Hate You to Love You: The limited sprayed edges edition

by Joshua Hortinela

A heartwarming queer romance debut about two exes forced to work together on a whirlwind book tour, from a beloved bookseller and influencer – for fans of Cara Bastone, B.K. Borison and Alexis Hall.

Carlos Reyes is having a quarter life crisis. Once a hopeless romantic who believed in the power of the romantic comedy, Carlos is struggling to find anything about his life romantic or comedic. Maybe it’s because he lost his dad recently. Or because the love of his life broke his heart.

But then he gets the professional opportunity of a follow blockbuster author and recent recluse Claudia Leighton on her upcoming book tour and write the tell-all piece her fans have been dying for. Carlos wants to jump at the opportunity, but there’s a problem – Claudia’s publicist, Elliot Simpson. He’s arrogant, insufferable and the man who broke his heart. And if he takes this job, Carlos will be stuck with him for weeks.

Spanning Sydney, Dublin, Edinburgh and London, Hate You to Love You is a moving love story about nostalgia and yearning for what once was, and what it means to lose yourself in order to find yourself.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, M M Romance, Queer, Fiction, LGBT

352 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 11, 2027

Reviews

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread)]

I loved this book so much 🩷

Are you confused yet? Yep I read a romance book and I loved it. It could only be the one and only Josh Hortinela who could have me reading a queer second chance romance book with tears rolling down my cheeks.

This book is everything that I know about Josh all rolled into a book. Pop music, coffee and coffee shops, bars and cocktails, books and bookstores and of course 90s and 2000s rom com movies. It is all there and it was so wonderful. His love of Sydney shows through as well, and I loved that my beloved Sydney Swans even got a mention.

Carlos and Elliot’s relationship was messy and complicated and it broke my heart. A writer and a book publicist, travelling to the UK on the road with a famous author who has had her own share of tragedy and loss.

This is a story of love and loss, family and friends, grief, growing up and finding out who you really are. If you read this book without getting teary then you must be made of ice. It is such an emotional roller coaster and will tear you apart.

Now I need to go watch Notting Hill and You’ve Got Mail again.

It so exciting to see Josh’s debut novel out in the world and him getting the recognition he deserves. The finished paperback is stunning with its gorgeous colours and sprayed edges. Josh does so much for the book community and Australian authors, it is time to show him the love.

I listened to this on Libro.fm thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia. Josh, you nailed the narrator, he was perfect.

[Maddy]

Such a well written, cosy romance! My heart feels so warm reading Carlos and Elliot’s story. Full thoughts to come once published, but you need to pre-order this now!

[Bert]

As a book lover obsessed with movies and a movie lover obsessed with books, this novel absolutely fed my soul.

I’ve been anticipating Josh’s novel for a long time, and it delivered exactly what I wanted. It’s the perfect combo of fun and breezy while still having just the right amount of depth and seriousness. Truly the BEEEEEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

I think what I loved most wasn’t even all the movie talk (though I did love that), but the Sydney references. There’s something so fun about recognising places you know, it adds an extra layer of enjoyment as a reader.

[Maggie]

An absolute love letter to rom-com movies and books. I am so incredibly proud of Josh in getting this out and f-ing around with my poor heart. LOVE!!!

Thank you so much to Josh and Atria/Simon for this beautiful ARC.

[Lex]

Lovers of rom coms LOCK IN I have the BOOK for YOU

Such a lovely reflection on the importance yet also the difficulty of nostalgia, and wanting to hold onto things in life that inevitably will change! Friendships in particular are touched on so well

As a publicist some of this was too real lol I love it

The love story was gorgeous!!! Carlos and Elliot!! I am not a fan of second chance romance so trust me when I say this ate

And it’s also such a love letter to Sydney as well, I loved all the references to bookstores/bars I know and love!!!

So anyway everyone read this because obviously!

[Madeleine]

I think this pisses me off more than that fuckass ghost book - not because it’s worse - but because I actually think we deserve much more from queer and romantic media than this. I am sick to death of the romance novels about romance that ostensibly don’t really understand what makes the genre interesting. I am also tired with what I call phoned in queer media. We don’t need to try to copy what straight people have done, or reference the love stories of cishet people to legitimise our own. We can and should be writing our own stories that stand on their own. I am not longer interested in the queer romance that envisions itself amongst only cishet contemporaries and begs/pleads to be let in.

