So when I read the blurb I was excited but as I started reading that changed really quickly. In the beginning you can't stand both of the main characters, they were so childish and you said to yourself how could this be categorized as a romance book, I mean here are two people who are engaged to be married and yet they can't stand each other, so instead of talking like adults decide its better to prank or do whatever for the other person to break things off, and yes there is a reason for that. I started to actually hpe they would just end things, but since I said I would read it and despite it was breaking my heart swiping to the next page, after a 100 pages of too much (honestly) too much crap things between them started to get better. So I do have to say that the title You deserve each other is very true. Got better after as I mentioned the first 100 or so pages. would I continue to read this author, probably not.

A lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers rom-com about an engaged couple trying to force each other to end things? It’s definitely not a plot I’ve come across before, which is why I was so excited to read You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle. I devour rom-coms on a regular basis and it’s rare to find a book that makes me laugh aloud from start to finish, but You Deserve Each Other is hands down one of the funniest, most delightfully ridiculous books I’ve ever read.

Engaged couple, Naomi Westfield and Nicholas Rose, are stuck in a rut. After nearly two years together, their upcoming nuptials evoke a sense of impending doom rather than excitement. Neither are particularly satisfied with their lackluster romance, but they aren’t willing to end their engagement, which would mean being stuck with the bill for their rather pricey wedding. To avoid the expense, each is determined to make the other throw in the towel, using whatever nefarious means necessary...

Having read my fair share of second chance romances, I can honestly say that You Deserve Each Other is a unique, fresh take on the trope. An engaged couple falling back in love with each other isn’t a storyline I expected to come across, but the narrative compellingly combines dry humor and heartfelt sincerity in a way that makes you laugh uncontrollably even as it tugs on your heartstrings. The lingering feelings and unresolved issues between Naomi and Nicholas play out in a twisted game of one-uppance leading to increasingly hilarious results. The two engage in a type of psychological warfare, but the irony is that, the more they’re at each other’s throats, the more their shields are dropped, and they start to open up about where they went wrong.

It’s not often you get an evil mastermind for a heroine, but Naomi is truly one of a kind. Every unfiltered thought that passes through her mind and every harebrained scheme she concocts is pure genius, and I’m just happy to have gone along for the ride. With Naomi at the helm, You Deserve Each Other is such an outrageously silly story, that you can’t help but chuckle maniacally and get swept up in the absurdity of it all. The humor kept me glued to each page of the book, but it’s the romance at the heart of the story that had me so emotionally invested.

If you’re looking for a love story that’s thoroughly entertaining, endlessly amusing, and will leave you with both a tear in your eye and a smile on your face, You Deserve Each Other is a must-read!

*complimentary copy provided by publisher for an honest review

I loved this book to bits. At first though, I was really confused about the dynamics behind the toxicity of Naomi and Nicholas' relationship. Why would they even be with each other when there's so much hate between them? BUT THEN, the hilarious and fun elements got kicked into the story, and I found myself laughing out loud for N&N's conversations. The pranks they pulled on each other, the witty banter and sarcastic comments that got thrown througout the story made it such a hilarious and enjoyable read.
The book is entirely told from Naomi's POV, and I hated her character in the beginning because of her self-absorbed attitude. But she eventually grew on me with her character development. The author provides background stories to show why the main characters act in a certain way, and I was so glad that it was done because it provided a whole new perspective to the storyline. The shift in N&N's relationship made me so happy. They transformed from being brats to being swooning-ly sweet to each other and created hope in the space they shared. There were some heart-warming moments which made me unexpectedly emotional too.
You Deserve Each Other beautifully shows how you can save a relationship if enough effort is put from both sides. If you want an addictive but uplifting read, definitely pick it up! Can't wait to read more from Sarah Hogle, as her debut novel is just amazing.

Oh my gosh! I LOVED this book! It is petty, heart-breaking, cringe-worthy, and a true love story all rolled into a hilarious romantic comedy.

I started this and there went my day because I could not put it down.

If you're looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy, this is it.

From Amazon:

"When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves—and having fun with the last person they expect: each other."

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Happy pub day! I finished this book earlier this morning, after almost putting it down about halfway through, and I am so glad I persevered! The narrator is flawed, and may reflect my own reflexes and reactions a little too closely at some points. There were parts of this I didn't like, but the back half brought it back and gave me the warm fuzzy feelings I wanted all along.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

I have to admit this book is such a treat in my world at this time. When uncertainty is all around me, it is a joy to have such escapism in my life. You Deserve Each Other is the perfect enemy-to-lovers romantic comedy that I have read so far. I would love to listen to this on audio one day in the near future.

