4.5 Stars
Let me preface this review by saying I am a dog lover, and I’m incredibly close with my grandmother, who lives in senior housing, so, in many ways, it felt like Lucy Gilmore wrote this book just for me! It’s a surprising contemporary romance with a former pageant queen heroine turned senior citizen nurse’s assistant and an uptight veterinarian hero.
While on the surface, I HATE YOU MORE is just another rom-com-y adversary to lovers romance, this book seriously delivers on humor and depth. When heroines are so incredibly beautiful, people stop in their tracks to stare; the battle for me to like them is uphill. But somehow, Gilmore pulls off an extremely likable and imperfect heroine in Ruby. She’s hard-working, a little too competitive, and cares a whole lot about the people she works for. She is the perfect foil for our starchy perfectionist hero, Spencer.
This book featured two tropes I usually dislike in romance: deception and twins flirting with the same person. Both tropes resolved in unexpected ways that made me glad I decided to take a chance on this book. I was absolutely expecting the conflict to end a certain way with both tropes, and I was absolutely wrong about both – and that made the book even more fun to read!
With a quirky, loving cast of characters, a hilariously stubborn dog, and some steamy romance sprinkled in, this book was refreshing, engaging, and I found myself laughing at many of the antics our hero and heroine found themselves in. I loved rooting for Ruby and Spencer (and Wheezy the disaster dog).
The only reason I took off a half star was the book seemed to falter a little 2/3 of the way through, dragging just a touch, but it quickly found its footing again, and I adored the happily ever after.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It made me smile, laugh, and feel all the feels. I mean, who doesn’t love an uptight hero who has to unbend for a chaotic heroine? Catnip! Highly recommend.
**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Romance Reader 