Despite leaving the pageant world behind, Ruby is facing the spotlight again … by entering the West Coast Canine Classic dog show. And let me say, Wheezy the golden retriever was the star of this story. With his lazy attitude and ability to be lured by cheeseburgers, he’s easy to love.

Introduced to the rule-following-dog-show judge Spencer Wilson, Ruby begins the undertaking of attempting to transform Wheezy into winning material. And oh my! It’s funny.

On the outside, Ruby was such a resilient heroine, determined to succeed. I loved the unraveling of her pageant upbringing and how it shaped her current insecurities. Combined with the complicated relationship Spencer shared with his twin brother (who I’d love a story about!), this romance included some great family dynamics.

With that said, while I loved both of them separately, the chemistry between Ruby and Spencer felt oddly developed to me. There was one scene in particular that felt out of place—I truly thought I missed a page. The buildup beyond their attraction wasn’t completely there for me, but I still thought this was very cute.

I really enjoyed this upbeat, fast paced story full of some major comedic moments and some slow burn steam.

Ruby, a former pageant queen is tasked with prepping Wheezy for a dog show. Through this seemingly impossible task she meets Spencer who runs the dog show. Their personalities are so different and strong which leads to epic banter, pushing each other beyond their limits, and mega character growth.

I was impressed with Ruby's character from the start for her resilience and tenacity and also loved her journey toward a better Ruby. Spencer started out more rigid so of course it was super fun to see his pristine world getting a little wrinkled. They were a fun couple and the story was unique, original, and engaging.

This book had elements of slow burn, sweet steam, and so much comedy. I fell in love with the large and quirky cast of characters and look forward to more from Lucy Gilmore.

I Hate You More follows ex-pageant star Ruby Taylor, a nurse's aid at a retirement home, who is determined to help one of the resident's dogs win the West Coast Canine Classic dog show. The only things standing in her way: Wheezy's extreme laziness and stubbornness and Spencer Wilson, the by-the-books veterinarian and dog show judge.

I really loved Ruby's character growth throughout this and how she really came into her own. She was a really strong character, and it was nice seeing her learn what her goals were and working towards them. I also really adored Wheezy, who reminded me of the dog that I had growing up who was also extremely stubborn and food motivated. Ruby and Spencer also had a great dynamic and I loved the slow build between them as they went from a bad first impression to friends to a couple.

Overall, this was such a cute romance and perfect for dog lovers! I can't wait to check out more from this author.

Thanks so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

I ended up DNF’ing this one at about the 30% mark. I thought this would be a fun light hearted rom com but ultimately it missed the mark and felt quite boring. I chose not to continue on and finish.

2.5 Stars

This book should have been everything I like, enemies to lovers and dogs, however it just didn’t work. It was soooooooo boring. It’s not a long book (270ish pages) and yet it took me three evenings to read. A book that length should have taken me three hours tops and not three days. I felt no connection to the characters and honestly if it weren’t for the dogs I would have given up after 30%. It just did nothing for me, which makes me sad because I really really wanted to enjoy it. Oh well, not everything can be good.

I hate you more 🐶⁣
⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⁣
Pub: 02 November 2021 (VERY SOON)!⁣
⁣
Dogs and enemies to lovers rom-com!!!!!💜⁣
I really loved the main character, Ruby. Her optimism, ambition and humor, comes to terms with self-acceptance throughout novel. Spencer, shy vet & dog show judge. Light, fluffy, romance. Perfect if your in a reading slump!⁣
⁣
✖️ Only downfall: I always like a book that challenges me with a literacy component (which I thought this lacked).

Ruby Taylor is no stranger to beauty pageants. By the time she was eighteen, she had won more crowns than one person could ever need and decided enough was enough. She swore she'd never return to the competition world, but when one of her beloved residents at her retirement home swindles her into entering her Golden Retriever, Wheezy, in the upcoming West Coast Canine Classic, Ruby has no choice but to polish up her pageant smile. Spencer Wilson is a by-the-book veterinarian and takes his job as a dog-show judge very seriously. So, when he meets Ruby and her overweight-definitely-not-purebred-dog, he tells her to quit while she's ahead. Ruby has never been one to back down from a challenge and is prepared to pull out all the stops to whip Wheezy into shape and make Spencer eat his words. What she wasn't prepared for was losing her heart in the process.

