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A review by ramunepocky
They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody
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 !!!
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 !!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse and Sexual harassment
Other tws -
Major - Neglect, skipping meals due to financial situation, PTSD