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Easton High #1
Dear Love, I Hate You
It all started with an anonymous letter.
He wasn’t supposed to find it—no one was. And he definitely wasn’t supposed to answer it.
We end up talking through letters and sticky notes in a book. One sticky note. Two sticky notes. Ten sticky notes. All baring our darkest, deepest secrets.
It’s all fun and games until I find out who my pen pal is...
Xavier Emery. King of my basketball-obsessed town, my childhood bully, and the guy I am in grave danger of falling in love with.
But the rules were clear: we can never know who we’re talking to, and the confessions can never, ever get out. Seriously. It would destroy lives.
Fine by me. Even if Mr. Popular does find out his confidant is little old me, it’s not like he’d ever love me back…
Right?
He wasn’t supposed to find it—no one was. And he definitely wasn’t supposed to answer it.
We end up talking through letters and sticky notes in a book. One sticky note. Two sticky notes. Ten sticky notes. All baring our darkest, deepest secrets.
It’s all fun and games until I find out who my pen pal is...
Xavier Emery. King of my basketball-obsessed town, my childhood bully, and the guy I am in grave danger of falling in love with.
But the rules were clear: we can never know who we’re talking to, and the confessions can never, ever get out. Seriously. It would destroy lives.
Fine by me. Even if Mr. Popular does find out his confidant is little old me, it’s not like he’d ever love me back…
Right?
535 pages, ebook
First published March 10, 2021
2052 people are currently reading
27667 people want to read
About the author
Eliah Greenwood
14 books1,589 followersEliah Greenwood is the author of the Rules series, the online sensation with over 35,000,000 reads. Proud Wattpad verified author and Fiction Awards 2018 winner (readers' choice) in three categories, she loves writing stories where opposites attract and the main guy needs a kick in the... Followed by nearly 100,000 dedicated readers across all social media, she is currently working on the highly anticipated fourth book in her series.
Learn more about Eliah on her website eliahgreenwood.com and by following her on Instagram @eliahgreenwood where she posts previews of all her future books!
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Website: https://www.eliahgreenwood.com/
Learn more about Eliah on her website eliahgreenwood.com and by following her on Instagram @eliahgreenwood where she posts previews of all her future books!
Keep up with Eliah!
Newsletter Sign up: https://www.eliahgreenwood.com/subscribe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliahgreenw...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eliahgreenwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theofficiale...
Website: https://www.eliahgreenwood.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,712 reviews
July 25, 2021
4 Stars!
... To dearest Love and Zac.
This book contains teenage angst, lots of teenage drama and dumb teenagers. In simple words, this book was all about "the idiocy of the teenagers." But well, I've been there before. I've been an idiot once, twice, or maybe countless times. Not to be a hypocrite, I completely understood some of the things they did. And then, insert the drama between their families, friends, pyscopath exes. It was just crazy and I truly lived for it. Being able to relate with the characters is very important for me. I could relate with Xavier and his loyalty for his undeserving parents. And I could relate with Aveena for understanding Xavier that family always comes first above everything.
Note: This is a high school, enemies to lovers romance.
This book was engaging and emotional. It deals with some serious topics that made it somehow relatable and realistic to some. Our main characters went through a terrible past that made them as what they were today. Aveena vented her frustrations to her teacher on a paper and then later realized that she forgot it in a poetry book. When she returned for the letter, she found out that someone responded to it.
And that was the fated day when it all began. The start of Zac and Love, their signed identities, who agreed to keep themselves anonymous and became pen pals.
This is a well-written book and the writing style was simplistic in the sense that it was easy to follow. I liked the build up of their relationship and I loved how they grew as individuals. Great chemistry. Great pacing, not too slow and not too insta.
What I did not like was the typical lack of communication between the main characters on the second half. I won't spoil anything, but this usage of "trust me" that I mostly find in high school romances is tiring and anticlimactic. Like this particular line: "I am going to fix this, just trust me," then the next day, what he did hurt her. Not realizing that only a simple communication between them will fix it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I was into it from the beginning, through the rocky middle, and the beautiful ending. Even though Xavier chose to do the right thing for like forever, we discovered along the way that this young man would do everything to protect his family. Aveena too was an amazing heroine. I need a lot more of Aveena in my high school romances. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I recommend this to those who likes: Eliah Greenwood, high school, enemies to lovers, sports, bully, slow burn, emotional, and a happily ever after.
Trigger Warning: Vivid depiction of sexual assault.
... To dearest Love and Zac.
This book contains teenage angst, lots of teenage drama and dumb teenagers. In simple words, this book was all about "the idiocy of the teenagers." But well, I've been there before. I've been an idiot once, twice, or maybe countless times. Not to be a hypocrite, I completely understood some of the things they did. And then, insert the drama between their families, friends, pyscopath exes. It was just crazy and I truly lived for it. Being able to relate with the characters is very important for me. I could relate with Xavier and his loyalty for his undeserving parents. And I could relate with Aveena for understanding Xavier that family always comes first above everything.
Note: This is a high school, enemies to lovers romance.
"He tastes like cherry Jolly Ranchers, bad decisions, and a vulnerability I could spend my whole life trying to outrun."
This book was engaging and emotional. It deals with some serious topics that made it somehow relatable and realistic to some. Our main characters went through a terrible past that made them as what they were today. Aveena vented her frustrations to her teacher on a paper and then later realized that she forgot it in a poetry book. When she returned for the letter, she found out that someone responded to it.
And that was the fated day when it all began. The start of Zac and Love, their signed identities, who agreed to keep themselves anonymous and became pen pals.
“Biggest risk you could ever take in this life is not taking one.”
This is a well-written book and the writing style was simplistic in the sense that it was easy to follow. I liked the build up of their relationship and I loved how they grew as individuals. Great chemistry. Great pacing, not too slow and not too insta.
What I did not like was the typical lack of communication between the main characters on the second half. I won't spoil anything, but this usage of "trust me" that I mostly find in high school romances is tiring and anticlimactic. Like this particular line: "I am going to fix this, just trust me," then the next day, what he did hurt her. Not realizing that only a simple communication between them will fix it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I was into it from the beginning, through the rocky middle, and the beautiful ending. Even though Xavier chose to do the right thing for like forever, we discovered along the way that this young man would do everything to protect his family. Aveena too was an amazing heroine. I need a lot more of Aveena in my high school romances. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I recommend this to those who likes: Eliah Greenwood, high school, enemies to lovers, sports, bully, slow burn, emotional, and a happily ever after.
"Loving Xavier Zachary Emery is a life sentence… And I plead guilty."
Trigger Warning: Vivid depiction of sexual assault.
February 14, 2022
So... I didn't hate the book, but it was exhausting. The plot sounded interesting enough, secret and anonymous post it notes in a book, wallflower falling in love with the basketball high school star.. I mean, the first half of this book was phenomenal, for real. But the author made it too long.
It has all the drama, too many problems, too many obstacles in their romance, I didn't know how frustrated I was until I almost throw my kindle away and yelled "Come on!! Would you give them a f**ing break!?" So yes, that would sum it all.
In my humble opinion the writer goes beyond the necessary to give this book drama, she could have ended like halfway through it and it would have been a great book. I won't go into detail but some situations were absurd, for real. If you've read it, please let me know and we can vent through private message... please??
So it makes me sad, because it wasn't a bad book, and I honestly loved the first half of it but... nope, I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're in for drama, in which case, go ahead and give it a go!
It has all the drama, too many problems, too many obstacles in their romance, I didn't know how frustrated I was until I almost throw my kindle away and yelled "Come on!! Would you give them a f**ing break!?" So yes, that would sum it all.
In my humble opinion the writer goes beyond the necessary to give this book drama, she could have ended like halfway through it and it would have been a great book. I won't go into detail but some situations were absurd, for real. If you've read it, please let me know and we can vent through private message... please??
So it makes me sad, because it wasn't a bad book, and I honestly loved the first half of it but... nope, I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're in for drama, in which case, go ahead and give it a go!
Read
August 16, 2022I picked this up because of a Booktok video I saw, and while there was some stuff I enjoyed (the romance was cute, and the premise was fun), it ended up not being for me. Many plot points felt unrealistic and I didn’t like how it handled darker topics (especially pedophilia).
There was a lot of potentially triggering content in here, so here are some warnings in case you’re looking to pick it up:
Suicide, violence, abuse, panic attacks, anxiety, rape, pedophilia, bullying, blackmail, drinking/drug use, mature content
There was a lot of potentially triggering content in here, so here are some warnings in case you’re looking to pick it up:
Suicide, violence, abuse, panic attacks, anxiety, rape, pedophilia, bullying, blackmail, drinking/drug use, mature content
August 3, 2023
Es ist das allertollste Gefühl, wenn ein Buch zum Highlight wird, von dem man es nicht erwartet hätte😍! "Dear Love I hate you" ist dramatisch, überspitzt und beinhaltet ein paar Klischees, aber in meinem subjektiven Leseerlebnis spielte das keine Rolle, denn ich war IM SUCHTMODUS🤯! Innerhalb von 1,5 Tagen habe ich das Buch verschlungen, konnte es kaum beiseitelegen und musste ständig an die Handlung und die Charaktere denken. Durch die Struktur des Buchs mit den geheimen Briefen und Chatnachrichten entwickelt die Slow Burn Lovestory sich realistisch und greifbar. Alles in allem erschienen die Protagonisten nachvollziehbar, was es leicht machte, mit ihnen zu sympathisieren, selbst beim Treffen von fragwürdigen Entscheidungen. Für mich war es nicht nur Unterhaltung pur sondern auch emotionale Intensität: Bei jeder Wendung habe ich mitgefiebert, war involviert wie lange bei keinem anderen Romance-Buch. Kritikpunkte kann ich verstehen, für mich kam das Buch einfach zur perfekten Zeit - ich habe es mit allen Ecken und Kanten geliebt: Die Charaktere, die Dramatik, den fesselnden Schreibstil der Autorin! Größte (unerwartete) Überraschung des Lesejahres 2023 bislang🤭😍
![Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645500038i%2F37448930._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 6, 2023
✰ 4.5 stars ✰
“What if you’re the only thing that makes sense anymore?” He sounds pained, broken. “What if, when everything went to shit, all I could think about was making sure you were okay?” I hear him step forward but don’t turn around. “What if I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire fucking life, Vee?”