When I read the synopsis of this, I felt like it was written just for me. A grumpy/sunshine rom-com featuring a dog? Sign me up! While this was adorable and had its charming moments, it was ultimately a little too bland for my tastes. Since this is pretty short, everything moves quite quickly and I think that hurt the story a bit. You only really get a few chapters of Ruby and Spencer clashing before they're coupled up. It was like on one page they were bickering, and then a few paragraphs later, they were hooking up. I think this would've benefitted if it had been 50 or so pages longer. It would've given Gilmore more time to build the tension and fully flesh out Ruby and Spencer's dynamic to make it feel more natural. It was a cute premise, and Wheezy definitely added some hilarious moments, but I just wanted a little bit more.

I Hate You More was a very cute read, the book is great to pass the time and read something quickly. Overall I enjoyed it, but I must admit that I was expecting a little more, the characters didn’t stand out to me.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for kindly sending me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

'I Hate You More': 3⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @lucygilmore and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

Okay, this book was so much fun to read and so, so enjoyable! I was very fond of the main male character, Spencer, but as the book progressed, he just got flat and boring. That's just my opinion though.

LOVED Ruby's arc and the little dummy doggo, Wheezy. Ruby just came out to be a little defenseless at first, but then, at the end, she got the best character progression, absolutely incredible and we love the love ourselves vibes!

While this book was lighthearted, sweet and romantic, I feel like it gives us the wrong impression for 'enemies-to-lovers'. It surely starts a little abruptly, but the characters are not exactly enemies. Love the 🌶️ scenes tho!

I Hate You More is the perfect book for lovers of romantic comedies, meddling old ladies, dogs, and enemies to lovers. In this book, Ruby is an ex-beauty pageant queen who now works as a nurse to the elderly. One of her favorite patients insisted she enter her golden retriever, Weezy, in the West Coast dog show competition. That is exactly how she meets grumpy judge Sam and his flirtatious brother Cader. As Ruby gets to know the brothers better she begins to understand what makes Sam tick and just how soft this grump is on the inside. I loved all of the complexities to this story! Gilmore manages to throw in so many different issues into this book, without making it too heavy, including beauty standards for women, complicated parental relationships, elder abuse, and gambling addiction. On the surface this is a super fun story about a disobedient dog, a determined beauty queen, and a meddling old lady. But below the surface it really brings up important topics! This story is packed full of humor, cute puppies, and amazing chemistry-- what else could you want from a romance book? (I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review)

🥓🥓🥓🥓/5 (rating with bacon in honour of good boy Wheezy!)

<i>Spoiler-free and honest review of Lucy Gilmore (Tamara Berry)’s upcoming book, ‘I Hate You More.’</i>

I Hate You More combines a boss babe main character; unyielding veterinarian/dog show judge (and his charming twin brother); lovable hot-mess of a golden retriever and a SAUCY retirement home resident — all with beautifully developed backstories to create a delightful, cheeky, and hilarious feel-good romcom.

Back down from a challenge? Ruby Taylor doesn’t know her. Often underestimated but never intimidated, Ruby, a former beauty pageant queen, embraces the uphill battle of turning lazy, bacon-and-cheeseburger-loving Wheezy into a show dog on behalf of Mrs. Orson, a resident at Parkwood Manor where Ruby works as a nursing assistant.

To the dismay, disgust and devastation of West Coast Canine Classic judge and veterinarian, Spencer Wilson, Ruby manages to finagle Wheezy’s entry into the dog show. While allured by her beauty, Spencer “was pretty sure she was going to end up being a huge pain in his ass…” especially after Ruby hires the help of Spencer’s identical twin brother, Caleb, to train Wheezy.

