I did not enjoy this book. While I thought the premise sounded right up my alley but it fell extremely flat. I did not like the administrators in the school, it felt very unrealistic. I will admit I did enjoy the family aspects, the families felt legitimate and genuine. I didn't like the fact that we had a mean girl just to move the plot along. I also was not a fan of the romance. It just felt like people were too easily forgiven for being a bully in the past. It just fell very flat and very disappointed and underwhelmed..

I have been in such a YA contemporary romance mood and I Hate You Fuller James perfectly filled that need. It was a quick, light read with some sappy but romantic moments.

Wren - The straight A student who has her future all planned out. She’s worked hard and is ready to leave behind the constant bullying of high school. Her only escape is her love of basketball that she shares with her grandfather. Everything is going decently until Fuller James, basketball star, is flunking AP Lit and she is forced to tutor him. He’s the absolute worst and she hates everything about him. Or does she?

Fuller - head jock with an ego so big everyone is surprised it fits through the locker room door. Popularity and basketball is everything to him and thanks to a non-passing grade both could be taken away from him unless he can convince Wren to tutor him and everyone else that it’s something else. Too bad he’s been awful to her for years and she hates him, not to mention what if they’re seen together?

Fuller started off as someone I strongly disliked. He’s this arrogant jock who is mean just to be cool. His inner monologue was all like “dude, the hell are you doing stop” but his word vomit of a**hole just never seemed to stop. He knew he was awful and was just rolling with it. Luckily he kind of starts to check himself and he adores his little brother which redeemed him in my eyes.

Wren is an utter cinnamon roll. She tries so hard to be tough but she is kind, smart and has a hard time standing up for herself which is fair. Her relationship with her grandfather was a sweet and one of my favorite parts of this book. She also has the best friends in the world. As a girl who has almost all guy friends it was nice to see that portrayed here and show that you can be friends with the opposite sex with no romantic feelings. Dae and Brandon always had her back and were there for her when she needed them most.

*SPOILER*
If you haven’t guessed it already, this is most definitely a hate to love story. Wren hates Fuller until she gets to know more about him and Fuller actually starts to gain a backbone and feel bad for how he’s treated Wren over the years. They bond over mutual family hardships which really opens them up to each other. It’s never that easy though and of course Fuller has done something to protect his popularity since he’s spending time with the “class loser.” It was constantly hanging over them and their experiences together. I also think Wren gave in a little too easily. She went from hating him to a session later almost kissing him. Make him beg for it! Have him grovel at your feet! Just kidding but for reals don’t let guys treat you like trash.

The ending was the classic romantic gesture move that I love. Fuller grew so much as a person throughout the story and Wren was amazing from the start but still manages to grow a little as well. The real star of this book though was Fuller’s little brother Hudson! He was stinking adorable and had all the moves for the ladies. I’d so be down for a follow up book of his high school adventures in the future. I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a cute romantic contemporary that melts your heart.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this clean YA novel. It is the usual nerd tutors playboy jock, so there wasn't much new here. The thoughtless jock (Fuller James) redeems himself by falling in love with sweet nerd, Wren Carter. There were a few cute scenes, but not much action. Lots of repetitive introspection, but I suspect that younger readers, wanting to have some clean fun, will enjoy this novel. I rank this one a 3.8 out of 5, because it was decently written and the two lead characters were good kids who went out of their way to help their ailing family members.

4 stars — I love these Crush line of books, I always gravitate towards them when I’m looking for something fairly light and easy to read. Which is not to say they never dip a toe into tough topics, just that it’s not usually the central theme. And that’s exactly what I was looking for, and exactly what I got.

I will admit, I kind of forgot about the blurb to this story before diving in, but now it makes sense why I kept thinking of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You while reading it. The story was very cliché and predictable in some ways, but that’s what I was in the mood for this time, so it worked out well for me. Honestly, it might have been an even higher rating, but there were some bits that just felt too easy or something…I just wanted something more.

I was convinced at the beginning that Fuller James was irredeemable. Honestly. I’m not a forgiving person, and he was a total cocky dbag at the beginning of this book. I don’t know how Ms. Blount did it, but I did come to feel for him as the book went on. He made stupid decisions, sure, but I mostly believed in his turnaround and his feelings. Even though some parts felt easy, for some reason I really felt like he was fed up with his life and finally at a point where he could see how much more he could get if he rearranged his priorities. And you guys, he was fabulous with his brother Hudson. I really felt the way he loved him, but they still had a teasing brother relationship as well…

Wren was easier for me to like, even if she was so entrenched in her hate at the beginning of this story that she came across a bit reverse stuck up (nerdy stuck up). And sometimes I felt her softening towards Fuller to be a bit easy too…but I don’t know, I guess I wanted to buy in, so I just did, you know? I loved her relationship with her Gramps, and that she had a good relationship with her parents too. I LOVED her best friendships with Dae and Brandon, they really helped us see more of who she was.

