I wanted to like this book, especially seeing how much other people had enjoyed it, but I really couldn’t. I was immediately put off by how Lucy complained about things that made no sense - her parents strawberry farm, the colour of her eyes - things that are so insignificant and not anything worth complaining about! Despite being an obvious attempt to make her relatable, it made it impossible to connect with her at all as she just seemed entitled, privileged and self-absorbed. On top of that, she and Joshua are somehow up for promotion despite doing no work and spending all their time having petty arguments with each other. If you’re going to set this in an office environment with both lead characters up for promotion, at least make me believe that the characters have actual worthwhile jobs besides deliberately winding each other up. I also despise how we, as readers, were meant to sympathise with Joshua because of how people only call him good looking and don’t acknowledge who he /really/ is… Such a difficult life when you have a high paying job and have won the genetic lottery! The character development was weak and felt rushed, and the relationship development was very much based on Joshua simply being a decent human being. This alone is problematic enough. As much as I tried, I could never get behind their relationship. I have read much better romance novels that have the same tropes but manage to make the characters likeable and relatable, and The Hating Game just falls that bit short. I did start feeling tired at halfway through, but I hoped that it would improve as it went on. The fade to black at the end proved me wrong with that! However, if you’re looking to read a book that is very much enemies-to-lovers and little plot aside from that, this is understandably a great choice, and I can see why it is as popular as it is. I read this book to get out of a reading slump, and it worked!

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Lovely War by Julie Berry

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

screaming, crying, throwing up etc.

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elizab3thc's reviews 159 reviews

elizab3thc's reviews
159 reviews