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sheakoebel's review
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.25
laurenferzoco's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
melrlite's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kelly72's review against another edition
5.0
That fine line …. that was well and truly crossed it!
Rix and Tristan once they figure out why they rub each other the wrong certainly grab hold of it with both hands. They create great entertainment for us and her friends and there are laugh out loud moments, and close calls. There is plenty of spice and pretzel activities to fill their short period of trying to keep their dalliance hidden. As if they weren’t going to catch feelings with that level of unrequited love from earlier years … just a shame neither of them were aware of it at the time.
And her brother Flip, aside from being oblivious to all that goes on around him (!!!); please tell me there is some redemption story in the works for him.
Rix calls him out on his bullshit which is great, and good to see she extended that to Flip also.
Love that Rix finds her place to settle with a friendship group and career. The HEA comes to fruition and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Where would Tristan be without his older teammates who have solid life skills and relationships goals!
Great read, so much going on and it gets unpacked along the way. Lots of character introductions that I hope develop into other stories. Another Helena Hunting story that does not disappoint!
Rix and Tristan once they figure out why they rub each other the wrong certainly grab hold of it with both hands. They create great entertainment for us and her friends and there are laugh out loud moments, and close calls. There is plenty of spice and pretzel activities to fill their short period of trying to keep their dalliance hidden. As if they weren’t going to catch feelings with that level of unrequited love from earlier years … just a shame neither of them were aware of it at the time.
And her brother Flip, aside from being oblivious to all that goes on around him (!!!); please tell me there is some redemption story in the works for him.
Rix calls him out on his bullshit which is great, and good to see she extended that to Flip also.
Love that Rix finds her place to settle with a friendship group and career. The HEA comes to fruition and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Where would Tristan be without his older teammates who have solid life skills and relationships goals!
Great read, so much going on and it gets unpacked along the way. Lots of character introductions that I hope develop into other stories. Another Helena Hunting story that does not disappoint!
athenaevarinya's review
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Subtract 95% of the sex scenes and this is a pretty good book. Honestly, all the over-the-top sex scenes detracted from the story itself. I have nothing against reading sex scenes or even kinky sex scenes, but most of the ones are beyond what I find tolerable and occured far too often. They didn't add to the story at all, just made it super cringe which is why I skimmed over most of those scenes to get to the actual story bits.
creative_bookworm's review against another edition
I can’t believe I’m DNFing this at 85%, but I can’t take it anymore. The MMC needs so much therapy before he’s ready for a relationship. The FMC’s brother (a pretty significant side character) is a fuckboy of the highest order. I can’t believe the FMC’s female friends haven’t slapped some sense into her over how toxic her relationship is. I just can’t take it anymore, and I don’t care how this ends. There is no ending that can redeem this. It’s also at least 100 pages too long.
allysonfayebooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book was SO much fun to read and I just have to thank Good Girls PR and Helena Hunting for gifting me an ARC!!
abookwormwithwine's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
My Spice Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 + 1 🥒
I randomly came upon If You Hate Me by Helena Hunting in my library's catalog and since I love her Spark House series, I figured I would give it a shot. Well, I definitely wasn't expecting how SPICY this one would be 🥵 and now I will never be able to look at a cucumber in the same way. This is a very dirty book that somehow still managed to get me in my feels and make me tear up, especially towards the end. If you don't like third-act breakups and the miscommunication trope this probably won't be for you, but I was completely wrapped up in the characters and emotions to the point where neither of these things bothered me.
If You Hate Me is also laugh-out-loud funny, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of humor it had. The hockey aspect of the storyline isn't really a focus and takes more of a backseat to the characters and what they are doing (hello S-E-X), so I would keep that in mind as well if you are a sports romance fan. I ended up listening to the audiobook on Audible, and I absolutely loved it. Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did such a great job narrating Tristan and Rix, and they were perfect fits for their characters. I would highly recommend the audiobook, but the bonus epilogue in the book is not to be missed either. Hunting might just convert me to a spicy romance reader yet!
I randomly came upon If You Hate Me by Helena Hunting in my library's catalog and since I love her Spark House series, I figured I would give it a shot. Well, I definitely wasn't expecting how SPICY this one would be 🥵 and now I will never be able to look at a cucumber in the same way. This is a very dirty book that somehow still managed to get me in my feels and make me tear up, especially towards the end. If you don't like third-act breakups and the miscommunication trope this probably won't be for you, but I was completely wrapped up in the characters and emotions to the point where neither of these things bothered me.
If You Hate Me is also laugh-out-loud funny, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of humor it had. The hockey aspect of the storyline isn't really a focus and takes more of a backseat to the characters and what they are doing (hello S-E-X), so I would keep that in mind as well if you are a sports romance fan. I ended up listening to the audiobook on Audible, and I absolutely loved it. Connor Crais and CJ Bloom did such a great job narrating Tristan and Rix, and they were perfect fits for their characters. I would highly recommend the audiobook, but the bonus epilogue in the book is not to be missed either. Hunting might just convert me to a spicy romance reader yet!
bookswithmissy's review
3.0
This book follows Tristan and Beatrix (Rix/Beat). After rage quitting her job, Beatrix finds herself moving in with her older brother and his best friend/roommate/teammate, Tristan. These 3 grew up together and Rix and Tristan have a contentious relationship. One night their fighting turns to hooking up. They decide they will continue to hook up as long as Rix lives with them, as soon as she moves out the arrangement will come to an end.
Do not let this cartoon cover fool you, this book was so much more than a lighthearted romance book. Both Rix and Tristan have childhood traumas that show up throughout the book and that they both have to work through. Rix has food insecurity from growing up poor and Tristan has abandonment issues from his mom leaving when he was a kid. Tristan's trauma manifests in some poor behavior towards Rix especially when he starts to have feelings for her. Those parts were difficult to read, and I'm not sure I would've forgiven him.
This book was also very very very SPICY! These two characters have explosive chemistry. It is quite impressive that Helena was able to add so much spice to this book while also adding so much more to the story. Usually you get one or the other.
Rix's brother was an absolute horrible character! Just the worst roommate, brother and friend. UGH, if he gets a book he has a LONG way to go to redeem himself as a character!
Do not let this cartoon cover fool you, this book was so much more than a lighthearted romance book. Both Rix and Tristan have childhood traumas that show up throughout the book and that they both have to work through. Rix has food insecurity from growing up poor and Tristan has abandonment issues from his mom leaving when he was a kid. Tristan's trauma manifests in some poor behavior towards Rix especially when he starts to have feelings for her. Those parts were difficult to read, and I'm not sure I would've forgiven him.
This book was also very very very SPICY! These two characters have explosive chemistry. It is quite impressive that Helena was able to add so much spice to this book while also adding so much more to the story. Usually you get one or the other.
Rix's brother was an absolute horrible character! Just the worst roommate, brother and friend. UGH, if he gets a book he has a LONG way to go to redeem himself as a character!