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The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate
A teen girl starting at a new school is torn between long-held loyalties and a bright new love in this irresistible new YA contemporary romance from the author of A Little Something Different.
Paisley is really looking forward to college. She is ready to take charge of her destiny and embrace some new experiences! Finding a hot guy to make out with at her first ever college party seems like a great start...until her best friend informs her that mystery guy is actually Carter Schmitt, Paisley's sworn enemy who basically ruined their lives in middle school.
So much for new people and exciting new experiences. Oh well. Paisley will just pretend he doesn't exist. Of course that would be easier if Carter, AKA her super-hot-sworn-enemy, hadn't ended up in three of her classes AND the same work study. Is it too late to rethink this college thing?
Sandy Hall, author of A Little Something Different and A Prom to Remember, is heading back to college in this sweet and quirky contemporary romance.
Paisley is really looking forward to college. She is ready to take charge of her destiny and embrace some new experiences! Finding a hot guy to make out with at her first ever college party seems like a great start...until her best friend informs her that mystery guy is actually Carter Schmitt, Paisley's sworn enemy who basically ruined their lives in middle school.
So much for new people and exciting new experiences. Oh well. Paisley will just pretend he doesn't exist. Of course that would be easier if Carter, AKA her super-hot-sworn-enemy, hadn't ended up in three of her classes AND the same work study. Is it too late to rethink this college thing?
Sandy Hall, author of A Little Something Different and A Prom to Remember, is heading back to college in this sweet and quirky contemporary romance.
311 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2019
19 people are currently reading
3427 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
April 11, 2020
Well, turns out my feelings on this book were much closer to the “hate” end of the spectrum. In fact they were so far to that side they almost fell off it entirely.
Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance trope and to see it DISRESPECTED like this makes my very blood boil!!!
This book follows Paige and Carter, who meet each other at a party during college freshman orientation, except actually they’re not meeting each other because they went to middle school together. During which Carter bullied the bejesus out of Paige’s middle school best friend Henry because Henry...had the nerve to ask if Carter was okay when he was crying?
(If you do not think this backstory makes sense, too bad! The entire plot hinges on your ability to sympathize with that explanation.)
Paige then launches into a revenge campaign against Carter.
In other words, Paige, at 18, thought it was okay to ruin Carter’s life as penance for something he did when he was 12.
Then Carter begins seeking revenge for Paige seeking revenge, and these two hooligans are locked into the world’s most horrible and cruel prank war.
These two bozos scream at each other, verbally abuse each other, try to ruin each other’s jobs, grades, and livelihoods, destroy one another’s friendships. Paige tortures Carter even after knowing that his mom has cancer.
Just...nothing in this makes sense and everything is terrible.
Honestly I felt like this could’ve been okay - at points I thought it was kinda funny and even approaching charming - but then it turned into a garbage fire.
Bottom line: A true yikes.
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if any author needs a lesson in how to write unlikable characters, i highly recommend reading this book.
it's a masterclass.
review to come / 1 star
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thrilled to announce that i have been nominated for the World's Most Dedicated Reader award for my heroic work (reading this book because i was sent it by the publisher even though it sounds not good and has a very low rating)
uh, thanks to the publisher for the ARC
Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance trope and to see it DISRESPECTED like this makes my very blood boil!!!
This book follows Paige and Carter, who meet each other at a party during college freshman orientation, except actually they’re not meeting each other because they went to middle school together. During which Carter bullied the bejesus out of Paige’s middle school best friend Henry because Henry...had the nerve to ask if Carter was okay when he was crying?
(If you do not think this backstory makes sense, too bad! The entire plot hinges on your ability to sympathize with that explanation.)
Paige then launches into a revenge campaign against Carter.
In other words, Paige, at 18, thought it was okay to ruin Carter’s life as penance for something he did when he was 12.
Then Carter begins seeking revenge for Paige seeking revenge, and these two hooligans are locked into the world’s most horrible and cruel prank war.
These two bozos scream at each other, verbally abuse each other, try to ruin each other’s jobs, grades, and livelihoods, destroy one another’s friendships. Paige tortures Carter even after knowing that his mom has cancer.
Just...nothing in this makes sense and everything is terrible.
Honestly I felt like this could’ve been okay - at points I thought it was kinda funny and even approaching charming - but then it turned into a garbage fire.
Bottom line: A true yikes.
----------
if any author needs a lesson in how to write unlikable characters, i highly recommend reading this book.
it's a masterclass.
review to come / 1 star
----------
thrilled to announce that i have been nominated for the World's Most Dedicated Reader award for my heroic work (reading this book because i was sent it by the publisher even though it sounds not good and has a very low rating)
uh, thanks to the publisher for the ARC
August 11, 2020
”This is like Cinderella minus the glass slipper.” ”He’s my Cinderella.”
FORMAT READ: eBook (Kindle)
SIMILAR VIBES: Jennifer E. Smith or Kasie West books
READ FOR: cute & giggly story
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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*
*Thank you to Xpresso Tours, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Sandy Hall for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
OVERALL: 3.25
The beginning and the end are honestly the strongest parts. I’m happy I started and ended this book on good notes.
This book is about two college freshmen who actually knew each other in middle school but have not seen each other since. They parted with some not-so-pleasant memories and the story begins when they meet again at a party. The beginning of the book was what really made me intrigued and sucked me into their story.
I’m gonna start by saying that this is not my favorite in terms or writing style and plot that but I did enjoy this book on a sort of basic level.
A lot of things were just happening. There were parts when it’s just pages full of dialogue and no description of anything. Scenes just weirdly ended and started. That disturbed me a bit but it is an enemies to lovers trope (and I LOVE those). In terms of the enemies to lovers trope, I think that this was very well paced that it satisfied my need for that cliche.
okay… I REALLY enjoyed the two characters’ quarrels AT FIRST even though it was petty. There was a point when it became a bit much for my taste. This came to me at a time I was looking for a Contemporary Romance to read so I enjoyed it more than I would have. Even if there were so many things I found petty and childish… but they kind of started to make sense the more I read through the story so… it’s fine it’s fine…
but they were still petty and childish..
Though!!! There were themes in the book that I did like <3 For risk of spoiling I’m not saying what exactly but there were some pretty nice topics covered, my main problem was just the way it was written into the story. Nevertheless, I like a book that deals with those kinds of topics.
I also have to mention that the characters were a bit inconsistent and there are specific writing things that some readers might not like. But if you are just looking for a light Contemporary Read to break off a fantasy marathon, this is a nice refresher.
