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The Wilmot Sisters #2
Better Hate than Never
9 hours
Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won't even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.
Despite their friends' and families' pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she's only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn't sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.
When Christopher's persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize "peace" is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.
Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won't even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.
Despite their friends' and families' pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she's only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn't sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.
When Christopher's persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize "peace" is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.
9 pages, Audiobook
First published October 10, 2023
About the author
Chloe Liese
25 books10.6k followersChloe is a USA Today bestselling author who writes romantic fiction reflecting her belief that everyone deserves a love story. When not dreaming up her next novel, you'll find her reading, trying new recipes, savoring nature, and soaking up time with her big, beautiful family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,001 reviews
March 5, 2023
listen he bought her flowers, cooked her pasta, admitted he was wrong, and they fell in love. i can’t ask for more. this is chloe liese’s best book yet!
read my thoughts on this (and several other romance faves) here
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing this review copy
read my thoughts on this (and several other romance faves) here
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing this review copy
March 3, 2024
My eyes rolled so hard I saw the back of my brain
She’s 27 and a virgin. Do I need to say more? Obviously not but I will - The concept of the man sleeping around endlessly and the woman ‘waiting for the right guy’ is throwing me off. On international women’s day too? Fuck off. Women can sleep with as many people as they want. They don’t need to wait for the right person - why don’t we have the same standards for men? This was going to be a 2.5-3🌟 until the virginity part. It threw me off. I’m so done with this trope.
The things I disliked
🔺 Miscommunication
🔺 why did they even hate each other so much?
🔺 Katydid… what the hell is that nickname. So cringy and it was never explained
🔺 when he was reminiscing changing her diapers or her dimples when she was a child? I’m sorry but that’s disturbing for someone you lust on so much
🔺 She complains about him judging her for her life choices than proceeds to do the exact same to him
🔺 he nearly came from touching her (please, wtf?) and she stroked off to the memory of his back and dimples? Are you ok
——————•
That being said - I had the best time doing this BR with @Daniella. I found my soul twin 💕! I hope we get to do a better BR soon ☀️❤️
Pre read ; BR this with my beautiful Daniella 🥹 hope this delivers for us 🧡🫶🏼
She’s 27 and a virgin. Do I need to say more? Obviously not but I will - The concept of the man sleeping around endlessly and the woman ‘waiting for the right guy’ is throwing me off. On international women’s day too? Fuck off. Women can sleep with as many people as they want. They don’t need to wait for the right person - why don’t we have the same standards for men? This was going to be a 2.5-3🌟 until the virginity part. It threw me off. I’m so done with this trope.
The things I disliked
🔺 Miscommunication
🔺 why did they even hate each other so much?
🔺 Katydid… what the hell is that nickname. So cringy and it was never explained
🔺 when he was reminiscing changing her diapers or her dimples when she was a child? I’m sorry but that’s disturbing for someone you lust on so much
🔺 She complains about him judging her for her life choices than proceeds to do the exact same to him
🔺 he nearly came from touching her (please, wtf?) and she stroked off to the memory of his back and dimples? Are you ok
——————•
That being said - I had the best time doing this BR with @Daniella. I found my soul twin 💕! I hope we get to do a better BR soon ☀️❤️
Pre read ; BR this with my beautiful Daniella 🥹 hope this delivers for us 🧡🫶🏼
Read
September 20, 2023BETTER HATE THAN NEVER is out now!! This is my feminist, feisty, childhood enemies to lovers reimagining of Shakespeare's The Taming of The Shrew, a mash-up of my favorite parts of 10 Things I Hate About You and the delicious banter and tension between Anne and Gilbert in Anne of Green Gables. It's also definitely my steamiest book to date :).
This book tells my favorite kind of love story—people who work hard to discover love, who spar and dance around their feelings and laugh and play and tease and goof up and do better along the way. Kate and Christopher’s romance, their journey to build trust, forgive, connect intimately and give into the joy and passion they have for each other, is electric. This book is all about love that doesn’t dim your fire but fans its flames
Still time for Signed & Personalized Copies, US readers and International readers!
Read now via Paperback, E-book, & Audiobook.
Don't forget to request your preferred format from your library, too! It's as simple as an email to your local branch. You can even send them this link to make your librarians' lives easier.
Enjoy book playlists? Like all my books, BETTER HATE THAN NEVER has a playlist, one song per chapter. Listen with Spotify.
This book tells my favorite kind of love story—people who work hard to discover love, who spar and dance around their feelings and laugh and play and tease and goof up and do better along the way. Kate and Christopher’s romance, their journey to build trust, forgive, connect intimately and give into the joy and passion they have for each other, is electric. This book is all about love that doesn’t dim your fire but fans its flames
Still time for Signed & Personalized Copies, US readers and International readers!
Read now via Paperback, E-book, & Audiobook.
Don't forget to request your preferred format from your library, too! It's as simple as an email to your local branch. You can even send them this link to make your librarians' lives easier.
Enjoy book playlists? Like all my books, BETTER HATE THAN NEVER has a playlist, one song per chapter. Listen with Spotify.
May 26, 2023
The first book in the series already lifted me off the ground, taking my breath away. Although I loved the introduction of Christopher and Katerina/Kate in the first book, I didn't expect to love their story more than Jamie and Bea's. However, their story shook me to the core, leaving my emotions all over the place. These beautiful, vulnerable individuals who hide behind rough facades and conceal their feelings with the iron walls they've built around them are simply adorable.
Firstly, "Taming of the Shrew" is undoubtedly one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It also reminds me of my favorite "Atomic Shakespeare" episode from Moonlighting (especially the part where Bruce Willis, as Petruchio, sings "Good Love" in the church). Let's not forget the fabulous Broadway musical "Kiss Me, Kate," which garnered several Tony awards and is based on Shakespeare's play!
It may seem like Taurus men and Aquarius women are a match made in hell (although my parents had the same signs and have been happily married for 56 years), and the obvious despise and sizzling hate between Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio, her nemesis since childhood and still her neighbor, only make them more miserable.
After hurting her arm, which affects her career as a photojournalist that requires her to travel the world, explore different cultures, and engage in extreme sports, Katerina curses her luck. She cannot afford her own place, and as you may recall from the first book, broken-hearted Juliet needs a break after what her douche fiancé did to her. They decide to switch places, and now broke, tired, and depressed, Kate returns to her hometown to live in Bea's place.
She tries to find her place in her hometown, forming emotional bonds with her friends and making amends with her family. However, her childhood nemesis, Christopher, who works in a corporate job, is rich, pretentious, and flirtatious, and he still manages to rub her the wrong way.
Christopher hates that she puts her life at risk, always running away from her family at the first chance she gets. He values stability and regulation, while adventurous, chaotic, and energetic Katerina is his polar opposite. Katerina has no idea why Christopher acts so sweet around all her family and friends but is cold and makes the harshest comments around her.
One drunken night, Christopher finds her hiding in a closet, and as he carries Kate to put her in bed, she confesses that she acts hostile because she believes he hates her.
Christopher realizes that he has misunderstood their relationship dynamic. Despite trying hard to hate Katerina, he cannot, and he is determined to show his caring side and change their long-standing animosity.
But what if this new truce between them opens up even more feelings? What if there is more than just sexual attraction between them?
I loved how tender and caring Christopher could be, and witnessing Kate slowly come out of her shell and learn to trust him with her body and emotions was truly heartwarming.
This book is perfect! It is unequivocally my favorite in the series! The representation of chronic illnesses such as migraines and mental health issues such as ADHD is also informative, helpful, and realistic.
I cannot wait to read the third book about Juliet, who may finally find her Romeo (fingers crossed for a non-tragic ending).
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this wonderful book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Firstly, "Taming of the Shrew" is undoubtedly one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It also reminds me of my favorite "Atomic Shakespeare" episode from Moonlighting (especially the part where Bruce Willis, as Petruchio, sings "Good Love" in the church). Let's not forget the fabulous Broadway musical "Kiss Me, Kate," which garnered several Tony awards and is based on Shakespeare's play!
It may seem like Taurus men and Aquarius women are a match made in hell (although my parents had the same signs and have been happily married for 56 years), and the obvious despise and sizzling hate between Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio, her nemesis since childhood and still her neighbor, only make them more miserable.
After hurting her arm, which affects her career as a photojournalist that requires her to travel the world, explore different cultures, and engage in extreme sports, Katerina curses her luck. She cannot afford her own place, and as you may recall from the first book, broken-hearted Juliet needs a break after what her douche fiancé did to her. They decide to switch places, and now broke, tired, and depressed, Kate returns to her hometown to live in Bea's place.
She tries to find her place in her hometown, forming emotional bonds with her friends and making amends with her family. However, her childhood nemesis, Christopher, who works in a corporate job, is rich, pretentious, and flirtatious, and he still manages to rub her the wrong way.
Christopher hates that she puts her life at risk, always running away from her family at the first chance she gets. He values stability and regulation, while adventurous, chaotic, and energetic Katerina is his polar opposite. Katerina has no idea why Christopher acts so sweet around all her family and friends but is cold and makes the harshest comments around her.
One drunken night, Christopher finds her hiding in a closet, and as he carries Kate to put her in bed, she confesses that she acts hostile because she believes he hates her.
Christopher realizes that he has misunderstood their relationship dynamic. Despite trying hard to hate Katerina, he cannot, and he is determined to show his caring side and change their long-standing animosity.
But what if this new truce between them opens up even more feelings? What if there is more than just sexual attraction between them?
I loved how tender and caring Christopher could be, and witnessing Kate slowly come out of her shell and learn to trust him with her body and emotions was truly heartwarming.
