How to Destroy Your Lifelong Bully

How to Rom-com #3

by Camilla Evergreen

I hate him.

Velspar Pratt is a monster. Twelve years of school with him proved that time and again. As a girl with a stutter, I knew bullies would target me, but no one tortured me half as much as he did.

When I graduated, I thought I was finally free, but cruel fate has led me back to him—as his live-in maid. If I didn’t need the money he’s offering as desperately as I do, I’d walk away, but we are already much too aware of our roles in society.

I can’t afford to give this job up. His billionaire rump can afford anything he wants.

Even me.

At the very least, I’ve found a self-help book that promises to give me a chance at revenge. All I have to do is keep from falling for his awful schemes. Which is easier said than done.

He’s the song that’s been stuck in my head for as long as I can remember. He’s vile and rotten. But when he smiles at me…he feels more like the enemy I hate to love rather than the one I’ve loved to hate.

How to Destroy Your Lifelong Bully is a bully satirical romance with plenty of teasing and plenty of pining. Each book in this series has sensual description that is ultimately closed door/fade to black, minimal cursing if any at all, and a swoon-worthy love story. Please reference the reader expectations after the title page for specific details—and please read the author’s note!

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fiction, Rom Com, Clean Romance, Closed Door Romance

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 29, 2023

About the author

Camilla Evergreen is an alias of USA Today bestselling author Anne Stryker. Originally intended as a dumping ground for all things lacking fantasy, Camilla/Anne came to the shocking discovery that writing sarcastic, chaotic romcoms full of quippy heroines and adoring heroes has a kick to it.

Camilla/Anne’s neurodivergent tendencies leave her hyperfocused on writing sweet and sassy romances from dawn till dusk and lending whatever her current creative obsessions are to her characters. From arranged marriages to falling for the boss, there’s lots of love to go around.

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/authorannemilla

Reviews

[Ashley Berry]

Glorifying Bullying

The trigger warning at the beginning was great. However, let’s move away from the trope “boys will be mean to the girls they like.”

It’s abusive and teaches girls that abuse equals love. When in reality, domestic violence is rampant and women stay bc “he loves me and I love him.”

The writing is amazing. This author does a phenomenal job creating a believable world and the other books in this series are must-reads.

But this…seems a little tone deaf. I work with DV victims and survivors. Like I said, the trigger warning was great, but the relationship in this book explains away red flags without realizing the harm Velspar and his pals inflicted upon Colette. No apology. Just “I hate you” made to feel like the words “I love you.”

Yes, the line between love and hate is thin. And you can tackle this type of trope without minimizing the toxicity this type of relationship. I felt ick through the entire book. I really wanted to love it. But I just couldn’t.

Camilla’s other books are fabulous though.

[Lynn]

I Love to Hate You

Velspar is a rich bully who has tormented Collette as long as she can remember. He’s cruel and his friends who do everything he asks is even more hateful. Collette has little to nothing to survive on, and Velspar and his crew take what she has and destroys it. Collette does her best not to give him the time of day.

As adults, Collette answers an ad for live-in maid, only to find out the owner of the house is Velspar Pratt, and she really needs the excellent salary he is offering.

This is not a rom-com despite how it’s advertised. It’s a psychological romance that deconstructs each of its characters down to their most terrible weaknesses and flaws. It’s actually very sad. It was well written and makes wise philosophical points and I would give it a higher rating if it wasn’t billed as a romantic comedy. If you’re looking for laughter, this isn’t the book for you. Five stars rounded down to three for false advertising.

[Annah Conwell]

I’ve never read anything like this!

Okay so this probably isn’t a way to start a review but: this book isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s dark and there’s A LOT going on here. Read the content warnings at the beginning for sure!

However, if it’s your thing it’s really going to take over your brain.

There’s drama and darkness and obsession and sweetness and funny moments and so much more! I recommend if you’re looking at the sweet Romcom genre and feeling a little bored of it 😂

The characters were twisted for sure, but also well explained in their motives so they never felt shallow.

