Rowan learning that Neil is Jewish becomes a turning point in the text, the point that Rowan decides to trust Neil, and that she might be in love with him. Both characters express insecurities about being Jewish because of the way they are perceived and treated by their peers, not because there’s anything embarrassing about being Jewish. Rowan and Neil both also have a realistic and positive relationship with Jewish identity. I was refreshing to see economic diversity and a Jewish character with an immigrant parent, two kinds of Jewish representation that are scarce in Contemporary YA. Neil’s family is shown a struggling financially.

Rowan is Jewish and has Mexican heritage. The book also portrays diversity in the Jewish experience.

There is also a sweet and memorable scene over a Shabbat dinner. Early on, Rowan overhears an anti-Semitic conversation by her peers, and it’s later revealed that part of the reason Neil is so private about his Jewish identity is that he’s been rejected for it before. In addition to the Jewish children’s book subplot, there is a lot of conversation about casual anti-Semitism. Both Rowan and Neil are Jewish, and Jewish identity comes up frequently over the course of the text. The book meets the criteria for consideration for a Sydney Taylor award. This, to me, felt like a great book to pair with Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, as it features a similarly fun and sweet story about academic rivalry in high school, all while unpacking some of the Jewish stereotypes featured in the Netflix series. Jewish publishing professionals in particular will be amused by the subplot involving Rowan’s parents, who are children’s book authors writing Jewish chapter books. It's also very Jewish, in sweet and surprising ways. Rowan and Neil’s passions and insecurities feel authentically drawn, and the game element of the plot and the 24-hour timeline keeps things exciting. The narrative has a good sense of humor and a sweet romance at its heart. Over the course of the evening they learn more about each other, and realize that they might actually be a perfect match. However, when Rowan realizes that a group of students wants revenge on the both of them, they put aside their feud for the evening to team up. Howl, a senior scavenger hunt spread all across Seattle, is their last chance to outdo one another. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have spent much of their high school careers trying to outdo each other for the best grades and accolades. Today Tonight Tomorrow is an enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance that follows two academic rivals on the last day of their senior year of high school.

Today tonight tomorrow author