I yelp when he grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. He doesn’t waste a single second taking my face into his hands, aligning his gaze with mine as he whispers, “Can I say it then?”
i loved this!! it was originally five stars for me, but something happened at the 74% mark that had me lower my rating just a bit. although i understood why . but, aside from that, this book was worth me staying up early in the morning for. 😌
often times, communication by letters/email as the plot of the story can be a hit or miss for me. sometimes, the conversations would bore me so that’s why i’m not a huge fan of the trope but, after Red, White & Royal Blue and now this ... i admit, if done right, it can be entertaining as hell and so good. i’m glad that was the case of this book for me!! i was surprised with how deep some of the letters Xavier and Aveena had; i knew from the blurb they were trading secrets through these letters, but i was satisfied because i personally love it when couples have deep conversations that make you think. emotional connection is one of my favorite things in a romance story. 🤩
Xavier was a great H!! imo, he didn’t feel like your “typical” H in these high school bully romances. he had his moments, sure, but he wasn’t straight up rude or an actual bully. i honestly loved that he thought the popularity thing was stupid and made me feel 🦋🦋 at times. 😫 for Aveena, i liked her but i don’t think she stood out to me as an individual character (at least compared to Xavier); however, i loved the . yes, that scene made me sob at 5am, thx. :”) for side characters, i was soo intrigued with Finn and Dia’s story that i need a book about them pls. 😭
anyways. would i recommend this book? aside from the one problem i had that i mentioned in the beginning, YES. it was an amazing read overall. it’s my first book by Eliah Greenwood and i’m definitely going to read more after loving this! 🥺💞
“What if you’re the only thing that makes sense anymore?” He sounds pained, broken. “What if, when everything went to shit, all I could think about was making sure you were okay?” I hear him step forward but don’t turn around. “What if I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire fucking life, Vee?”
I yelp when he grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. He doesn’t waste a single second taking my face into his hands, aligning his gaze with mine as he whispers, “Can I say it then?”
i loved this!! it was originally five stars for me, but something happened at the 74% mark that had me lower my rating just a bit. although i understood why . but, aside from that, this book was worth me staying up early in the morning for. 😌
often times, communication by letters/email as the plot of the story can be a hit or miss for me. sometimes, the conversations would bore me so that’s why i’m not a huge fan of the trope but, after Red, White & Royal Blue and now this ... i admit, if done right, it can be entertaining as hell and so good. i’m glad that was the case of this book for me!! i was surprised with how deep some of the letters Xavier and Aveena had; i knew from the blurb they were trading secrets through these letters, but i was satisfied because i personally love it when couples have deep conversations that make you think. emotional connection is one of my favorite things in a romance story. 🤩
Xavier was a great H!! imo, he didn’t feel like your “typical” H in these high school bully romances. he had his moments, sure, but he wasn’t straight up rude or an actual bully. i honestly loved that he thought the popularity thing was stupid and made me feel 🦋🦋 at times. 😫 for Aveena, i liked her but i don’t think she stood out to me as an individual character (at least compared to Xavier); however, i loved the . yes, that scene made me sob at 5am, thx. :”) for side characters, i was soo intrigued with Finn and Dia’s story that i need a book about them pls. 😭
anyways. would i recommend this book? aside from the one problem i had that i mentioned in the beginning, YES. it was an amazing read overall. it’s my first book by Eliah Greenwood and i’m definitely going to read more after loving this! 🥺💞
February 5, 2022
REREAD 5/02/22 - still love them<33
~~~~~~
4.25 stars ⭐️
Not gonna lie, this had it cliche moments.
Not gonna lie, i loved it!
This is Eliah’s best work to date! She really outdid herself with this one! Dear love, i hate you is something really else. It wasn’t your cliche bad boy-good girl books but it had its moments too!
I loved Xavier (when he wasn’t a dick) and I loved Aveena more! They had so much pain in their hearts and I’m so glad they found each other. I loved the twists Eliah would throw and though I saw few coming, it didn’t make the reading less enjoyable!
This had everything i wanted and more! I really want books of the side characters! I found them really intriguing and would love to see more of Xavier and Vee!
Overall, this was a really fun read! Just the break i wanted and desperately needed!
~~~~~~
4.25 stars ⭐️
Not gonna lie, this had it cliche moments.
Not gonna lie, i loved it!
“I find comfort in knowing the greatest love stories all have an expiration date…
I just wish ours didn’t have to be today.”
This is Eliah’s best work to date! She really outdid herself with this one! Dear love, i hate you is something really else. It wasn’t your cliche bad boy-good girl books but it had its moments too!
“Oh, Harper… I don’t play to play.
I play to win.”
I loved Xavier (when he wasn’t a dick) and I loved Aveena more! They had so much pain in their hearts and I’m so glad they found each other. I loved the twists Eliah would throw and though I saw few coming, it didn’t make the reading less enjoyable!
“I need her. End of story. The girl’s become my best friend, the only person I trust, the only real thing in my life. She sees me for me. Sees Zac where everybody sees Xavier. She sees the guy behind the walls of useless popularity, title, and reputation.
I need Aveena Harper.
Any fucking way I can get her.”
This had everything i wanted and more! I really want books of the side characters! I found them really intriguing and would love to see more of Xavier and Vee!
Overall, this was a really fun read! Just the break i wanted and desperately needed!
July 27, 2022
Trigger Warnings:
Mel🌜 convinced me to read the last chapter of the second book. I don’t normally do this but I did and gasped. You can technically ignore this book and read the second book since books two and three are a duet, but there may be spoilers for this book in the following two books since it takes place during the same time. I’m so conflicted on what to rate this because it was so well written. The second I started, I couldn’t stop, so I wanted to give it 5 stars. But then the shit the MMC, Xav, did just pissed me off. Since I’m an emotional rater, I was leaning to 2 stars but Imma change it to 3 since it was entertaining. I love when the book is mainly the FMC’s POV but we really needed more chapters of the MMC’s POV since there were parts where we had to see what he was going through. This is the first book I’ve read by Eliah Greenwood and it was so good I’ve been running on 4 hours of sleep for three days now. But what sucks is that I hated what happened. I hated Xav, I hated how he handled situations. It didn’t feel like his love for Vee, the FMC was as strong as her love for him. Xav was a coward for the way he handled situations. And honestly, it felt like he thought with his dick even though he presents himself in a way where you would think otherwise. The second half was terrible, I was just so angry and annoyed while reading. Rather than the characters having character development, it felt like they progressively got worse. It’s so sad, this had a very promising start and I was entertained, but I am exhausted and hate Xav.
Vee is dealing with shit at home since her sister is an upcoming star who has all of her mother’s attention. Xav takes all the blame for a prank that was his idea and has detention. Vee is pissed with a teacher and writes a letter ranting that ends up being in the very book Xav is required to read at detention. He decides to respond back, and unintentionally becoming anonymous pen pals. But they have no idea that they are part of the same group and know each other.
Now for spoilers
A huge thank you to Mel🌜, Shilpa, and Thanu for putting up with my ranting LMAO. That is all, stay safe folks!
Mel🌜 convinced me to read the last chapter of the second book. I don’t normally do this but I did and gasped. You can technically ignore this book and read the second book since books two and three are a duet, but there may be spoilers for this book in the following two books since it takes place during the same time. I’m so conflicted on what to rate this because it was so well written. The second I started, I couldn’t stop, so I wanted to give it 5 stars. But then the shit the MMC, Xav, did just pissed me off. Since I’m an emotional rater, I was leaning to 2 stars but Imma change it to 3 since it was entertaining. I love when the book is mainly the FMC’s POV but we really needed more chapters of the MMC’s POV since there were parts where we had to see what he was going through. This is the first book I’ve read by Eliah Greenwood and it was so good I’ve been running on 4 hours of sleep for three days now. But what sucks is that I hated what happened. I hated Xav, I hated how he handled situations. It didn’t feel like his love for Vee, the FMC was as strong as her love for him. Xav was a coward for the way he handled situations. And honestly, it felt like he thought with his dick even though he presents himself in a way where you would think otherwise. The second half was terrible, I was just so angry and annoyed while reading. Rather than the characters having character development, it felt like they progressively got worse. It’s so sad, this had a very promising start and I was entertained, but I am exhausted and hate Xav.
