Bentley

Love Your Enemy Duet #1

by Hattie Jude

Every girl wants to bang me, and every guy wants to be me.
But I have my sights set on one person.
My perfect little neighbor living in her perfect little world.
The girl is the bane of my existence.
Quinn Livingston is enemy number one.
She’s also my latest conquest.
You know what they say…paybacks are a bitch.
I plan on collecting big-time from the Livingstons.
They took something valuable from me.
And I intend to take something valuable back.
Something you can only give away once.
Hey, I never said I played fair.
It’s time for Quinn to pay up.


Bentley is the first book in the Love Your Enemy duet.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, High School, Sports, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Dark

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2021

Reviews

[⚔Irunía⚔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars. I never do plot summaries for book reviews unless I consider it absolutely necessary. They remind me too much of essays I had to write for school and school assignments are meant to suck the soul and will to live outta you, not inspire a creative approach. That being said, the high school essays vibe fits perfectly the occasion: a nice way to write a review for a bully romance book set in high school, innit? 💀
#IThey_never_learn, episode # 2901892919010299201

Here we go: plot summary (➡️) laced with social commentary (💩) from the widely known in a narrow circle professor of smut at GoodReads, Irunía:

I SPOIL EVERYTHING THERE'S TO SPOIL (special thanks to my morbid graphomaniac mood swings)

➡️ Once upon a time there lived a rich boy named Bentley (classy🤚🏻) and a rich girl named Kween Quinn, and they were neighbors
➡️ The boy was a politician's son yet one sunny day, long before the not so fateful brunch party with his neighbors that marked the first chapter, he came to the astounding realization that his life of a privileged kid wasn't as perfect and wholesome as the one his little neighbor Quinn dared to enjoy
💩 so the boy could easily come off as a jealous and bitter brat to some readers, but don't worry, my children. His manwhore personality balanced things out. We still like him, eh?
➡️ For reasons yet withheld from a reader's enquiring mind, at some breaking point of his life, 17-year old Bentley developed an all-consuming hatred for his dad, his neighbor Quinn and her mother
➡️ Bentley's all-consuming hatred manifested in two (2) unsophisticated ways: 1) when Bentley (H) didn't bully or stalk Quinn (h), oblivious (just as readers are) to the boy's motives, from his roof, he followed his creepy-ass dad around, taking pictures of his extracurricular activities to acquire compromising material on the guy; 2) when Bentley didn't follow his creepy-ass daddy around, he indulged himself and bullied or stalked Quinn from the aforementioned roof of his mansion
💩 I wish I could say that stalking Quinn was part and parcel of his vicious plan to uncover the enemy's secrets and strike where it hurts later, but the real reason behind the whole setup was prosaic: overnight, the guy became irrevocably obsessed with Quinn's looks. The side effect that a girl who has suddenly grown curves over the summer might have on a horny teenage guy's brain
💩 Also, let's be honest here: the guy wasn't half as vicious and malicious a bully as he could be was supposed to be. If making a girl break into the ugly cry and run away is beyond your capacity, you don't have the right to carry the title of a bully ♛
➡️ One fateful day, daddy dearest came from work and out of the blue the ingenious thought struck him. Hard. On the head. He needed Bentley's help. In a span of three seconds, he made it his mission to force Bentley to work with him on the election campaign
💩 According to Mr. Fake Smile and Wannabe Charming Villain, the notion of multitasking was an unattainable simulacrum of human abilities for his kiddo, so he insisted that Bentley quit football
➡️ Naturally, to make his son's dedication to the idea of promoting his candidacy even stronger, Mr. Ambitious broke Bentley's knee with the hammer
💩 Solid plan, taking into account that Bentley couldn't attend school, let alone work on the election campaign for weeks onwards. Talking about forced plot devices...
➡️ With no football practice and school, Bentley had to play stay-at-home-mom stay home
➡️ For a reason unbeknownst to me, like a caring father Bentley's dadda was, he asked his son's neighbor Quinn to bring Bentley his school assignments
💩 The pats on the back and intense stares that Mr. Politician kept giving this underage girl weren't suspicious.
At all
➡️ Daily visits propelled Bentley and Quinn to develop a bond 🤡🤌🏻
💩 What actually did happen was Bentley obsessing over admiring Quinn's valuable assets — no, you guessed wrong, her beautiful big eyes and captivating smile weren't them 😔 — and jerking off to the memories of her cleavage and round fanny. The beauty of their soul connection was left untouched and invisible to a reader's eye. Their interactions were basically small talk on steroids. You wouldn't lose much if you skimmed through them
➡️ Fast forward a couple of lackluster meetings, they fucked for the first time
💩 I guess everyone reacts differently to being humiliated in front of someone's father, especially if that someone is a guy you are attracted to. Some girls would put the guy in his place. Some girls would take offense and proceed to ignore the guy until he begs for forgiveness. Other girls would come to the necessary conclusion and act accordingly. But there's also the Quinn who would immediately offer the guy her virginity, lmao.