This book is perfect! It is unequivocally my favorite in the series! The representation of chronic illnesses such as migraines and mental health issues such as ADHD is also informative, helpful, and realistic.
I cannot wait to read the third book about Juliet, who may finally find her Romeo (fingers crossed for a non-tragic ending).
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this wonderful book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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October 10, 2023
I’m very disappointed 🥲
- first of all his nickname for her is “katydid” can someone explain to me what does it mean. Like i had to reread it a couple times because i thought he was saying she did something but no it’s just “ katydid”.
Okay so i just googled the nickname and a big ugly fat insect appeared to me and I’m horrified.
- the first half of the book felt like a glaring contest. It was very tiring and annoying reading the word “ glared diggers at me” every damn page. There’re other words u can use to express how angry they felt
- The mc kept bragging about being a manwhore who can have any women at any time because he’s very irresistible.
-he was mad at kate for disturbing his daily routine of getting laid because he couldn’t stop thinking about her. How romantic 🥹
- also the concept of “ i’ve always loved you but i was trying to forget you with other women “ in this book is ridiculous and insulting for the other women. The author normalizing the fact that he’s using women to get over and forget kate is unacceptable. Idc if they’re okay with it or not you shouldn’t normalize such a thing ✋🏻
- he tormented the fmc. Made her feel like she doesn’t belong with her own family and sister. He judged everything she did and all of this for no good reason. And was so surprised when she thought that he “ hated her” 🌝 and he’s 33 which means a grown ass man with a grown ass mind.
-i’m okay with the age gape but what i’m not okay with is him mentioning that he changed her nappies when she was a babe. Or that she once peed on. Those felt more like brotherly or fatherly things. Which was the reason of me being uncomfortable with their relationship sometimes
Two wrongs make it right was waywayway better than this. Jame and bea scenes in here was everything 🥹💘
- first of all his nickname for her is “katydid” can someone explain to me what does it mean. Like i had to reread it a couple times because i thought he was saying she did something but no it’s just “ katydid”.
Okay so i just googled the nickname and a big ugly fat insect appeared to me and I’m horrified.
- the first half of the book felt like a glaring contest. It was very tiring and annoying reading the word “ glared diggers at me” every damn page. There’re other words u can use to express how angry they felt
- The mc kept bragging about being a manwhore who can have any women at any time because he’s very irresistible.
-he was mad at kate for disturbing his daily routine of getting laid because he couldn’t stop thinking about her. How romantic 🥹
- also the concept of “ i’ve always loved you but i was trying to forget you with other women “ in this book is ridiculous and insulting for the other women. The author normalizing the fact that he’s using women to get over and forget kate is unacceptable. Idc if they’re okay with it or not you shouldn’t normalize such a thing ✋🏻
- he tormented the fmc. Made her feel like she doesn’t belong with her own family and sister. He judged everything she did and all of this for no good reason. And was so surprised when she thought that he “ hated her” 🌝 and he’s 33 which means a grown ass man with a grown ass mind.
-i’m okay with the age gape but what i’m not okay with is him mentioning that he changed her nappies when she was a babe. Or that she once peed on. Those felt more like brotherly or fatherly things. Which was the reason of me being uncomfortable with their relationship sometimes
Two wrongs make it right was waywayway better than this. Jame and bea scenes in here was everything 🥹💘
August 12, 2024
I just want to preface this review- I prepared myself not to expect much with this book. I went in with reasonable expectations and truthfully I should have had my expectations set in the gutter.
At a complete loss of how the author went from such a cute story with Bea and Jamie in book one to this...
╰┈➤‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ༊*·˚ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ઇଓ
Kate is a photographer focused on reporting all the world’s injustice. After she suffered from a damaged shoulder, she is coming home to her family but not able to find her place, feeling like an outsider as she always has.
Childhood enemies, Katerina and Christopher, rediscover their fiery connection when Kate returns home as an adult. Despite their initial animosity, they must navigate their complex feelings and decide if it’s worth risking their hearts for a chance at love.
╰┈➤‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ༊*·˚ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ઇଓ
This is the second book in The Wilmot Sisters series. While I loved Bea and Jamie in Two Wrongs Make a Right, Kate and Christopher’s love story fell short for me. Both main characters came across as immature, their reasons for hating each other remained unclear, and their chemistry felt choppy.
The mix of past and present emotions didn’t make sense. The book’s pacing was off with some chapters feeling like fillers. The amount of hatred the FMC had for certain things was an absolute turn off to me.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ All in all, this isn’t one I could recommend and I’m not sure how I will feel about Jules’s story.
ೃ⁀➷🍁Childhood Enemies to Lovers
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞💛Age Gap (he's 7 years older)
ೃ⁀➷🍂He Falls First
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞🧡Opposites Attract
ೃ⁀➷🍁ADHD, Demisexuality and Chronic Migraine Rep
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞💛No Third Act Breakup
ೃ⁀➷🍂Narrated by Stephen Dexter and Charlotte North
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞🧡Dual POV
At a complete loss of how the author went from such a cute story with Bea and Jamie in book one to this...
╰┈➤‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ༊*·˚ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ઇଓ
Kate is a photographer focused on reporting all the world’s injustice. After she suffered from a damaged shoulder, she is coming home to her family but not able to find her place, feeling like an outsider as she always has.
Childhood enemies, Katerina and Christopher, rediscover their fiery connection when Kate returns home as an adult. Despite their initial animosity, they must navigate their complex feelings and decide if it’s worth risking their hearts for a chance at love.
╰┈➤‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ༊*·˚ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ઇଓ
This is the second book in The Wilmot Sisters series. While I loved Bea and Jamie in Two Wrongs Make a Right, Kate and Christopher’s love story fell short for me. Both main characters came across as immature, their reasons for hating each other remained unclear, and their chemistry felt choppy.
The mix of past and present emotions didn’t make sense. The book’s pacing was off with some chapters feeling like fillers. The amount of hatred the FMC had for certain things was an absolute turn off to me.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ All in all, this isn’t one I could recommend and I’m not sure how I will feel about Jules’s story.
ೃ⁀➷🍁Childhood Enemies to Lovers
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞💛Age Gap (he's 7 years older)
ೃ⁀➷🍂He Falls First
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞🧡Opposites Attract
ೃ⁀➷🍁ADHD, Demisexuality and Chronic Migraine Rep
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞💛No Third Act Breakup
ೃ⁀➷🍂Narrated by Stephen Dexter and Charlotte North
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞🧡Dual POV
October 19, 2023
Yeah. No. This book wasn't for me.
My expectations for this book were already very low and I still end up NOT enjoying it. I knew it would either be a 3 star or less than that. I'm so disappointed with this book because just a few days ago I read "Two wrongs make a right" (the first book in Wilmot Sisters series) and gave it 4.5 Stars because it was so good. But this was a total let down.
The plot wasn't plotting. The enemies to lovers wasn't really enemies to lovers. It was more like they hated each other for no reason. Their banter was so childish. I won't even call it banter because they were just bickering like 10 year olds even when Kate's parents were there. Seriously they were 27 and 33 but they were fighting like kids.
The way Christopher insulted Kate in front of her own family really pissed me off. And he's a 33 year old grown ass man. I don't care how close he was to Kate's family he had no right to call out on her shit like that and disrespect her for her career choices in front of everyone and I hated how her parents didn't stopped him. They were supposed to take their daughter's side. He made her feel like she didn't belong with her own family for years. It was her decision to travel the abroad and work and he just can't tell her that "She ran off the moment she could and that's what she always did. That she missed all the important parts of her family member's lives." And then he also told her he didn't hated her and send her flowers and cookies next day like that would make everything better. Seriously Christopher?
There was only 6 years gap between Kate and Christopher so I don't know why he treated her lik she was a kid. I hate it when the mmc looks at fmc and compares her present personality with how how she looked when she was a kid. Please stop being a pervert. It's not cute. And Christopher did that so many times. Like how her dimples changed and how she looked so much different when she was this or that year old kid. How she once shit on him and puked on him when she was a baby. Him calling her a "menace to my existence" for that. Christopher thats what babies do and you aren't someone special. Also I didn't like their nicknames for each other. Kate called him "Topher" and he called her "Katydid". So original considering her name was katerina/Kate and I regretted searching Katydid on Google. He named her after crickets 😭
The only good things about this book were Bea and Jamie 💘 I loved reading about them in this book. I was so ready to give this 1 star but I liked how there was open communication during and about sex. Kate was demisexual and needed some time and I liked how Christopher waited for her. That was kind of sweet. And she was also a virgin but thank god he didn't made it awkward like most mmc do with this trope. I hate it when they say you sure you want do this with me.
The romance was a bit weird to read because of the constant mention of how he knew her since she was a baby. I have no problem with childhood bestfriends / enemies to lovers trope but there better not be any cringe talk about how the fmc or mmc blew out their diaper or how they puked on their future potential love interest. I think it would be better if it wasn't an age-gap trope.
There was no third act breakup and my another reason to give this 2 stars. When Kate heard why Christopher was trying to make things better between them they actually had a conversation like adults should do and not like he betrayed me and lied to me and now I'm gonna leave him. They actually talked about it and I really appreciate communication not a third act breakup when there is a misunderstanding in the last 5% of the book.
Kate's chapter were somehow better. I liked her but not much because it was kind of hard for me to understand her. She wasn't mentioned in book 1 much and all I knew about her was that she loves to travel world and that she hates Christopher. But she was always so much better than Christopher and I think she deserved someone better than him. I always wanted this to be Jules's book but I guess I have wait for next year.
