**ĺ Is Why They Hate Us' by Aaron H. Aceves: A Provocative and Insightful Exploration of Anti-Americanism**

Aaron H. Aceves' 'This Is Why They Hate Us' is a thought-provoking and deeply researched examination of anti-Americanism, its historical roots, and its present manifestations. Through a combination of personal anecdotes, historical analysis, and scholarly research, Aceves offers a nuanced and multifaceted understanding of this complex phenomenon.

The book begins with Aceves' own experiences as a Mexican-American navigating the complexities of American society. He shares encounters with prejudice, discrimination, and microaggressions, providing a firsthand account of the ways in which anti-Americanism can manifest in everyday life.

Aceves then delves into the historical roots of anti-Americanism, tracing its origins to the country's colonial past and its role in global imperialism. He argues that the United States' history of violence, exploitation, and interventionism has created a perception of America as a nation that prioritizes its own interests over those of others.

The book also explores the role of media and popular culture in shaping perceptions of America abroad. Aceves analyzes how Hollywood movies, television shows, and news coverage often portray Americans as arrogant, selfish, and violent, reinforcing stereotypes and contributing to anti-American sentiments.

One of the strengths of 'This Is Why They Hate Us' is Aceves' ability to balance his personal experiences with a rigorous academic approach. He draws on a wide range of historical sources, sociological studies, and interviews with foreign nationals to support his arguments and provide a well-rounded perspective.

While the book focuses primarily on anti-Americanism abroad, Aceves also acknowledges the existence of anti-American sentiment within the United States itself. He explores how factors such as political polarization, economic inequality, and racial injustice can contribute to a negative perception of America among its own citizens.

'This Is Why They Hate Us' is a timely and important contribution to the ongoing dialogue about America's role in the world. Aceves' insights into the causes and consequences of anti-Americanism are valuable for anyone seeking to understand this complex phenomenon. The book is essential reading for policymakers, scholars, students, and anyone interested in the challenges and opportunities facing the United States in the 21st century.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to rate this number wise. I did enjoy the story; I am not the intended audience for it, and I know that. Quique goes through a lot in regard to his sexuality and mental health and I'm so happy he was given a good ending. I love Saleem and I really liked Manny too. I'm glad that Quique had the support system that he did, or this could have ended very differently. This has a lot to unpack but I know that there is a 17 yr old out there who is a lot like Quique and needs to know that it will be okay. I was not an overly sexual person in high school (shoot I'm still not) so that part is always a little weird to me, but I know that there are people who are and have those experiences and they should be able to see their selves in books too.

I think YA books with male MCs is just not my thing.
I cannot get past the gross jokes anymore. I’ve outgrown them honestly.

In This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves, a bisexual teen named Enrique tries to get over his presumably unrequited feelings for his friend Saleem by getting under some of his other crushes. He has three potential flings of interest, all of whom are conveniently interested in dabbling with him in return. When his crush cure doesn’t have the success rate he was hoping for, pressures pile up for Quique and his anxiety reaches a breaking point.

The portrayal of Quique’s mental health and the closeted queer representation were the standout beats of the novel. Quique’s complex relationship with his parents as he wondered and feared what their responses might be if he were to come out was viscerally relatable, and my chest tightened with pain for him and anxiety for a younger me as I read. Quique’s closeted queerness is so compelling because Aceves captures so many of the small, everyday plights of being closeted, like having to watch a queer character on screen with others around you and analyze your every move to make sure you’re not giving yourself away, or having to learn of a tragedy targeting queer people while watching the news with your parents and pretend that it doesn’t affect you even as you’ve been brought to your knees with the pain of it.

Ultimately, the premise of our main character exploring a series of romantic and sexual options fell short for me because it made the cast of characters too large and didn’t allow for all of the side characters to be as fleshed out as they could have been. This led to some friendships and relationships feeling forced or as though they developed out of nowhere. It was similar to Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster by Andrea Mosqueda, which I was disappointed with as well.

This paragraph will contain spoilers, but I’m also deeply uncomfortable with the side storyline that occurred between Enrique and Mr. Chastman, one of his teachers. Enrique ended up meeting Mr. Chastman on a dating app that was not meant for minors while both of their true identities were unknown to the other. When they met up and their identities were revealed, their get-together, which was supposed to take place at Mr. Chastman’s house, was not immediately ended or moved to a more public space. Instead, Mr. Chastman allowed Enrique to come in with the clear boundary set that this was not going to be a date any longer, just a chat of sorts. Enrique did not particularly respect that boundary and continued to flirt with his teacher and pine a bit inwardly. Knowing that this interaction could be career ending for Mr. Chastman, he should have handled the situation much more responsibly. On the one hand, I want to tell myself it’s just fiction and not to take it too seriously, but on the other, I felt sick to my stomach and itchy all over because it’s just such a no-go in terms of teacher-student relations. It did little to add comedic or other value to the novel and would have been better cut altogether in a young adult story. Granted, I read an advanced reader’s copy of this book and cannot speak to whether the scene was cut or altered in the final product.

If you’re looking for a gut-wrenching, authentic contemporary young adult story with a bisexual teen trying to grow more comfortable and find courage in his sexuality, give this book a try. If you’re looking for a fully imagined cast of characters, this might not be the book for you. Or maybe it will. Who am I to say?

I found this one difficult to engage with. The set up is okay but not really my cup of tea and the characters lacked the charm to keep me reading.

