You Deserve Each Other is about a young couple that quickly gets engaged and moves in together. After moving in, they both realize that the honeymoon phase of their relationship is over and secretly can't stand each other. With the fear of footing the large wedding bill, thanks to her overbearing soon to be mother in law, Naomi tries to sabotage their relationship to get Nicholas to back out first. However, he's onto her and is willing to play dirty too.

I was really excited to read this book. Some parts of the book were really funny, and others more profound. However, I didn't find myself caring about the characters too much. At times the book seemed too silly and exaggerated, other times the relationship seemed to lack any chemistry. At the end of the book, I didn't even care if they resolved any of their issues because both characters acted absolutely ridiculous that it didn't make up for them liking each other again. As a comedy, this book is pretty good. As a *romantic* comedy, not so much.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a pleasure to read that I didn't want it to end. I was laughing at the craziness of the storyline. I empathized with the main characters and hated the evil mother. I don't want to spoil the book but will say this author knows how to write a great read! I rooted for my favorite characters!



******I received an ARC for my honest opinion for net-gallery**********

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title You Deserve Each Other

Author Sarah Hogle

Description from Amazon

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.

Release Date April 7, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I was so excited when I got the email from NetGalley about this book. It looked so good and I love a prank war (yes, I’m incredibly immature in that regard). Enemies to lovers is so my jam and this book was not going to disappoint me.

Some Things I Liked

Naomi’s descriptions. She was amazing. “An eighty-year-old with the body of a Disney prince”. She was spectacular and I’m so glad she was the sole narrator. While I loved Nicholas’s character, he would have made for a rather dull narrator by comparison. Naomi told a hilarious story.
References on references. I loved everything Sarah Hogle referenced in this story. My favorite is easily the comparison to Harry Potter and Voldemort at the height of Naomi and Nicholas’s feud. “Neither can live while the other survives.” Amazing.
Major LOL-factor. This book actually had me laughing out loud. Sometimes books make me smile or chuckle to myself, but I was actually cackling at come parts. It was hilarious.
Nicholas is my new book boyfriend. Yes, he starts out as a total mama’s boy jackass, but I totally grew to love him as the story progressed.

Series Value

This was definitely a standalone. I loved this story and its conclusion but Nicholas and Naomi’s story feels complete. However, I would love to read more of Sarah Hogle’s ideas for the rest of the small town of Morris. Maybe a Leon-centric spin-off?? He seems like a nice guy just waiting for the right gal.

Final Thoughts

I adored this book. It was everything I wanted in a contemporary, rom-com, enemies to lovers book. I laughed, I cried, I loved these characters. I’m so glad I read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Well Met by Jen DeLuca – if you like enemies to lovers and down-to-earth quirky characters, try this series by Jen DeLuca. The second book is coming out in September.
The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward – if you’re looking for an audio recommendation, look no further. Also, this one is holiday themed but who doesn’t love a good holiday book? Anyway, if you like that enemies to lovers vibe, try this one on Audible, it’s phenomenal and hilarious.
The Move by Whitney Dineen – if you liked the “starting over in a new town” vibes that Well Met had, try this book by Whitney Dineen. There are three books so far in this series, but this book (the second), would be the closest to Well Met.

I am conflicted about this book since there were a few moments that I thought it was a reddit post about a bad relationship. Naomi and Nicholas are soon to be wed but they are struggling. Naomi feels as if she no longer loves or even likes Nicholas and soon realizes that he feels the same. She cannot leave since then she would have to pay for the wedding she hates. Start the game to get him to leave first.

Naomi AND Nicholas do some questionable things. They say mean things and Naomi constantly thinks that Nicholas is trying to kill her??? That was weird to me but I let it slide. They are 2 people living separate lives who happen to live in the same place. There was a point that I wanted to stop reading since it felt as if both of them should just go their separate ways. I continued reading (it was an easy read in the best way possible) and I started to like what was going on. Naomi and Nicholas had no idea how to communicate with each other and were not in each others team when they needed it. When they finally became teammates, the book was great! Naomi is hilarious and while I disliked some of the things Naomi did, I understood. Nicholas was great too but he also did some mean things. I loved seeing how they started to understand and TALK to each other about what matters most to them.

The ending was sweet and frustration since Naomi jumps to conclusions once again and Nicholas has to go after her. It felt unnecessary and slightly soured the end a bit. I wish the book has toned down the mean things Naomi and Nicholas did but it wasn't bad. I had fun reading but I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book to someone unless I think they would appreciate the humor in the book.. This quote gutted me: "Relearning you has been the best thing that's ever happened to me"

THIS WAS THE FUNNIEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! EVER.

Naomi and Nicholas have hit a wall in their relationship. Unfortunately, it’s three months before their wedding.
Is it I do? Or I do not?

Can these two survive combating an overbearing mother, insecurities and the incessant need for self-preservation?

