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Love, Hate & Clickbait
Cutthroat political consultant Thom Morgan is thriving, working on the governor of California’s presidential campaign. If only he didn’t have to deal with Clay Parker, the infuriatingly smug data analyst who gets under Thom’s skin like it’s his job. In the midst of one of their heated and very public arguments, a journalist snaps a photo, but the image makes it look like they’re kissing. As if that weren’t already worst-nightmare territory, the photo goes viral—and in a bid to secure the liberal vote, the governor asks them to lean into it. Hard.
Thom knows all about damage control—he practically invented it. Ever the professional, he’ll grin and bear this challenge as he does all others. But as the loyal staffers push the boundaries of “giving the people what they want,” the animosity between them blooms into something deeper and far more dangerous: desire. Soon their fake relationship is hurtling toward something very real, which could derail the campaign and cost them both their jobs…and their hearts.
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B093DM9Q8W
Thom knows all about damage control—he practically invented it. Ever the professional, he’ll grin and bear this challenge as he does all others. But as the loyal staffers push the boundaries of “giving the people what they want,” the animosity between them blooms into something deeper and far more dangerous: desire. Soon their fake relationship is hurtling toward something very real, which could derail the campaign and cost them both their jobs…and their hearts.
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B093DM9Q8W
336 pages, ebook
First published April 26, 2022
170 people are currently reading
16331 people want to read
About the author
Liz Bowery
1 book246 followersAuthor also writes under Lucy Lehane
Lucy Lehane writes love stories about terrible people. Her interests include politics, cheese, and game nights with friends. Exactly no one in her life was surprised to learn she had written a romance novel. By day she is an attorney, and by night, after her son is asleep, and after otherwise procrastinating for as long as humanly possible, she sometimes writes.
Love, Hate & Clickbait is her debut novel (under the name Liz Bowery). Her debut paranormal romance, THIRSTY, is forthcoming from St. Martin's.
Lucy Lehane writes love stories about terrible people. Her interests include politics, cheese, and game nights with friends. Exactly no one in her life was surprised to learn she had written a romance novel. By day she is an attorney, and by night, after her son is asleep, and after otherwise procrastinating for as long as humanly possible, she sometimes writes.
Love, Hate & Clickbait is her debut novel (under the name Liz Bowery). Her debut paranormal romance, THIRSTY, is forthcoming from St. Martin's.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,369 reviews
November 30, 2021
This book surprised me. When I first started it, I was pretty sure it wasn't for me. Both heroes were extremely unlikable, and after the US presidential election that seemed to never end, I felt like I'd had enough of politics.
BUT! I gave the book a few more minutes, and it managed to completely grab me. Somehow, as I got to know the characters, they stopped being so unlikable and started to be...adorable? The fake dating worked for me.
I read this book in one gulp.
Read it and see if it does the same for you.
BUT! I gave the book a few more minutes, and it managed to completely grab me. Somehow, as I got to know the characters, they stopped being so unlikable and started to be...adorable? The fake dating worked for me.
I read this book in one gulp.
Read it and see if it does the same for you.
May 5, 2022
You see those 4 stars? Well, this book is not four stars, BUT it had a fake dating trope and I ENJOYED IT DAMN IT!
👁👄👁
I'm a whore for this trope, it's embarrassing. 🙃🙃
This book had so many ott tropes that I don't know how I liked it. Thing after thing kept happening that I thought: this is too much of just trying to put them together is ridiculous!! And then I just kept reading it and enjoying it. 🤡🤡
Like a guilty pleasure, like the freaking Kardashians and Kilos Mortales!!!
I DIDN'T EVEN LIKE THE CHARACTERS AT FIRST FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!
SO... be warned, this could be a love thing for you, cause brilliant it is not. But I had fun. 🤣🤣🤣
👁👄👁
I'm a whore for this trope, it's embarrassing. 🙃🙃
This book had so many ott tropes that I don't know how I liked it. Thing after thing kept happening that I thought: this is too much of just trying to put them together is ridiculous!! And then I just kept reading it and enjoying it. 🤡🤡
Like a guilty pleasure, like the freaking Kardashians and Kilos Mortales!!!
I DIDN'T EVEN LIKE THE CHARACTERS AT FIRST FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!
SO... be warned, this could be a love thing for you, cause brilliant it is not. But I had fun. 🤣🤣🤣
June 22, 2022
I absolutely adore political or celebrity romances, especially with fake or secret dating. This was pitched as an enemies to lovers more political heavy Red, White & Royal Blue, and I was so desperate to get my hands on this book for months. Love, Hate & Clickbait is pretty much everything it claims to be. It has that well cooked enemies to lovers dynamic (with more emphasis on the enemies), the fun fake dating shenanigans, and all the political drama you could ask for.
This read like a fun, cliche fan-fiction. The plot was a little unbelievable at times, but I was able to appreciate the lighthearted prose for what it was! There were some really hilarious moments, and everything was so melodramatic. I loved that by the end of the novel, they both had learned a lot, yet the essence of their personalities remained the same. The plot felt very contained to their office and the small cast of characters at times, and the moments I most enjoyed were those in Clay’s flat. I enjoyed how Thom acted differently when they were alone.
Clay and Thom’s relationship was incredibly slow-burn. If you like romances where they don’t have that get together moment right until the end of the book, I think you’ll like this! Even when they were intimate, there was this distance between them. I enjoyed their grumpy x sunshine dynamic, but felt like their relationship was a little off. With the enemies to lovers trope, I really feel like there needs to be a strong reason for them to hate each other. Most of the hatred came from Thom, and it felt like Clay, who was an absolute angel, was being picked on a little bit. Thom was a bit of an asshole at times, and often for no real reason. I would have loved this more if the hatred was equalised, and there was an intricate backstory explaining why they were enemies.
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This read like a fun, cliche fan-fiction. The plot was a little unbelievable at times, but I was able to appreciate the lighthearted prose for what it was! There were some really hilarious moments, and everything was so melodramatic. I loved that by the end of the novel, they both had learned a lot, yet the essence of their personalities remained the same. The plot felt very contained to their office and the small cast of characters at times, and the moments I most enjoyed were those in Clay’s flat. I enjoyed how Thom acted differently when they were alone.
Clay and Thom’s relationship was incredibly slow-burn. If you like romances where they don’t have that get together moment right until the end of the book, I think you’ll like this! Even when they were intimate, there was this distance between them. I enjoyed their grumpy x sunshine dynamic, but felt like their relationship was a little off. With the enemies to lovers trope, I really feel like there needs to be a strong reason for them to hate each other. Most of the hatred came from Thom, and it felt like Clay, who was an absolute angel, was being picked on a little bit. Thom was a bit of an asshole at times, and often for no real reason. I would have loved this more if the hatred was equalised, and there was an intricate backstory explaining why they were enemies.
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May 6, 2022
When a journalist captures political consultant Thom being physically aggressive towards data analyst Clay, their boss pressures them into a fake gay relationship, in order to improve her standing amongst liberal voters and clear up a homophobic gaffe on live TV. But Thom and Clay despise each other, so can they hold it together for the sake of their political careers?
Reading this book was painful and I can't recommend it, unfortunately. I got bad vibes early on, and Thom threw up all the red flags from the very first chapter. He reads like a Patrick Bateman, and I absolutely hate that his behaviour towards Clay is romanticised. I feel very wary of this book. It's full of bullies and generally nasty people, and honestly reading their interactions made me kind of anxious. There's no redemption arc to speak of, more an assumption that *obviously* these characters loved each other all along, because how could they not, when they were treating each other so badly all along? Just no.
Also, um. When one has anal sex for the first time, and there's no indication of prepping, typically you should use more than one finger, or it's going to hurt. Like, not in a sexy 'oh it hurts a little but it's nice' way, like... no, you don't want that experience. A tiny bit of research beyond fetishization would go a long way. I can understand how Thom might be into pain, and kind of white knuckle the whole thing, but Clay is more experienced, and should know better than to go ahead like that with someone he supposedly cares for. The sex scenes left me feeling quite concerned, like... they were not a pleasant reading experience, and I feel a little lost about how I was supposed to take them, because I get the impression they were meant to be positive but the glaring lack of understanding/research made them cringeworthy.
