Drey
167 reviews1,004 followers
4 Stars! ... To dearest Love and Zac. This book contains teenage angst, lots of teenage drama and dumb teenagers. In simple words, this book was all about "the idiocy of the teenagers." But well, I've been there before. I've been an idiot once, twice, or maybe countless times. Not to be a hypocrite, I completely understood some of the things they did. And then, insert the drama between their families, friends, pyscopath exes. It was just crazy and I truly lived for it. Being able to relate with the characters is very important for me. I could relate with Xavier and his loyalty for his undeserving parents. And I could relate with Aveena for understanding Xavier that family always comes first above everything. Note: This is a high school, enemies to lovers romance. This book was engaging and emotional. It deals with some serious topics that made it somehow relatable and realistic to some. Our main characters went through a terrible past that made them as what they were today. Aveena vented her frustrations to her teacher on a paper and then later realized that she forgot it in a poetry book. When she returned for the letter, she found out that someone responded to it. And that was the fated day when it all began. The start of Zac and Love, their signed identities, who agreed to keep themselves anonymous and became pen pals. This is a well-written book and the writing style was simplistic in the sense that it was easy to follow. I liked the build up of their relationship and I loved how they grew as individuals. Great chemistry. Great pacing, not too slow and not too insta. What I did not like was the typical lack of communication between the main characters on the second half. I won't spoil anything, but this usage of "trust me" that I mostly find in high school romances is tiring and anticlimactic. Like this particular line: "I am going to fix this, just trust me," then the next day, what he did hurt her. Not realizing that only a simple communication between them will fix it. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I was into it from the beginning, through the rocky middle, and the beautiful ending. Even though Xavier chose to do the right thing for like forever, we discovered along the way that this young man would do everything to protect his family. Aveena too was an amazing heroine. I need a lot more of Aveena in my high school romances. I look forward to the rest of the series. I recommend this to those who likes: Eliah Greenwood, high school, enemies to lovers, sports, bully, slow burn, emotional, and a happily ever after. Trigger Warning: Vivid depiction of sexual assault. "He tastes like cherry Jolly Ranchers, bad decisions, and a vulnerability I could spend my whole life trying to outrun."
“Biggest risk you could ever take in this life is not taking one.”
"Loving Xavier Zachary Emery is a life sentence… And I plead guilty."
- 2021-reads angsty crazy
Ainhoa
458 reviews17 followers
So... I didn't hate the book, but it was exhausting. The plot sounded interesting enough, secret and anonymous post it notes in a book, wallflower falling in love with the basketball high school star.. I mean, the first half of this book was phenomenal, for real. But the author made it too long. It has all the drama, too many problems, too many obstacles in their romance, I didn't know how frustrated I was until I almost throw my kindle away and yelled "Come on!! Would you give them a f**ing break!?" So yes, that would sum it all. In my humble opinion the writer goes beyond the necessary to give this book drama, she could have ended like halfway through it and it would have been a great book. I won't go into detail but some situations were absurd, for real. If you've read it, please let me know and we can vent through private message... please?? So it makes me sad, because it wasn't a bad book, and I honestly loved the first half of it but... nope, I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're in for drama, in which case, go ahead and give it a go!
- 2021-reads sports-romance
Cait Jacobs (Caitsbooks)
308 reviews15.7k followers
Read
August 16, 2022I picked this up because of a Booktok video I saw, and while there was some stuff I enjoyed (the romance was cute, and the premise was fun), it ended up not being for me. Many plot points felt unrealistic and I didn’t like how it handled darker topics (especially pedophilia). There was a lot of potentially triggering content in here, so here are some warnings in case you’re looking to pick it up:
Suicide, violence, abuse, panic attacks, anxiety, rape, pedophilia, bullying, blackmail, drinking/drug use, mature content
- 2021-releases contemporary new-adult
Julezreads
300 reviews1,308 followers
Es ist das allertollste Gefühl, wenn ein Buch zum Highlight wird, von dem man es nicht erwartet hätte😍! "Dear Love I hate you" ist dramatisch, überspitzt und beinhaltet ein paar Klischees, aber in meinem subjektiven Leseerlebnis spielte das keine Rolle, denn ich war IM SUCHTMODUS🤯! Innerhalb von 1,5 Tagen habe ich das Buch verschlungen, konnte es kaum beiseitelegen und musste ständig an die Handlung und die Charaktere denken. Durch die Struktur des Buchs mit den geheimen Briefen und Chatnachrichten entwickelt die Slow Burn Lovestory sich realistisch und greifbar. Alles in allem erschienen die Protagonisten nachvollziehbar, was es leicht machte, mit ihnen zu sympathisieren, selbst beim Treffen von fragwürdigen Entscheidungen. Für mich war es nicht nur Unterhaltung pur sondern auch emotionale Intensität: Bei jeder Wendung habe ich mitgefiebert, war involviert wie lange bei keinem anderen Romance-Buch. Kritikpunkte kann ich verstehen, für mich kam das Buch einfach zur perfekten Zeit - ich habe es mit allen Ecken und Kanten geliebt: Die Charaktere, die Dramatik, den fesselnden Schreibstil der Autorin! Größte (unerwartete) Überraschung des Lesejahres 2023 bislang🤭😍
moonlight☾ [semi-hiatus]
683 reviews1,428 followers