Dive into You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle upon its release on April 7th and find the answer.

Reevaluating a relationship has never been funnier.

Thank you to #netgalley and #penguingroup for the advance readers copy!
#youdeserveeachother

I don't think I've ever read a hate-to-love romance where the characters were already engaged before, but I was pleasantly surprised by this! The characters both said and did things that both made me laugh out loud but also question their sanity. I enjoyed the progress they made in their relationship and the writing style definitely kept me hooked.

I do however see that both the characters were very toxic towards each other and it was extremely frustrating that both of them wouldn't just talk to each other - especially with how long both of them were seemingly unhappy. I also would have loved a dual perspective on this one - I would love to know what was going through Nicholas' mind.

Overall I really did enjoy You Deserve Each Other - it made me laugh (often) and was a fun read.

This was such a joy to read. I admit I wasn’t too sure how I would feel about it. I’m usually a sucker for the meet-cute, so to be tossed into a story about a couple almost 2 years into their relationship, didn’t quite ring my bell. Or so I thought. There were times where I was absolutely furious with Naomi and times when I wanted to strangle Nicholas. Then there were times when I couldn’t stop from laughing out loud.
Not a book I thought I would have in my repertoire but I was wrong! 5 stars!!

"𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚"

Oh my god, this book!!! So much fun to read. I absolutely did not expect to enjoy it so much! It was addictive from start to finish, I could not put it down. A great second chance lovers-to-enemies-to - lovers story, the chemistry and personalities of the two main characters just worked. They meshed so well.
I liked the authors voice and writing style.
For a fun, charming, and entertaining romance, you have to pick up You Deserve Each Other.

**𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘗𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘮 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.**

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

**Spoilers**

I have been looking forward to reading this book since it has been compared to The Hating Game (one of my favorites). This review is hard to write because I loved the second half of the book, but I did not seem to connect with the first half at all.

Starting at the beginning, we meet Naomi and Nicholas. They are engaged, living together, and absolutely hate each other. It was so odd that Naomi thought Nicholas was trying to kill her (even if she was being dramatic), their mutual pure disgust for each other and we were supposed to accept this as normal. If she were my friend, I would have told her to RUN from this man...how is he the leading man in this *romance* book? They have only been dating a short time, so they should not be this miserable in their relationship while also planning a wedding and being in an engagement neither will leave. I considered not finishing at about 30% because I did not see it going anywhere, but I stuck through it and am happy I did.

At some point, Nicholas' character takes a turn and is all of a sudden a concerned, caring and thoughtful fiance--finally our leading man has arrived! From then on, their relationship is sweet and heartwarming. I really, really enjoyed their playful *no longer disturbing* banter and chemistry. I was so invested in their happiness in the end.

This is such a hard book to review. I absolutely LOVED the second half, but the first half is so unrealistic and promotes such an unhealthy relationship. This is not an 'enemies to lovers' story, this is a 'fiances (but acting like enemies) to lovers' story, which does not work the same way. The hatred we love to see turn into chemistry does not translate when these 2 people are ALREADY together, it looks like a toxic relationship. I wish this were a true 'enemies to lover' because then I could have enjoyed it so much more.

Don't let this cutesy cover fool you, because in fact Naomi and Nick (our couple) are both class A DOUCHE CANOES. LOL But that kinda of makes me love them even more. This book is mean. Freaking genius mean. And hilarious in the you'll snort coffee juice milk from your nose if you drink while your read type of book. So - you've been warned - read and drink at your own risk. LOL I can't wait to see what Ms Hogle dishes up next.

I thought the premise of this one was a really fun twist on the hate-to-love trope: what if the person you hate is the person you're engaged to? Naomi wants out of her engagement and relationship, but doesn't want to be on the hook for the costs incurred so far by her fiance's wealthy and terrible parents. She begins a campaign to get him to break it off... only to find that he's willing to play the game right back. I ultimately struggled because it was so hard to read their efforts to be mean to each other, especially when it started seeming like every step forward was two steps back. When the point inevitably comes that Naomi and Nicholas start reconnecting, it became a lot more enjoyable.

While I appreciate that this book attempted to turn the enemies to lovers premise on its head, unfortunately I don't think it was executed well. I spent most of the book waiting to hear how their relationship disintegrated to a point where they were still living together and engaged but hated each other but it was never explained. The first 60% of the book is just people acting so ridiculous and petty and the payoff at the end isn't worth it nor does it make sense. Maybe if there was more of a backstory into their relationship instead of just the first date (there is a bit more information about their meeting at the very end of the book). I powered through until the end but I feel a bit like I wasted my time with this one. I did appreciate the humor and pop culture references that made me laugh but not enough to make me glad I read this book.