Fucking hell for a book with this many insufferable references the queer media listed was surface level, Jesus the CISHET media was surface level. I wonder how in the world a book that is supposed to be metatextual can achieve that when their frame of reference is so narrow? Listing better media won’t make your book good.

Also the writing was juvenile, the main character was insufferable, and I hate when I can see an author setting out to “do the next beach read”. God. This annoys more than any romance bookclub book this year.

[Mandi Shaw]

Maybe its too soon after the nightmare of Tropesick, maybe its just boring, maybe its just not for me 🤷‍♀️

[Elizabeth R]

Would have taken two days but I wanted to savour every chapter of this incredible book. It was the ultimate lover letter to Rom Coms and to all who believe in the power of love! It brought back the most beautiful feeling of nostalgia and being wrapped in a warm blanket, while feeling fun and uniquely inspired as well.

[Candi]

happy tears by the end, this was beautifully written and a great debut 🥹

[Sheridan]

i think i hit bingo seven times with every single piece of romcom media mentioned ☹️

[quiet.thrills]

RIP me: death by forehead kisses 🫶🏼

If you love romcoms and romance movies in general, this is absolutely the book for you. It felt like I was watching a sweet, cozy romance movie unfold on the page, with a few heart wrenching moments filled with tears 🥹

I really loved the way the story explored nostalgia and how difficult it can be to let go, especially as you grow up and realise that friendships, relationships and life in general don’t always stay the way they once were. It was really well-written, and touched on real-life stuff without losing that cozy, romantic feeling.

Carlos and Elliot’s journey was so sweet to read. I loved that despite the parallels to romance movies, their romance never felt over the top or unrealistic. And with all the romance film and TV references woven throughout, it was basically made for anyone who loves a good 90s/2000s romcom.

I dual read this book via eARC and ALC. 🎧 Tomas Parrish did such a great job narrating the audiobook, even if it did take me a second to get used to hearing the Australian accent in my ears 😂

A truly amazing debut novel. Thank you to Simon & Schuster AU, Josh Hortinela & NetGalley for the eARC, and Libro.fm for the ALC 🩷🩷

[Kymberlie]

𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌
4.5 ⭐️

This was honestly such a beautiful and heartfelt debut novel. It explored grief, anxiety, nostalgia, and character growth which was written so well, and made me emotional many times 🥹 This book truly is a love story for hopeless romantics, and lovers of 90s and 00s rom-coms 💕 The movie references were top tier and tied in perfectly. It had me creating a list in my notes app of movies to watch and re-watch 📺 I also enjoyed the references to Sydney as I used to live there!

Carlos is a journalist and a hopeless romantic having a quarterlife crisis. He is struggling with the grief of his dad and a broken heart 💔 An opportunity presents himself to interview a blockbuster author, Claudia Leighton, on her upcoming book tour. Unfortunately, Claudia’s publicist is the man who broke his heart, and that means he will be stuck with him for a while 👀

Carlos and Elliot’s journey was a mix of messy and sweet. I loved that this book had a dual timeline to learn more about both characters and their relationship development. This second chance romance was so adorable and I adore both characters deeply 🥺

This book conveyed so well that moving forward in life and embracing change, doesn’t mean you are forgetting your past. I also adored the mention of finding magic in everyday experiences, it is a lovely reminder ✨

As a book lover that is also obsessed with rom-coms, I loved this 🥰 And if you are like me? Well you know what to do, add this to your tbr! 👏🏻

𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒…

🏳️‍🌈 Queer romance
🔒 Forced proximity
❤️‍🩹 Second chance romance
✍🏻 Workplace romance
📺 Movie references

[Laura]

This was so stinking cute. Truly queer rom com in book form 🥰

Read for Mondays Book Club - September 2026

[Kai]

A gorgeous story of love, second chances, finding the joy in life and the art of romcoms

