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kitkat175's review against another edition
3.0
Now it is no secret that I am a very big fan of this duo, but this book was just okay, Christina Lauren has written some better books. I liked Evie as a character a lot and she was just overall fun to read about. This book was not my favourite and could have been better I think. I didn't like how much she commented about her own weight and how old she was. She wasn't even that old she was 30 years old. I feel like this lacked the spark that I was looking for in the characters. I have been collecting Christina Lauren books, and I have read a lot of her book. Also the way it ended wasn't my fave. I kind of wish there was an epilogue at the end of the book. The pranks they were playing on each other were kind of funny but also so immature especially in a work place. I enjoyed the insider Hollywood part of it and knowing about all the agents and how they are working and how they are with there clients and who hates and love their clients. It was so funny when they broke into the house and stole all the incriminating files to throw there boss in jail. Also who steals from there employees 5 million at that as well. I did have the audiobook while also having the physically copy, I think that's why I got through the book so fast and without a problem. I still annotated this book because some of the parts in the book were funny. I am however excited to read her new book that will be coming out called paradise problems, I feel like it might be like another unhoneymooners and I am so excited. This is only one hiccup in the Christina Lauren books, she has way more better one's that I can't wait to read and review.
lucyferlioness's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kathydavie's review
3.0
A standalone novel about two powerful talent agents in Hollywood.
My Take
Are there degrees of humor? For Dating You / Hating You does qualify as funny, but not memorable funny. It’s more ho-hum than anything else. I must say that I expected more of the Christina Lauren team.
I suspect it’s supposed to be funny with Evie and Carter’s interactions and how they react to events as the merger settles itself out — heightened by Lauren using first-person dual protagonist point-of-view, so that we see events unfold through both Evie's and Carter's eyes. I do wish Lauren had done a better job of notifying the reader when she was switching perspectives. I had to read for a bit to figure out who was speaking. I also found it annoying with how quickly they leap against each other. Evie does have more of an excuse given her experiences as a woman, but still.
Yeah, as a woman. That leads to the theme here of gender discrimination. It takes awhile for Carter to see it, but it’s encouraging how outraged he is.
There is a funny undercurrent of Evie envying people who have achieved a permanent status in life — homeownership. It first shows up with that tarnished cherub *grin* at Mike and Steph’s. Of course, I did enjoy the pranking as well — poor Carter and his need for coffee… Carter’s big thang is traffic in L.A. It’s not easy no matter who or what he’s going up against. Another side theme is Jonah’s brush with reality.
I like how Lauren handles the text messaging (although I wish there had been greater contrast between the darker background and the text…old eyes…sigh…). And I do adore that ending, with Abbey & Aaron.
It’s an unexpectedly good “blind date” that Halloween, that raises up a fire between Evie and Carter, rival talent agents. But then their firms merge and all bets are off.
Only one of them will stay at the end of their contract, and who will it be?
The Characters
Evelyn “Evil” Abbey is one of the premier talent agents at Price & Dickle. Unfortunately, she’s a woman. A flop, Field Day, is what Brad holds over her at every possible turn. Jess is her great assistant. Evie's dad was an electrician for Warner Bros.; her mom did hair and make-up at almost all the studios.
Daryl Hannah Jordan and Amelia Baker are two of Evie’s best friends and also work at Price & Dickle. Daryl is a talent agent in the TV-Literary department and has an obsession with perfection that she indulges in at the clinic her uncle, Dr. Elias Jordan, runs. Eric Kingman is Brad’s nephew and a recently injured UCLA quarterback. Interesting conflicts about this guy. Amelia works in HR and has a twelve-year-old son, Jay.
Price & Dickle is…
…a major talent agency in Hollywood. The sleazy Brad Kingman is Evie’s hated jerk of a boss, and he’s head of Features. Kylie Salisbury is his assistant. Brad’s wife, Maxine, is an executive at Warner Bros. who stripped to pay for college. Bear is their dog.
Other agents include Rose (Features), Donald (Accounting), the nasty John Fineman (Features), Angela (Literary), Esther (Legal), Ashton, Steve Gainor was in Television, Timothy, Aimee, and Joanne Simms is a senior agent on the TV side. Jake is a guard in the lobby. Jared Helmsworth is its CEO. Tom Hetchum had been head of Legal.