Rae and I were so bored reading this book that we started imagining our own new tropes for this book 😭 I really want Chloe to rewrite this book and I think we have some really good ideas. How amazing it would be if this book had small town trope (in Scotland), single dad, grumpy but softy scottish man with scottish accent, hate to love, he takes care of her when her shoulder got hurt but instead we got Christopher Petruchio and this boring enemies to lovers. And let me tell you Christopher was Italian but with no Italian charm or whatsoever.
My rant ends here. I wish this wasn't such a disappointment. Rae and I were so excited to read this book but yeah well we ended up skimming this book. As always I had a great time hate reading this book with Rae 💗
—————————————————————————
Like Rae said the bar is in hell rn bcs we already hate mmc 😂 buddyhate reading this with bestie Rae 💗
My expectations for this book were already very low and I still end up NOT enjoying it. I knew it would either be a 3 star or less than that. I'm so disappointed with this book because just a few days ago I read "Two wrongs make a right" (the first book in Wilmot Sisters series) and gave it 4.5 Stars because it was so good. But this was a total let down.
The plot wasn't plotting. The enemies to lovers wasn't really enemies to lovers. It was more like they hated each other for no reason. Their banter was so childish. I won't even call it banter because they were just bickering like 10 year olds even when Kate's parents were there. Seriously they were 27 and 33 but they were fighting like kids.
The way Christopher insulted Kate in front of her own family really pissed me off. And he's a 33 year old grown ass man. I don't care how close he was to Kate's family he had no right to call out on her shit like that and disrespect her for her career choices in front of everyone and I hated how her parents didn't stopped him. They were supposed to take their daughter's side. He made her feel like she didn't belong with her own family for years. It was her decision to travel the abroad and work and he just can't tell her that "She ran off the moment she could and that's what she always did. That she missed all the important parts of her family member's lives." And then he also told her he didn't hated her and send her flowers and cookies next day like that would make everything better. Seriously Christopher?
There was only 6 years gap between Kate and Christopher so I don't know why he treated her lik she was a kid. I hate it when the mmc looks at fmc and compares her present personality with how how she looked when she was a kid. Please stop being a pervert. It's not cute. And Christopher did that so many times. Like how her dimples changed and how she looked so much different when she was this or that year old kid. How she once shit on him and puked on him when she was a baby. Him calling her a "menace to my existence" for that. Christopher thats what babies do and you aren't someone special. Also I didn't like their nicknames for each other. Kate called him "Topher" and he called her "Katydid". So original considering her name was katerina/Kate and I regretted searching Katydid on Google. He named her after crickets 😭
The only good things about this book were Bea and Jamie 💘 I loved reading about them in this book. I was so ready to give this 1 star but I liked how there was open communication during and about sex. Kate was demisexual and needed some time and I liked how Christopher waited for her. That was kind of sweet. And she was also a virgin but thank god he didn't made it awkward like most mmc do with this trope. I hate it when they say you sure you want do this with me.
The romance was a bit weird to read because of the constant mention of how he knew her since she was a baby. I have no problem with childhood bestfriends / enemies to lovers trope but there better not be any cringe talk about how the fmc or mmc blew out their diaper or how they puked on their future potential love interest. I think it would be better if it wasn't an age-gap trope.
There was no third act breakup and my another reason to give this 2 stars. When Kate heard why Christopher was trying to make things better between them they actually had a conversation like adults should do and not like he betrayed me and lied to me and now I'm gonna leave him. They actually talked about it and I really appreciate communication not a third act breakup when there is a misunderstanding in the last 5% of the book.
Kate's chapter were somehow better. I liked her but not much because it was kind of hard for me to understand her. She wasn't mentioned in book 1 much and all I knew about her was that she loves to travel world and that she hates Christopher. But she was always so much better than Christopher and I think she deserved someone better than him. I always wanted this to be Jules's book but I guess I have wait for next year.
Rae and I were so bored reading this book that we started imagining our own new tropes for this book 😭 I really want Chloe to rewrite this book and I think we have some really good ideas. How amazing it would be if this book had small town trope (in Scotland), single dad, grumpy but softy scottish man with scottish accent, hate to love, he takes care of her when her shoulder got hurt but instead we got Christopher Petruchio and this boring enemies to lovers. And let me tell you Christopher was Italian but with no Italian charm or whatsoever.
My rant ends here. I wish this wasn't such a disappointment. Rae and I were so excited to read this book but yeah well we ended up skimming this book. As always I had a great time hate reading this book with Rae 💗
—————————————————————————
Like Rae said the bar is in hell rn bcs we already hate mmc 😂 buddy
December 4, 2023
4.5 stars
It will be hard to describe how much I loved this book.
I took off .5 on the rating because their interactions in the beginning were a bit too abrasive, seemingly for no real reason other than they just didn't get along (you obviously learn more and why later).
But other than that, I love now when contemporary romances really dig in more too personal social anxieties and stresses, dealing with a lot of those myself. It feels so amazing to feel that sort of representation on the page and to be hit what that sudden thought of someone understanding how your brain works in the most intimate of ways when it really feels like no one understands you.
I also love seeing the intricacies of romance and seeing authors tackle characters that can't just fall into bed with someone, something else I think is underrepresented in books nowadays. So I loved seeing them take their time with their relationship and giving it time to breathe and grow so both parties were comfortable and happy.
AND NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! Always love to see this. Love to see the book just keep progressing, the relationship growing, and having the end be the culmination of all they've been through and have decided to work on with each other. LOVE, RESPECT, COMMUNICATION.
I can't wait to see what Chloe does with the next book, and she's quickly becoming an auto buy for me. ❤️
It will be hard to describe how much I loved this book.
I took off .5 on the rating because their interactions in the beginning were a bit too abrasive, seemingly for no real reason other than they just didn't get along (you obviously learn more and why later).
But other than that, I love now when contemporary romances really dig in more too personal social anxieties and stresses, dealing with a lot of those myself. It feels so amazing to feel that sort of representation on the page and to be hit what that sudden thought of someone understanding how your brain works in the most intimate of ways when it really feels like no one understands you.
I also love seeing the intricacies of romance and seeing authors tackle characters that can't just fall into bed with someone, something else I think is underrepresented in books nowadays. So I loved seeing them take their time with their relationship and giving it time to breathe and grow so both parties were comfortable and happy.
AND NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! Always love to see this. Love to see the book just keep progressing, the relationship growing, and having the end be the culmination of all they've been through and have decided to work on with each other. LOVE, RESPECT, COMMUNICATION.
I can't wait to see what Chloe does with the next book, and she's quickly becoming an auto buy for me. ❤️
March 3, 2024
glad i read this with Maeghan got a few laughs out this😭
October 19, 2023
•✿•➳2✫
Better hate than never? well then let's begin✍🏼
Okay first, this book labeled as enemies to lovers? bestie trust me on this is not enemies to lovers. at. all.
You gotta have a reason to hate someone, the reason in this? none. I don't even know what they were so in rage about.
They've just randomly decided to hate each other and bicker like children to the point they started "fighting" in front of the fmc family, and this asshole of mmc decided to throw some rude words at her and none did anything about it. It's still beyond me; I was so mad at the whole situation.
Second, "age gap" they said. I don't mind age gap at all but a creepy age gap? no thanks. And it's not even that much of an age gap anyway just 6 six years and this man acting all creepy making comments about knowing her since NEWBORN N E W B O R N (hell is down there sir 👇🏼🚪)
Third, both of them are just one dimensional character to me. Not much of a personality to make things interesting. Just plain boring. I just don't care about them at all.
I liked Chloe's other books and I can see the pattern of her books and somehow it has become repetitive now for me🤷🏼 but I guess I would not bother it if the story is interesting but this one is just bad.
And please i need jules's story is to be much better than this. Please, she deserves it.
ri thank you for reading this with me and sorry i dragged you to read it but ended up suffering🫂 i'll just pretend this book is about kate and his grumpy scottish doctor who live in a cabin in the forest😂
---------
reading this with ri and the way we already hated the mmc even before starting this book lmao so the bar is very low😂
Better hate than never? well then let's begin✍🏼
Okay first, this book labeled as enemies to lovers? bestie trust me on this is not enemies to lovers. at. all.
You gotta have a reason to hate someone, the reason in this? none. I don't even know what they were so in rage about.
They've just randomly decided to hate each other and bicker like children to the point they started "fighting" in front of the fmc family, and this asshole of mmc decided to throw some rude words at her and none did anything about it. It's still beyond me; I was so mad at the whole situation.
Second, "age gap" they said. I don't mind age gap at all but a creepy age gap? no thanks. And it's not even that much of an age gap anyway just 6 six years and this man acting all creepy making comments about knowing her since NEWBORN N E W B O R N (hell is down there sir 👇🏼🚪)
Third, both of them are just one dimensional character to me. Not much of a personality to make things interesting. Just plain boring. I just don't care about them at all.
I liked Chloe's other books and I can see the pattern of her books and somehow it has become repetitive now for me🤷🏼 but I guess I would not bother it if the story is interesting but this one is just bad.