And the two of them together were really adorable…I just fell in love with them as they opened up and connected about Hudson and Gramps. It was the perfect catalyst to propel their relationship into something more real, and for me to give them both a chance. And then they were just cute together for other reasons — the kind of crush romance that just has you feeling all of the butterflies.

I’ve already mentioned secondary characters, but they were truly solid in this one. I’m still a bit reserved on Marc and TyShaun, but I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I was only meh on the grand gesture at the end. It felt…I don’t know. I wanted something else, but I don’t know what. I did appreciate how Fuller put himself out there and didn’t pull any punches though.

All in all, if you’re looking for a cute predictable YA romance, and you’re a fan of those 90s teen movies, you can’t really go wrong with this one. It gave me everything I was looking for: smiles, tummy tingles, and some genuine emotion.

I read this story so quickly. It held my attention the entire read. This is a new author to me, but I will definitely be looking for more by her. I thought this story was fast paced. It was sweet and I adored the characters. It left a smile on my face. I loved reading this.

Was unable to connect with either character, due to a convergence of cliches and insufficiently differentiated POV chapters.

Wren has hated Fuller James since he came between her and her best friend, AND bestowed that awful nickname on her - Wrentainer. She managed to hate him from afar for the past five years, but as a punishment for launching a handful of mashed potatoes at her nemesis, she was forced to tutor him. After spending time with the real Fuller James, she realized, that maybe, she didn't hate him at all.

• Pro: This book was exactly what I needed after being sick for a week. It was fun and cute, and I really couldn't stop reading it, because I was enjoying it so much.

• Pro: I ended up liking both Fuller and Wren a whole lot. I loved getting to know them, and seeing beyond the surface, because they were pretty wonderful underneath all their armor. I also adored them together, and was absolutely shipping them the entire time.

• Pro: There were a few really wonderful familial relationships in this book, which I could not get enough of. Fuller and his little brother were precious together, and Wren and her grandfather stole my heart too. I loved all the positive family focus, and there was a lot of it in this book.

• Con: Marissa, the ex-best friend, was a miserable mean girl. This trope tends to annoy me, but at least I felt like she served a purpose in the story, and she was dealt with appropriately.

• Pro: Both characters experienced personal growth, but Fuller grew a LOT. Being with Wren, and being recognized for more than his basketball prowess, had Fuller looking at things from a new perspective. He realized he was changing, and embraced these changes and his new outlook on things, and gosh darn it! Fuller 2.0 was pretty fabulous.

• Pro: Blount gifted me with a rather wonderful grand gesture, a combination of some fan favorites, which delighted me to no end.

Overall: A fun and cute hate-to-love romance, which delivered many smiles and swoons for me.

While this book was a bit predictable, it was fun to get captivated in an enemy-to-lovers YA romance. Girl hates boy. Boy hates girl. Girl tutors boy. Boy and girl fall in love. Wren and Fuller were made for each other, it just took them a long time to realize that. Their family dynamics, love for basketball, and kind hearts were the center of this love story. It was so sweet to follow. This book was quick to read, entertaining, and full of character development and cute high school student fun. Loved it!

Kelly Anne Blount’s ‘I Hate You, Fuller James’ is the perfect blend of witty and sweet. It’s fast-paced, surprisingly empathetic, and is begging to be made into a movie.

Wren Carter hates Fuller James. She’s hated him ever since he embarrassed her at the seventh grade dance and dubbed her “Wrentainer.” Wren also finds it kind of annoying that Fuller just so happens to be devastatingly handsome and an amazing basketball player. On the other hand, Fuller James needs help. Badly. He’s failing out of AP Lit, and desperately needs a tutor. He also feels guilty about how he’s treated Wren. As they are forced to work together, Wren and Fuller begin to get to really know each other, and realize that they connect in ways they wouldn’t have suspected. But can their blooming relationship survive all of the high school drama?

I love the way that Blount slowly builds the relationship between Wren and Fuller. They go from enemies to frenemies; from frenemies to friends; and from friends to something more. You go through the journey with the characters and can see how they grow both individually and collectively throughout the narrative arc. In the beginning, there are elements of bullying, but it never veers into over-the-top cruelty. ‘I Hate You, Fuller James’ isn’t overtly explicit in its content or its language, which some readers will undoubtedly find refreshing. It’s a delightful addition to this genre, and a safe read for a variety of ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis and saw the cute cover for I Hate You, Fuller James, I expected a fun, and cute story. However, I got so much more! I must admit that at the beginning of the story I didn't know if I would enjoy it, because James came across as immature for being a senior in high school, and it seemed like everything about him irritated Wren, even things that I thought weren't a big deal. However, we quickly learn it's because these two have quite the history!