Reading this book was painful and I can't recommend it, unfortunately. I got bad vibes early on, and Thom threw up all the red flags from the very first chapter. He reads like a Patrick Bateman, and I absolutely hate that his behaviour towards Clay is romanticised. I feel very wary of this book. It's full of bullies and generally nasty people, and honestly reading their interactions made me kind of anxious. There's no redemption arc to speak of, more an assumption that *obviously* these characters loved each other all along, because how could they not, when they were treating each other so badly all along? Just no.
Also, um. When one has anal sex for the first time, and there's no indication of prepping, typically you should use more than one finger, or it's going to hurt. Like, not in a sexy 'oh it hurts a little but it's nice' way, like... no, you don't want that experience. A tiny bit of research beyond fetishization would go a long way. I can understand how Thom might be into pain, and kind of white knuckle the whole thing, but Clay is more experienced, and should know better than to go ahead like that with someone he supposedly cares for. The sex scenes left me feeling quite concerned, like... they were not a pleasant reading experience, and I feel a little lost about how I was supposed to take them, because I get the impression they were meant to be positive but the glaring lack of understanding/research made them cringeworthy.
December 18, 2021
I read the ARC of this book yesterday. I can't say I enjoyed it. Every single character is an asshole and while I don't have problems with that, none of them are sympathetic either. I don't have to like anyone but some sympathy is needed. There is none. Clay is a delusional blowhard and Thom is just a mega douche asshole who never redeems himself properly. Even at the end, he doesn't show an ounce of remorse for the way he treated all the women in his life, or anyone really. He sort of tries to make up for it in a minor little way, but it's nowhere near enough for character redemption mode.
There is no story through-line, just a bunch of scenes randomly thrown together with no logical progression from scene to scene. I can't tell if it's supposed to be political satire or an indictment of the political system, or just a critique of the way the media handled Hillary Clinton's haircut.
Fake relationship? I can get behind that, sure, it's a book, it's a meet-cute. But fake wedding? No sorry, this is not a regency harlequin. These are supposedly modern people with modern sensibilities and political attitudes, oh but I guess it's okay because marriage means nothing to Thom.
I think what really rankles me the most is the author dedication page and I really hope someone at Harper Collins convinces the author to change the beginning of it. She talks about bonding with someone over watching a really bad movie and being a member of the "How Did That Get Made" club. A) it's bitchy, not even funny and B) it's unnecessary. Because guess what? Now you can start the "how Did That Get Published" club and your book can be the first one in the hall of fame. You talk about starting in fanfic and deciding you're good enough to be a writer. You're good enough to have you fanfic published, I guess, but that's how this reads. FanFic that really could have used another 3 or 4 rounds of work shopping and editing. I really wish I could have enjoyed this book more. With characters who are even 5% sympathetic and maybe one just nice person, and without the fake wedding, and some sort of continuity from scene to scene it could have been good. Right now it's just an annoying mess and I'm sorry I wasted a whole evening reading it.
There is no story through-line, just a bunch of scenes randomly thrown together with no logical progression from scene to scene. I can't tell if it's supposed to be political satire or an indictment of the political system, or just a critique of the way the media handled Hillary Clinton's haircut.
Fake relationship? I can get behind that, sure, it's a book, it's a meet-cute. But fake wedding? No sorry, this is not a regency harlequin. These are supposedly modern people with modern sensibilities and political attitudes, oh but I guess it's okay because marriage means nothing to Thom.
I think what really rankles me the most is the author dedication page and I really hope someone at Harper Collins convinces the author to change the beginning of it. She talks about bonding with someone over watching a really bad movie and being a member of the "How Did That Get Made" club. A) it's bitchy, not even funny and B) it's unnecessary. Because guess what? Now you can start the "how Did That Get Published" club and your book can be the first one in the hall of fame. You talk about starting in fanfic and deciding you're good enough to be a writer. You're good enough to have you fanfic published, I guess, but that's how this reads. FanFic that really could have used another 3 or 4 rounds of work shopping and editing. I really wish I could have enjoyed this book more. With characters who are even 5% sympathetic and maybe one just nice person, and without the fake wedding, and some sort of continuity from scene to scene it could have been good. Right now it's just an annoying mess and I'm sorry I wasted a whole evening reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2022
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Sarcastic psychopath meets delusional dork (probably on the dyspraxic spectrum), picks on him mercilessly until they fall in love after becoming a cute internet meme that helps their tin-eared sociopathic boss in her presidential campaign. Except hijinks ensue and the boys get together. Oh...the psychopathic one? He starts out using/abusing women, this is his first sexual anything with a man. So there's that, too.
It's mean-spirited a lot of the time, which I honestly count in its favor. Author Bowery obviously knows real people like this, she's way too good at both guys' pathologies not to. And the campaign staffers are just *perfect* in their utter and complete soulless indifference to things like others' feelings. It isn't like I have to spend time with them in real life so I can enjoy the terribleness of their callous uncaring ways.
Clay, the delusional dork on the dyspraxic spectrum, is the butt of many jokes and always has been, as we're made aware. I'm not advocating the treatment Clay receives as a come-on or a stay-away quality. I think a lot of socially awkward people would cringe in recognition but I don't know exactly if it would be cathartic or traumatic. It's that much of a toss-up in my mind whether the author's also laughing or making the laughing clods look even worse by not shoving her own reaction at us readers. I actually give points for that. You are left to make up your own mind. I approve of this.
Thom the psychopath, though, isn't played for ambiguity. He has this complex of symptoms, acts out, and is held up as an awful person...until he isn't. Because he's falling ever so slowly in love with a certain tall, dark, and dorky dude. Who seems to be leaning in to their fake wedding (don't ask, just go with it) and the way Thom can make his archenemies freeze to the floor with some truly sick, volcanically hot burns.
Mostly, the beginning of the story is there to set the stakes in romantic fiction. There are enough stakes to go around as these two unappealing people peel off their mannerisms to get to the man inside the ever-baggier suits of fakery. There's a guitar-and-waffles moment when it's all coming together, and they're really connecting over the ordnary stuff of life. Of course Something Happens, and their little moment is lost. I got honestly invested at that point.
The leisurely path to the real relationship is, to my surprise, through the bedroom. There's no little authorial squickiness, either, just two eager, horny men. Sex between men who won't, can't, or don't identify as gay is (as I trust y'all who've been here more than once to know) no news whatever. Been goin' on forever. But these two, in this situation? It's hard for me to figure out why Author Bowery didn't pull the veil over the events but instead she chose the direct path. Did herself proud, too. Her characters don't shy away from the physical responses that real people have, like Thom having a moment's ickiness over the aftermath of sex. It was handled right. It didn't interrupt the story's flow but channeled it closer than ever to the goal of getting these guys past their initial misconceptions about themselves, and therefore each other.
Every step of the way, as Thom felt himself feel for someone else what he's never felt for himself, he fell a little lower in my estimation. He kept being horrible! Truly terrible! And, well...that fall from a height that pride goeth (and pride goeth) before? Pride wenteth. Thom and his belovèd Clay each lost illusions. Clay gained so much self-respect and honest power from losing them! Thom, sad little naked waif huddled in the rain, won much more when he finally realized that standing up means laying down the weapons that defended your badly designed walls.
It's a romance! There's HEA in the social contract of reading them! The wonderful part of *this* HEA is getting there. How it looks? Who knows if this could happen or not...but I'm willing to say it should happen.
My Review: Sarcastic psychopath meets delusional dork (probably on the dyspraxic spectrum), picks on him mercilessly until they fall in love after becoming a cute internet meme that helps their tin-eared sociopathic boss in her presidential campaign. Except hijinks ensue and the boys get together. Oh...the psychopathic one? He starts out using/abusing women, this is his first sexual anything with a man. So there's that, too.
It's mean-spirited a lot of the time, which I honestly count in its favor. Author Bowery obviously knows real people like this, she's way too good at both guys' pathologies not to. And the campaign staffers are just *perfect* in their utter and complete soulless indifference to things like others' feelings. It isn't like I have to spend time with them in real life so I can enjoy the terribleness of their callous uncaring ways.