Vee is dealing with shit at home since her sister is an upcoming star who has all of her mother’s attention. Xav takes all the blame for a prank that was his idea and has detention. Vee is pissed with a teacher and writes a letter ranting that ends up being in the very book Xav is required to read at detention. He decides to respond back, and unintentionally becoming anonymous pen pals. But they have no idea that they are part of the same group and know each other.
Now for spoilers
A huge thank you to Mel🌜, Shilpa, and Thanu for putting up with my ranting LMAO. That is all, stay safe folks!
May 26, 2021
Okay I need to ask. Do girls really cry all the time? Because that seems to be the trend in my recent reads.
I’m not sure if im really disappointed in this because I knew what I was getting into. This is a very cliché story without the cookie cutter characters? Atleast that’s what I thought for the first 50% of the book aaand then we hit the high school vibe.
Lets break it down shall we? We follow Aveena or “vee”, a very “relatable” girl because she reads and works in the library and has the whole “shes hot but she doesn’t know it which makes her hotter” thing going on. On one fine day, she gets tired of being in her prodigy sisters shadow and writes an anonymous letter cursing everyone and everything and accidently leaves it in the library (like we all have at one point in our life)
When she goes back to get the letter before someone reads it and ruins her scholarship deal (ofcourse), she finds a letter left for her. And so begins our pen pal plotline that soon leads to texting and phone-sex ( that may or may not involve ice cubes)
And who is this anonymous pen-pal? Meet Xavier Emery; Captain of the basketball team, the “jock who isn’t a jock” because he never wanted the popularity in the first place. In the midst of hating his life, he finds the letter and begins daring Vee to give more confessions.
“Zac: You’ve got me wrapped around your fucking pinky, you know that?”
With that said, this book wasn’t thaaatt bad. I genuinely liked the first half of the book, the confessions were adorable and Xavier was just so easy to like. And I think what ive always loved about pen-pal romances is that we see two people who believe that would never connect find an undeniable bond through the letters.
“Christ, just tell me who you are. Fuck the pact. Fuck the secrets. Fuck it all. Just tell me who are you, L. Please. Let this be real”
Vee, I felt, was always looking for reassurances or validation somewhere. The author couldn’t sell the i-would-rather-stay-in-than-go-out attitude for the heroine and honestly it just made her kind of pathetic because we also have the “my sister gets more attention than me” plotline going on.
“So, when guys like that see a girl like you, a girl who doesn’t look easy or desperate, they get intimidated. Label her high-maintenance and run like hell. You’re beauty and brains, Vee. You’re an immature high school boy’s worst nightmare”
but besides that, I think the book was just so entertaining. There was just so much shit going on with everyone and I was so funny because it was just absolutely ridiculous in every sense.
Now let me tell you what happened after the 50% mark:
1) Xav and Vee decide that it’s time to meet and the perfect place? A fucking frat party.
Xav kisses the first person who comes up to him (bitchy-sidekick-cheerleader) thinking that it’s vee. And what do you know? Vee catches them and flees ( which she seems to be doing a lot in this book)
2) Xav and vee make up and make out and sleep with eachother.
3) The confessions that they left in the library is found and posted all over the school with a new form facebook group “whoisZacandLove” (their pen names)
4) Xav gets back with his ex girlfriend because PLOTWIST: the bitchy cheerleader started the facebook page and could possibly expose him as Zac.
Now here’s something you should know: while Vee’s deepest confession was that she slept with her sisters boyfriend; xav confessed that he saw his mother sleeping with a minor. And hence he needs to “date” Brie (cheerleader psycho) to keep his mothers secret.
5) Vee is heartbroken and constantly cries.
6) Xav does nothing about it except blame and beat himself up.
I feel like my love for Xav drops after this, he was all “bark but no bite”? he kept saying how much he loved her and how he would do anything for and how she is the single most important thing in his life but he does absolutely nothing to prove it.
“What if you’re the only thing that makes sense anymore?” He sounds pained, broken. “What if, when everything went to shit, all I could think about was making sure you were okay?” I hear him step forward but don’t turn around. “What if I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire fucking life, Vee?”
*proceeds to ignore her existence in public*
Its almost embarrassing to read about how Vee is in love with him and im like “for fucksake you’re in love with a fucking ghost”
“Love: I wish I could hug you right now.
Zac: Fair warning, if you hugged me, another part of me would probably hug you.”
*dramatic eye-roll* boys.
And Xavier’s parents had the most comical lines
“Baby, look at me.” She forces our eyes to meet. “I’m your mother. I carried you, gave you life, tended to every fit. There are a million girls just like her out there, but there is only one of me.”
I really want to read Finn and Dia’s story (MC’s bestfriends)
“Long story short, they hated each other.
Until… their genitals didn’t.”
They seem to be a mess but I just cant help but find their story amusing and it’s a “friends who are in love with eachother but will not admit it” trope.
Overall: I don’t HATE this book, it was what you would expect going into a highschool bully romance, it was fun and very fast, I finished it in one day! I feel like if you like Deviant King or Dear Ava; you would like this book.
“I know this is shitty, and complicated, and it’d be easier for you to get on that plane, but… I don’t want easy—fuck easy. I want you. I love you, Vee,” he croaks, pressing his forehead flush to mine. “Just… stay.”
I’m not sure if im really disappointed in this because I knew what I was getting into. This is a very cliché story without the cookie cutter characters? Atleast that’s what I thought for the first 50% of the book aaand then we hit the high school vibe.
Lets break it down shall we? We follow Aveena or “vee”, a very “relatable” girl because she reads and works in the library and has the whole “shes hot but she doesn’t know it which makes her hotter” thing going on. On one fine day, she gets tired of being in her prodigy sisters shadow and writes an anonymous letter cursing everyone and everything and accidently leaves it in the library (like we all have at one point in our life)
When she goes back to get the letter before someone reads it and ruins her scholarship deal (ofcourse), she finds a letter left for her. And so begins our pen pal plotline that soon leads to texting and phone-sex ( that may or may not involve ice cubes)
And who is this anonymous pen-pal? Meet Xavier Emery; Captain of the basketball team, the “jock who isn’t a jock” because he never wanted the popularity in the first place. In the midst of hating his life, he finds the letter and begins daring Vee to give more confessions.
“Zac: You’ve got me wrapped around your fucking pinky, you know that?”
With that said, this book wasn’t thaaatt bad. I genuinely liked the first half of the book, the confessions were adorable and Xavier was just so easy to like. And I think what ive always loved about pen-pal romances is that we see two people who believe that would never connect find an undeniable bond through the letters.
“Christ, just tell me who you are. Fuck the pact. Fuck the secrets. Fuck it all. Just tell me who are you, L. Please. Let this be real”
Vee, I felt, was always looking for reassurances or validation somewhere. The author couldn’t sell the i-would-rather-stay-in-than-go-out attitude for the heroine and honestly it just made her kind of pathetic because we also have the “my sister gets more attention than me” plotline going on.
“So, when guys like that see a girl like you, a girl who doesn’t look easy or desperate, they get intimidated. Label her high-maintenance and run like hell. You’re beauty and brains, Vee. You’re an immature high school boy’s worst nightmare”
but besides that, I think the book was just so entertaining. There was just so much shit going on with everyone and I was so funny because it was just absolutely ridiculous in every sense.
Now let me tell you what happened after the 50% mark:
1) Xav and Vee decide that it’s time to meet and the perfect place? A fucking frat party.
Xav kisses the first person who comes up to him (bitchy-sidekick-cheerleader) thinking that it’s vee. And what do you know? Vee catches them and flees ( which she seems to be doing a lot in this book)
2) Xav and vee make up and make out and sleep with eachother.
3) The confessions that they left in the library is found and posted all over the school with a new form facebook group “whoisZacandLove” (their pen names)
4) Xav gets back with his ex girlfriend because PLOTWIST: the bitchy cheerleader started the facebook page and could possibly expose him as Zac.
Now here’s something you should know: while Vee’s deepest confession was that she slept with her sisters boyfriend; xav confessed that he saw his mother sleeping with a minor. And hence he needs to “date” Brie (cheerleader psycho) to keep his mothers secret.
5) Vee is heartbroken and constantly cries.
6) Xav does nothing about it except blame and beat himself up.
I feel like my love for Xav drops after this, he was all “bark but no bite”? he kept saying how much he loved her and how he would do anything for and how she is the single most important thing in his life but he does absolutely nothing to prove it.
“What if you’re the only thing that makes sense anymore?” He sounds pained, broken. “What if, when everything went to shit, all I could think about was making sure you were okay?” I hear him step forward but don’t turn around. “What if I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire fucking life, Vee?”
*proceeds to ignore her existence in public*
Its almost embarrassing to read about how Vee is in love with him and im like “for fucksake you’re in love with a fucking ghost”
“Love: I wish I could hug you right now.
Zac: Fair warning, if you hugged me, another part of me would probably hug you.”
*dramatic eye-roll* boys.
And Xavier’s parents had the most comical lines
“Baby, look at me.” She forces our eyes to meet. “I’m your mother. I carried you, gave you life, tended to every fit. There are a million girls just like her out there, but there is only one of me.”
I really want to read Finn and Dia’s story (MC’s bestfriends)
“Long story short, they hated each other.
Until… their genitals didn’t.”
They seem to be a mess but I just cant help but find their story amusing and it’s a “friends who are in love with eachother but will not admit it” trope.