Genuinely funny, flirty, full of sarcastic banter and ~sexual tension~ this story has so many wonderful elements to share.

<b>Pros</b>
Ruby is a beautifully complex and ambitious main character who remains true to her values and experiences tremendous character growth. You’ll be so proud of her by the end of this book!

As a twin I appreciated the portrayal of the brother’s dynamic relationship (LOVED the adult application of their childhood rivalry game).

Each and every one of the secondary characters adds a special element of charm, wit and depth to this book. From Mrs. Orson and her gaggle of porcupine book-club members to Eva and her family, the relationship dynamics explored in this book are thoughtful, meaningful and relatable.

The conflict was a positive standout element for me because the conflict and meaningful resolution were given appropriate time to develop (nothing ruins a book for me quite like a 2.5 page conflict & resolution before you’re hit with an epilogue). In addition, I enjoyed that a certain plot element was foreshadowed to be a future point of friction between the MC’s but instead we’re rewarded with a significant conflict that honours both the values and experiences of Ruby and Spencer.

For those who like spicy rom coms, don’t let the sweetly innocuous cover fool you—we have two fierce MC’s whose hate and sexual tension gets steamy.

<b>Cons</b>
I’ve seen some critiques address the quick turn from sexual tension to actual romance. This did feel a bit sudden/fast to me as well but I would also argue that it was natural considering the palpable chemistry between Ruby and Spencer. It didn’t take away from the story and in fact gave other plot elements adequate time to progress.

<b>Read this if:</b>
Enemies-to-lovers is your trope of choice
You enjoy boss babe ambitious and courageous female characters
You’re an animal lover who wants to spending 200+ pages wishing you could squeeze Wheezy
Romance is important but you enjoy seeing family dynamics play out and backstories develop

<b>Warnings:</b> Mention of extreme dieting, starving oneself, gambling

<i>Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this early eARC in exchange for our honest thoughts.</i>

SO SWEET! This book combined two of my very favorite things; dogs and romance tropes.

Following a dog show judge/veterinarian as he falls in love with the handler of the most terribly behaved dog to ever try to enter a dog show was hilarious. I actually also learned a bit more information about the world of show dogs which was quite fun. This book is a really quick and spicy romance with such pure hearted characters that you cant help but root for them to be happy!

3.5 stars rounded up

Spencer and Ruby were just fantastic. Their tension was intense and adorable bonding over their competitive spirits. I thought the characters had good depth and I loved their forced proximity. The dual POV added a lot to this book as well.

I enjoyed that Spencer wasn’t “perfect” and needed to work on some things for himself. Ruby had to know that she could do it on her own and believe in herself more than needing a man’s opinion of her.

It's pretty much a given that I will request a book with an illustrated cover on it, but one that ALSO has a dog on the cover?? Sold. Immediately.

Ruby is our MC, an ex-pageant girl turned CNA in a retirement home. She is conned by one of the tenants to enter her recalcitrant pup into the area dog show, where she meets the grumpy judge Spencer and his charming twin brother Caleb. Spencer wants nothing to do with Wheezy, the mixed breed golden retriever who is incredibly untrained and basically does the opposite of whatever Ruby instructs. But Spencer is drawn to Ruby's beauty and personality, so drama ensues.

The spice in this book?? Holy hell. Reminded me a lot of Andie J. Christopher's writing, and especially her newest. There are several open door scenes so beware of that before reading if that isn't your vibe. Also, there are some prime romantic moments as well, it's not just the spice that makes this romance attractive.

However, I found the overall story and plot line to be lacking in depth. I enjoyed the characters, I had a fun time, but this is a shorter than average romance - so if it were longer I feel more could have been down to provide the depth it is lacking. It's also a tad ridiculous with some of the events, especially around the dog.

Worth the read but not a story likely to stick. I may have bookmarked those spicy pages for future reading though ;).

**Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

I Hate You More by Lucy Gilmore
Pub Date: 11/02/21

Ruby is a former beauty pageant queen, current nursing home aide. Raised by her mom that her beauty is her biggest asset, Ruby has always felt that people look at her like she could never been more than a pretty face.

