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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was so good! I found the anxiety representation very relatable.
I really liked The Hate Project. Oscar was a great protagonist, and I found the book was more about him as a person than his developing relationship with Jack. Though I did like their relationship as well. It was hard watching some of Oscar’s decisions and actions, but they felt real. I really appreciated the insight into Oscar’s challenges and his coping mechanisms; more books about coping rather than fixing please. Side note: his support network was fantastic. Jack’s grandmother was also delightful.
A fabulous, diverse cast with a perfect depiction of anxiety. Very satisfying!
This was a sort-of-enemies to basically-lovers story with a main character who was hard to sympathize with. There were also a bunch of references to bell jars which I obviously needed to have read the first book in the series to understand.
Oscar is anxious, depressed, and somewhat overweight. He has a customer service job he hates. He has a bunch of friends who treat him like a beloved dysfunctional pet. The friends are relentlessly supportive, which is both nice and pretty unrealistic, but this is a romance novel, so... A newcomer to the friend group is Jack, who is handsome and has a good job in something finance-adjacent. Oscar and Jack don't get along, until they do, when they engage in a little annoyance as foreplay. It turns out that Jack has a thing for bear cubs.
There's hoarding, a sassy grandma, trans and enby rep, found family, and some pretty severe emotional limitations from Oscar. Multiple bell jar mentions wtf.
Even for a romance novel, I felt like the endless understanding offered to Oscar was just really unrealistic, and I did wonder why Oscar wasn't in therapy, because he needed to be.
Oscar is anxious, depressed, and somewhat overweight. He has a customer service job he hates. He has a bunch of friends who treat him like a beloved dysfunctional pet. The friends are relentlessly supportive, which is both nice and pretty unrealistic, but this is a romance novel, so... A newcomer to the friend group is Jack, who is handsome and has a good job in something finance-adjacent. Oscar and Jack don't get along, until they do, when they engage in a little annoyance as foreplay. It turns out that Jack has a thing for bear cubs.
There's hoarding, a sassy grandma, trans and enby rep, found family, and some pretty severe emotional limitations from Oscar. Multiple bell jar mentions wtf.
Even for a romance novel, I felt like the endless understanding offered to Oscar was just really unrealistic, and I did wonder why Oscar wasn't in therapy, because he needed to be.
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a relatable portrayal of anxiety and depression life. Ripper is masterful at portraying mental illness AND relationships with an unconventional happily-ever-after. Great frenemies-to-lovers romance, highly reccomend.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you very much to Harlequin-Carina Press for providing a review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Check out this review and more on my blog.
I have many favourite tropes that I love reading about in romance novels, but I’ve never read a book that so perfectly encapsulates the grumpy x grumpy dynamic like The Hate Project by Kris Ripper does.
The book follows Oscar, who’s a little bit grouchy and a lot anxious, but who has a great group of friends as his support system for the times his depression rears its ugly head or when his panic attacks become too much for him to deal with. One of his best friends, Declan, decides to make Oscar’s life even more difficult by introducing a new member to their friendship group: Jack. Jack, whose a little bit older then the rest of them and manages to get on Oscar’s nerves like no other. When Oscar is let go from his job, he and Jack have one night of no-strings, sort-of-pity sex that Oscar is happy to forget about. But then through Declan’s machinations, Jack hires Oscar to clean his house that is going up for sale and is currently a chaotic mess from Jack’s grandfather’s hoarding. Oscar and Jack then use this time as an excuse to continue hooking up, until their no-strings arrangement starts to feel a little too real.
While The Hate Project is primarily a romance novel, it also focuses heavily on Oscar’s mental health journey as he suffers from anxiety and depression. His anxiety is so relatable, I found myself highlighting entire paragraphs on my Kindle because I could so clearly see myself reflected in Oscar. It was also really illuminating to see how Oscar worked though his anxious episodes, especially with help from his friends who are always there for Oscar but also respect his boundaries when he says he’s not ready to talk about something. The found family dynamic in this book was just wonderful.
