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Bad Billionaire Bosses #3
Hate Me Like You Mean It
He’s the undisputed loathe of my life. My blood-sworn nemesis.
And the man whose toilets I have to scrub for the next thirty days.
How’s your week going?
It’s inspiring, really—the son of a single mother from humble beginnings rises to become one of the most successful men on the planet, then goes off to exact revenge on the spoiled, bratty heiress he’s been dying to strangle since preschool.
The wicked little witch that—allegedly—had his mother fired just to get rid of him.
The self-centered, ungrateful hellion who—allegedly—has never touched a kitchen glove in her life.
It’s so satisfying, such delicious due justice, watching him corner her into striking a deal to be his maid for a month.
Too bad he’s so full of sh*t.
“Hatred” barely scratches the surface. “Enemy” is too mild a term.
It’s twenty years of pent-up frustration, rivalry, taunting, and resentment coming to a head.
Thirteen years of quiet heartbreaks, stolen glances, and unrequited butterflies getting buried deeper.
And thirty days of playing with fire… until we finally push each other just a little too far, our flame starts to burn just a little too bright, and all the secrets we tried so hard to hide come spilling into the light.
Dominic Crawford has always been the villain in my story, and I’m the fool who fell head over heels in love with him anyway.
And the man whose toilets I have to scrub for the next thirty days.
How’s your week going?
It’s inspiring, really—the son of a single mother from humble beginnings rises to become one of the most successful men on the planet, then goes off to exact revenge on the spoiled, bratty heiress he’s been dying to strangle since preschool.
The wicked little witch that—allegedly—had his mother fired just to get rid of him.
The self-centered, ungrateful hellion who—allegedly—has never touched a kitchen glove in her life.
It’s so satisfying, such delicious due justice, watching him corner her into striking a deal to be his maid for a month.
Too bad he’s so full of sh*t.
“Hatred” barely scratches the surface. “Enemy” is too mild a term.
It’s twenty years of pent-up frustration, rivalry, taunting, and resentment coming to a head.
Thirteen years of quiet heartbreaks, stolen glances, and unrequited butterflies getting buried deeper.
And thirty days of playing with fire… until we finally push each other just a little too far, our flame starts to burn just a little too bright, and all the secrets we tried so hard to hide come spilling into the light.
Dominic Crawford has always been the villain in my story, and I’m the fool who fell head over heels in love with him anyway.
ebook
Published December 2, 2025
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About the author
Kyra Parsi
11 books1,755 followersKyra Parsi is a Canadian author of contemporary rom-com books.
She's also a closeted romantic with a minor (read: major) book hoarding problem. But don't worry, it's under control. She pinky promises.
Keeping up with Kyra's writing shenanigans:
Website -> https://kyraparsi.com/
FREE for newsletter subscribers!
She's also a closeted romantic with a minor (read: major) book hoarding problem. But don't worry, it's under control. She pinky promises.
Keeping up with Kyra's writing shenanigans:
Website -> https://kyraparsi.com/
FREE for newsletter subscribers!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,052 reviews
January 15, 2026
Huge thanks to Kyra Parsi and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my full and honest review💌
Let me start by saying that I was genuinely, pleasantly surprised at how good this book was. I had no idea ARCs could become one of my top reads in 2025. But here we are.
This is literally the best romance book I've ever fucking read btw. Every page had got me either cackling or swooning, or both.
lemme just highlight these:
1. the banter✔️
2. sarcasm✔️
3. fucking funny fmc and mmc✔️
4. amazing side characters/family✔️
5. miscommunication trope done right✔️
if i cld highlight this entire book, i would. this book makes me wanna be in a relationship again. more so, this makes me LONG for Alice's life😭🫂
⁛⁙⁂my favourite chapters (where every single page deserves to be highlighted): chapt 4, 9, 24, 30, 44-46, epilogue.
💌positives:
personal ones
1. Alice has migraines. It sucks. We love relatable FMCs🫂🫂
2. We all FLEE when work time's over. Admit it 😭😭😭
1. This scene was genuinely so well-written, esp the first few lines, and it attracted my attention immediately. I went from "nah it's gna suck" to "wow this has potential" on the span of 0.1 seconds.
2. Dominic's entry scene was nothing short of fucking amazing.
3. Lemme just say that I adore confident (and witty, and sarcastic) FMCs (who can stand up to, and is the equal - if not more - of the MMC) with my whole heart.
4. Robert and Maxwell were the stars of thebook entire series, honestly.
💌NO NEGATIVES!!
💌just them being funny:
💌dom being the best MMC to ever exist:
💌Quotes:
-----
💌Note: I love you Kyra Parsi for granting me this amazing, funny, well-written ARC. If not, I wouldn't have found this god tier book and love it like I do right now. Every chapter made me giggle so much I wanted to cry. I will be buying this series very soon, I love your characters sm😭🫶
----
My review for this series:
1. A Deal with the Bossy Devil #1
3. Hate Me Like You Mean It #3
----
SLIGHT SPOILER IDK
1. Adrien and Dominic's relationship shld be studied📝
Let me start by saying that I was genuinely, pleasantly surprised at how good this book was. I had no idea ARCs could become one of my top reads in 2025. But here we are.
This is literally the best romance book I've ever fucking read btw. Every page had got me either cackling or swooning, or both.
lemme just highlight these:
1. the banter✔️
2. sarcasm✔️
3. fucking funny fmc and mmc✔️
4. amazing side characters/family✔️
5. miscommunication trope done right✔️
if i cld highlight this entire book, i would. this book makes me wanna be in a relationship again. more so, this makes me LONG for Alice's life😭🫂
⁛⁙⁂my favourite chapters (where every single page deserves to be highlighted): chapt 4, 9, 24, 30, 44-46, epilogue.
💌positives:
personal ones
1. Alice has migraines. It sucks. We love relatable FMCs🫂🫂
2. We all FLEE when work time's over. Admit it 😭😭😭
"Alice." Nope. Not happening. I picked up the pace, pretending like I couldn't hear her.general
1. This scene was genuinely so well-written, esp the first few lines, and it attracted my attention immediately. I went from "nah it's gna suck" to "wow this has potential" on the span of 0.1 seconds.
EIGHT YEARS AGOTell me this isn't an amazing prologue. I dare you.
"Alice!"
Dread skimmed down my back, making my stomach crumple in on itself. I shut my locker with forced confidence and turned around, crossing my arms so he wouldn't see my hands shaking. "What did you do!"
2. Dominic's entry scene was nothing short of fucking amazing.
With a taunting, arrogant twist to his grin, Dominic Crawford leaned forward and loosely swirled a lock of my hair around his index finger. "Boo."I was full on giggling like a fucking joke when this came up.
3. Lemme just say that I adore confident (and witty, and sarcastic) FMCs (who can stand up to, and is the equal - if not more - of the MMC) with my whole heart.
4. Robert and Maxwell were the stars of the
💌NO NEGATIVES!!
💌just them being funny:
And a thirty-minute call made every day at 1:00 p.m. that included more listening than talking and always ended with a quiet "love you, bye."the fact that she knew him well enough to know he wasn't talking to a lover atm😭😭
Rosie, I assumed. His was a personality only a mother could love.
💌dom being the best MMC to ever exist:
He was buying these companies? Just so he could have me fired from them?Sign me up already📝📝 Where's the list??
I smiled against his palm. It made his biceps bulge angrily.yummy😋🍴
And that— that right there— was Dominic’s one redeeming quality. He’d never been a sore loser. Not even with me.
“Was it enough?”🥺 dom and alice my bbys💘
“If I said it a thousand more times, would it be enough?”
💌Quotes:
She'd always said that in the two thousand, two hundred and sixty-two days she'd spent with her late husband, he'd given her two thousand, two hundred and sixty-two reasons to fall in love with him. But his eyes were the first.
“I hate you so much that I can’t leave, because then you’ll go home with him, and I’d rather be skinned alive.”
Pretty?" he asked with breathless exasperation, as though the word itself was an insult. "You're willing to settle for some asshole who lies and tells you you're pretty? You want some actual honesty? Flowers are pretty. They're soft, subdued, harmless. Their beauty doesn't leave a mark, or haunt your every waking moment, or make you feel so out of control that you'd be willing to walk barefoot on broken glass for one last hit. You're not pretty, Alice. You're devastating.
"I didn't want you to leave, Dominic. I just didn't want to love you anymore."
“I was so deeply, unfathomably in love with you that I couldn’t see straight, Alice.” He reached out and gently brushed a stray strand away from my forehead, his warm, nervous gaze latched on to mine. “And I’ve been treading water ever since, with nothing to show for it.”
Adrien once said that it felt like a light went out. The world became slightly dimmer when she left it, and he had this deep, innate feeling that it would never fully recover.
“I love you. I love you so much I don’t know what to do with myself.”
"You’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met, and you’re so beautiful, Alice, that sometimes it’s hard for me to breathe when I look at you."And the best one;
But in case I don’t chicken out, and this is the letter you get, and you’ve made it this far without running to the police, here’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You’re the best part of my day. My favorite color. You’re my favorite song, my favorite movie, my favorite game, and every good thing in between. And I’m sorry to say, Loch Ness, that I think I’m in love with you.
-----
💌Note: I love you Kyra Parsi for granting me this amazing, funny, well-written ARC. If not, I wouldn't have found this god tier book and love it like I do right now. Every chapter made me giggle so much I wanted to cry. I will be buying this series very soon, I love your characters sm😭🫶
----
My review for this series:
1. A Deal with the Bossy Devil #1
3. Hate Me Like You Mean It #3
----
SLIGHT SPOILER IDK
1. Adrien and Dominic's relationship shld be studied📝
He yanked Dominic into a giant bear hug and said, with so much love that it made my mother start to fully weep, "You're a fucking idiot, you know that?" And boy, oh boy, did the two bozos live happily ever after.