Clay, the delusional dork on the dyspraxic spectrum, is the butt of many jokes and always has been, as we're made aware. I'm not advocating the treatment Clay receives as a come-on or a stay-away quality. I think a lot of socially awkward people would cringe in recognition but I don't know exactly if it would be cathartic or traumatic. It's that much of a toss-up in my mind whether the author's also laughing or making the laughing clods look even worse by not shoving her own reaction at us readers. I actually give points for that. You are left to make up your own mind. I approve of this.
Thom the psychopath, though, isn't played for ambiguity. He has this complex of symptoms, acts out, and is held up as an awful person...until he isn't. Because he's falling ever so slowly in love with a certain tall, dark, and dorky dude. Who seems to be leaning in to their fake wedding (don't ask, just go with it) and the way Thom can make his archenemies freeze to the floor with some truly sick, volcanically hot burns.
Mostly, the beginning of the story is there to set the stakes in romantic fiction. There are enough stakes to go around as these two unappealing people peel off their mannerisms to get to the man inside the ever-baggier suits of fakery. There's a guitar-and-waffles moment when it's all coming together, and they're really connecting over the ordnary stuff of life. Of course Something Happens, and their little moment is lost. I got honestly invested at that point.
The leisurely path to the real relationship is, to my surprise, through the bedroom. There's no little authorial squickiness, either, just two eager, horny men. Sex between men who won't, can't, or don't identify as gay is (as I trust y'all who've been here more than once to know) no news whatever. Been goin' on forever. But these two, in this situation? It's hard for me to figure out why Author Bowery didn't pull the veil over the events but instead she chose the direct path. Did herself proud, too. Her characters don't shy away from the physical responses that real people have, like Thom having a moment's ickiness over the aftermath of sex. It was handled right. It didn't interrupt the story's flow but channeled it closer than ever to the goal of getting these guys past their initial misconceptions about themselves, and therefore each other.
Every step of the way, as Thom felt himself feel for someone else what he's never felt for himself, he fell a little lower in my estimation. He kept being horrible! Truly terrible! And, well...that fall from a height that pride goeth (and pride goeth) before? Pride wenteth. Thom and his belovèd Clay each lost illusions. Clay gained so much self-respect and honest power from losing them! Thom, sad little naked waif huddled in the rain, won much more when he finally realized that standing up means laying down the weapons that defended your badly designed walls.
It's a romance! There's HEA in the social contract of reading them! The wonderful part of *this* HEA is getting there. How it looks? Who knows if this could happen or not...but I'm willing to say it should happen.
May 1, 2022
Insufferable and obnoxious characters and a “too little too late“ kind of romance (if you can call that a romance)
November 13, 2024
April 2023: Fuck it I'm giving it 5 stars. And the thing is I still completely stand by my original review I was just very wrong about the star rating it deserved lol
Feb 2023: Don't mind me as I re-read this for the third time in less than a year. They are my emotional support irredeemable assholes.
Nov 2022 update: i increased my rating to 3.5 stars rounded up because while it was an absurd book about two truly awful people I was vibing along the whole time and still think about it 6 months later. It still insulted old navy though so I kept the half star off.
(spoilers in this review but really this book isn't that hard to figure out)
2.5 stars rounded up
All right, look, if you ignore the absolute absurdity of the politics, how "famous" these campaign staffer dudes are, and the weird characterizations, you have a fairly sweet little book. It's a lot to ask I know especially when these staffers who are fake dating each other (?) to benefit a political campaign (??) so the candidate looks pro-LGBTQ+ (???) become so popular people are writing real person fic and drawing fan art of them and these things are being posted on buzzfeed and vulture (????). In no world would this happen. Nobody gives one (1) crap about mid level staffers on a political campaign that hasn't even been announced yet. But if you can manage to roll your eyes and look past it, the one soulless uses everyone for his own personal gain guy becomes soft for the tall ugly-or-maybe-hot-idk frat boy persona soft on the inside guy. Yeah, the characterizations are kind of a mess. Who even are these people. Whatever, it doesn't matter. By the end, these two dingdongs have managed to stop being gross fake political staffers and fall in love with each other and become gross real political staffers for a different campaign that won't use their relationship for a political platform! Isn't love grand?
CW: this book insults old navy which is my favorite store so I knocked off half a star.
Read this review and more on my blog: https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
Feb 2023: Don't mind me as I re-read this for the third time in less than a year. They are my emotional support irredeemable assholes.
Nov 2022 update: i increased my rating to 3.5 stars rounded up because while it was an absurd book about two truly awful people I was vibing along the whole time and still think about it 6 months later. It still insulted old navy though so I kept the half star off.
(spoilers in this review but really this book isn't that hard to figure out)
2.5 stars rounded up
All right, look, if you ignore the absolute absurdity of the politics, how "famous" these campaign staffer dudes are, and the weird characterizations, you have a fairly sweet little book. It's a lot to ask I know especially when these staffers who are fake dating each other (?) to benefit a political campaign (??) so the candidate looks pro-LGBTQ+ (???) become so popular people are writing real person fic and drawing fan art of them and these things are being posted on buzzfeed and vulture (????). In no world would this happen. Nobody gives one (1) crap about mid level staffers on a political campaign that hasn't even been announced yet. But if you can manage to roll your eyes and look past it, the one soulless uses everyone for his own personal gain guy becomes soft for the tall ugly-or-maybe-hot-idk frat boy persona soft on the inside guy. Yeah, the characterizations are kind of a mess. Who even are these people. Whatever, it doesn't matter. By the end, these two dingdongs have managed to stop being gross fake political staffers and fall in love with each other and become gross real political staffers for a different campaign that won't use their relationship for a political platform! Isn't love grand?
CW: this book insults old navy which is my favorite store so I knocked off half a star.
Read this review and more on my blog: https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
February 16, 2023
the premise? absurd
the characters? bumbling insecure dweeb and a heartless manipulative creature
conclusion? i would die for them, thom is my horrible son and i will protect them with my life
the characters? bumbling insecure dweeb and a heartless manipulative creature
conclusion? i would die for them, thom is my horrible son and i will protect them with my life
March 9, 2025
I have no idea why this was a 5-star read for me the first time around - probably because I’m a whore for the fake dating trope, sue me. And honestly, that’s probably also the only reason this still gets 3 stars on a reread, even though I hated every single character in this book, lol.
Let’s start with the premise. I get that politics, campaigns, and politicians in the US are insane, but you’re really telling me that two campaign workers ‘dating’ would garner enough attention to overshadow a homophobic comment and generally problematic behaviour from a potential future president? Come the fuck on.
And then there’s Thom. Thom, who’s always looking at his damn phone (that shit drove me MAD) and who’s giving MAJOR red flag all around. Manipulative, emotionally withdrawn, arrogant, exploitative, cold, and just plain mean. He takes what he wants without a second thought and barely shows Clay any real affection; I don’t think he ever even said he was attracted to Clay, that he liked him, yet alone loved him?! Oh and yeah, Thom is supposedly straight but that never comes up again… He was all around the human embodiment of ‘too little too late’ and I genuinely hated him.
And somehow - SOMEHOW - the book gaslights you into swooning over the absolute bare minimum. At one point, after months of sleeping together, Clay has a whole moment over Thom finally talking to him like a person. Sir. Stand up.
Speaking of Clay - poor, sweet Clay. I wasn’t a fan of him either (he was giving major doormat) but he deserved so much better. Their whole dynamic felt like himbo meets prickly, cunning asshole, except without any of the chemistry that should’ve made it work. I didn’t buy their attraction - not even talking about real feelings, because WHY WOULD YOU FALL FOR SUCH A DICK, CLAY?!? - for a second.
The only saving grace was Michael Crouch’s narration. I strongly suspect I was gaslit by his voice the first time around because wow, I fell in love with it all over again. So if I ever rated this 5 stars, it was entirely his fault 🫶
Let’s start with the premise. I get that politics, campaigns, and politicians in the US are insane, but you’re really telling me that two campaign workers ‘dating’ would garner enough attention to overshadow a homophobic comment and generally problematic behaviour from a potential future president? Come the fuck on.
And then there’s Thom. Thom, who’s always looking at his damn phone (that shit drove me MAD) and who’s giving MAJOR red flag all around. Manipulative, emotionally withdrawn, arrogant, exploitative, cold, and just plain mean. He takes what he wants without a second thought and barely shows Clay any real affection; I don’t think he ever even said he was attracted to Clay, that he liked him, yet alone loved him?! Oh and yeah, Thom is supposedly straight but that never comes up again… He was all around the human embodiment of ‘too little too late’ and I genuinely hated him.