✰ 4.5 stars ✰ “What if you’re the only thing that makes sense anymore?” He sounds pained, broken. “What if, when everything went to sh*t, all I could think about was making sure you were okay?” I hear him step forward but don’t turn around. “What if I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire f*cking life, Vee?” i loved this!! it was originally five stars for me, but something happened at the 74% mark that had me lower my rating just a bit. although i understood why . but, aside from that, this book was worth me staying up early in the morning for. 😌 often times, communication by letters/email as the plot of the story can be a hit or miss for me. sometimes, the conversations would bore me so that’s why i’m not a huge fan of the trope but, after and now this ... i admit, if done right, it can be entertaining as hell and so good. i’m glad that was the case of this book for me!! i was surprised with how deep some of the letters Xavier and Aveena had; i knew from the blurb they were trading secrets through these letters, but i was satisfied because i personally love it when couples have deep conversations that make you think. emotional connection is one of my favorite things in a romance story. 🤩 Xavier was a great H!! imo, he didn’t feel like your “typical” H in these high school bully romances. he had his moments, sure, but he wasn’t straight up rude or an actual bully. i honestly loved that he thought the popularity thing was stupid and made me feel 🦋🦋 at times. 😫 for Aveena, i liked her but i don’t think she stood out to me as an individual character (at least compared to Xavier); however, i loved the . yes, that scene made me sob at 5am, thx. :”) for side characters, i was soo intrigued with Finn and Dia’s story that i need a book about them pls. 😭 anyways. would i recommend this book? aside from the one problem i had that i mentioned in the beginning, YES. it was an amazing read overall. it’s my first book by Eliah Greenwood and i’m definitely going to read more after loving this! 🥺💞
I yelp when he grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. He doesn’t waste a single second taking my face into his hands, aligning his gaze with mine as he whispers, “Can I say it then?”
- 2021-favorites brb-crying-at-five-in-the-morning bully-romance
ApoorvaReads
529 reviews383 followers
REREAD 5/02/22 - still love them<33 ~~~~~~ 4.25 stars ⭐️ Not gonna lie, this had it cliche moments. This is Eliah’s best work to date! She really outdid herself with this one! I loved Xavier (when he wasn’t a dick) and I loved Aveena more! They had so much pain in their hearts and I’m so glad they found each other. I loved the twists Eliah would throw and though I saw few coming, it didn’t make the reading less enjoyable! This had everything i wanted and more! I really want books of the side characters! I found them really intriguing and would love to see more of Xavier and Vee! Overall, this was a really fun read! Just the break i wanted and desperately needed!
Not gonna lie, i loved it! “I find comfort in knowing the greatest love stories all have an expiration date…
I just wish ours didn’t have to be today.” “Oh, Harper… I don’t play to play.
I play to win.” “I need her. End of story. The girl’s become my best friend, the only person I trust, the only real thing in my life. She sees me for me. Sees Zac where everybody sees Xavier. She sees the guy behind the walls of useless popularity, title, and reputation.
I need Aveena Harper.
Any f*cking way I can get her.”
Llakshmi
496 reviews439 followers
Okay I need to ask. Do girls really cry all the time? Because that seems to be the trend in my recent reads. I’m not sure if im really disappointed in this because I knew what I was getting into. This is a very cliché story without the cookie cutter characters? Atleast that’s what I thought for the first 50% of the book aaand then we hit the high school vibe. Lets break it down shall we? We follow Aveena or “vee”, a very “relatable” girl because she reads and works in the library and has the whole “shes hot but she doesn’t know it which makes her hotter” thing going on. On one fine day, she gets tired of being in her prodigy sisters shadow and writes an anonymous letter cursing everyone and everything and accidently leaves it in the library (like we all have at one point in our life) When she goes back to get the letter before someone reads it and ruins her scholarship deal (ofcourse), she finds a letter left for her. And so begins our pen pal plotline that soon leads to texting and phone-sex And who is this anonymous pen-pal? Meet Xavier Emery; Captain of the basketball team, the “jock who isn’t a jock” because he never wanted the popularity in the first place. In the midst of hating his life, he finds the letter and begins daring Vee to give more confessions. “Zac: You’ve got me wrapped around your f*cking pinky, you know that?” With that said, this book wasn’t thaaatt bad. I genuinely liked the first half of the book, the confessions were adorable and Xavier was just so easy to like. And I think what ive always loved about pen-pal romances is that we see two people who believe that would never connect find an undeniable bond through the letters. “Christ, just tell me who you are. f*ck the pact. f*ck the secrets. f*ck it all. Just tell me who are you, L. Please. Let this be real” Vee, I felt, was always “So, when guys like that see a girl like you, a girl who doesn’t look easy or desperate, they get intimidated. Label her high-maintenance and run like hell. You’re beauty and brains, Vee. You’re an immature high school boy’s worst nightmare” but besides that, I think the book was just so entertaining. There was just so much sh*t going on with everyone and I was so funny because it was just absolutely ridiculous in every sense. Now let me tell you what happened after the 50% mark: 1)Xav and Vee decide that it’s time to meet and the perfect place? A f*cking frat party. 2)Xav and vee make up and make out and sleep with eachother. 3)The confessions that they left in the library is found and posted all over the school with a new form facebook group “whoisZacandLove” (their pen names) 4)Xav gets back with his ex girlfriend because PLOTWIST: the bitchy cheerleader started the facebook page and could possibly expose him as Zac. 5)Vee is heartbroken and constantly cries. 6)Xav does nothing about it except blame and beat himself up. I feel like my love for Xav drops after this, he was all “bark but no bite”? he kept saying how much he loved her and how he would do anything for and how she is the single most important thing in his life but he does absolutely nothing to prove it. “What if you’re the only thing that makes sense anymore?” He sounds pained, broken. “What if, when everything went to sh*t, all I could think about was making sure you were okay?” I hear him step forward but don’t turn around. “What if I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire f*cking life, Vee?” *proceeds to ignore her existence in public* Its almost embarrassing to read about how Vee is in love with him and im like “for f*cksake you’re in love with a f*cking ghost” “Love: I wish I could hug you right now. *dramatic eye-roll* boys. And Xavier’s parents had the most “Baby, look at me.” She forces our eyes to meet. “I’m your mother. I carried you, gave you life, tended to every fit. There are a million girls just like her out there, but there is only one of me.”
