーション。いきいきしていて、主人公の個性がよく出ていた。お陰で読みやすくて、とても楽しかった。 同作家の他の作品、アリオトも楽しみにしている。
August 24, 2025
Książka opowiada o Amaori Renako, młodej dziewczynie, która do tej pory wiodła życie samotnicy. Wraz z rozpoczęciem nauki w liceum postanawia to zmienić. Zmienia swoją prezencję i zachowanie, tak by lepiej wpasować się w grono popularnych dziewczyn. Poznaje niezwykle atrakcyjną koleżankę o imieniu Oudoka Mai i szybko dołącza do jej grupy znajomych.
W wyniku nietuzinkowej sytuacji, Mai zakochuje się w Renako i nazajutrz, ta wyznaje jej miłość. Renako stawia opór, ponieważ widzi Mai jako swoją przyjaciółkę i nie chce się angazować w związek romantyczny. Ostatecznie stają na dość absurdalnym kompromisie, polegajacym na tym, że w jeden dzień bedą przyjaciółkami, a w inny parą. Wygrywa ten kto do końca miesiąca przekona drugą, który typ relacji jest lepszy. (To nie spojler, bo książka w zasadzie się od tej sceny zaczyna).
Dużo zarzutów wobec tej książki opiera się na tym, że Mai jest bardzo natarczywa w swoich zalotach i wielokrotnie łamie granice, które stawia jej Renako. O ile rozumiem, że ze względów czysto subiektywnych, komuś może się to nie podobać, to jako zarzut krytyczny wydaje się to zupełnie nie na miejscu.
Gdyby usunąć ten element, opowieść straciłaby wiele na wydźwięku i upodobniła zarazem do bardziej konwencjonalnych yuri, gdzie napięcie buduje się zwykle przez całość trwania opowieści z momentem kulminacyjnym pod koniec. Tego typu ramy narracyjne znacząco utrudniłyby eksploracje tematów, które ta seria usiłuje podjąć. A tak boom - mamy starcie poglądów na sam start!
Mimo że u podstaw jest to romcom, jest to dość bogata tematycznie opowieść. Granice w związkach, różnice w postrzeganiu intymności, maskowanie swoich słabości przed innymi, to jak trauma powstała w wyniku odrzucenia wpływa na przyszłe formowanie relacji, jak nasze oczekiwania wobec innych potrafią być krzywdzące - to część podejmowanych tematów, ale zdecydowanie nie jest to wyczerpującą lista!
Czytając, również miałem wrażenie, że postacie robiły rzeczy niestosowne, nie na miejscu lub po prostu głupie. Jednak uważam, że komfort odbiorcy nie powinien być głównym wyznacznikiem jakości danej opowieści. Czasem trzeba poświęcić komfort dla estetyki.
A tak w skrócie to podobało mi się bardzo, ale polecić nie mogę. Chyba że ktoś ma wysoką odporność na horny lesbijki, w takim razie polecam!!
W wyniku nietuzinkowej sytuacji, Mai zakochuje się w Renako i nazajutrz, ta wyznaje jej miłość. Renako stawia opór, ponieważ widzi Mai jako swoją przyjaciółkę i nie chce się angazować w związek romantyczny. Ostatecznie stają na dość absurdalnym kompromisie, polegajacym na tym, że w jeden dzień bedą przyjaciółkami, a w inny parą. Wygrywa ten kto do końca miesiąca przekona drugą, który typ relacji jest lepszy. (To nie spojler, bo książka w zasadzie się od tej sceny zaczyna).
Dużo zarzutów wobec tej książki opiera się na tym, że Mai jest bardzo natarczywa w swoich zalotach i wielokrotnie łamie granice, które stawia jej Renako. O ile rozumiem, że ze względów czysto subiektywnych, komuś może się to nie podobać, to jako zarzut krytyczny wydaje się to zupełnie nie na miejscu.
Gdyby usunąć ten element, opowieść straciłaby wiele na wydźwięku i upodobniła zarazem do bardziej konwencjonalnych yuri, gdzie napięcie buduje się zwykle przez całość trwania opowieści z momentem kulminacyjnym pod koniec. Tego typu ramy narracyjne znacząco utrudniłyby eksploracje tematów, które ta seria usiłuje podjąć. A tak boom - mamy starcie poglądów na sam start!