The story starts off with Naomi Westfield giving us the recount of her first date with Nicholas Rose. The butterflies she feels and the desire to really have him like us, sets up the story just nicely until we fast forward two years later.

Naomi is engaged to Nicholas and she is counting the ways to end her perfect engagement to the perfect man. She can barely tolerate him. He is too perfect, straight-laced, rigid and mostly he is a mama’s boy. Oh, I will get to the mother in law soon enough.

Naomi starts to act out little plans to have Nicholas call off the wedding but he doesn’t take the bait. Instead, what she realizes is that her fiancé is not as happy as he lets on. In fact, for every little point she wins in the battle, he is there throwing darts at her too. Slowly, the masks behind which they both live in disappear and Nicholas and Naomi finally see each other.

First, I love me a good enemies to lovers story. It seems to be one of my favorite tropes to read. This one is so interesting because the main characters are a couple who is set to be married so why are they now having all out battles with one another each day? Just make for so much more fun in my opinion.

I will admit though that at first Naomi and Nicholas went hard. I couldn’t even understand how they got to being an engaged couple. There is no like for one another. Seriously! Slowly, the author’s ability to strip them down to their most vulnerable moments is the most defining point in their growth as characters. It is then that I was able to not only connect with them as a couple but see what they were holding onto.

They both had their hands full with Nicholas’s mother, Deborah. I truly believe that helped play a part in why they took so long to figure it out. She controlled and manipulated everyone in the book. Nicholas finally stood up for himself with the help of his woman. Naomi slowly started to figure out her life partner didn’t have to be her enemy anymore. They were a team.

Once the fighting started to dissipate, the romance took on a slow burn as the couple navigated their renewed emotions towards one another.

Overall, I highly recommend this debut romance. The author ticked all my boxes and gave a little treat to look forward to in my own uncertainty.

~ Samantha

There's a fine line between love and hate, and this couple dance all over it in You Deserve Each Other.
To be honest, my feelings about this book waffled a lot for about the first 60% or so, and there are a couple of reasons for that. First, the book is longer than I felt necessary, and some things are completely over the top - things that didn't really add anything to the story in my opinion. Then, we have the characters. Naomi and Nicholas are developed, but then they really needed to be since they're the main players in this crazy game. But - oh yes, there is definitely a but - the secondary characters are superficial to the point of being caricature-like. I'm going to assume that some of that was intentional, especially when it comes to Nicholas' parents, but like some scenes, they were over the top.
Now, I realize that all of that sounds like I didn't care for the book, but honestly, I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would. A lot of this one is not only witty but downright hilarious. And, even with all the antics, there is a lot of emotion. The story is about falling in love again. It's a completely crazy, sometimes absurd, silly love/hate story about where the relationship goes when we stop communicating and forget to be half of something bigger. So, yes, the emotion is there. It may be hard to see through the silly, but it is there.
In the end, this one may have been completely over the top at times - Okay, it may have been completely over the top a lot, but darned if it didn't pull out the feels. And as an added bonus, there is plenty of wit and sarcasm, which is always welcome. As a debut novel, this one is certainly a recommended read, and Sarah Hogle is definitely one to watch.

I’ve said it before that I don’t particularly enjoy romance stories about couples who are struggling. I always prefer reading about a new romantic relationship. That said, You Deserve Each Other, surpassed my expectations and ended up being a wonderful reading experience. I loved seeing this couple grow through their conflicts and form a stronger partnership as a result. I also loved Sarah Hogle’s writing. There were lines in the book that really jumped out because they were so beautifully expressed.

“Thinking about this is prodding the wound, making it bigger, making it worse because I’m growing more aware of the breadth of my anxiety, the depth of my dissatisfaction. It is both therapy and torture. Something is not right. Something is missing. I am in knots.”

With Nicholas and Naomi, the “hate” part of the story was tough to read. Both are deeply bitter towards each other. The book is told from Naomi’s perspective and you can feel the contempt she has for Nicholas rolling off of her. She’s sick of his lack of attention towards her, the way he rolls over to do whatever his overbearing mother demands. He doesn’t stick up for her when his mom insults or acts petty towards Naomi. I personally know a couple who went through a similar situation with a really toxic mother-in-law and it caused a lot of strain between the couple for years, so this felt like a realistic situation to me. I could see why Naomi felt underappreciated and undervalued. She’s supposed to be planning her dream wedding, but everything’s been hijacked from her by her mother-in-law and Nicholas just enables the behavior.