And somehow - SOMEHOW - the book gaslights you into swooning over the absolute bare minimum. At one point, after months of sleeping together, Clay has a whole moment over Thom finally talking to him like a person. Sir. Stand up.
Speaking of Clay - poor, sweet Clay. I wasn’t a fan of him either (he was giving major doormat) but he deserved so much better. Their whole dynamic felt like himbo meets prickly, cunning asshole, except without any of the chemistry that should’ve made it work. I didn’t buy their attraction - not even talking about real feelings, because WHY WOULD YOU FALL FOR SUCH A DICK, CLAY?!? - for a second.
The only saving grace was Michael Crouch’s narration. I strongly suspect I was gaslit by his voice the first time around because wow, I fell in love with it all over again. So if I ever rated this 5 stars, it was entirely his fault 🫶
dnf
August 28, 2024I was really hoping I’d be able to power through this but I just can’t. Every single character in this god foresaken book is either absolutely despicable or absolutely insufferable. Every. Single. One. Also whoever said this was an enemies to lovers book clearly lied, Thom is just a bully. Speaking of Thom (short for Thomas, god I hate his nickname) he is an insufferable twat without a single redeeming quality, all the characters suck but him especially. Not to mention the meme references? I get that they would make sense with the context of the book but it made me want to claw my eyes out, they were so cringey.
Dnf at 66%
Dnf at 66%
December 3, 2021
Ahhhh I loved this.
It feels like every publisher needs their version of Red White & Royal Blue - a queer romcom about enemies to lovers. That this one includes politics is like icing on the cake.
This book had me laughing out loud from nearly the first page. Thom and Clay are so mean to each other, and realistically ambitious, and kind of ruthless. I said to a friend from the start that I loved that Thom is a genuine, honest to God asshole and I couldn't wait to see how he was redeemed. And Clay is a bumbling doofus, but a smart bumbling doofus. He reminded me (in his overly tall, awkwardly suited descriptions) of Jonah from Veep. If you just picture Jonah in every scene you'll be halfway there.
But then here's the bananas thing: THEY DON'T ACTUALLY CHANGE. Not in ways that are cloying, or merely in service to the plot, or to smooth down their edges. The Thom at the end of the book is more human, yes, but he's still a cunning political operative with dickish tendencies. Clay is still more comfortable in mismatched clothing and is still messy and obnoxiously cocky. But Liz Bowery takes these two kind of ridiculous people and shows how they can be ruthless and addicted to their phones and ambitious but still be... kind of sweet together. Despite themselves even.
One thing to add quickly: Thom never once has a crisis over his bisexual tendencies. He just goes with it and moves on. There's never a moment where they talk about Clay being gay - it's just a thing. It was super refreshing to keep from all of those queer awakening conversations; it was modern and real.
It feels like every publisher needs their version of Red White & Royal Blue - a queer romcom about enemies to lovers. That this one includes politics is like icing on the cake.
This book had me laughing out loud from nearly the first page. Thom and Clay are so mean to each other, and realistically ambitious, and kind of ruthless. I said to a friend from the start that I loved that Thom is a genuine, honest to God asshole and I couldn't wait to see how he was redeemed. And Clay is a bumbling doofus, but a smart bumbling doofus. He reminded me (in his overly tall, awkwardly suited descriptions) of Jonah from Veep. If you just picture Jonah in every scene you'll be halfway there.
But then here's the bananas thing: THEY DON'T ACTUALLY CHANGE. Not in ways that are cloying, or merely in service to the plot, or to smooth down their edges. The Thom at the end of the book is more human, yes, but he's still a cunning political operative with dickish tendencies. Clay is still more comfortable in mismatched clothing and is still messy and obnoxiously cocky. But Liz Bowery takes these two kind of ridiculous people and shows how they can be ruthless and addicted to their phones and ambitious but still be... kind of sweet together. Despite themselves even.
One thing to add quickly: Thom never once has a crisis over his bisexual tendencies. He just goes with it and moves on. There's never a moment where they talk about Clay being gay - it's just a thing. It was super refreshing to keep from all of those queer awakening conversations; it was modern and real.
October 9, 2023
I've given this an A- for narration and a B+ for content at AudioGals - 4.5 stars
You’d think that a book with a title like Love, Hate & Clickbait and a cutesy cartoon cover would be an equally cutesy rom-com – but you’d be wrong. Personally speaking, I’m glad it didn’t turn out to be a cutesy rom-com; I’ve had quite enough of those TYVM, most of them neither comedic nor romantic. Love, Hate & Clickbait is an antagonists-to-lovers workplace romance set in the office of a governor looking to make a presidential run, so these characters are not immediately likeable, the humour is fairly dark and the sarcasm is biting – and I was Here For It.
Political consultant Thom Morgan is brilliant, driven and completely ruthless. He’s in his element working in the office of the governor of California – he thrives on the wheeling and dealing (and double-dealing) and is looking forward to running the governor’s presidential campaign. The one blot on the otherwise perfect landscape is having to deal with the team’s data analyst Clay Parker, who might be a technical whizz but acts and dresses like he’s still in college and is infuriatingly smug with a chip on his shoulder to boot. When Clay inadvertently disrupts the entire office’s internet connection at a really crucial moment, Thom snaps and loses his temper, pushing Clay against the wall in a threatening manner and insulting him – then heads off to work out a strategy for dealing with their boss’ latest gaffe – a homophobic remark made when she didn’t realise she could be overheard.
The meeting is grim. Thom knows an apology won’t cut it and as the staff is throwing around ideas, Thom picks up notification of a post on Twitter that is a photo of him and Clay in the corridor just minutes earlier, Thom pressing into him, his hand clutching Clay’s shirt – they look like they’re seconds away from kissing and ripping each other’s clothers off, not in the middle of a screaming match. And the Tweet itself reads:
Maybe @GovWestwood has some gays on her staff after all.
Thom and Clay are horrified, but the governor is delighted – having a same-sex couple – albeit a fake one – on staff is exactly what they need to divert attention from her screw-up, and she’s already getting requests for comments from the media. It’s perfect. Thom and Clay are far less enthusiastic (and not entirely sure they’ll be able to convince anyone they’re a couple) but they don’t really have a choice if they want to keep their jobs, and with the promise of title bumps and a raise, the deal is struck.
So we all know where this is going, but it’s the ‘how’ that’s the fun part. Thom and Clay really do dislike each other, although to be fair, it seems it’s mostly Thom doing the disliking while Clay is a nice guy who compensates for social awkwardness by being a bit too cocky; Thom really is an arsehole to him at times and often with no reason, so it does feel a bit one-sided.
But as their public ‘relationship’ continues (and I have no idea how plausible it is that two staffers would be generating so much social media coverage), so their private one starts to undergo some subtle changes. Thom – who has only ever dated women – is surprised to realise he’s attracted to Clay, and honestly, at first he’s more concerned about it being Clay than he is about it being another man! Which is to say that here’s no big freak-out or crisis about being bisexual; Thom thinks about it, decides it’s something new to explore, accepts it and moves on.
The slow-burn romance between Thom and Clay is nicely done, their growing friendship and affection shown through quiet moments of intimacy where they drop their guard a bit around each other. Thom just kind of gravitates to Clay’s apartment at weekends even though they’re not in public and don’t need to put on a show for anyone. Of course he tells himself otherwise, but really, he just likes Clay’s company and wants to spend time with him – although he’d probably rather die than admit it. Clay looks forward to Thom’s visits – which progress from Thom coming over to work, to working and staying for takeout, to working, takeout and gaming or watching movies – although he, too, tells himself it’s for an entirely different reason than that Thom likes being with him. I liked that they fall for each other without either of them having a personality transplant; Thom is the same arseholic, cunning poilitical operator at the end of the book as at the beginning, although he’s learned some humility and compassion, and Clay is the same brilliant but messy doofus, but he’s gained some self-respect and self-awareness. And because they remain essentially ‘them’ it’s easy to believe that they’re still dedicated, obsessive and ambitious while being kinda sweet together and good for each other. My one real criticism is that the HEA hangs in the balance until the very last minute – but it’s ridiculously cute, so all’s well that ends well.