PLOT: ★★★☆☆
WRITING STYLE: ★★★☆☆
WORLD BUILDING: ★★☆☆☆
CHARACTERS: ★★★☆☆
THEMES: ★★★★☆
PACING: ★★★★★
PAGE TURNER: ★★★☆☆
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PRE READ:
I'm finally using my Kindle account !!! this is the first book I'm going to be reading from Kindle so I'm just excited yall
August 21, 2019
[shows up at a witch's hut] I want something that will make me forget I ever read this book
review :) to :) come <3
review :) to :) come <3
August 18, 2019
It is really page turner and quick read.
I really love the first three chapter.
It got interesting premise that made me curious and it set in college 😍😍
I was asking myself "why people did not talk and rave about this book?! It is so good"
Then it went downhill.
But I did not like Carter neither Paisley relationship. Their relationship felt like toxic relationship for me. They both often quick to judge and have problem at managing their emotion.
I hate how Carter think he can treat people badly when he is angry and will be forgiven once he reveal his tragic back story.
And I closed this book with thought "Now, I understand why people did not rave about this book"
I really love the first three chapter.
It got interesting premise that made me curious and it set in college 😍😍
I was asking myself "why people did not talk and rave about this book?! It is so good"
Then it went downhill.
But I did not like Carter neither Paisley relationship. Their relationship felt like toxic relationship for me. They both often quick to judge and have problem at managing their emotion.
I hate how Carter think he can treat people badly when he is angry and will be forgiven once he reveal his tragic back story.
And I closed this book with thought "Now, I understand why people did not rave about this book"
September 23, 2019
This was a quick and easy book to read about Paisley and Carter. They meet at a college party before classes begin. They really like each other, but Paisley does not remember knowing Carter in middle school. Carter was a bully and she hated him. When she realizes that Carter is the person from middle school, she refuses to speak to him again. Unfortunately they live in the same dorm, have classes together and even work at the same gym. Then the pranks begin and honestly the pranks go on for entirely too long. Each of them try to get the last word. Page 210 is when they finally decide to call a truce and start their relationship over, but there is still more trouble to come.
the-nope-wagon
October 31, 2019Not interesting
June 17, 2019
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate was an ok read. It is a young adult contemporary romance standalone by Sandy Hall. I wanted to love this book so much. It has so many elements that are big winners to me. I love a hate to love dynamic. In fact, it is one of my favorite. And I did really enjoy some aspects of this story, but there were also some character issues that detracted from my enjoyment. Do let me break down what I liked and what I didn't like as much.
Let's start with what I liked:
First, I love a enemies to love trope. I find the banter, the pranks, the revenge all a lot of fun to read about. And there were plenty of pranks, and revenge present in this story. It was a fun read, and the overall romance progression was nice. It was so clear that Paisley and Carter are well suited. They both so clearly like each other, that Paisley had to actively remind herself to hate Carter. A bunch.
Second, I loved the complexities of Carter. He is seriously going through some stuff. He was my favorite character in the book, by a long shot. Yes he has anger issues and yes he has self worth issues, but he was complex and real and so darn likeable that I was almost 100% of the time on team Carter.
And finally, this book ended on a cute note. Overall it is cute romance that I enjoyed. The middle just didn't blow my socks off. The ending made up for some of that though.
And now for what I didn't love:
First, Paisley irritated me. I wanted to like her. I was on board with her at first. She is a college freshman, who is looking forward to all of the new experiences that college will bring. And at her very first party, she meets Carter, who she thinks is someone else. In reality, he is the person that bullied her best friend in middle school. Once she finds out, her crush on him is canceled and instead she starts her revenge plan on behalf of her best friend. Paisley seemed so darn immature, I really couldn't stand her. She redeemed herself a bit by the end, but man she bugged me.
Here's the thing, Carter was a jerk in middle school. I believe that to be true, but even Paisley's best friend told her to cut him some slack and get over it. He was not holding a grudge, so I don't know why Paisley needed to be holding a grudge. Plus, Carter apologized and seems to be a legitimately good guy now. Not to mention the fact that he was 12-13 when he was a jerk and Paisley is 18-19 when she was a jerk. She is in college, she should know better than Carter's 12 year old self. Not ok. (and no Carter is not perfect either. In fact, there were times that he bothered me too, but it was on a different level than Paisley's irritation.)
Second, which kind of ties in to the first reason, I just found the whole revenge plot to be immature, on everyone's part. It got to be a bit much by the middle of the book, but luckily I kept reading and the book did get better by the end.
Like I said above, I did like this story. I just didn't love it the way I was hoping I would. If you are a looking for a fun read that turns out to be a cute romance, and you don't mind a bit of immature revenge, then The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate might be a cute book you will really enjoy.
Let's start with what I liked:
First, I love a enemies to love trope. I find the banter, the pranks, the revenge all a lot of fun to read about. And there were plenty of pranks, and revenge present in this story. It was a fun read, and the overall romance progression was nice. It was so clear that Paisley and Carter are well suited. They both so clearly like each other, that Paisley had to actively remind herself to hate Carter. A bunch.
Second, I loved the complexities of Carter. He is seriously going through some stuff. He was my favorite character in the book, by a long shot. Yes he has anger issues and yes he has self worth issues, but he was complex and real and so darn likeable that I was almost 100% of the time on team Carter.
And finally, this book ended on a cute note. Overall it is cute romance that I enjoyed. The middle just didn't blow my socks off. The ending made up for some of that though.
And now for what I didn't love:
First, Paisley irritated me. I wanted to like her. I was on board with her at first. She is a college freshman, who is looking forward to all of the new experiences that college will bring. And at her very first party, she meets Carter, who she thinks is someone else. In reality, he is the person that bullied her best friend in middle school. Once she finds out, her crush on him is canceled and instead she starts her revenge plan on behalf of her best friend. Paisley seemed so darn immature, I really couldn't stand her. She redeemed herself a bit by the end, but man she bugged me.
Here's the thing, Carter was a jerk in middle school. I believe that to be true, but even Paisley's best friend told her to cut him some slack and get over it. He was not holding a grudge, so I don't know why Paisley needed to be holding a grudge. Plus, Carter apologized and seems to be a legitimately good guy now. Not to mention the fact that he was 12-13 when he was a jerk and Paisley is 18-19 when she was a jerk. She is in college, she should know better than Carter's 12 year old self. Not ok. (and no Carter is not perfect either. In fact, there were times that he bothered me too, but it was on a different level than Paisley's irritation.)