I'm happy to say, that the pages just flew by! James was the captain of the basketball team and the most popular guy in his high school. He was dating mean girl, Marissa, who was pretty, but extremely shallow, and a horrible bully! Both of them consistently gave Wren a hard time at school. James was more worried about his image and being popular than anything else.

I loved Wren. She was sweet, intelligent, and dedicated to her family. When James starts a food fight, Wren, who usually doesn't react to shenanigans, gets so angry that she throws food back. As her punishment, she gets stuck tutoring James, because he is failing A.P. Literature, and needs to bring up his grade in order to play basketball.

As Wren and James are forced to spend more time together, they get to know each other on a deeper level. I connected to both of these characters emotionally, and found myself in love with their story.

Wren was extremely close to her grandfather, who had moved in with her family, because he was suffering from Alzheimers. My heart broke for her, and I smiled at all of the heartwarming scenes with her and her grandfather. This was extremely difficult for me read, because I've always shared a special bond with my grandparents, and lost my Nana a couple of years ago, and my grandpa has been really sick.

James was very close to his little brother, Hudson, who had brittle bone disease. I loved his little bro, and their relationship was super sweet. James matured, and underwent a lot of character growth, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because of an unfortunate mistake that James made at the beginning of the story.

I Hate You, Fuller James, was a super fast, light, cute, and fun read! It balanced out heavy topics, with lightness, humor, friendship, and first love. This was a story that sucked me right in, and gave me great characters, and a real, relatable, and emotional reading experience.

4.5 Stars

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Ever since Wren was in middle school, she has been ostracised by most of her year, especially her ex best friend, Marissa, who dropped her as soon as the most popular boy in school, Fuller James, starts to go out with her. To make matters worse, Fuller also landed her with a hideous nickname, and now the only people at school to call her by her proper name are the teachers, and her two best friends, Dae and Brandon. After Fuller launches a food fight in the cafeteria, and aggravates Wren enough to retaliate, she finds herself in the principal's office, basically being blackmailed into tutoring Fuller enough that he passes AP Literature, and isn't benched from the team. Neither really want to be seen with each other, but when some of Fuller's team mates see them together, Fuller ends up making a bet that he can get her to go out with him, and then he'll publicly dump her, in order to save his cool. The issue here, the more he spends with Wren, the more he actually realises that he is falling for her, and he needs to make sure she doesn't find out about the bet.

This book was so fun, and enjoyable. I flew through it one Saturday morning, and just found myself adoring the characters, especially Wren. She has dealt with so much, and with the added complication of sick relatives, she shoulders it all with what seems to be ease, but the more that she can talk about it, and Fuller is perfect for this, the more she comes into her true self, and I just love her! Fuller initially appears as a basic jock, but his family life has it's own difficulties, and very few people know the real him. Like with Wren, he can be open, and that shows him in the best possible light. I found their chemistry perfect, and knew they were made for each other.

The plot was a little predictable - of course that bet situation would come to bite Fuller at the worst time, and Marissa - the ex best friend, and ex girlfriend - isn't going to go down without a fight, she needs a bit of bitchiness. However, it was still a perfect YA contemporary read, and I'm so glad Entangled approved my request!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is perfect for fans of 10 Things I Hate About You and She's All That. While it was somewhat predictable, it was still an interesting spin on the Enemies to Lovers trope. I really enjoyed watching Fuller and Wren learn more about each other and themselves throughout the book. I did kind of want a grander display from Fuller to win Wren back though. Or maybe more attempts before the big one at the end? And is it wrong that I wanted the mean girl, Marissa, to be meaner? Even still, it was an enjoyable read and a really cute story.

THIS WAS SO CUTE!!! the cover was what enticed me but the plot was fascinating. i've never read a book that involves a BET i loved it so much.

i loved the plot, the characters, the character DEVELOPMENT!!!! everything was perfect.

for some reason this book reminded me of to all the boys i've loved before???

So I just read this book in one sitting and I really enjoyed it. This is a quick, fast paced dual POV YA romance with enemies to lovers at it's core.

I enjoyed the character development for both main characters and loved the pop culture references, including The Hate U Give which is one of my all time favourite books. Also, that fact that this book reminds me of one of my favourite film 10 Things I Hate About You made me enjoy this book even more!