December 7, 2025
what crack was i on when i thought this would beat failure to match and jackson sinclair. THE jackson sinclair (jackson come home the kids miss you)
i’m so sorry kyra, i would give you my firstborn for creating jackson but this was ass.
i’m so sorry kyra, i would give you my firstborn for creating jackson but this was ass.
December 4, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Hate me like you mean it (ARC review)
Hmmm, idk how to review this, so I'll just ramble and hope it will make sense somehow. 😅 And I'll do my best not to spoil it. 🤞🏼
So a brief background about the MCs (Dominic and Alice, 26). They basically grew up together because his mom was their housekeeper for 14 years. But for some reason these two never became friends. Instead, they grew up disliking each other (or so they say) and probably had only a handful of peaceful interactions throughout those years.
Anyway, something happened during their senior year that really blew up and ended up making Dom and his mom move away. Since then he has hated Alice even more (or so he claims). 😏
Eight years later, as the blurb says, Dom, the son of a single mother from humble beginnings, rises to become one of the most successful men on the planet, then goes off to exact revenge on the spoiled, bratty heiress he’s been dying to strangle since preschool. And so I guess this is where the story starts.
Like I said, idk how to review this, so I'm just going to list some of the things I can think of off the top of my head.
☘️ Banter/Pranks. It was fun and entertaining, in all honesty. These two could go toe-to-toe with each other when it comes to witty and cruel remarks/shenanigans. I mean, they've been doing this since they were kids, so it's really nothing new for them. I had my fun with it for a while, but eventually, I just got tired of it. The dislike had been going on for so long, and some of the things they said/did were pretty harsh at times. And idk, it's probably a me thing, but I really don't enjoy that kind of exchange.
☘️ Chapter transition. There were a few times that confused me about when a new chapter will start. The sudden change of setting/event wasn't smooth sailing at times, and I found myself going back a few times to make sure the current chapter was actually a new scenario.
☘️ Look, while I know the dislike between these two had been going on since forever, still it caught me off guard when they finally decided to act on the attraction between them. I know it would eventually come, but it still came as a shock?? Or idk, maybe that's just how I see it, and other readers might have a different take on it.
☘️ The comeuppance of the one who ruined everything was so anticlimactic. Am I hoping for more revenge or something? Yes and yes. Unfortunately, Alice was too kind to do anything drastic. Also, the situation was very obvious from the get-go. I'm not sure if this person was intended to be a mystery or something else. But yeah, the cause of the problem was sort of predictable. 🤷♀️
☘️ I wish there were more emotional moments when Alice's family learned about what was going on with Dom's mom. After all, their family treated him and his mom like one of their own, so I hoped for some kind of reunion on the page.
☘️ The preteen letters. Tbh, I was confused at first about who was writing these journals, but when I figured it out, I thought it was pretty adorable. Even in these letters, you can really sense the writer's "dislike," but there's also a clear admiration coming through.
☘️ The jealousy moment. Have I read this kind of scenario one too many times in some books? Yes. Am I still swooning over this? Absolutely yes. There will never be a day where I won't giggle every time one of the MCs goes a bit overboard when jealousy hits them hard. 🤭
☘️ KP's men really know how to say the most romantic and swooniest things ever! No wonder these women can't resist falling for these men. 🤭
☘️ There's no breakup. I'm about to pull my hair out if they go through another separation. Two decades of disliking one another is more than enough. And I'm really, really happy that KP didn't add any breakup stuff to the story.
☘️ I wanted more of Alice and Rosie's screen time. 🥺
☘️ Dom and Adrien were such adorable dummies. That's all I have to say about it! 😂
☘️ Gammy and Maxwell! 👴🦜😂
☘️ This is, I think, the spiciest out of the three books. 🥵🫣 Ngl, I didn't see the role play coming, but to each their own, I suppose.
☘️ It's only been you. I feel like for some people, this means that the MCs could go on for years apart and maybe date other people along the way. But eventually, when the time is right, they'll find their way back to each other. And I think that's the case here. For Dom and Alice, it's always been each other for them, and no one else really compares.
☘️ Related to the point above. There was no mention of their dating history at all. Idek whether this is dual V or not, but I don't think it is. Their first time didn't give that impression. Both of them seem to know what they were doing. 🙃 Anyhoo, as I said, there wasn't any mention at all of what happened to them in those eight years they were apart, dating-wise. I know they dated other people when they were in high school, but even those relationships were like a week or two at most, and nothing really happened out of them. But now that they're adults, I really, really want to know if they got involved with someone else. Unfortunately, we haven't heard a thing about it. 🙃
☘️ I don't know if this is the last book in the series, but if it is, I wish it had an epilogue with all the MCs years later. 😅
Overall, I did like it, but it's probably my least favorite in this series. 🫣 Sorry, it's just that Jackson and Adrien kind of raised the bar, and that made it difficult to top them. Anywaaay, I still had a good time with it, just not quite as much as I did with the first two books. But I'm sure when this comes out, it will find the readers who will really love it. 😊
=============================
Some quotes:
♥️ “You’re always there, Alice. Always. Every agonizing second of every cursed day, even when I close my eyes. It doesn’t matter what I do, how hard I try to make it stop, or how many years go by. You are always there. And that is what, in the ever-loving fuck, is wrong with me.”
♥️ “[…] You want some actual honesty? Flowers are pretty. They’re soft, subdued, harmless. Their beauty doesn’t leave a mark, or haunt your every waking moment, or make you feel so out of control that you’d be willing to walk barefoot on broken glass for one last hit. You’re not pretty, Alice. You’re devastating.”
♥️ “[…] I’m supposed to be torturing you, but somehow, you’ve managed to wrap me so tightly around your little finger—again—that I would have dropped to my knees and barked like a fucking dog if you’d asked me to in there […] You’re not smart. My dumb ass is smart,” he practically spat. “Stop selling yourself short. You’re fucking lethal.”
♥️ “I wouldn’t lose my mind like this over something as unexceptional as wit, Alice. You’re indescribable, and anyone who tries to make you believe otherwise is either a bigger idiot than I am or blind.”
♥️ “The girl wore my heart on her fucking sleeve, and I’d cling to her until she finally got sick of me nipping at her heel like a lovesick puppy and kicked me to the curb.”
♥️ “Here’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You’re the best part of my day. My favorite color. You’re my favorite song, my favorite movie, my favorite game, and every good thing in between.”
Thank you to Ms. Parsi for providing the ARC.
Hate me like you mean it (ARC review)
Hmmm, idk how to review this, so I'll just ramble and hope it will make sense somehow. 😅 And I'll do my best not to spoil it. 🤞🏼
So a brief background about the MCs (Dominic and Alice, 26). They basically grew up together because his mom was their housekeeper for 14 years. But for some reason these two never became friends. Instead, they grew up disliking each other (or so they say) and probably had only a handful of peaceful interactions throughout those years.
Anyway, something happened during their senior year that really blew up and ended up making Dom and his mom move away. Since then he has hated Alice even more (or so he claims). 😏
Eight years later, as the blurb says, Dom, the son of a single mother from humble beginnings, rises to become one of the most successful men on the planet, then goes off to exact revenge on the spoiled, bratty heiress he’s been dying to strangle since preschool. And so I guess this is where the story starts.
Like I said, idk how to review this, so I'm just going to list some of the things I can think of off the top of my head.
☘️ Banter/Pranks. It was fun and entertaining, in all honesty. These two could go toe-to-toe with each other when it comes to witty and cruel remarks/shenanigans. I mean, they've been doing this since they were kids, so it's really nothing new for them. I had my fun with it for a while, but eventually, I just got tired of it. The dislike had been going on for so long, and some of the things they said/did were pretty harsh at times. And idk, it's probably a me thing, but I really don't enjoy that kind of exchange.
☘️ Chapter transition. There were a few times that confused me about when a new chapter will start. The sudden change of setting/event wasn't smooth sailing at times, and I found myself going back a few times to make sure the current chapter was actually a new scenario.
☘️ Look, while I know the dislike between these two had been going on since forever, still it caught me off guard when they finally decided to act on the attraction between them. I know it would eventually come, but it still came as a shock?? Or idk, maybe that's just how I see it, and other readers might have a different take on it.
☘️ The comeuppance of the one who ruined everything was so anticlimactic. Am I hoping for more revenge or something? Yes and yes. Unfortunately, Alice was too kind to do anything drastic. Also, the situation was very obvious from the get-go. I'm not sure if this person was intended to be a mystery or something else. But yeah, the cause of the problem was sort of predictable. 🤷♀️
☘️ I wish there were more emotional moments when Alice's family learned about what was going on with Dom's mom. After all, their family treated him and his mom like one of their own, so I hoped for some kind of reunion on the page.
☘️ The preteen letters. Tbh, I was confused at first about who was writing these journals, but when I figured it out, I thought it was pretty adorable. Even in these letters, you can really sense the writer's "dislike," but there's also a clear admiration coming through.
☘️ The jealousy moment. Have I read this kind of scenario one too many times in some books? Yes. Am I still swooning over this? Absolutely yes. There will never be a day where I won't giggle every time one of the MCs goes a bit overboard when jealousy hits them hard. 🤭
☘️ KP's men really know how to say the most romantic and swooniest things ever! No wonder these women can't resist falling for these men. 🤭
☘️ There's no breakup. I'm about to pull my hair out if they go through another separation. Two decades of disliking one another is more than enough. And I'm really, really happy that KP didn't add any breakup stuff to the story.