Second, which kind of ties in to the first reason, I just found the whole revenge plot to be immature, on everyone's part. It got to be a bit much by the middle of the book, but luckily I kept reading and the book did get better by the end.
Like I said above, I did like this story. I just didn't love it the way I was hoping I would. If you are a looking for a fun read that turns out to be a cute romance, and you don't mind a bit of immature revenge, then The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate might be a cute book you will really enjoy.
July 9, 2019
As a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope, I was excited for this book. Our main characters Paisley and Cartner knew each other in middle school, but haven't seen each other since. When they run into each other at their first week of college, there is a spark. Even though they don't realize who they've just seen after many years.
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate starts off really cute. I love the little pranks and can even understand the feeling Paisley has to get even. Carter takes it all with a smile and starts to take some steps to revenge. There are definitely some funny pranks, blue ink in sanitizer and salt in a cup of coffee. At a certain point it became a bit too much. It felt petty and took to long in my opinion. Even when her best friend (the whole reasons she feels the need for revenge in the first place) tells her it's enough, she just keeps on going. I think the book could've been shorter if that would've ended sooner.
That being said Paisley is a character that annoyed me at times. I completely understand her being mad for her best friend, but it was many years ago. People change and move on, including the person hurt by Carter. Deep down she knows she needs to stop and even starts liking Carter, but still continues. Let's just say it got tiring after awhile. I did love the T-shirts she made. Those were really fun and I can understand that people wanted to buy them.
Carter is a more complicated character. I liked him from the start. He's funny and really caring. If it was up to him, he would be at home taking care of his sick mother. I loved that we got to know him more and more during this book and how complex he was. A lot happened to him during his life, it doesn't excuse the bullying, but definitely the anger issues. He doesn't know how to deal with all the emotions.
Even though there were parts that annoyed me, there were a lot of fun moments. I loved Paisley's friends and there chats we get to read during this story. They seem like fun and it's great they stay close after high school. I also loved Carter's and Paisley's roommates. I loved their interactions and part in the story. Not everyone gets lucky with amazing roommates!
The ending of the story was something I also really enjoyed. Finding their way back to each other and in sweet ways left a smile on my face. I read this book in basically one sitting and loved the author's writing style. She created characters I really came to care about and even ones that should have their own story (Henry for example). If you're looking for a fast read this summer, I definitely would sugges The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate.
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate starts off really cute. I love the little pranks and can even understand the feeling Paisley has to get even. Carter takes it all with a smile and starts to take some steps to revenge. There are definitely some funny pranks, blue ink in sanitizer and salt in a cup of coffee. At a certain point it became a bit too much. It felt petty and took to long in my opinion. Even when her best friend (the whole reasons she feels the need for revenge in the first place) tells her it's enough, she just keeps on going. I think the book could've been shorter if that would've ended sooner.
That being said Paisley is a character that annoyed me at times. I completely understand her being mad for her best friend, but it was many years ago. People change and move on, including the person hurt by Carter. Deep down she knows she needs to stop and even starts liking Carter, but still continues. Let's just say it got tiring after awhile. I did love the T-shirts she made. Those were really fun and I can understand that people wanted to buy them.
Carter is a more complicated character. I liked him from the start. He's funny and really caring. If it was up to him, he would be at home taking care of his sick mother. I loved that we got to know him more and more during this book and how complex he was. A lot happened to him during his life, it doesn't excuse the bullying, but definitely the anger issues. He doesn't know how to deal with all the emotions.
Even though there were parts that annoyed me, there were a lot of fun moments. I loved Paisley's friends and there chats we get to read during this story. They seem like fun and it's great they stay close after high school. I also loved Carter's and Paisley's roommates. I loved their interactions and part in the story. Not everyone gets lucky with amazing roommates!
The ending of the story was something I also really enjoyed. Finding their way back to each other and in sweet ways left a smile on my face. I read this book in basically one sitting and loved the author's writing style. She created characters I really came to care about and even ones that should have their own story (Henry for example). If you're looking for a fast read this summer, I definitely would sugges The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate.
October 4, 2019
I had a great time reading this! It was cute and funny and made me a little frustrated sometimes with Paisley and Carter and I just ate it up. Paisley meets Carter in her college orientation and has an immediate connection with him. Then, she realizes he was her best friend's bully in middle school and decides to get a little revenge on his behalf. Some of their pranks were pretty funny, but Paisley goes too far a couple times and I felt bad for Carter. On the other hand, Carter can be a real jerk, so maybe they're even?
I enjoyed seeing their relationship go from instant attraction, to enemies, to friends, and back to romance. Both characters had a lot of emotional and mental growth, but still sometimes acted like the 18 year olds they are. Super cute story and flows really well. No boring moments, the shifting between narrators constantly kept the plot moving and interesting.
I enjoyed seeing their relationship go from instant attraction, to enemies, to friends, and back to romance. Both characters had a lot of emotional and mental growth, but still sometimes acted like the 18 year olds they are. Super cute story and flows really well. No boring moments, the shifting between narrators constantly kept the plot moving and interesting.
Want to read
June 28, 2017i neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed it
May 8, 2021
Honestly, this book was a little exhausting to read. The first couple chapters were really great. They pulled me in and kept me reading. However things went downhill after that.
The main character paisley is so exhausting to keep up with. She is all over the place. I understand that she wants to get revenge for her best friend, but she takes it way to far when she started messing with carter’s( the love interest) work and grades.
She was so invested in making his life hell for something he did when he was twelve years old in middle school. Not even the person he bullied ( paisley’s bestie ) cares anymore. I understand that she wants to get back at carter for the stuff that he did but she takes it way to far.
Carter constantly tries to show her that he isn’t the same person he was in middle school and she just doesn’t want to hear it. It not okay on carter’s part to bully, but he is taking responsibility for the things he did.
It frustrates me how back and forth Paisley was in the duration of the book. She even went as far as messing with his grades by telling him they didn’t have class one day, when they did. He was already struggling in said class and didn’t need any more stress.
Although what Carter did was wrong (the bullying) he constantly shows that he is now a better more responsible person. I liked him from the start.
Over all their were some really cute moments in the midst of all the pranks. It was okay.
The main character paisley is so exhausting to keep up with. She is all over the place. I understand that she wants to get revenge for her best friend, but she takes it way to far when she started messing with carter’s( the love interest) work and grades.
She was so invested in making his life hell for something he did when he was twelve years old in middle school. Not even the person he bullied ( paisley’s bestie ) cares anymore. I understand that she wants to get back at carter for the stuff that he did but she takes it way to far.