The handful of secondary characters are superbly drawn, in the sense that they’re perfect political operators, often crass and completely oblivious or indifferent to the feelings or beliefs of others, willing to throw whoever they need to under the bus and always on the look-out for whatever will portray them and their boss in the best light. They’re not nice – but then they’re not supposed to be.
Michael Crouch is a very experienced narrator who has over three hundred titles to his credit at Audible – but not many of them are romances, so I haven’t listened to him before. His performance is well-paced, appropriately characterised and effectively differentiated throughout; the cast isn’t large but there are quite a few group scenes and it’s easy to tell who is speaking during conversations. His portrayals of Thom and Clay are really good; there’s a slight difference in pitch between them and Thom’s speech is often clipped with an element of abrasiveness or impatience, while Clay’s is more laid-back and bro-ish. Both these edges soften as their emotional connection develops and their hidden vulnerabilities and insecurities begin to show; it’s an expressive and skilful performance that definitely adds something to the overall listening experience..
Love, Hate & Clickbait is one of those books that wasn’t what I expected in the best of ways. Instead of a cheesy rom-com, I got political nerdery and backstabbing and characters who were not always likeable and made questionable decisions. Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed it!
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
You’d think that a book with a title like Love, Hate & Clickbait and a cutesy cartoon cover would be an equally cutesy rom-com – but you’d be wrong. Personally speaking, I’m glad it didn’t turn out to be a cutesy rom-com; I’ve had quite enough of those TYVM, most of them neither comedic nor romantic. Love, Hate & Clickbait is an antagonists-to-lovers workplace romance set in the office of a governor looking to make a presidential run, so these characters are not immediately likeable, the humour is fairly dark and the sarcasm is biting – and I was Here For It.
Political consultant Thom Morgan is brilliant, driven and completely ruthless. He’s in his element working in the office of the governor of California – he thrives on the wheeling and dealing (and double-dealing) and is looking forward to running the governor’s presidential campaign. The one blot on the otherwise perfect landscape is having to deal with the team’s data analyst Clay Parker, who might be a technical whizz but acts and dresses like he’s still in college and is infuriatingly smug with a chip on his shoulder to boot. When Clay inadvertently disrupts the entire office’s internet connection at a really crucial moment, Thom snaps and loses his temper, pushing Clay against the wall in a threatening manner and insulting him – then heads off to work out a strategy for dealing with their boss’ latest gaffe – a homophobic remark made when she didn’t realise she could be overheard.
The meeting is grim. Thom knows an apology won’t cut it and as the staff is throwing around ideas, Thom picks up notification of a post on Twitter that is a photo of him and Clay in the corridor just minutes earlier, Thom pressing into him, his hand clutching Clay’s shirt – they look like they’re seconds away from kissing and ripping each other’s clothers off, not in the middle of a screaming match. And the Tweet itself reads:
Maybe @GovWestwood has some gays on her staff after all.
Thom and Clay are horrified, but the governor is delighted – having a same-sex couple – albeit a fake one – on staff is exactly what they need to divert attention from her screw-up, and she’s already getting requests for comments from the media. It’s perfect. Thom and Clay are far less enthusiastic (and not entirely sure they’ll be able to convince anyone they’re a couple) but they don’t really have a choice if they want to keep their jobs, and with the promise of title bumps and a raise, the deal is struck.
So we all know where this is going, but it’s the ‘how’ that’s the fun part. Thom and Clay really do dislike each other, although to be fair, it seems it’s mostly Thom doing the disliking while Clay is a nice guy who compensates for social awkwardness by being a bit too cocky; Thom really is an arsehole to him at times and often with no reason, so it does feel a bit one-sided.
But as their public ‘relationship’ continues (and I have no idea how plausible it is that two staffers would be generating so much social media coverage), so their private one starts to undergo some subtle changes. Thom – who has only ever dated women – is surprised to realise he’s attracted to Clay, and honestly, at first he’s more concerned about it being Clay than he is about it being another man! Which is to say that here’s no big freak-out or crisis about being bisexual; Thom thinks about it, decides it’s something new to explore, accepts it and moves on.
The slow-burn romance between Thom and Clay is nicely done, their growing friendship and affection shown through quiet moments of intimacy where they drop their guard a bit around each other. Thom just kind of gravitates to Clay’s apartment at weekends even though they’re not in public and don’t need to put on a show for anyone. Of course he tells himself otherwise, but really, he just likes Clay’s company and wants to spend time with him – although he’d probably rather die than admit it. Clay looks forward to Thom’s visits – which progress from Thom coming over to work, to working and staying for takeout, to working, takeout and gaming or watching movies – although he, too, tells himself it’s for an entirely different reason than that Thom likes being with him. I liked that they fall for each other without either of them having a personality transplant; Thom is the same arseholic, cunning poilitical operator at the end of the book as at the beginning, although he’s learned some humility and compassion, and Clay is the same brilliant but messy doofus, but he’s gained some self-respect and self-awareness. And because they remain essentially ‘them’ it’s easy to believe that they’re still dedicated, obsessive and ambitious while being kinda sweet together and good for each other. My one real criticism is that the HEA hangs in the balance until the very last minute – but it’s ridiculously cute, so all’s well that ends well.
The handful of secondary characters are superbly drawn, in the sense that they’re perfect political operators, often crass and completely oblivious or indifferent to the feelings or beliefs of others, willing to throw whoever they need to under the bus and always on the look-out for whatever will portray them and their boss in the best light. They’re not nice – but then they’re not supposed to be.
Michael Crouch is a very experienced narrator who has over three hundred titles to his credit at Audible – but not many of them are romances, so I haven’t listened to him before. His performance is well-paced, appropriately characterised and effectively differentiated throughout; the cast isn’t large but there are quite a few group scenes and it’s easy to tell who is speaking during conversations. His portrayals of Thom and Clay are really good; there’s a slight difference in pitch between them and Thom’s speech is often clipped with an element of abrasiveness or impatience, while Clay’s is more laid-back and bro-ish. Both these edges soften as their emotional connection develops and their hidden vulnerabilities and insecurities begin to show; it’s an expressive and skilful performance that definitely adds something to the overall listening experience..
Love, Hate & Clickbait is one of those books that wasn’t what I expected in the best of ways. Instead of a cheesy rom-com, I got political nerdery and backstabbing and characters who were not always likeable and made questionable decisions. Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed it!
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
January 2, 2022
Well.
I want to start this review off by saying I'm not a fan of saying things are ripoffs of other things, so I'm not saying that. I also love fanfic, and I don't believe in saying a book reads like fanfic to insult it, especially when talking about tropey queer romance novels.
All of that said, if someone told me this was a Red, White & Royal Blue AU of Boyfriend Material, I wouldn't be remotely surprised. Unrelated to that, I didn't like this book. It didn't deliver on what I was expecting from the premise, the characters were really insufferable, and I didn't like the handling of the POVs.
I want to start this review off by saying I'm not a fan of saying things are ripoffs of other things, so I'm not saying that. I also love fanfic, and I don't believe in saying a book reads like fanfic to insult it, especially when talking about tropey queer romance novels.
All of that said, if someone told me this was a Red, White & Royal Blue AU of Boyfriend Material, I wouldn't be remotely surprised. Unrelated to that, I didn't like this book. It didn't deliver on what I was expecting from the premise, the characters were really insufferable, and I didn't like the handling of the POVs.
August 27, 2023
Loved it. Phenomenal. So much better than I ever expected! Tone was incredibly funny but still heartfelt when it counted.
To be fair, I knew I would love it based on the first scene alone, where Thom dumps the girl he’s been seeing more or less because her Supreme Court justice uncle didn’t show up to her family event. The cynicism from him was incredibly delightful. The key is that the character is cynical - but the narrative is not. The relationship that developed between the two main characters was really sweet and realistic - their characterizations and dynamic were excellent.
This book also worked really well because the political storylines were handled realistically while still being entertaining (or appalling, as called for). Veep, but with an actual heart buried in there somewhere.
I appreciated that Thom had never considered himself queer/bi, but the story wasn’t focused on a coming out narrative at any point. This felt really realistic to the context/character, and I’m glad it wasn’t viewed as somehow obligatory.