Mimo że u podstaw jest to romcom, jest to dość bogata tematycznie opowieść. Granice w związkach, różnice w postrzeganiu intymności, maskowanie swoich słabości przed innymi, to jak trauma powstała w wyniku odrzucenia wpływa na przyszłe formowanie relacji, jak nasze oczekiwania wobec innych potrafią być krzywdzące - to część podejmowanych tematów, ale zdecydowanie nie jest to wyczerpującą lista!
Czytając, również miałem wrażenie, że postacie robiły rzeczy niestosowne, nie na miejscu lub po prostu głupie. Jednak uważam, że komfort odbiorcy nie powinien być głównym wyznacznikiem jakości danej opowieści. Czasem trzeba poświęcić komfort dla estetyki.
A tak w skrócie to podobało mi się bardzo, ale polecić nie mogę. Chyba że ktoś ma wysoką odporność na horny lesbijki, w takim razie polecam!!
October 31, 2025
Personally, I enjoy this book a lot and highly recommend it.
But it's clear from the middling ratings of this book that reviews are mixed. So in this review, I'll try to figure out who are the people that'll like this.
The story features Renako, a highschooler that could be affectionately described as a girlfailure — socially awkward, has difficulty standing for herself, yet lovably earnest all the same. She has worked immensely hard to push through her natural shyness to approach some classmates and now finds herself befriending some of the most popular girls in her school.
But what is a friend, really?
People you enjoy spending time with? People you open your heart to? The ones to share all your joys and sorrows with? Renako sure thinks so, but it clashes with what the other main character thinks. Mai, the blonde on the cover, feels that that level of intimacy is more the definition of lovers.
And that's where they butt heads. In one corner, Mai desires a romantic relationship and pursues Renako with arrogant pushiness, getting into her personal space and whenever they are alone. In the opposing corner, Renako desires intimate friendship and spends much time inviting Mai to places while keeping her out of her most personal bubble — as much as she is able to, anyways, given her shyness.
Overall
If you find yourself sometimes thinking about what "friends" are (or "lovers", for that matter), then I think you might enjoy this.
If you enjoy seeing a "loser" and "loner" earnestly work to better herself, you might enjoy this.
If you enjoy seeing girls get physically and emotionally intimate — and the gay panic of a confused lesbian in such situations — I think you'll enjoy this a lot.
But if Mai's level of boundary disrespect is a major turnoff, you'll likely dislike this.
A content warning, however, there's in this book that is a pivotal plot point. It didn't think much of it, since it was resolved cleanly, but your mileage may vary.
But it's clear from the middling ratings of this book that reviews are mixed. So in this review, I'll try to figure out who are the people that'll like this.
The story features Renako, a highschooler that could be affectionately described as a girlfailure — socially awkward, has difficulty standing for herself, yet lovably earnest all the same. She has worked immensely hard to push through her natural shyness to approach some classmates and now finds herself befriending some of the most popular girls in her school.
But what is a friend, really?
People you enjoy spending time with? People you open your heart to? The ones to share all your joys and sorrows with? Renako sure thinks so, but it clashes with what the other main character thinks. Mai, the blonde on the cover, feels that that level of intimacy is more the definition of lovers.
And that's where they butt heads. In one corner, Mai desires a romantic relationship and pursues Renako with arrogant pushiness, getting into her personal space and whenever they are alone. In the opposing corner, Renako desires intimate friendship and spends much time inviting Mai to places while keeping her out of her most personal bubble — as much as she is able to, anyways, given her shyness.
Overall
If you find yourself sometimes thinking about what "friends" are (or "lovers", for that matter), then I think you might enjoy this.
If you enjoy seeing a "loser" and "loner" earnestly work to better herself, you might enjoy this.
If you enjoy seeing girls get physically and emotionally intimate — and the gay panic of a confused lesbian in such situations — I think you'll enjoy this a lot.
But if Mai's level of boundary disrespect is a major turnoff, you'll likely dislike this.
A content warning, however, there's in this book that is a pivotal plot point. It didn't think much of it, since it was resolved cleanly, but your mileage may vary.
