BOOK REVIEW!!! ~ Love to Hate You by Whitley Cox

Title: Love to Hate You
Author: Whitley Cox
Release Date: March 12, 2022
Genre: enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, best friend’s brother, road trip, forced proximity, romantic comedy, high heat, erotic romance
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/love-to-hate-you-by-whitley-cox
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60402988-love-to-hate-you

Blurb:

She needs arm candy, he needs her insurance, but first, they need to drive across the country without killing each other.

Eli

Since the first day of kindergarten, I have hated Alexandra Hartford.

And twenty-something years later that hasn’t changed.

But she has.

She’s still a tomboy with a chip on her shoulder, but now she’s a hot tomboy with a chip on her tattooed shoulder who can fight like a badass.

I’d still rather have a bath with fire ants than spend ten days in a car with her, but she has something I need.

Once the deal is done, we can go our separate ways.

That is … if I want to.

Alex

Eli Evans is my nemesis.

He blames me for his sister’s death, our parents’ divorces, and probably global warming, too.

Why on Earth would I help him?

Because he’s as easy on the eyes as he is the bane of my existence and I need a hot date to a wedding in San Diego.

Can we drive across the country without me leaving him at a truck stop somewhere? I doubt it.

But, I’m willing to try.

Ten days in a car, a wedding, and a marriage of convenience, then I’m done with him forever.

Right?

Love to Hate You is an enemies to lovers romance and holy cow are these two enemies when this story begins. Eli and Alex have known each other–a term I use loosely–since they were in kindergarten. She was best friends with his twin sister and he was her bully, her tormentor.

They were hardcore enemies who found themselves living in the same small Maine town years after their lives were blown apart by tragedy and circumstances.

The story itself is mostly entertaining.
Mostly.

My major problem is that I just could not warm up to Eli. I understand where his misdirected anger came from, but those first few chapters just soured me on him and I never recovered from what he said about Alex. I just couldn’t. Not sorry.

But they make a deal which I won’t spoil for you except to say it’s a fake relationship/marriage of convenience which mostly takes place on a road trip. I appreciated the growth shown by both throughout the trip and the heat between them was HOLY SMOKES OFF THE CHARTS!! Together, they burn up the sheets and my kindle.

The story itself was good even if I didn’t like Eli all the way to the very end. I loved Alex though. She was scarred and tough and brilliant and managed to find ways to navigate her pain that were healthy and positive. She is exactly the kind of heroine you can and want to root for, and I did. She wanted Eli and I wanted her to get what she wanted, it’s as simple as that.

Good read, meh hero and awesome heroine.