[Tabetha (tabsbooknook)]

ARC Review: Hate You To Love You by @joshhortinelawriter published by @atriabooksaus @simonschusterau and supplied by @netgalley
Release date: 1 September 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Damn you Josh for making me cry! In saying that this was a beautifully written queer romance that had my millennial heart in the palm of its hands with all the 90s and 00s romcom references and Easter eggs.
This is a dual timeline story told from the POV of our MMC Carlos who is struggling to reignite his love of writing after losing his father as well as the love of his life Elliot dumping him 3 years ago. When Carlos is given the chance to interview a famous author on her comeback tour, Carlos is thrown back into the orbit of Elliot, the author’s publicist.
This book handled complex themes of grief and anxiety so well, while also showing that moving forward with your life does not mean you are forgetting your past.
Congrats to Josh on a fabulous debut, I’ll be sending you my therapy bill.

[Jarrod P]

On the surface, this book is a cute tribute to the early 2000s rom-coms. It’s funny, it’s lighthearted while still having the conflict that drives the story along.

But, for me, I didn’t connect. At least not with the main characters; Carlos and Elliot. I couldn’t find a way to like them, even though I can see how they fit into the rom-comm tropes and how for other readers they are loveable and worth cheering for - it didn’t land for me and I love a good rom-com moment!

The main thing that kept me reading this book was Claudia. She is there to move the story along, to bring Carlos and Elliot back together, but I found myself wanting to spend more time with her, to get deeper into her story. My favourite part of this book was her speech in Edinburgh, and I wish it was longer 😅

I get that it sounds like I hated this, I didn’t, I just think I expected to enjoy it more than I did. Maybe it wasn’t the time for me to read it, or maybe I’m not the intended audience. But I am glad I read it through and didn’t abandon it part way through.

[Hu]

This was the main feature book for The Bookish Bandits Bookclub for September, and I was very excited for it. I enjoyed my time with this book, which sees Carlos and Elliot's lives becoming intertwined in this contemporary queer romance set against the familiar backdrop of Sydney. But while I enjoyed the premise and found plenty to appreciate throughout the story, I ultimately found myself wishing I could have loved this book more.

One of my biggest surprises was that I became far more invested in Claudia's storyline than I was in the central romance between Carlos and Elliot. There was something particularly compelling and emotionally impactful about her story, especially as more was revealed about her absence from the public eye.

I also appreciated the diverse representation throughout the book, including its queer and Filipino characters. As someone from Sydney, I particularly enjoyed recognising so many of the locations mentioned and seeing familiar places woven into the story.

The writing and overall structure worked well for me, but I struggled to connect with the characters on a deeper level. The numerous rom-com film and book references were also largely lost on me, which may have affected my overall reading experience.

I really wanted to believe more in Carlos and Elliot's love story. They seemed like a good match, but I didn't always feel emotionally invested in their journey. Elliot's priorities and the way his decisions affected Carlos left me feeling frustrated, while Carlos himself often came across as immature and overly whiny. At times, I found myself wondering why it took so many people in his life to help him recognise some of life's more difficult realities.

Ironically, the characters I admired most were Carlos's parents.

Despite my criticisms, I still enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged enough that I wanted to continue reading, see where the story would go and even talk about it afterwards, which certainly counts for something. This was a story with a genuinely interesting premise and several strong elements, but unfortunately, I found myself more invested in some parts of the story than its central romance.

And, as many other readers have said, this really is a love letter to rom-coms, both literary and on screen. I would definitely recommend this one to readers who truly adore the rom-com genre and will appreciate all the references woven throughout the story.

[melodie | readingwithmelodie]

so freaking beautiful & an INSANE debut!!

reminds me of a mix of better than the movies x alex, approximately x great big beautiful life x evelyn hugo which are ALL of my faves

i loveddd the dual timeline & the fact it was set in australia & london!! (truly all the mentions of local spots is so whoaaaa like i’m like AAA IVE BEEN TO THESE PLACESSSS) and also publishing in london is such a dream lowkey

tysm s&s for the arc!