The buildup to their intimacy we deserved. The author probably thought that she ticked all the boxes before writing that scene:
✅obsessed hero (who cares he was only obsessed with her because she grew nice tits and a firm ass)
✅ readers know he only acted like a jerk out of the goodness of his little teenage heart and to protect her from his pedo-vibing father. Who cares about the heroine's cluelessness. If you're a romance heroine, you lust after your man even if a second ago he ran over a nice, old woman with his SUV and fled the scene.

To be honest, I'd have turned a blind eye to sex with no emotional connection to precede it if at some point I started to believe in their feelings.

➡️ Somewhere in the story, the big drama behind Bentley's "revenge scheme" came to light (but anyone with two brain cells could guess that much earlier): Quinn's mother fucked with Bentley's psycho daddy, which, according to Bentley, drove his mother to suicide
💩 Show me a good bully romance where the hero hates the heroine for something she, not her second cousin twice removed, has actually done 😌
➡️ Fictional days blended together

💩 which implies that the constant push and pull between Bentley and Quinn with no substance to it (what drew them to each other? how were they special for one another?) was abundantly overdone, gave me a severe headache and got old fast. The conflict surrounding their ambiguous reactions to each other felt fabricated at best. Quinn couldn't for the love of God pick one line of action: one second she was telling Bentley off and didn't let him walk all over her, the next she turned into a warm puddle at his feet. Sex drive and the effects it produces 🤡
➡️ At the very end of the book, they fucked in the hotel room for the second time. Hours later, Quinn stumbled upon the pictures of her mother and Bentley's father "in the throes of passion". Thoroughly traumatized (I don't blame the girl, I'd have got PTSD), she confronted Bentley, received and then dished out a few verbal slaps before leaving his (dumb) ass to his own devices, namely: to think about his naughty behavior
➡️ In the last chapter, my stupid, stupid boy Bentley finally amassed the true knowledge of the mystery surrounding his mom's suicide:
prepare to be frightened away for good
— his mum was addicted to her water bottle and pills;
— his mum didn't love his father;
— his mum cheated on his father with her female bestie Sloan (Bentley considered her a friend too 🤡🤌🏻);
— his mommy married his father because of the stipulation in her trust (wacky, inheritance-related stipulations in romance books are one of the whales on whom the revenge plots in this genre rest 🤡)
— her coming across the pictures of her husband cheating on her with their neighbor had nothing to do with her death

➡️ The book ended with a car accident *prepare handkerchiefs to wipe away tears* 😔💦

The curtain falls.


At some point, I really fooled myself into believing that this book would unexpectedly end up as a 4-star read for me. 🤡

Even though there are quite a few complaints that I have, gotta admit that the most off-putting thing about this story was
— the amateurish quality to the writing style (the sex scenes put emphasis on that unpalatable aspect).

The pace was fast (I blame it for keeping me hooked) or, better said, rushed. The author hurried through the whole storyline like someone was chasing after her with a knife in their hand. It didn't look smooth and natural. The primitive languageThe words weren't well-measured or chosen with care. Yet I think this author has it in her to pull the reader into her story.

— the lack of emotional connection between the main characters that made their mutual obsession look shallow instead of hot.

Authors know we love a boy-obsessed trope but what they don't know is that it takes an effort to write them in a classy manner that might appeal to a bit more demanding audience. The instant obsession makes a guy look shallow and easily impressed.