Things I loved:
Singing moments
Taco Bell
I hate that I love you
Crying Vel moments
The kitchen knife

[thefriendlybibliophile]

Gosh. I really need therapy. Heaven help me because I loved this book.

“The second you touch someone else, I’ll disappear. So you better be serious about whatever this is.” I search his eyes. “Okay? I’m not sharing my villain."

I'm not going to sugar coat it, this book was dark. At first I was like why do I like this book, it's so dark. Also, it reminded me about of how a felt when I was reading A Cruel Prince by Holly Black but without the glistening cover of the fantasy setting. Which then made me question why I read book/romances like this despite knowing these relationships are toxic. And then it hit me. We are all a little broken, lonely, and destructive and want to know that someone could love us at our lowest and worst. And yeah, I'm not a bully but sometimes I do things that hurt people and it's reassuring to know that if I can buy into this hot mess romance, then maybe someone can love me when I'm at my low.

Also, I know that Camilla Evergreen markets her books at sweet rom‐coms and that is technically true...but they are also so deep and emotional. This book constantly wrenched my heart and Falling in Love with My Vampire Cat made me outright sob multiple times. So, yes I probably need therapy but books like these help release the burdens and make my heart a little bit lighter and freer.

[Lauren]

DNF.

I love Camilla Evergreen and how quirky and morally gray her characters are, but this MMC gave me the creeps a bit too much.

[آثمة]

خمس نجوم، ليش؟
لأنه ركع يتوسل لها مو عشان تحبه، لا عشان تعضه✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🎀

الكتاب تحفة تحفة تحفة، يراوينا من منظور متنمر فارغ بيسوي اي شيء لجذب الاهتمام، حتى لو كان هالشيء مؤذي، حبيتت الكتاببب، حبيب البطلة وكلامها معه، والبطل، فيل، اععععععععع ابي واحد زييه

[Jessie]

Red Flags Galore

I read the warning in the beginning, but I’ve been enjoying the rest of the series so much, I thought I could ignore it.

This book is about bullying and abuse. I’m sure it gets to a happy ending, and character growth (I’m stopping 1/3 of the way through). I just can’t get past the way Velspar treats her. If it was just in the past, I could see the romance. But he acts like, “I’m the only one who’s allowed to treat you poorly, and you should like it.”

I’ll be back for the next release in the series.

[Alicia (aliciasalwaysreading)]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: romcom (but make it dark)
Content: bullying shown on page, makeouts (one on a bed with MMC's shirt removed), brief inferences of disordered eating

Before I begin, if you decide you want to read this book, READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BEGINNING. Know that Camilla realizes and states that this is *FICTION*. The relationship depicted is toxic but frequently in fiction, we love morally gray men. Enter Velspar.

Velspar is filthy rich; his family basically owns the city. On the other hand, Colette is very poor and she has a stutter, which makes her an easy target for bullying. Velspar and his minions torment Colette throughout school. Three years after graduation, Colette applies for a live-in maid job, not realizing that it's for Velspar himself. Because she desperately needs the money, she agrees to do the job. That kind of closeness forces them to realize things about the other that they never knew.

Random thoughts:
-It’s giving The Cruel Prince but minus the fantasy.
-She's definitely braver than I am.
-I love that their color seasons are brought up in here. (I'm an autumn!)
-She did indeed know that he was trouble.
-OMG HE ARRANGED HER SONG TO MUSIC AND MADE IT BETTER!!!! 🥹
-🎶all you are is MEAN🎶 That was EPIC.
-The last sentence 😭

Favorite Quotes:

🙄"You're just trying to get in m-my head like you always have, and I will not give you the s..s-satisfaction!" His eyes roll. "Darling, I don't need to get in your head anymore. I live there."

💋 "Come kiss me, darling, if it bothers you. Tell me never to kiss anyone else. Hug me. Hold me. Torture me. Torture me like you know what you're doing and refuse to stop.”