Xav kisses the first person who comes up to him (bitchy-sidekick-cheerleader) thinking that it’s vee. And what do you know? Vee catches them and flees ( which she seems to be doing a lot in this book)
Zac: Fair warning, if you hugged me, another part of me would probably hug you.”
I really want to read Finn and Dia’s story (MC’s bestfriends)
“Long story short, they hated each other.
Until… their genitals didn’t.”
They seem to be a mess but I just cant help but find their story amusing and it’s a “friends who are in love with eachother but will not admit it” trope.
Overall: I don’t HATE this book, it was what you would expect going into a highschool bully romance, it was fun and very fast, I finished it in one day! I feel like if you like Deviant King or Dear Ava; you would like this book.
“I know this is sh*tty, and complicated, and it’d be easier for you to get on that plane, but… I don’t want easy—f*ck easy. I want you. I love you, Vee,” he croaks, pressing his forehead flush to mine. “Just… stay.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
- contemporary hate-to-love new-adult
Pinky
529 reviews563 followers
Trigger Warnings: Mel🌜 convinced me to read the last chapter of the second book. I don’t normally do this but I did and gasped. You can technically ignore this book and read the second book since books two and three are a duet, but there may be spoilers for this book in the following two books since it takes place during the same time. I’m so conflicted on what to rate this because it was so well written. The second I started, I couldn’t stop, so I wanted to give it 5 stars. But then the sh*t the MMC, Xav, did just pissed me off. Since I’m an emotional rater, I was leaning to 2 stars but Imma change it to 3 since it was entertaining. I love when the book is mainly the FMC’s POV but we really needed more chapters of the MMC’s POV since there were parts where we had to see what he was going through. This is the first book I’ve read by Eliah Greenwood and it was so good I’ve been running on 4 hours of sleep for three days now. But what sucks is that I hated what happened. I hated Xav, I hated how he handled situations. It didn’t feel like his love for Vee, the FMC was as strong as her love for him. Xav was a coward for the way he handled situations. And honestly, it felt like he thought with his dick even though he presents himself in a way where you would think otherwise. The second half was terrible, I was just so angry and annoyed while reading. Rather than the characters having character development, it felt like they progressively got worse. It’s so sad, this had a very promising start and I was entertained, but I am exhausted and hate Xav. Vee is dealing with sh*t at home since her sister is an upcoming star who has all of her mother’s attention. Xav takes all the blame for a prank that was his idea and has detention. Vee is pissed with a teacher and writes a letter ranting that ends up being in the very book Xav is required to read at detention. He decides to respond back, and unintentionally becoming anonymous pen pals. But they have no idea that they are part of the same group and know each other. Now for spoilers A huge thank you to Mel🌜, Shilpa, and Thanu for putting up with my ranting LMAO. That is all, stay safe folks!
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- childhood-or-high-school made-me-cry unwanted-or-lonely-mcs
Lady Raven RAVE!
1,826 reviews1,410 followers
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Style: Enemies to Lovers Romance (High School) STORY: Xav is the typical popular guy who isn’t happy with his life or is current girlfriend-ish. He isn’t mean; I found him to be nice. A little too nice at times, if you ask me. He was still appealing and sexy as well, and I fell in love with his character, although he could have fought a little hard during the climax of the story. Vee was just that girl to me. The one that nobody notices who’s just waiting for graduation to hightail it to college. Both Xav and Vee together, entertained me from start to end. I can honestly say I was not bored or felt the need to skip pages. The buts for me are few. So tell me, and maybe it’s just me, are my expectations too high when a title is self-explanatory? The enemies to lovers theme had like a 2 to 5 minutes life span. This was a very good story for me, but it was not what I got from the title. This was not an Enemies to Lovers book. SEXUAL CHEMISTRY: SECONDARY CHARACTERS: Dia and Finn - Dia is Vee’s best friend and Finn is Xav’s. These two really gave me soap opera vibes. I hope the author does a story for them because I don’t fully have a resolution to their story. I thought Dia was a little all over the place. She stood up for Vee, but her life was a constant party and Finn’s D. Finn was P whipped. Like I said, soap opera vibes. It always felt like Vee does what Dia wants to do and that always partying. Theo and Ash - Theo a friend of Xav and Ash is Vee’s sister. Not enough to speak on throughout the book but based on the epilogue, they need a story as well. Brielle and Axel, they can pretty much burn in hell. OVERALL: TRIGGERS: alcohol use, roofied drink, attempted rape, mention of suicide. (these triggers does not mean this is a dark read) ****I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read. I based my book reviews on my preferences and what I like, and while these preferences may not be the same for others, I hope this review was still helpful.