Overall: I don’t HATE this book, it was what you would expect going into a highschool bully romance, it was fun and very fast, I finished it in one day! I feel like if you like Deviant King or Dear Ava; you would like this book.
“I know this is shitty, and complicated, and it’d be easier for you to get on that plane, but… I don’t want easy—fuck easy. I want you. I love you, Vee,” he croaks, pressing his forehead flush to mine. “Just… stay.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
![Profile Image for Corinne [hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1603449181i%2F94376563._UY200_CR13%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 12, 2021
Full disclosure here... I avoided reading this book for a long time because it is a high-school bully romance and I'm a grown woman. I made a lot of assumptions about it but as it goes with assumptions, they were all wrong.
Most bully romances are shallow and ridiculous. Not this one. This book has real substance. It is fresh and entertaining. All the characters are relatable and real, not just the main ones but all of them.
Aveena is multi-dimensional. She has a complicated life for an 18 year old. But she is grounded and smart. Sure, she makes some stupid decisions but she is only 18. I could relate to her a lot. The bullying that she endures was frustrating but not as much as the school's attitude.
Xavier is a bit annoying. He's not un unlikeable character. He treats her really well but he makes the worst choices and takes on himself the burderns of his parents. His parents... omg, the perfect blend of awfull and selfish.
Aveena and Xavier become secret pen-pals by chance and their romance is bulding slowly and I really appreciated this. I am tired of insta-love as the norm.
There are a lot of plot twists. This is not an easy-peasy story. It is interesting and engaging. The story is told mostly from Aveena's POV and the author deliberatly witholds information.
In conclusion, this book is a lot more than I expected. I laughed, I cringed, I was appalled, I was sad, I swooned.
Please give it a try!!!
Can't wait for the next book in the series!
Most bully romances are shallow and ridiculous. Not this one. This book has real substance. It is fresh and entertaining. All the characters are relatable and real, not just the main ones but all of them.
Aveena is multi-dimensional. She has a complicated life for an 18 year old. But she is grounded and smart. Sure, she makes some stupid decisions but she is only 18. I could relate to her a lot. The bullying that she endures was frustrating but not as much as the school's attitude.
Xavier is a bit annoying. He's not un unlikeable character. He treats her really well but he makes the worst choices and takes on himself the burderns of his parents. His parents... omg, the perfect blend of awfull and selfish.
Aveena and Xavier become secret pen-pals by chance and their romance is bulding slowly and I really appreciated this. I am tired of insta-love as the norm.
There are a lot of plot twists. This is not an easy-peasy story. It is interesting and engaging. The story is told mostly from Aveena's POV and the author deliberatly witholds information.
In conclusion, this book is a lot more than I expected. I laughed, I cringed, I was appalled, I was sad, I swooned.
Please give it a try!!!
Can't wait for the next book in the series!
June 6, 2021
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Style: Enemies to Lovers Romance (High School)
Story: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Dark Level: 0/5
Sexual Level: GOOD
Triggers: Yes
Violence: No
Male: Likeable
Series: N/A
Pages: 426
Audio: N/A
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
STORY:
I have to say I REALLY LIKED THIS STORY. It’s like I binge-watched a juicy teen drama on Netflix. Sometimes, it could be a little cheesy and a tad bit predictable, but I couldn’t get enough of the storyline and the characters. It had so many layers and components that it was like a story within a story. I actually found myself looking forward to the texts and letters in the first half of the book. I was reliving my teen years vicariously through these texts.
Xav is the typical popular guy who isn’t happy with his life or is current girlfriend-ish. He isn’t mean; I found him to be nice. A little too nice at times, if you ask me. He was still appealing and sexy as well, and I fell in love with his character, although he could have fought a little hard during the climax of the story. Vee was just that girl to me. The one that nobody notices who’s just waiting for graduation to hightail it to college. Both Xav and Vee together, entertained me from start to end. I can honestly say I was not bored or felt the need to skip pages.
The buts for me are few. So tell me, and maybe it’s just me, are my expectations too high when a title is self-explanatory? The enemies to lovers theme had like a 2 to 5 minutes life span. This was a very good story for me, but it was not what I got from the title. This was not an Enemies to Lovers book.
SEXUAL CHEMISTRY:
I enjoyed Xav’s and Vee’s build up and sexual chemistry once it exploded. It wasn’t as intense but still very satisfactory for me. I would even say I would have liked a bit more (that’s the selfish inner slut in me speaking).
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
I love when a book can give you so my secondary characters that does not take away from the main characters.
Dia and Finn - Dia is Vee’s best friend and Finn is Xav’s. These two really gave me soap opera vibes. I hope the author does a story for them because I don’t fully have a resolution to their story. I thought Dia was a little all over the place. She stood up for Vee, but her life was a constant party and Finn’s D. Finn was P whipped. Like I said, soap opera vibes. It always felt like Vee does what Dia wants to do and that always partying.
Theo and Ash - Theo a friend of Xav and Ash is Vee’s sister. Not enough to speak on throughout the book but based on the epilogue, they need a story as well.
Brielle and Axel, they can pretty much burn in hell.
OVERALL:
The stars of this story, the texts, letters, Vee and Xav. An enjoyable read for me. I love the main characters and secondary characters. I hope the author is planning on continuing the story with Finn and Dia.
TRIGGERS: alcohol use, roofied drink, attempted rape, mention of suicide. (these triggers does not mean this is a dark read)
****I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read. I based my book reviews on my preferences and what I like, and while these preferences may not be the same for others, I hope this review was still helpful.
Style: Enemies to Lovers Romance (High School)
Story: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Dark Level: 0/5
Sexual Level: GOOD
Triggers: Yes
Violence: No
Male: Likeable
Series: N/A
Pages: 426
Audio: N/A
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
STORY:
I have to say I REALLY LIKED THIS STORY. It’s like I binge-watched a juicy teen drama on Netflix. Sometimes, it could be a little cheesy and a tad bit predictable, but I couldn’t get enough of the storyline and the characters. It had so many layers and components that it was like a story within a story. I actually found myself looking forward to the texts and letters in the first half of the book. I was reliving my teen years vicariously through these texts.
Xav is the typical popular guy who isn’t happy with his life or is current girlfriend-ish. He isn’t mean; I found him to be nice. A little too nice at times, if you ask me. He was still appealing and sexy as well, and I fell in love with his character, although he could have fought a little hard during the climax of the story. Vee was just that girl to me. The one that nobody notices who’s just waiting for graduation to hightail it to college. Both Xav and Vee together, entertained me from start to end. I can honestly say I was not bored or felt the need to skip pages.
The buts for me are few. So tell me, and maybe it’s just me, are my expectations too high when a title is self-explanatory? The enemies to lovers theme had like a 2 to 5 minutes life span. This was a very good story for me, but it was not what I got from the title. This was not an Enemies to Lovers book.
SEXUAL CHEMISTRY:
I enjoyed Xav’s and Vee’s build up and sexual chemistry once it exploded. It wasn’t as intense but still very satisfactory for me. I would even say I would have liked a bit more (that’s the selfish inner slut in me speaking).
SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
I love when a book can give you so my secondary characters that does not take away from the main characters.
Dia and Finn - Dia is Vee’s best friend and Finn is Xav’s. These two really gave me soap opera vibes. I hope the author does a story for them because I don’t fully have a resolution to their story. I thought Dia was a little all over the place. She stood up for Vee, but her life was a constant party and Finn’s D. Finn was P whipped. Like I said, soap opera vibes. It always felt like Vee does what Dia wants to do and that always partying.
Theo and Ash - Theo a friend of Xav and Ash is Vee’s sister. Not enough to speak on throughout the book but based on the epilogue, they need a story as well.
Brielle and Axel, they can pretty much burn in hell.
OVERALL:
The stars of this story, the texts, letters, Vee and Xav. An enjoyable read for me. I love the main characters and secondary characters. I hope the author is planning on continuing the story with Finn and Dia.
TRIGGERS: alcohol use, roofied drink, attempted rape, mention of suicide. (these triggers does not mean this is a dark read)
****I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read. I based my book reviews on my preferences and what I like, and while these preferences may not be the same for others, I hope this review was still helpful.
April 18, 2021
Sometimes i feel like there is a competition going on between authors who can write the most annoying heroine, but there is a plot twist in this book...guess what?? *heartbeat sound increasing* ...there is an annoying hero too!!! *yay*. Ok you know what, i liked this book but not that much. I liked the fact that it was a bit realistic where rich boys do rich boy stuff and not behave like mafia. There was that realistic vibe at the beginning but towards the end it became dramatic af, the drama didnt bother me but the way the characters behaved. First of all, Aveena at the beginning judges her bff Dia for being a party girl and drinking...I mean i get it, seriously i relate to Aveena a bit because she is shy and awkward and she feels bad that her bff changing, i get it trust me, but then, fucking then.. Aveena towards the end starts partying and drinking as well because Xavier the hero broke up with her. Like hypocrite much? This girl literally didnt even spare her bff and judged the fuck out of her throughout the whole book and showed herself as a saint but then when it comes to her heartbreak...she is doing the same thing...like- ...i liked Aveena’s character because she was a really realistic character at the beginning who is in highschool and trying to find herself, dealing with problems but then she becomes so stupid at the end ugh. She shows herself as “ i am not like the other girls” the entire book. I wanted to rate this 3-4 but the turn off for me was when Xavier was confessing his love for her ....she just slapped him...and then fucked him. Like why did u slap? You dont slap someone when they confess their love, you slap them when they are being mean. She didnt slap xavier when he was being rude af at the beginning but slaps him when he is saying the three stupid words. What!? 😑 as the story continued, after 70% it was like who can be stupider Xavier or Aveena and let me tell you, Both of them are in the same level. #couplegoals. And ppl say true love doesnt exist. I loved Finn and Dia, i hope they are not like Aveena and Xavier. However, what i absolutely loved about this book was that AT THE BEGINNING 40-50%..at the beginning it was a realistic highschool story kinda, there was no drama, it was very realistic and i loved it but again, towards the end ( from 60%) it became very dramatic and the characters went from amazing to okayish to tolerable to annoying to get the fuck out.