[Em]

JOSH! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! 🥹 I’ve known Josh since 2016, when we both started working as booksellers at Dymocks Sydney. We also did a creative writing class together at uni, and I used to proofread his submissions to writing competitions. To have now read his actual published DEBUT makes me so emotional! It’s amazing when your friends accomplish their dreams!!!

Hate You To Love You is without a doubt a love letter to rom-coms. I’m not usually a rom-com fan, but even I was swept away by Josh’s ability to highlight the true meaning of rom-coms - they aren’t just mindless fluff, they are an important lesson in vulnerability. Something we all need to learn!

This book made me realise I love second-chance romances, because it feels so much more realistic and rewarding to have people work through their unresolved traumas and communicate (no matter how messy) in order to be together, and Josh perfectly balances the harsh realities of relationships with swoon-worthy rom-com tropes. Memories, nostalgia and the redefining the past is a huge theme in this book, and I love that this is explored not only through the romance, but through friendships, family, career milestones and grief. Carlos’ relationship with his dad was the star of the show for me! There is a beautiful message of not running away when life gets hard, and finding the courage to risk vulnerability. As hopeful as the ending is, it’s definitely a tear-jerker, so make sure you have your tissues ready!

Everything Carlos goes through feels so quintessentially 20s and so deeply relatable. I felt like the past 10 years of my life was summed up in this book, and it’s nice to know we were all going through the same thing!

If you love rom-coms, character-driven stories, nostalgic comfort reads - or if you’re in that weird time where friendships are changing and everyone seems to be at different life stages - you HAVE to read this book when it comes out soon on 1 September!!! 🖤

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a NetGalley copy for review.

[Bec George]

What a brilliant debut from Joshua Hortinela! Hate You To Love You is pitched as a love letter to the romcoms we all love from the late 90s and early 2000s, and it is exactly that and so much more! As an avid romcom lover, I really enjoyed all the references to my fav movies sprinkled throughout the story. But my favourite thing about this book was all the Sydney love! So many places mentioned in the book are places I have been, and getting to experience them on page felt so nostalgic and cozy. The setting felt like home, and Hortinela's writing has such a comforting quality to it. Like getting home after a long shift at work and discovering that someone's left the light on for you.

Now lets talk about the characters. Carlos, how I love you! It was so refreshing to read a soft MMC, and Carlos is just the sweetest little baby angel. I feel so maternal about him. I loved that he was a hopeless romantic and he didn't let anything change that about him. I loved the exploration of grief, especially that anticipatory grief as you and your friends get older and everything feels like it's changing and it's scary. I think everyone moving through their mid to late twenties can relate to this, and Hortinela captured it beautifully. Every character is well fleshed-out and feels real. The settings in the book feel lived-in, like these characters and places are part of my own life.

Elliot was a beautifully complex character, and contrasted well with Carlos. Loved their growth together and the constant back-and-forth. Every crumb from the past storyline kept me invested and I wanted to scream into my book at some points for them to just talk to each other already!!

The story! I loved the main plot with Carlos and Elliot being stuck on the book tour together. Also loved Claudia's character and the intrigue surrounding her that brought the drama! It gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes in a way. I would read a whole other book just about her.

In summary, a fantastic debut absolutely worth your time! Nostalgic, hopeful and deeply romantic, Hate You To Love You is one of my stand-out reads of the year. I can't wait to see what this author does next!

[Bec]

One of my most anticipated reads of 2026 has officially arrived, and it’s even more special because it’s the debut novel from the incredibly lovely Joshua Hortinela. Watching someone who has given so much to the book community finally hold their own book is something really special.

If you’re anything like me and grew up obsessed with 90s and early 2000s rom coms, this one is calling your name. A second chance queer romance, a whirlwind book tour, plenty of yearning, and all the nostalgia wrapped up in one beautiful package. It had me smiling, swooning and reminiscing.

“‘So, what are you going to do? Stay home and read books for the rest of your life?’ ‘Well, unlike men, books have never failed me,’ I muttered.”

Carlos Reyes is having a quarter life crisis. Once a hopeless romantic who believed life could be as magical as the rom coms he loved, he’s now struggling to find anything romantic or comedic about it. Still grieving the loss of his dad, dealing with mounting pressure at work and nursing a broken heart, Carlos’s life feels like one big mess.