📚"Little Miss Read the Entire School Library doesn't wants books. As if.”

🙅‍♀️ "The second you touch someone else, I'll disappear. So you better be serious about whatever this is." I search his eyes. "Okay? I'm not sharing my villain."

🔪 "You're so beautiful."
"I am th-is close to ssst-stabbing you,
Velssp-spar."
"Oh, I know. It's unequivocally hot."

😂 "Let's clash like fire and burn like
stars. Let's be bright and unashamed and remarkable. Let's be everything people told us we couldn't be.” His fingers thread through my hair as he laughs. "I would have settled for happy, but spiteful is good, too."

💔 "I've broken my own heart into a thousand pieces. I can't put it back together and be whole for you as though the hairline fractures won't forever be there, but I can promise that every last shard is yours.”

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 I kiss him like I'm drowning. Because I am. I am drowning in music and words, in being heard and seen and wanted.

‼️ Isn't it beautiful when we can look in the mirror and say you're enough?

😭 Last night, I did not have a nightmare for the first time in seventeen years.

[Sozy Sarra]

Oh yes. Yes, yes, and absolutely yes.

This was amazing. I never expected it to be this good, but I loved every word and every moment, especially the way they interacted with each other.

That painful part absolutely broke my heart.(Val and all the bullying stuff hi did and  took ) And this 3 book like the book 6 was truly heartbreaking, but I have to admit the author has a kind of magic that makes the words speak directly to my soul.

I loved Colette's character. I loved the way she dealt with Val and how she refused to let him drag her into his game. It also became clear to me that they had both loved in twisted way and hated each other from the very beginning—they were just an absolute mess.

They both suffered. He has no excuse for what he did, of course. Yes, he was bullied too, and he never learned how to love or deal with his emotions properly ( I  liked that hi had  boundaries) Even so, watching him suffer because he loved her so deeply from the very beginning made me cry.

Colette was such a wonderful heroine. Her words, her love of singing, her relationship with her mother, and her friendship with Katina all made her feel so real. I loved how the author built her character. She was intelligent, analytical, and getting to witness everything going on inside her mind was incredibly enjoyable this time.

I also loved the bonus scenes, and I loved that they finally found each other and formed such amass of bond. They were both monsters in their own way, but they truly belonged to each other.

I also liked how the friendships developed. She didn't forgive them, but she understood their past and where they were coming from.

I really wanted to read a book about Leis and Sean's relationship, and then I found out they actually have their own book! I literally screamed.

I'm going to read theirs next, and then I'll finish the last two books in the series. Honestly, I didn't read this series in order, and somehow it made falling in love with all these characters even more enjoyable.

[Deanna]

How to destroy your lifelong bully

A hate to love romance. Or even enemies to lovers but actually not.
If there was such a thing as Dark Rom-Com, then this is it. And hey I’m not saying I condone bullying in any form but theirs was an unusual relationship right from the start.

But in so saying, Velspar and Colette are both troubled souls who actually need each other. They have their unique way or even some might say, very dark dry humour is their love language. They just get each other like no one else can and that’s what makes them so perfect for each other. They don’t care what others think of them, only each other.

Their quirky and unique friends are also an unlikely bunch. How they function as group is a mystery to me but they somehow just work and they are there for each other when needed.

It was a troubling read at times with just how toxic they were to each other but when you read between the lines or really started to understand how they tick you understand the things they said and done had a reason, a purpose. They just weren’t good at showing their feelings in a positive way so it got a little skewed.

Please give this book a go, I promise you won’t be disappointed, just give Colette and Velspar a go, they will worm their way into your hearts, I promise.