Bentley and Quinn's first sex

— came out of nowhere. You don't fuck the guy after he humiliates you in front of his father. Even if he does it with noble intentions (that being said, only a reader knows it's out of the goodness of his heart)

— the main characters had good physical chemistry (whoa, the word choice is weird but ok), yet the emotional buildup before the shagging scene was as good as nonexistent (it happened at the 50% mark, but it came off as a scene that should have taken place later in the story, in my humble opinion)

— was described very drily and awkwardly. I wish I could at least say that t it was finally something realistic, since a first sex in general and teenage sex in particular can be pretty awkward, but it was not. 🤡 Not her turning into a 17-year old nymphomaniac who is ready to explore all the positions out there in one day, okay? 🤚🏻🤡

Oh, yeah, I have to go. My parents will be expecting me, and I meant it when I said this wouldn’t be repeated. Thank you, though. I had a really nice time.”
“Thank you, I had a really nice time?” he mimics. “What the fuck, Quinn? Are you gonna toss some cash on the dresser?”

Even if I involuntarily laughed at that dialogue, I was a bit...grossed out too? Their sex and after-sex dialogues were of the worst kind. First love is supposed to give you butterflies in the stomach, not cause nausea or meaningful "ews".

I'm not entirely sure whether I'm being fair or not here, so I attach one little example of their dirty talk or (whatever it was) here:

“I can’t believe how good you feel,” I say, my hands moving from his hair to grip his ass. And oh, that’s even better.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” he says. His eyes close and he slows down, pressing his lips together. “You feel too right.” He shakes his head and looks down at me. “I didn’t imagine fucking you would feel so right.”
He kisses me again and drives into me with focused precision. When his fingers come between us and he rubs against my clit just one time, I cry out and pulse around him.

Please have sex in blessed silence if you can't do better than that, my dudes and dudettes.

— for a manwhore sex god, the hero's skills looked very humble when showcased in their full glory 👀

If I were a really horny bitch and read the romance genre to jerk off brighten up my lonely nights, my overly excited ovaries would be very disappointed with the author. 😔 That could be just me, though. Don't mind my inner hater.

All in all, I'm just sick and tired of forgettable romance books with generic, unrecognizable writing styles that revolve around sex. Lately, romance books offer so little authenticity and creativity, so little thought and emotion that it's very disheartening to open a new book and find not a single spark of creativity or original thought there. Throwing in a couple of popular tropes in a book ain't enough.

I'm not sure whether the tendency can be partly explained by the audience's perception of romance books as a whole — low requirements for the genre and people perceiving romance books as "consumer products" intrinsically deprived of literary merit and creative value. 🥲

I know very few authors who, despite loving cliched plots, settings and characters, still manage to create something original and memorable.


Anyway, coming back to the zero point: I never learn. I keep coming back to my unsophisticated bully romance books starring horny teenagers. 😌

[PeaceOfGod · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed because i loved this book wanted to get it over with.

😪😴What my skimming resulted in(AND THIS REVIEW IS OF BOTH BOOKS COMBINED)-

🖤He is -


✅An asshole.
✅HATES/LOATHES/WANTS TO KILL his neighbour, the pretty little Quinn, because, who knows why? We aren't told that in the first 50% of the book.
✅A running STD, not even walking guys, RUNNING.
✅Rich(Hahaha , why am i not surprised?🙂)
✅A Senator's son.


🤍She is-

✅Late bloomer.(When the book starts, she has grown boobies.)
✅She is .........semi-delinquent.
✅Beautiful.
✅Smart.
✅Curvy in sexy way.
✅HATES/LOATHES/SMIRKS towards the H.
✅Rich.
✅She is the daughter of the man who works for the H's dad.As in.......Quin's dad is in the same political party as the Hs dad.
✅Oh yes and i forgot..............she's a VARGEEEEEEN.

🌈Random thoughts-

~Take 1, Scene 1.................ACTION!!!

*H fucking a girl from behind..*

#️⃣Now see, the H HATES the h because...............when we reach 50% we come to know that Hs mother dies of some disease, which i dont remember, and the Hs mother was in DEPRESSION when she dies coz the Hs father was having an affair with, get this, Quin's mother.

#️⃣H was a mamma's boy through and through, and for a sweet second allow me to say good thing about this H that , i REALLY liked whenever he talked about his mother.


#️⃣But since she's dead, he has HATED Quin.

#️⃣It's an enemies-to-lover's book , so you know that he has hated her like he wants to bang her.

#️⃣And lemme tell you that the H is REALLY bad.