Carter constantly tries to show her that he isn’t the same person he was in middle school and she just doesn’t want to hear it. It not okay on carter’s part to bully, but he is taking responsibility for the things he did.
It frustrates me how back and forth Paisley was in the duration of the book. She even went as far as messing with his grades by telling him they didn’t have class one day, when they did. He was already struggling in said class and didn’t need any more stress.
Although what Carter did was wrong (the bullying) he constantly shows that he is now a better more responsible person. I liked him from the start.
Over all their were some really cute moments in the midst of all the pranks. It was okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2019
This was a very quick read, so quick that I read it in one sitting. But being a quick read isn't always a good thing.
Right away I was excited to see that it was set in college. There are not enough YA books that take place in college. I loved the beginning of this book. We jumped right into the story with our two main characters at their first college party during orientation weekend for school. They are soon thrust into a whirlwind romance that only lasts a few days before our female lead, Paisley, learns who her dreamy college boy really is—her middle school bully.
I hated Paisley. She was mean, self-centered, and arrogant. She would ask her friends for advice and then dismiss anything that they told her. Well, why did you ask if you were just going to do what you wanted to do?Carter (love interest) didn't deserve all her crap—he apologized a million times and was trying to convince her that he had changed. It had been four years, for goodness sake. I definitely don't think I would have carried so much for Carter and his story if this wasn't in dual perspective. In general, the characters definitely didn’t sound like they were in college—more like early high school. Also, the plot got really repetitive. I feel like we just bounced back and forth between their work study assignment to the dorm then back to work. Maybe a scene here and there from outside a classroom but other than that, it was starting to get redundant and boring.
I do think this would have been a good short story or novella. There was so much unnecessary filler that just didn't belong. It could have paired way down and had more focus on just their relationship and history—making it more of a short story showing the journey they went through together.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Right away I was excited to see that it was set in college. There are not enough YA books that take place in college. I loved the beginning of this book. We jumped right into the story with our two main characters at their first college party during orientation weekend for school. They are soon thrust into a whirlwind romance that only lasts a few days before our female lead, Paisley, learns who her dreamy college boy really is—her middle school bully.
I hated Paisley. She was mean, self-centered, and arrogant. She would ask her friends for advice and then dismiss anything that they told her. Well, why did you ask if you were just going to do what you wanted to do?Carter (love interest) didn't deserve all her crap—he apologized a million times and was trying to convince her that he had changed. It had been four years, for goodness sake. I definitely don't think I would have carried so much for Carter and his story if this wasn't in dual perspective. In general, the characters definitely didn’t sound like they were in college—more like early high school. Also, the plot got really repetitive. I feel like we just bounced back and forth between their work study assignment to the dorm then back to work. Maybe a scene here and there from outside a classroom but other than that, it was starting to get redundant and boring.
I do think this would have been a good short story or novella. There was so much unnecessary filler that just didn't belong. It could have paired way down and had more focus on just their relationship and history—making it more of a short story showing the journey they went through together.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 12, 2020
longest 311 pages of my life
October 11, 2021
This is how you do enemies to lovers boring.
March 23, 2024
C’est un roman feel good, mais dès les premières pages on sait comment il va se terminer. Par contre, c’est un roman qui est agréable à lire, malgré certaines longueurs d’où le 3⭐️
Want to read
November 19, 2018i’ve been excited about this book for a while but now the plot, the title, and the cover has completely changed. does anyone know if she’s still going to the (best) worst scenario or what the title really was.
February 24, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, but for some reason it just didn't deliver for me. Coming fresh off the heels of Katherine Fleet's The Sound of Drowning, I really wanted a book that wasn't going to be heavy or overly emotional. I chose this one to read next because it sounded cute and light-hearted, but I found myself being incredibly annoyed by these characters and wanting them both to grow up a little. Of course, I understand this book was not meant for me, and I'm likely showing my age by complaining about the immaturity of these college freshmen, but I simply wanted both Paisley and Carter to stop everything and re-evaluate their lives several times while reading this book.
The Shortest Distance Between Love and Hate follows the story of college freshmen Paisley and Carter. After having an intense make-out session with a cute guy at her first college party, Paisley realizes that the guy she's been crushing on was a major bully to her best friend Henry in middle school. For Carter, who is dealing with a sick mom and an absent dad, all he wants is to make amends and save a blooming relationship with the girl he had a major crush on in middle school. Paisley, however, is having none of this, and soon starts a prank war to sabotage Carter's life the way he sabotaged her friend's years ago. Despite this prank war, however, Paisley and Carter both find it hard to resist the unspoken attraction between them, further blurring the lines between love and hate.
Paisley and Carter might honestly be the nastiest YA characters I've ever had the misfortune to read about, and I've read many books with dumpster fire villains. They're both extremely unlikeable, and they do and say things that make absolutely no sense in the context of the story. For example, Carter chooses to prove that he's a changed man by letting Paisley think his name is Bart and that she's never met him, as if that isn't IMMEDIATELY going to blow up in his face. Paisley then overreacts in the extreme by deciding to completely ruin Carter's life, hurting his grades, getting him fired, and doing a whole lot of other horrible stuff that I feel he really doesn't deserve. The only decent character in this story is Henry, a sweet boy with anxiety trying to navigate his growing relationship with one of his female TAs. Even though Henry was the one to get mercilessly bullied, he doesn't condone Paisley's sabotage, and actually begs her not to seek revenge on his behalf. Because Paisley has an extremely twisted sense of justice, however, she ignores this plea and continues to be horrible throughout the book.
While I will amend that I am twenty seven, and this book was clearly not written for my age group, I don't think this excuses the terrible behavior of these characters. I was a college freshman once myself, and I would've never behaved as horribly as these two characters do in this book. As someone who was relentlessly bullied, part of adulthood is learning to forgive and move on; if I met a former middle school bully, I would treat them like a person instead of assuming they were the exact same person I knew at age twelve. Paisley, however, chooses to hold the world's most bizarre and hateful grudge, making me think she could use some serious therapy to work through her revenge fantasies.
