Book Review: Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
“Crush’ is too weak a word to describe how I feel. It doesn’t do you justice, but maybe it works for me. I am the one who is crushed. I’m crushed that we have only ever regarded each other as enemies. I’m crushed when the day ends and I haven’t said anything to you that isn’t cloaked in five layers of sarcasm.”
― Rachel Lynn Solomon, Today Tonight Tomorrow
Ok, so if you don’t know, my absolute favorite trope of all time would be that of academic rivals. And I feel that there are not many books dedicated to school rivals, rather than enemies in epic fantasy novels. Not that I don’t enjoy a good enemies to lovers plot regardless of the genre. Anyways….THIS BOOK WAS ADORABLE. I have to remind myself to contain myself. I’m not joking that when I saw the synopsis I didn’t even wait to get a physical copy (which I prefer). I found an ebook as fast as I could, and absolutely tore through the pages. And it did not disappoint!
It’s Rowan’s last day of high school. The day that she will finally be named valedictorian, and beat her infuriating rival Neil McNail. But when Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan isn’t sure what happens next. As her last revenge, she’s determined to crush him in the senior scavenger hunt. However, everyone immediately targets both Rowan and Neil, and the two are faced with the only option of survival: teaming up. Ew. But as the night goes by, Rowan begins to see aspects of Neil she had no idea existed. Doesn’t mean he’s not still aggravating…right?
First off, I loved the scavenger hunt. I wish my school did something half as cool for our seniors, though I will admit they do their best for the small town we are lol. The whole concept was executed very well, and makes me want to explore Seattle one day. It moves the plot along at a pleasant rate and is the perfect background for the characters’ interactions. The fact that the book takes place in 24 hours is just the cherry on the cake.
Character wise I found Rowan’s character fairly relatable, as I’m currently in high school, and doing my best to get to fight for valedictorian. This book gave me such a nostalgic feeling, and it has reminded me to slow down and focus on the more important aspects of your school days, friends and family. Anyways, I did not find Rowan to be as unlikable as many of the female stars in YA romance; that is to say she still had flaws like a normal person, but I didn’t find them to be as triggering as most. Enough about Rowan because without a doubt Neil was the true star of the show! He’s such a geek and I love him for it, and can we talk about his nickname for Rowan?! ARTOO. It’s adorable. His sarcasm is on point throughout the novel, but his yearbook letter literally melted my heart. I think I had to stop reading and just take it all in. Neil left me smiling like a goof throughout any scene with him
The main fear of graduating and being on the verge of adulthood peeps in at times that feel organic, and Rowan’s struggle with her dream career of being a romance writer brings attention to a stereotypical judgement in our society. Rachel Lynn Solomon also shows the characters’ Jewish faith in a very informative light, and has made me curious as to other aspects I was not aware of before.
In the end, Today Tonight Tomorrow is a charming light read that I think any rom com enthusiast will wholeheartedly enjoy. I’m not joking when I say I’m going to buy a physical copy just so that I can reread it any time I want.
Here’s the spotify playlist!
-link——- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iprxqSiUMZCHc97zOmK8d?si=6ubp9wSTS9CiFUmjglacLQ