When one of the residents at the nursing home asks Ruby to enter her dog in the upcoming Canine Classic Dog Show, the lazy and untrained dog that Wheezy is, Ruby puts all her focus and dedication into that dog. When registering Wheezy, Ruby meets twin brothers, Caleb and Spencer. Caleb is the fun-loving bad boy dog trainer and Spencer is the uptight, rule-following veterinarian dog show judge.

I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as enemies to lovers… it was more of an opposites attract and sunshine and grump romance. I Hate You More as a title is a little misleading. But it was an overall enjoyable read. The supporting characters, from Eva and Lawson, Spencer’s colleagues, to Mrs Orson at the nursing home with her steamy romance book club, all brought the laughter. It is described as a romance but there is a lot more there, family relationships, dealing with insecurity and more.

#netgalley #ihateyoumore

First off, thank you to Netgalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book! The following is my honest review and opinion of the book.

While I adore the cover of this book and the premise of the story, I had a hard time getting into the book. In all honesty, this book was read at a time in my life that we had family dealing with a lot of health issues and so I do not think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. For that reason, when it comes out I will most definitely be giving it a second chance and listening to the audiobook.

If you love a cute romance (and dogs) this book is a must though, and even though it didn't click for me I know many people who have read and loved it!

3.5 stars
If you love happy romances, dogs, pageants and shows, and also dogs, then this is the rom-com for you! We follow Ruby, who takes on the impossible task of making one of her residents' overweight, questionably-full-bred Golden Retriever a dog show star, and Spencer, a strict dog show judge who seems dead set against Wheezy competing. There was obviously some immediate dislike between the two, but I'm sure you can gather where it goes from there. Overall this was a fun, swoony romance novel and I loved the dog show element, particularly because Wheezy had great comedic timing and was your typical lazy dog who didn't listen to commands. The romance was good but I did think there was a lack of chemistry in some regard, their relationship just didn't feel completely realistic and particularly at the moment-of-doubt portion of the book we all know and love, I didn't really understand why everything blew up? It was a little bit miscommunication and a little bit stubbornness and it seemed too elaborate for the story. Like I said though, for a quick, entertaining romance I would recommend picking this one up!

Funny premise but a little...boring?

I though the dog show backdrop was really original and funny, but I quickly found myself struggling with the *human* characters.
Ultimately okay and light.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD*

Oh, how I enjoyed this read! I loved having a full range of characters from family, to friends who feel like family. The witty banter between our love interests was delightful, and the dog competition setting was unique! The fact that the theme of loving someone for who they are, and not judging their appearance happens amidst a dog show competition that judges based on looks is the kind of irony I adore!

The part of the story that gave me pause was the strip tease scene. Ruby feels that all anyone sees when they look at her is a former beauty queen. She desperately wants to be respected for her skills and knowledge, and for people not just to see a pretty face when they look at her. That’s why it was so odd to read a scene in which she does a strip tease in front of the person she wants to impress the most. Not only was the scene itself out of place (didn’t feel like they were at that place in their relationship yet), but it also felt wildly out of character for Ruby, who works so hard to earn everyone’s respect, to suddenly strip down in front of a virtual stranger. I don’t have an issue with strip teases, but the way this scene played out felt unnecessary and took me out of the story for a minute.

But even so, I still had a fun time reading this and could possibly see this continuing onto book two for Caleb 😉

3.5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an early copy! All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading I Hate You More! I haven't read a romance novel that was like this one before and actually found that it was interesting. I liked how Lucy Gilmore characterized both Ruby and Spencer. They were cute together, and I loved the inclusion of the dog show. Animals make all books better (just in case anyone wants to add an animal to their book --> ALWAYS BETTER). Wheezy was so cute, and actually reminded me of my dog: a mess of a dog that is absolutely adorable anyway.

I'm excited to read more of Lucy Gilmore's books. It looks like she has more books with dogs and I'm here for that. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a quick but adorable romance read that includes dogs.