There’s a reason tropes stick around long enough to launch a thousand stories; they’re both individual and universal, mundane and magical, private and public domain. Does that mean every story founded on a trope is a good one? Absolutely not. Someone still needs to write the thing and, as with any skill, there are those who are more or less talented at growing a world from a marble.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and I’m also a fan of fake dating. I mean, who doesn’t love a well-crafted snark fest that culminates in a dramatic battle of wits and words, then finds its resolution in the realization that the person who drove you absolutely mad is the one you’ve been waiting for all along? Along with the delightful agony of a plot sure to be discovered at any moment? I mean, come on.

Again, does that mean I’ve enjoyed every book built around that trope in the history of every book I’ve read, which is, in fact, a great number of books? Of course not.

I really liked 10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon, though.

I’m a relatively new romance reader and find myself very much drawn, at the ripe old age of 42, to YA romance. I have enough baggage in my own life that reading about other peoples’ baggage is sometimes a bit much, especially in the love department. And there’s a certain optimism to YA romance – even when the stories are topical and involve serious elements, even when one or more of the characters have been through it, even when the plot isn’t lighthearted – I find compelling.

Also, as the mother of a 10-year-old, I’m forced to recall the awkwardness of that period in my own life: the period of first crushes and not understanding what liking people was all about, and of not understanding I was bi until college (or pan until I was 41). I suppose I’m hoping that, by revisiting that time in my life with these novels, I can help my kids through some of that – or at least support them by knowing when to listen and when to shut my damn mouth.

All this to say one of the first romances I read when I was hopping on the train was Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi, the first book in this particular series (which isn’t a trilogy as such since each book is about a different couple, though the characters do overlap). It’s an absolutely delightful story about Dimple, who loves coding and couldn’t care less about finding a husband, and Rishi, whose traditional parents have conspired with Dimple’s to set the pair up in the hopes they’ll be a good match.

I didn’t realize Menon had expanded the universe until the Roarbots received an ARC of 10 Things I Hate About Pinky. Good news, everybody: you can read #3 while you’re waiting for #2 (There’s Something About Sweetie) to come off hold at the library.

Pinky is the wild girl I wish I had been in high school – free spirited, colorful, and just enough of a troublemaker to be fun – even though her strict, controlling mother views her as a complete delinquent. Samir is the only child of a single mother who survived cancer and, as such, grew up young and quickly, and he thrives in controlled, predictable circumstances.

Both Pinky and Samir have summer plans: Pinky with her parents, aunt, uncle, and perfect cousin Dolly at their house on Cape Cod, and Samir at an internship in DC. But when Samir’s internship falls through and Pinky’s blamed for something that’s Dolly’s fault, the two frenemies concoct a plan: Samir will go to Cape Cod and pretend to be Pinky’s perfect “I’ve finally made a good choice” boyfriend, and Pinky will, in turn, get Samir an internship at her mother’s prestigious law firm.

Of course, when they actually start to spend time with each other, Samir and Pinky discover the very things they thought they disliked about the other is actually a quality to be cherished.

I really love that this is a book full of good kids (with one glaring exception) and that it’s easy to love all of them and see their points of view. It’s an excellent reminder that there’s not one way to be a teenager (or a human) and there’s room for all sorts of people in the world. It’s also a very important reminder that everyone deserves love – that people, especially women, who are what was once termed “difficult” are amazing and strong and interesting and compelling and have so much to give the world.

Dismissing them (and by them I mean us) as “difficult” or “nasty” is reductive nonsense perpetuated by men who are afraid of us and women who want to be us. It’s also a good reminder that relationships are about balance, about both partners taking the role that suits them. A Pinky needs a Samir as much as a Samir needs a Pinky; both are stronger and happier not only when they let a little bit of each other in but also when they allow what’s different to stabilize what’s between.

Also, listen, there’s a fainting rescue opossum. I giggled every damn time.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I now need to go check my holds list yet again for There’s Something About Sweetie and watch 10 Things I Hate About You, which will, in turn, make me want to reread The Taming of The Shrew – because that’s how this particular food web connects.

The pub date for 10 Things I Hate About Pinky has, unfortunately, been pushed to July due to the current state of affairs, but you can go preorder it now and, by summer, when you’ve forgotten you ordered it, it will be a wonderful surprise gift to read out in the world… when “out in the world” is a thing again.