[꣑ৎ sue (hatter-pendragon version) ꣑ৎ]

“We're addicted to each other, Colette. It's the most despicable thing in the world." Air leaves him, and he gazes at the ceiling of the dim garage. "You have to have felt the emptiness these past few years we've been apart. If you haven't, I might just cry myself to sleep tonight. Seeing you again is like remembering my favorite color. It is so dreadfully dull without you around. I don't know how either of us has survived."

can’t believe it took me this long to finish this book. work is really beating me in the ass. anyway, before any of you picks up this book, just know that the relationship between colette and velspar is toxic. i didn’t mind it much because i didn’t take it that seriously.

i will say that i think this book could have benefited from a bit of spice. i’m not saying this because i’m hard up for spicy scenes either. it’s just that our two main leads have mad chemistry, so it’s almost odd for me to read their intense scenes without a consequent spicy ones, you know?

[Courtney | Bookish Beach Babe]

♡ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 ♡
•the author’s note
•black nail polish
•enemies to lovers perfection
•it was always you
•villain x sunshine
•free taco bell
•the party
•her pillow
•speech impediment rep
•”can i keep you?”
•darling
•vel’s friends
•katina’s sass

𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳, “𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.”

first of all, read the dang author’s note. it’s hilarious — a story in itself, but it also makes very clear the trigger warnings and the fact that this book isn’t for everyone. that being said — i absolutely loved it, y’all! 59 highlights…gah, this book is so quotable!!

camilla evergreen’s way with words is utterly beautiful! i read this book to prepare for 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙮 and it was just so much fun. it’s absolutely unhinged in the best way and that’s really all i’m going to say. this is one of those books that you’re just gonna have to trust me on because you want to experience this one for yourself. the people in this book…all of them…are not well. but it’s fully acknowledged and there is amazing character growth. this book made my heart ache and swoon and sigh with happiness. i couldn’t put this down and i’m so excited to jump into les and sean’s story!

romance: kisses

[Alison]

Well, that was… dark.

I’m glad I read the authors note at the beginning or else I probably would have been rather shocked at how messed up this book was when it’s a “sweet” book. Though classifying it as a romantic comedy? Ehhhhh.

It was interesting, but a tough read. I liked how Vel was obviously in love with and obsessed with Collette but I’d love if he could stop telling her he hated her and tormenting her.

Not upset I read it but most likely won’t be giving it a reread.

[Michelle Angus]

*Warning* This book is a bit dark and twisted. But There are plenty of warnings for you to read over right when you open the book. However, I LOVED this book. Should I love dark and twisted? Maybe? Velspar is a twisted dark prince with an ego to boot and too handsome for his own good and has more money than he knows what to do with. Colette has anxiety and alot of trauma. She has a stutter and was bullied all throughout school. She is also dirt poor and desperately needs work to help her mom. What happens when you are thrown together with the person who hates you the most, who you hate in return? If you read this book, you will be hooked. I loved the growth of the characters and the change that both of them had to go through. Relationships take work, and this book shows that. They aren’t easy and they are sometimes painful. I would NEVER condone bullying, but this book also shows the healing of two people who didn’t know how to deal with their emotions. So beautiful. And Dark. lol!

*I received a copy of this book as an ARC reviewer, but a positive review wasn’t required. All thoughts are solely what I personally thought of this beautiful dark and twisted book.

[Shawna Z]

Uh…. I advise potential readers to read the warning before diving in as this story is ultimately a romance between a bullied girl and her tormentor set a couple years after graduating high school and their separation.

Our female lead, Colette, is from the poorer side of town, but meets her filthy rich bully, Velspar, as a child. Given she stutters it’s easy enough to tease her, and by high school, when she has earned a scholarship to the rich prep school he and his friends attend, the torments have escalated to breaking her things, stealing or deliberately destroying her lunch and even a physical beating from his followers.

Now we find Colette realizing her new cleaning job is for Velspar… a live-in position she unfortunately can’t afford to pass up, and as time passes Colette slowly learns that Velspar isn’t all he seemed.