And please i need jules's story is to be much better than this. Please, she deserves it.
ri thank you for reading this with me and sorry i dragged you to read it but ended up suffering🫂 i'll just pretend this book is about kate and his grumpy scottish doctor who live in a cabin in the forest😂
---------
reading this with ri and the way we already hated the mmc even before starting this book lmao so the bar is very low😂
September 29, 2023
2 ⭐️ Sadly this wasn't for me
"All I've ever wanted is for you to hate me. I couldn't hate you if I wanted to. I wish I could, but I can't."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ childhood pain in the ass
✨ she’s a photojournalist prone to act first and think later
✨ he’s owns a hedge fund who's a control freak
✨ both MCs keep people they love at a distance
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ opposites attract
✨ age gap (27/33)
✨ banter
✨ 3/5🌶️ spice
✨ virgin, demisexual FMC
✨ sexually experienced MMC
✨ no third-act breakup
✨ ADHD rep
✨ chronic migraines
✨ TW: death of parents (past)
My Thoughts:
There's things I liked but also found extremely annoying. I just don't think it was for me.
What I liked:
- The childhood rivals to lovers romance. I LOVE this trope because there's years of irritation that easily becomes hate-fueled sexual tension.
- The ADHD and demisexual representation. I don't see either represented enough in romance so it was really great getting this rep here.
- I liked the character growth of both Kate and Christopher. By the end of the story, these two open up to each other and work past their fear of getting attached.
What I didn't like:
- The fact that Kate's family never found how Christopher talked and treated Kate to be problematic until Kate confesses it to her sister. How did they not see how damaging it was? Christopher was the older one and they should have never allowed this dynamic to form in the first place. It was very toxic.
- Sometimes the inner dialogue was redundant so I ended up skimming some parts.
- Kate is just such a hot freaking mess. Like, in the real world I don't know how she would have survived. It all seemed a bit unrealistic but it happened to 'work' for her characters because she's the MC. But then, I'm also annoyed that she only starts to get her shit together and find her place in the world when she's with Christopher.
- Christopher is THAT romance hero who's way too good looking and well aware of it and has sex any time he can but doesn't get attached because he doesn't want to get too close to anyone. He's 'perfect' and I found his awareness of his looks and charms annoying. But what really pissed me off is how he basically says that he fucked a whole bunch of people and has been horribly rude to Kate because he was afraid of liking her. This is the epitome of 'oh, honey, that boy is mean to you so he must like you'. I just feel like these actions were incredibly toxic to himself but also to Kate as a byproduct. So unhealthy. He does say he's seeing a therapist at the end of the book but it's not because of that but because he can't handle whenever Kate leaves him so he works with the therapist to get comfortable to travel with her. Like, dude, you need therapy to work through your other issues too.
- I'm so tired of stories where the MC confesses he's been banging a ton of women in an attempt to get his mind off the FMC. I mean, go ahead and do you, but it's gross when Christopher basically blames his philandering because he couldn't be with Kate. Fuck off.
- It was weird that Christopher kept having these inner thoughts of Kate as a little girl. I get that they grew up together, so I would imagine he would, at some point, reflect on their past. But I did not need to be reminded of it constantly, nor did the reminiscing come off as endearing. He's 6 years older and was around when she was born. When his parents died, he basically became part of their family. But unlike Kate's two older sisters who he saw as his sisters, he never did with Kate. In fact, he saw her as an annoying brat he never wanted to engage with. But then when she turned 18 years old, he magically saw her in another way. Idk it all just seemed a bit strange.
- The sexual interactions and some of the intimate dialogue was so unrealistic. First off, Kate has 10 orgasms the night she loses her virginity. Yeah, let's just sit with that. Then, Christopher get's extremely fluffy and lovey dovey so fast. It's all so farfetched that I couldn't remotely believe it.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC and Berkley Romance for providing a free physical copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
"All I've ever wanted is for you to hate me. I couldn't hate you if I wanted to. I wish I could, but I can't."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ childhood pain in the ass
✨ she’s a photojournalist prone to act first and think later
✨ he’s owns a hedge fund who's a control freak
✨ both MCs keep people they love at a distance
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ opposites attract
✨ age gap (27/33)
✨ banter
✨ 3/5🌶️ spice
✨ virgin, demisexual FMC
✨ sexually experienced MMC
✨ no third-act breakup
✨ ADHD rep
✨ chronic migraines
✨ TW: death of parents (past)
My Thoughts:
There's things I liked but also found extremely annoying. I just don't think it was for me.
What I liked:
- The childhood rivals to lovers romance. I LOVE this trope because there's years of irritation that easily becomes hate-fueled sexual tension.
- The ADHD and demisexual representation. I don't see either represented enough in romance so it was really great getting this rep here.
- I liked the character growth of both Kate and Christopher. By the end of the story, these two open up to each other and work past their fear of getting attached.
What I didn't like:
- The fact that Kate's family never found how Christopher talked and treated Kate to be problematic until Kate confesses it to her sister. How did they not see how damaging it was? Christopher was the older one and they should have never allowed this dynamic to form in the first place. It was very toxic.
- Sometimes the inner dialogue was redundant so I ended up skimming some parts.
- Kate is just such a hot freaking mess. Like, in the real world I don't know how she would have survived. It all seemed a bit unrealistic but it happened to 'work' for her characters because she's the MC. But then, I'm also annoyed that she only starts to get her shit together and find her place in the world when she's with Christopher.
- Christopher is THAT romance hero who's way too good looking and well aware of it and has sex any time he can but doesn't get attached because he doesn't want to get too close to anyone. He's 'perfect' and I found his awareness of his looks and charms annoying. But what really pissed me off is how he basically says that he fucked a whole bunch of people and has been horribly rude to Kate because he was afraid of liking her. This is the epitome of 'oh, honey, that boy is mean to you so he must like you'. I just feel like these actions were incredibly toxic to himself but also to Kate as a byproduct. So unhealthy. He does say he's seeing a therapist at the end of the book but it's not because of that but because he can't handle whenever Kate leaves him so he works with the therapist to get comfortable to travel with her. Like, dude, you need therapy to work through your other issues too.
- I'm so tired of stories where the MC confesses he's been banging a ton of women in an attempt to get his mind off the FMC. I mean, go ahead and do you, but it's gross when Christopher basically blames his philandering because he couldn't be with Kate. Fuck off.
- It was weird that Christopher kept having these inner thoughts of Kate as a little girl. I get that they grew up together, so I would imagine he would, at some point, reflect on their past. But I did not need to be reminded of it constantly, nor did the reminiscing come off as endearing. He's 6 years older and was around when she was born. When his parents died, he basically became part of their family. But unlike Kate's two older sisters who he saw as his sisters, he never did with Kate. In fact, he saw her as an annoying brat he never wanted to engage with. But then when she turned 18 years old, he magically saw her in another way. Idk it all just seemed a bit strange.
- The sexual interactions and some of the intimate dialogue was so unrealistic. First off, Kate has 10 orgasms the night she loses her virginity. Yeah, let's just sit with that. Then, Christopher get's extremely fluffy and lovey dovey so fast. It's all so farfetched that I couldn't remotely believe it.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC and Berkley Romance for providing a free physical copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
August 18, 2023
4 stars
After reading the first book in 'The Wilmot Sisters' series, I was so excited to read the next. I adore Chloe Liese's stories and enemies to lovers is my jam. Not to mention the heroine has ADHD and is a vegetarian- helloooooo! Could she be any more relatable?
Kate Wilmot is back in town for an extended break, which is unusual for her. Unlike the rest of her family, she has wanderlust. She's the baby of her family and a photographer and has spent most of the last 9 years working and seeing the world. Christopher is her parent's next door neighbor and like the son they never had. He's close with everyone in the family, aside from Kate.
Kate and Christopher aren't friends and can't seem to stand each other. But isn't that how some of the best love stories begin? This one was a bit of a slow burn and had somewhat of a slow start, but once it picked up I really started to love it. I loved Kate and Christopher together, how they got each other and once they put their animosity and differences aside, they really clicked.
Chloe Liese is a go to author for me. She writes the most feel good romances with fantastic diverse characters. I loved not only the two main characters, but so many of the supporting characters as well. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
After reading the first book in 'The Wilmot Sisters' series, I was so excited to read the next. I adore Chloe Liese's stories and enemies to lovers is my jam. Not to mention the heroine has ADHD and is a vegetarian- helloooooo! Could she be any more relatable?
Kate Wilmot is back in town for an extended break, which is unusual for her. Unlike the rest of her family, she has wanderlust. She's the baby of her family and a photographer and has spent most of the last 9 years working and seeing the world. Christopher is her parent's next door neighbor and like the son they never had. He's close with everyone in the family, aside from Kate.
Kate and Christopher aren't friends and can't seem to stand each other. But isn't that how some of the best love stories begin? This one was a bit of a slow burn and had somewhat of a slow start, but once it picked up I really started to love it. I loved Kate and Christopher together, how they got each other and once they put their animosity and differences aside, they really clicked.
Chloe Liese is a go to author for me. She writes the most feel good romances with fantastic diverse characters. I loved not only the two main characters, but so many of the supporting characters as well. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
July 3, 2023
I really, really enjoyed this, which surprised me since I have often not enjoyed this author’s books for various reasons. When I was offered this as an advanced reader copy (ARC), I jumped on it because I love the title and then realized the author later. But, I thought I’d give it a try anyway and see. And since it’s an ARC, I didn’t read any reviews (sometimes I don’t anyway). While I LOVED this book a lot, I cannot give it 5 stars for several reasons... mainly re: Observations 4 and 5, below.
This is kind of a Taming of the Shrew retelling... but not. It more references elements (including multiple character names) than really uses the play as a plot map.
These two have known each other their whole lives (at least Kate’s life since he’s 6 years older). She’s been the odd one out in her family. Her parents are very much in love and her older sisters are twins so the heroine has felt like there is no one for her. Plus, with her ADHD, she couldn’t stay still and be the “normal” everyone else was or expected. She’s been wandering the world as a professional photographer, but every time she comes home, the boy next door has tormented her. He is like an adopted son/brother to her family and always has something to say about her choices which just exacerbates her feelings of being the odd one out.
