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bookishsapphic 's review for:
Loathing You
by Amina Khan
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
I genuinely think this could have been a strong book—there’s a compelling story in there—but it really needed a solid editor. There were some glaring issues: grammar and spelling mistakes, formatting problems, repeated phrases, and noticeable plot inconsistencies.
And while it’s set at a private college near Oxford, it felt way too American. Everything from the characters’ dialogue to the school dynamics and social scenes read like something straight out of Gossip Girl, not a British college.
I do understand that the author is only 19 and that this started off as a Wattpad story, so a professional editor might not have been an option. But in the age of Grammarly, spellcheck, and beta readers, there’s really no excuse for <b>so many</b> avoidable mistakes.
That said, there were things I genuinely appreciated. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I really liked that the cast of characters felt diverse—it’s always refreshing to see that kind of representation in a story like this. I don’t want to come across as overly harsh—it’s a debut, and there’s clear potential here. With more polish and attention to detail, this could have been a much stronger, more impactful read.
And while it’s set at a private college near Oxford, it felt way too American. Everything from the characters’ dialogue to the school dynamics and social scenes read like something straight out of Gossip Girl, not a British college.
I do understand that the author is only 19 and that this started off as a Wattpad story, so a professional editor might not have been an option. But in the age of Grammarly, spellcheck, and beta readers, there’s really no excuse for <b>so many</b> avoidable mistakes.
That said, there were things I genuinely appreciated. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I really liked that the cast of characters felt diverse—it’s always refreshing to see that kind of representation in a story like this. I don’t want to come across as overly harsh—it’s a debut, and there’s clear potential here. With more polish and attention to detail, this could have been a much stronger, more impactful read.