Does the excuses for his actions forgive him even if he is still cruel or does the occasionally kind words make up for the hateful ones? I should hope not. But then some people do deserve forgiveness, based on their actions and regrets. Having been bullied, I don’t care how pretty a guy is or if he justifies his actions by saying it was done in love- nope. Nope, nope, nope.

I can forgive, yes, even without apology or without speaking to said bullies again, because staying angry hurts me not them- why let someone I haven’t seen in years live rent free in my head? But this “romance” between a former punching bag and the man who still is a jerk is not for me. I found myself more queasy than anything, and I don’t care that he’s a traumatized mess because of his own circumstances… you want to make it up then get some therapy don’t toss your twisted ideas of what love is out there and expect your warped feelings to be returned.

This relationship is just toxic, pure and simple, whether fiction or not. No young girl or teens should be reading this and start thinking this is remotely healthy- girls, red flags are just that- great big neon warning signs to steer clear. It isn’t your job to try and love someone who hurts you because you aren’t about to change him. There are some things only time, therapy and perhaps medication will help, but he has to do this for himself.

Please never put yourself in a position to be mistreated and told that this is love.

Did the book have cute moments? Yes. But Velspar is a walking billboard for mental health issues as he isn’t capable of a kind and loving relationship at this point in his life. The fact that Colette gets tangled in his way of thinking that causing pain is okay if you’re in love isn’t healthy. I’m not against those who like pain with their pleasure, but we are to believe a good girl suddenly is into manipulation, lies and hurtful gestures and the power rush of being in control? It’s a rather sudden leap for it to be believable.

Reading this as a romance between a dominant and a submissive in a relationship with healthy boundaries is something else- and maybe that’s where it was supposed to go, but , as written, I just can’t find a HEA here. I’m hoping if you go ahead and read this that you can. If the bullying hadn’t been involved, had two broken people found one another, maybe? I mean both characters have their good points, which is why I gave this three stars… I just wished it could have come from a more loving space.

For those who haven’t gone through bullying and abuse- feel free to read and enjoy this for the fiction it is. For those, like myself, whether you have worked past your abuse or not- I’d think twice before picking this one up.

[K.E. Drake]

Whew. That was intense.

*A few spoilers*

I was expecting to like this book, and I did!

From the epilogue, it drew me in and kept me flipping pages until it was over.

It was dark for a contemporary romance, but I was expecting that. It was also gritty and almost hard to read at points but so fun and sweet at other points.
Velspar and Collette were intense and deeply flawed, yet they were both wounded souls. They were so tender with one another (when they weren't plotting to figuratively murder each other), and there was literally no one else in the world for each other but them.

This story actually strongly reminded me of another book I really enjoyed: Kate Stradling's The Heir And The Spare. Both FMCs are bullied in their younger years, then their bullies come back into their lives, a romance blooms, and the FMC finds her greatest friends and allies in the friends of the guy who also bullied her in her past.

Something I loved was the point that Collette was annoyed because she doubted Velspar even played the grand piano in his house but then she figured out that he did know how to play. Also loved the scene where Velspar commissioned the piano for Collette.

Something more serious that I appreciated was that even though Velspar and Collette had some steamy moments, they don't ever actually have sex, not even fade-to-black, and we find out in the epilogue that five months later they still haven't because they're saving it for their wedding night. That’s rare in stories of this kind, and I was glad to see it.

On the flipside, a couple things I didn't like was (even though there was no actual language) there were still a lot of “he cursed, she swore” dialogue tags and curse words cut off before completion.

The ending dragged on a little, but I thought it was cute and a fun way to end off the story.

Now I need to read something lighthearted, haha!

[Jill]

Dark, Twisted, Haunting, and I feel like I need to read it again

Does it make me a bad person that I enjoyed this book? After reading the author’s strong trigger cautionary note at the start of the book I wondered was this even a good idea for me to read it. However, having enjoyed other unorthodox books from this author, I decided to read a couple chapters. From there the book just went and ruined the rest of my day. I felt like I was watching a train wreck happen in slow motion. I just could not stop watching! Or in this case reading. I could not put the book down. I even felt super guilty that I was enjoying a book about a young woman years later falling in love with her once childhood bully. I felt like I should ‘hate’ the book on principle and the fact that the MCs in the book constantly used the phrase “I hate you” as their secret love language.