Well, this time she’s come home sad and burnt out, not sure what happens next and STILL, the boy next door picks on her. It gets to the point where he out and out says: “I haven’t hidden my disagreement with her choices, my concer—my disapproval, I mean—of how she lives.”
She’s sad and feels his disapproval keenly. There are several scenes where my heart ached for her (I’ll admit it, I was reading and tears were rolling down my face). And when he FINALLY realizes he’s been hurting her, his heart aches too. And that was lovely. And then, from there, it’s a pretty smooth story of him working to be kinder to her and being open to the idea that he’s treated her badly because he was afraid of, and for, her. This leads to some really sweet sneaky treats for her from him that I absolutely adored. They are a great team when they work together and I loved seeing them let their walls down.
Observations
1. This author tries hard to represent a wide variety of folks and these main characters provide some representation for demisexuality, severe migraines, ADHD, etc.
2. Loved the heroine’s work. She is a professional photographer and has a very missional look at her work. "...it’s what I’ve always aspired to in my photojournalistic work—activism through storytelling, giving my subjects the chance to be heard, their voices amplified through the power of images that make people stop and listen.” Love that!
3. Poor, hot mess heroine. This wasn’t terrible, but still something I would rather see less of in romance novels. Yes, she has ADHD, but does she have to barely make ends meet, including having worn out and holey clothing (including “once-white but now dingy-dishwater” underwear)?
4. Wealthy, manwhore hero. We didn’t have to see him on any dates, but the author really clubs us over the head with his 7/women a week player ways. There are endless reminders that he’s been sexually active, from his “one-and-done” policy to his assurances to her right before sexy times that he’s not a “selfish, mediocre lover”. I hate this crap. Why must we have so many “heroes” that have been sexing it up and treating women like disposable gloves to be used and discarded, until they meet “the one” that they’ll treat well and respectfully. Here's a quote to illustrate his grossness and the level of detail I DID NOT NEED:
He seriously has a woman every night and when he stops (after he realizes he wants the heroine and no other), his admin comes up to him because he maintains the hero's calendar and is aware that the hero hasn't been getting some. Seriously, WAY TOO MANY DETAILS in this book about the hero's manwhore ways.
The wealthy part is fine and par for the course. It’s just overdone to have the guy be the wealthy one and the woman to be poor and barely able to make ends meet.
5. Don’t even get me started on the whole “I’ve always loved you but was trying to forget with other women” angle this book has. That’s complete trash. I would forgive it more if the author had included a “I didn’t realize how awesome you were and was wasting my time playing the field when you were right there”. But no… that is not the case. And this is the primary reason I have to mark this book down. Here's a quote that perfectly captures this:
6. I wish there was more character growth in this book, especially for the heroine. When drama goes down at around 95%, the heroine’s first reaction is hurt and confusion over what she overhears the hero saying to a friend. But she squishes down her feelings and says “I’m going to communicate like a goddamn adult” but then says, “I don’t want to hear Christopher explain and defend himself”. Huh? That’s not communicating like a mature person. It’s like this author gets emotional maturity half right. If you hear something that makes you react emotionally and, at first, assume the worst, you go to your partner and ask, “hey, what did you mean when…?” not tell him, “I trust you and you don’t have to explain yourself”. That’s just burying your own feelings and telling yourself your first reaction was wrong. How are you ever going to retrain your brain if you don’t allow yourself to feel what you feel and then pursue the truth?
7. No third act breakup. Even tho there is that stupid drama towards the end, it gets resolved well.
8. Is it plausible or possible that a new orgasm-er would have 10 orgasms in a row? Not sure, but he must have some magic in that manwhore self of his cause she does.
9. She's never had sex and has never had anyone give her an orgasm. Another overdone trope in the romance world and didn't need to be part of this book. Ya, ya, she's demisexual, so "representation". You know what would have been better? A demisexual hero who didn't sleep around with EVERYONE. That would have been representation.
Safety deets
A. No OM/OW. However, he’s a recovered manwhore. For her. Thankfully, we don't meet any of his other women in this book. Pretty much, those OW are treated like toilet paper (used once and thrown away and never discussed again).
B. No condoms used, because of course the manwhore can be trusted when he says he’s clean two weeks after his last one night stand. There’s a scene where he says “my results were negative for STIs”, she says “I got the shot this week” and then they proceed to have lots of unprotected sex, as if a manwhore can be trusted and birth control is 100% reliable.
C. Excellent consent. She tells him her boundaries and they stick to those and communicate well.
D. HFN ending with an epilogue where they are together and negotiating their differences in a lovely way.
E. She's a virgin and he's a manwhore. Sigh.
This is kind of a Taming of the Shrew retelling... but not. It more references elements (including multiple character names) than really uses the play as a plot map.
These two have known each other their whole lives (at least Kate’s life since he’s 6 years older). She’s been the odd one out in her family. Her parents are very much in love and her older sisters are twins so the heroine has felt like there is no one for her. Plus, with her ADHD, she couldn’t stay still and be the “normal” everyone else was or expected. She’s been wandering the world as a professional photographer, but every time she comes home, the boy next door has tormented her. He is like an adopted son/brother to her family and always has something to say about her choices which just exacerbates her feelings of being the odd one out.
Well, this time she’s come home sad and burnt out, not sure what happens next and STILL, the boy next door picks on her. It gets to the point where he out and out says: “I haven’t hidden my disagreement with her choices, my concer—my disapproval, I mean—of how she lives.”
She’s sad and feels his disapproval keenly. There are several scenes where my heart ached for her (I’ll admit it, I was reading and tears were rolling down my face). And when he FINALLY realizes he’s been hurting her, his heart aches too. And that was lovely. And then, from there, it’s a pretty smooth story of him working to be kinder to her and being open to the idea that he’s treated her badly because he was afraid of, and for, her. This leads to some really sweet sneaky treats for her from him that I absolutely adored. They are a great team when they work together and I loved seeing them let their walls down.
Observations
1. This author tries hard to represent a wide variety of folks and these main characters provide some representation for demisexuality, severe migraines, ADHD, etc.
2. Loved the heroine’s work. She is a professional photographer and has a very missional look at her work. "...it’s what I’ve always aspired to in my photojournalistic work—activism through storytelling, giving my subjects the chance to be heard, their voices amplified through the power of images that make people stop and listen.” Love that!
3. Poor, hot mess heroine. This wasn’t terrible, but still something I would rather see less of in romance novels. Yes, she has ADHD, but does she have to barely make ends meet, including having worn out and holey clothing (including “once-white but now dingy-dishwater” underwear)?
4. Wealthy, manwhore hero. We didn’t have to see him on any dates, but the author really clubs us over the head with his 7/women a week player ways. There are endless reminders that he’s been sexually active, from his “one-and-done” policy to his assurances to her right before sexy times that he’s not a “selfish, mediocre lover”. I hate this crap. Why must we have so many “heroes” that have been sexing it up and treating women like disposable gloves to be used and discarded, until they meet “the one” that they’ll treat well and respectfully. Here's a quote to illustrate his grossness and the level of detail I DID NOT NEED:
"I’ve abandoned my routine—a meal at the bar, a flirtatious conversation and then a frank one (I’m yours all night. Only one night. No repeats.), then a hotel room, the exhilarating challenge of a new body to learn and become an expert of, the thrill of wrenching orgasm after orgasm from her, the blissful mindlessness of my own release."
He seriously has a woman every night and when he stops (after he realizes he wants the heroine and no other), his admin comes up to him because he maintains the hero's calendar and is aware that the hero hasn't been getting some. Seriously, WAY TOO MANY DETAILS in this book about the hero's manwhore ways.
The wealthy part is fine and par for the course. It’s just overdone to have the guy be the wealthy one and the woman to be poor and barely able to make ends meet.
5. Don’t even get me started on the whole “I’ve always loved you but was trying to forget with other women” angle this book has. That’s complete trash. I would forgive it more if the author had included a “I didn’t realize how awesome you were and was wasting my time playing the field when you were right there”. But no… that is not the case. And this is the primary reason I have to mark this book down. Here's a quote that perfectly captures this:
“I’ve wanted you for a long time, Kate.”
My heart leaps—he’s wanted me the way I’ve wanted him. But then it plummets—because it’s so hard to reconcile that while he says he deeply he desired me, he spent night after night sharing an intimacy with others that I’ve never even experienced.
6. I wish there was more character growth in this book, especially for the heroine. When drama goes down at around 95%, the heroine’s first reaction is hurt and confusion over what she overhears the hero saying to a friend. But she squishes down her feelings and says “I’m going to communicate like a goddamn adult” but then says, “I don’t want to hear Christopher explain and defend himself”. Huh? That’s not communicating like a mature person. It’s like this author gets emotional maturity half right. If you hear something that makes you react emotionally and, at first, assume the worst, you go to your partner and ask, “hey, what did you mean when…?” not tell him, “I trust you and you don’t have to explain yourself”. That’s just burying your own feelings and telling yourself your first reaction was wrong. How are you ever going to retrain your brain if you don’t allow yourself to feel what you feel and then pursue the truth?
7. No third act breakup. Even tho there is that stupid drama towards the end, it gets resolved well.
8. Is it plausible or possible that a new orgasm-er would have 10 orgasms in a row? Not sure, but he must have some magic in that manwhore self of his cause she does.
9. She's never had sex and has never had anyone give her an orgasm. Another overdone trope in the romance world and didn't need to be part of this book. Ya, ya, she's demisexual, so "representation". You know what would have been better? A demisexual hero who didn't sleep around with EVERYONE. That would have been representation.
