I have read a few of Christina Lauren's books in the past. Some I liked, some where eh for me. This one is somewhere in the middle of like and eh.

This is one of those books that showed great potential, but then the actual telling of the story hit its mark. There was too much unnecessary, uninteresting things thrown in the story that did nothing for the story other than slow it down. All of the filler about the ins and outs of the industry were totally unnecessary.

The characters in this book were not as well developed as they should have been. They were very immature for their ages. Thus making many of their interactions with one another very juvenile. I just couldn't connect with them at all.

The overall plot kept the story going for me. It may have drug in many parts, but I kept on trucking to the end. I did laugh a few times. I think those times that evoked a true laugh out loud moment are what helped me finish this book.

*I won't be posting a review on my blog as we only share reviews of books we'd recommend to our followers

I honestly can't believe I'm saying this because I'm a HUGE Christina Lauren fan but I wasn't a fan of Dating You/Hating You. I wanted to love it. I adored the first 20% or so where the romance was being introduced. And then came the merge. With the merge came endless frustration (on my part), multiple cringe-worthy moments, and nonstop discomfort in the form of workplace drama.

Why I wanted to love it: the writing and the dialogue was brilliant. I was laughing and rooting for Evie and Carter to make things work. Why I didn't love it: I wanted more romance and less drama. My stomach was in knots for most of the book and I wanted more butterflies. I kept expecting more of a focus on the romance between Evie and Carter yet it felt like with every step forward, there'd be five steps back.

Ultimately, there were more things about this book I didn't like than I liked. The laughter and glimmers of romance weren't enough to distract me from the endless office politics, sabotaging, and underhandedness. While the message of the book was admirable, I just would've liked more of the focus to be on Evie and Carter as a couple as opposed to competing co-workers.

Another winner from Christina Lauren. I read this straight through. I don't know the last time I did this. Love the humor. If you are fans of Alice Clayton's Redhead series and haven't read Christina Lauren this would be a good introduction.

4.5 Stars

There isn't a book that I don't love from these authors. They never fail to make me laugh with their witty and charming characters who always have great chemistry on the pages. And Carter and Evie are two new characters to fall in love with.

Dating You/Hating You is a light-hearted romantic read that will have you laughing at the antics of these characters. Carter and Evie are set up by mutual friends, but being in a high-demand and stressful job in Hollywood, dating hasn't been on top of their to-do list. But when they end up meeting and hitting it off, sparks fly. But will it work when they are both in the same competitive profession?

As much as they like each other, Carter and Evie find it difficult to make their blossoming relationship work. The demand of their working hours and now competing for the same position has them figuring out what is more important? Their career of their love life?

Overall, this book had me laughing and rooting for these two to find their HEA. They eventually do, but it's a wild and hilarious ride to get there.

“It’s a long, complicated story involving first dates followed by corporate greed, competing for a single position, and sabotage.”



They’re going back to their roots! An office anti-romance that turns into something more. The characters are older and less vitriolic. It draws comparisons to Beautiful Bastard with the same premise of an office romance. However, in this book, Dating You/Hating You, is a foreshadowing of things to come.

Kindle // BN

Evie and Carter meet in an awkwardly cute way after unknowingly being set up by their friends at a Halloween party. The fates have aligned and Evie is dressed as Hermione and Carter as Harry, they ship it and so did I. They start off on a high note but it all quickly comes downhill when their companies merge and this budding romance spills into the work place.



Christina Lauren has really evolved, there are considerable difference from their first, Beautiful Bastard, to this book. Their writing is more mature. They described some anxiety inducing realistic work situations. They talk about gender roles at work that I really appreciated. And I loved that our hero stood up for his heroine when it really counted, that’s when I swooned!



“The thing is she’s smart and gorgeous and funny and amazing at her job and it was infuriating. We were essentially told they could only keep one of us, and it made us into maniacs. I’d be mesmerized, then I would snap back to the conversation and want to let the air out of her tires for distracting me from my goal.”



Evie and Carter have immediate chemistry but with all their work drama it’s a slow moving romance. When they’re pitted against each other they’ll figure out that they work better together and not on the opposite sides of the office conference room.





ARC provided by publisher.

Another fantastic book from the dynamic duo that is Christina Lauren. Dating You / Hating you is sexy, funny and HOT. I loved it. I laughed out loud while reading and swooned, too. I could not put it down. 5 Stars!!

The banter is witty, sexually charged and snarky, from their dialogue to their email exchanges. The characters are well developed. Our heroine, Evie is beautiful, smart, sarcastic and savvy. Carter is hot, intelligent, cocky and sweet. He exudes charm and charisma. Together, they sizzle. Their relationship is insta-lust with a side of lots in common. Until, they get hit with an unexpected career curve ball.

Brad, their boss and our villain, is a great character you love to hate. He’s misogynistic, condescending, and sexist. Rude and narcissistic, I wanted him to get what he deserved and I wanted our hero and heroine to serve it up. But, they had their own uncertainties to handle first.