Yes the book is very dark, really twisted, and has some disturbing parts that make you want to pull your hair out not knowing if you should be happy how things are progressing or if a character intervention was needed. By the end of the book, once the situations around the bullying became clearer, I no longer felt guilty about enjoying the story. I was pleasantly surprised at how many characters actually were truly redeemed in the story. It had an extremely happy (yet still dark) ever after and I kind of want to pick the book up and start reading it all over again. Yes this story will resonate in your soul for awhile.

Rating: PG-13, no sex, mostly clean, there are characters who get drunk and act stupid on page, there are a lot references to giving others the middle finger, no foul language, mentions characters “cursing” but no words given. Best to check out the author’s triggers and info page about this one first.

[Nic2416]

Not sure what I was expecting and maybe I’m too old but this felt pretentiously angsty. Bully romance not my thing but with illustrated cover and its description as a sweet romantic comedy, I gave it a shot. I think I’m supposed to excuse everyone’s behavior because they’re all damaged but they just seem like a**holes.

[Irum]

DNF!!! I don’t understand their dynamic and frankly don’t want to understand it thank you very much 🫶

[Becky]

I'm glad this wasn't my first book by this author.

[Manee Contreras]

Romance level: kissing🔥 (intense make outs); sensual; innuendos.

"Darling, I don’t need to get in your head anymore. I live there.”

This dark rom com was a rollercoaster ride! Their relationship developed pretty toxic in the beginning. Vel is such a complex character. He had a twisted power play at first. He portrayed being confident & sure of himself in front of her, but he was also scared.

As the story unfolds, you get to see how troubled Velspar is. He has come to believe he doesn't deserve anything good. He'd rather have her hating him, than not have her at all. And then you get a glimpse of his real motives...

It's a love story between two broken people. They didn't know the proper way to address their feelings for each other.
What drew me in was reading about how a broken man (who knew nothing about tenderness & love) could show, as best as he could & knew, his feelings toward her.

With all this said, the bullying was definitely not okay. All that happened before & to the point in which it becomes clear what went wrong is pretty complex & dark.

Camilla gives you an insight of the brokenness of people. Of how twisted the heart can be due to awful experiences. But it's also so much more, it's about forgiveness, healing & love.

THAT party got me thinking of how real those situations are for some women. However awful the situation was, it was such a key point for these two.

That first kiss! What lead to it was as messy as their relationship! I wasn't sure at first, but then the perspective cleared & knew why it happened. These two were cute but twisted😅 The banter, dry humor & witty comebacks between them were so good!

The gala was epic. The epilogue was so chaotic. Such a mess. So them. It was cute🖤.

Their friends were just as disfunctional, unstable & somehow right for each other. I'm excited for their stories to be told!

💚: stuttering & deafness awareness

🎹
* I was kindly gifted an ARC from the author. This doesn't influence in any form my review/opinion of the book*

⚠️TW: bullying (physical, emotional & psychological); alcohol; violence; there's a situation in a party (DM for more info or contact Camilla directly).

[My_every_day_chilling]

What can I say? It was savagely beautiful.

Romance: 4/5
Chemistry: 4/5
1st kiss: +-50% in
Spice: 0/5 (it's a clean one y'all)
Drama: 4/5
Suspense: 0/5
Humor: 3/5
Cry factor: 1/5
Foul language: 0/5

How I felt:
- I don't know why, but I loved this, call me mad, bite me! but I loved our bully. Maybe because I realized from that epilogue, he fell for her long ago.
- The banter was phenomenal, when you think it will stop, well because they have made their peace, it's only natural, right? No it goes on and on and it's so good.
- Yes, the MMC was twisted, but it's all he knows how to be and to me it was so sweet (ok, so maybe sweet is not the right word - he was savagely sweet, brutally sweet, wickedly sweet - I can go on but you get me!)
- When I read that prologue, I sensed our bully liked her and it was his way to protect her. With that I knew how to read him and his actions.

