Upon reading this A Love Hate Thing, I immediately got Fresh Prince vibes. The two main characters Nandy and Trice come from two different backgrounds. Trice is sent to live with Nandy’s family after a tragic incident while living in the city (Lindenwood). Nandy grew up in the suburbs and is preparing for cotillion. They spend their summer becoming reacquainted after so long, but will their differences continue to keep them apart?

Pacific Hills, even though it sounds like a gorgeous place seems full of superficial people. Everyone is in a clique and is very caught up in their appearances. Most people refuse to break the status quo. It’s a huge juxtaposition to Lidenwood, where people are real and the neighborhood looks out for each other even though conditions are much harsher. Tyson struggles to adjust life in a new place, leaving his old life behind while grieving . On top of everything, Nandy and Tyson continually have to spend the summer working on rebuilding their friendship after so long.

Both try to work through their own problems during the summer, but their preconceived notions of each other ended up pushing them apart more than ever. Their backgrounds constantly clash and though they do care for each other, surrounding influences push them further apart. Nandy, even though her character became more redeeming as the story went on really bugged me. I felt that she was selfish and takes her feelings out on others instead of admitting when she was wrong.

This was a book that seemed lighthearted but turned out to be a teen drama. It deals with some realistic and heavy topics such as the death of a parent, gun violence, bullying, etc. There was a lot packed into this book, but I didn’t feel that it was overwhelming. It was an okay book and I couldn’t click with the plot and some parts of the story fell flat.

I was so excited about this book, but I just couldn’t. I mostly disliked the heroine so I wasn’t into the couple getting together. The references felt old and it just felt like too many stories in one book. The writing was good though and I definitely think this author could be really good with some editing and a different lead female. The male great and I wanna shooting for him so hard. It makes me so sad not to be head over heels for this one.

This book was so incredibly good. I loved the characters, they seemed to jump out of the pages. The story was so well crafted and fleshed out. Every interaction between characters meant something. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved Trice and Nandy, and how they both grew. There are so many issues brought up in this book in a way that makes you care. It makes you fight for these characters and love them. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing book.

Bad stereotypes, predictable plot, and choppy writing structure. Also, female mc has sex with her boyfriend just to quell his temper - that's where I stopped reading this one

I honestly DNF'ed this book. I tried reading it three times and somehow I have at least 20% finished but then, I feel like that's it. I was looking for something that will make me continue and I can't find it. The book is good but, in my end it lacks excitement? The story is slow too or maybe I am just used to fast paced kind of story like very chapter there's a new thing that will happen..

Anyway, I checked Goodreads as well and I find some people liking the book. I just really can't find it on my end. Maybe next time I'll give it a shot again but who knows? I was hesitant to make a review but I think, since I requested for this, I still need to come up for one. Apologies as well if I have a different opinion. I'm just trying to be honest on this.

I was given an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I did not get around to reading this book until it was already published so I decided to listen to it audibly as I've really been enjoying audiobooks lately and thought this would be a really great way to read this book. After getting a quarter of the way through the book however, I have decided to DNF it.

Some of the things that I liked about this book were the overall premise and the actual writing style. But unfortunately, I was unable to connect to the characters at all and found the main female character to be too whiny and portrayed as a very snotty rich girl who didn't seem to care about anyone else but herself. I was so taken aback by her thoughts and behavior regarding someone coming from a specific town because of the way the town is portrayed in media but was even more appalled when her thoughts didn't seemed challenged when she realized that she had previously known the boy and had been friends with him in the past. She seemed very ingrained in her ways and while I know that the development would be coming in future chapters I just found myself dreading reading each of the chapters from her point of view.

I tried and tried to get through this book, but I didn't even make it half way. I'm not sure why-but it just did not get my interest.

What a heart warming story. I love the clash of culture in this story. It was an easy read, grabbed you from the very beginning and held on. I would love to see more from this world. The characters were super fun

Tyson Trice has just gone through tragedy but is five months away from turning 18 so he goes to live with old family friends who live in Southern California. When they were kids Trice and Mandy were best friends, but now Mandy is not quite certain of Trice. So the story is a bit predictable but I enjoyed the characters and reading how this worked out for them.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Everyone loves a story where enemies start dating but that was the only redeeming thing about this book. There was a lot of racism in this story and a lot of really uncomfortable parts. I just did not care for it.

Thank you to Netgalley & Inkyard Press for providing me with a copy of A Love Hate Thing in exchange for an honest review!

Nandy Smith: Let’s get the elephant out of the room real quick — Nandy Smith is officially on my list of least favorite fictional characters. It would be completely different if she started off as a spoiled and entitled brat, and gradually changed throughout the read — but there’s not one point where I felt her character was redeemed. Sure, there’s a time where she, I guess, tries to be nicer, but the moment Trice says anything that upsets her, she goes back to being the Nandy that we met at the beginning.