Then comes the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to follow blockbuster author and notorious recluse Claudia Leighton on her upcoming book tour and write the tell all piece her fans have been waiting for.

There’s just one problem. Claudia’s publicist is Elliot Simpson, the arrogant, insufferable man who broke Carlos’s heart. Taking the job means spending weeks travelling the world with the one person he’d rather forget.

From Sydney to Dublin, Edinburgh and London, Hate You to Love You is a story about love, loss, second chances and finding your way back to yourself.

[Adriana]

What an incredible debut novel! When i heard there this was a queer rom-com, I was sold.

The story follows Carlos and Elliott who are exes that forced to work together on an international book tour. They didn't end on good terms so as you can imagine, it's a raw and chaotic time.

The nostalgia this book brought with it's early 00's rom-com references was so good! Tbf it made me realise I really haven't seen that many myself 🫣 but I did love how those movies can remind us to romanticise the little things. Also loved the shoutout to video stores - as an ex-Civic Video employee, I felt seen and appreciated for my past contributions to society 🙂‍↕️

One of my favourite characters was Carlos' dad. He is the type of person we should all strive to be. Loving openly and being passionate about what brings us joy. Taking those small moments of magic and truly appreciating them.

Another element of this book I loved was the mystery around Claudia and how her story slowly unfolded. I didn't anticipate to be kept guessing in a rom-com but it was a pleasant surprise.

This book was a joy to read and pulled on the heart strings (I cried twice 🥲). Recognising Sydney names and places was a lot of fun and watching Carlos and Elliott find their way back to each other had my heart melting.

Now for me to go off for some post-read homework, which is to watch Notting Hill for the first time (i need to see this iconic blue door!!).

[Read.Recap.Repeat]

What happens when your dream career opportunity puts you face to face with the ex you never expected to see again? 👀💔

Carlos finally lands his dream assignment: writing an exclusive feature on celebrated author Claudia Leighton during her upcoming book tour. It should be the perfect opportunity to make his mark… until he discovers that Claudia’s publicist is none other than his ex, Elliot.

Being thrown back together brings plenty of unresolved feelings, awkward moments and bickering. As Carlos travels with Claudia and gets to know more about her story, he also finds himself reflecting on his own past, family and relationships.

I enjoyed the way the story moves between the past and present, gradually giving us more insight into Carlos and Elliot’s relationship while exploring themes of love, grief, family and finding your way forward. ❤️

The bookish setting and Claudia’s author storyline were also a fun addition, and I loved seeing Carlos navigate both his career and his complicated feelings along the way.

Overall, this was a sweet, emotional romance and a lovely debut from Australian author Joshua Hortinela! 🇦🇺📚

Tropes You’ll Love 🥰
💔 Second chance romance
🔥 Exes to lovers
📚 Bookish setting
✈️ Author book tour
🫶 Forced proximity
⏳ Past & present timelines
🏳️‍🌈 MM Romance
❤️‍🩹 Healing & emotional growth
👨‍👩‍👦 Family dynamics
💭 Unresolved feelings

[Ray Ow]

This is such a great debut book! There were tears, there was laughter, there was everything in between. This book is a great throwback and tribute to all those beautiful 2000 romcoms that we all love.

There’s something special about reading a book that takes you through places you know personally. Moving between Sydney and some parts of Europe, I kept having those little moments of recognition that made everything feel closer. These were places I could actually picture myself in (largely because I’ve literally been there), and that familiarity added another layer to an already emotional read.

But Carlos. Please. There were moments when I wanted to reach into the book, grab him by the shoulders and give him a gentle shake. A little emotional maturity would have been lovely, thanks. He annoyed me at times, but I was still invested in him and Elliot, which probably explains why I had so many opinions about his behaviour.

What really won me over was how much this book made me feel. I cared enough to get frustrated, to want things for these characters, and to keep thinking about the choices they made. Add in the personal connection to its settings, and this became a five-star read for me.

[readwithdanica]

5 stars!!