Safety deets
A. No OM/OW. However, he’s a recovered manwhore. For her. Thankfully, we don't meet any of his other women in this book. Pretty much, those OW are treated like toilet paper (used once and thrown away and never discussed again).
B. No condoms used, because of course the manwhore can be trusted when he says he’s clean two weeks after his last one night stand. There’s a scene where he says “my results were negative for STIs”, she says “I got the shot this week” and then they proceed to have lots of unprotected sex, as if a manwhore can be trusted and birth control is 100% reliable.
C. Excellent consent. She tells him her boundaries and they stick to those and communicate well.
D. HFN ending with an epilogue where they are together and negotiating their differences in a lovely way.
E. She's a virgin and he's a manwhore. Sigh.
August 2, 2023
i do not have kind things to say unfortunately
November 22, 2023
there's not a single good thing about it
January 6, 2025
ೀ 2★ .ᐟ
𐙚⋆°. finished: 10.1.25
First read of 2025 - 5★
Second read of 2025 - 2★
Kill me I’m here in tears because I started the year of so good but noo it had to go downhill. What was this? Like both of the mc are literally the worse people in that series like I could not stand them at all.
At first I didn’t mind the 6 year age gap until he compared her personality with how she looked when she was a kid. The way he did that so many times. Like how her dimples changed from when she was that age kid and then that age kid. Also the whole part of when she was a baby that shit on him and puked on him like what was the whole point of that being added there?? Also the nickname he give her ‘Katydid’ I regret finding out what that is. For those who would love to know it’s a bush cricket… yep a bush cricket. Like how is that anywhere a good nickname.
⤿ Kate
She is not even close to being better. She is also as bad as Christopher was. She was so judgemental and projecting everything so much onto Christopher. She the one who started every singe interaction with Christopher with some antagonist comment, which led him to reacting to it.
⤿ Christopher
The way this man insulted Kate in front of her whole family really pissed me off. Like this man is 33 years old but acts like a 10 year old. Like it doesn’t matter how close he is to Kates family he had no right to call her out on her bullshit like that and disrespect the career choice she choose for herself. The way her parents didn’t say anything or try to stop him?!? The way he made her feel like she didn’t belong in her family is honestly so disgusting.
ೀ preread ᡣ𐭩
𐙚⋆°. started: 6.1.25
I’ve been hearing so many mix reviews about this book but like I gotta read it since I got the arc for the last book and yeah. So I’m praying that this will not be bad or I’ll cry.
𐙚⋆°. finished: 10.1.25
First read of 2025 - 5★
Second read of 2025 - 2★
Kill me I’m here in tears because I started the year of so good but noo it had to go downhill. What was this? Like both of the mc are literally the worse people in that series like I could not stand them at all.
At first I didn’t mind the 6 year age gap until he compared her personality with how she looked when she was a kid. The way he did that so many times. Like how her dimples changed from when she was that age kid and then that age kid. Also the whole part of when she was a baby that shit on him and puked on him like what was the whole point of that being added there?? Also the nickname he give her ‘Katydid’ I regret finding out what that is. For those who would love to know it’s a bush cricket… yep a bush cricket. Like how is that anywhere a good nickname.
⤿ Kate
She is not even close to being better. She is also as bad as Christopher was. She was so judgemental and projecting everything so much onto Christopher. She the one who started every singe interaction with Christopher with some antagonist comment, which led him to reacting to it.
⤿ Christopher
The way this man insulted Kate in front of her whole family really pissed me off. Like this man is 33 years old but acts like a 10 year old. Like it doesn’t matter how close he is to Kates family he had no right to call her out on her bullshit like that and disrespect the career choice she choose for herself. The way her parents didn’t say anything or try to stop him?!? The way he made her feel like she didn’t belong in her family is honestly so disgusting.
ೀ preread ᡣ𐭩
𐙚⋆°. started: 6.1.25
I’ve been hearing so many mix reviews about this book but like I gotta read it since I got the arc for the last book and yeah. So I’m praying that this will not be bad or I’ll cry.
November 11, 2024
imagine dating the guy who tormented you your entire childhood and made you feel like you didn't belong and that you were never enough and then decide to sleep together and have no conversation about your relationship besides “your mine and im yours”
--
eeeee liked the first one excited to start this!!
--
eeeee liked the first one excited to start this!!
September 25, 2023
He’s such a ✨giver✨
Chronic migraines MMC
ADHD FMC
Chronic migraines MMC
ADHD FMC
October 11, 2023
This book is a huge let down for me. I usually loved all Chloe Liese books, but finishing this book was so excruciating.
One thing I loved about reading Chloe Liese’s books is that she doesn’t write stories that fall into the usual romance trope where the FMC is in inexperienced and MMC is manwhore-ing left and right. BUT OH BOY WAS I WRONG 😭
From all the romance books I’ve read, THIS is the first book where the MMC HAS THE FREAKING NERVE to justify his freaking promiscuity on the FMC to push her away and forgets her, cause he didn’t want to hurt her bla bla bla and wasn’t brave enough to admit his feelings towards her. The MMC backstory is also weak and doesn’t in anyway justify his rude behavior🙂.
It’s 2023, can we stop writing about men that are always fucking experienced with sex with hundreds of women that are surely replaceable until the FMC comes along. I’m so so so tired of it, just seeing women, other than the FMC, like a replaceable object being there solely for the MMC pleasure. 🙂. If you want to write a story with sex positivity do it in a correct and positive way, because I’m clearly not seeing it here.
And just to be clear, I really don’t buy the MMC feelings towards the FMC. Because what on earth do u mean the hero always have feelings towards the heroine but all this time he fucked LOTS OF WOMEN EVERYDAY (that he even has his secretary make reservations for his routine and typical fucking with other women) and always make the heroine feel like she doesn’t belong and inferior.
And can I just say that you DON’T intentionally hurt someone you love, cause if you do you can’t claim you love them.
Ok. That’s all from me.
One thing I loved about reading Chloe Liese’s books is that she doesn’t write stories that fall into the usual romance trope where the FMC is in inexperienced and MMC is manwhore-ing left and right. BUT OH BOY WAS I WRONG 😭
From all the romance books I’ve read, THIS is the first book where the MMC HAS THE FREAKING NERVE to justify his freaking promiscuity on the FMC to push her away and forgets her, cause he didn’t want to hurt her bla bla bla and wasn’t brave enough to admit his feelings towards her. The MMC backstory is also weak and doesn’t in anyway justify his rude behavior🙂.
It’s 2023, can we stop writing about men that are always fucking experienced with sex with hundreds of women that are surely replaceable until the FMC comes along. I’m so so so tired of it, just seeing women, other than the FMC, like a replaceable object being there solely for the MMC pleasure. 🙂. If you want to write a story with sex positivity do it in a correct and positive way, because I’m clearly not seeing it here.
And just to be clear, I really don’t buy the MMC feelings towards the FMC. Because what on earth do u mean the hero always have feelings towards the heroine but all this time he fucked LOTS OF WOMEN EVERYDAY (that he even has his secretary make reservations for his routine and typical fucking with other women) and always make the heroine feel like she doesn’t belong and inferior.
And can I just say that you DON’T intentionally hurt someone you love, cause if you do you can’t claim you love them.
Ok. That’s all from me.
May 11, 2023
thank you so much berkley for this arc!
4 stars!
this book had my attention from the start, and I did not disappoint! We get honestly childhood friends to “enemies” to lovers, and I had so much fun reading this book! Once again, Chloe has done a phenomenal job at mental health representation, and keeping us in the loop of interesting relationship dynamics, I loved the sneak peaks I got of Jamie and Bea’s time together, I absolutely adore them, and I cannot wait for the next one
4 stars!
this book had my attention from the start, and I did not disappoint! We get honestly childhood friends to “enemies” to lovers, and I had so much fun reading this book! Once again, Chloe has done a phenomenal job at mental health representation, and keeping us in the loop of interesting relationship dynamics, I loved the sneak peaks I got of Jamie and Bea’s time together, I absolutely adore them, and I cannot wait for the next one
March 8, 2024
𝟮.𝟱 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝟯༄˖*°
"𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵."
➳ lemme say it again, i don't get why so many people hated this book, it was different than 'two wrongs make a right' but it's still pretty enjoyable!, christopher is not an easy guy yes but kate wasn't an easy woman either, y'all are mad because he made her feel like shit at first but helloo she made him feel like shit too!, he was deeply traumatized and the reason why he felt the need to push her away is reasonable enough for me, same for her too, i loved them both (i wasn't sure at first but at some point along the book i did love their characters), so it's not really bad and i do not hate it, (some of y'all said that we should never normalise using women to forget other women and i completely and totally agree but i don't feel like that was the case in this book, he said that it was mutually pleasures one night stands, it is not like he made some woman fall in love with him and then broke her heart!, and no i didn't see him as a man hoho as many said, it might be a me problem but i do not hate him😭), i loved kate she wasn't what i expected her to be tbh i thought she would be arrogant or selfish or something turns out she just has her own complications like any of us, overall i don't hate this book 📖
“𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦.”
"𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳—𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴"
"𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵."
"𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰𝘰."
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.”
"𝘌𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺, 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮."
"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺."
"𝘋𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦."
"𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵."