Story: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Dark Level: 0/5
Sexual Level: GOOD
Triggers: Yes
Violence: No
Male: Likeable
Series: N/A
Pages: 426
Audio: N/A
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
I have to say I REALLY LIKED THIS STORY. It’s like I binge-watched a juicy teen drama on Netflix. Sometimes, it could be a little cheesy and a tad bit predictable, but I couldn’t get enough of the storyline and the characters. It had so many layers and components that it was like a story within a story. I actually found myself looking forward to the texts and letters in the first half of the book. I was reliving my teen years vicariously through these texts.
I enjoyed Xav’s and Vee’s build up and sexual chemistry once it exploded. It wasn’t as intense but still very satisfactory for me. I would even say I would have liked a bit more (that’s the selfish inner slu*t in me speaking).
I love when a book can give you so my secondary characters that does not take away from the main characters.
The stars of this story, the texts, letters, Vee and Xav. An enjoyable read for me. I love the main characters and secondary characters. I hope the author is planning on continuing the story with Finn and Dia.
- enemies-to-lovers-romance high-school sex-3-stars-good
Corinne [semi-hiatus]
530 reviews104 followers
Full disclosure here... I avoided reading this book for a long time because it is a high-school bully romance and I'm a grown woman. I made a lot of assumptions about it but as it goes with assumptions, they were all wrong. Most bully romances are shallow and ridiculous. Not this one. This book has real substance. It is fresh and entertaining. All the characters are relatable and real, not just the main ones but all of them. Aveena is multi-dimensional. She has a complicated life for an 18 year old. But she is grounded and smart. Sure, she makes some stupid decisions but she is only 18. I could relate to her a lot. The bullying that she endures was frustrating but not as much as the school's attitude. There are a lot of plot twists. This is not an easy-peasy story. It is interesting and engaging. The story is told mostly from Aveena's POV and the author deliberatly witholds information. In conclusion, this book is a lot more than I expected. I laughed, I cringed, I was appalled, I was sad, I swooned. Can't wait for the next book in the series!
Xavier is a bit annoying. He's not un unlikeable character. He treats her really well but he makes the worst choices and takes on himself the burderns of his parents. His parents... omg, the perfect blend of awfull and selfish.
Aveena and Xavier become secret pen-pals by chance and their romance is bulding slowly and I really appreciated this. I am tired of insta-love as the norm.
Please give it a try!!!
- romance
Miftahul
369 reviews192 followers
Sometimes i feel like there is a competition going on between authors who can write the most annoying heroine, but there is a plot twist in this book...guess what?? *heartbeat sound increasing* ...there is an annoying hero too!!! *yay*. Ok you know what, i liked this book but not that much. I liked the fact that it was a bit realistic where rich boys do rich boy stuff and not behave like mafia. There was that realistic vibe at the beginning but towards the end it became dramatic af, the drama didnt bother me but the way the characters behaved. First of all, Aveena at the beginning judges her bff Dia for being a party girl and drinking...I mean i get it, seriously i relate to Aveena a bit because she is shy and awkward and she feels bad that her bff changing, i get it trust me, but then, f*cking then.. Aveena towards the end starts partying and drinking as well because Xavier the hero broke up with her. Like hypocrite much? This girl literally didnt even spare her bff and judged the f*ck out of her throughout the whole book and showed herself as a saint but then when it comes to her heartbreak...she is doing the same thing...like- ...i liked Aveena’s character because she was a really realistic character at the beginning who is in highschool and trying to find herself, dealing with problems but then she becomes so stupid at the end ugh. She shows herself as “ i am not like the other girls” the entire book. I wanted to rate this 3-4 but the turn off for me was when Xavier was confessing his love for her ....she just slapped him...and then f*cked him. Like why did u slap? You dont slap someone when they confess their love, you slap them when they are being mean. She didnt slap xavier when he was being rude af at the beginning but slaps him when he is saying the three stupid words. What!? 😑 as the story continued, after 70% it was like who can be stupider Xavier or Aveena and let me tell you, Both of them are in the same level. #couplegoals. And ppl say true love doesnt exist. I loved Finn and Dia, i hope they are not like Aveena and Xavier. However, what i absolutely loved about this book was that AT THE BEGINNING 40-50%..at the beginning it was a realistic highschool story kinda, there was no drama, it was very realistic and i loved it but again, towards the end ( from 60%) it became very dramatic and the characters went from amazing to okayish to tolerable to annoying to get the f*ck out. Aveena was weak but again, i get it, she had to deal with a lot of things in her life and also she did try to stand up for herself. Xavier was different from other hs hero’s, he was a realistic character as well and at the end he broke up with Aveena but also made the right decision afterwards ..i was annoyed but at least he came to his senses but Aveena did forgive him wayyy too quickly. And i also liked the letter part of the book and how they communicate, when they finally found out about eachother, it was not awkward, it was very passionate and i really liked that. But Aveena whines about how her mom doesnt love her and after she confronts, they talk and cry and reunite but then again her mom starts to be bitchy again. So I really wanted a closure from that part, they did talk and sort it out but her mom was back to be a bitch again, like can Aveena just be strong and stand up against her mom? 90% was rushed up, after the letters were revealed in front of everyone and it was out that Xavier is Zac it just ended abruptly. Like how did their friends react? Cuz Xavier wrote things about Finn as well so how did Finn react? It just ended too quickly. Overall, the book was okayish for me, liked it but hated it more. I wished that Aveena was not so judgemental and whiny, same as Xavier, i wished he was not so whiny. At the beginning of the story, i really liked their characters but at the end they were intolerable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Melluvsbooks