Another thing I disliked about this book was the very rushed plot. It seemed like Paisley and Carter went from hating each other, to making up, to hating each other again in an extremely unrealistic time period, acting more like cardboard cutouts of teens than real teens. While I have met some college freshmen as annoying as these two, I think it's insulting to paint the picture that this is just how college students act, as there are many I know who are kind and hard-working. The most jarring example of this rushed plot happens when Carter's dad visits him unexpectedly during his Christmas break. Angry for seemingly no reason (again), Carter chooses to take his frustration out on Paisley, blowing up in her face and telling her he never wants to see her again. While she did make him lose his job and almost sabotage his calculus grade, it's established at this point that he has already forgiven her and told her not to worry about it. As a result, this entire scene feels like an attempt to manufacture drama and create a suspenseful situation out of nothing. This manufactured drama happens a lot throughout the book, and it honestly made me want to punch both Paisley and Carter in the face as I read.
Lastly, I hate that the author essentially uses cancer and absentee parents as clickbait, mentioning these issues but never really delving into the gravity or emotional toll of either topic. Conveniently, Carter's mom's cancer seems to be in remission for the entirety of the book, and there is never once a real health scare that leads Carter and Paisley to stop their silly feud. Instead, cancer is almost used as a way for the reader to feel sympathy for Carter, without really exploring the reality of worrying about a sick parent while going to school. As with everything in this book (from Carter's job to Henry's anxiety), there are no stakes involved; it's merely full of shallow characters dealing with serious problems in an extremely shallow and unrealistic way. The story mostly focuses on the relationship between these two extremely unlikeable characters, using deep topics to make the work seem more edgy and meaningful than it actually is.
Though he's a bit boring as a character, I will say that Henry is the one saving grace in this book. He seems genuinely sweet, and sends a good message about forgiveness and not letting past trauma define you. Where Paisley decides to go crazy for nothing, Henry is willing to forgive Carter and act like an adult. I also like that he suffers from anxiety, as I also have anxiety and it's always nice to see mental illness represented in YA literature. I do hate that anxiety had to be represented in this particular book instead of a better one, but I'm still happy to see the much-needed representation. I will admit that I wanted to see Henry struggle with coming out as gay, as that's where I thought his story was heading, but I still enjoyed him as one of the only decent characters in this book (even if his storyline was a lot less meaningful than it could've been).
Overall, I'm not really sure who this book was meant for. I feel like college students would find these characters to be immature, while high school students might read this and get a very different idea of college than the reality. While there is some nice content in here about bonding with roommates (both Paisley and Carter have to learn how to get along with their respective roommates), this is probably the only useful bit of information in regards to the college experience. Paisley and Carter spend the rest of the novel fighting, making out, or going to wild parties, which is not at all how college really is for most students. I, personally, spent a lot more time studying and trying to work a social life into this than I did partying and planning pranks on other students, and I just think the nastiness between these two characters sets a terrible example for incoming freshmen.
Again, I have to clarify that I understand this book was written for teens, and therefore I might view this problematic behavior from a different lens. Considering there are no real consequences for the actions of the characters in this book, however (Carter gets his job back, Paisley never gets in serious trouble, and neither have to drop out due to bad grades), I think it's sending a harmful message to teens who think it's okay to behave like these characters. I would honestly hate to see a young teen read this and think that any of the actions Paisley and Carter take in this book are okay, and I wouldn't want to give young readers a false and damaging impression of college.
Overall, this book feels very immature, both in its writing style and in its characterization. I honestly can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to, as I think it promotes harmful ideas and isn't that interesting of a read. Despite this, however, it's certainly not the worst thing I've ever read, and is edited well enough that it makes for a coherent story. Because of this, I've rated it "OK," as it's neither horrendous nor fantastic or groundbreaking. It's simply... "meh." The characters annoyed me, the story bored me, and everything moved way too fast for me to get attached to these characters. While I'm sure there's an audience for this book somewhere out there, I was most certainly not it.
The Shortest Distance Between Love and Hate follows the story of college freshmen Paisley and Carter. After having an intense make-out session with a cute guy at her first college party, Paisley realizes that the guy she's been crushing on was a major bully to her best friend Henry in middle school. For Carter, who is dealing with a sick mom and an absent dad, all he wants is to make amends and save a blooming relationship with the girl he had a major crush on in middle school. Paisley, however, is having none of this, and soon starts a prank war to sabotage Carter's life the way he sabotaged her friend's years ago. Despite this prank war, however, Paisley and Carter both find it hard to resist the unspoken attraction between them, further blurring the lines between love and hate.
Paisley and Carter might honestly be the nastiest YA characters I've ever had the misfortune to read about, and I've read many books with dumpster fire villains. They're both extremely unlikeable, and they do and say things that make absolutely no sense in the context of the story. For example, Carter chooses to prove that he's a changed man by letting Paisley think his name is Bart and that she's never met him, as if that isn't IMMEDIATELY going to blow up in his face. Paisley then overreacts in the extreme by deciding to completely ruin Carter's life, hurting his grades, getting him fired, and doing a whole lot of other horrible stuff that I feel he really doesn't deserve. The only decent character in this story is Henry, a sweet boy with anxiety trying to navigate his growing relationship with one of his female TAs. Even though Henry was the one to get mercilessly bullied, he doesn't condone Paisley's sabotage, and actually begs her not to seek revenge on his behalf. Because Paisley has an extremely twisted sense of justice, however, she ignores this plea and continues to be horrible throughout the book.
While I will amend that I am twenty seven, and this book was clearly not written for my age group, I don't think this excuses the terrible behavior of these characters. I was a college freshman once myself, and I would've never behaved as horribly as these two characters do in this book. As someone who was relentlessly bullied, part of adulthood is learning to forgive and move on; if I met a former middle school bully, I would treat them like a person instead of assuming they were the exact same person I knew at age twelve. Paisley, however, chooses to hold the world's most bizarre and hateful grudge, making me think she could use some serious therapy to work through her revenge fantasies.
Another thing I disliked about this book was the very rushed plot. It seemed like Paisley and Carter went from hating each other, to making up, to hating each other again in an extremely unrealistic time period, acting more like cardboard cutouts of teens than real teens. While I have met some college freshmen as annoying as these two, I think it's insulting to paint the picture that this is just how college students act, as there are many I know who are kind and hard-working. The most jarring example of this rushed plot happens when Carter's dad visits him unexpectedly during his Christmas break. Angry for seemingly no reason (again), Carter chooses to take his frustration out on Paisley, blowing up in her face and telling her he never wants to see her again. While she did make him lose his job and almost sabotage his calculus grade, it's established at this point that he has already forgiven her and told her not to worry about it. As a result, this entire scene feels like an attempt to manufacture drama and create a suspenseful situation out of nothing. This manufactured drama happens a lot throughout the book, and it honestly made me want to punch both Paisley and Carter in the face as I read.
