Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - They Hate Each Other

Did I stay up way too late finishing this book last night because I just couldn't put it down? Yes, yes I did. Though that's partly my fault for also starting it so late into the night. What really gripped me about this book was the characters and the overall emotional depth. It's just so well done. Dylan and Jonah are archenemies at the beginning of the book, but as they both get to know each other, they realize there is a lot more to each of them than meets the eye.

I do want to mention that this book is also falling prey to a trend I've been seeing in queer YA in the last year or so in that it's being marketed as a fluffly, cute romance (even down to the cover design), but it's not really that? Yes, you have fake dating and some of the classic fake dating tropes, but both Jonah and Dylan are dealing with some very real trauma, which leads to some really emotional moments in the book. These are all mentioned in the content warnings at the very beginning of the book, but if you go in expecting cute fluffy romance, this isn't what you're going to get.

But I digress! The marketing has nothing to do with the actual writing of the book, which in my opinion, is really well done. As someone who generally reads books for character, I was so invested in both Dylan and Jonah. I read something somewhere that Amanda Woody was influenced by Red, White, and Royal Blue when writing this, and I can truly see this book as a pretty good read-a-like for that, as least in character chemistry. Just not in overall story plotline.

All in all, if you're looking for an emotional, heartfelt queer romance to read this Pride Month, definitely pick this one up!

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elizajaquays's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I would like to sue for emotional damages and a box of tissues.

But seriously though, this was so good. Even if I did sob so hard I worried my cats.

I am a sucker for the fake dating trope and Amanda Woody executed it masterfully in They Hate Each Other. Honestly though, how could anything have gone wrong with their incredibly well thought out plan to fake date and break up to get their friends off their backs?!?!

The backbone of this romcom was finding family and the weight of self-sufficiency (hence all the bawling) and even though the topics were heavy, the lighthearted hate to love kept things moving.

4.75/5 stars

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ramunepocky's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I loved absolutely everything about this book !!! The dynamic of hatred to 'reluctant' friends to oh shit i have a crush on you to lovers is just phenomanal !!! I love how they both realise how their assumptions about the other is wrong and that theres more to them than they ever thought could be possible. And the fact that there were conflicts and resolutions, but none of them were homophobia/transphobia, external or internal, or coming out, there was sm queer joy and I loved that sm !!!

I loved Jonah so much !!!! He was goddamn sweet and stubborn and would happily die for his sisters. It broke my heart watching him burn himself to the ground trying to give them happiness and buy them what they wanted, watching him tolerate his disgusting manager bc he needed the money, watching him be a parent from 13y/o bc his mother had died and his father drowned himself in alcohol and they had no one else left, he was still a kid himself and yet he took on the role of parent so his younger sisters wouldnt suffer, so he could keep them all together. And yet he still had so much energy and love to give other people, making himself the centre of attention at parties, putting up that persona to hide just how tired he rlly was. I loved his dynamic with Andre, their banter always made me.laugh sm !!! And ofc I loved his dynamic with Dylan, from them purposely trying to get a rise out of each other, to them realising they genuinely cared and helping each other, to the sweet moments they shared.

I also rlly loved Dylan !!! It was so painful to see him punish himself and distance himself from his family bc he blamed himself for being a victim and "breaking up their family" when he was only a child. His panic attacks and fear of being too much, of being a burden, was very real, and I was happy to see him work through them and finally reunite with his brother and work towards his relationship with his mother. Also the fact that big griups of people and being the centre of attention overwhelms him is so relatable !!! And the stress baking, even ij the middle of the night !!!

I loved the romance sm !!! I loved the gradual way they went from absolutely despising each other to realising they cared about each other and supporting the other, Jonah helping Dylan with his panic attacks, and Dylan willing to sacrifice everything to give Jonah a home, a break and the chance to just be a kid again, and how they both realised they were actually falling for the other. I also really loved too that we got to see them still a couple of months after theyd actually gotten together and how their relationship was coming along !!

I also rlly loved the amount of casual queer rep. We had a 9y/o trans girl, we had an asexual young woman who's been in a healthy and loving relationship for over two years, we had casual nonbinary rep, and two bisexual male protagonists, and sm more, and I just love sm that no one ever questioned them or told them they were too young to know who they are, or that they're wrong, there was just sm queer joy !!!

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