1,383 reviews
Woot! 🙌🏻 I finished! 🎉🤡 RTC
endlessbookworld
292 reviews205 followers
Ich bin echt positiv überrascht worden!! Niemals hätte ich gedacht, dass dieses Buch mich SO sehr fesseln würde. 😍 Der Schreibstil der Autorin, wie die Story aufgestellt war, die Emotionen und DIE BRIEFE… all das hat dafür gesorgt, dass ich durch die Seiten geflogen bin. Auch wenn es manchmal zu dramatisiert wurde habe ich’s geliebt und freue mich auf weitere Bücher der Autorin!! 🤭 4,5/5⭐️
Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️
2,395 reviews2,347 followers
Sins and confessions! The following ratings are out of 5: The heroine: The Hero: The story: Vee hates Xavier. They used to hang out as kids because their moms used to be friends, and Xavier used to bully Vee. That was up until they were 8 years old when he started going to a different school. He returned for high school, but they haven’t talked since then. Their last interaction was when they were 8 and he pushed her on the playground. Vee has a lot going on in her life, she lost her v card to her sister's ex-boyfriend Logan and thinks she is a horrible person. Her sister, Ashley is a prodigy and Vee has always lived in her shadow. Now she finds out her sister is dating Logan again and Vee doesn’t want her sister to find out. When she was 9 years old, she found her dad in the garage after he committed suicide. Vee does end up finding the book of poetry and it has her letter which she didn’t want anyone to find, but it has a note on the back. So, she removes the letter, puts in a note to the bully who replied and puts the book back. Then starts a conversation with an unknown person via notes in a book. Until she finds out it is Xavier that she is talking to. I liked the story despite the fact that many of the letters and texts between the two main characters are so obviously high school. That actually lends to the authenticity of the storyline since they are in high school. Though so many books like these have the characters behaving more like thirty year olds than high school students. I liked the storyline and the back stories of both main characters. They each have things going on in their lives and their pasts that made them perfect for each other. This book was told in dual points of view via duet narration and was narrated by Michelle Sparks and Lucas Allen. I love duet narration and props to the author for doing it this way. Way too few books are narrated that way. I love Michelle Sparks soft, feminine voice which is terrific, and Lucas Allen had a good voice as well and totally sounded age appropriate for this book. Though his narration was a bit stilted at times, it was still good.
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😠😚😁😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
- 00-audiobooks-i-own audiobook contemporary
zahraa
355 reviews
4.5⭐️ childhood friends turned strangers turned enemies, turned anonymous pen pals, turned lovers, turned enemies turned lovers ?
Tuna ⎈ Reads
92 reviews15 followers
1 "Maria's gonna kick your ass" star Dear Love, dear Zac... If you two don't get your sh*t together ASAP, all the wooden spoons in my Portuguese grandmother's arsenal are going to find your ass cheeks with I'm genuinely astonished at the rating this book has. You know what? Maybe I need to get my sh*t together too because high school settings in books are a magnet for clichés, and yet here I still am—clownin' myself. Alright, in my more rational moments when the PTSD associated with wooden spoons isn't still clouding my vision, I can recognize that's not entirely true. I've read some genuinely raw and realistic high school-aged stuff. The Inheritance Games ↑ Aveena and Xavier were leagues behind, man. At every opportunity the author opted for easy drama, easy villains, and easy resolutions. I couldn't believe the amount of sh*t we were just expected to...well, believe. The stuff with the parents: MA'AM, do I look like a joke to you? Good thing Ms. Emery ain't a math teacher, cause sh*t's gonna look like— These characters were just chock full of comic levels of angst and self-delusion. They couldn't stick to their guns for sh*t. This genuinely felt like it was written by somebody that watched Mean Girls thinking it was a documentary, then relayed what they saw to somebody else, then THAT mf wrote a book. Non.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
Every Breath
↑ These are some pretty good examples that come to mind.
Yup, perfectly realistic behaviour.
- bitch-without-a-cause immature-characters
BLuvsBooks
621 reviews113 followers
The blurb peeked my attention and the intriguing story kept me reading! First love, drama and angst made this a great read! NA. Stand alone. Dual POV
I love the Anonymous/ secret pen pal theme and Dear Love, I Hate You - did not disappoint.
This read is Filled with angst, drama and emotions.
It takes place during the characters Senior year of High school and I found the tone perfect without being too juvenile. And yes ~expect some spice!
I also enjoyed the side characters and hope she will continue with them and make it an interconnected series.