She also has huge jealousy issues and wants Trice to herself & this is while she has her boyfriend, Chad. The moment her best friend showed that she had an interest in Trice, and Trice seemed decently happy for once — Nandy made sure to swoop in and ruin it.

& then we have her judgment of Trice. She freaked out when he was sitting on her steps getting his braided hair because apparently that’s not a thing they do in Pacific Hills. Throughout the read, she continued to look down on him; mainly because of him being from Lindenwood.

Tyson Trice: I’m not going to speak too much about the stereotyping that occurs in this book (& wow, it’s a Mess), but please check out other reviews on here that discuss it!

In the end, he was the only lead I cared about. & granted, there were times when he drove me insane as well. However, I did root for him throughout the read & he is the only thing making this book okay.

Nandy & Trice: If it wasn’t already clear with my Nandy opinions, I did not care for this ship at all. It was incredibly off-and-on & kept going back between love-and-hate, which okay I get it, it’s in the title of the book, but holy heck did it switch to hate over the smallest & dumbest things. They were constantly triggering each other throughout the read.

Plus, there is 0 chemistry at all. & no, I don’t care that they ‘loved’ each other at the age of seven. It’s weird and I hate it.

Religion Mentions: There’s a lot of mention of God in A Love Hate Thing, which cool — total respect, dude. However, it was pointless & in the end, didn’t even mean anything at all. After what Trice dealt with, he ended up losing his faith, and now everyone wants to tell him that they hope he finds his way back. It just felt so incredibly out-of-place in this book.

Cringe Dialogue & Pop-Culture References: To put it simply, the dialogue is le cringe.

As for pop culture references, I was here for it. But that was because I’m pushing 30 & know perfectly well what they’re referencing. But, y’all???? If I was the age that this book was marketed for, I probably would have been so lost.

But I would like to give the shoutout to both leads musical tastes because I too love Kendrick Lamar and Lana del Ray.

A Drag: My final complaint & note on A Love Hate Thing is that it felt incredibly too long. I almost DNF’ed multiple times.

This is a great book for fans of the OC or All American. I loved reading the authors note at the end where she credits Josh Schwartz. Although it’s a stereotypical guy from the wrong tracks story, it still keeps you engaged while rooting for Trice and his friends.

This book wasn't what I expected. But everyone loves a enemies to love story. It was well written and entertaining. Funny at times and sad also, invoking all the feels.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I loved the idea of two childhood friends reuniting after many years, but I have to be honest, the star of this story was Trice for me. Although I did like seeing Nandy's opinion of Trice evolve, I was more interested in watching Trice adjust to his new life in the hills.

Trice grew up comfortable, but in an abusive home. Being with the Smith's was like being in a whole new world for him. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were very present, loving, and supportive. Trice quickly made some friends in the Hills too, but he resisted giving in to his new life and all the possibilities that came with it. He had some hard lessons to learn, when it came to his former life back in the Wood, but that was all part of his journey. I struggled a little with the pacing, but I was very invested in Trice and wanted to know how things would turn out for him.

Overall, this was an engaging story of family, friendship, and moving on from your past.

As a reader who appreciates a love-hate relationship, I knew I would like a book called A Love Hate Thing. The story immediately made me think of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (without the comedy). In West Philadelphia, born and raised, in the playground. Wait. Wrong story. After his parents’ shooting deaths, Tyson lived with his grandpa. Now Grandpa is gone but it was his wish that Tyson go live with a family Tyson used to know as a child. So he moves out of the hood and into the opulent community of Pacific Hills. There, he is received with open arms by Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil. No. He is welcomed by Parker and Maxine and they are thrilled to welcome him into their family. Their eleven-year-old son, Jordy, is thrilled to have a big brother. Nandy’s feelings; however, are a little more complicated. See, Nandy and Trice were best friends when they were little and Trice’s grandpa used to drop him off with the Smith family while he worked. This lasted for years until Grandpa suddenly stopped bringing him. Now, Nandy is all grown up and gorgeous. She’s in the popular crowd with the richest, cockiest boyfriend on the coast, and she’s not sure how this thug is gonna work himself into her life. It doesn’t take long, of course, until her feelings change. These two have history and the romantic tension (and, let’s be honest, sexual tension) is palpable. It’s only a matter of time until these two hook up (and BOY DO THEY *major steam alert). There’s a lot more going on in this story than Tryce and Nandy’s relationship. It’s also the story of Tryce recovering from trauma. Early in the story, we learn that Tryce was shot in the incident that killed his parents. And the shooter was his father. He shot Tryce, shot and killed Tryce’s mother, then killed himself. That’s not something from which you easily recover. Tryce refuses therapy but when a summer school teacher convinces him to start writing, he finds his outlet. As part of his recovery process, Tryce really needs to let go of his hood. Like Pacino in Godfather III, he wants out but they keep pulling him back in. Just when things start to get good for Tryce, his loyalty to people from his past could threaten everything.

