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A review by elementarymydear
They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody
5.0
This is one of those books that I just could not put down. Every spare moment I would be getting my Kindle out, and I stayed up late to finish it because there is no way I was going to get any sleep without knowing what happened!
They Hate Each Other is my favourite kind of romance – that is, the kind where the romance is also a vehicle for the characters to grow and find resolution in the other parts of their lives. Kudos to Amanda Woody for managing to create a realistic fake-dating scenario with no wedding invitations involved! But one of the genius moves of this book is that the fake-dating forced the two main characters to share the secrets they’ve hidden from everyone else.
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Both Dylan and Jonah have very difficult home lives, in different ways, and while the romance was the arc that tied everything together, the real story is about both of them finding safety, security and support from their families. They have difficult decisions to make, and without spoiling the plot, I thought these moments were handled really well. If a friend betrays a secret for your own safety, it’s a hard thing to forgive, even if it was the right decision, and all those complexities were portrayed very sensitively.
Of course, you can’t have a romance story without a good couple at the centre, and Dylan and Jonah were exactly that! Their personalities complemented each other so well, and the development of their romance felt so natural and inevitable.
There’s also really great queer representation. Both of the main characters are bi, as well as an asexual character and a transgender character. While Jonah and Dylan overcome a lot in this book, I was really appreciative that the author made a point of not having any kind of queerphobia exist in this world. It really emphasised how for many people, their authentic identity is something that brings them joy, rather than something that adds more negativity to their life.
This book was so different from what I expected (I’ll save the mismarketing rant for another day) but I think it was all for the better. Amanda Woody has proven themselves an excellent voice in queer fiction, and I can’t wait to see what they write next!
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
They Hate Each Other is my favourite kind of romance – that is, the kind where the romance is also a vehicle for the characters to grow and find resolution in the other parts of their lives. Kudos to Amanda Woody for managing to create a realistic fake-dating scenario with no wedding invitations involved! But one of the genius moves of this book is that the fake-dating forced the two main characters to share the secrets they’ve hidden from everyone else.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
Both Dylan and Jonah have very difficult home lives, in different ways, and while the romance was the arc that tied everything together, the real story is about both of them finding safety, security and support from their families. They have difficult decisions to make, and without spoiling the plot, I thought these moments were handled really well. If a friend betrays a secret for your own safety, it’s a hard thing to forgive, even if it was the right decision, and all those complexities were portrayed very sensitively.
Of course, you can’t have a romance story without a good couple at the centre, and Dylan and Jonah were exactly that! Their personalities complemented each other so well, and the development of their romance felt so natural and inevitable.
There’s also really great queer representation. Both of the main characters are bi, as well as an asexual character and a transgender character. While Jonah and Dylan overcome a lot in this book, I was really appreciative that the author made a point of not having any kind of queerphobia exist in this world. It really emphasised how for many people, their authentic identity is something that brings them joy, rather than something that adds more negativity to their life.
This book was so different from what I expected (I’ll save the mismarketing rant for another day) but I think it was all for the better. Amanda Woody has proven themselves an excellent voice in queer fiction, and I can’t wait to see what they write next!
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.