Overall:
- This is a clean romance with loads of chemistry.
- You can say it's dark but sweet and swoony (it made me melt like good butter).
- It is a page turner, you won't want to take a break and put it down.
- It may not be a fast paced read because of the trigger and angst it causes you throughout

TW: Bullying

Tropes:
- Banter
- Bully MMC
- Pining
- He fell first
- It's always been you
- Touch her and you die
- Enemies to lovers
- Protector MMC

[Amanda]

First thing you must know about this book: read the forward. I agree with everything that Camilla put in the forward.

Second thing you must know about this book: if you have experienced bullying in your own life, this might not be a cathartic read.

I’m giving it four stars based on the author’s writing ability and the journey of exploration, but I do feel like this could’ve been a better book. I feel like putting it in the genre that requires an HEA has actually stilted the beauty of the story and made it difficult to explore the arc of the characters. Throw this one in “literature” or “women’s literature”, give yourself 200-300 extra pages, and let’s see where BOTH the FMC and MMC end up!

Redemptive themes are some of my favorite. Realistic stories aren’t what I’m necessarily looking for when I escape to the land of books… but this one dealt with a depth of perception of human nature that resulted in feeling so realistic that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief.

Honestly… it wouldn’t surprise me if, given more pages, they ended up exactly where the reader wants them, with their HEA… but the pacing felt clipped enough that I don’t feel like I can trust the “happily” to sink in for the MMC.

Result: a struggle to trust the HEA at the end, but an emotional response in the reading.

[Becca Z]

I didn’t know this existed :) Clean but “dark”

This book was recommended to me on a Facebook group on clean rom coms because I was looking for a jerky male lead (kind of a guilty pleasure-I like FIREY arguments and tricks up their sleeve) You don’t usually find too much of that in “sweet” clean romance. But I avoid open door scenes (and honestly it does come across as “problematic” if your main character hops into bed with someone who’s been insulting her and wrecking her life.)

So I was looking for more than “lovably grumpy”. This fit the bill perfectly! I laughed because the beginning was filled with trigger warnings and reminders to avoid toxic relationships in real life -perfect! It was really well written -they talk a lot and notice what’s happening a lot rather than live inside their thoughts. It was (mostly) only from her POV which worked well. Just the right amount of passion.

Only complaint as he was so obsessed that it actually made her come off as “perfect”. I would have liked to see some weaknesses in her end because she was almost too sympathetic.

Great read!

[Aizlynne]

This book is a bit (see: a lot) darker than the others in the series. I kept feeling like this might be what 50 Shades would be if A- it was clean, and B- The MMC had some morals and boundaries he wouldn't cross. (Full disclosure, I have not read 50 Shades. Just going off what I've heard.)

Two things I loved about it: First- character growth. Is Velspar an absolute fiend and does he do some truly mean things to Colette over the course of their lives? Absolutely. But he is willing to confront why he does it and begins to get better. Second- the disclaimer at the beginning which sets the mood for the whole book. Tormenting someone is not sexy, nor is it the foundation for a stable relationship. This is a bully romance that doesn't celebrate the bullying and make it seem something to aspire to. It more focuses on why a bully may be the way they are and offers a reason to think compassionately toward them. But compassion or not, this is not a healthy relationship and Ms Evergreen owns that in the disclaimer.

[Wendy Droke]

How to Destroy Your Lifelong Bully is probably my favorite book so far by Camilla Evergreen (which is saying something because every book in this series has been a binge read for me). The characters from this book have lived in my head for the last two weeks since I finished the book, and I haven't been able to shake them (despite reading 10 other books in the meantime). This book was a stay up late/wake up early/not want to go to work binge read for me.