I really liked this book. I cared about the characters (even the side characters had minor storylines, which I always appreciate). The diversity and empowerment were off the charts. I enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by both a male and female character to tell both Nandy and Tryce’s stories. What I did not like was the length; 448 pages is just too long for a contemporary YA story.

All these opinions are my own. I personally did not enjoy this book, maybe others will but I'll list the pros and cons I had with this book below.

Pros:
- The concept of two black people from different walks of life falling in love is rare to have especially highlighting two intelligent black teens.
- I liked how the female relationships were not affected by the boys.
- The representation of adaption was beautiful!
- The family bonds displayed were amazing
- Loved that most of the men/boys handled women with respect

Cons:
- Black trauma was a huge plot point and it was not handled in a way that I could appreciate. Due to the characters treating Trice as "better then other guys" it criminalized everyone else. Everyone else in that neighboorhood also had a rough upbringing but Trice was the only one worthy of a good life? Also, they claim this neighborhood to be middle class and not bad but spend most of the time talking poorly about it and the need to escape it.
- The stereotyping of Nandy and Trice was apparent. Both characters stereotypical black people either in being sassy or scary. The story never broke down those stereotypes. Nandy was selfish and rude for most of the book painting black teens as "hysterical." I understood that appearance meant a lot to her but the way she treated her friends and family did not show a loving person, except a few rare moments she thought beyond herself.
- There were a lot of contradicts where a character would say it's okay to cry but then later call it weak. Or Nandy would say she's not judgemental but turn around a judge everyone, even her closest friends.
- There was a HUGE lack of fun/loving/joyful moments. Most of the book the angst was Nandy avoiding her feeling due to jealousy.
- The dialogue was cringey.

This book was trying to tackle too much and I hope in the future we can have black love stories without exploiting black trauma.

I would not recommend

Tyson and Nandy used to be friends ten years ago, when Tyson's grandpa would bring him while he worked at Nandy's house. Now, Tyson has come to live with Nandy, and they couldn't be more different. Tyson comes from Lindenwood, known for drugs, gangs, and violence. Nandy's life in Pacific Hills has been far from difficult. Can they rebuild their former friendship? Can Tyson escape his past?

A Love Hate Thing explored racial and socioeconomic differences with a splash of romance mixed in. Well written with great themes.

I think I enjoyed this. It felt too long, but there was a lot for these characters to go through. I do think the author really played up the stereotypes placed on young black kids.. It seemed like she tried to break the stereotype with Trice, or prove to the reader that he was more than what people expected him to be, but I'm not sure if it worked. I feel like she did Trice a disservice. I'm really unsure of how to feel about this.

Neither of these characters were redeemable to me. The relationship felt forced and fake. The internalized racism was hard to read and didn’t seem to get any better as the book went on.

Out main character, Trice, has to move in with a random family that his parents were friends with, after his family all passed away. Turns out it was a family that he went to visit for two years between the ages of 5 and 7 while his grandpa worked for them.

This tried to be an enemies to lovers. Trice hated Nandy because she was rich. Nandy hates Trice because he was from ~Lindenwood~ which automatically made him a fugitive, thug, drug dealer etc etc. It took until about 77% into the book for Nandy to stop referring to Lindenwood as anything but a cesspool of awfulness. From the very start, she thought Trice was a bad guy and saw the worst in him and it didn’t really get any better.

Oh but then they both suddenly realized that they loved each other at the age of 7 and the only reason Nandy hated Trice is because he “left her”. And Trice never hated Nandy. So then they fell back in love and everything is perfect. Right?

Wrong! At every possible turn, Nandy still found ways to not trust Trice, to look down on where he’s from, to treat him like he was below her. There were absolutely no redeeming qualities to Nandy and I didn’t find Trice that interesting.

So unfortunately this is a pass for me.

This happens when you take you sweet time to read a book because you think it's due on a certain date and then you note you wrote the wrong date in your calendar.
That said I enjoyed this book. I don't usually read YA romances and I am happy I read this one because it's a good story with a cast of interesting characters and a great character development.
Trice and Nandy are two interesting characters. I appreciated Trice integrity and how well he handle the fact of moving to a posh neighbourhood and being able to handle the different type of persons he meets.
Nandy is the character with the most interesting ARC as she goes from being a snob and pampered girl to being a more mature and positive person.
I appreciated the diversity as much as I like how the writer faces issues like stereotypes, peer pressure, the importance of the image. I also liked how she describes the life of the rich children in a posh neighbourhood.
The romance is sweet and I liked how Trice and Nandy change the way they feel toward each other.
The cast of characters is well written, some are more interesting and some are more bi-dimensional.
I liked the description of the setting and the style of writing.
It was an interesting read, recommended.
Many thanks to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.