#️⃣He is the WORST bully in the history of bullies.

#️⃣He bullies the h SO much, that it might be triggering when you read it.

#️⃣MCs are neighbours since they were 13 or 14. Or maybe longer.

#️⃣Most of the Book#1 is about the VERY angry H. Coz he blames his father and Quinn for his mother's death


#️⃣And.............he sometime follows his father and secretly takes camera recordings of him banging quin's mother in a motel or hotel.

#️⃣Now, FINALLY when they get together, idk how they do cause i skimmed, but yeah, they get together, and they dont cheat because he's OTT.

#️⃣And this book is eerily similar to the Enemy Book#1 by M.E. Clayton.

#️⃣Anyways, i did NOT enjoy this book because the scene in the starting with OW, however lasted for 4 lines, STILL left a bad taste in my buccal cavity.

#️⃣And i HATE that he has knows the h SINCE SHE WAS A CHILD, but STILL goes on fucking OW.


#️⃣I mean, yeah okay, he has had a LOT of firsts with the h too. And in the past , HE was never the pursuer, but here he REALLY did pursue Quinn.


#️⃣Now, the h, well ............can't say much about her, but i liked it that she was HELLA strong gal.


#️⃣Did not let the H , stray her or bully he, or NEVER let the H into her head and get PTSD from whatever he did with her, throughout all the HS.

#️⃣She was toe-to-toe with the H , which is by far the ONLY thing that i liked in this book.


#️⃣When finally she found out about the affair, she was REALLY upset and angry.

#️⃣At, 70% , Quin's father left them .


#️⃣Quin's mommy was .............crying.


#️⃣Quinn was unhappy.


#️⃣And i don't remember if there is a single 'n' or double 'n' in Quinn/Quin.


#️⃣This book has a lot of angst.

#️⃣No-cheating, dont worry.


#️⃣And it has the usual political stuff.


#️⃣and LOT'S of sexy times.


#️⃣And LOOOOOTS of bullying in the beginning.


#️⃣And i HATE that he pursued her after she started looking like girl(you know....hips and all). What's wrong with small hips and flat -chest?🤔


🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥

SPOILERS-


😐🤢18 year old manhore.


😎Virgin girl..


🖤Deliciously OTT H.(Also the reason i picked up the book in the first place)


😍No-cheating once they get together.
Side characters cheat tho- Mommy of Quinn was sharing her Vajayjay with Hs dad, the Senator.

🌈No real OW/OM drama

🙂Chemistry was felt , alright.


⭐No sex scene with OP.


🤩HEA at the end of Book#2.


❣Separation is there but they are celibate.

⚽Check tags for more.

🤨Any other questions? DM me.

[Dora Koutsoukou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part 1

3 💘⚡️🤔⭐️s

A nice teenage romance read.
The development was very slow, a few things hung in the air and weren’t explained.

[Helen Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bentley is a new adult romance where the hero is a damaged jock, and the heroine is a nerdy sweetheart. Like with any bully romance, Bentley was very wishy washy in his emotions. He wants revenge on Quinn for having the perfect family and for *reasons*(spoilery reasons!), but he keeps flipping back and forth between secretly liking her and wanting to hurt her. This is a staple in most bully romances, but he went on for so long that I started to get confused. And that made his rationale for what he does at the end of the first in the duology kind of strange. That said, I appreciated that cliffhanger. I really wish the author hadn’t felt the need to add another cliffhanger, his car gets hit, and it’s implied that he’s severely injured, but it was just a little accidentone that was quickly written off in the first few pages of the next book.
My favourite parts of the book were the parts with Bentley’s dad. He’s a truly despicable man, a character that we all love to hate!
All in all, this was an entertaining read.
Trigger warnings: Bullying, suicide before the book occurred, domestic abuse, child abuse

[Christine (Shh Moms Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg! I can't wait for more! This is a new author to be on the lookout for!

[Laura Pavlov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!! Bentley and Quinn are absolute fire! The chemistry between the two of them is off the charts!! This is bully romance at its FINEST!! All the stars for Bentley and Quinn! I cannot wait for book 2!!

[Hey Lin]

Dnfed at 29%. Hes a certified bully and she has bbs (body betrayal syndrome).