Lastly, I hate that the author essentially uses cancer and absentee parents as clickbait, mentioning these issues but never really delving into the gravity or emotional toll of either topic. Conveniently, Carter's mom's cancer seems to be in remission for the entirety of the book, and there is never once a real health scare that leads Carter and Paisley to stop their silly feud. Instead, cancer is almost used as a way for the reader to feel sympathy for Carter, without really exploring the reality of worrying about a sick parent while going to school. As with everything in this book (from Carter's job to Henry's anxiety), there are no stakes involved; it's merely full of shallow characters dealing with serious problems in an extremely shallow and unrealistic way. The story mostly focuses on the relationship between these two extremely unlikeable characters, using deep topics to make the work seem more edgy and meaningful than it actually is.
Though he's a bit boring as a character, I will say that Henry is the one saving grace in this book. He seems genuinely sweet, and sends a good message about forgiveness and not letting past trauma define you. Where Paisley decides to go crazy for nothing, Henry is willing to forgive Carter and act like an adult. I also like that he suffers from anxiety, as I also have anxiety and it's always nice to see mental illness represented in YA literature. I do hate that anxiety had to be represented in this particular book instead of a better one, but I'm still happy to see the much-needed representation. I will admit that I wanted to see Henry struggle with coming out as gay, as that's where I thought his story was heading, but I still enjoyed him as one of the only decent characters in this book (even if his storyline was a lot less meaningful than it could've been).
Overall, I'm not really sure who this book was meant for. I feel like college students would find these characters to be immature, while high school students might read this and get a very different idea of college than the reality. While there is some nice content in here about bonding with roommates (both Paisley and Carter have to learn how to get along with their respective roommates), this is probably the only useful bit of information in regards to the college experience. Paisley and Carter spend the rest of the novel fighting, making out, or going to wild parties, which is not at all how college really is for most students. I, personally, spent a lot more time studying and trying to work a social life into this than I did partying and planning pranks on other students, and I just think the nastiness between these two characters sets a terrible example for incoming freshmen.
Again, I have to clarify that I understand this book was written for teens, and therefore I might view this problematic behavior from a different lens. Considering there are no real consequences for the actions of the characters in this book, however (Carter gets his job back, Paisley never gets in serious trouble, and neither have to drop out due to bad grades), I think it's sending a harmful message to teens who think it's okay to behave like these characters. I would honestly hate to see a young teen read this and think that any of the actions Paisley and Carter take in this book are okay, and I wouldn't want to give young readers a false and damaging impression of college.
Overall, this book feels very immature, both in its writing style and in its characterization. I honestly can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to, as I think it promotes harmful ideas and isn't that interesting of a read. Despite this, however, it's certainly not the worst thing I've ever read, and is edited well enough that it makes for a coherent story. Because of this, I've rated it "OK," as it's neither horrendous nor fantastic or groundbreaking. It's simply... "meh." The characters annoyed me, the story bored me, and everything moved way too fast for me to get attached to these characters. While I'm sure there's an audience for this book somewhere out there, I was most certainly not it.
January 6, 2020
2.5 Stars
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN LOVE & HATE is a roller-coaster ride of a romance. It's aptly named as the characters fluctuate from love to hate as they try to work out past and present issues. Full of pranks, friendships, family, and romance, with interesting characters readers will be able to relate to. Young adult and new adult readers who like their stories messy and drama filled with older characters may enjoy this one.
I'm going to start with a bit of a disclaimer... I felt this was more of a new adult read than a young adult read. The characters are all freshman in college with no real parental supervision and starting to bear their own responsibilities in regards to their roommates, money, and grades. They're also experiencing new things and have a lot more freedom with their choices without the consequences of living at home like they did during high school. In some ways it relates to the young adult genre with some of the context, such as first love, first kisses, first drink of alcohol, etc. but that would be it.
I had a bit of a back and forth with this story. I liked the characters and disliked them. I liked some of the things they did and really didn't like other things they did. Paisley (I love that name) had some super cute quirks. She's super into screen-printed t-shirts, she's a good friend, she's good with calculus, and she's new to romance. I especially liked her relationship with her mom. Carter was just a nice guy. Cute and a little nerdy. He's got baggage and a mom who has been fighting cancer. He's really close with his family as well. I thought Paisley and Carter were really cute together. One of my favorite parts was towards the beginning when they're at the carnival together. I would have liked a little more emotional depth to their relationship. They're at odds most of the story and so I never felt they really developed completely as characters or with each other.
I had some issues with some of the subject matter. I really wasn't okay with someone dating their teacher's aid and the whole conversation around that just felt wrong to me. I also was not okay with friends encouraging bullying just because someone was a bully five years ago and then actually following through on that and thinking it was okay to bully but somehow that was okay and didn't make you a bully??? I would have understood steering clear of someone or not liking them, but to actually torment them on purpose? Yeah. Not cool. There's some partying and quite a bit of drinking. I also couldn't agree with Carter's sister pushing his dad on him so much and then his dad thinking it was okay to expect and demand Carter meet him halfway. He kind of lost the right to ask or expect anything and should just have just taken what he could get. Then there were anger issues with both characters, but somehow they don't really talk through that or work on how to handle things better. It just felt like a set up for disaster and I would have liked a whole lot more character development.
In the end, was it what I wished for? There were parts of this story that were really fun, but I had too many issues with the story to really enjoy it.
Content: Swearing (with quite a few s-words), sexual references, college kids getting drunk, non-descriptive making out.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Xpresso Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect my review in any way.
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN LOVE & HATE is a roller-coaster ride of a romance. It's aptly named as the characters fluctuate from love to hate as they try to work out past and present issues. Full of pranks, friendships, family, and romance, with interesting characters readers will be able to relate to. Young adult and new adult readers who like their stories messy and drama filled with older characters may enjoy this one.
I'm going to start with a bit of a disclaimer... I felt this was more of a new adult read than a young adult read. The characters are all freshman in college with no real parental supervision and starting to bear their own responsibilities in regards to their roommates, money, and grades. They're also experiencing new things and have a lot more freedom with their choices without the consequences of living at home like they did during high school. In some ways it relates to the young adult genre with some of the context, such as first love, first kisses, first drink of alcohol, etc. but that would be it.