➳ lemme say it again, i don't get why so many people hated this book, it was different than 'two wrongs make a right' but it's still pretty enjoyable!, christopher is not an easy guy yes but kate wasn't an easy woman either, y'all are mad because he made her feel like shit at first but helloo she made him feel like shit too!, he was deeply traumatized and the reason why he felt the need to push her away is reasonable enough for me, same for her too, i loved them both (i wasn't sure at first but at some point along the book i did love their characters), so it's not really bad and i do not hate it, (some of y'all said that we should never normalise using women to forget other women and i completely and totally agree but i don't feel like that was the case in this book, he said that it was mutually pleasures one night stands, it is not like he made some woman fall in love with him and then broke her heart!, and no i didn't see him as a man hoho as many said, it might be a me problem but i do not hate him😭), i loved kate she wasn't what i expected her to be tbh i thought she would be arrogant or selfish or something turns out she just has her own complications like any of us, overall i don't hate this book 📖
“𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦.”
"𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳—𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴"
"𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵."
"𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰𝘰."
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.”
"𝘌𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺, 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮."
"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺."
"𝘋𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦."
October 2, 2023
Good enemies-to-lovers trope, great steam but waiting for it can be painful. 3.5 STARS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to say I am somewhat in a love-hate quandary with this story. There are definitely pieces that I really enjoyed and there are pieces of it that I really didn’t like.
I really enjoy enemies-to-lovers romance because I love the friction between the main characters and then the ultimate fall even when it may take a little bit longer than expected.
In this book, however, the friction was pretty extreme, and sometimes even over the top where they would verbally hurt each other. I understand that a lot of that is protection of self because they actually truly care for each other but it is still tough to read sometimes.
These two had a very long and public case of friction, and while the ultimate connections finally started to vibe, there were some other quirks that got to me, especially with a female main character.
The story is entertaining, and I love the boy next door romance plot. He’s damn near a brother connection, and when they finally did get together, it was sweet and steamy. The fact that he cared for her for as long as he did became evident much quicker than her realization of love.
With the author’s depiction of the characters having issues like ADHD and generally being jerks to each other, this is where my love-hate issues come into play. Better Hate Than Never becomes a great story after the halfway mark when the bickering slows, but I hope that Liese dumps the continual negative self-talk that we try to escape in our book choices.
Overall, a simmering romance with intensity all around and a sweet love connection that is a long time coming.
~~~~~~~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/better-hate-...
I have to say I am somewhat in a love-hate quandary with this story. There are definitely pieces that I really enjoyed and there are pieces of it that I really didn’t like.
I really enjoy enemies-to-lovers romance because I love the friction between the main characters and then the ultimate fall even when it may take a little bit longer than expected.
In this book, however, the friction was pretty extreme, and sometimes even over the top where they would verbally hurt each other. I understand that a lot of that is protection of self because they actually truly care for each other but it is still tough to read sometimes.
These two had a very long and public case of friction, and while the ultimate connections finally started to vibe, there were some other quirks that got to me, especially with a female main character.
The story is entertaining, and I love the boy next door romance plot. He’s damn near a brother connection, and when they finally did get together, it was sweet and steamy. The fact that he cared for her for as long as he did became evident much quicker than her realization of love.
With the author’s depiction of the characters having issues like ADHD and generally being jerks to each other, this is where my love-hate issues come into play. Better Hate Than Never becomes a great story after the halfway mark when the bickering slows, but I hope that Liese dumps the continual negative self-talk that we try to escape in our book choices.
Overall, a simmering romance with intensity all around and a sweet love connection that is a long time coming.
~~~~~~~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/better-hate-...
March 9, 2024
Нарешті я її прочитала. Я вже скільки місяців назад прочитала першу частину, і ось тільки зараз взялась за 2. Я очікувала щось дуже нудне та банальне і тому не поспішала з читанням. І шкодую, бо мені ця історія дуже сподобалась, так були деякі дратуючі моменти, але на них можна не зважати. Мені було мало Корнеліуса, хотілось його більше.
October 21, 2023
Chloe Liese never disappoints me!!! <3 Her books ALWAYS deliver and I will gladly continue to read all the upcoming books by her. Kate and Christopher were everything in Better Hate than Never and I hope you all give them a chance.
Childhood enemies to lovers who always argue when they're in the same room? But then he sort of gets an intervention and they tell him that she has been feeling sad that his actions have made her an outcast and feel not included in her own family? And then they start to become friends and spending time together and one things leads to another and that hatred they once had turns into love? THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PINING FOR EACH OTHER but couldn't put their feelings together and decided it was best to react this way and go for a romantic relationship. SOBBING. I love them, your honor.
Childhood enemies to lovers who always argue when they're in the same room? But then he sort of gets an intervention and they tell him that she has been feeling sad that his actions have made her an outcast and feel not included in her own family? And then they start to become friends and spending time together and one things leads to another and that hatred they once had turns into love? THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PINING FOR EACH OTHER but couldn't put their feelings together and decided it was best to react this way and go for a romantic relationship. SOBBING. I love them, your honor.
September 22, 2023
Nothing saddens me more than to rate this two stars cause I admire this author and their writing but BHTE didn’t work for me. I had my issues with book 1 but here I sadly couldn’t overlook them and that influenced my overall enjoyment.
Kate and Christopher have know each other their entire lives. There’s a six year age gap. Their fighting and provoking behavior towards each other didn’t do what it was intended to do. Sadly it had the opposite effect on me. I didn’t feel any chemistry and it got dragged out. I felt they didn’t like one another when for Christopher it was supposed to be obvious to the reader that he felt much more for Kate. I needed teasing or something lighter cause it felt too serious and I know why he did it but it would’ve been nice to mix it up.
When they finally started to get closer I sadly wasn’t invested and it felt their relationship went from 1-10 with the snap of my finger. For Kate and how she felt about Christopher it felt too rushed. I needed more wooing.
The ADHD, demisexuality and migraine representation were great and the author always does her work on the serious and authentic topics.
Sadly Better Hate Than Ever wasn’t for me but that won’t change my admiration and wanting to read more from this author. I can’t wait to read the final Bergman book.
*The ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Kate and Christopher have know each other their entire lives. There’s a six year age gap. Their fighting and provoking behavior towards each other didn’t do what it was intended to do. Sadly it had the opposite effect on me. I didn’t feel any chemistry and it got dragged out. I felt they didn’t like one another when for Christopher it was supposed to be obvious to the reader that he felt much more for Kate. I needed teasing or something lighter cause it felt too serious and I know why he did it but it would’ve been nice to mix it up.
When they finally started to get closer I sadly wasn’t invested and it felt their relationship went from 1-10 with the snap of my finger. For Kate and how she felt about Christopher it felt too rushed. I needed more wooing.
The ADHD, demisexuality and migraine representation were great and the author always does her work on the serious and authentic topics.
Sadly Better Hate Than Ever wasn’t for me but that won’t change my admiration and wanting to read more from this author. I can’t wait to read the final Bergman book.
*The ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
December 14, 2022
Chloe once again manages to write a romance novel full of feels, incredible representations and so much love. She’s incredible. This book is incredible. If you’re a romance reads or not, you need this book!!
Fuller review to come!
Fuller review to come!
January 22, 2025
Well, this was a slog.
I really like how Chloe Liese tries to show all different kinds of people and all different kinds of relationships. And I adore enemies-to-lovers romances. But Katerina just got under my skin.
These two bicker and pick at each other like children. The first part of the book was exhausting to read, and though I don't mind having to work for my couple's happiness, the mom in me wanted the arguing to just end.
The MCs were so judgmental about each other and for reasons (??) that I didn't quite understand. Just, like, grow up maybe?? I also felt the pseudo-sibling relationship to lovers thing was a bit icky. Like, stop talking about changing her diapers or watching her when she was a baby!
Exhausting, annoying, creepy, tiresome... pick your poison.
*~*Follow me on instagram for more reviews, book talk, and deals posts*~*
I really like how Chloe Liese tries to show all different kinds of people and all different kinds of relationships. And I adore enemies-to-lovers romances. But Katerina just got under my skin.
These two bicker and pick at each other like children. The first part of the book was exhausting to read, and though I don't mind having to work for my couple's happiness, the mom in me wanted the arguing to just end.
The MCs were so judgmental about each other and for reasons (??) that I didn't quite understand. Just, like, grow up maybe?? I also felt the pseudo-sibling relationship to lovers thing was a bit icky. Like, stop talking about changing her diapers or watching her when she was a baby!
Exhausting, annoying, creepy, tiresome... pick your poison.
*~*Follow me on instagram for more reviews, book talk, and deals posts*~*
December 31, 2023
As you'll likely guess from the character names & book blurb, this is a twist on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew or for those closer to my age bracket 10 Things I hate About You might be easier to remember the story outline 🤭
I was delighted to see (imo) an homage/hat tip/wink to that via the gang paintball outing 🙃
This second instalment picks up fairly quickly after the ending of the previous book. Kate & Jules have swapped living arrangements for mutually beneficial reasons that I won't go into here for fear of ruining book1 and/or book3 altho that would be impressive as it's not out yet but still I'm not taking any chances 🤐
This has brought Kate back to a life in the US that she had been perhaps slightly hiding from and thus on a collision course with Christopher; her childhood "nemesis"/neighbour - more on that later (I hope I can string thoughts together in any case) and as such shenanigans ensue as their paths continue to cross because they share the same meddlesome friend group that were such a splash in the first book. There is even a delightful quip/nod from Jamie (see reader updates) to this effect 😎
I really liked Kate, her sometimes "outsider" syndrome struggle to fit in with her family. Feeling like the odd one out as her sisters are twins & her folks also come as a loved up package deal - get Kate caught up in her head through no fault of her family who love her and each other very much. This was such an interesting struggle to read about.