There were a few things that I thought were a unnecessary (mostly to do with wrapping up the plot at the very end, although I often think romance authors do too much there so ymmv), but I really really loved the emotional journeys of both characters, and in some ways really related personally to Thom’s perspective (and especially his coping skills or lack thereof haha). All in all, I highly highly recommend and I’ll be looking forward to the next book by this author!
ETA on Aug 2023 reread: Still very funny and the emotional components hit, but I could see the seams a bit this time around.
To be fair, I knew I would love it based on the first scene alone, where Thom dumps the girl he’s been seeing more or less because her Supreme Court justice uncle didn’t show up to her family event. The cynicism from him was incredibly delightful. The key is that the character is cynical - but the narrative is not. The relationship that developed between the two main characters was really sweet and realistic - their characterizations and dynamic were excellent.
This book also worked really well because the political storylines were handled realistically while still being entertaining (or appalling, as called for). Veep, but with an actual heart buried in there somewhere.
I appreciated that Thom had never considered himself queer/bi, but the story wasn’t focused on a coming out narrative at any point. This felt really realistic to the context/character, and I’m glad it wasn’t viewed as somehow obligatory.
There were a few things that I thought were a unnecessary (mostly to do with wrapping up the plot at the very end, although I often think romance authors do too much there so ymmv), but I really really loved the emotional journeys of both characters, and in some ways really related personally to Thom’s perspective (and especially his coping skills or lack thereof haha). All in all, I highly highly recommend and I’ll be looking forward to the next book by this author!
ETA on Aug 2023 reread: Still very funny and the emotional components hit, but I could see the seams a bit this time around.
February 7, 2023
I don't get it, every time I like a queer romance it has mediocre ratings on GR??? This is a really well-written contemporary enemies to friends to lovers romance, and I was glued to my screen reading this!
Rep: gay mc, bi love interest
Rep: gay mc, bi love interest
August 27, 2023
listen, i knew i would have to suspend my disbelief for this one, but it was just too ridiculous to be able to
Rep: bi/pan mc, gay mc
Rep: bi/pan mc, gay mc
April 10, 2022
4.5 Stars
If you took Veep & tossed it in a blender with some enemies-to-lovers + fake dating MM romance, you'd get Liz Bowery's Love, Hate & Clickbait, a hilarious debut from an author you'll want to keep an eye on!
For all of ya'll who like your MCs in enemies-to-lovers romances to truly hate one another, look no further than Thom & Clay - these two DESPISE one another at the start of the book. I wasn't sure how Bowery was going to have the two of them come together, even with the fake dating trope thrown in. Neither Thom nor Clay was particularly likable at first, Thom a raging, narcissistic asshole & Clay a douchey tech bro with a chip on his shoulder - but the more I read, the more charming the both of them became in their own separate ways, & by the end I found myself really rooting for the two of them to get together. Having dual POVs really worked here, getting to see both through each other's eyes provided a lot of context into why they acted the way they did & made them all the more endearing. Their banter was fantastic, there were some really sweet & tender moments, & I was pleasantly surprised by how steamy this ended up being! I thought the queer rep was great in general, but I was particularly impressed with the bi rep & how Bowery handled that situation as a whole. & Bowery really nailed how cutthroat & ruthless politics can be, trust me when I say this book is filled to the brim with biting reads & sarcasm - this is your warning if unlikeable characters aren't your thing!
All in all, I had a blast reading this & I can't wait to get myself a finished copy! & thank you so much Liz Bowery & Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review!
If you took Veep & tossed it in a blender with some enemies-to-lovers + fake dating MM romance, you'd get Liz Bowery's Love, Hate & Clickbait, a hilarious debut from an author you'll want to keep an eye on!
For all of ya'll who like your MCs in enemies-to-lovers romances to truly hate one another, look no further than Thom & Clay - these two DESPISE one another at the start of the book. I wasn't sure how Bowery was going to have the two of them come together, even with the fake dating trope thrown in. Neither Thom nor Clay was particularly likable at first, Thom a raging, narcissistic asshole & Clay a douchey tech bro with a chip on his shoulder - but the more I read, the more charming the both of them became in their own separate ways, & by the end I found myself really rooting for the two of them to get together. Having dual POVs really worked here, getting to see both through each other's eyes provided a lot of context into why they acted the way they did & made them all the more endearing. Their banter was fantastic, there were some really sweet & tender moments, & I was pleasantly surprised by how steamy this ended up being! I thought the queer rep was great in general, but I was particularly impressed with the bi rep & how Bowery handled that situation as a whole. & Bowery really nailed how cutthroat & ruthless politics can be, trust me when I say this book is filled to the brim with biting reads & sarcasm - this is your warning if unlikeable characters aren't your thing!
All in all, I had a blast reading this & I can't wait to get myself a finished copy! & thank you so much Liz Bowery & Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review!
March 24, 2024
This book was so weird, I genuinely cannot imagine that a love affair between two guys that are part of the staff of a governor in the run for the white house would cause such a controversy that it would deflect on the actual drama of the campaign.
Having said that, neither of the MCs is really likeable. Thom is an elitist superficial asshole who spends the majority of the book being mean to his love interest and Clay is just a one dimensional car-board dude-bro from Silicon Valley that for reasons got into politics and develops feelings towards Thom even when Thom is horrible to him.
I feel this book tried to be Red, White and Royal blue and just couldn’t.
Having said that, neither of the MCs is really likeable. Thom is an elitist superficial asshole who spends the majority of the book being mean to his love interest and Clay is just a one dimensional car-board dude-bro from Silicon Valley that for reasons got into politics and develops feelings towards Thom even when Thom is horrible to him.
I feel this book tried to be Red, White and Royal blue and just couldn’t.
December 23, 2021
Thank you to Edelweiss for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thom is an asshole. That's really all there is too it. I didn't like him at all throughout this book. Maybe this sounds harsh but he was just a horrible person even to Clay as he was starting to fall in love with him. Like, don't you have to like someone to love someone? He could never seem to find something good to say about him. Maybe I'm a little harsh because I HATE bully romances but I understand that a lot of people like them. If that is what you are into, then this book would probably be for you. Also, Clay just seemed to accept the fact that Thom would break his heart.
And whatever happened to Bash? Maybe this was an opening for a sequel. IDK but he was introduced, turned into the bad guy, then gone.
Thom is an asshole. That's really all there is too it. I didn't like him at all throughout this book. Maybe this sounds harsh but he was just a horrible person even to Clay as he was starting to fall in love with him. Like, don't you have to like someone to love someone? He could never seem to find something good to say about him. Maybe I'm a little harsh because I HATE bully romances but I understand that a lot of people like them. If that is what you are into, then this book would probably be for you. Also, Clay just seemed to accept the fact that Thom would break his heart.
And whatever happened to Bash? Maybe this was an opening for a sequel. IDK but he was introduced, turned into the bad guy, then gone.
January 8, 2022
Thom is ruthless as he works on the yet to be announced presidential campaign for the governor of California. But when he and Clay, a coworker he despises, are caught in a misleading photo that looks like they're about to make out just AFTER the governor makes a serious gaffe about gay people, they're suddenly forced into a fake relationship...for the good of the campaign. But can they put their mutual dislike aside for the good of the campaign?
Y'all, this was pretty terrible. Both MCs are awful in the beginning. Thom continues to be awful, but the author drops Clay's entire bro personality pretty quickly. This entire situation is bananapants crazy and it frustrates me that no one called the governor out on her bullshit. The ending of the book is also really not the satisfying resolution that you're gonna want.
Y'all, this was pretty terrible. Both MCs are awful in the beginning. Thom continues to be awful, but the author drops Clay's entire bro personality pretty quickly. This entire situation is bananapants crazy and it frustrates me that no one called the governor out on her bullshit. The ending of the book is also really not the satisfying resolution that you're gonna want.
February 22, 2024
Oh. Oh.
I am slightly stunned. I picked this out on a whole whim. I was very surprised, right from the beginning, that I got a character I absolutely would hate in real life, working for a candidate who probably represents candidates better than I want her to, and a bit of an awkward hero working there as well.
And then throw in fake dating. And this one took that pretty far (I far prefer knowing the emotions are genuine and knowing the characters believe them to be, bc/ it is hard enough).