Evie’s clients include Tyler, a Broadway actor (Bea is his very young daughter); Adam Elliott is America’s favorite aging hottie; Sarah Jill; the nightmarish Marian Isaac, a model-turned-actress; Keaton Avery; Seamus Aston from YouTube; and, Trent Vanh.
CT Management is…
…P&D’s major rival, Creative Talent and Media. Carter “Scooter” Aaron, a TV-Lit agent, is one of their best and recently transferred from New York. Becca is his very efficient assistant until he gets assigned Justin. Jonah Aaron is his artsy, diva brother who made it big with his photography. Dinah is their mom who thinks the sun rises and sets on Jonah. Aunts Doris and Dolores are twins, the Double Ds. Nick is Jonah’s roommate.
Blake and Kurt Elwood (Features) are fellow agents. Lisa is in the HR office of the New York branch.
Emil Shepard is one of their clients. Alan Porter is one of Carter’s, and he’ll be adding Dan Printz, an up-and-coming star (Caleb Ferraz is his manager); Jett Payne; Jamie Huang is a reality show darling (Allie Brynn is her manager); Alex Young is a singer-songwriter; and, Zach Taylor is stage-to-film (Avya is his wife and they have a son, Josh).
Michael Christopher “Mike” and Steph, a talent agent, are friends with a toddler, Morgan. Wyatt is Steph’s chubby twenty-two-year-old cousin. Anna is Steph’s assistant. Ken Alterman is Steph’s boss at Evie’s old agency. Ed Ruiz also works for Alterman.
Elsa “Bone Collector” Tippet is a talent agent interviewing. Gabe Vestes is an A-list movie star who hates Kingman. Dave Cyrus is Evie’s entertainment contact at the Hollywood Vine. Ted Statsky works at Variety. Libby Truman is a party planner. Kai Paialua was Evie’s date at Homecoming. Jason Dover is a lead in a film. Meredith is the birthing class teacher. Frank Nelson has a script for a Michael Bay production. Gwen Talbot had been one of Carter’s early girlfriends.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white background with the author’s name at the top left and the title at the bottom right. Both are embossed and filled with a purple to yellow gradient. To the left of the title and “holding up” the author are Evie and Carter, back-to-back in silhouetted profile, although Evie has her head turned to us with a smirk on her face.
The title is more Evie than Carter, but each is still Dating You / Hating You.
My Take
Are there degrees of humor? For Dating You / Hating You does qualify as funny, but not memorable funny. It’s more ho-hum than anything else. I must say that I expected more of the Christina Lauren team.
I suspect it’s supposed to be funny with Evie and Carter’s interactions and how they react to events as the merger settles itself out — heightened by Lauren using first-person dual protagonist point-of-view, so that we see events unfold through both Evie's and Carter's eyes. I do wish Lauren had done a better job of notifying the reader when she was switching perspectives. I had to read for a bit to figure out who was speaking. I also found it annoying with how quickly they leap against each other. Evie does have more of an excuse given her experiences as a woman, but still.
Yeah, as a woman. That leads to the theme here of gender discrimination. It takes awhile for Carter to see it, but it’s encouraging how outraged he is.
There is a funny undercurrent of Evie envying people who have achieved a permanent status in life — homeownership. It first shows up with that tarnished cherub *grin* at Mike and Steph’s. Of course, I did enjoy the pranking as well — poor Carter and his need for coffee… Carter’s big thang is traffic in L.A. It’s not easy no matter who or what he’s going up against. Another side theme is Jonah’s brush with reality.
I like how Lauren handles the text messaging (although I wish there had been greater contrast between the darker background and the text…old eyes…sigh…). And I do adore that ending, with Abbey & Aaron.
Those who “shout” the loudest always seem to be the ones doing the dirty deed.The Story
It’s an unexpectedly good “blind date” that Halloween, that raises up a fire between Evie and Carter, rival talent agents. But then their firms merge and all bets are off.
Only one of them will stay at the end of their contract, and who will it be?
The Characters
Evelyn “Evil” Abbey is one of the premier talent agents at Price & Dickle. Unfortunately, she’s a woman. A flop, Field Day, is what Brad holds over her at every possible turn. Jess is her great assistant. Evie's dad was an electrician for Warner Bros.; her mom did hair and make-up at almost all the studios.