☘️ I wanted more of Alice and Rosie's screen time. 🥺
☘️ Dom and Adrien were such adorable dummies. That's all I have to say about it! 😂
☘️ Gammy and Maxwell! 👴🦜😂
☘️ This is, I think, the spiciest out of the three books. 🥵🫣 Ngl, I didn't see the role play coming, but to each their own, I suppose.
☘️ It's only been you. I feel like for some people, this means that the MCs could go on for years apart and maybe date other people along the way. But eventually, when the time is right, they'll find their way back to each other. And I think that's the case here. For Dom and Alice, it's always been each other for them, and no one else really compares.
☘️ Related to the point above. There was no mention of their dating history at all. Idek whether this is dual V or not, but I don't think it is. Their first time didn't give that impression. Both of them seem to know what they were doing. 🙃 Anyhoo, as I said, there wasn't any mention at all of what happened to them in those eight years they were apart, dating-wise. I know they dated other people when they were in high school, but even those relationships were like a week or two at most, and nothing really happened out of them. But now that they're adults, I really, really want to know if they got involved with someone else. Unfortunately, we haven't heard a thing about it. 🙃
☘️ I don't know if this is the last book in the series, but if it is, I wish it had an epilogue with all the MCs years later. 😅
Overall, I did like it, but it's probably my least favorite in this series. 🫣 Sorry, it's just that Jackson and Adrien kind of raised the bar, and that made it difficult to top them. Anywaaay, I still had a good time with it, just not quite as much as I did with the first two books. But I'm sure when this comes out, it will find the readers who will really love it. 😊
=============================
Some quotes:
♥️ “You’re always there, Alice. Always. Every agonizing second of every cursed day, even when I close my eyes. It doesn’t matter what I do, how hard I try to make it stop, or how many years go by. You are always there. And that is what, in the ever-loving fuck, is wrong with me.”
♥️ “[…] You want some actual honesty? Flowers are pretty. They’re soft, subdued, harmless. Their beauty doesn’t leave a mark, or haunt your every waking moment, or make you feel so out of control that you’d be willing to walk barefoot on broken glass for one last hit. You’re not pretty, Alice. You’re devastating.”
♥️ “[…] I’m supposed to be torturing you, but somehow, you’ve managed to wrap me so tightly around your little finger—again—that I would have dropped to my knees and barked like a fucking dog if you’d asked me to in there […] You’re not smart. My dumb ass is smart,” he practically spat. “Stop selling yourself short. You’re fucking lethal.”
♥️ “I wouldn’t lose my mind like this over something as unexceptional as wit, Alice. You’re indescribable, and anyone who tries to make you believe otherwise is either a bigger idiot than I am or blind.”
♥️ “The girl wore my heart on her fucking sleeve, and I’d cling to her until she finally got sick of me nipping at her heel like a lovesick puppy and kicked me to the curb.”
♥️ “Here’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You’re the best part of my day. My favorite color. You’re my favorite song, my favorite movie, my favorite game, and every good thing in between.”
Thank you to Ms. Parsi for providing the ARC.
November 22, 2025
whenever I put this book down (three times MAX) it was against my will. Kyra Parsi has done it AGAIN !!!
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Alice Cloutier (26) | Dominic Crawford (26)
FEATURES
∘ billionaire romance
∘ childhood frenemies/crushes to enemies to lovers
∘ dual pettiness
∘ grovel, baby
∘ “it’s always been you”
∘ role-playing 🤭
REVIEW
Shortly after reading her (yes, her ), Failure to Match was inducted into my all-time favorite books list. I am happy to report, Hate Me Like You Mean It is joining her sister there.
The chemistry between Alice and Dominic was there on page ONE. I tend to hate when the main characters have a previous connection before we (the reader) meet them, but this has proven to be an exception. We got to see their history without hampering the present. I loved the use of journal entries and home movies to avoid traditional flashback scenes.
I felt actual grief at the fact these fictional characters spent eight years apart. They were meant for each other, and it makes me SICK that it was taken from them. [redacted] can EAT SHIT 🫶
Even though Alice and Dominic felt deeply betrayed and hurt, the changes they made for the sake of (or to spite) the other was fascinating. Even through their—understandable & justified—hatred, their lives were each other’s.
As always, the banter was top-notch. There are pop culture references/slang that will date the book with time, however nothing too egregious that took me out of the moment.
One thing about Kyra Parsi’s leading men—they love without abandon; they fall to their knees nd BEG; they cry just because of how much they care. And most evidently, they got filthy mf mouths.
Her leading women are no slouches either. They meet the intensity of these men at every turn, and they know their worth. I would join any one of these women in battle, it’s true.
Since I’m a stalker, I am aware of the trouble these two have caused their creator, but what a story they’ve made. I am kind of disgusted with how fast I read this and am mourning the fact it’s over.
OW/OM DRAMA not really OM — Alice’s friend tries to set her up with her boss, which Alice entertains. Dominic is extremely jealous and crashes (nothing romantic happens)
|||
not obvious OM/OW — these two grew up together and had crushes on each other during that time. While no explicit confirmation of being intimate with other people (aside from an offhand comment from Alice that was seemingly said to cause a reaction), it is clear that they have a prior sexual experience. I know it is a deal breaker for some with this type of story, so I wanted to mention it
CHEATING no
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no
ENDING HEA — one year later epilogue
POV mostly singular (Alice) until ~60% when we get Dominic’s too / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 5 / 5
a special thank you to Kyra Parsi for providing me with the arc!
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Alice Cloutier (26) | Dominic Crawford (26)
FEATURES
∘ billionaire romance
∘ childhood frenemies/crushes to enemies to lovers
∘ dual pettiness
∘ grovel, baby
∘ “it’s always been you”
∘ role-playing 🤭
REVIEW
Shortly after reading her (yes, her ), Failure to Match was inducted into my all-time favorite books list. I am happy to report, Hate Me Like You Mean It is joining her sister there.
The chemistry between Alice and Dominic was there on page ONE. I tend to hate when the main characters have a previous connection before we (the reader) meet them, but this has proven to be an exception. We got to see their history without hampering the present. I loved the use of journal entries and home movies to avoid traditional flashback scenes.
I felt actual grief at the fact these fictional characters spent eight years apart. They were meant for each other, and it makes me SICK that it was taken from them. [redacted] can EAT SHIT 🫶
Even though Alice and Dominic felt deeply betrayed and hurt, the changes they made for the sake of (or to spite) the other was fascinating. Even through their—understandable & justified—hatred, their lives were each other’s.
As always, the banter was top-notch. There are pop culture references/slang that will date the book with time, however nothing too egregious that took me out of the moment.
One thing about Kyra Parsi’s leading men—they love without abandon; they fall to their knees nd BEG; they cry just because of how much they care. And most evidently, they got filthy mf mouths.
Her leading women are no slouches either. They meet the intensity of these men at every turn, and they know their worth. I would join any one of these women in battle, it’s true.
OW/OM DRAMA not really OM — Alice’s friend tries to set her up with her boss, which Alice entertains. Dominic is extremely jealous and crashes (nothing romantic happens)
|||
not obvious OM/OW — these two grew up together and had crushes on each other during that time. While no explicit confirmation of being intimate with other people (aside from an offhand comment from Alice that was seemingly said to cause a reaction), it is clear that they have a prior sexual experience. I know it is a deal breaker for some with this type of story, so I wanted to mention it
CHEATING no
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no
ENDING HEA — one year later epilogue
POV mostly singular (Alice) until ~60% when we get Dominic’s too / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 5 / 5
a special thank you to Kyra Parsi for providing me with the arc!
November 28, 2025
Listen, I LOVE messy enemies-to-lovers, but if he gets you blacklisted from every job you have for YEARS… that’s not a romantic arc, that’s a lawsuit 😂💼
December 3, 2025
I wish Kyra Parsi would write more, like maybe one release a month?
Read
December 2, 2025book 1 of dec done!!!! i did have fun with this one 🤭 rtc
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
my first read of december!!! im kinda obsessed with the colors for the cover !!!!! enemies to lovers??? workplace??? first love? YES 🙂↕️
↪ started dec 1
↪ finished dec 1
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
my first read of december!!! im kinda obsessed with the colors for the cover !!!!! enemies to lovers??? workplace??? first love? YES 🙂↕️
↪ started dec 1
↪ finished dec 1
December 19, 2025
Not me jumping on every tiny update about this book. I’m basically a certified stalker at this point 😭
__________________________________________
Where should I even start ?? Me and my friends were absolutely feral waiting for this book and going crazy every time there was no detail about it.
Dominic has had my attention ever since he was mentioned in the previous book. He is one of those characters who grabs your attention even before you meet him properly. Now that I’ve finished the book, I can finally say it out loud: I know THE MAN when I see one.
His character is written so beautifully with so much details and attention that you don't just read it, you FEEL IT.
He's infuriating, unapologetically arrogant, and wears his antagonism like armor. At the same time, he is completely undone by his feelings for Alice. He's obsessed, deeply attached, and quietly pathetic in love with her. He's soft, protective and warm when it comes to her.
Kyra has portrayed these two sides of his exceptionally and seamlessly well that there's no confusion or overlapping, both the sides coexist so beautifully that you don't question his nature you understand both the sides. He is sharp edged but he's also soft and warm.