“These might sound like minor traits, or even givens that I should take for granted, but I hold on to them like life preservers. I love these things about the man. But I do not love the man.”

At first, I thought a lot of the issues were coming from Nicholas, but we also see that Naomi also contributes to their problems through her apathetic for anything related to their relationship. She doesn’t want to give an inch of her pride and jumps to conclusions about how Nicholas views her. She’s reminded all the time by her MoL that she’s not really up to their standards because of her education (lack of), job, appearance, etc. This seeps into their relationship and causes Naomi to hide a lot of her failures and vulnerabilities from Nicholas.

Nicholas also feels unloved and misunderstood. He hates being at home because he can see Naomi dissociate whenever he’s around her so he feels like he can’t even approach her to talk. He believes he’s doing his best to provide for Naomi. He expected Naomi to be his partner in crime. They would stand up against his toxic mother together. There is a lot of, not necessarily miscommunication, but non-communication. They do not talk to each other so it’s very frustrating for the first half of the book. Just tell each other you’re sick of each other and hash things out!

“When we part for breath, I ask, “Do you know you’re my best friend?” “Am I?”

When they finally realize that both of them are unhappy with the relationship and each other, we finally see some genuine communication happening between them. They both can’t fully break off the engagement (and I don’t know if they really want to), so they communicate their frustration with each other through pranks. What starts off as mean-spirited pranks turn into friendly pranks. This gradual change from contempt to friendliness is really heartwarming. This couple never really fought when they were dating so it’s through this whole arc that they begin to see new sides of their significant other. They learn to communicate and be vulnerable to each other in a way they haven’t been able to do before. Not only do they remember why they fell in love in the first place, but they fall in love with the new version of others they’ve uncovered through this conflict.

“The word love feels like Nicholas. It’s filled all the way up with him.”

The few sexy scenes in the book don’t go into detail and are mostly fade-to-black. The story also takes place in a cabin-like home in the woods, which also made it feel extra cozy and atmospheric. Overall, this was such a heartwarming story. I loved seeing Naomi and Nicholas laugh together again, team up to confront the bullies in their lives, and the way they are just crazy for each other. I highly recommend and I can’t wait to read more from the author!

In You Deserve Each Other, Sarah Hogle puts a new spin on the enemies to lovers trope: Nicholas and Naomi start out engaged. And hating each other’s guts. Which, honestly, I could definitely understand. They’re both kind of awful in the beginning. I won’t lie, I definitely was not fond of Naomi when this book started. Enough that I was worried I wasn’t going to like this book at all. It’s hard to root for characters you don’t like. My dislike for her was made worse by the fact that (minor spoiler) I could tell that Nicholas was trying, but also just fed up with his fiancé being a jerk.

However, this is a romance novel, which means we all know what’s going to happen in the end. And despite my worry that by the time we got to happily ever after, I wasn’t going to care at all, these characters grew on me. I’m definitely a fan of romantic interests essentially mentally torturing each other. What can I say? It’s entertaining. And this book definitely was.

A story about falling back in love while trying to make each other end the relationship--what an interesting concept! I felt that the beginning of the book, a good 1/4 of the book began a little slow for me. But once it really picked up, the fun and spiciness of the book really shines through. The back and forth sabotaging, the digs of being a couple who really aren't happy but are engaged was so interesting to read. Naomi and Nicholas and their experience of really falling in love while being engaged was cute, especially in the aspect of reading a couple, mainly Naomi, learn how to communicate and really be a couple and realize why they got engaged and liked each other in the first place. It's an easy and fun book once the banter and back and forth really picks up. It's a cute and witty book about really falling in love and not just falling back in love.

On Naomi's first date with Nick she swears he is the man that she will one day marry. After 11 months of dating Nick and Naomi decide to get engaged and move in together. While taking every step to make their relationship appear happy and loving on social media Naomi realizes that she pretty much hates his face.

Nick’s mother takes the bull by the horns and plans/dictates all their wedding details which leads Naomi to feel as though she cannot back out of the wedding due to all of the money already spent and the fact that no one thought they would even make it down the aisle. Nick’s mother threatens to have Naomi repay her if she backs out of the wedding.

