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A review by lastbookmarauder
A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison
2.0
I am so sad that this book just did not work for me. It had everything going for it: beautiful cover, enemies-to-lovers, young adult. However, in spite of all of that, it felt like a chore to finish this.
Nandy is one of the worst characters I have ever read. She is a selfish, entitled, spoiled, rich girl and I never really came around to liking her. The reader is told many times that Nandy is actually very sweet and welcoming and incredibly involved in her school and her neighborhood - but we never see that. We only see her whine about every tiny thing that doesn't go exactly her way. She does become slightly more tolerable after the first half of the book, but she never lives up to this character she was painted to be. If she has all these amazing qualities, as I reader, I want to see her exhibiting them.
The writing also felt a little inconsistent to me. Several times the author wrote absolutely beautiful paragraphs about race, adoption, and friendships. Then have her seventeen year old characters say things like "jump street" or complain about being embarrassed because Trice was having his hair braided outside and her house "ain't the hood."
Plus, the actual plot if the book was unoriginal and pretty bland in a majority of the book. The minor conflicts were incredibly repetitive and the major conflict was just glossed over.
There is also a lot of mentions of religion, but for no real purpose. It doesn't play a real role in the story, but is referenced many times. I kept expecting it to mean something in the end... but, no.
With all that said, I did like several things from this book. I already mentioned that parts of the writing were done well. I loved that the author touched on boys dealing with their emotions, loss, and abuse. I also really enjoyed Trice's character. Learning about his past and watching him grow and heal was done very well. I loved his appreciation for his heritage and sharing that with the Smith's.
***Copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
Nandy is one of the worst characters I have ever read. She is a selfish, entitled, spoiled, rich girl and I never really came around to liking her. The reader is told many times that Nandy is actually very sweet and welcoming and incredibly involved in her school and her neighborhood - but we never see that. We only see her whine about every tiny thing that doesn't go exactly her way.
Spoiler
Nandy also becomes incredibly possessive over Trice even though she has a boyfriend and her best friend likes him.The writing also felt a little inconsistent to me. Several times the author wrote absolutely beautiful paragraphs about race, adoption, and friendships. Then have her seventeen year old characters say things like "jump street" or complain about being embarrassed because Trice was having his hair braided outside and her house "ain't the hood."
Spoiler
Trice and Nandy's relationship was also super strange to me. They have this pretty intense connection from when they were kids, then she is a massive brat to him when he comes to stay with her family, they patch it up and become friends for, like, a page, then she hates him again and is even more bratty, and then they are in love. It was just too much.Plus, the actual plot if the book was unoriginal and pretty bland in a majority of the book. The minor conflicts were incredibly repetitive and the major conflict was just glossed over.
There is also a lot of mentions of religion, but for no real purpose. It doesn't play a real role in the story, but is referenced many times. I kept expecting it to mean something in the end... but, no.
With all that said, I did like several things from this book. I already mentioned that parts of the writing were done well. I loved that the author touched on boys dealing with their emotions, loss, and abuse. I also really enjoyed Trice's character. Learning about his past and watching him grow and heal was done very well. I loved his appreciation for his heritage and sharing that with the Smith's.
***Copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***