Aveena was weak but again, i get it, she had to deal with a lot of things in her life and also she did try to stand up for herself. Xavier was different from other hs hero’s, he was a realistic character as well and at the end he broke up with Aveena but also made the right decision afterwards ..i was annoyed but at least he came to his senses but Aveena did forgive him wayyy too quickly. And i also liked the letter part of the book and how they communicate, when they finally found out about eachother, it was not awkward, it was very passionate and i really liked that. But Aveena whines about how her mom doesnt love her and after she confronts, they talk and cry and reunite but then again her mom starts to be bitchy again. So I really wanted a closure from that part, they did talk and sort it out but her mom was back to be a bitch again, like can Aveena just be strong and stand up against her mom? 90% was rushed up, after the letters were revealed in front of everyone and it was out that Xavier is Zac it just ended abruptly. Like how did their friends react? Cuz Xavier wrote things about Finn as well so how did Finn react? It just ended too quickly.
Overall, the book was okayish for me, liked it but hated it more. I wished that Aveena was not so judgemental and whiny, same as Xavier, i wished he was not so whiny. At the beginning of the story, i really liked their characters but at the end they were intolerable.
Aveena was weak but again, i get it, she had to deal with a lot of things in her life and also she did try to stand up for herself. Xavier was different from other hs hero’s, he was a realistic character as well and at the end he broke up with Aveena but also made the right decision afterwards ..i was annoyed but at least he came to his senses but Aveena did forgive him wayyy too quickly. And i also liked the letter part of the book and how they communicate, when they finally found out about eachother, it was not awkward, it was very passionate and i really liked that. But Aveena whines about how her mom doesnt love her and after she confronts, they talk and cry and reunite but then again her mom starts to be bitchy again. So I really wanted a closure from that part, they did talk and sort it out but her mom was back to be a bitch again, like can Aveena just be strong and stand up against her mom? 90% was rushed up, after the letters were revealed in front of everyone and it was out that Xavier is Zac it just ended abruptly. Like how did their friends react? Cuz Xavier wrote things about Finn as well so how did Finn react? It just ended too quickly.
Overall, the book was okayish for me, liked it but hated it more. I wished that Aveena was not so judgemental and whiny, same as Xavier, i wished he was not so whiny. At the beginning of the story, i really liked their characters but at the end they were intolerable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
<2⭐
I genuinely cannot express how much I hate high school "romance" books.
1️⃣ this writing was shit. - I don't get the high ratings tbh.
🧾🧾RECEIPTS:
💌only positive:
I genuinely cannot express how much I hate high school "romance" books.
1️⃣ this writing was shit. - I don't get the high ratings tbh.
🧾🧾RECEIPTS:
As soon as they're gone, Xavier scoffs a mocking 'And the award of subtlety goes to....'cringe 101:
Not that anyone risked telling Xavier about it.
They wouldn't have lived to see graduation if they had.
"Congrats, All Star, you saved your reputation..." Then she twists the knife into my wound. (dramatic pause) "But you lost the girl."u want me to applaud??
"Oh, Harper... I don't play to play. I play to win."😐😐
"Tell me," I all but shout. "Or lose me."LMFAO OKAY
"Then why did you break my heart?" I choke out. He flinches at my teary eyes, the way he always does, and drags a long sigh, resting his forehead against mine. "Because I had to."
💌only positive:
it all started with an anonymous letter...
and two small-town kids the secret the size of a city.
June 30, 2022
Woot! 🙌🏻 I finished! 🎉🤡 RTC
June 27, 2023
Sins and confessions!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😠😚😁😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Aveena (a.k.a. Vee) - She is doing her best to get a scholarship so she can get out of town next year when her evil teacher assigns her a 20-page paper worth half her grade on a book of poetry. She is so angry she pens a hateful letter to said teacher and accidentally leaves the letter in the book and leaves the book in the library. All she can think of is getting that letter back before someone finds it.
The Hero: Xavier - He is the star basketball player on the team at Easton High. His mother is the principle at the school and his father is a teacher. He recently saw his mother cheating on his father and it screwed with his head, he acted out and lit a stink bomb in school because he was so angry. His girlfriend Bri just happened to be filming a video and caught the act on camera and so Xavier got caught. The relationship was over after she posted it on Snap Chat.
The story: Vee hates Xavier. They used to hang out as kids because their moms used to be friends, and Xavier used to bully Vee. That was up until they were 8 years old when he started going to a different school. He returned for high school, but they haven’t talked since then. Their last interaction was when they were 8 and he pushed her on the playground.
Vee has a lot going on in her life, she lost her v card to her sister's ex-boyfriend Logan and thinks she is a horrible person. Her sister, Ashley is a prodigy and Vee has always lived in her shadow. Now she finds out her sister is dating Logan again and Vee doesn’t want her sister to find out. When she was 9 years old, she found her dad in the garage after he committed suicide.
Vee does end up finding the book of poetry and it has her letter which she didn’t want anyone to find, but it has a note on the back. So, she removes the letter, puts in a note to the bully who replied and puts the book back. Then starts a conversation with an unknown person via notes in a book. Until she finds out it is Xavier that she is talking to.
I liked the story despite the fact that many of the letters and texts between the two main characters are so obviously high school. That actually lends to the authenticity of the storyline since they are in high school. Though so many books like these have the characters behaving more like thirty year olds than high school students. I liked the storyline and the back stories of both main characters. They each have things going on in their lives and their pasts that made them perfect for each other.
This book was told in dual points of view via duet narration and was narrated by Michelle Sparks and Lucas Allen. I love duet narration and props to the author for doing it this way. Way too few books are narrated that way. I love Michelle Sparks soft, feminine voice which is terrific, and Lucas Allen had a good voice as well and totally sounded age appropriate for this book. Though his narration was a bit stilted at times, it was still good.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😠😚😁😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Aveena (a.k.a. Vee) - She is doing her best to get a scholarship so she can get out of town next year when her evil teacher assigns her a 20-page paper worth half her grade on a book of poetry. She is so angry she pens a hateful letter to said teacher and accidentally leaves the letter in the book and leaves the book in the library. All she can think of is getting that letter back before someone finds it.
The Hero: Xavier - He is the star basketball player on the team at Easton High. His mother is the principle at the school and his father is a teacher. He recently saw his mother cheating on his father and it screwed with his head, he acted out and lit a stink bomb in school because he was so angry. His girlfriend Bri just happened to be filming a video and caught the act on camera and so Xavier got caught. The relationship was over after she posted it on Snap Chat.
The story: Vee hates Xavier. They used to hang out as kids because their moms used to be friends, and Xavier used to bully Vee. That was up until they were 8 years old when he started going to a different school. He returned for high school, but they haven’t talked since then. Their last interaction was when they were 8 and he pushed her on the playground.
Vee has a lot going on in her life, she lost her v card to her sister's ex-boyfriend Logan and thinks she is a horrible person. Her sister, Ashley is a prodigy and Vee has always lived in her shadow. Now she finds out her sister is dating Logan again and Vee doesn’t want her sister to find out. When she was 9 years old, she found her dad in the garage after he committed suicide.
Vee does end up finding the book of poetry and it has her letter which she didn’t want anyone to find, but it has a note on the back. So, she removes the letter, puts in a note to the bully who replied and puts the book back. Then starts a conversation with an unknown person via notes in a book. Until she finds out it is Xavier that she is talking to.
I liked the story despite the fact that many of the letters and texts between the two main characters are so obviously high school. That actually lends to the authenticity of the storyline since they are in high school. Though so many books like these have the characters behaving more like thirty year olds than high school students. I liked the storyline and the back stories of both main characters. They each have things going on in their lives and their pasts that made them perfect for each other.
This book was told in dual points of view via duet narration and was narrated by Michelle Sparks and Lucas Allen. I love duet narration and props to the author for doing it this way. Way too few books are narrated that way. I love Michelle Sparks soft, feminine voice which is terrific, and Lucas Allen had a good voice as well and totally sounded age appropriate for this book. Though his narration was a bit stilted at times, it was still good.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
January 27, 2024
Ich bin echt positiv überrascht worden!! Niemals hätte ich gedacht, dass dieses Buch mich SO sehr fesseln würde. 😍 Der Schreibstil der Autorin, wie die Story aufgestellt war, die Emotionen und DIE BRIEFE… all das hat dafür gesorgt, dass ich durch die Seiten geflogen bin. Auch wenn es manchmal zu dramatisiert wurde habe ich’s geliebt und freue mich auf weitere Bücher der Autorin!! 🤭 4,5/5⭐️
August 26, 2021
1 "Maria's gonna kick your ass" star
Dear Love, dear Zac...