All this leads to mistrust, competition and hilarity ensues. The push / pull is intense. Love / hate, friends / enemies. With a comical crew of supporting characters that band together to get to the bottom of what is really going on at work, while trying to get Evie and Carter to get out of their own way.

Authors Christina Lauren are brilliant. Their characters are fully developed and endearing. The story is told in alternating POV, which I absolutely love. Dating You / Hating You is a captivating, amusing, sexy read. It is a must read, perfect for the beach or poolside. Highly recommend. It is Christina Lauren at their best.

Christina Lauren books always make me laugh. This one didn't quite pull me in because it was set in a world that I didn't care about. Also there was a creepy boss situation that hit a little too close to home.

Book Review: 5 Million Stars

Imagine Beautiful Bastard + Tangled, but with different plots and less bastard people *chuckles*

Dating You / Hating You was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I read it in a sitting. I literally couldn’t put it down. It was fun, sexy, romantic and exactly what I needed in my life. Christina Lauren created a perfect new couple to add to my collection of book boyfriends and book girlfriends.

It was love at first word with Evie and Carter. She’s smart, clever, ambitious and competitive. She was my heroine from moment one. And Carter, Oh. My. God. He’s funny, intelligent, sexy as hell and as ambitious and competitive as Evie. He was my love from the very beginning. And as I was reading this book, I was falling more and more with them. When they met a costume party #HarryPotterFTW, when they started working together, or competing at work, when they kissed/fight with each other. Every single thing that happened to them, made me love them like crazy. I seriously can’t express how big is my love for this book *sigh* It’s the best of the best.

And not only the main characters were awesome, I also loved the secondary ones too, especially Carter’s best friend, Michael Christopher. He was so fun to read, I loved all his appearances, they were all refreshing and hilarious. I know this book is a standalone, but what if CLo would write a book about Michael Christopher and his wife Steph? One can only dream.

All in all, DYHY is the perfect kind of Rom-Com you will wanna read right the moment this book is available. You will completely and utterly love it.

4.5 Hearts


Dating You/ Hating you is a standalone novel by one of my favorite writing duos. Beautiful Bastard was the first book I read in one sitting when my addiction to reading started. I will never forget Bennett and Chloe. Anyway, Dating You/Hating You is another book set in an office but it's a totally different story. There is still intense banter. Fireworks. Laughs. And sexual tension. Oh the sexual tension is high with these two...

Carter and Evie knew from the very beginning that if they dated that it would be a challenge. Two talent agents in Hollywood married to their work. It's hard enough to date a talent agent but to both be in the business? Almost impossible. But they did hit it off when they met and their meddling friends want another couple to hang out with, so why not? One date wouldn't hurt. It was one amazing date then bam! everything changed. Their companies merge and now they are fighting for the same position. They would love to have it magically work but this is Hollywood. It might be glitz and glamour but behind the scenes it's war. Let the games begin.

This game is not fun. It's full of sexual tension. Fuck you/fuck me stares. Evil smirks. Sabotage. And even glitter gets involved. But it's a fine line between hate and love with these characters. The more maddening they feel towards each other the more they think about the other. They hate it but it kinda turns them on at the same time. It's not an easy game to play. Will they go too far? Who will get to keep their job? And will it all be worth it in the end?

I do love a good hate/love relationship. It makes it even more interesting and when throwing in the fact that they are talent agents in Hollywood? It makes it even better. I love Evie. She is a strong force. I wouldn't want to mess with her. She knows how to get the job done. Even though she is strong in the beginning it was great seeing her strength build throughout the book. And Carter...yum!! I can just picture him in his gray suit behind a desk thinking of ways to make Evie pay. And his other thoughts make him even hotter and sweeter. Together, their banter is entertaining, fun, sexy, and addicting.

Overall...it's a laugh out loud funny book with sexiness, tension, angst, and glitter thrown in. It's totally a Christina Lauren book.

Quotes:

I’m so tired of wanting to shove him into the wall and then shove my hand down his pants.

If I’m going to the dark side anyway, I might as well do it right.

“I think I just found religion.”

This was a good book, and an enjoyable read. It was an average book. Nothing stood out negatively that I could criticize, and nothing stood out for me in a "this book was amazing" way either.

Readers who pick up Dating You/Hating You expecting a read similar to past books by Christina Lauren may be disappointed. This is primarily Evie's story about how she navigates the treacherous waters of a top LA talent management agency. I found the plotting uneven and was frustrated with the more telling than showing writing style; it's not exactly clear why 33 yr old Evie is so good at her job, but she certainly has had a rocky workplace road to get where she is. Among other unrealistic touches, Evie's quirky nervous tick of applying hand cream in work meetings doesn't ring true. Rather than a workplace romance this book is more traditional chick lit. Love interest Carter is sympathetic but not a truly central character; there's more focus on the office's "9-5"-ish girlfriend solidarity which culminates in a difficult-to-believe caper at the end. More focus on the appealing heroine's inner life would also have been welcome.