I love how he doesn't say everything but notices every single thing and shows it through his actions.
Alice is a firecracker—sarcastic, dramatic, and genuinely funny. What I loved the most about her is that she’s not one of those typical FMC who softens or weakens around the MMC. No matter how much she was craving for his warmth and attention internally, she never bent or showed it. She met him head-on every time, that made her incredibly refreshing to read.
When it comes to Kyra's book I'm never worried about banter or sarcasm. She's a master of it. It's top-notch, well timed and never gets cringe. And this book was no exception, it was full of banter, bickering and drama.
This book was a perfect blend of romance, humour, and emotional moments. It had me laughing, crying, and swooning throughout.
I love those scenes where he was trying to be cruel and hurt and break her but the instant he sees her in pain, it breaks him more than it breaks her and his instinct to protect overrides everything else.
The chapter-opening journal entries were such a cute touch and added so much insights about their childhood and the bond they shared in the past. I melted every time I read Dom's entries. He sounded so adorable and his awkward nervousness when it comes to her was CUTE.
Loved the miscommunication trope and how they had healthy communication without any drama once things didn’t make sense.
I have already written so much but I can go on and on about them. Their games. Their banter. Their oh-so-spicy role playing.
I'M OBSESSED !!
__________________________________________
Where should I even start ?? Me and my friends were absolutely feral waiting for this book and going crazy every time there was no detail about it.
Dominic has had my attention ever since he was mentioned in the previous book. He is one of those characters who grabs your attention even before you meet him properly. Now that I’ve finished the book, I can finally say it out loud: I know THE MAN when I see one.
His character is written so beautifully with so much details and attention that you don't just read it, you FEEL IT.
He's infuriating, unapologetically arrogant, and wears his antagonism like armor. At the same time, he is completely undone by his feelings for Alice. He's obsessed, deeply attached, and quietly pathetic in love with her. He's soft, protective and warm when it comes to her.
Kyra has portrayed these two sides of his exceptionally and seamlessly well that there's no confusion or overlapping, both the sides coexist so beautifully that you don't question his nature you understand both the sides. He is sharp edged but he's also soft and warm.
I love how he doesn't say everything but notices every single thing and shows it through his actions.
Alice is a firecracker—sarcastic, dramatic, and genuinely funny. What I loved the most about her is that she’s not one of those typical FMC who softens or weakens around the MMC. No matter how much she was craving for his warmth and attention internally, she never bent or showed it. She met him head-on every time, that made her incredibly refreshing to read.
When it comes to Kyra's book I'm never worried about banter or sarcasm. She's a master of it. It's top-notch, well timed and never gets cringe. And this book was no exception, it was full of banter, bickering and drama.
This book was a perfect blend of romance, humour, and emotional moments. It had me laughing, crying, and swooning throughout.
I love those scenes where he was trying to be cruel and hurt and break her but the instant he sees her in pain, it breaks him more than it breaks her and his instinct to protect overrides everything else.
The chapter-opening journal entries were such a cute touch and added so much insights about their childhood and the bond they shared in the past. I melted every time I read Dom's entries. He sounded so adorable and his awkward nervousness when it comes to her was CUTE.
Loved the miscommunication trope and how they had healthy communication without any drama once things didn’t make sense.
I have already written so much but I can go on and on about them. Their games. Their banter. Their oh-so-spicy role playing.
I'M OBSESSED !!
December 6, 2025
I almost handed it two stars, but then I remembered the heroine’s ultimate crush was Ronaldo
December 5, 2025
it physically pains me that i didn’t love this more, it really does! i was genuinely hyped for this to come out, and it left me feeling so incredibly underwhelmed. idk what happened kyra, but this isn’t you 😭😭😭
the whole execution felt inconsistent turned dry - i wasn’t having a good time as much and as sustained as i would have liked, and then by the end i was just bored to absolute tears. the last 20% was so hard for me to get through. this makes me sad because the first two books are legit 4.5 - 5 ⭐️ reads for me. i went in with too high expectations, thinking i’d be snorting the same line and getting the same high - that in and of itself also set me up. had i gone into this one with lower expectations or if this was just some random unrelated book, i may have felt more for it? this kinda got swallowed up by the iconic shadows of its predecessors (and maybe to some degree my last read as well, which is in a comparable lane and is god-tier stuff).
look, the writing still had a degree of that fun and amusing quality to it that i loved in the first two books, but alice and dom just didn’t have the same magic as ria/adrien and j-squared, and their relationship development was a mess for me!
clearly, i have a lot to say 😅. i’ll keep overt spoilers out of it though.
first off, the premise was a bit too wacky in the way that it was set up. this book kinda makes use of a similar “your slave for 30 days” jump-off as the first book in the series, but i think that one executed it faaaaaar better than this one. or at least, in a way i preferred more and for reasons i felt were more compelling on both sides (to me, alice agreeing to all this mess with dom seemed a touch too illogical, far-fetched and nonsensical, unlike ria’s choice to indulge adrien which was for a far more convincing reason). yeah, it kinda makes sense later on when you know what you know, but still. this just felt like a really forced way of kickstarting the story.
second of all, the characters…errr. i’m so sawri, but dom didn’t have that BDE and aura that adrien and jackson had. his name is kind of a misnomer actually 😅 dom where? he threw down a little, sure, but i’ll have forgotten about him by tomorrow unlike the other men in this series who still haunt the fuck outta me, even though i read those books for the first time well over a year and a half ago. there are also some things he did that i really did not like??! overall, he’s just bland and basic, a few fleeting moments aside! and ALSO! there were times where he gave me the literal ick. as for alice, i’m genuinely confused about how i feel about her, if i’m being honest. i’m not actually sure i really liked her all that much as a lead. she was great as a side character in her brother’s book, but as an fmc she was kinda meh and a bit annoying at times. so neither mc definitively did it for me.
thirdly, the pacing was WAY off and the relationship development was kinda all over the place. the back-and-forth swings between them antagonizing one another, to being physical, to dropping love confessions on reader were happening so suddenly and haphazardly, which made some transitions feel really jarring. there were times i thought i skipped a few pages or a chapter or two by accident coz i was like huh???? but nope, things were just that choppy. this is all happening inside the first 50%, mind you. then, the second half really flopped. HARD. there was almost no tension. the romance just became painfully uninteresting as the story started focusing on a bunch of other stuff and i didn’t feel the chemistry that was at least somewhat there in the earlier parts, anymore. i couldn’t even enjoy the spice in this last part of the book. everything was making me cringe!
which segues into my next point: things got a touch too unfocused after a certain point. too much time was spent on all these other plot threads instead of just homing in on developing the romance and their connection in a way that felt well-paced, sequential and dare i say again: focused. the romance really got lost in the mix and the narrative was becoming wildly in-cohesive. it also became lazy in the present timeline. like all of a sudden we just have to accept the feelings because they were apparently always there? where was the development?
ANOTHER THING! it felt like i was reading two different books when i think of the first half vs the second, because the narration style just up and changed out of nowhere from fmc single pov to dual. wish this kinda just stuck to single (while keeping the mmc’s little notes at the beginning of each chapter). not every romance needs dual, i beg 😭
in general, there were a few story choices in here i didn’t love - especially tropes surrounding the misunderstandings / miscommunication between them. there were also a couple strange situations across the book that i wasn’t too crazy about either. and i gotta say it again - the last stretch was painful. a mess. truly.
now, having said all of this, i did have some good times (mostly from the first half). a few redeeming qualities, if you will: alice and dom still had a vibe in places (on the earlier side), i really liked the glimpses into their relationship as kids and dom was kinda a cute simp when he was younger as we could see from his diary entries, there was some fun banter, dom was utterly obsessed and had some good lines for all that - we love to see it, and a few of the hijincks were mildy entertaining. i also enjoyed the flashes of the cloutiers - i was missing them in the first half but at least we had some appearances in the second. i mostly cared about seeing my man my man my man, adrien…mmmmmmmm. but it was also nice to see the whole cloutier gang, including ria!
but anyways…
maybe it’s been too long since the second book’s release, idk. sometimes when authors take long breaks, things lose momentum…or the reader has changed too much. possibly. i did however recently re-read books 1-2 and i still felt great about them! i just think those couples had more charisma and palpable chemistry, and their stories were written with a progression that left me so invested from start to finish.
this just didn’t hit!!! but i still really like this author - i want her to keep writing and releasing more books and try mixing in the same potion as the last two times lol. i know she’s capable! go on, girl. maybe she can cook something up for gampy 😂 or start a new series, push a standalone, idk.
the whole execution felt inconsistent turned dry - i wasn’t having a good time as much and as sustained as i would have liked, and then by the end i was just bored to absolute tears. the last 20% was so hard for me to get through. this makes me sad because the first two books are legit 4.5 - 5 ⭐️ reads for me. i went in with too high expectations, thinking i’d be snorting the same line and getting the same high - that in and of itself also set me up. had i gone into this one with lower expectations or if this was just some random unrelated book, i may have felt more for it? this kinda got swallowed up by the iconic shadows of its predecessors (and maybe to some degree my last read as well, which is in a comparable lane and is god-tier stuff).
look, the writing still had a degree of that fun and amusing quality to it that i loved in the first two books, but alice and dom just didn’t have the same magic as ria/adrien and j-squared, and their relationship development was a mess for me!
clearly, i have a lot to say 😅. i’ll keep overt spoilers out of it though.