If you two don't get your shit together ASAP, all the wooden spoons in my Portuguese grandmother's arsenal are going to find your ass cheeks with laser precision.
I'm genuinely astonished at the rating this book has.
You know what? Maybe I need to get my shit together too because high school settings in books are a magnet for clichés, and yet here I still am—clownin' myself.
Alright, in my more rational moments when the PTSD associated with wooden spoons isn't still clouding my vision, I can recognize that's not entirely true.
I've read some genuinely raw and realistic high school-aged stuff.
The Inheritance Games
Every Breath
↑
↑ These are some pretty good examples that come to mind.
Aveena and Xavier were leagues behind, man.
At every opportunity the author opted for easy drama, easy villains, and easy resolutions.
I couldn't believe the amount of shit we were just expected to...well, believe.
The stuff with the parents: MA'AM, do I look like a joke to you?
Good thing Ms. Emery ain't a math teacher, cause shit's gonna look like—
Yup, perfectly realistic behaviour.
These characters were just chock full of comic levels of angst and self-delusion. They couldn't stick to their guns for shit. This genuinely felt like it was written by somebody that watched Mean Girls thinking it was a documentary, then relayed what they saw to somebody else, then THAT mf wrote a book.
Non.
Dear Love, dear Zac...
If you two don't get your shit together ASAP, all the wooden spoons in my Portuguese grandmother's arsenal are going to find your ass cheeks with laser precision.
I'm genuinely astonished at the rating this book has.
You know what? Maybe I need to get my shit together too because high school settings in books are a magnet for clichés, and yet here I still am—clownin' myself.
Alright, in my more rational moments when the PTSD associated with wooden spoons isn't still clouding my vision, I can recognize that's not entirely true.
I've read some genuinely raw and realistic high school-aged stuff.
The Inheritance Games
Every Breath
↑
↑ These are some pretty good examples that come to mind.
Aveena and Xavier were leagues behind, man.
At every opportunity the author opted for easy drama, easy villains, and easy resolutions.
I couldn't believe the amount of shit we were just expected to...well, believe.
The stuff with the parents: MA'AM, do I look like a joke to you?
Good thing Ms. Emery ain't a math teacher, cause shit's gonna look like—
Yup, perfectly realistic behaviour.
These characters were just chock full of comic levels of angst and self-delusion. They couldn't stick to their guns for shit. This genuinely felt like it was written by somebody that watched Mean Girls thinking it was a documentary, then relayed what they saw to somebody else, then THAT mf wrote a book.
Non.
September 18, 2021
4.5⭐️
childhood friends turned strangers turned enemies, turned anonymous pen pals, turned lovers, turned enemies turned lovers ?
childhood friends turned strangers turned enemies, turned anonymous pen pals, turned lovers, turned enemies turned lovers ?
April 17, 2021
The blurb peeked my attention and the intriguing story kept me reading!
I love the Anonymous/ secret pen pal theme and Dear Love, I Hate You - did not disappoint.
This read is Filled with angst, drama and emotions.
It takes place during the characters Senior year of High school and I found the tone perfect without being too juvenile. And yes ~expect some spice!
I also enjoyed the side characters and hope she will continue with them and make it an interconnected series.
First love, drama and angst made this a great read!
NA. Stand alone. Dual POV
I love the Anonymous/ secret pen pal theme and Dear Love, I Hate You - did not disappoint.
This read is Filled with angst, drama and emotions.
It takes place during the characters Senior year of High school and I found the tone perfect without being too juvenile. And yes ~expect some spice!
I also enjoyed the side characters and hope she will continue with them and make it an interconnected series.
First love, drama and angst made this a great read!
NA. Stand alone. Dual POV
March 12, 2021
Happy Book Birthday!!
Eliah Greenwood delivers an angsty and heart-breakingly fantastic story I couldn’t put down.
I don’t want easy. Screw ‘easy’. I want YOU.”
Aveena Harper has lived in her younger sister’s shadow most of her life and feels completely ignored by her mother. Feeling the need to unload she writes a hate/rant anonymous letter and accidentally leaves in a poetry book.
When she looks for it in order to destroy it, she finds it’s been answered by a cocky male she can’t help but engage with and soon they’re both confiding their deepest, darkest secrets. Information they promise never to share because of the serious repercussions it would unleash.
They also agreed to keep their identities until Vee accidentally finds out that she’s been corresponding and texting Xavier Emery. The town’s golden boy. Her childhood tormentor. A guy who would never look at her twice if he found out. Or would he?
Even though he’s the quintessential jock, Xavier is so much more beneath the surface. He cares deeply for his friends, is tortured because of the family situation he’s living, and despite the fact that he thinks he can’t love, he does with his whole heart. It was impossible not to fall for him despite all the drama, angst and mistakes that are typical for his age.
Aveena was equally loveable. She’s smart, self-assured, and very mature for her age. She’s shy and yet honest, and sweet and sassy, and very understanding and perfect for Xav who saw the real her.
“When a guy like that sees a girl like you, a girl who doesn’t look easy or desperate, they get intimidated. Label her high-maintenance and run like hell. You are beauty and brains, Vee. You’re an immature high school boy’s worst nightmare.”
I really liked the different dynamics between Vee and Xavier. Their real life interactions where they showed tiny bits of vulnerability and their pen pal personas were they made each other laugh but also totally exposed themselves. Their connection was deep and heartfelt, and I enjoyed the way in which Greenwood develops their romance.
This book was a last minute add to my TBR and I’m soooo glad I was able to get my hands on it. I just couldn’t resist the cover. The blurb. It is my first Eliah Greenwood book and she delivered!
Dear Love, I Hate You is a standalone full length by Eliah Greenwood. It's told from both POV with a happy ending. Genres: Young Adult romance | Sports romance Tropes: Secret Pen Pals | enemies to Lovers
Amazon -> https://amzn.to/30OjwFL
★ I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via Wildfire Marketing. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. ★
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March 14, 2021
***AVAILABLE NOW***
4 STARS - This is going to read like two reviews.
The story gets 5 STARS. I really loved this story. The concept was unique and original. I devoured it in one day.
The note aspect of this story really pulled me in. Aveena and Xavier connecting or reconnecting through anonymous notes truly added a level of intimacy to their relationship. Their guards were down and they shared their deepest secrets with each other. When the inevitable happens, and they found out who the other one is, it only heightens their relationship.
Both of these characters are flawed. You will hate the choices they make and some of the things they do, but, for me, it added a level of humanity to them. They are teens, Seniors, which adds to them not making the best decisions all the time. I really did love them together, though, and I love when an author has outside conflicts to disrupt the relationship of the H & h.
The ending was satisfying, and I’m already dying and hoping that she gives the secondary characters stories because I loved them.
3 STARS is for the development of the story. Do not misunderstand the rating. I enjoyed her writing style, her syntax and her diction. I loved the order of the plot and how she sets up the conflict and resolves it.
The execution floundered a bit for me. There are aspects of the story that I felt needed to be woven into the story a bit more, being made a bigger part of the characters’ stories and their character development. There are some big moments I wished would have been more fleshed out instead of dropped on us without a foundation being laid, and some aspects of the story and secondary plot lines felt rushed, making the pacing a bit off. There were also some inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story as I was reading.
With all the being said, I STILL REALLY LOVED THE STORY. It captivated me, the characters consumed me. I would absolutely pick up another book from this author, and I’m secretly hoping we get more from this world.
***kindleunlimited
***standalone, enemies to lovers
4 STARS - This is going to read like two reviews.
The story gets 5 STARS. I really loved this story. The concept was unique and original. I devoured it in one day.
The note aspect of this story really pulled me in. Aveena and Xavier connecting or reconnecting through anonymous notes truly added a level of intimacy to their relationship. Their guards were down and they shared their deepest secrets with each other. When the inevitable happens, and they found out who the other one is, it only heightens their relationship.
Both of these characters are flawed. You will hate the choices they make and some of the things they do, but, for me, it added a level of humanity to them. They are teens, Seniors, which adds to them not making the best decisions all the time. I really did love them together, though, and I love when an author has outside conflicts to disrupt the relationship of the H & h.
The ending was satisfying, and I’m already dying and hoping that she gives the secondary characters stories because I loved them.
3 STARS is for the development of the story. Do not misunderstand the rating. I enjoyed her writing style, her syntax and her diction. I loved the order of the plot and how she sets up the conflict and resolves it.
The execution floundered a bit for me. There are aspects of the story that I felt needed to be woven into the story a bit more, being made a bigger part of the characters’ stories and their character development. There are some big moments I wished would have been more fleshed out instead of dropped on us without a foundation being laid, and some aspects of the story and secondary plot lines felt rushed, making the pacing a bit off. There were also some inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story as I was reading.
With all the being said, I STILL REALLY LOVED THE STORY. It captivated me, the characters consumed me. I would absolutely pick up another book from this author, and I’m secretly hoping we get more from this world.
***kindleunlimited
***standalone, enemies to lovers
May 3, 2021
The first half of this story was outstandingly good. The back and forth between the two main characters was hilarious and poignant by turns.
Unfortunately, the last half of the novel was unstructured and the several "break ups" seemed contrived and made no sense at all. This was very disappointing, especially since Love and Zac (aka Vee and Xavier) had such a great dynamic. Brie just gave me a headache: her behaviour was so over the top and made no sense to me most of the time.
