Trouble with Hating You

I personally enjoyed this novel. I thought the romance between Liya and Jay was compelling and the book had an interesting lens on past traumatic events in the characters' lives that shaped them.

I also got into it quick and absolutely devoured it in two days, so that's typically a marker for me of an at least half-decent book.

I don't feel comfortable rating this because there seem to be mixed opinions about cultural misrepresentation in this novel and I do not know enough to weigh in on that matter.

i cried. im never gonna find a man like jayesh shah :'(

This is one of the books you read and have a smile on your face while reading it. The banter between Liya and Jay had me smiling throughout the whole book. Loved the Enemies-to-Lovers trope. Loved learning about the Indian culture and the way it mixed with today's modern dating. It's also a story with so much endearment, raw emotion, and empowerment.

I also felt so much emotion for the things Liya had been going through in her life. It doesn't matter what culture, religion, or ethnicity you are no woman should have to go through those things.

This book was not only a love story but also how life is messy and tough for women. It's a story for those who have a voice that should fight for what they believe in and what they know is the truth.

I highly recommended this book to everyone. This one is getting all the stars from me!

Trigger warnings: Death and Sexual Assault.

Content warnings right up front: death of parent (on-page via flashback, fairly detailed description), death by fire, sexual abuse in a character's past (vague flashbacks), abusive parent (emotional/verbal, physical once), abusive spouse (emotional/verbal), gaslighting/manipulating/threatening abuser, victim not being believed about sexual abuse If you want details about any of those, message me and I'll do the best I can to provide more info.

So despite all the content warnings above, this was actually an extremely fun read! I loved Liya and all her friends, and I'm so glad that there's going to be another book in this series (about Preeti, and I hope there's a third for Sana). I really liked the enemies-to-friends-to-love slow burn and how Liya and Jay both had their own issues to work through trusting each other. It got a little repetitive in the middle, with Liya pushing Jay away over and over, but it was definitely understandable considering her history. Jay was a little less developed as a character for me and definitely less complex, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Basically, I just liked both of these characters a lot, I loved the setting (I haven't read a lot of books set in Texas) and their friends/family members (except Liya's dad, who is the second most reprehensible person in this book), and even though I knew how things were going to end, I was still rooting for them and anxious to see how everything would work out in the end, which I think is the mark of a good romance. I could nitpick about a couple of things, like Jay's lawyer stuff and travel time between Houston and Dallas, but why? This was delightful and I can't wait for more from this author!

(2020 summer romance bingo: meddling matchmakers, would also work for ice cream or debut novel.)