first off, the premise was a bit too wacky in the way that it was set up. this book kinda makes use of a similar “your slave for 30 days” jump-off as the first book in the series, but i think that one executed it faaaaaar better than this one. or at least, in a way i preferred more and for reasons i felt were more compelling on both sides (to me, alice agreeing to all this mess with dom seemed a touch too illogical, far-fetched and nonsensical, unlike ria’s choice to indulge adrien which was for a far more convincing reason). yeah, it kinda makes sense later on when you know what you know, but still. this just felt like a really forced way of kickstarting the story.
second of all, the characters…errr. i’m so sawri, but dom didn’t have that BDE and aura that adrien and jackson had. his name is kind of a misnomer actually 😅 dom where? he threw down a little, sure, but i’ll have forgotten about him by tomorrow unlike the other men in this series who still haunt the fuck outta me, even though i read those books for the first time well over a year and a half ago. there are also some things he did that i really did not like??! overall, he’s just bland and basic, a few fleeting moments aside! and ALSO! there were times where he gave me the literal ick. as for alice, i’m genuinely confused about how i feel about her, if i’m being honest. i’m not actually sure i really liked her all that much as a lead. she was great as a side character in her brother’s book, but as an fmc she was kinda meh and a bit annoying at times. so neither mc definitively did it for me.
thirdly, the pacing was WAY off and the relationship development was kinda all over the place. the back-and-forth swings between them antagonizing one another, to being physical, to dropping love confessions on reader were happening so suddenly and haphazardly, which made some transitions feel really jarring. there were times i thought i skipped a few pages or a chapter or two by accident coz i was like huh???? but nope, things were just that choppy. this is all happening inside the first 50%, mind you. then, the second half really flopped. HARD. there was almost no tension. the romance just became painfully uninteresting as the story started focusing on a bunch of other stuff and i didn’t feel the chemistry that was at least somewhat there in the earlier parts, anymore. i couldn’t even enjoy the spice in this last part of the book. everything was making me cringe!
which segues into my next point: things got a touch too unfocused after a certain point. too much time was spent on all these other plot threads instead of just homing in on developing the romance and their connection in a way that felt well-paced, sequential and dare i say again: focused. the romance really got lost in the mix and the narrative was becoming wildly in-cohesive. it also became lazy in the present timeline. like all of a sudden we just have to accept the feelings because they were apparently always there? where was the development?
ANOTHER THING! it felt like i was reading two different books when i think of the first half vs the second, because the narration style just up and changed out of nowhere from fmc single pov to dual. wish this kinda just stuck to single (while keeping the mmc’s little notes at the beginning of each chapter). not every romance needs dual, i beg 😭
in general, there were a few story choices in here i didn’t love - especially tropes surrounding the misunderstandings / miscommunication between them. there were also a couple strange situations across the book that i wasn’t too crazy about either. and i gotta say it again - the last stretch was painful. a mess. truly.
now, having said all of this, i did have some good times (mostly from the first half). a few redeeming qualities, if you will: alice and dom still had a vibe in places (on the earlier side), i really liked the glimpses into their relationship as kids and dom was kinda a cute simp when he was younger as we could see from his diary entries, there was some fun banter, dom was utterly obsessed and had some good lines for all that - we love to see it, and a few of the hijincks were mildy entertaining. i also enjoyed the flashes of the cloutiers - i was missing them in the first half but at least we had some appearances in the second. i mostly cared about seeing my man my man my man, adrien…mmmmmmmm. but it was also nice to see the whole cloutier gang, including ria!
but anyways…
maybe it’s been too long since the second book’s release, idk. sometimes when authors take long breaks, things lose momentum…or the reader has changed too much. possibly. i did however recently re-read books 1-2 and i still felt great about them! i just think those couples had more charisma and palpable chemistry, and their stories were written with a progression that left me so invested from start to finish.
this just didn’t hit!!! but i still really like this author - i want her to keep writing and releasing more books and try mixing in the same potion as the last two times lol. i know she’s capable! go on, girl. maybe she can cook something up for gampy 😂 or start a new series, push a standalone, idk.
November 25, 2025
“Flowers are pretty. They’re soft, subdued, harmless. Their beauty doesn’t leave a mark, or haunt your every waking moment, or make you feel so out of control that you’d be willing to walk barefoot on broken glass for one last hit. You’re not pretty, Alice. You’re devastating.”
rating: 4.25★
oooo the former childhood friends turned enemies turn lovers I ATE IT UP. insane hijinks ensue from these diabolical revenge gremlins trying to outdo each other from some bad blood, but they're so insanely creative and unhinged it's hilarious. their minds for game creation was something fun and different in a contemp romance.
and then it's hot. no fr like i would pay money to be their third. kyra parsi-written men >>>>>>>
such a good time, i love the story and relationship. i'm just sad that i have to wait again for a new book!
an honest arc review ♡
rating: 4.25★
oooo the former childhood friends turned enemies turn lovers I ATE IT UP. insane hijinks ensue from these diabolical revenge gremlins trying to outdo each other from some bad blood, but they're so insanely creative and unhinged it's hilarious. their minds for game creation was something fun and different in a contemp romance.
and then it's hot. no fr like i would pay money to be their third. kyra parsi-written men >>>>>>>
such a good time, i love the story and relationship. i'm just sad that i have to wait again for a new book!
an honest arc review ♡
December 5, 2025
Thank you soo so much to Kyra Parsi for the arc!! Can remember the last time I was this happy about getting one 💗
3 stars
Kyra Parsi is honestly one of my go-to authors at this point.
I loved loved loved A Deal with the Bossy Devil and Failure to Match — they were both in my top ten last year, so my expectations were high going into this.
I liked Hate Me Like You Mean It, but for me it just didn’t quite reach the chaos-filled perfection of those two.
The first 50% were the better half for me.The constant push and pull between Dominic and Alice was so much fun. The banter was sharp, the characters were funny and relatable, and the tension was also great. And the little diary notes? Adorable. 🥺
But the second half didn’t work for me as well as I hoped.
I loved their games and the whole “enemies… kind of?” dynamic, but once they got together, everything shifted really suddenly. From that point on, it felt like all they did was role-play (which — yes, is hot), but it went on for several chapters and started to feel a bit forced. I also didn’t really feel the falling-in-love part; it was more like, they cleared up the miscommunication and… boom, they’re in love now.
And the only conflict after that was telling Alice’s family, which wasn’t enough to keep me engaged by that point.
I also didn't really like Dominic that much tbh (especially compared to the mmcs of the first two books)
Dominic and Adrien’s bromance though? I absolutely see it.
I really hope Kyra Parsi continues the series, because I cannot handle the thought of this being the end 😭 If you need me, I'll be checking for new updates daily now
__________________________________________
IT'S TIME PLS DON'T DISSAPPOINT ME ___________________________________________
SECURED THE ARC 🧘♀️I can die in peace now!!
3 stars
Kyra Parsi is honestly one of my go-to authors at this point.
I loved loved loved A Deal with the Bossy Devil and Failure to Match — they were both in my top ten last year, so my expectations were high going into this.
I liked Hate Me Like You Mean It, but for me it just didn’t quite reach the chaos-filled perfection of those two.
The first 50% were the better half for me.The constant push and pull between Dominic and Alice was so much fun. The banter was sharp, the characters were funny and relatable, and the tension was also great. And the little diary notes? Adorable. 🥺
But the second half didn’t work for me as well as I hoped.
I loved their games and the whole “enemies… kind of?” dynamic, but once they got together, everything shifted really suddenly. From that point on, it felt like all they did was role-play (which — yes, is hot), but it went on for several chapters and started to feel a bit forced. I also didn’t really feel the falling-in-love part; it was more like, they cleared up the miscommunication and… boom, they’re in love now.
And the only conflict after that was telling Alice’s family, which wasn’t enough to keep me engaged by that point.
I also didn't really like Dominic that much tbh (especially compared to the mmcs of the first two books)
Dominic and Adrien’s bromance though? I absolutely see it.
I really hope Kyra Parsi continues the series, because I cannot handle the thought of this being the end 😭 If you need me, I'll be checking for new updates daily now
__________________________________________
IT'S TIME PLS DON'T DISSAPPOINT ME ___________________________________________
SECURED THE ARC 🧘♀️I can die in peace now!!
December 8, 2025
Yes this is exactly what I needed to read. Dominic and Alice 🤗🤗🤗 perfection no notes.
In the words of Taylor swift “if they call me a slut, it might be worth it for once”
In the words of Taylor swift “if they call me a slut, it might be worth it for once”
December 3, 2025
3.5
this was the best heroine i've read in a while, i loved her. this is how you're supposed to act in an enemies to lovers, ppl! she was unhinged while also refusing to let him see how he was affecting her emotionally. that's all i ever want. that's how you WIN a match folks. how you devastate your adversary til he admits he'll get on his knees and BARK for a chance to eat you out 🙏🏽
i actually wish dominic put up more of a fight; ms. alice certainly would've taken him for a ride. his opening move of buying seven different companies just so he could fire her from each of them was the type of hater shit i live for. i wish he kept that energy for a bit longer but alas- he wanted her bad and who could blame him.
all in all i rly enjoyed this but it loses points for that roleplay scene. sorry but i fear the author LOST THE PLOT during that wtf. went on forever too
this was the best heroine i've read in a while, i loved her. this is how you're supposed to act in an enemies to lovers, ppl! she was unhinged while also refusing to let him see how he was affecting her emotionally. that's all i ever want. that's how you WIN a match folks. how you devastate your adversary til he admits he'll get on his knees and BARK for a chance to eat you out 🙏🏽
i actually wish dominic put up more of a fight; ms. alice certainly would've taken him for a ride. his opening move of buying seven different companies just so he could fire her from each of them was the type of hater shit i live for. i wish he kept that energy for a bit longer but alas- he wanted her bad and who could blame him.
all in all i rly enjoyed this but it loses points for that roleplay scene. sorry but i fear the author LOST THE PLOT during that wtf. went on forever too
January 13, 2026
4.25 stars
another Kyra Parsi novel I absolutely devoured. I’ve said it before, but Kyra knows how to rock the fuck out of enemies to lovers in a way that feels effortless and totally believable. even when the main characters were doing the meanest, pettiest, borderline unhinged things to each other, I was still rooting for them.