There's something about the way the writing duo Christina Lauren strikes a chord with me. From the very first books I read by them, I was hooked.

They have the unique ability to create memorable fun, sarcastic, sexy, witty characters that seem to become a good friend.

Dating You/Hating You is their first standalone. All of the other ones have been part of a series. So it was interesting to be introduced to new characters and enjoy a new fresh story.

This is a classic work romance with a love-hate relationship. With their usual banter and great humor, the authors capture the essence of the competition and the fire that burns underneath. With a sexist and creepy boss (it seems like I know him so very well) and some great practical jokes, this book is a delightful escape that reads like a dream.

Never one to let me down, Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren has all the earmarks of the perfect classic contemporary romance.

This book grabs you from page 1 and takes you on the wild ride of Carter and Evie's relationship. Instantly attracted to each other at a party, they have a passionate interlude only to find themselves working at the same firm after a merger. What makes it worse is they are competing for the same job so their love hate relationship starts. I laughed out loud at several parts in the story. This is a must read if you enjoy hilarious, sexy, and sweet romance. I loved it.

This was a well written love/hate romance. The plot flowed smoothly with no sudden or unexplained emotional changes. Overall, a believable and enjoyable story.

Christina Lauren has always have brought a laugh out loud romance about two high power Hollywood agents who meet at mutual friends party. When their companies merge into one, it becomes an all out war to stay on top and fight their attraction to each other. The prank / sabotage war was freaking hilarious this caused many laugh out moments. Carter and Evie where a great couple with emotional depth that makes for a great story.

This a quirky and sometimes silly book. I really tried to love it, but sadly, I could not. It was good and not too angsty, but I didn't connect with it.

Both characters of this book were fun and likeable, and I enjoyed this book. The reason this one wasn't a five star from me was because of Carter's obliviousness at times to some of the serious situation Evie faced. Overall, it was a fun, quick read.

I'm usually really happy with Christina Lauren's books, but this one just doesn't quite work. The characters were very bland and not well defined. When supporting characters would be mentioned, it always took awhile to figure out who they were again. It was a pleasant enough read, but everything worked out about the way you thought it would--there was no suspense at all and I wasn't all that crazy about the main characters.. Disappointing.

I've just finished this book and I'm a little shaky and on edge. I don't know if it's because of the coffee I had this morning or the adrenaline flowing while I was reading, but if I don't get my thoughts out now, they aren't going to be 100% authentic. I will have the benefit of time to process, but I can always come back and add any nuances or feelings I miss, but I'm getting off track.

I'll be honest, I haven't read a Christina Lauren book in some time. These ladies are fantastic writers, but with so much time in between their releases, I find myself falling out of a series and then not finding my way back, or re-reading the books from their series that just do it for me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME (Beautiful Bastard & Beautiful Player). And I know I'm missing out on some other amazing stories, and hopefully I'll find my way to them. But I knew, from just looking at this cover and then reading the blurb, this book was going to be something special and amazing. And I was right.

One thing Christina Lauren write amazingly well is chemistry and attraction. Even when you feel like other emotions and feelings have supplanted what was once prominent and glaring, they still manage to keep a connection going that just gets stronger with each word, action, and page turned. Evie and Carter almost set fire to the pages. And it's wonderful to read and see them dance around whatever they might be feeling, but then when things change at work, it really throws a wrench into what was developing between them. And even though I liked both of them a lot, I wanted both of them to emerge victorious from the gauntlet thrown at them, which rarely happens in real life, so thank goodness this was fiction because it made a HEA of even a HFN a possibility. But I really enjoyed seeing them try and work through their budding rivalry and attraction to get to something real. Christina Lauren did a fantastic job at writing a slow burner.

I absolutely love Evie. She works hard, loves what she does, and plays fair for the most part. She's a straight-shooter in a world where it's hard to be one. And Carter? I could totally see why every woman and even men in that office were swooning over him. I mean he's charming and personable, and a quick study. He also has an interesting set of ethics that for the most part is on the up and up. And I just could not get enough of those two! Together, or separate, I loved reading about them. Even more so when they were with their friends. I know their fictional, but both Evie and Carter had a great set of friends, who were willing to be the voices of reason when needed, back up, or in cahoots for shenanigans.

Besides adoring most of the characters in this book, I absolutely hands down loved this story. It's not just about two people who have a connection outside of work having to deal with vying for the same job, but it's also about the attitudes many of the people who make the movies and TV shows we see in real life have. I won't lie, it was hard reading even in a book, how some women are treated by their counterparts, male and female. And even has hard to see how women dealt with it. I personally am a huge fan of my romance having a dash or more of realism. It can still be an escape, but also eye-opening. Kudos to Christina Lauren for giving me some gravitas with my romance, and hopefully to a lot of other people as well. And hats off to them at writing a great slow-burn romance as well. I do hope to see more books featuring some of the characters I met in this book, like Daryl, Amelia, Rose, and Eric, but this book has just reminded me why I love Christina Lauren's books and I am super excited about the books they have coming out next!