I love Eliah Greenwood’s writing. The minute she announces a new release I cannot wait to get my grabby little hands on it. Dear Love, I Hate You was no exception. I was so engrossed in this story I quite literally couldn’t put it down!
Once upon a time, I had a dream the boy with the pretty blue eyes chose the nerd over the cheerleader…Then I woke up.
Opposites certainly attract is this book. Vee is an unassuming loner with unrivalled wit and a Cinderella-esque homelife. She puts her heart and soul into school because her dream scholarship, and escape, depends on it. Meanwhile Xavier appears to have the world at his feet, he’s the king of the school; beloved and envied by his peers but suffering in silence when it comes to recent personal revelations.
Here I am, chasing after the girl I promised to leave behind. The girl I promised to break. And I did. I broke her heart. Little did I know I’d be breaking mine, too.
Vee and Xavier reconnect for the first time since childhood in the most serendipitous of ways. In a fit of anger Vee lashes out in a letter to a teacher she abhors; a letter which is intercepted by non-other that her childhood enemy Xavier. And so begins a post it note confessional of their darkest secrets and dearest wants. Their true identities a mystery to one another (at least initially) and suddenly Vee and Xav and their pen pal counterparts Love and Zack embark on a journey of love, honesty and acceptance.
He knows exactly what I mean by that. I know you’re still in there. But you have to come back. Come back before you lose me.
One of my favourite elements of this book is that while Love and Zack are falling so seem Vee and Xav, never really knowing that they’re one and the same. The chemistry just flows from the pages and at the heart of this book is a believability that only comes from great writing. Eliah weaves all her novels with realism; characters that you can believe in where nothing is ever rushed or missed. This intrinsic part of her writing is what hooks you and makes you root for her characters. She’s also a master at linking in her secondary characters with tidbits that indulge our need for more without really giving anything away. I’m already invested in Finn and Dia’s story and that’s just from the masterful mystery Eliah created surrounding Xav and Vee’s best friends.
“You heard me.” He closes in on me. “I love you. I’ve loved you since the day I barbecued your babies and pushed you down the jungle gym just so I could kiss you.” He pauses, pain lacing his voice. “I fucking love you, Vee…and I’m paying for it.”
Vee and Xav are kindred spirits united by heartache, deception and trauma. Their love feels like a true happily ever after; a happily ever after impressively achieved in one beautifully written standalone. This story and the characters within it gave me so many feelings but Vee really stood out for me. She’d been through so very much at the beginning of the book and the hurdles just kept coming and yet she was so selfless. Yes, she made mistakes but if anything, that humanised her even more. She was willing to lose everything to protect the man she loved even if it meant she might never truly get to keep him. She really deserved her HEA and I adored her. Xavier had his moments too. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes he was a bit of a git but he grew so much throughout the book and I feel like he became the best version of himself when he found love with Vee.
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.
Dear Love, I Hate You was truly a love story. It had moments of darkness and moments of light with a HEA that melted my heart. If you love a good enemies-to-lovers love story this is definitely the one for you so go grab it and inhale it like I did – you won’t be disappointed.
He said it himself. Everything went to hell. And it’s going to keep going to hell. Tomorrow, next week, next month. The difference is… I don’t care. Because I found someone worth walking through fire for.
*ARC Review
If you haven’t read DEAR LOVE, I HATE YOU get your copy below and if you have read it let me know your thoughts. Want more of Eliah’s writing and haven’t met Waze yet? Check out THE RULES SERIES (THE COMPLETE TRILOGY) here!
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Check out the blurb for
DEAR LOVE, I HATE YOU
It all started with an anonymous letter.
He wasn’t supposed to find it—no one was. And he definitely wasn’t supposed to answer it.
We end up talking through letters and sticky notes in a book. One sticky note. Two sticky notes. Ten sticky notes. All baring our darkest, deepest secrets.
It’s all fun and games until I find out who my pen pal is…
Xavier Emery. King of my basketball-obsessed town, my childhood bully, and the guy I am in grave danger of falling in love with.
But the rules were clear: we can never know who we’re talking to, and the confessions can never, ever get out. Seriously. It would destroy lives.
Fine by me. Even if Mr. Popular does find out his confidant is little old me, it’s not like he’d ever love me back…
Right?
About Eliah Greenwood
Eliah Greenwood is a Canadian author, proud Wattpad Star, Fiction Awards 2018 Winner, coffee addict and cliché with a twist lover!
She started her writing journey on a website called Wattpad at the age of fifteen. She wrote the majority of her first book Unwritten Rules on the bus on her way home from school. When her debut gathered 31,000,000 reads on the platform, she decided to self-publish the trilogy that set so many hearts, including hers, on fire.
When she’s not writing and screaming at her computer screen, you can find her binge watching her favourite TV shows on repeat or reading in a warm blanket.
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