One day Naomi realizes that Nick is taking actions to get her to leave him and break off the engagement, so he doesn’t look like the bad guy. Once this realization happens its game on for Naomi.

I found the characters extremely unlikable for the first 10% of this book. I had no respect for Naomi and was screaming from the sidelines “Why don’t you just leave him” which pretty much left me completely annoyed with her character. Nick is your typical privileged/snarky frat guy who comes from money and adds his own quirkiness to this story.

Overall, I am so glad that I continued to push through as I found Naomi’s one liners to be freaking hilarious and Nick to be a pretty sweet guy. I loved seeing both characters reconnect in this story and find themselves through the process.

3.75/5 stars

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!

This story follows Naomi and Nicholas as they play a game of chicken to see who can cancel their wedding first. When I first started this book I was not sure if I was not sure if I was going to like it. I found Naomi to be very mean towards her fiance, she would talk about how she only loved him 20% or 10%. However, as we get deeper into their relationship things start to make more sense as to why they are having troubles. The things these two characters did to each other was hilarious. I love when a romance book takes a couple who is already together and the story is about them working on their relationship. As I am someone who has been in a relationship for so long, I like to see these stories of how couples work to stay together. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun and easy romance! This one comes out on Tuesday April 7, 2020. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books.

You know how sometimes when you read a rom com you half heartedly laugh but you never really full blown crack up? There was none of that here, I fully laughed my ass off repeatedly because this was just so outrageously fun and over the top you can’t help but laugh.

It took the old enemies to lovers trope and flipped it on it’s head, Naomi and Nicholas are engaged and have moved from love to hate and the whole book is one big scheming battle of the wills between them. Is it slightly ridiculous because every single one of the issues that led them to hate each other would’ve been easily resolved with just a little communication? Absolutely, but where’s the fun in that? This was wildly entertaining simply because these two are so ridiculous and I loved it. There is redemption in the end and there was definitely some personal growth on both sides, both matured and weren’t as obnoxious by the end, which definitely helped balance out the outrageousness from the beginning. Overall this was a really refreshing and hilarious read that I can definitely recommend.

Sarah Hogle’s debut novel, You Deserve Each Other, is the rom-com novel you’ve been waiting for! This fiancées-turned-enemies-to-lovers second chance romance has that spark that make this a truly unforgettable novel.
Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him. Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare. But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
I will admit that at the beginning I was like “ugh just TALK to one another or break up” but once I got a third of the way in, I was HOOKED! This book had me literally laughing out loud! The pranks and shenanigans that Naomi and Nicholas pull are equal parts embarrassing and hysterical! Between dinner mishaps, stapled underwear, and overbearing mothers, this novel had me giggling to myself and I just couldn’t get enough of Naomi and Nicholas. However, these funny moments also lead to steamy thoughts and will have you itching for reconciliation between the fiancées.
If I had one critique about this book it would be that I wished the book had alternating POVs. In the beginning, I found it a bit hard to connect to the characters and I think it’s because the reader only really sees Naomi’s side of things. Eventually, the reader sees bits and pieces of Nicholas which actually correlated to their actual relationship. Naomi is so wrapped up in her own feelings and loses interest in Nicholas that she neglects to pay attention to Nicholas’s loss of interest in her as well. As they start to reevaluate their love and their lives, Nicholas’s emotions are integrated more into the story (since Naomi is more aware of them) and shows that love takes patience and work.
The message this story conveys about not giving up on your partner and rediscovering your love for one another is moving and beautiful. This novel shows that it’s not all butterflies and rainbows and that it takes time to build up a broken relationship. This realistic look at love gives hope to readers that only true love is worth fighting for and it will always find a way back into your life.
The parallels that Hogle draws between Naomi and Nicholas’s relationship in the past and in the present proves that she is a storyteller to be reckoned with! These minute details help to weave an even more beautiful tale and show that Hogle’s storytelling abilities are on point. The added layer of details just sends this novel above all other stories and will leave an imprint on the reader.
For any fans of romance, this book will be an addiction! It’s the perfect mix of enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance that will have you wishing the book was double the length it actually is. I cannot wait to see what Hogle writes next, but in the meantime: GO READ THIS BOOK!