December 6, 2025
another series i'm indebted to my wife for introducing me to. my thought on seeing the anime was basically, “yeah, that was a really good yuri.” it felt top 10 of the year, not “this is so good i'll be thinking about it forever.” less than halfway through this first volume i knew these light novels were going to be firmly in the latter category.
being able to hear renako-chan's thoughts just makes such a massive difference. the parts of her relationships that get messy not only have a much bigger impact this way, it honestly feels like some of the finer nuances of the first volume's Big Conflict are actually lost in its translation to anime even if the exact same events technically happened nearly beat for beat.
again, i loved the anime, but i already LOVE the light novels. they're something special.
being able to hear renako-chan's thoughts just makes such a massive difference. the parts of her relationships that get messy not only have a much bigger impact this way, it honestly feels like some of the finer nuances of the first volume's Big Conflict are actually lost in its translation to anime even if the exact same events technically happened nearly beat for beat.
again, i loved the anime, but i already LOVE the light novels. they're something special.
April 2, 2025
The love interest sexually assaults the main character multiple times. The characters are annoying throughout most of it (In one way or another) but like I said, the main character gets sexually assaulted multiple times. It isn't addressed as a joking thing, so that's good at least, but it also doesn't treat it as badly as it actually is. They still get together in the end, and the love interest never actually acknowledges what she did. The main character also ends up feeling guilty afterward due to slapping the love interest after she SA's the main character. It could have been cute, the idea was decent, but it was taken in a terrible direction.
Read
June 1, 2025J'avais lu une trentaine de chapitres du manga, et je redécouvre ce titre par le biais de son support original.
C'est une romcom assez fun même si j'avoue avoir été mis mal à l'aise par les comportements de Mai qui tiennent de l'agression. Heureusement la fin du volume semble indiquer qu'elle a compris que fallait pas faire ça.
J'ai également le second tome dans ma bibliothèque bookwalker, et je le lirais sans déplaisir.
C'est une romcom assez fun même si j'avoue avoir été mis mal à l'aise par les comportements de Mai qui tiennent de l'agression. Heureusement la fin du volume semble indiquer qu'elle a compris que fallait pas faire ça.
J'ai également le second tome dans ma bibliothèque bookwalker, et je le lirais sans déplaisir.
July 13, 2023
I literally just read the last two chapters because I wanted to know how it went after volume 2 of the manga.
Anyway, these girls are batty and need therapy to help them act like normal girls rather than wackos.
Anyway, these girls are batty and need therapy to help them act like normal girls rather than wackos.
December 4, 2025
4.5 estrellas
Qué puedo decir?
Es toda una romcom, me enamore de Mai mas de lo que creí con el anime y ahora quiero que se quede con ella a pesar de que todavía faltan las demás.
Aun así, fue muy entretenido, podemos ver mas de los pensamientos y sentimientos de Renako.
Qué puedo decir?
Es toda una romcom, me enamore de Mai mas de lo que creí con el anime y ahora quiero que se quede con ella a pesar de que todavía faltan las demás.
Aun así, fue muy entretenido, podemos ver mas de los pensamientos y sentimientos de Renako.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2023
Amazing!
This was everything I wanted in a yuri light novel and more. I need the next volume ASAP. Gonna be reading it again and again.
This was everything I wanted in a yuri light novel and more. I need the next volume ASAP. Gonna be reading it again and again.
December 23, 2023
I hate this with every fiber of my being.
It‘s basically just sexual harrasement.
It‘s basically just sexual harrasement.
May 9, 2024
Super engraçadinho e fofo, amo um fake dating
4.8/5
4.8/5
December 20, 2024
It is a cute story. There are some parts that definitely made me cringe and wonder how far the dub-con was going to be taken.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2025
Mai es una violadora que se vaya 100 años por dios
September 5, 2025
For someone who claims to hate romance, this main chick is pretty slutty lol
August 25, 2025
Off to an interesting start with this LN. Mai needs to CHILL.
December 10, 2025
Honestly glad I picked up the LN. It's given me the ability to recontextualize some of the scenes from the anime that left me feeling a bit icky.
Honestly at this point, having read five volumes of this series, I see things from a completely different perspective. Not only has my icky feeling gone away I actually really like that the author was willing to show relationships especially between young people as being messy. People make mistakes, and people can hurt people they love without meaning to, but that doesn't make them bad people necessarily.
If anyone is put off by the scene that I'm vaguely alluding to, rest assured, the narrative completely redeems them in my eyes at least.
Honestly at this point, having read five volumes of this series, I see things from a completely different perspective. Not only has my icky feeling gone away I actually really like that the author was willing to show relationships especially between young people as being messy. People make mistakes, and people can hurt people they love without meaning to, but that doesn't make them bad people necessarily.
If anyone is put off by the scene that I'm vaguely alluding to, rest assured, the narrative completely redeems them in my eyes at least.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews