Hate to love, when done well (and by well I mean excrutiatingly tense slowburn), is honestly my favourite trope, so obviously I had a hard time picking just five books for this week. (Technically there are six, yes, I know, but that bonus rec doesn't count!) So, from a long list of 22 books, here's the final five.
Whatever. by S J Goslee
Synopsis: Mike Tate is a normal dude. He and his friends have a crappy band (an excuse to drink cheap beer and rock out to the Lemonheads) and hang out in parking lots doing stupid board tricks. But when Mike's girlfriend Lisa, who knows him better than he does, breaks up with him, he realizes he's about to have a major epiphany that will blow his mind. And worse--he gets elected to homecoming court.
It's like the apocalypse came, only instead of nuclear bombs and zombies, Mike gets school participation, gay thoughts, and mother-effin' cheerleaders.
Comments: This is probably one of my favourite examples of hate to love (and how to do it well). It's also a really well-written romance otherwise (and pretty damn cute). Mike is the epitome of a Disaster Bi.
A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan
Synopsis: Miss Lydia Charingford is always cheerful, and never more so than at Christmas time. But no matter how hard she smiles, she can't forget the youthful mistake that could have ruined her reputation. Even though the worst of her indiscretion was kept secret, one other person knows the truth of those dark days: the sarcastic Doctor Jonas Grantham. She wants nothing to do with him...or the butterflies that take flight in her stomach every time he looks her way.
Jonas Grantham has a secret, too: He's been in love with Lydia for more than a year. This winter, he's determined to conquer her dislike and win her for his own. It all starts with a wager and a kiss...
Comments: I had three Courtney Milan hate-to-loves on the long list for this post. Three. That's how good she writes them. Ultimately though, this has to be my favourite of the three. How she manages to get more slowburn and pining into 120 pages of hate-to-love than a lot of authors manage in 300+, I don't know, but she does it amazingly any which way.
A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
Synopsis: An ancient mystery. An unlikely union. For one young princess in a state of peril, a dangerous wish could be the only answer…
She is the princess of Bharata—captured by her kingdom’s enemies, a prisoner of war. Now that she faces a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. But should she trust Vikram, the notoriously cunning prince of a neighboring land? He promises her freedom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together they can team up and win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. It seems like a foolproof plan—until Gauri and Vikram arrive at the tournament and find that danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans, mischievous story birds, a feast of fears, and twisted fairy revels. New trials will test their devotion, strength, and wits. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.
Comments: Veering away from romance novel hate-to-love for a moment, this is one of my favourite novels where the hate-to-love isn't the main plot. It's a side plot to a quest to save two kingdoms, but it's woven in so well, and it also has the best kind of tension.
Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Synopsis:Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...
This is not one of those times.
Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.
Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...
Or not.
There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.
But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...
Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...
Comments: I only read this this month, so that it's already on my rec list is a good indication it's amazing. This is the first Julia Quinn novel I've ever read, and it was a good one to start with clearly. The romance is a perfect slowburn and I didn't even get annoyed when the angst arose through a misunderstanding.
Peter Darling by Austin Chant
Content Warnings: transphobia
Synopsis: Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.
But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook — and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.
Comments: Oh man, have you ever wanted to read a book where, after fighting for so long, Peter (aged up) and Hook work out that actually, it's not hate but attraction they feel? I didn't realise I did until I read this book, but trust me. It's something you want to read.
P.S. a bonus rec, because I had to cut this list down from 22 books, and one of my absolute faves didn't make it: On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
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