Kate also brought an interesting twist to the representation that I did not see coming but felt drawn too in a way I haven't in a long time. I think she helped me better understand things about myself and be nicer to me as a consequence vs the sometimes not great thoughts that can sneak in when considering societal expectations/"norms". I don't mean to get dark, nor fish for sympathy with any of this, as I promise I am great and it truly isn't anything *bad*. I just hadn't quite related in the same way when similar representation has presented in other reads if that makes sense without causing too much confusion as I try desperately to not give anything away 🙈
As always Liese brings new twists to her characters and the representation they bring to the page. If I am remembering correctly Kate has ADHD, which I (is it wrong to say?) loved seeing her navigating adulthood and deciding how much/little of herself to give to others & when to share things with them, when to fight, when to lay down weapons + live to spar another day.
She was so quick witted in her responses I LIVED for them and despite already being much older than her, still want to be more like her when I grow up 👵
Christopher is where my enjoyment of this read took a massive knock sadly 😕
I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think he felt 2-dimensional to me. I was looking forward to his arc based off the hints in the blurb about his feelings of grief and self-preservation which I can sadly somewhat relate to, although thankfully not to the same extent; poor poppet. And his migraine issue was one I was weirdly looking forward to seeing represented on page as my dad has been suffering from migraines for the last decade or so and I was hoping to better understand maybe even be able to bring new ideas/suggestions to the table.
But sadly everything 'Chris' felt very surface level; kinda too much tell not enough show.
I feel like if he were FMC he would fail the Bechdel test as a love interest as I am struggling to remember (m)any conversation he has even with his own friends that doesn't have to do with Kate - and this is before they move from "enemies" to not.
Slight aside the enemies part of their mutual antagonism didn't really make sense to me when it was explained - but as this is the least of my concerns imma let it somewhat slide, but I still wanted to mention it as well yeah...it was weird.
Anyways, even his job which sounds interesting and despite the story taking us to his office we don't really *see* him doing it - and again all interactions/convos with friends colleagues come back to Kate.
There is mention of his seeking therapy to cope with the residual affects of his parents deaths - morbid as this may be I'd have loved to see a therapy session for him after he takes up with Kate to process these feelings - so we could see SOMETHING, anything really that he does for himself in this story...
I don't know if I am being too harsh here - but voila 🤷♀️
This is how I felt reading it and if in doubt, I have just sat down and typed all this "review" up today without any guideline/notes/memory aid outside the reader updates below which don't hint at this frustration but when I sat down to cobble together this review...well this is what came spilling out of the memory vault 🫣
I do have a positive about Christopher's work though and that is 100% Nick and his other colleague (name begins with J I think but escapes me now and as book was a library loan I cannot check). Nick's mini-arc within this is the closest to retelling Shakespeare's play and it was adorbs! 🤩
All this to say, in case there was any doubt...I'm pretty torn about how to rate this book as I enjoyed so much of it more than book1 - there is NO 3rd act separation for a start 💃🥳🤸
Sorry I should probably have mentioned that earlier as it is a major bonus for me and possibly others 😅
Third act conflicts in books almost always drops at least a star for me - so this should probably regain the star potentially lost for my MMC flatness issues 🤗
After the sneaky peek first chapter of the next book; I am lowkey more excited about that one now as I didn't love Jules' appearances in book1 - but colour me intrigued and I'm curious if it'll be an R+J retelling, which in and of itself could be cool as I'm deffo invested in seeing what spin Chloe will give it, or if CL will pull a bait & switch on us and modernise another of the Bards works 🤔
GARGH, I'm not sure what to do as I really liked Kate and so many of the other on page interactions shared the same joy and sparks + laughter that I know I'll get when I reach for a Chloe Liese book. And as always the diverse representation she brings to the page with each release sharing someone else's story so that many more people can see journeys perhaps more closely related to their own than many other mainstream published works (altho I think this is slowly getting a bit better across the board these days) warms my cold 🖤
It pains me to rate this lower than book1 as I preferred this story - but I fear my issues being what they are with the MMC sadly they bring the overall rating down 😐
3.5*
I was delighted to see (imo) an homage/hat tip/wink to that via the gang paintball outing 🙃
This second instalment picks up fairly quickly after the ending of the previous book. Kate & Jules have swapped living arrangements for mutually beneficial reasons that I won't go into here for fear of ruining book1 and/or book3 altho that would be impressive as it's not out yet but still I'm not taking any chances 🤐
This has brought Kate back to a life in the US that she had been perhaps slightly hiding from and thus on a collision course with Christopher; her childhood "nemesis"/neighbour - more on that later (I hope I can string thoughts together in any case) and as such shenanigans ensue as their paths continue to cross because they share the same meddlesome friend group that were such a splash in the first book. There is even a delightful quip/nod from Jamie (see reader updates) to this effect 😎
I really liked Kate, her sometimes "outsider" syndrome struggle to fit in with her family. Feeling like the odd one out as her sisters are twins & her folks also come as a loved up package deal - get Kate caught up in her head through no fault of her family who love her and each other very much. This was such an interesting struggle to read about.
Kate also brought an interesting twist to the representation that I did not see coming but felt drawn too in a way I haven't in a long time. I think she helped me better understand things about myself and be nicer to me as a consequence vs the sometimes not great thoughts that can sneak in when considering societal expectations/"norms". I don't mean to get dark, nor fish for sympathy with any of this, as I promise I am great and it truly isn't anything *bad*. I just hadn't quite related in the same way when similar representation has presented in other reads if that makes sense without causing too much confusion as I try desperately to not give anything away 🙈
As always Liese brings new twists to her characters and the representation they bring to the page. If I am remembering correctly Kate has ADHD, which I (is it wrong to say?) loved seeing her navigating adulthood and deciding how much/little of herself to give to others & when to share things with them, when to fight, when to lay down weapons + live to spar another day.
She was so quick witted in her responses I LIVED for them and despite already being much older than her, still want to be more like her when I grow up 👵
Christopher is where my enjoyment of this read took a massive knock sadly 😕
I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think he felt 2-dimensional to me. I was looking forward to his arc based off the hints in the blurb about his feelings of grief and self-preservation which I can sadly somewhat relate to, although thankfully not to the same extent; poor poppet. And his migraine issue was one I was weirdly looking forward to seeing represented on page as my dad has been suffering from migraines for the last decade or so and I was hoping to better understand maybe even be able to bring new ideas/suggestions to the table.
But sadly everything 'Chris' felt very surface level; kinda too much tell not enough show.
I feel like if he were FMC he would fail the Bechdel test as a love interest as I am struggling to remember (m)any conversation he has even with his own friends that doesn't have to do with Kate - and this is before they move from "enemies" to not.
Slight aside the enemies part of their mutual antagonism didn't really make sense to me when it was explained - but as this is the least of my concerns imma let it somewhat slide, but I still wanted to mention it as well yeah...it was weird.
Anyways, even his job which sounds interesting and despite the story taking us to his office we don't really *see* him doing it - and again all interactions/convos with friends colleagues come back to Kate.
There is mention of his seeking therapy to cope with the residual affects of his parents deaths - morbid as this may be I'd have loved to see a therapy session for him after he takes up with Kate to process these feelings - so we could see SOMETHING, anything really that he does for himself in this story...
I don't know if I am being too harsh here - but voila 🤷♀️
This is how I felt reading it and if in doubt, I have just sat down and typed all this "review" up today without any guideline/notes/memory aid outside the reader updates below which don't hint at this frustration but when I sat down to cobble together this review...well this is what came spilling out of the memory vault 🫣
I do have a positive about Christopher's work though and that is 100% Nick and his other colleague (name begins with J I think but escapes me now and as book was a library loan I cannot check). Nick's mini-arc within this is the closest to retelling Shakespeare's play and it was adorbs! 🤩
All this to say, in case there was any doubt...I'm pretty torn about how to rate this book as I enjoyed so much of it more than book1 - there is NO 3rd act separation for a start 💃🥳🤸
Sorry I should probably have mentioned that earlier as it is a major bonus for me and possibly others 😅
Third act conflicts in books almost always drops at least a star for me - so this should probably regain the star potentially lost for my MMC flatness issues 🤗
After the sneaky peek first chapter of the next book; I am lowkey more excited about that one now as I didn't love Jules' appearances in book1 - but colour me intrigued and I'm curious if it'll be an R+J retelling, which in and of itself could be cool as I'm deffo invested in seeing what spin Chloe will give it, or if CL will pull a bait & switch on us and modernise another of the Bards works 🤔
GARGH, I'm not sure what to do as I really liked Kate and so many of the other on page interactions shared the same joy and sparks + laughter that I know I'll get when I reach for a Chloe Liese book. And as always the diverse representation she brings to the page with each release sharing someone else's story so that many more people can see journeys perhaps more closely related to their own than many other mainstream published works (altho I think this is slowly getting a bit better across the board these days) warms my cold 🖤
It pains me to rate this lower than book1 as I preferred this story - but I fear my issues being what they are with the MMC sadly they bring the overall rating down 😐
3.5*
July 26, 2024
À part les remarques chelou du mec et le ennemies to lover mytho, c’était plutôt cute. J’aime la scène d’amour qui dure 3 chapitres parce qu’on parle de tout, c’était super réaliste. +20 points pour la acerep
Et les gens vénères sur goodreads parce que la meuf était vierge à 27 ans….. ça vous pose un problème ???????? Je vous déteste ptn
Et les gens vénères sur goodreads parce que la meuf était vierge à 27 ans….. ça vous pose un problème ???????? Je vous déteste ptn
January 29, 2024
This book made me heterophobic
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