The dialogue and world building was great. As I've already said, the plotting was good for the first half, but fell apart in the second half.
Another thing that always bothers me about YA romances: the kids seem to have sex on the brain 24/7.
Can we, maybe, inject a bit of realism in YA romances: you have to study SOMETIME if you want to maintain your college scholarship, right?!
This young author has a lot of talent. I suspect she will get better and better over time.
June 9, 2023
So this was a nice little surprise! I’ve never read anything from Eliah Greenwood before, but she’s definitely on my radar now.
Dear Love, I Hate You is a bully romance. Usually, with these storylines it’s guaranteed I will hate the hero for the majority of the book. This one was different though; I absolutely adored Xavier. Deep down he was such a sensitive and troubled soul and you could see how his growing friendship with Aveena was having such a positive effect on him.
I love books where the main characters communicate through letters/texts - and the exchanges between these two were brilliant.
This story had me hooked from the get-go and I’m glad I made the decision to try out this new-to-me author.
Dear Love, I Hate You is a bully romance. Usually, with these storylines it’s guaranteed I will hate the hero for the majority of the book. This one was different though; I absolutely adored Xavier. Deep down he was such a sensitive and troubled soul and you could see how his growing friendship with Aveena was having such a positive effect on him.
I love books where the main characters communicate through letters/texts - and the exchanges between these two were brilliant.
This story had me hooked from the get-go and I’m glad I made the decision to try out this new-to-me author.
July 1, 2021
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 4 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
oh i’m a sucker for this type of romances. I enjoyed this one A LOT. The first 50% was fcking GOOD. Xavier and Vee were adorable and sweet and so good with each other.
My problem was how Vee took literally all the heat, I mean Xavier does too, but poor girl seriously. The whole manipulation move was super predictable, so I wasn’t shocked or annoyed or whatever.
I wasn’t expecting to like it this much. Now, I’m not sure I’ll read Dia’s book... they seem toxic as fuck and I don’t like that. Ashley yes, I’m curious for that one.
oh i’m a sucker for this type of romances. I enjoyed this one A LOT. The first 50% was fcking GOOD. Xavier and Vee were adorable and sweet and so good with each other.
My problem was how Vee took literally all the heat, I mean Xavier does too, but poor girl seriously. The whole manipulation move was super predictable, so I wasn’t shocked or annoyed or whatever.
I wasn’t expecting to like it this much. Now, I’m not sure I’ll read Dia’s book... they seem toxic as fuck and I don’t like that. Ashley yes, I’m curious for that one.
March 23, 2021
FIVE LOVE-HATE STARS for Aveena and Xavier ❤🖤❤🖤!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
P. E. R. F. E. C. T. I. O. N.
That’s just one of the many adjectives I can use to describe this amazing book that I adore so much!
This is the perfection from which I couldn't separate for four days in a row.
Those who know me very well, know that high school and college bully romance are my favorite tropes.
So, it often happens that I choose to read a book simply because it has one of those two tropes.
That’s what happened with this book, too.
And there is no better feeling than when intuition doesn't betray you.
As Eliah is the new author to me, it can be said that I entered this book completely blindly without any expectations about her writing style and the way she creates the plot.
Eliah truly has an original writing style and her sense of writing an interesting plot filled with a lot of drama, but also funny and steamy moments is incredible.
I loved every page of this book and it'll surely stay in my memory for a long time.
"Dear Love, I Hate You" is a high school bully romance with a lot of twists and turns that will make you crazy but you'll love every second of it.
Aveena is a female character who changes throughout the book and from a shy girl who doesn't want to bring attention to herself matures into a girl who manages to confront her bullies.
On the other hand, she's ready to do anything for those she loves including losing her dreams just to protect them.
Xavier is a male character who is initially a typical arrogant athlete only interested in the fame that accompanies him throughout high school.
But as the plot progresses he shows his true face and that in fact behind the mask of a popular jock hides a broken boy who keeps family secrets.
Aveena and Xavier's relationship is filled with a lot of ups and downs from the very beginning.
But thanks to their chemistry and feelings they have for each other, they manage to survive all barriers and their love only grows stronger.
If you're looking for a high school bully romance filled with a lot of drama but also funny and steamy moments, then this is the book for you!!!
Highly recommended!!!
P.S. Can't wait for Dia and Finn's book!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
P. E. R. F. E. C. T. I. O. N.
That’s just one of the many adjectives I can use to describe this amazing book that I adore so much!
This is the perfection from which I couldn't separate for four days in a row.
Those who know me very well, know that high school and college bully romance are my favorite tropes.
So, it often happens that I choose to read a book simply because it has one of those two tropes.
That’s what happened with this book, too.
And there is no better feeling than when intuition doesn't betray you.
As Eliah is the new author to me, it can be said that I entered this book completely blindly without any expectations about her writing style and the way she creates the plot.
Eliah truly has an original writing style and her sense of writing an interesting plot filled with a lot of drama, but also funny and steamy moments is incredible.
I loved every page of this book and it'll surely stay in my memory for a long time.
"Dear Love, I Hate You" is a high school bully romance with a lot of twists and turns that will make you crazy but you'll love every second of it.
Aveena is a female character who changes throughout the book and from a shy girl who doesn't want to bring attention to herself matures into a girl who manages to confront her bullies.
On the other hand, she's ready to do anything for those she loves including losing her dreams just to protect them.
Xavier is a male character who is initially a typical arrogant athlete only interested in the fame that accompanies him throughout high school.
But as the plot progresses he shows his true face and that in fact behind the mask of a popular jock hides a broken boy who keeps family secrets.
Aveena and Xavier's relationship is filled with a lot of ups and downs from the very beginning.
But thanks to their chemistry and feelings they have for each other, they manage to survive all barriers and their love only grows stronger.
If you're looking for a high school bully romance filled with a lot of drama but also funny and steamy moments, then this is the book for you!!!
Highly recommended!!!
P.S. Can't wait for Dia and Finn's book!!!
March 28, 2021
Tbh I loved the pen pal part it was charming and witty and refreshing I loved there banter with each other
And you really felt a stong bond forming ..... but like it stops there because the rest of this book is um.. yea
Honestly from the start aleena was such a breath of fresh air she was witty sarcastic snarky I loved it I felt like I was reading a different heroine .... but like 20% in if that she did a complete 1 fucking 80
She becomes this insecure reck who wants the boy to like her so
Bad and god why tf would he want me?
please fuck of with that shit why can’t I ever read about a girl saying “he’s” lucky to be with me?
And honestly xavior was soooo annoying he had some funny one liners but really got to the point where I was like girl
What do you even see in him?
Of course as always he fucks around with a few girls and when your in his POV you read how good the girls are in bed
While she only slept with one guy and it was terrible and he also try’s to rape her later on.... alright
Wtf is it with these girls be the ones so self sacrificing
I mean he outed her first ignored her and was a complete ass after he broke up with her for her own good of course
Shoot me please.
While she cry’s and dies for him doesn’t out him of course and protects him... fuck ... off ... please
And you really felt a stong bond forming ..... but like it stops there because the rest of this book is um.. yea
Honestly from the start aleena was such a breath of fresh air she was witty sarcastic snarky I loved it I felt like I was reading a different heroine .... but like 20% in if that she did a complete 1 fucking 80
She becomes this insecure reck who wants the boy to like her so
Bad and god why tf would he want me?
please fuck of with that shit why can’t I ever read about a girl saying “he’s” lucky to be with me?
And honestly xavior was soooo annoying he had some funny one liners but really got to the point where I was like girl
What do you even see in him?
Of course as always he fucks around with a few girls and when your in his POV you read how good the girls are in bed
While she only slept with one guy and it was terrible and he also try’s to rape her later on.... alright
Wtf is it with these girls be the ones so self sacrificing
I mean he outed her first ignored her and was a complete ass after he broke up with her for her own good of course
Shoot me please.
While she cry’s and dies for him doesn’t out him of course and protects him... fuck ... off ... please
January 20, 2024
Cute at times and I did enjoy it, but I guess the awful-dumbest-shitty decisions made by Xavier really did it for me. The girl was ready to sacrifice everything while he was busy being scared. cute ending tho
Finn and Dia's crossing the limits of toxicity 🫡
Finn and Dia's crossing the limits of toxicity 🫡
March 3, 2021
I've spent the entire morning reading this book, and even though high school romances usually aren't my favorite trope, this book is GENIUS. And between the blurb and the cover, I was such a goner! Plus once I started reading I couldn't stop -- I was just so consumed by all the beauty between the pain filled pages.
Xavier and Vee are about as opposite as you can get: Xavier being the most popular jock surrounded by his other popular jock friends and cheerleaders, who is the object of both envy and want among many in their high school. On the surface he seems to have everything he could possibly want, but his life is falling apart all around him. The only thing that's making him feel some semblance of happiness is his new secret accidental pen pal, which leads him to find the most beautiful loves of all.
Vee is a loner, who has her one best friend by her side while being the wallflower that everyone ignores. She's had to deal with so much pain at a young age, and is basically treated like an errand girl by her own mother. She wants nothing more than to just finish high school unscathed.. that is until she writes a hate note to one of her teachers, only for it to be found by another student. And to her surprise, her new pen pal not only responds, but keeps writing back to her as well. The twist? They have no idea who they are writing to (at first at least!)