I laughed. I got teary. I laughed til I got teary. There’s an edge to this book. The mean is real - the cartoony pranks you expect from a rom com with an honesty that makes them verge on uncomfortable. It flirts with Over the Top. It’s almost silly and almost horribly mean.

I think the underlying sweetness both saves it and makes it more excruciating. All of that wasted potential.

This was a different sort of romance. We start out with the couple already together and engaged. But Naomi has, for some reasons we’re not too sure of, decided that Nicholas just gets on her last nerve. The book is told through her interior monologues about how irritating she finds him and his odious mother. Then she decides that he is trying to get her to be the one to call their relationship off and avoid the ignominy of being dumped as well as having to pay for the expensive wedding that his mother is forcing on them. So she decides that she’ll do the same thing.

I didn’t really enjoy the angry thoughts and bad relationship moments that go for about half the book until Naomi and Nicholas finally wake up to how they really feel about each other. Then I really enjoyed the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Naomi and Nicholas are engaged! Hooray! Or not? The two show all the love on the outside to everyone but behind closed doors, they argue, they disagree, they practically loathe each other. Nicholas’ mom is calling all the wedding shots from the floral arrangements to Naomi’s dress, and neither Naomi nor Nicholas have the heart to call off the wedding, avoiding to be hit with a fat bill. So, what do they do? They play a game of chicken to get the other to back out. Bring on the pranks. The mayhem. Put out all the stops. Bring out all the feels?

Ok. First off, I am going to be honest—I nearly DNF’d this. About 30% in, I wasn’t invested. Like at all. I didn’t get where any of it was going. BUT THEN, I stuck it out, made it a bit over halfway, and it started to go somewhere. There were a bunch of funny moments, laugh out loud hilarity, and the last few chapters were probably what I enjoyed the most. I think I’d enjoy this better if it were a movie! Some of the scenes would make for a better on-screen romcom than off the pages. Overall, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. If you’re all about enemies-to-lovers, then give this one a shot!

This was such a good fun! I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the love to hate theme of the book but I'm so glad that I ended up reading it. I really loved the main character, Naomi. I laughed out loud at her inner monologue many times. I really liked that even though there were clearly big issues in their relationship, Naomi and Nicholas seemed to find a healthy way to fix their problems. I know that some readers had an issue with the "hating" part of the novel but the story was so worth finishing! Highly recommended!

All the reviews said to power through this book and I was hoping it would be worth it and...unfortunately it wasn’t. I did really enjoy the emphasis this book put on healthy communication in relationships and boundaries with family members, but I really just disliked every single character in this book. I couldn’t connect with them at all, and I found myself skimming pages for the sake of finding out what happened instead of wanting to read more.

The first line of You Deserve Each Other's synopsis had me hook, line, and sinker. "When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé..." How could you not be intrigued by this kind of book? Lovers... to enemies... to lovers. This is pretty much never done in the book world (at least that I'm aware of). Contemporary romances tend to fall under a lot of the same tropes and storylines, so I was immediately excited to read something unique. And I LOVED it. Brand new favorite, pre-ordered the moment I finished it. If this book is not on your radar, adjust your radar. You'll thank me later.

1. This book begins right in the nitty gritty of Naomi and Nicholas's relationship. There's no meet-cute, no getting-to-know-you, no twitterpated glances across a crowded room. That's all already happened. We are thrown into a relationship that is seriously on the rocks. It was so refreshing to see a real relationship from a different angle. Rather than starting at ground level and moving up, we've got a relationship that's already been up there and is quickly plummeting downwards. I loved reading about these two characters, and their theories of how they got to this point.

2. I will admit that this book took a little time to hook me. The hatred, mostly on Naomi's side (since she's our narrator and her point of view is the only one we get to read), was so SO heavy. But once it took hold, I was fully invested in this story. If you find yourself bogged down or struggling, keep going!

3. Sarah Hogle did a really awesome job of keeping this completely hilarious while also bringing deeper issues to the forefront. When you really think about the premise of this story. it's actually very sad. These two people, once very much in love, have pushed each other to the brink of ruin. They're able to so perfectly and effectively push each other's buttons because they used to avoid pushing them at one point. I laughed at Naomi's inner ramblings of how much she couldn't stand Nicholas. I laughed at their antics and their immature acts of sabotage. And then I felt sad for them because this is a relationship that is about to flat-line at any minute! But the entire time I also felt such a strong sense of hope for them. I'd see a glimmer of love here and there, and it'd make me yell: "STOP IT CHILDREN! Can't you see how much you love each other!?" Naomi and Nicholas do a lot of reflecting and go through a lot of emotional baggage throughout the story and even though I mentioned the strong hate vibes, it was never too much for me. It felt very real and raw. I felt them longing for each other as often as I felt them resenting each other. It quickly becomes obvious that the money one of them would lose if they cancel the wedding is not the soul reason they haven't called it off.