I had a bit of a back and forth with this story. I liked the characters and disliked them. I liked some of the things they did and really didn't like other things they did. Paisley (I love that name) had some super cute quirks. She's super into screen-printed t-shirts, she's a good friend, she's good with calculus, and she's new to romance. I especially liked her relationship with her mom. Carter was just a nice guy. Cute and a little nerdy. He's got baggage and a mom who has been fighting cancer. He's really close with his family as well. I thought Paisley and Carter were really cute together. One of my favorite parts was towards the beginning when they're at the carnival together. I would have liked a little more emotional depth to their relationship. They're at odds most of the story and so I never felt they really developed completely as characters or with each other.
I had some issues with some of the subject matter. I really wasn't okay with someone dating their teacher's aid and the whole conversation around that just felt wrong to me. I also was not okay with friends encouraging bullying just because someone was a bully five years ago and then actually following through on that and thinking it was okay to bully but somehow that was okay and didn't make you a bully??? I would have understood steering clear of someone or not liking them, but to actually torment them on purpose? Yeah. Not cool. There's some partying and quite a bit of drinking. I also couldn't agree with Carter's sister pushing his dad on him so much and then his dad thinking it was okay to expect and demand Carter meet him halfway. He kind of lost the right to ask or expect anything and should just have just taken what he could get. Then there were anger issues with both characters, but somehow they don't really talk through that or work on how to handle things better. It just felt like a set up for disaster and I would have liked a whole lot more character development.
In the end, was it what I wished for? There were parts of this story that were really fun, but I had too many issues with the story to really enjoy it.
Content: Swearing (with quite a few s-words), sexual references, college kids getting drunk, non-descriptive making out.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Xpresso Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect my review in any way.
July 9, 2019
He doesn’t have any effect on me; he doesn’t matter. That’s my new motto. So what if we have classes together and work together and live in the same dorm? None of that matters. The universe isn’t trying to tell me something. Why would the universe be talking to me anyway? Doesn’t it have more important things to do?
I absolutely loved Carter, he was a really complicated character who fully understood his flaws and mistakes and was willing to own them any way he needed to. He experienced growth and humility while trying to be the best person he could be now, even with some emotional turmoil thrown in for flavor. He had so many justified opportunities to lash out during the course of the book, but really he didn't he didn't. I rooted for him to have something positive in his life, especially since his outlook was so negative.
My biggest problem with the book was Paisley and her immaturity. She went out of her way to sabotage Carter every chance she got, at times almost costing him his job and education, acting herself like the mean middle school bully Carter was. I could not connect to her in any way and I did not care for her as a character. Even when her friend who had been bullied forgave Carter, she refused to. And honestly, kids grow up and can self reflect and grow but she never even gave Carter that chance. I will admit that she grew up a little too towards the the end of the book but I too may hold grudges and I could not like her.
“Why do we say Friday night?”
“Huh?” she asks around a mouthful of cheese. “Like, why don’t we say Friday when we mean day and Fri-night when we mean Friday night?”
“Are you stoned? That’s definitely the kind of question a stoned person would ask.”
“No, I’m not stoned. I’m serious. This is serious business. I think about this a lot,” I say. “There’s a pretty good chance you have too much time on your hands.”
“Well, I’m going to start a grassroots movement. If you want in, this is your chance.”
“Do I want in on a grassroots movement to start using Mon-night, Tues-night, Wednes-night in regular conversation? That’s what you’re asking me.”
Overall this was not a book for me but there was some entertaining banter and I am sure that others will love the story. I do really like the fact that is set in college and I would love to see more books in the upper YA/NA with a real college experience thrown in. I would check out more books by Sandy in the future because she can write a great character as seen by Carter, I just don't think this revenge plot worked for me.
I absolutely loved Carter, he was a really complicated character who fully understood his flaws and mistakes and was willing to own them any way he needed to. He experienced growth and humility while trying to be the best person he could be now, even with some emotional turmoil thrown in for flavor. He had so many justified opportunities to lash out during the course of the book, but really he didn't he didn't. I rooted for him to have something positive in his life, especially since his outlook was so negative.
My biggest problem with the book was Paisley and her immaturity. She went out of her way to sabotage Carter every chance she got, at times almost costing him his job and education, acting herself like the mean middle school bully Carter was. I could not connect to her in any way and I did not care for her as a character. Even when her friend who had been bullied forgave Carter, she refused to. And honestly, kids grow up and can self reflect and grow but she never even gave Carter that chance. I will admit that she grew up a little too towards the the end of the book but I too may hold grudges and I could not like her.
“Why do we say Friday night?”
“Huh?” she asks around a mouthful of cheese. “Like, why don’t we say Friday when we mean day and Fri-night when we mean Friday night?”
“Are you stoned? That’s definitely the kind of question a stoned person would ask.”
“No, I’m not stoned. I’m serious. This is serious business. I think about this a lot,” I say. “There’s a pretty good chance you have too much time on your hands.”
“Well, I’m going to start a grassroots movement. If you want in, this is your chance.”
“Do I want in on a grassroots movement to start using Mon-night, Tues-night, Wednes-night in regular conversation? That’s what you’re asking me.”
Overall this was not a book for me but there was some entertaining banter and I am sure that others will love the story. I do really like the fact that is set in college and I would love to see more books in the upper YA/NA with a real college experience thrown in. I would check out more books by Sandy in the future because she can write a great character as seen by Carter, I just don't think this revenge plot worked for me.
July 9, 2019
The Shortest Distance Between Love and Hate is a sweet feel-good YA romance that left me feeling a little lighter and a little more hopeful. It serves as a great reminder about the innocence of new connections and a time in life when it's okay to be silly and slightly less than logical. Sandy Hall is a new to me author who I know I'll read more from in the future ( as I already have a book or 2 from her collection).
First-year college students Paisley and Carter start out on the right foot with each other only to end up on opposing sides of Paisley's revenge-fueled feud that all began in grade school when then twelve-year-old Carter bullied Paisley's best friend Henry. It's not long between her initial college crush goes up in flames and Carter becomes enemy #1 as Paisley ramps up her war on Carter for these transgressions that Paisley and Carter learn a few important distinctions of friendship versus frenemies and begin to earn a spot in each other's lives.
This story touches on many life lessons about families, friendship and forgiveness and learning to choose the right battles. I was pretty frustrated with Paisley as their initial college connection was cute and fun. They had great chemistry and I couldn't wait to see where it went. Well, it went "poof" in no time as Hall builds on the attraction and the anxiety of it when one believes they shouldn't care, but they can't help it. It's a great story about motive and redemption. After all, were Carters' pranks at twelve any worse than hers at eighteen? Even Henry recognized that perhaps her need to punish Carter was misguided and perhaps coming from the wrong place. Pure angst!!