He hates her for something someone did but she's at fault for all of it. ALLLLLLLLL of eet you hear me!!! He is account table for nuffin!! 😂😂😂😬😐

They're in high school and he eggs their house. The dad doesn't have him arrested or charged with anything. His dad is beating his ass and takes a hammer to his leg to keep him from playing football. Hos dad is a senator. Hs mom is dead from.....something and again. It's all her fault! The h Quinn did it!!!! 😐😐😐😐 she apparently is the chosen one to deliver all his homework and notes because he's her neighbor

I dunno. He hates her but he's jacking off to her in the shower. She hates him but she's trying to be shy and aggressive in defending herself at the same time?

Other than that?.....nothing else is really happening folks. There's a lot of books out there that are amazing and mesmerizing and this ain't it

this story is a hot mess. Dnf this shit.

[dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a twist on the bully romance trope.

It's the H that is abused. It's compelling and I def. shed a few tears.

there were times where it dragged and I was a bit annoyed by that hence (minus 1 star)

[Van nee · Rating 3 out of 5]

.3.5
This story was about 1/2 as long as a regular book, even for a book 1. So many elements were glossed over. I didn't get a full grasp of what the MCs look like or details of their conflicted past. The story starts off with some references to this conflict but it would have grabbed me more if it had been detailed. The same goes for descriptions and feelings. So the overall writing kind of felt like a crash course not on the details but the word choice, plot etc. Still, it was interesting enough to be a page turner even though the plot is pretty predictable.

Bentley is a hot, rich damaged politician's son with a huge chip on his shoulder. His father abuses him horribly and he blames his father's affair with the neighbor Elizabeth for his mother's death. So Bentley sets about to seek revenge by photographing them together and by breaking Elizabeth's daughter, the h, Quinn.

Quinn is a quiet, beautiful, rich do-gooder. She can't understand why Bentley hates her but is thrown into his circle when her parents become involved in his dad's campaign and when she has to bring Bentley his homework after his dad breaks his kneecap!

The 2 argue, flirt and eventually hookup. Bentley is a great nemesis at first. His treatment of Quinn is classic alphahole. They have chemistry but their steam is not well written, amateur stuff. Their push-pull is dizzying but not in a good way. They constantly ignore each oyher for no good reason and it's annoying....would have been great if their tension had good reason other than to create random push-pull. Their draw to each other and motivation is confusing because it's not explained. Bentley hates Quinn but suddenly becomes obsessed with her overnight after taking her virginity. He can't stop obsessing about her and wanting to hook up again, even though she's supposed to be inexperienced and he is a player who can have his pick of anyone. Quinn suddenly finds her backbone this year and not onlt stands up to Bentley but gives him a taste of his own medicine only to turn around and become a simpering idiot overnight, allowing Bentley to walk all over her repeatedly, without questioning and falling for him too easily.

At the climax, Bentley's revenge falls into place with his photos sent to Quinn's family and Quinn devastated because she now sees that Bentley is cruel. Bentley realizes of course that he cares for Quinn but it's too late. He also discovers that his mother's best friend whom he worships had and affair with his mom and the reason his mom committed suicide wasn't because of Elizabeth's affair with his dad. The story ends in a climax with Bentley in a car accident as he processes everything.

[★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a decent read, but it seriously lacked substance, and character growth.
Disappointed.

[MPT · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m having some bad luck lately…this book just wasn’t for me…

[Jeraca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this free eARC novel from the author. This is my honest review.

So much angst and want in this book! I really liked Quinn, even though I think she is a bit naive. I also think that's to blame a little bit on how much Bentley treated her throughout the years, and also that she is finally growing into her skin during her senior year of college. But her reactions to men hitting on her is so innocent because she's never been in that situation before. I do think she needs to trust her instinct and when she's getting a bad vibe from someone, she needs to nix that right away. Her parents have been in the politics world too long and she's learned too much on how to be polite, even when she shouldn't be.

Bentley. Bentley. I really think he is bipolar most times because the amount of whiplash he creates is way too much. He's hot, cold, indifferent, turning on the charm. I honestly, if I were Quinn, would have run away from all of that. I don't care how attractive he may be, nothing in my mind is worth that turmoil of dealing with his emotions and actions. And for him to blame Quinn for something she didn't do? That she had no knowledge of? I mean, that's his own fault, but I do feel sorry for Quinn being his target.