This book fits interestingly into the "sweet rom-com" genre because it is admittedly dark. The main character's relationship history is toxic at best, however I found myself intrigued by their backstory, and rooting for their relationship "I hate you"/"I love you" to work. Something I have always appreciated about Ms. Evergreen's books is that she doesn't shy away from writing books about broken people. And the reality that broken people hurt other people. In this case, that those who crave any attention will go to great lengths to make someone hate them - because any attention is better than no attention and they don't find themselves worthy of positive attention.

Read the author's note before you read the book, it is heartfelt and accurate. Her expectations guides at the start of her books are extremely helpful - I think they should be standard in all books!

I leave you with this quote that is absent of any spoilers, but has been impactful to me over the last few weeks. The message of this book rings loud and clear through it:
"We're a mess. All of us. Sighing, I wonder if there's a side to almost every story that we don't get to see, if the people who need to be destroyed are far fewer than we assume. Pain is so contagious. It's easier to get angry or even than it is to attempt vulnerability when we've already been taught it hurts worse to fail when we've actually tried."

I received an ARC of this eBook in exchange for my honest review.

[Shannon D Zieg]

This is a great book, but it's edgy. There's a lot of pain, a lot of bitterness, and a lot of forgiveness that needs to happen before the end of the book.

But that's really what I loved about it. Not everyone has a sweet meet-cute. Not everyone has a clean and neat past that translates well to loving anyone.

Velspar treats Collette badly. And Collette treats Velspar badly. In the past, and into the future because...once you have all that baggage from the way you were raised, and the way you were bullied, you have to carry it all around with you.

The trick is learning enough about the other person to determine if any of that baggage can be tossed aside, to embrace new experiences, or if the dangers and the pain will be ongoing, and a break has to happen. I'm glad Velspar and Collette are able to work through things to get to their (reasonably) happy ending. That, after all, is why I read romances in the first place!

[S.C.]

Okay, so if Camilla Evergreen keeps this up, I’m going to meet my 2024 Goodreads goal in less than two months.

*insert Googling how many books she’s written *

This book Is significantly different than her other rom-coms. It’s darker and twisted, but it’s soooooo good.

I fell in love with Velspar and his brokenness throughout the book, but also Colette and her own inner demons. They gave me very strong Jude-Cardan vibes from The Cruel Prince. I would pay to have more stories about Velspar and Colette.

This is dark, twisted, closed door-but-hella-steamy, contemporary romance. She offers trigger warnings and a sincere Author’s Note prior to beginning since it deals with bullying and is definitely an enemies-to-lovers story.

I squealed. I messaged my best friend and begged her to get this book.

[Brittany Landrum]

This is my second book from this author and I just adore these. They are funny romcom based books. The writing style is easy to read and the story line easy to want to binge. They are based off of self help books like “how to do this, or that” type of thing. These will be my go to books for light reading after a book that sets heavy with me.


Now about this book. I loved this one. Colette and Velspar (seriously, who names their kid that? lol) story hasn’t always been nice. You could say he’s a rich, spoiled brat, bully. Whereas Colette had to work for everything. They hate each other. Or do they?
Miscommunication, trope ✅
Enemy to lovers ✅
Closed door romance ✅
Overcoming an obstacle ✅
Cute, quirky, run ✅

[Princess_jime]

I've read my fair share of bully, enemies to lovers romances, and I think this is it. The pinnacle, the epitome, the blueprint from which I will compare all the rest from now on. I liked it that much. It's New Adult, but it could have been YA, I didn't even miss the sex scenes, there aren't any, but they're not needed, it's hot enough as is (plenty). Loved the dialogues between the MCs, they were smart, well paced, passionate (mah boy was giving Heathcliff a run for his Wuthering Heights money at one point there), hell, this book even got me mildly interested in the Taylor Swift songs mentioned (which in my case says a lot mwahahahaha). Anyway, can't praise this one enough, great work dear author! Great work.