Hall's characters are well developed and the banter and verbal sparring between Paisley and Carter utterly delightful. This is a fun and clean summer read for any teenager heading off to college and for those of us a few years past that, it's a gentle reminder of the emotional complexity of young love and friendship.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
First-year college students Paisley and Carter start out on the right foot with each other only to end up on opposing sides of Paisley's revenge-fueled feud that all began in grade school when then twelve-year-old Carter bullied Paisley's best friend Henry. It's not long between her initial college crush goes up in flames and Carter becomes enemy #1 as Paisley ramps up her war on Carter for these transgressions that Paisley and Carter learn a few important distinctions of friendship versus frenemies and begin to earn a spot in each other's lives.
This story touches on many life lessons about families, friendship and forgiveness and learning to choose the right battles. I was pretty frustrated with Paisley as their initial college connection was cute and fun. They had great chemistry and I couldn't wait to see where it went. Well, it went "poof" in no time as Hall builds on the attraction and the anxiety of it when one believes they shouldn't care, but they can't help it. It's a great story about motive and redemption. After all, were Carters' pranks at twelve any worse than hers at eighteen? Even Henry recognized that perhaps her need to punish Carter was misguided and perhaps coming from the wrong place. Pure angst!!
Hall's characters are well developed and the banter and verbal sparring between Paisley and Carter utterly delightful. This is a fun and clean summer read for any teenager heading off to college and for those of us a few years past that, it's a gentle reminder of the emotional complexity of young love and friendship.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
December 15, 2020
this book was very well written and it always kept me wanting to read more. I loved how i never knew what was going to happen next in the book. The ending was okay i don't know if maybe there was another way of another way of ending the book but i'm really happy that they ended up working it out, and that they grew not only as a couple but individually as well. This book teaches you a lot about holding grudges, second chances, and not being so presumptuous. Over all it was an amazing book and i would say that i want a second book but i don't i think that a second book is too much for this story i think its perfect the way that it ended and i cant see the story going any further than where it already is.
July 28, 2020
Well this was really, really cute!!
August 6, 2021
1.5 stars. not good! sorry sandy.
May 24, 2019
I received an ARC from the publisher via a friend, with no obligation to leave a personal review.
I generally always enjoy Swoon Reads books on some level, because I am such a huge fan of YA romance, and YA contemporary romance in particular. I love other genres, too, of course, and YA fantasy might even be my favorite, but I am never NOT in the mood for YA contemporary romance.
So I did enjoy this book on that very basic level, but unfortunately, in other ways it really fell flat.
The main thing is that, while I love the hate to love trope, it is so hard to do it right. Often, either the hate is so believable that the love isn't, or the love is so believable that the hate isn't. And, of course, sometimes neither one really works.
For me, in this case, neither one worked. I didn't fully believe Paisley and Carter really hated each other in the beginning, because Sandy Hall put in a touch too much justification that they were not truly enemies. But I also didn't fully believe the turnaround into true romantic interest, because some elements of trying to introduce the hate felt serious enough that I thought they needed to be handled more carefully. Paisley, in particular, really did some awful things that I didn't think were properly worked through before the conclusion.
This was my first read of Hall's books, and I'll probably keep trying them. This one, though, was fairly bland and disappointing.
I generally always enjoy Swoon Reads books on some level, because I am such a huge fan of YA romance, and YA contemporary romance in particular. I love other genres, too, of course, and YA fantasy might even be my favorite, but I am never NOT in the mood for YA contemporary romance.
So I did enjoy this book on that very basic level, but unfortunately, in other ways it really fell flat.
The main thing is that, while I love the hate to love trope, it is so hard to do it right. Often, either the hate is so believable that the love isn't, or the love is so believable that the hate isn't. And, of course, sometimes neither one really works.
For me, in this case, neither one worked. I didn't fully believe Paisley and Carter really hated each other in the beginning, because Sandy Hall put in a touch too much justification that they were not truly enemies. But I also didn't fully believe the turnaround into true romantic interest, because some elements of trying to introduce the hate felt serious enough that I thought they needed to be handled more carefully. Paisley, in particular, really did some awful things that I didn't think were properly worked through before the conclusion.
This was my first read of Hall's books, and I'll probably keep trying them. This one, though, was fairly bland and disappointing.
November 13, 2019
This book will pull at your heart strings and so much more. I loved the push and pull feel of the romance between Carter and Paisley and thought the author did a great job of keeping both perspectives alive. College stories are always the best but Hall did a fantastic job of telling a story that was not predictable.
January 11, 2020
2.5 stars. The characters were too immature for my liking, but there were some funny moments.
April 13, 2023
I FREAKING LOVED IT
OMG
10/10
IT WAS PERFECT
THE BEGINING OF THE STORY
PERFECT
BEST ENEMIES TO LOVERS BOOK EVER
OMG
OMG
10/10
IT WAS PERFECT
THE BEGINING OF THE STORY
PERFECT
BEST ENEMIES TO LOVERS BOOK EVER
OMG
August 12, 2019
devoured The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate in one sitting. Partially because of its smaller page count, and mostly because the plot was immediately absorbing, and the dialogue easy to follow.
My favorite character was Carter, because he was perfectly flawed. He had a past full of bad behavior and decisions, but he really strived to change, and redeem himself throughout The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate. I also loved his relationship with his sister. She was really supportive and available to him.
My least favorite character was Paisley. She was was impulsive, immature, and spiteful. You have Carter, who’s struggling with righting past misdeeds, confidence issues, and a sick parent. Then you have Paisley, who goes from being insta-love with a guy; to insta-hate, with a side of childish and petty revenge.
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate is an enjoyable book with some great messages. It tackles big topics like bullying, and does so in a relatable and insightful way.
My favorite character was Carter, because he was perfectly flawed. He had a past full of bad behavior and decisions, but he really strived to change, and redeem himself throughout The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate. I also loved his relationship with his sister. She was really supportive and available to him.
My least favorite character was Paisley. She was was impulsive, immature, and spiteful. You have Carter, who’s struggling with righting past misdeeds, confidence issues, and a sick parent. Then you have Paisley, who goes from being insta-love with a guy; to insta-hate, with a side of childish and petty revenge.
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate is an enjoyable book with some great messages. It tackles big topics like bullying, and does so in a relatable and insightful way.
July 22, 2019
It started out okay but as it continued I lost interest in the story very soon. The same old enemies(middle-school bully) to lovers trope is in play but it wasn't written well.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2019
The girl is annoying af. I rolled my eyes so hard that I saw my skull.
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