But it all worked here. Clay is annoying as hell, and. you would totally side with Thom if he weren't a despicable asshole obsessed with appearances. But the had chemistry that I believe, angst that I wanted to eat for dinner, and a whole lot of great sexy times and passages. (And I do believe I am a fan of how this author uses sex to represent the emotional journey here, a note I always like to mention)
So I was shocked. This was shockingly good. If you like politics and truly antagonist hard-to-stomach dynamics, have at it. This gave me the feels.
I am slightly stunned. I picked this out on a whole whim. I was very surprised, right from the beginning, that I got a character I absolutely would hate in real life, working for a candidate who probably represents candidates better than I want her to, and a bit of an awkward hero working there as well.
And then throw in fake dating. And this one took that pretty far (I far prefer knowing the emotions are genuine and knowing the characters believe them to be, bc/ it is hard enough).
But it all worked here. Clay is annoying as hell, and. you would totally side with Thom if he weren't a despicable asshole obsessed with appearances. But the had chemistry that I believe, angst that I wanted to eat for dinner, and a whole lot of great sexy times and passages. (And I do believe I am a fan of how this author uses sex to represent the emotional journey here, a note I always like to mention)
So I was shocked. This was shockingly good. If you like politics and truly antagonist hard-to-stomach dynamics, have at it. This gave me the feels.
March 22, 2022
3.5 stars
They say politics makes strange bedfellows, and they sure do take that old adage far in Love, Hate & Clickbait , another book title crying out for an Oxford comma!
Thom is a highly ambitious political consultant working for the California governor’s imminent presidential campaign. He’s never met a person or situation he can’t use to his best advantage or the advantage of the candidate for which he works.
The one person who constantly gets under his skin is Clay, the campaign’s data analyst. Although Clay is smart, he's always a bit clueless, yet at the same time, he’s full of himself, and his lack of awareness—not to mention his messy appearance—drives the impeccably groomed Thom up a wall. When a photograph is taken of Thom confronting Clay in a heated moment, to the naive eye it looks like they’re in the midst of a romantic moment. And when the governor makes a homophobic gaffe, she convinces Thom and Clay to pretend they’re dating, to divert attention from the scandal.
Despite Thom’s dislike of Clay (and the fact that Thom is straight), he’s a good soldier and wants to run the governor's presidential campaign, so they agree to the fake relationship. (Clay, who is gay, just seems to go along for the ride.) But the more convincing the governor and her team want them to be, will fake feelings turn real? What’s the likelihood of someone—or the campaign—getting hurt?
This book has its cute and (quite) steamy moments. But Thom is a really horrible person for a significant portion of the book—he’s downright mean to Clay—and the governor and her team are pretty odious, too. And the whole scheme really seemed just a little too much, even though I don’t doubt it’s happened.
Still, fake dating is always a trope I enjoy in rom-coms. Love, Hate & Clickbait publishes 4/26/22!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2021 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2021.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
They say politics makes strange bedfellows, and they sure do take that old adage far in Love, Hate & Clickbait , another book title crying out for an Oxford comma!
Thom is a highly ambitious political consultant working for the California governor’s imminent presidential campaign. He’s never met a person or situation he can’t use to his best advantage or the advantage of the candidate for which he works.
The one person who constantly gets under his skin is Clay, the campaign’s data analyst. Although Clay is smart, he's always a bit clueless, yet at the same time, he’s full of himself, and his lack of awareness—not to mention his messy appearance—drives the impeccably groomed Thom up a wall. When a photograph is taken of Thom confronting Clay in a heated moment, to the naive eye it looks like they’re in the midst of a romantic moment. And when the governor makes a homophobic gaffe, she convinces Thom and Clay to pretend they’re dating, to divert attention from the scandal.
Despite Thom’s dislike of Clay (and the fact that Thom is straight), he’s a good soldier and wants to run the governor's presidential campaign, so they agree to the fake relationship. (Clay, who is gay, just seems to go along for the ride.) But the more convincing the governor and her team want them to be, will fake feelings turn real? What’s the likelihood of someone—or the campaign—getting hurt?
This book has its cute and (quite) steamy moments. But Thom is a really horrible person for a significant portion of the book—he’s downright mean to Clay—and the governor and her team are pretty odious, too. And the whole scheme really seemed just a little too much, even though I don’t doubt it’s happened.
Still, fake dating is always a trope I enjoy in rom-coms. Love, Hate & Clickbait publishes 4/26/22!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2021 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2021.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
May 15, 2022
If you’re in love with sociopaths (Thom) and know what that sort of relationship looks like, then this book might be for you. If you work with narcissistic bullies (Lennie, Felicia, and Thom) and are comfortable with what that feels like, then this book might be for you. If you like reading books for hours that are full of complete assholes, then this book might be for you. There’s not a single likable character in this book from the beginning. Thom brings up “hate fucking” twice so maybe that’s what I was doing to my brain by finishing this book.
I have a problem with Thom faking being gay at the beginning. I have a problem with someone at some point through out the entire book is remarking Clay is ugly. Thom negs Clay the whole book, even when it’s clear Thom’s attracted to Clay. Clay is an insecure douche bro who needs therapy. Thom has family issues that make him mask emotional depth so he needs therapy.
What’s the deal with books being shelved as rom-com, but are not even a little bit funny?
Bonus second star because author can write proper sentence structure and you’re probably going to be fine that Thom and Clay end up together. But you’re going to hate the entire journey.
I have a problem with Thom faking being gay at the beginning. I have a problem with someone at some point through out the entire book is remarking Clay is ugly. Thom negs Clay the whole book, even when it’s clear Thom’s attracted to Clay. Clay is an insecure douche bro who needs therapy. Thom has family issues that make him mask emotional depth so he needs therapy.
What’s the deal with books being shelved as rom-com, but are not even a little bit funny?
Bonus second star because author can write proper sentence structure and you’re probably going to be fine that Thom and Clay end up together. But you’re going to hate the entire journey.
August 6, 2022
In the words of Maya Angelou:
Thom Morgan is an asshole, and this book is about duplicity. I can understand why so many reviewers were put off by Thom. He’s a mostly unrepentant asshole. The first scene consists of him leaving a wedding (he's in the wedding party) and breaking up with his strategically-chosen-because-she’s-related-to-a-supreme-court-justice-girlfriend when the chance for a an interview with a national political news site comes up.
Thom wondered what that was like, to not always have something venomous on the tip of your tongue.
This is Bowery concretely establishing the importance of Thom’s career, the scale of his dickishness with regard to interpersonal relationships; and his near-complete emotional vacancy. At first it hits like misogyny, so hang in there, but soon you’ll learn he’s just universally an asshole. This book is profoundly contrarian, an emotional journey masked as a rom-com. It’ll likely feel somewhat familiar in a number of ways to anyone who’s read a good few works by Alexis Hall, though I’d call it post-Hall more than anything, as it features as much Americanness as Hall works often contain Britishness. Perhaps the most Hallian aspect is the utter lack of queer drama in what’s implicitly a queer awakening story.
On the other hand, Thom was a giant fucking douche, and the idea that anyone would think Clay would want to date him was unacceptable.
The “relationship” starts when Thom projects his explosive self-loathing onto Clay, who made the mistake of interrupting Thom’s wi-fi for an act of self-aggrandizement, and a picture of Clay’s dazed reaction to Thom’s menace goes viral. I know ships that have launched for less. So they start dating, per their boss, presidential hopeful Governor Westwood, who I’m fairly certain was inspired by Amy Klobuchar. It’s a very tropey read, almost farcical enough to hide its emotional depth, which, since it apparently turned off a number of readers, I'm obliged to call brave for an authorial debut. Bowery is made of some tough stuff, apparently a lawyer per her bio, who knows the ecstatic heights and scathing lows of American politicking. I’m fairly convinced that she worked on a political campaign, or at the very least volunteered for one - this is a book about political junkies clearly written by the same.
July 23, 2023
Sometimes cliché and trope filled books are exactly what I’m looking for. I went into this one knowing it would be a mindlessly enjoyable read (if not written spectacularly) and the entertainment was indeed fantastic. This is a very Red, White & Royal Blue adjacent story, being a political romance involving a relationship played up for the media. The banter between Thom and Clay at first made me dislike them, so I was shocked to discover how quickly that feeling turned into complete absorption into the story. Their fake dating scenario and easy chemistry was so fun to read about, and became really heartfelt near the end. I’m impressed!