Alice and Dominic had me kicking my feet and squealing like a teenage girl from chapter one. their banter and their chemistry... oh my god?! how does she come up with this stuff?? this was pure crack, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. and despite all the snark and tension, the story had a real emotional depth that kept me captivated throughout. all the characters were amazing, right down to the pet parrot, Maxwell.
my only tiny complaint is that the spice got a little too wild for my taste, but that’s a personal preference. other than that, I loved every second of this. I need Ms. Parsi to keep expanding this universe because I am HOOKED.
another Kyra Parsi novel I absolutely devoured. I’ve said it before, but Kyra knows how to rock the fuck out of enemies to lovers in a way that feels effortless and totally believable. even when the main characters were doing the meanest, pettiest, borderline unhinged things to each other, I was still rooting for them.
Alice and Dominic had me kicking my feet and squealing like a teenage girl from chapter one. their banter and their chemistry... oh my god?! how does she come up with this stuff?? this was pure crack, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. and despite all the snark and tension, the story had a real emotional depth that kept me captivated throughout. all the characters were amazing, right down to the pet parrot, Maxwell.
my only tiny complaint is that the spice got a little too wild for my taste, but that’s a personal preference. other than that, I loved every second of this. I need Ms. Parsi to keep expanding this universe because I am HOOKED.
Currently reading
November 24, 2025I'm reading a suspicious amount of contemporary romance atm 😗
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Thank you to the Author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
______________________
Thank you to the Author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 5, 2025
I would’ve read this is one sitting if I didn’t require food & sleep.
I love this series so much so when I realized this book just released, I RAN!!
Things to know:
- childhood neighbors to frenemies
- dual POV (with a twist)
- enemies in adulthood
- he buys the companies she works for just to fire her
- make a 30 day bet & if she wins, he leaves her family alone
- Yearning. Tension. Games. Forced proximity.
Overall I enjoyed this story so much and loved so many scenes. There were several times when the story almost felt choppy when it would jump from scene to scene - but that honestly could have just been my exhausted brain not keeping up. For that, I added back half a star to make it 4.5 ⭐️ bc I really did love the story, the characters, & seeing a down bad pathetic man do anything for his girl’s attention
I love this series so much so when I realized this book just released, I RAN!!
Things to know:
- childhood neighbors to frenemies
- dual POV (with a twist)
- enemies in adulthood
- he buys the companies she works for just to fire her
- make a 30 day bet & if she wins, he leaves her family alone
- Yearning. Tension. Games. Forced proximity.
Overall I enjoyed this story so much and loved so many scenes. There were several times when the story almost felt choppy when it would jump from scene to scene - but that honestly could have just been my exhausted brain not keeping up. For that, I added back half a star to make it 4.5 ⭐️ bc I really did love the story, the characters, & seeing a down bad pathetic man do anything for his girl’s attention
November 26, 2025
Omg I had such a good time reading this book! It’s by far my favorite of the series! I didn’t think it would top the two previous but it did!
Alice and Dominic had so much chemistry it was INSANE. Like I could already feel it from their very first scene together. And the banter? TOO GOOD. They were funny, unhinged, and just perfect for each other. Kyra is so good at writing fictional men who are head over heels for the woman they love, like Dominic was THE man 😩
I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope but I found that it was really well executed in this book so it didn’t bother me at all. The writing was great and I loved the journal entries at the beginning of each chapter. Overall, this was an incredible book and I can’t wait to see what Kyra writes next!!
A big thank you to Kyra Parsi for the ARC!!
Alice and Dominic had so much chemistry it was INSANE. Like I could already feel it from their very first scene together. And the banter? TOO GOOD. They were funny, unhinged, and just perfect for each other. Kyra is so good at writing fictional men who are head over heels for the woman they love, like Dominic was THE man 😩
I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope but I found that it was really well executed in this book so it didn’t bother me at all. The writing was great and I loved the journal entries at the beginning of each chapter. Overall, this was an incredible book and I can’t wait to see what Kyra writes next!!
A big thank you to Kyra Parsi for the ARC!!
November 24, 2025
Thank you To Kyra Parsi and BookFunnel for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating 4.5 ⭐️
"We're not poison, Dominic. We're fucking magic."
I love them sooo much! They were so perfect together. This book was a real enemies to lovers which was amazing to see. Their banter, their chemistry from the first page, the little letters... it was absolutely perfect. There wasn't a page where I wasn't blushing or giggling at how good this was.
The spice. PERFECTION!
Read this if you love:
• enemies to lovers
• forced proximity
• childhood nemesis
• a LOT of banter
• maybe one of the best spicy scenes I've ever read
• role playing
• billionaire romance
• he is obsessed with her ( and she with him of course)
Actual rating 4.5 ⭐️
"We're not poison, Dominic. We're fucking magic."
I love them sooo much! They were so perfect together. This book was a real enemies to lovers which was amazing to see. Their banter, their chemistry from the first page, the little letters... it was absolutely perfect. There wasn't a page where I wasn't blushing or giggling at how good this was.
The spice. PERFECTION!
Read this if you love:
• enemies to lovers
• forced proximity
• childhood nemesis
• a LOT of banter
• maybe one of the best spicy scenes I've ever read
• role playing
• billionaire romance
• he is obsessed with her ( and she with him of course)
November 30, 2025
QUE GRAN LIBRO.
Es el primer libro que leo de la autora y estoy fascinada por su humor, como sus personajes crecen y lo funcional que se siente que la pareja pase de odiarse a quererse. El ritmo de la historia se siente constante y en ningún momento sentí que la historia perdió fuerza.
Definitivamente recomiendo ampliamente. ♡︎
Es el primer libro que leo de la autora y estoy fascinada por su humor, como sus personajes crecen y lo funcional que se siente que la pareja pase de odiarse a quererse. El ritmo de la historia se siente constante y en ningún momento sentí que la historia perdió fuerza.
Definitivamente recomiendo ampliamente. ♡︎
January 16, 2026
This book was everything I want in an enemies-to-lovers romcom and then some!!
Alice and Dominic made for great nemesis characters! This is years of resentment, hurt, misunderstandings, and very intentional chaos between them. And the tension because of that? Insane. The chemistry was instant, explosive, and never fizzled. The banter was razor-sharp, hilarious, and so clever. I was smiling and laughing from beginning to end
Dominic is defenitely being added to my fictional boyfriend list!. Very intense, very competitive, absolutely love him. And Alice? Absolute queen behavior! She never backs down, never cowers, pushes his buttons just as hard, and does it with confidence and humor 💕 Watching them try to out-prank, and later on out-seduce each other, was DELICIOUS
The childhood history between them was handled so well. I loved that it wasn’t always enemies like we’re initially led to believe. The little diary entries from Dominic’s POV added so much heart and depth, showing that he fell first and fell hard, even as a kid. It made everything hurt in the best way
And the ending? Perfect. Sweet, romantic, and full circle. That callback to the highschool letter, specifically the line “You’re the best part of my day, my favorite color, my favorite song, my favorite movie, my favorite game, and every good thing in between” absolutely wrecked me in the best way 💕😭
I devoured this!! If you love enemies-to-lovers, rich history, sharp banter, and couples who match each other’s energy at every turn, add this to your TBR immediately
Alice and Dominic made for great nemesis characters! This is years of resentment, hurt, misunderstandings, and very intentional chaos between them. And the tension because of that? Insane. The chemistry was instant, explosive, and never fizzled. The banter was razor-sharp, hilarious, and so clever. I was smiling and laughing from beginning to end
Dominic is defenitely being added to my fictional boyfriend list!. Very intense, very competitive, absolutely love him. And Alice? Absolute queen behavior! She never backs down, never cowers, pushes his buttons just as hard, and does it with confidence and humor 💕 Watching them try to out-prank, and later on out-seduce each other, was DELICIOUS
The childhood history between them was handled so well. I loved that it wasn’t always enemies like we’re initially led to believe. The little diary entries from Dominic’s POV added so much heart and depth, showing that he fell first and fell hard, even as a kid. It made everything hurt in the best way
And the ending? Perfect. Sweet, romantic, and full circle. That callback to the highschool letter, specifically the line “You’re the best part of my day, my favorite color, my favorite song, my favorite movie, my favorite game, and every good thing in between” absolutely wrecked me in the best way 💕😭
I devoured this!! If you love enemies-to-lovers, rich history, sharp banter, and couples who match each other’s energy at every turn, add this to your TBR immediately
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2025
Spoilers ahead , 4.5*
My biggest issue with this book was that it had to end 😔
A bit of backstory, Dominic is the son of Alice's childhood housekeeper. They basically grew up together and were competitive growing up. They loved each other as teens but they didn't even know it. When the opportunity finally presented itself for their feelings to be confessed Alice was told it was a prank and her heart was broken. Then to make matters worse Dominic's mother is accused of theft with the allegation seemingly coming from Alice. This they separated as enemies. Years later Dominic is back for revenge.