Dali
1,972 reviews562 followers
When she looks for it in order to destroy it, she finds it’s been answered by a co*cky male she can’t help but engage with and soon they’re both confiding their deepest, darkest secrets. Information they promise never to share because of the serious repercussions it would unleash. They also agreed to keep their identities until Vee accidentally finds out that she’s been corresponding and texting Xavier Emery. The town’s golden boy. Her childhood tormentor. A guy who would never look at her twice if he found out. Or would he? Even though he’s the quintessential jock, Xavier is so much more beneath the surface. He cares deeply for his friends, is tortured because of the family situation he’s living, and despite the fact that he thinks he can’t love, he does with his whole heart. It was impossible not to fall for him despite all the drama, angst and mistakes that are typical for his age. Aveena was equally loveable. She’s smart, self-assured, and very mature for her age. She’s shy and yet honest, and sweet and sassy, and very understanding and perfect for Xav who saw the real her. This book was a last minute add to my TBR and I’m soooo glad I was able to get my hands on it. I just couldn’t resist the cover. The blurb. It is my first Eliah Greenwood book and she delivered! Dear Love, I Hate You is a standalone full length by Amazon -> https://amzn.to/30OjwFL ★ I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via Wildfire Marketing. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. ★ Stalk me on Instagram ★ FaceBook ★ More reviewsHappy Book Birthday!!
Eliah Greenwood delivers an angsty and heart-breakingly fantastic story I couldn’t put down. I don’t want easy. Screw ‘easy’. I want YOU.”
Aveena Harper has lived in her younger sister’s shadow most of her life and feels completely ignored by her mother. Feeling the need to unload she writes a hate/rant anonymous letter and accidentally leaves in a poetry book. “When a guy like that sees a girl like you, a girl who doesn’t look easy or desperate, they get intimidated. Label her high-maintenance and run like hell. You are beauty and brains, Vee. You’re an immature high school boy’s worst nightmare.”
I really liked the different dynamics between Vee and Xavier. Their real life interactions where they showed tiny bits of vulnerability and their pen pal personas were they made each other laugh but also totally exposed themselves. Their connection was deep and heartfelt, and I enjoyed the way in which Greenwood develops their romance.
- 5-star arc-read contemporary-romance
Sarah
1,784 reviews1,344 followers
***AVAILABLE NOW*** 4 STARS - This is going to read like two reviews. The story gets 5 STARS. I really loved this story. The concept was unique and original. I devoured it in one day. The note aspect of this story really pulled me in. Aveena and Xavier connecting or reconnecting through anonymous notes truly added a level of intimacy to their relationship. Their guards were down and they shared their deepest secrets with each other. When the inevitable happens, and they found out who the other one is, it only heightens their relationship. Both of these characters are flawed. You will hate the choices they make and some of the things they do, but, for me, it added a level of humanity to them. They are teens, Seniors, which adds to them not making the best decisions all the time. I really did love them together, though, and I love when an author has outside conflicts to disrupt the relationship of the H & h. The ending was satisfying, and I’m already dying and hoping that she gives the secondary characters stories because I loved them. 3 STARS is for the development of the story. Do not misunderstand the rating. I enjoyed her writing style, her syntax and her diction. I loved the order of the plot and how she sets up the conflict and resolves it. The execution floundered a bit for me. There are aspects of the story that I felt needed to be woven into the story a bit more, being made a bigger part of the characters’ stories and their character development. There are some big moments I wished would have been more fleshed out instead of dropped on us without a foundation being laid, and some aspects of the story and secondary plot lines felt rushed, making the pacing a bit off. There were also some inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story as I was reading. With all the being said, I STILL REALLY LOVED THE STORY. It captivated me, the characters consumed me. I would absolutely pick up another book from this author, and I’m secretly hoping we get more from this world. ***kindleunlimited
***standalone, enemies to lovers
Susan's Reviews
1,158 reviews660 followers
The first half of this story was outstandingly good. The back and forth between the two main characters was hilarious and poignant by turns. Can we, maybe, inject a bit of realism in YA romances: you have to study SOMETIME if you want to maintain your college scholarship, right?!
Unfortunately, the last half of the novel was unstructured and the several "break ups" seemed contrived and made no sense at all. This was very disappointing, especially since Love and Zac (aka Vee and Xavier) had such a great dynamic. Brie just gave me a headache: her behaviour was so over the top and made no sense to me most of the time.
The dialogue and world building was great. As I've already said, the plotting was good for the first half, but fell apart in the second half.
Another thing that always bothers me about YA romances: the kids seem to have sex on the brain 24/7.
This young author has a lot of talent. I suspect she will get better and better over time.
sara
794 reviews317 followers
‧͙⁺˚*・༓☾☆ 4 stars ☆☽༓・*˚⁺‧͙ oh i’m a sucker for this type of romances. I enjoyed this one A LOT. The first 50% was fcking GOOD. Xavier and Vee were adorable and sweet and so good with each other. My problem was how Vee took literally all the heat, I mean Xavier does too, but poor girl seriously. The whole manipulation move was super predictable, so I wasn’t shocked or annoyed or whatever. I wasn’t expecting to like it this much. Now, I’m not sure I’ll read Dia’s book... they seem toxic as f*ck and I don’t like that. Ashley yes, I’m curious for that one.