I'm very intrigued for book 2 and what will happen now that some information, some truth, has been revealed. I really hope that Quinn gives Bentley a run for his money because a lot of groveling is going to be needed for me not to completely lose all hope for that girl.

I'm glad I got the chance to read this book!

[Allie Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: 4.5 ⭐️
Steam: 3.5 🔥 light/med smut
Audio: 5 🎧

I was nervous about diving into a bully romance since it’s been a while since I went through my bully romance phase 😂 but I was pleasantly surprised by this! I really liked the characters and found the story fun and it kept my attention throughout.

This is a duet and all though it ends on a cliffhanger, it’s not something that will wreck you lol it’s emotional but I didn’t find myself out of my mind. I did grab book two right away though!

[anggia · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro. the way i finished in less than 12 hours😣 i couldnt put it down!! i was told this was bully romance but i don't see a lot of bullying.

idc that bentley (mmc) only like quinn (fmc) because she grew a pair of tits lol😩 but i just love their interactions and there is some uhm mystery in the story as well, although i can guess from early on

end in a cliffhanger and some unanswered issues. thank god i have the second book is out already🥰🫶🏼

[Shellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book I’ve read by Hattie. To say I was not disappointed is an understatement. I loved this book! So much so I didn’t put it down. If your into enemies to lovers, this book is a MUST read. It hooked me from the get go. As the story unfolds you learn so much about Bentley and his ways. It enables you to understand him so much more. The way Hattie writes this book gets you so entangled with Bentley and Quinn, the cliffhanger will leave you thinking of this book until the next one is released.

[amyinwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good bully romance!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinn and Bentleys story had me from the beginning and I can’t wait for the next one. Bentley had no idea how much Quinn’s effect on him would be, he had it all planned out except for that. Book 2 please

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bentley is a high school bully romance, or rather it's a bully romance between neighbors who are in high school. That said, this didn't really feel like a bully romance to me. Bentley is more like the high school jock who's used to getting what he wants from his fellow students. We find out pretty quickly that Bentley wants to make Quinn pay for something her family did, and it doesn't take long to figure out what that is. The problem with that is Bentley seems to have a hard time being mean to Quinn without back-pedaling or at least feeling guilty. Of course, we are dealing with teenagers here, even if they are heading into adulthood, so some waffling about feelings and not knowing what they want is pretty much a given. Honestly, if Bentley and Quinn were a little more mature in their thinking and actions, I'd say this story feels more like an enemies to lovers romance.
This one is definitely not without some angst - okay, maybe more than some - but most of that is surrounding Bentley's circumstances. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but I will say that even as I wanted Bentley to act better than he was, I understood where a lot of his attitude and actions were coming from. So much of it is absolutely heart-wrenching, and more often than not, I wanted someone to just hug him.
Bully or enemies to lovers romance, I was invested in the outcome, and even though I knew going in that it was the first in a duet, I didn't expect it to end when it did. In the latter part of the book, I kept thinking, 'okay, here's where it stops, here's the cliffy.' But nooooo, that wasn't to be. Hattie Jude went for the big cliffy, the one that makes you want to tear out the earbuds and throw the device while cursing a blue streak. Yep, it's that kind of cliffhanger, so now, here I am, waiting for book 2 to release.
I had the pleasure of listening to this book, and in addition to being my first experience with Hattie Jude, this was my first time listening to either Neill Thorne or Angela Goethals. As it turns out, I'm impressed with all three. Hattie Jude brought the story, and Neill Thorne and Angela Goethals pulled out all the feels, and there were plenty of those. From Bentley's anger to Quinn's indignation to the mutual attraction and the confusion over that attraction, these narrators capture it all. I look forward to more from all three in the second part of the duet.

[The Literary Jedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS**

High school bully romance.

Rich kids with low parental supervision.

Your average high schooler is not having this much sex or getting away with this much bullshit IRL. The cover model is most certainly NOT a high school-aged dude.

Tropes: revenge, bullying, miscommunication, suicide, abuse, drug use, underage drinking, extra-marital affairs, stalking, voyeurism.