******
Normally I'd roll my eyes and be pissed at this backstory, so many years wasted because of a lack of communication but if my best friend came to me I'd probably believe her too, especially given the relationship between Alice and Dominic and how they argued and antagonised each other and of course their age at the time. So the plot became a little more believable then.
This was a lot more emotional than I expected, Dominic shed tears at the hurt he'd inadvertently caused Alice by leaving and cutting all contact.
That bitch Rachel deserved to be ruined!!! Wtf author?? why was she allowed to get off Scot free?!?? ughhhh
I've been enjoying this series can't wait to see what's next from this author.
******
No cheating
They had a boyfriend and girlfriend as teens
No real info as to what happened in the years in between
They loved each other then but they didn't know
My biggest issue with this book was that it had to end 😔
A bit of backstory, Dominic is the son of Alice's childhood housekeeper. They basically grew up together and were competitive growing up. They loved each other as teens but they didn't even know it. When the opportunity finally presented itself for their feelings to be confessed Alice was told it was a prank and her heart was broken. Then to make matters worse Dominic's mother is accused of theft with the allegation seemingly coming from Alice. This they separated as enemies. Years later Dominic is back for revenge.
******
Normally I'd roll my eyes and be pissed at this backstory, so many years wasted because of a lack of communication but if my best friend came to me I'd probably believe her too, especially given the relationship between Alice and Dominic and how they argued and antagonised each other and of course their age at the time. So the plot became a little more believable then.
This was a lot more emotional than I expected, Dominic shed tears at the hurt he'd inadvertently caused Alice by leaving and cutting all contact.
That bitch Rachel deserved to be ruined!!! Wtf author?? why was she allowed to get off Scot free?!?? ughhhh
I've been enjoying this series can't wait to see what's next from this author.
******
No cheating
They had a boyfriend and girlfriend as teens
No real info as to what happened in the years in between
They loved each other then but they didn't know
November 24, 2025
3.25⭐️ ARC review. It pains me to write this because I loved the first two books in the series so much. I always feel bad giving negative reviews when books first come out *but* it’s a huge pet peeve of mine when people only give positive reviews because they want to keep getting free books. I find negative reviews really helpful when it comes to influencing whether or not I read a book so with that being said…
Several things did not work for me with the story. I don’t like pranks and I don’t like high school drama. And that’s the only thing this book is about. I also found the characters to be very immature for their age, which made for some funny moments for sure, but mostly just frustrating because they are supposed to be grown adults. It was also a very fast burn. I kept checking the % of the story I was at because I could not believe in a story where they are supposed to hate each other we have spice so early on.
I also didn’t feel like this was a brand new story. It felt like a slightly reworked version of A Deal With A Bossy Devil and I liked that one so much more.
There were several parts of the story that the believability was just not there for me. I think this is why they say doctors don’t watch medical drama on tv, that’s how I felt reading this.
Several things did not work for me with the story. I don’t like pranks and I don’t like high school drama. And that’s the only thing this book is about. I also found the characters to be very immature for their age, which made for some funny moments for sure, but mostly just frustrating because they are supposed to be grown adults. It was also a very fast burn. I kept checking the % of the story I was at because I could not believe in a story where they are supposed to hate each other we have spice so early on.
I also didn’t feel like this was a brand new story. It felt like a slightly reworked version of A Deal With A Bossy Devil and I liked that one so much more.
There were several parts of the story that the believability was just not there for me. I think this is why they say doctors don’t watch medical drama on tv, that’s how I felt reading this.
December 3, 2025
5 stars, 10 stars, a gazillionnn stars
kyra parsi, you and your editor get an all expense paid trip to jamaica, you’re granted the knighthood from king charles himself, 5 countries named in your honor, and the keys to the city darling
this book was romance perfection. it had the perfect amount of fun, angst, humor, banter, tension and chemistry. that’s 3 for 3 in the series…and this one takes the cake.
if you’re looking for childhood frenemies to enemies to lovers with rivalry, games, yearning, groveling and just pure love and affection, alice and dom are IT.
[the adrien/ria/gampy cameos tickled my pickle and i need to be adopted into this family asap]
prediction for next book couple….amber and the mystery guy from the bar??
kyra parsi, you and your editor get an all expense paid trip to jamaica, you’re granted the knighthood from king charles himself, 5 countries named in your honor, and the keys to the city darling
this book was romance perfection. it had the perfect amount of fun, angst, humor, banter, tension and chemistry. that’s 3 for 3 in the series…and this one takes the cake.
if you’re looking for childhood frenemies to enemies to lovers with rivalry, games, yearning, groveling and just pure love and affection, alice and dom are IT.
[the adrien/ria/gampy cameos tickled my pickle and i need to be adopted into this family asap]
prediction for next book couple….amber and the mystery guy from the bar??
November 21, 2025
dominic crawford i will find a way to impregnate you
November 26, 2025
So when I first started reading this book I thought the characters were a little silly because of the crazy way that they were trying to get revenge on each other. As the book went on I started to realize more and more why the mmc especially was doing what he was doing for revenge and it turned into an emotional charged read later in the book. The fmc in the beginning has been unable to keep a job and had just lost a job, she sees her teenage years friend turned mogul and realizes that he has had something to do with her losing her job. When she realizes that he is out for the ultimate revenge they make a deal with each other where the fmc is the mmc’s maid just like the mmcs mom was. I liked the little flashbacks we got in the book because it showed how the main characters relationship was when they were teenagers and how they went from friends to enemies. Even though I thought some of the revenge pranks were childish I did like seeing how some of them brought the mmcs together to remember their friendshipand what they felt for each other. The romance was cute and sweet and had many touching and steamy moments . They dynamic between the main characters with the fmc being from the rich family and the mmc mom being the fmc maid when they were younger. Seeing what characters did to the mmcs mom them and seeing the mmc mom now diagnosed with dementia was emotional and sad and to me it excused some of the mmcs actions. I loved the family moments and how they came together for different moments. Overall the book was a good and fun one thanks to the publisher for this arc.
Read for:
* Enemies to lovers
* Rich fmc x Self made mmc
* Boss x maid
* Forced proximity
* Spicy games
* Revenge plot
Read for:
* Enemies to lovers
* Rich fmc x Self made mmc
* Boss x maid
* Forced proximity
* Spicy games
* Revenge plot
December 7, 2025
I was really anticipating this one even with the second chance trope being a hard sell for me. Even though I read it on a long plane ride in one sitting, I found the pacing really uneven and thought the relationship development was seriously lacking.
Dom and Alice were childhood frenemies but their rivalry later evolved into something deeper. His mom was her parents house maid and oh no! inter class conflict! Yes, put it in my veins! But that aspect was not really played up.I was expecting some major tension due to their huge class difference but it was barely touched upon. Then something happens to split them apart when they are teens and before they declare their feelings for each other. The reason for the split and the second chance was wobbly at best. The author did her best to explain it away and I can usually suspend disbelief and chalk it up to Romance Reasons but I had a hard time with the 8 year separation due to what was clearly a botched set up and no one ever questioning any of it.
I also hated the first half and the juvenile pranks they kept playing on each other, it was dumb to put poison ivy on someone's clothes and also trash the kitchen to make her clean it up 🙄 The book got going when they finally started acting like adults but then everything was revolved super fast and the little romantic tension there was between them completely disappeared. The last third is just them having some marathon sex which was hot but I really wished for their romance to be better developed , they went from enemies to I love yous in a blink. There was very little substance to their romance and to the book overall. Dominic was a billionaire in his twenties but like he never went to work? Alice is super rich but there was not any kind of acknowledgement of their status or their privilege, it was really lacking in any sense of setting and so the book has this generic feeling like it could have taken place anywhere which makes it really forgettable. I really loved Deal with the Bossy Devil and Failure to Match but this one was just mostly meh for me.
⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥🔥/5
Tropes:
Second Chance-
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Rivals to Lovers
Billionaire
Dom and Alice were childhood frenemies but their rivalry later evolved into something deeper. His mom was her parents house maid and oh no! inter class conflict! Yes, put it in my veins! But that aspect was not really played up.I was expecting some major tension due to their huge class difference but it was barely touched upon. Then something happens to split them apart when they are teens and before they declare their feelings for each other. The reason for the split and the second chance was wobbly at best. The author did her best to explain it away and I can usually suspend disbelief and chalk it up to Romance Reasons but I had a hard time with the 8 year separation due to what was clearly a botched set up and no one ever questioning any of it.
I also hated the first half and the juvenile pranks they kept playing on each other, it was dumb to put poison ivy on someone's clothes and also trash the kitchen to make her clean it up 🙄 The book got going when they finally started acting like adults but then everything was revolved super fast and the little romantic tension there was between them completely disappeared. The last third is just them having some marathon sex which was hot but I really wished for their romance to be better developed , they went from enemies to I love yous in a blink. There was very little substance to their romance and to the book overall. Dominic was a billionaire in his twenties but like he never went to work? Alice is super rich but there was not any kind of acknowledgement of their status or their privilege, it was really lacking in any sense of setting and so the book has this generic feeling like it could have taken place anywhere which makes it really forgettable. I really loved Deal with the Bossy Devil and Failure to Match but this one was just mostly meh for me.
⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥🔥/5
Tropes:
Second Chance-
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Rivals to Lovers
Billionaire
January 13, 2026
can't risk my digital footprint but just know i'm feral for this man
November 23, 2025
I'll say it once, and I'll say it again and again. You know you're reading a top tier book when you literally can't stop reading until that final page. Hate Me Like You Mean It did just that for me! I lost sleep -- gladly so!-- as I consumed this in a single night. I was too busy kicking my feet and giggling over this one to dare set it down.