- enemies-to-lovers high-school-romance pen-pals
nikki
793 reviews105 followers
So this was a nice little surprise! I’ve never read anything from Eliah Greenwood before, but she’s definitely on my radar now. Dear Love, I Hate You is a bully romance. Usually, with these storylines it’s guaranteed I will hate the hero for the majority of the book. This one was different though; I absolutely adored Xavier. Deep down he was such a sensitive and troubled soul and you could see how his growing friendship with Aveena was having such a positive effect on him. I love books where the main characters communicate through letters/texts - and the exchanges between these two were brilliant. This story had me hooked from the get-go and I’m glad I made the decision to try out this new-to-me author.
Jenifer Briggs
1,443 reviews174 followers
I've spent the entire morning reading this book, and even though high school romances usually aren't my favorite trope, this book is GENIUS. And between the blurb and the cover, I was such a goner! Plus once I started reading I couldn't stop -- I was just so consumed by all the beauty between the pain filled pages. Xavier and Vee are about as opposite as you can get: Xavier being the most popular jock surrounded by his other popular jock friends and cheerleaders, who is the object of both envy and want among many in their high school. On the surface he seems to have everything he could possibly want, but his life is falling apart all around him. The only thing that's making him feel some semblance of happiness is his new secret accidental pen pal, which leads him to find the most beautiful loves of all. Vee is a loner, who has her one best friend by her side while being the wallflower that everyone ignores. She's had to deal with so much pain at a young age, and is basically treated like an errand girl by her own mother. She wants nothing more than to just finish high school unscathed.. that is until she writes a hate note to one of her teachers, only for it to be found by another student. And to her surprise, her new pen pal not only responds, but keeps writing back to her as well. The twist? They have no idea who they are writing to (at first at least!) Vee and Xavier's lives are so intertwined outside of their pen pal relationship, and the more time they spend together, the more they learn about one another, the stronger the feelings grow. Xavier can definitely be an ass at times, but he always tries to do the right thing, even when he's breaking his own heart. He never saw himself capable of loving someone, and then Vee in her infinite beauty and sarcastic wit that is so different from anyone else waltzes into his life and knocks him on his ass in the best of ways! You can feel his absolute adoration and love for her, even (And especially) through all the angst, and it was just brilliant!! I loved Vee so f*cking much. This girl is put through the ringer and then some during this book, but she's such a fighter. She loves so openly and beautifully, and I just loved how real she was. She definitely had her own flaws and faults, but she always owned up to them, faced them head on, and for that I respected her so much. The love between her and Xavier was absolutely EVERYTHING, and I loved seeing them grow together! There is so much wonderful angst here, and my masoch*stic heart loved every minute of it! I honestly had no clue how things would turn out at certain points, and I couldn't read fast enough to find out! I'm barley scratching the surface with this review, but I implore you all to take a chance on this book! This was my first time reading this author, and I am just SO obsessed with her words! I NEED to know what happens to all the other couples -- seriously all of these characters will totally consume you!! I cried so much while reading this, and I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books of all time. I just want to go read it again right away!! Please, please go read and love this book as much as I do! I promise you won't regret it!😊 **I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
ABookLover73
375 reviews226 followers
FIVE LOVE-HATE STARS for Aveena and Xavier ❤🖤❤🖤!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 P. E. R. F. E. C. T. I. O. N. That’s just one of the many adjectives I can use to describe this amazing book that I adore so much! This is the perfection from which I couldn't separate for four days in a row. Those who know me very well, know that high school and college bully romance are my favorite tropes. So, it often happens that I choose to read a book simply because it has one of those two tropes. That’s what happened with this book, too. And there is no better feeling than when intuition doesn't betray you. As Eliah is the new author to me, it can be said that I entered this book completely blindly without any expectations about her writing style and the way she creates the plot. Eliah truly has an original writing style and her sense of writing an interesting plot filled with a lot of drama, but also funny and steamy moments is incredible. I loved every page of this book and it'll surely stay in my memory for a long time. "Dear Love, I Hate You" is a high school bully romance with a lot of twists and turns that will make you crazy but you'll love every second of it. Aveena is a female character who changes throughout the book and from a shy girl who doesn't want to bring attention to herself matures into a girl who manages to confront her bullies. On the other hand, she's ready to do anything for those she loves including losing her dreams just to protect them. Xavier is a male character who is initially a typical arrogant athlete only interested in the fame that accompanies him throughout high school. But as the plot progresses he shows his true face and that in fact behind the mask of a popular jock hides a broken boy who keeps family secrets. Aveena and Xavier's relationship is filled with a lot of ups and downs from the very beginning. But thanks to their chemistry and feelings they have for each other, they manage to survive all barriers and their love only grows stronger. If you're looking for a high school bully romance filled with a lot of drama but also funny and steamy moments, then this is the book for you!!! Highly recommended!!! P.S. Can't wait for Dia and Finn's book!!!
- 2021 angst arc
Syndi
3,254 reviews950 followers
When I picked up Dear Love, I Hate You, i was very skeptical. I am not a big fan of NA romance like this. The plot was good at the beginning. The writing is also good and addictive. Miss Greenwood knows where to add her drama and climax into her story. Then the last half is a mess. The conversation, the character development, the plot become very very slopy and choppy. Like need a good editor. I also do not like NA romance where the characters are about to go to college and they are talking about babies. Come on! Babies when they both still 19 years old?? When I am finished, I am torn giving this book 2 or 3 stars. I round it up to 3 credited to a good beginning. 3 stars
The first half of the story is very promising. I was half convinced. The last second half, disaster.