Jack, on the other hand, is a bit domineering, very grumpy and, like Oscar, terrified of commitment. He’s not afraid of saying exactly what he wants, which baffles Oscar but also intrigues him. I really enjoyed the snark banter between the two men and felt that the development of their relationship was handled perfectly. There’s a bit of miscommunication between them and I found it so refreshing that they profess their love for one another in a non-typical way–as in they never say the words, but the reader can still see how much they adore each other. I can’t wait to see more of Oscar and Jack in the next book in the series, even as they following book focuses on a different pairing.
I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy a romance that revolves so heavily around anxiety and depression, but there you have it: Ripper has written an incredible love story here, even if Oscar and Jack would object to that word. If you’re looking for a unique romance novel where the love interests keep denying the fact that they even like each other, then I highly recommend The Hate Project!
Check out this review and more on my blog.
I have many favourite tropes that I love reading about in romance novels, but I’ve never read a book that so perfectly encapsulates the grumpy x grumpy dynamic like The Hate Project by Kris Ripper does.
The book follows Oscar, who’s a little bit grouchy and a lot anxious, but who has a great group of friends as his support system for the times his depression rears its ugly head or when his panic attacks become too much for him to deal with. One of his best friends, Declan, decides to make Oscar’s life even more difficult by introducing a new member to their friendship group: Jack. Jack, whose a little bit older then the rest of them and manages to get on Oscar’s nerves like no other. When Oscar is let go from his job, he and Jack have one night of no-strings, sort-of-pity sex that Oscar is happy to forget about. But then through Declan’s machinations, Jack hires Oscar to clean his house that is going up for sale and is currently a chaotic mess from Jack’s grandfather’s hoarding. Oscar and Jack then use this time as an excuse to continue hooking up, until their no-strings arrangement starts to feel a little too real.
While The Hate Project is primarily a romance novel, it also focuses heavily on Oscar’s mental health journey as he suffers from anxiety and depression. His anxiety is so relatable, I found myself highlighting entire paragraphs on my Kindle because I could so clearly see myself reflected in Oscar. It was also really illuminating to see how Oscar worked though his anxious episodes, especially with help from his friends who are always there for Oscar but also respect his boundaries when he says he’s not ready to talk about something. The found family dynamic in this book was just wonderful.
Jack, on the other hand, is a bit domineering, very grumpy and, like Oscar, terrified of commitment. He’s not afraid of saying exactly what he wants, which baffles Oscar but also intrigues him. I really enjoyed the snark banter between the two men and felt that the development of their relationship was handled perfectly. There’s a bit of miscommunication between them and I found it so refreshing that they profess their love for one another in a non-typical way–as in they never say the words, but the reader can still see how much they adore each other. I can’t wait to see more of Oscar and Jack in the next book in the series, even as they following book focuses on a different pairing.
I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy a romance that revolves so heavily around anxiety and depression, but there you have it: Ripper has written an incredible love story here, even if Oscar and Jack would object to that word. If you’re looking for a unique romance novel where the love interests keep denying the fact that they even like each other, then I highly recommend The Hate Project!
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once in a while, when the stars are perfectly aligned, I read a queer contemporary romance and ends up enjoying it. The Hate Project was that case.
I hadn't read the first book of the series before starting this one and honestly I didn't feel like a was missing something (thanks god!). This one can really be listen as a standalone.
I enjoyed it a lot. It had the grumpy/grumpy trope, frenemies-to-lovers, anxiety rep and overall endearing characters. I really had a very good time and wasn't bored at any moment (which is usually the case when I try a contemporary novel).
I hadn't read the first book of the series before starting this one and honestly I didn't feel like a was missing something (thanks god!). This one can really be listen as a standalone.
I enjoyed it a lot. It had the grumpy/grumpy trope, frenemies-to-lovers, anxiety rep and overall endearing characters. I really had a very good time and wasn't bored at any moment (which is usually the case when I try a contemporary novel).