I have read all the Bad Billionaire Bosses, they are all so well loved, but Hate Me honestly clears the ranking list. It sits so brilliantly at the top. I just want to have this book in my hands so I can give it a proper hug. I love it so much, have I mentioned how I love itttt?! Bah!
Ok, so let's set the stage! This a childhood frenemies to almost childhood sweethearts (enter miscommunication to last years!) to adult enemies to lovers! Whew! Alice and Dom pretty much grew up together as Dom's mother worked as housekeeper to Alice's family. Who took in the single mother and son as family. Until a certain incident had Dom and his mother moving away, with the former blaming Alice entirely on what happened with his mother's dismissal. Present day sees now wealthy Dom sabotaging every job Alice takes until a deal is struck and she agrees to work as his housekeeper for 30 days. If she survives, he un-blacklists her family; if she doesn't, she confesses to the ruin of his mother's one-time job. Regardless of it being true...or not.
Dom and Alice have sharp, biting dialogue and I thrived on it. They constantly one upped the other in their sabotage to the point it becomes less hateful and more playful. They went tit-for-tat and I just loved how Alice in particular didn't fold easily. She was no doormat protagonist, she not only held her own, she at times controlled the board. I bowed down to her fiery nature! As I bowed to the dynamic between Alice and Dom. Their bond is one tightly wound with a shared history, with forlornly broken almosts, and a present day of animosity whose sharpness softens soon enough, parting way to the irrefutable truth: they're still mad for each other. Even after all the years passed and the perceived truths believed. Even with that standing in their way, they still have this iron clad pull to one another. Jabs turns to dares turns to games all of their own. Until sparks ignite, fireworks dance, and truths are finally, oh so finally, revealed. Once the truth sets, one of my favorite portions of the book begins. An apology tour gets started and there's some angst but then it just so perfectly transitions into this state of levity that had me laughing until my sides hurt (and a fanfic ship was born hehe!). This book, along with this love story, pulled my heartstrings, had me laughing, had tears emerge, and brought me a sense of total and complete contentment. I left happy. It's just so incredibly nice to read a book and be locked in every step of the way. I genuinely invested in both story and romance. I felt connected to the characters. Laughed at antics of certain characters (looking at you, Gramps!), and just relished getting to part of the wild ride.
There is a heavy serving of miscommunication weaved throughout much of the narrative, but I find it works quite brilliantly here. It's necessary, in fact. I really wanted to pat myself on the back because I totally called the source of discord prior to its reveal. It's so well set up! And a bit of a related tangent: I was so satisfied with how the source of discord was dealt with. I expected the book to end with the most affected protagonist extending their forgiveness to what this source did to them years back, but instead, the toxicity was firmly cut out of their life. Exactly how it should be! Protect your peace, don't turn the other cheek for no reason. I am so proud of this protagonist protecting their peace in this way. Another reason to love this one!
And truly, I have so many reasons to love this book! This review only scratches the surface of some of those loves. Be sure to pick up your copy for you to find them all! You shan't regret it!
Thank you, thank you so much to Kyra Parsi andVictory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this complimentary eARC, I leave this honest review voluntarily.
I have read all the Bad Billionaire Bosses, they are all so well loved, but Hate Me honestly clears the ranking list. It sits so brilliantly at the top. I just want to have this book in my hands so I can give it a proper hug. I love it so much, have I mentioned how I love itttt?! Bah!
Ok, so let's set the stage! This a childhood frenemies to almost childhood sweethearts (enter miscommunication to last years!) to adult enemies to lovers! Whew! Alice and Dom pretty much grew up together as Dom's mother worked as housekeeper to Alice's family. Who took in the single mother and son as family. Until a certain incident had Dom and his mother moving away, with the former blaming Alice entirely on what happened with his mother's dismissal. Present day sees now wealthy Dom sabotaging every job Alice takes until a deal is struck and she agrees to work as his housekeeper for 30 days. If she survives, he un-blacklists her family; if she doesn't, she confesses to the ruin of his mother's one-time job. Regardless of it being true...or not.
Dom and Alice have sharp, biting dialogue and I thrived on it. They constantly one upped the other in their sabotage to the point it becomes less hateful and more playful. They went tit-for-tat and I just loved how Alice in particular didn't fold easily. She was no doormat protagonist, she not only held her own, she at times controlled the board. I bowed down to her fiery nature! As I bowed to the dynamic between Alice and Dom. Their bond is one tightly wound with a shared history, with forlornly broken almosts, and a present day of animosity whose sharpness softens soon enough, parting way to the irrefutable truth: they're still mad for each other. Even after all the years passed and the perceived truths believed. Even with that standing in their way, they still have this iron clad pull to one another. Jabs turns to dares turns to games all of their own. Until sparks ignite, fireworks dance, and truths are finally, oh so finally, revealed. Once the truth sets, one of my favorite portions of the book begins. An apology tour gets started and there's some angst but then it just so perfectly transitions into this state of levity that had me laughing until my sides hurt (and a fanfic ship was born hehe!). This book, along with this love story, pulled my heartstrings, had me laughing, had tears emerge, and brought me a sense of total and complete contentment. I left happy. It's just so incredibly nice to read a book and be locked in every step of the way. I genuinely invested in both story and romance. I felt connected to the characters. Laughed at antics of certain characters (looking at you, Gramps!), and just relished getting to part of the wild ride.
There is a heavy serving of miscommunication weaved throughout much of the narrative, but I find it works quite brilliantly here. It's necessary, in fact. I really wanted to pat myself on the back because I totally called the source of discord prior to its reveal. It's so well set up! And a bit of a related tangent: I was so satisfied with how the source of discord was dealt with. I expected the book to end with the most affected protagonist extending their forgiveness to what this source did to them years back, but instead, the toxicity was firmly cut out of their life. Exactly how it should be! Protect your peace, don't turn the other cheek for no reason. I am so proud of this protagonist protecting their peace in this way. Another reason to love this one!
And truly, I have so many reasons to love this book! This review only scratches the surface of some of those loves. Be sure to pick up your copy for you to find them all! You shan't regret it!
Thank you, thank you so much to Kyra Parsi andVictory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this complimentary eARC, I leave this honest review voluntarily.
Read
November 24, 20255/5 ⭐️
Thank you Kyra Parsi and Book Funnel for the ARC of Hate Me Like You Mean It
“I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know when, but I was going to make that man weep on his knees like a little boy.”
Um, okay, WOW?! What can I even say? It was perfect. I finished it in less than 24 hours. Stayed up until 2am reading. On a work night. On my phone. After my kindle died. Burning my retinas.
This book has everything I wanted. It was emotional. I laughed. I cried. I audibly GASPED. I kicked my feet. I had to put it down because his dirty talk was making me blush.
What I loved:
Everything. Truly. I am such a sucker for dual timelines and two stories being told simultaneously. I think it’s something that is so impactful when done right, but very difficult to do. Kyra absolutely nailed it. I was invested in both the present and past equally. She gave us the perfect amount of breadcrumbs to want more, but not enough that the entire plot was obvious and predictable.
The banter is always top tier. The pranks were hilarious. I felt like I was punched in the gut on multiple occasions from the hurt they caused each other (and me).
Rankings:
1. A Deal with the Bossy Devil
2. Hate Me Like You Mean It
3. Failure to Match
(So hard to rank, because they are all 5⭐️ and I love each so much. But I think Adrien’s cameos in this book made me remember how much I loved him, so he’s gotta keep that top spot. But it’s honestly SO CLOSE).
Edit: the more I think about it, Hate Me Like You Mean It has taken the number 1 spot 🙈 Adrien is still my fav MMC, but I am such a sucker for dual timelines and pining years in the making.
♠️ Childhood frenemy to enemies to lovers
♥️ Dual timelines
♣️ Billionaire romance
♦️ Mutual pining
Thank you Kyra Parsi and Book Funnel for the ARC of Hate Me Like You Mean It
“I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know when, but I was going to make that man weep on his knees like a little boy.”
Um, okay, WOW?! What can I even say? It was perfect. I finished it in less than 24 hours. Stayed up until 2am reading. On a work night. On my phone. After my kindle died. Burning my retinas.
This book has everything I wanted. It was emotional. I laughed. I cried. I audibly GASPED. I kicked my feet. I had to put it down because his dirty talk was making me blush.
What I loved:
Everything. Truly. I am such a sucker for dual timelines and two stories being told simultaneously. I think it’s something that is so impactful when done right, but very difficult to do. Kyra absolutely nailed it. I was invested in both the present and past equally. She gave us the perfect amount of breadcrumbs to want more, but not enough that the entire plot was obvious and predictable.
The banter is always top tier. The pranks were hilarious. I felt like I was punched in the gut on multiple occasions from the hurt they caused each other (and me).
Rankings:
1. A Deal with the Bossy Devil
2. Hate Me Like You Mean It
3. Failure to Match
(So hard to rank, because they are all 5⭐️ and I love each so much. But I think Adrien’s cameos in this book made me remember how much I loved him, so he’s gotta keep that top spot. But it’s honestly SO CLOSE).
Edit: the more I think about it, Hate Me Like You Mean It has taken the number 1 spot 🙈 Adrien is still my fav MMC, but I am such a sucker for dual timelines and pining years in the making.
♠️ Childhood frenemy to enemies to lovers
♥️ Dual timelines
♣️ Billionaire romance
♦️ Mutual pining
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