Alisonbookreviewer
657 reviews64 followers
5 stars
A truly enjoyable YA novel. This author is amazing.
Slow burn enemies to lovers. Lots of sarcasm and witty banter.
Two childhood enemies. One an intelligent non popular girl and one smart jock. But not smart enough to figure out who is leaving notes in a book in the school library. 🤔.
I loved the way these characters slowly found each other. An emotional read as well.
A truly great romance ❤
currently being delulu
424 reviews169 followers
Tbh I loved the pen pal part it was charming and witty and refreshing I loved there banter with each other And you really felt a stong bond forming ..... but like it stops there because the rest of this book is um.. yea Honestly from the start aleena was such a breath of fresh air she was witty sarcastic snarky I loved it I felt like I was reading a different heroine .... but like 20% in if that she did a complete 1 f*cking 80 She becomes this insecure reck who wants the boy to like her so please f*ck of with that sh*t why can’t I ever read about a girl saying “he’s” lucky to be with me? And honestly xavior was soooo annoying he had some funny one liners but really got to the point where I was like girl Of course as always he f*cks around with a few girls and when your in his POV you read how good the girls are in bed While she only slept with one guy and it was terrible and he also try’s to rape her later on.... alright Wtf is it with these girls be the ones so self sacrificing I mean he outed her first ignored her and was a complete ass after he broke up with her for her own good of course Shoot me please. While she cry’s and dies for him doesn’t out him of course and protects him... f*ck ... off ... please
Bad and god why tf would he want me?
What do you even see in him?
buchdate
105 reviews122 followers
Read
March 11, 2024Nach 50% abgebrochen Das Cover? 10/10 Ich habe mir das Buch wirklich unter den besten Voraussetzungen gekauft, wurde dann aber maßlos enttäuscht. Das Buch und ich sind so garnicht auf einer Wellenlänge gewesen, dass ich es nach der Hälfte doch noch abgebrochen habe 😅 Die Geschichte geht eigentlich ganz gut los. Die Idee mit den Briefen finde ich nämlich echt nice 📖💭 - Zunächst haben wir einfach die nervigste pick-me Protagonistin. Ich kann’s nicht mehr hören, ehrlich 🥱 Eine Protagonistin à la ich kümmere mich nicht um mein Aussehen und um meine Kleidung, weil mich guckt ja eh keiner an. Aber klar, dann steht natürlich der beliebteste Typ aus der ganzen Stadt auf sie. Total spannender Plot und auch noch garnicht auserzählt lol (Ironie Off). Aveena versinkt einfach komplett in Selbstmitleid und mit sowas will ich meine Lesezeit nicht verbringen, das langweilt mich und ist absolut nicht mein vibe 😂 - Dann die ganzen Kraftausdrücke und cringen Dialoge??? Also ich bin nicht prüde, aber ich hab hier echt gedacht, das sind Dialoge vom Frankfurter Bahnhof. Ist das cool? Am I the problem??? Also mich hat das so krass an 13 jährige Pubertierende erinnert, dass ich das alles nicht mehr ernst nehmen konnte. Find daran absolut nichts attraktiv 🫠 - Der Plot an sich hat auch einfach nichts hergegeben. Es war zu keiner Zeit spannend. Jede Szene ist so EINFACH gedacht worden, man wird wirklich von nichts überrascht und kann alles kommen sehen?! Also ich kann jetzt natürlich nur bis zur Hälfte sprechen, aber da war wirklich gar nichts überraschendes. Es war leider wirklich absolut 0815 🥲 ☁️ Fazit:
Der Klappentext? 10/10
Die Bewertungen? Überwiegend sehr gut
Dann habe ich aber langsam gemerkt, dass es überhaupt nicht das ist, was ich mir unter der Geschichte vorgestellt habe…
Ich kann verstehen, warum viele das Buch mögen. Es ist ein bisschen wie Trash-TV gucken: sehr unterhaltsam, vorhersehbar und auf eher niedrigem Niveau. Manchmal braucht man sowas einfach & ich habe definitiv auch meine guilty pleasures im Buchregal stehen 😂 Das hier hat für mich diesmal aber so garnicht funktioniert. Echt null.
Total schade, ich habe mich sehr auf die ganze Reihe gefreut 🥲
annie 🇵🇸
266 reviews520 followers
Cute at times and I did enjoy it, but I guess the awful-dumbest-sh*tty decisions made by Xavier really did it for me. The girl was ready to sacrifice everything while he was busy being scared. cute ending tho Finn and Dia's crossing the limits of toxicity 🫡
- enemies-to-lovers
Rose
435 reviews1,127 followers
4.5⭐️ I absolutely fell in love with this book. The pen pal trope makes me so happy. I love Xavier & Aveena and I can’t wait to see them make cameos in the rest of the series. Super excited about Finn & Dia’s book next. If you love the movie A Cinderella Story this is your kind of book. “You see, whenever you tell me I hate you from now on, it’ll mean the opposite. I don’t make the rules,” 💛