4. Naomi took some time to worm her way into my heart, but Nicholas got there almost immediately. He made a pretty dumb decision in the beginning of the story that had me side-eyeing him, but by the end I realized it was the absolute best decision he could have made for their relationship. The gears in his brain are constantly working on ways to save them. Yes, he's really good at the emotional warfare but I never felt like he pushed things too far. Naomi seemed to be the one who had nothing to lose, and I felt like she hit below the belt more. Nicholas seemed to be reacting. He was protecting himself and retaliating more than instigating. I really felt for him, especially once I learned how sentimental and romantic he can be.

5. Many of the pranks and shenanigans were hilarious. Nothing felt abusive. These two are actually very passive aggressive, which readers will quickly learn is the bud of the issue. They bottle up their resentment and never talk about it with each other. Passive aggressive people can be super entertaining, though, and that's why things worked so well in this story.

6. The emphasis on communication and working through your issues was strong in this book, and I really liked that message. You can't ever stop working on a relationship. It's not always easy. This message is not usually presented to readers in contemporary romance, and I really appreciated that Sarah Hogle was able to do this without sounding preachy. It was done in a very lighthearted way.

7. The writing is very sharp and smart, and I still can't believe how Sarah made me feel so many things all at the same time.

8. The characters are so well done! Even our side characters are amazing. Naomi works at this quirky little shop and has some great friends. Her boss is the biggest teddy bear. Nicholas's mother is the definition of a momzilla. You will LOVE how the momzilla situation goes down.

9. For those concerned... there is a way happier ending to this book that I expected.

I left out a lot of my feelings because this really is the kind of book you need to read and experience and form your own opinions about. I love Naomi and Nicholas. I loved watching their relationship. I loved all the fall vibes and the cute little cottage they lived in. I loved the lake in the back and the coveralls and the feelings. You Deserve Each Other is a sweet, real, hopeful story. I loved it.

What did I just read?! Only one of the best books I’ve ever read. And just the day before I finished another enemies to lovers of the same caliber. I’ve just read to unicorns back to back and I’m on book cloud 9. The only thing I’m mad about is that I’ve had this book on my kindle for a few months. I’ve could have read this gloriousness months ago!!

I have so many good things to say about this book, but I’m not eloquent enough to do it justice. Read this book. Especially if enemies to lovers is your thing. This is absolute perfection of this trope. It’s also hands down the funniest book I’ve ever read. Yeah, there are books that make me chuckle from time to time, but this book had me cracking up and LOLing the entire time. The things that Nicholas and Naomi did to each other....I just can’t. When she ditched the car, I lost it. This was such a fresh take to enemies to lovers. The fact that these two were engaged was astonishing and I really didn’t know how the author was going to pull it off, but she did. And I’m here for it all the way. This is definitely a story that I will come back to time and time again and cherish forever.

Naomi couldn't do it anymore! She could not pretend to be the perfect woman and fiancee, and she could NOT see herself married to Nicholas Rose, who she maybe only loved about 20%. So, she set out on a mission to make him call off the engagement, as she didn't want to look like the villain. Somewhere along the way, however, they both rediscovered themselves and their love for one another.

My first impression of Naomi was favorable. I liked her snark, but as the pranks escalated, I was worried. I thought this was going to be one of those gotcha-romances. You know, the ones that don't end in an HEA, but I persisted, and it really paid off.

I will admit, I was laughing a LOT as I read this book, but there were times I winced at how cruel Naomi and Nicholas were to each other. That is why, for me, this story picked up once they started shedding some of their shiny veneer, and started being real, with each other and themselves. They were almost reborn in the rubble of their picture perfect farce of a relationship, and what emerged was better and stronger than what they were before.

I keep hearing things about Naomi being unlikable. UGHHHHHH! She had reasons for this, and I had no problem accepting them. This was a form of self-protection, which she was aware of and tried to battle, and I guess that's why I was ok with it. I felt as if Nicholas came around a lot quicker, though. He would make these small, and misconstrued, gestures, which were terribly sweet. He was also more open and honest with Naomi, than she was with him, and it made me wish for some of the chapters to be told from his point of view. I was able to gain a lot of insight into what Naomi was feeling, but I Nicholas was not as transparent. I feel like I may have melted had I been let into his head, and that is something I would totally be onboard for.

Like I said, the book was a lot of fun, and that fun was augmented by some great supporting characters. The Junk Store crew were a fabulous bunch, and I really did have a fantastic time with them. I also really liked how they fit into the storyline, and provided some rather wonderful surprises. The ending was an utter delight, too. It had me smiling my face off, and shedding happy tears.

I definitely understand everyone making The Hating Game comparisons, because I found myself making them too. It was similar, but different. So, if The Hating Game, War of the Roses, and lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers is your jam, I believe you would enjoy this book. You may cringe in the beginning, but I predict you will be smiling at the end.