This is an adorable high school romance which keeps you on the edge. Definitely worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishng for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I Hate You Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount a sweet as sugar five-star read. This was sweet and simple and just made me smile so much, it does come with a side of cheese but honestly that’s what made it so special for me. Wren wasn’t your typical heroine, there was something special about her and I liked how she was pretty and still got picked on, not that it makes it okay, but it shows us that it can be any of us, and her strength and power of self just showed us how strong you can be . I also liked how Fuller grew during the story. If you are looking for sweet and romantic then you can’t go wrong with this story, it doesn’t re-write the rule book, but it does bring plenty of smiles. I loved how we are shows that just because life looks effect on the surface it isn’t always and you never know what people are dealing with at home, so you should always try and be nice, this is a great thing to preach and one we should talk about more.

This was a cute YA romance with a well known tale in romance. Boy and girl are enemies, boy gets to know girl and they realize hate may not be the only emotion they are feeling, and dont forget to add in a bet that changes everything!. This was a super cute story and the side characters were fantastic. I adored Gramps and Hudson, as well as Wren's best friends. I really enjoyed the pop culture references and I think many of my hs students who love a good YA romance would enjoy this one. Thank you netgalley for thos arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNF @ 26%

I hate DNF-ing books. But this was getting ridiculous and I. can't. continue. reading.

I expected a lot of fun and swoon and it was neither of those things.

The Quick Cut: A teen girl is forced to tutor the high school jock in order to keep his place on the basketball team. Emotions get involved and chaos ensues. 
A Real Review: Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
 High school is hard enough between the classes, changes, cliques, and planning for the future. However, when you're forced to tutor to someone that despises you, how do you react? This is the case for Wren when it comes to Fuller James. 
 Wren has a deep hatred for Fuller James. He is the one behind her estrangement from her former best friend, Marissa, along with the wretched nickname that follows her. All she can do is enjoy basketball games with her ailing grandfather while maintaining the best grades in school. However, when Fuller starts a food fight and Wren reacts back, both are in serious trouble for their actions. The results? Wren must tutor Fuller to get his grades up - or her perfect record will be blemished. Can they work together or will their mutual disgust blow one another up? 
 This story admittedly doesn't bring anything new to the table. However, it's unnecessary to do so considering the relatable characters, adorable storyline, and exciting results of the high school drama. Wren is a bullied girl who rises above those around her the best she can and Fuller is a guy who has more to him than meets the eye. 
 Wren and Fuller work well together chemistry wise, along with their intriguing arguments. They bring out the best in each other and show how peer pressure can bring out the worst in others. It's a lesson that is very much an enlightening one, along with entertaining. 
 A wonderful touch is their connection to their ailing family members. Wren's grandfather with Alzheimer's and Fuller with his brother's brittle bone syndrome connects them on an emotional level - along with giving a true insight into the life of someone caring for a family member. 
 A phenomenal story about two teens on opposite sides of the social spectrum. 
My rating: 5 out of 5

Fuller James is a grade A jerk with the heart of gold! He’s misunderstood, he knows it but he doesn’t care! All he cares about is a full ride scholarship to his dream university and his little brother Hudson but the king of basketball can’t show that so he becomes what he thinks everyone wants him to be! That is until his pranks go to far and he finds himself on the brink of losing his spot on the team!

When Wren the beautiful outcast and resident nerd is tasked with tutoring the jock she can’t stand tensions fly and both are at jeopardy of losing everything they’ve worked hard for!

I absolutely loved Wren! She was quiet and humble! Though she took a lot of crap for me it was a testament to her strength! She had two of the best friends a girl could ask for and an amazing family that had her back! When Fuller James finally opened his eyes to the world around him he was stunned and knew it was time to change! But are the changes enough to convince Wren that he could be more than a jerk and might just be the love of her life!

A sweet high school romance that will have you laughing and swooning with each page

The description is a play on the poem from 10 Things I Hate About You? SIGN. ME. UP.
I'll start with my complaints: the names. Wren and Fuller? Dae? 10 years from now YA fiction is going to look back and think WTF when it comes to names of characters and these are two we'll be thinking of. I get it. We needed a name to make a nasty nickname out of (Wrentainer). But are you trying to tell me a kid with the first name of Fuller was never made fun of?! He's a jock. The jokes just write themselves.
That's it. That's my only complaint. Well, maybe the timing too? Like, for going from hate to love, maybe it should've taken longer than 9 days?
This was a sweet, short, well paced and well written YA romance novel. It's clean, it tackles real high schooler issues (see the above nickname), and I think it handles the dual POV very well. The side characters are not major, but also not so minor that they feel like plot devices. I was already hooked on the plot based on the back blurb for the book, but the bet Fuller makes intrigued me so much. And then it wasn't the typical YA bet plot. Loved it. So well done. Such a good and new take on what can be a simple trope.
All in all, this book was incredibly wonderful. An easy recommendation for my girlfriends or my students. I can't wait to see what more this author will do!!
Thank you to Entangled for inviting me to view this ARC!