Naomi Westfield and Nicolas Rose are engaged to get married. However we discover they both want out of the marriage, but neither wants to back out because they will be stuck with the wedding bill. Naomi wouldn't be able to afford it, so she's toughing it out. Nicolas doesn't want to look like the bad guy in front of his mother. He dotes on his mother, but doesn't even try with Naomi.

They battle each other daily. Until she realizes Nicolas isn't happy either. Nicolas decides to move them to a remote home in the middle of nowhere. They battle each other at first, and then they let each other in and start working together and falling in love all over again. However can Naomi believe he really loves her? Or is this just a ploy.

This book was slow moving at first and I had trouble connecting. I thought Naomi was overdoing it at first. However as the book moved on both characters grew a lot and I loved the changes between the two.

#YouDeserveEachOther #NetGalley
** I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You Deserve Each Other- You Deserve to Each Other is a romantic comedy about a couple who has lost the ability to be honest and communicate with each other. This results in hilarious shenanigans to make the other person terminate the relationship and be the “bad” guy. You follow Naomi Westfield and Nicholas Rose as their nuptials are planned and they realize they do not love or even like each other very much. As the day of the wedding draws closer, they realize they have to find a way back to who they were when they were first dating and fall in love again. It’s a romance about second chances and making sure to not take your partner for granted.This book is different in that the story starts when the typical romance ends with the happily ever after. I liked the antics they got into and how well matched they were, but individually each character left much to be desired. Naomi kept faking being content in her job and relationship when she really wasn’t. Nicholas made assumptions of Naomi and her choices that could have been avoided with simple questions. Overall, I do not like second chance romances and while this book had a different take on it, it still was not enough for me to get lost in the story. If you are looking for a slow burn second chance romance with a side of comical antics, you should read You Deserve Each Other. This book was provided by the publisher from Netgalley in March 2020 for an honest review.

Naomi and Nicholas are the perfect engaged couple. Nicholas comes from a very wealthy family and is a successful dentist himself. On the outside they are perfect but with three months until the wedding they are hiding a secret. They can’t stand each other.

Though Naomi wants to get out she knows the only way this is possible is to get Nicholas to break it off. But what she doesn’t know is he wont end it either. You see Nicholas’ mom has done everything to give them the perfect wedding but it all comes with a nonrefundable deposit. While they are go head to head with pranks and emotional beatings they start to see that when they let lose they actually can have fun and be themselves.

You Deserve Eachother is a hilarious story of enemies and lovers told from Naomis perspective whom you will love! This is a total spin on the average romcom and will have you laughing every step of the way!

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am giving this book 3.5 stars because I loved the story between Naomi and Nicholas and thought this book was SO funny, but GAH Naomi's attitude and just overall negative self absorbed-ness was so annoying!! It drove me crazy and kinda ruined a great book for me. She got a lot better at the end, but Nicholas was the perfect amount of spiteful and sweet and while he took his job of tormenting Naomi seriously, you knew the entire time he still loved her (which is how I wish Naomi was too but at times I thought she truly hated this man and was awful and insanely dumb and immature for staying in an engagement because she's too chicken to speak up and get out). I know that premise is what the story is about but she was just TOO MUCH that was to make her enjoyable in my opinion!

4.5 STARS This was an absolute blast! Equal parts heartfelt and hilarious. Naomi and Nicholas appear to be the picture perfect soon-to-be-wed couple. The only problem is they cannot stand each other. But neither of them wants to be the one to break the thing off. Instead they wage a psychological prank war on each other to get the other to throw in the towel.

Both are not blameless in where they've ended up. Nicholas' overbearing mother has hijacked their wedding planning. Boy, I loved to hate her. And some of Naomi's friends are outwardly hostile to Nicholas and she does nothing about it.

Their bottled up emotions finally burst and Naomi is seething. I could feel it radiating off the (electronic) pages. They both do some downright petty things to each other. Some of their mind games are laugh out loud funny, some made me think oof how are they gonna come back from that one?

But their journey back to each other was so beautifully done. These characters had living and breathing personalities (and I'm not sure everyone's going to vibe with Naomi's personality but I did!) The side plot about her found family and job search struck a chord with me personally. I got teary eyed a few times.

It's the little details that made this story so special. It was so intimate and I only wish there was an epilogue because I was left wanting just a little more!

Unfortunately I really struggled to get invested in You Deserve Each Other and did not finish the book. There was just so much dislike between Naomi and Nicholas that I couldn't even see why they wanted to be together in the first place. The writing was well done, it was just the characters I didn't connect with.