Such a great debut book! I literally finished it in one sitting!!!

This book was like a really big warm hug. I loved the 2000s romcom vibes and references from the time… the nostalgia was running highhh!!

Being from Sydney, I also really enjoyed the references of different spots in the city, I was constantly saying to myself “oh i know that place!”

I loved the fleshing out the friendships around Carlos, especially the flashbacks of the old terrace.

The yearning for what used to be really hit in this story. Imagine having to work with your ex like oh my god and feeling like you never truly got closure, I could feel it all.
I cried several times!!!!
There are some deep themes in the book - the yearning, grief of different types of relationships not just romantic but friendships and death of a parent and also healing.

Apart from the romance, my next favourite part about the story was the Filipino representation. I absolutely loved seeing part of my culture in a book like the food and language, I’ve never been so happy to see it in a book before

Anyway I can keep rambling on about this book but I think you just need to read it for yourself

Thankyou to Libro.FM for the ALC and Atria for the ARC.

[readswith.erin]

𝑯𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑻𝒐 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖 💗🎬✨📖

What a debut! 🙌🏼
This was like a warm hug 😭😩💗💜

~𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨~

This book was absolutely beautiful and gave me all the nostalgic vibes that comes with romcoms. The way Joshua intertwined past and present timelines was both incredibly sad and perfect at the same time.

Carlos Reyes is such a romantic and my heart broke for him when Elliot left him. He’s just a sad boy trying to continue life without him while his friends are also moving on with their own lives.

Carlos finds himself with a job opportunity of a lifetime, helping an author come back into the public eye after a long hiatus. But who is the author’s publicist?! That’s right, It’s Elliot Simpson. Can Carlos forget the time where Elliot was his everything so they can work professionally together? I’ll leave that open for you when you read it 🥹🤭

This book is for lovers of:
💗 Angsty and Sad Boys
💜 Dual Timeline
💗 Second Chances
💜 Forced Proximity
💗 Closed Door / No Spice

A huge thank you to @atriabooksaus and @simonschusterau for the ARC (it’s STUNNING!) and @librofm for the ALC 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[z ⋆˙⟡♡]

4🌟

i am so happy i listened to this book! any filipino representation in books always fills my heart with so much joy.

while others might find it cheesy, i loved this book and all of its pop culture references. i found myself resonating a lot with carlos.

it is truly such a cozy, heartwarming coming-of-age and romance story that many will adore.

thank you libro fm for the alc! all thoughts are my own.

[Emilie (emiliesbookshelf)]

One of my most anticipated releases for the year, this nostalgic debut delivers ten fold 🤩

A second chance romance, where we meet wonderful Carlos a hopeless romantic who wears his heart on his sleeve and has scored the job opportunity of a lifetime to interview best selling international but also very recluse author Claudia Leighton. This is the break he has been looking for, but the excitement comes crushing down when he learns Claudia’s publicist is none other than Elliot Simpson.. the one and only Elliot who broke his heart.

Taking the job would mean not only having to see Elliot but being stuck working with him overseas for weeks.

I absolutely devoured this wonderful book! The nostalgia mixed with the humour and heart had me cheering for Carlos from the get-go.

His relationship with Elliot is messy and real and the story line weaves between past and present, giving us a true glimpse into their past and their glorious meet-cute

I loved the movie, music and book references throughout and the Sydney backdrop lit up from the page. I can tell Josh has poured everything into this beautiful book

Thank you so much Atriabooksaus Simon and schuster for my gifted copy

[kaitlyns_library]

This is THE RomComs read of 2026. You can tell that Hortinela put his love and passion of early 2000s RomComs into this one and I loved all the movie, song and book references of my childhood and teenage years. I could not put this down and could literally imagine every scene as it happened. This has made me want to rewatch so many RomComs and start new ones too!

[Annie]

This debut novel is a real credit to the author. The story is well grounded with a solid plot. I listened to this audiobook using my Spotify subscription and the narrator did an excellent job.
I really liked the strong connections between the friendship group. The themes include grief, loss, love, publishing industry, book tour events, writing, and joy! This is a heartwarming queer romance suitable for all readers.