Book Review and Giveaway for Hate To Love You by TIjan

HATE TO LOVE YOU

by TIJAN

Rule #1: No hot guys.
It might sound ridiculous. I get it. It kind of is, but college was supposed to be my sanctuary. It was my place to start over. The rumors, the whispers, and the jealousy I endured through high school would all be gone.
No one would know me at college.

Rule #2: No drama.
I’d major in pre-law. I’d make a few loyal friends. Everything would be easy breezy. No one was going to use me or hurt me. I wouldn’t let them.

Rule #3: New year. New place. New me.
Right?
Wrong.
And all because of Shay Coleman.

Football captain and quarterback, he was the big guy on campus. The cocky guy in my political science class with a smirk. I hated him on sight . . .

. . . and he was about to break all my rules.

ADD TO GOODREADS

REVIEW: SPLIT DECISION

"We hate each other. Fine. But not right now. I don't hate you right now at all."

I think the easiest thing to do here is make my review go in TWO parts. I have never done this, but I am pretty sure no book has every made me feel like I needed to before this one. This was my first book by Tijan and I was captivated enough by the LOVE story alone, that I will want to try more of her books. Based on this book, I'm seeing that she has a very edgy, unrefined way to tell a story -- she definitely had her own flow. In the beginning of the book, I was not sure I was going to be able to keep reading because her flow was a little stilted, and I found myself having to re-read parts because I didn't follow the direction she was going, but I made it through. So let's break it down, shall we?

WHAT I LOVED more than anything else was the love story between Shay and Kennedy. Shay was easy to fall in love with. He had a cockiness that was backed up by his actions, but he also had witty banter and humor to make me giggle. I pretty much laughed at all his antics throughout the entire book and I cannot say enough how much I loved him. We started out with a chip on HER shoulder, and added in HIS button-pushing expertise, and that made me giggle more than anything. I really loved watching their relationship blossom from hate to love.

Kennedy had a very dry humor to add to her closed off persona, and I couldn't get a feel for her originally, but she wasn't entirely unlikable. I was very intrigued by her and her backstory. But once their 'relationship' started to morph into more, it flowed so much easier for me. I really started to enjoy the book more. The way Tijan wrote their relationship, and their connection, tells me that I need to read more from her. She really did an amazing job making me feel all the emotions and the underlying sexiness in their actions. And despite the overall severity of the undertones taken in this book, the banter and back and forth jabbing between these two was hilarious. Like, laugh out loud, get funny looks, hilarity. 

Shay pushes Kennedy's buttons really well, and the entire time he does it with a sexy smirk. One she cannot deny affects her. Seriously, sigh worthy. Loved him. You know he's a real man when he changes his spots for HER. Player? Done playing. Willing to play by her rules? He accepted her crazy and ran with it. He. Just. Wants. Her. He's so in tune with her. They just clicked so well, no matter how hard she fought it. I honestly exhaled when we got his flashcards, and that sealed the deal for me. Highlight of the book for sure. I seriously, oh my gosh....I seriously can't explain it. I loved his love for her. You know something is up when you're just second nature to each other. He made me weak in the knees and giddy whenever they were together. 

For this reason, the LOVE aspect gets a 4 star rating

WHAT I LITERALLY rolled my eyes at SO hard was all the drama. I get that a good story needs some propulsion....something pushing it forward so we get invested and hold on for more. That one thing that is a catalyst for all the emotions we are reading about. HUGE proponent for that. But not this much. I seriously mean it. Without going into too much detail because I hate spoilers, I will say there were about SEVEN+ drama/full on plotlines that could have been explored in this book alone. That was WAY too much. I saw two sides to Kennedy: she was a walking court case, which is ironic given her original major in college. And then she was this sweet innocent girl learning that not all love hurts. And Shay somehow scraped by without being thrown in JAIL for his actions. By the time I finished this book, I was honestly irritated and mad. Not because it didn't go my way, because it most definitely did. It was because the OTT drama and actions ruined the amazing love story for me. When I say it was too much, please understand that it totally was too much for ME. Tijan nailed this one with a very deep subject matter, but I didn't feel that all the stories meshed well in this one and there was SO much. She easily had 7 stories in ONE in this book. I sigh....

Add to all that, the superhero mentality, the rockstar treatment, that was given to the football players by everyone in the college was played upon quite heavily. The wide eyes and the users-of-friends was insane. "You know him? We must become friends!!" I understand they are your college's face on the field that brings a spotlight to your neck of the woods. They could even some day be in the NFL, so that makes girls' panties drop....but, then add on Kennedy's "issues" with popularity and drama, and you have more eye-rolling good times. But, to say all that and not understand the reality behind it would make me irrational. So, I understood it, but it was discussed A  L O T. If Tijan did anything right, it was this amazingly epic love story and the college-aged feel to this book. 

Having said all this, a lot of the subplots were NOT fleshed out well at all. Some that I still don't understand and there was even explanation for it!! Some of the explanations were seriously lacking or the drama that came from it was not fitting at all. I feel like there was so much going on that the plot was skewed and we got lost in the fray. There really was NO general direction with any of it and I found myself shaking my head so much. It was honestly a push to get through at some points. 

For this reason, the DRAMA aspect gets a 1 star rating

OVERALL: Amazing love story. Literally, that good that I can still smile about it. And I can say with conviction that I *WILL* read her again, because MAN! She can write a love story that makes your heart feel it. BUT, and that's a big but, there was just too much outside noise to focus on the actual love story. When we have drama in a romance book, we want it to be somewhat believable and not run circles around all the different plots and love story. Here is the CrAzY part....I want to read MORE of Tijan because I liked the love story that much. I just hope that I can handle the drama, but knowing it will inevitably be there, I will go in prepared. 

The book overall gets a 2 star rating with a special caveat; 
I WILL READ MORE BY HER.

"I don't play fair. Ever. You should know that about me."

~BEE

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~MEET TIJAN~

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked.

She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

To find what to read next of hers, go to www.tijansbooks.com

WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

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