October 17, 2023
goddamn it, this shit was adorable.
the first few chapters all i could think was that this could be a three star rating at most. and honestly, it is. but i needed a book like this at the time & it wasn't half bad. so yes, i'm giving it more stars than it deserves.
if y'all liked red, white & royal blue and boyfriend material, you'll definitely like this.
the first few chapters all i could think was that this could be a three star rating at most. and honestly, it is. but i needed a book like this at the time & it wasn't half bad. so yes, i'm giving it more stars than it deserves.
if y'all liked red, white & royal blue and boyfriend material, you'll definitely like this.
October 9, 2023
9/10/23
I needed a comfort reread and this one was it. Still love it so much 🫶🏻
13/9/22
Still as amazing as the first time 🥺
4.5/5 stars
"Please, want me back. Please, please, love me too."
That's all I wanna say at this point 😭😭😭
I needed a comfort reread and this one was it. Still love it so much 🫶🏻
13/9/22
Still as amazing as the first time 🥺
4.5/5 stars
"Please, want me back. Please, please, love me too."
That's all I wanna say at this point 😭😭😭
July 8, 2022
3 ⭐️
I was really looking forward to reading this but it sadly wasn’t the book for me :(
I liked the rivalry aspect of it and the fake dating!! Best trope😍
But, I thought a lot of things were happening at once and it felt like once i caught up there was something else thrown in the mix and I was pretty much confused for the majority. It may be because I’m sick and I’m not comprehending much, so I’ll definitely come back to this later. Also I didn’t really like Thom…
I was really looking forward to reading this but it sadly wasn’t the book for me :(
I liked the rivalry aspect of it and the fake dating!! Best trope😍
But, I thought a lot of things were happening at once and it felt like once i caught up there was something else thrown in the mix and I was pretty much confused for the majority. It may be because I’m sick and I’m not comprehending much, so I’ll definitely come back to this later. Also I didn’t really like Thom…
June 27, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
So a while back I declared a moratorium on fake dating books because the trope is SO overdone and, let's face it, dumb as fuck in the first place because it hinges on the notion that a fake relationship will solve a real-life problem, which in turn hinges on the notion that people actually give a shit if some random is dating some other random, which in turn dramatically overestimates the extent to which adult humans actually do or should care about these people's (especially non-famous people's) lives, god Marsha when I asked how you are I didn't really mean it. But then I saw that this price-dropped, and because I'd heard that it was funny and featured a hugely unlikable MC, I thought I'd give it a go.
PSA for this review: trust your instincts, folks! That spidey-sense is there for a reason!
Look: if you like fake dating and unlikable MCs and don't run screaming at politics content, you will probably enjoy this book. It's well written and briskly paced, and while I wouldn't necessarily call it funny, it has some clever asides and the relationship between Thom -- the unlikable one -- and Clay -- who's kind of a douche-bro, so de facto unlikable, but not dead-eyed, cold-heart unlikable like Thom -- ends up being quite cute.
But. I just couldn't get over the implausibility of the idea that -- leaving aside the extremely toxic, harassing, and, let's face it, illegal workplace conduct -- a relationship between a strategist and a data analyst on a campaign that hasn't even officially launched would generate more than the odd eyebrow-rise, much less break the internet. And there is no point to fake dating if no one gives a shit! I realize I'm just repeating what I said above, but there is a distinction here between the trope itself and its operationalization in this book. There is the disbelief-suspending requirements of the trope (fake dating solves problem because distracts people away from problem towards the fake dating), which, yes, I personally find ridiculous, but okay: them's the rules. But this already ridiculous set-up cannot sustain an added layer of ridiculous, which is that people in LA (LA! Crawling with legit celebrities wandering the streets with yoga mats and personal fart dispersers!) would a) know and b) care about two low-level political hacks on a not-yet-national campaign. There is suspending disbelief, and then there is gaslighting myself. I do not submit!
(Then again, it was just yesterday that I realized that there is explicit Pod Save America Jon-Jon rpf out there, so wtf do I know? Never change, AO3.)
Also, what Lennie does at the end is soooooooooooooooooooo dumb. In what universe does that make sense? Even if you're not worried about the one thing, it is terrible fucking crisis management and makes her look petty and horrible, especially to the very people she's trying to court! This! Makes! No! Sense!
Also, I get that Clay is offered and takes the job with the campaign because it's part of his Derek obsession, but why did tech-bro billionaire Derek take his own campaign job in the first place? This! Makes! No! Sense! Minor point, fine, but it gets to the larger question of Clay's characterization: does he actually care about politics? Or is it all spite? Does it start as spite and change into care? What do we know about Clay, exactly? He's slippery, but not sneaky-slippery, more "author couldn't figure him out"-slippery; and his seeming apathy towards politics and his job makes his initial willingness to go along with the scheme even more baffling.
Anyway, this was in one sense fine -- Thom and Clay, reasonably okay, although Thom's initial softening towards Clay is more Romance Reasons than properly articulated -- and, in another sense, the dumbest thing I've ever read. Three stars it is, then.
So a while back I declared a moratorium on fake dating books because the trope is SO overdone and, let's face it, dumb as fuck in the first place because it hinges on the notion that a fake relationship will solve a real-life problem, which in turn hinges on the notion that people actually give a shit if some random is dating some other random, which in turn dramatically overestimates the extent to which adult humans actually do or should care about these people's (especially non-famous people's) lives, god Marsha when I asked how you are I didn't really mean it. But then I saw that this price-dropped, and because I'd heard that it was funny and featured a hugely unlikable MC, I thought I'd give it a go.
PSA for this review: trust your instincts, folks! That spidey-sense is there for a reason!
Look: if you like fake dating and unlikable MCs and don't run screaming at politics content, you will probably enjoy this book. It's well written and briskly paced, and while I wouldn't necessarily call it funny, it has some clever asides and the relationship between Thom -- the unlikable one -- and Clay -- who's kind of a douche-bro, so de facto unlikable, but not dead-eyed, cold-heart unlikable like Thom -- ends up being quite cute.
But. I just couldn't get over the implausibility of the idea that -- leaving aside the extremely toxic, harassing, and, let's face it, illegal workplace conduct -- a relationship between a strategist and a data analyst on a campaign that hasn't even officially launched would generate more than the odd eyebrow-rise, much less break the internet. And there is no point to fake dating if no one gives a shit! I realize I'm just repeating what I said above, but there is a distinction here between the trope itself and its operationalization in this book. There is the disbelief-suspending requirements of the trope (fake dating solves problem because distracts people away from problem towards the fake dating), which, yes, I personally find ridiculous, but okay: them's the rules. But this already ridiculous set-up cannot sustain an added layer of ridiculous, which is that people in LA (LA! Crawling with legit celebrities wandering the streets with yoga mats and personal fart dispersers!) would a) know and b) care about two low-level political hacks on a not-yet-national campaign. There is suspending disbelief, and then there is gaslighting myself. I do not submit!
(Then again, it was just yesterday that I realized that there is explicit Pod Save America Jon-Jon rpf out there, so wtf do I know? Never change, AO3.)
Also, what Lennie does at the end is soooooooooooooooooooo dumb. In what universe does that make sense? Even if you're not worried about the one thing, it is terrible fucking crisis management and makes her look petty and horrible, especially to the very people she's trying to court! This! Makes! No! Sense!
Also, I get that Clay is offered and takes the job with the campaign because it's part of his Derek obsession, but why did tech-bro billionaire Derek take his own campaign job in the first place? This! Makes! No! Sense! Minor point, fine, but it gets to the larger question of Clay's characterization: does he actually care about politics? Or is it all spite? Does it start as spite and change into care? What do we know about Clay, exactly? He's slippery, but not sneaky-slippery, more "author couldn't figure him out"-slippery; and his seeming apathy towards politics and his job makes his initial willingness to go along with the scheme even more baffling.
Anyway, this was in one sense fine -- Thom and Clay, reasonably okay, although Thom's initial softening towards Clay is more Romance Reasons than properly articulated -- and, in another sense, the dumbest thing I've ever read. Three stars it is, then.
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