Vee and Xavier's lives are so intertwined outside of their pen pal relationship, and the more time they spend together, the more they learn about one another, the stronger the feelings grow. Xavier can definitely be an ass at times, but he always tries to do the right thing, even when he's breaking his own heart. He never saw himself capable of loving someone, and then Vee in her infinite beauty and sarcastic wit that is so different from anyone else waltzes into his life and knocks him on his ass in the best of ways! You can feel his absolute adoration and love for her, even (And especially) through all the angst, and it was just brilliant!!
I loved Vee so fucking much. This girl is put through the ringer and then some during this book, but she's such a fighter. She loves so openly and beautifully, and I just loved how real she was. She definitely had her own flaws and faults, but she always owned up to them, faced them head on, and for that I respected her so much. The love between her and Xavier was absolutely EVERYTHING, and I loved seeing them grow together!
There is so much wonderful angst here, and my masochistic heart loved every minute of it! I honestly had no clue how things would turn out at certain points, and I couldn't read fast enough to find out!
I'm barley scratching the surface with this review, but I implore you all to take a chance on this book! This was my first time reading this author, and I am just SO obsessed with her words! I NEED to know what happens to all the other couples -- seriously all of these characters will totally consume you!!
I cried so much while reading this, and I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books of all time. I just want to go read it again right away!!
Please, please go read and love this book as much as I do! I promise you won't regret it!😊
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
Xavier and Vee are about as opposite as you can get: Xavier being the most popular jock surrounded by his other popular jock friends and cheerleaders, who is the object of both envy and want among many in their high school. On the surface he seems to have everything he could possibly want, but his life is falling apart all around him. The only thing that's making him feel some semblance of happiness is his new secret accidental pen pal, which leads him to find the most beautiful loves of all.
Vee is a loner, who has her one best friend by her side while being the wallflower that everyone ignores. She's had to deal with so much pain at a young age, and is basically treated like an errand girl by her own mother. She wants nothing more than to just finish high school unscathed.. that is until she writes a hate note to one of her teachers, only for it to be found by another student. And to her surprise, her new pen pal not only responds, but keeps writing back to her as well. The twist? They have no idea who they are writing to (at first at least!)
Vee and Xavier's lives are so intertwined outside of their pen pal relationship, and the more time they spend together, the more they learn about one another, the stronger the feelings grow. Xavier can definitely be an ass at times, but he always tries to do the right thing, even when he's breaking his own heart. He never saw himself capable of loving someone, and then Vee in her infinite beauty and sarcastic wit that is so different from anyone else waltzes into his life and knocks him on his ass in the best of ways! You can feel his absolute adoration and love for her, even (And especially) through all the angst, and it was just brilliant!!
I loved Vee so fucking much. This girl is put through the ringer and then some during this book, but she's such a fighter. She loves so openly and beautifully, and I just loved how real she was. She definitely had her own flaws and faults, but she always owned up to them, faced them head on, and for that I respected her so much. The love between her and Xavier was absolutely EVERYTHING, and I loved seeing them grow together!
There is so much wonderful angst here, and my masochistic heart loved every minute of it! I honestly had no clue how things would turn out at certain points, and I couldn't read fast enough to find out!
I'm barley scratching the surface with this review, but I implore you all to take a chance on this book! This was my first time reading this author, and I am just SO obsessed with her words! I NEED to know what happens to all the other couples -- seriously all of these characters will totally consume you!!
I cried so much while reading this, and I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books of all time. I just want to go read it again right away!!
Please, please go read and love this book as much as I do! I promise you won't regret it!😊
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
August 22, 2021
There will be spoilers and cursing so be forewarned.
I would have given this bitch less stars but that wasn't an option. I would rather eat the script of all of three of The Kissing Booth films as my last meal then read this shit again.
I logged into to this account after years just to save the poor souls that might think reading this is a good idea. For starters, I got this recommendation from tictok after someone posted an excerpt about the main characters starting their love affair through letters shared in a book and I was like, "oh my goodness that sounds cute" the post even said that there was 10 out of 10 spice but both of those assumptions were wrong.
The female lead Aveena is a whipping post and the male lead Xavier is a bitch. The author perpetrates the trope that the female lead must be docile and take shit from people just based on this skewed idea of love. I mean for the devil's sake, people literally said to Aveena, the fucking female lead, that it was probably her fault that her dad UNALIVED himself. And you know what she did? Nothing. She sat there and took that shit and even at the last moment barely defended herself. Not only does this book deal with harsh subjects that aren't property addressed but it gives the impression of victim blaming. When the female lead's younger sister is dealing with domestic abuse and violence their solution is they just want the situation to be over and to let it go, even at the point where the same abuser drugs and tries to assault the female lead. EVEN THEN, they gloss over the subject and give the assailant NO REPERCUSSIONS! FUCKING NO JUSTICE for the victims and the presumed future ones. The female lead has no back bone AT ALL.
Don't get me started with Xavier. I would barely say he even cares for her. As a matter of fact I would say that he only like the reflection of himself in her tear filled eyes. Fuck the threats of jail for his cheating, grooming mother who deserves the insides of a cell for being around children and taking advantage of a high school sophomore (five years is a slap on the wrist). Fuck his spiteful, for-real psychotic, girlfriend. He is a coward for watching the woman he claims to care about be slandered to hell for letters they wrote together. There is no redemption for the shame that he made her walk alone.
There is nothing that I hate more than authors throwing triggers into their writing to further their plot. Realistically, the only reason assault is considered 'character development' is because too many people have to deal with that shit in real life and instead of dealing with the subject or leaving it out of the story it is used as a way for the female lead to thank the male lead for being more than the bottom of the fucking barrel. It's distasteful and disgusting.
The characters were humiliated, blackmailed, guilt-tripped, abused, and set into broken families. If that's what you're into then by all means. But I have learned to care where I lay my eyes and in turn how I feed my mind. The story overall wasn't the fun read I thought it would be and became one of the most hated books I've ever read.
I would have given this bitch less stars but that wasn't an option. I would rather eat the script of all of three of The Kissing Booth films as my last meal then read this shit again.
I logged into to this account after years just to save the poor souls that might think reading this is a good idea. For starters, I got this recommendation from tictok after someone posted an excerpt about the main characters starting their love affair through letters shared in a book and I was like, "oh my goodness that sounds cute" the post even said that there was 10 out of 10 spice but both of those assumptions were wrong.
The female lead Aveena is a whipping post and the male lead Xavier is a bitch. The author perpetrates the trope that the female lead must be docile and take shit from people just based on this skewed idea of love. I mean for the devil's sake, people literally said to Aveena, the fucking female lead, that it was probably her fault that her dad UNALIVED himself. And you know what she did? Nothing. She sat there and took that shit and even at the last moment barely defended herself. Not only does this book deal with harsh subjects that aren't property addressed but it gives the impression of victim blaming. When the female lead's younger sister is dealing with domestic abuse and violence their solution is they just want the situation to be over and to let it go, even at the point where the same abuser drugs and tries to assault the female lead. EVEN THEN, they gloss over the subject and give the assailant NO REPERCUSSIONS! FUCKING NO JUSTICE for the victims and the presumed future ones. The female lead has no back bone AT ALL.
Don't get me started with Xavier. I would barely say he even cares for her. As a matter of fact I would say that he only like the reflection of himself in her tear filled eyes. Fuck the threats of jail for his cheating, grooming mother who deserves the insides of a cell for being around children and taking advantage of a high school sophomore (five years is a slap on the wrist). Fuck his spiteful, for-real psychotic, girlfriend. He is a coward for watching the woman he claims to care about be slandered to hell for letters they wrote together. There is no redemption for the shame that he made her walk alone.
There is nothing that I hate more than authors throwing triggers into their writing to further their plot. Realistically, the only reason assault is considered 'character development' is because too many people have to deal with that shit in real life and instead of dealing with the subject or leaving it out of the story it is used as a way for the female lead to thank the male lead for being more than the bottom of the fucking barrel. It's distasteful and disgusting.
The characters were humiliated, blackmailed, guilt-tripped, abused, and set into broken families. If that's what you're into then by all means. But I have learned to care where I lay my eyes and in turn how I feed my mind. The story overall wasn't the fun read I thought it would be and became one of the most hated books I've ever read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2022
When I picked up Dear Love, I Hate You, i was very skeptical. I am not a big fan of NA romance like this.
The first half of the story is very promising. I was half convinced. The last second half, disaster.
The plot was good at the beginning. The writing is also good and addictive. Miss Greenwood knows where to add her drama and climax into her story. Then the last half is a mess. The conversation, the character development, the plot become very very slopy and choppy. Like need a good editor.
I also do not like NA romance where the characters are about to go to college and they are talking about babies. Come on! Babies when they both still 19 years old??
When I am finished, I am torn giving this book 2 or 3 stars. I round it up to 3 credited to a good beginning.
3 stars
The first half of the story is very promising. I was half convinced. The last second half, disaster.
The plot was good at the beginning. The writing is also good and addictive. Miss Greenwood knows where to add her drama and climax into her story. Then the last half is a mess. The conversation, the character development, the plot become very very slopy and choppy. Like need a good editor.
I also do not like NA romance where the characters are about to go to college and they are talking about babies. Come on! Babies when they both still 19 years old??
When I am finished, I am torn giving this book 2 or 3 stars. I round it up to 3 credited to a good beginning.
3 stars
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