Characters: Bentley is a rich punk who's too good looking for his own good. He's a dude who fucked so many girls it's stupid. [critical eye roll here]. He has issues. He likes to bully his neighbor, Quinn who he sees as having the quintessential perfect life and family and he wants to destroy her and them. Quinn is your quintessential rich girl who's perfect and pretends like she isn't friggin' hot as hell under her baggy sweatshirt. She has no idea she's every male's sex fantasy in waiting until she and Bentley start hanging out when he's injured and she sees "another side of him." Okay, okay, okay. Honestly, there's a lot to make fun of in this book but overall the characters are spoiled kids who have shitty parents and they suffer for it, no one more so than Bentley. It really sucks that this genre has begun emphasizing this messed-up trauma experience to get couples together and especially to make them sex gods. The worst part is that there are real people out there who are like Bentley's parents or Quinn's parents. The reality of the character's personalities is that they are fictional and though being a dick is not exclusive to rich kids, it seems we readers prefer to imagine rich people being this way in the romance category.

Plot: revenge story. Bentley thinks he knows something about his mother's suicide and his father's extracurricular activities. He thinks he knows about Quinn's parents. Bentley thinks he has everything figured out until he realizes he doesn't because another character sets the record straight. The acts of revenge are immature as is to be expected. There really isn't much to them as they consist of name-calling and rumor-mongering, which in high school is earth-shattering, let's be real here. Once the "plan" is revealed, you wonder how Bentley is going to pull it off. He has a side-kick driver/butler who looks out for him and who seems to be an Alfred type. Eventually, it becomes clear that Bentley is endangering Quinn with their relationship but he's already put the plan in motion.

Overall: Look, fiction is fiction. These high school-aged characters don't do it for me and I won't provide any spice scale for it. The story in general is pretty meh - I say it's a pick because someone is going to love it.

**All thoughts and opinions are my own. Read using my personal KU subscription.**

[Ann Mihailovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bentley is book #1 in the Love Your Enemy Duet by Hattie Jude and also happens to be the debut and first book that I've read by this new-to-me author. This is a neighbors, bully, enemies-to-lovers romance full of drama, angst and chemistry hot enough to ignite your kindle.
In this story we meet Quinn and Bentley. These two have been neighbors for some years and also attend the same school. They act like rivals, both making their dislike and disdain for one another known. Quinn is a good person who is kind and sees the good in people (even Bentley). Bentley is a broken boy with an abusive father with only one thing on his mind. Revenge.
Throughout the journey through this story we see why Bentley is the way he is and my heart goes out to him. He is a complicated character but it was good to see himself let go with Quinn. Even though Quinn initially had a strong dislike for him, seeing another side to him had her falling for his charms. But is it all an act in Bentley's claim for revenge? Will Quinn be the only one left heartbroken after all is said and done?
Hattie Jude did a great job with this debut book. The storyline and plot were well written and flowed effortlessly. Even though I knew that this was the first book in a duet, the cliffhanger left me reeling as I need to know what happens next and I need to know now!

[Ode to my book boyfriends · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but needs more substance

This was a decent read, but it seriously lacked substance. Not a ton of character growth and the fact that Bentley hated Quinn for his perceptions are so frustrating.

I like when books have a fierce heroine, but Quinn was a total pushover. I also find it hard to believe she didn’t pick up on what was going on with her parents. I try to remind myself that she’s just in high school, but dang…you noticed something was wrong. Did you even consider what it might be?

And Bentley’s dad is the Devil, the author did a good job showing us what a horrible human he is, what I don’t get it how people don’t see it, that wasn’t very clear.

There’s a ton going on in this book, especially for a short read, hope that book two will dive deeper and tie it all together.

I think it would be helpful to make the setting clear at the beginning, it takes place on the California coast somewhere, but the way the houses were described let me to believe it was somewhere on the east coast. And, other than the houses, there wasn’t a ton of descriptors, what do the characters all look like? I like to visualize what’s happening when I read. It’s less enjoyable when I have to make it all up.

[Sue Harbers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book that I’ve read of Hattie’s and it absolutely blew me away! I was invested in this book from page 1 and I couldn’t put it down, I finished it in one day. The chemistry between Bentley and Quinn was off the charts! Bentley is a complicated character and as much and you want to hate him for his plans to ruin Quinn, you also can identify with why he’s so broken and you really feel for the kid. Bentley’s Dad is just disgusting and I’m not sure what’s really going on there, aside from the obvious, but I don’t think it’s good. Quinn is a really sweet girl next door (literally) who has bloomed over night but stayed pure and good hearted. Bentley and Quinn’s relationship is so complicated but the tension is amazing in a good way. It’s awful where Quinn’s life ended up at the conclusion of this book (Bentley too) but I’m so looking forward to book 2!

