A review by jessicabowell
Dare You To Hate Me by B. Celeste

1.75

I finished this book—and honestly, I didn’t want to. I’m not sure why I pushed through to the end, maybe just for closure after investing so much time into it. The story had potential to be impactful, but it just didn’t land.

There was no chemistry between the main characters, despite them supposedly knowing each other for ten years. The dialogue was flat—no banter, no tension, barely any real interaction. For a romance, not once did I blush, kick my feet, or even crack a smile—and I’m very easy to please when it comes to this genre. There just wasn’t a single moment that made me feel anything between them.

The ending left me confused. I didn’t understand why the protagonist was apologising to her parents or what exactly she had done that warranted it—it seemed like that moment should’ve gone the other way around. It was vague and lacked emotional payoff.

Plot-wise, there wasn’t much beyond the fact that she liked baking, which could have been a great avenue to explore her personality or provide comfort amidst the heavier themes—but even that felt underdeveloped. Her character lacked depth, and with only one storyline that stayed surface-level, I just found myself bored.

For a book that tackled serious topics like mental health, it didn’t hit with the emotional weight it should have. I should’ve felt something—but instead, I was just waiting for it to be over.