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suzyq436's review against another edition
4.0
This was such an interesting romance. I truly enjoyed this.
shadowmaster13's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
The third act swerves into a surprisingly melodramatic place that seemed a little unnecessary but the character and heart is fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Infertility and Alcoholism
merlesstorys's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
booksumed's review
4.0
3.5 Loved the first half so much! The second dragged a bit (and got a little too dramatic) but it was overall really good
I loved the groveling from the H!
I loved the groveling from the H!
swagginswanigan's review against another edition
3.0
This book was fine... a little weird at the end and it was just a lot at times but it was good. Can’t say I loved it or hated it so...
bandherbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Princesa Sofia Maria Isabel de Esperanza y Santos, the "party princess," agrees to a fake relationship with the washed up rock star who broke her heart so many years ago. Aish Salinger has pined for Sofia for all the years they've been apart and hopes he can atone for the sins of his past.
I love Sofia, she's prickly and stubborn and determined to reach for success. I wasn't as enthralled with Aish or the rest of the romance ARC. The use of long flashback chapters also isn't always may favorite narrative style, and I was really worried about some things that are discovered about why/how Aish broke Sofia's heart.
The sex scenes were quite delicious, and thank you to the author for the SUPERB fainting couch scene. YAY.
I also think I was not in the mood for this book, so YMMV.
CW: alcohol use, gas lighting, sexual assault (discussed, in the past), suicide (discussed, in the past), may be more. I was skimming towards the end.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
I love Sofia, she's prickly and stubborn and determined to reach for success. I wasn't as enthralled with Aish or the rest of the romance ARC. The use of long flashback chapters also isn't always may favorite narrative style, and I was really worried about some things that are discovered about why/how Aish broke Sofia's heart.
The sex scenes were quite delicious, and thank you to the author for the SUPERB fainting couch scene. YAY.
I also think I was not in the mood for this book, so YMMV.
CW: alcohol use, gas lighting, sexual assault (discussed, in the past), suicide (discussed, in the past), may be more. I was skimming towards the end.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
2.0
Do you have a favorite trope that you love to see in a romance? Mine is a fake relationship - I am always so drawn in for those. Hate Crush started with a lot of promise for me - and a lot of tropes:
- princess
- rock star
- fake relationship
- second chance romance
Aish and Sofia had a brief relationship 10 years ago but have both moved on. Aish and his best friend John to a successful band - made most famous by a song he wrote about Sofia but never admitted who it was about.
Meanwhile Sofia was busy building a winery to bring tourism to her family’s kingdom and now needs for it to be a success. When it leaks that the song is about her - they are both given a chance to get what they need. Aish needs some positive press for the band’s next album since he’s reinventing after John’s death by suicide and rumors of stolen lyrics. Sofia needs positive press for the winery. If they pretend to be dating for one month - it can help them both out.
I really liked Sofia a lot - I love that she was a strong woman with a plan to help her country and the willingness to get it done.
However - I felt like the story went too far. It became really over the top and felt more like an overdone soap opera plot to me. I will be sharing spoilers now so stop reading if you don’t want to see them.
John was made to be such an over the top villain that I just couldn’t take it. In the past he stole lyrics, bribed people, stepped in to pretend to be Aish and left Sofia hanging when she called from the hospital. When Aish started to figure things out, he faked his own death. And then he’s back again now to continue wreaking havoc and just in general being a supervillain. It was way too much for me and really ruined what could have been an interesting story between Sofia and Aish. I don’t think it was necessary either - there could have been other reasons for their breakup and conflict.
Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the advance reading copies.
- princess
- rock star
- fake relationship
- second chance romance
Aish and Sofia had a brief relationship 10 years ago but have both moved on. Aish and his best friend John to a successful band - made most famous by a song he wrote about Sofia but never admitted who it was about.
Meanwhile Sofia was busy building a winery to bring tourism to her family’s kingdom and now needs for it to be a success. When it leaks that the song is about her - they are both given a chance to get what they need. Aish needs some positive press for the band’s next album since he’s reinventing after John’s death by suicide and rumors of stolen lyrics. Sofia needs positive press for the winery. If they pretend to be dating for one month - it can help them both out.
I really liked Sofia a lot - I love that she was a strong woman with a plan to help her country and the willingness to get it done.
However - I felt like the story went too far. It became really over the top and felt more like an overdone soap opera plot to me. I will be sharing spoilers now so stop reading if you don’t want to see them.
John was made to be such an over the top villain that I just couldn’t take it. In the past he stole lyrics, bribed people, stepped in to pretend to be Aish and left Sofia hanging when she called from the hospital. When Aish started to figure things out, he faked his own death. And then he’s back again now to continue wreaking havoc and just in general being a supervillain. It was way too much for me and really ruined what could have been an interesting story between Sofia and Aish. I don’t think it was necessary either - there could have been other reasons for their breakup and conflict.
Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the advance reading copies.
amanda_lind84's review against another edition
I didn’t connect with the characters
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
3.0
What if you fell in love with a rock star and he wrote an explicit song about your sex life and for 10 years the public has no idea it’s about you and then he tells someone and it goes viral?
None of us want our past decisions to come Bancorp and bite them s in the ass. Especially not a Princess who is trying to make big changes to her countries wine production.
These two were gaslighted in the worst way. I figured out that the missing person was not really missing. There was a lot of youth dumbassness.
This author knows her way around a sex scene. It’s hot.
None of us want our past decisions to come Bancorp and bite them s in the ass. Especially not a Princess who is trying to make big changes to her countries wine production.
These two were gaslighted in the worst way. I figured out that the missing person was not really missing. There was a lot of youth dumbassness.
This author knows her way around a sex scene. It’s hot.