[Larissa Rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2 STARS!!

First off I despise Bentley’s father, he’s so creepy & evil.
Poor Bentley, having to grow up in a household with his evil father, that one scene had me tearing up because how someone could do that to another person is beyond me. Quinn’s mother isn’t a favourite of mine but I do like her dad even though I think there’s more going on with him than we know. I had a gut feeling about Sloan but it didn’t turn out like I thought it would. Also Silas & Harding have me thinking there’s more than meets the eye with them too. I still feel like there’s so many more secrets to unravel!

If I was Quinn I would have junk punched Bentley by now haha but I will say she gives it back to him almost as much as he throws at her. I really really like these two together & I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens with them!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading Hattie Jude and I have to say that this author was able to pull me into the story from the first page and I had a hard time putting this down until I reached the end (a little thing called my job kept interrupting my quality reading time; so rude lol!)

There's so much angst and anger and all over the place feelings between Quinn and Bentley, and we get to see it firsthand right from the start. The way it's written, I couldn't wait to find out why Bentley harbored so much hatred and vitriol towards Quinn and her mother, and goodness, Bentley's father is the definition of a POS dad; no wonder Bentley seemed to be out of control, but given how the last few years of his life has been, it's a wonder he didn't go further off the rails. That cliffhanger ending though? I need the next book like last week!

[Abstract ♥ Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a good romance read. This is the first time I am reading this author. Honestly , speaking I was running out of bully romance to read so I picked this one up and it was a pleasant read I won't say that it was a very dark bully or anything but it was a mild one that was tethering on the edge of contemporary and dark romance. The ending made me go all bonkers and now I can't wait for the next one!

I go crazy for grovel and something tells me that we might have that in the next book so the sequel to this series is definitely on my most anticipated list now. Quinn got on my nerves after that ending . I somehow got where he was coming from but still. I hope we get the best conclusion ever.

I would recommend this one to a contemporary bully romance lover. It was not a dark romance but more of a lighter one and I hope you all will like it!

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st in a duet and what an intriguing storyline Bentley and Quinn’s tale is. These two have been neighbours for some time, and while Quinn is a tad naïve and vulnerable, Bentley is complex and on a single-minded pursuit of revenge. This story gives a background as to why Bentley is the way he is, with an evil father. The chemistry between Bentley and Quinn is undeniable, but can they move on from enemies / lovers? This is a well written story which is filled with angst, bullying, drama, emotions, turmoil, and family, and all leads to a riveting and intense page turner. I look forward to reading the 2nd part of the great duet, and I recommend this authors work.

[Bookworm Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!! This is the first book I’ve ever read by Hattie Jude and it was sooo good! Bentley and Quinn were everything, I loved their relationship from the beginning. They had chemistry that you could feel immediately. Great story, excellent writing. There was so much jealousy and a bit of angst and betrayal! Everything you want to set up a great 1st installment of this duet. I can’t wait to read Quinn, the 2nd book in this duet!! Looking so forward to reading how their story ends and how they get their HEA!

[Mary Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is first book I have read by this author and I can promise you, it won't be the last. I loved loved loved the main characters. I loved how we get to experience all of the emotions that Bentley goes through. I love that Quinn is full of fight and passion. This is by far one of the best books I've read in 2021. The authors words flow together perfectly and the story line is amazing. I was so upset when I finished it and I am eagerly awaiting book 2. Congratulations Hattie on an awesome book!

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! Revenge never gets you the satisfaction you need only pain when all the facts are kept secret and the truth finally comes out. Quinn sees the good In people. Even though Bentley put her thru so much she still gave him a chance. Along Bentleys revenge he fell for Quinn but his plans were in motion. Will he break her heart? Will they end up together and face the challenges that are ahead? I need book 2 please

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both him and Quinn were childish.. His anger was misplaced instead of taking everything out on Quinn it should have been his father and all the women he slept with, not just Quinn's mom.. We didn't find out what was going on with Quinn's dad and why he keep disappearing... Both Bentley and Quinn were giving me whiplash.. He liked her but was so hellbent on getting revenge and she liked him but only wanted sex from him... The plot twist at the end was crazy, didn't see it coming