Daryl Hannah Jordan and Amelia Baker are two of Evie’s best friends and also work at Price & Dickle. Daryl is a talent agent in the TV-Literary department and has an obsession with perfection that she indulges in at the clinic her uncle, Dr. Elias Jordan, runs. Eric Kingman is Brad’s nephew and a recently injured UCLA quarterback. Interesting conflicts about this guy. Amelia works in HR and has a twelve-year-old son, Jay.
Price & Dickle is…
…a major talent agency in Hollywood. The sleazy Brad Kingman is Evie’s hated jerk of a boss, and he’s head of Features. Kylie Salisbury is his assistant. Brad’s wife, Maxine, is an executive at Warner Bros. who stripped to pay for college. Bear is their dog.
Other agents include Rose (Features), Donald (Accounting), the nasty John Fineman (Features), Angela (Literary), Esther (Legal), Ashton, Steve Gainor was in Television, Timothy, Aimee, and Joanne Simms is a senior agent on the TV side. Jake is a guard in the lobby. Jared Helmsworth is its CEO. Tom Hetchum had been head of Legal.
Evie’s clients include Tyler, a Broadway actor (Bea is his very young daughter); Adam Elliott is America’s favorite aging hottie; Sarah Jill; the nightmarish Marian Isaac, a model-turned-actress; Keaton Avery; Seamus Aston from YouTube; and, Trent Vanh.
CT Management is…
…P&D’s major rival, Creative Talent and Media. Carter “Scooter” Aaron, a TV-Lit agent, is one of their best and recently transferred from New York. Becca is his very efficient assistant until he gets assigned Justin. Jonah Aaron is his artsy, diva brother who made it big with his photography. Dinah is their mom who thinks the sun rises and sets on Jonah. Aunts Doris and Dolores are twins, the Double Ds. Nick is Jonah’s roommate.
Blake and Kurt Elwood (Features) are fellow agents. Lisa is in the HR office of the New York branch.
Emil Shepard is one of their clients. Alan Porter is one of Carter’s, and he’ll be adding Dan Printz, an up-and-coming star (Caleb Ferraz is his manager); Jett Payne; Jamie Huang is a reality show darling (Allie Brynn is her manager); Alex Young is a singer-songwriter; and, Zach Taylor is stage-to-film (Avya is his wife and they have a son, Josh).
Michael Christopher “Mike” and Steph, a talent agent, are friends with a toddler, Morgan. Wyatt is Steph’s chubby twenty-two-year-old cousin. Anna is Steph’s assistant. Ken Alterman is Steph’s boss at Evie’s old agency. Ed Ruiz also works for Alterman.
Elsa “Bone Collector” Tippet is a talent agent interviewing. Gabe Vestes is an A-list movie star who hates Kingman. Dave Cyrus is Evie’s entertainment contact at the Hollywood Vine. Ted Statsky works at Variety. Libby Truman is a party planner. Kai Paialua was Evie’s date at Homecoming. Jason Dover is a lead in a film. Meredith is the birthing class teacher. Frank Nelson has a script for a Michael Bay production. Gwen Talbot had been one of Carter’s early girlfriends.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white background with the author’s name at the top left and the title at the bottom right. Both are embossed and filled with a purple to yellow gradient. To the left of the title and “holding up” the author are Evie and Carter, back-to-back in silhouetted profile, although Evie has her head turned to us with a smirk on her face.
The title is more Evie than Carter, but each is still Dating You / Hating You.
snoopyhive's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
audreyyrose's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
motmoove's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mhbookalicious's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
evarano's review against another edition
4.0
3.5-4
This was cute! It is very similar The Hating Game, but not as good. The beginning was extremely slow for me and the characters don't really hate each other? They actually really like each other but get annoyed at each other due to the situation they're in. I don't think the banter was super strong, but the book was funny and cute. I didn't like how Carter seemed different in Evie's POV than his own, I found that happened a couple times. I liked the friendships and the teamwork throughout the story, and Carter and Evie were sweet together-it was nice to read from dual POV's.
This was cute! It is very similar The Hating Game, but not as good. The beginning was extremely slow for me and the characters don't really hate each other? They actually really like each other but get annoyed at each other due to the situation they're in. I don't think the banter was super strong, but the book was funny and cute. I didn't like how Carter seemed different in Evie's POV than his own, I found that happened a couple times. I liked the friendships and the teamwork throughout the story, and Carter and Evie were sweet together-it was nice to read from dual POV's.
briggsy39's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content