I could immediately tell that i was going to adore this. This was amazing bisexual rep with loads of depth. Depression and anxiety were also represented greatly here. I felt all the feels while reading this.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Enrique, called Quique, Luna, is determined to get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi, who is gonna leave LA for the summer to meet the girl his parents want him to marry. Quique is determined to pursue other romantic partners. Even though he's only out to his best friend Fabiola. Things may be looking good, though, stoner-jock, Tyler seems interested in both Fabiola and in Quique, senior class president Ziggy could be another option, so Zuniga. But as the summer goes on, Quique realized that trying to get over his unrequited feelings for Saleem by getting under others may not be the best way to solve things and soon the truth could change everything.

This is way they hate us is one of the best book I've read in a long time. It's funny, profound, brilliant and so well written I felt like I was there with them, during the boiling summer, looking from boy to boy and falling in love. Quique is a wonderful main character and it was such a pleasure following his journey, his very peculiar journey, reading him growing up, being funny and hilarious and very relatable sometimes. I do love this book so much.

This one started out a little mediocre and got better with time. It's nothing groundbreaking in my opinion, and a lot of the themes were heavy-handed in the way they can tend to be in YA, but it was nonetheless, a really sweet story about a summer of coming of age and queerness.

I think fans of Aristotle and Dante would really love this tbh. It has the same vibes, though I definitely prefer Aristotle and Dante.

I really loved the romance in this. It was sweet and there wasn't really a third-act conflict, which was definitely preferred for me.

I think my issues with this book boil down to the pacing and logic of it. It felt a bit cyclical to me. First, Enrique hooks up with this boy, then that boy, then this boy, etc. and it got a little repetitive. As well, I struggled with the build up to certain events. We never really get to understand why Saleem decided not to tell Enrique his feelings once Enrique confessed them to him. It's suggested he was worried he had someone else, so he decided not to say anything a few days before, but why was he silent when he confessed? That didn't make a lot of sense to me. As well, it felt like in some scenes, the author couldn't adequately describe how the characters would progress from talking to hooking up, there were a lot of scenes that said things like "And then we were kissing" or people just taking clothes off suddenly in a way that seemed really abrupt to me. If it had happened only one, I wouldn't have really noticed, but repeatedly, I recognized that Aceves never wrote the lead-up to a kiss, just abruptly shifted what was happening, and that felt really jarring to me.

But anyway, this is a sweet book and one I think I would have loved more at 15. But as an adult reader, I'm noticing some of the flaws and writing issues. (Though, I will say I read an uncorrected proof, so some things may have been fixed!) Overall, I think it just felt underdeveloped at parts, and I wanted more development and explanation from the main romance progression.

As a thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced reader copy of Aaron H. Aceves debut novel “This is why they hate us” I wrote this review. After being introduced to Aaron via twitter, I learned he wrote short stories. One short story that I’d like to highlight is “Campus.” It gave me insight to the emotional capacity Aceves is capable of expressing and explores further in his debut novel. In his novel do we follow Enrique “Quique” Luna a Chicano bisexual who raised in East L.A. is a high school junior exploring intersections of his identity. One is his ethnicity and cultural background and relationship this has to his sexuality.Quique has not come out to those closest to him and is reconciling with this fact. The only person he has come to is his best friend, Fabiola. Quique’s other significant friendship is with Saleem Kanazi ;however unlike Fabiola who he has had a past physical attraction to realizes he has this with Saleem.However he knows that Saleem is being sent away by his family to meet a prospective young woman who possibly in the future he will one day wed. Quique has made it his goal to get over his crush before the beginning of his senior year.Quique realizes the best way to get over someone is by getting under a bunch of others. With the help of Fabiola does he gain the confidence needed to “date” the guys he is interested in. Quique has his family, but can he come out to them? Will they accept him ? These questions and more add to Quique’s mental health struggles that increase throughout the novel and adds an raw and honest portrayal of what LGBT teenagers go through particularly young men of color. Out of five stars I give this novel a strong five stars to both and cannot recommend it enough.

*4.5
There is so much to unpack here- I absolutely loved how diverse the characters and representation were, ethnically and sexually, along with having mental health representation and the normalization of therapy. I can see this novel being a very fundamental and impactful story for anyone that can relate to Enrique’s journey. Overall, I really enjoyed this story! I found Enrique to be charming, funny, and relatable. The plot focuses on Enrique trying to get over his best friend by getting under/exploring other male prospects. This does mean that there are a lot of sexual activities or references to it in the book, even though it's classified as a YA.

I enjoyed reading about his journey of discovering more about his sexuality and embracing parts of himself he felt ashamed of. I was not expecting some of the heavier topics, especially the focus on mental health and suicidal thoughts. I think it’s important to note, that likely parts of this book will make you uncomfortable- whether it be reactions to things that side characters say or Enrique’s sometimes very messy and impulsive decisions, but I think that helps paint a picture that this book isn’t supposed to be easy to swallow at times and will make you feel a range of emotions.

This has a whole cast of characters and it explores several different dynamics such as friendship, romance, and family. A favorite part for me was Enrique’s parents and their arcs. I wish that the end was a little longer so we could actually see some growth between the characters, but that’s for my own selfish desires.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I first heard about This is Why They Hate Us last year during Pride Book Fest. Aaron Aceves was on one of the many panels I watched and I knew I just had to read his debut. Omg, what a delight it was!

What I really loved about This is Why They Hate Us:

It is absolutely hilarious 😂 Aceves’ humor is the kind that I can’t get enough of. I laughed out loud so many times while reading.

Quique was the such an incredibly complex main character. Throughout the book he goes through so much while fully embracing all parts of himself and his journey. His relationships with his family, Fabiola, Saleem and his “prospects” felt very genuine.

Aceves handled Quique’s depression and anxiety with such care. I loved that therapy and medication were openly discussed. The conversations he had with Luciana were equal parts funny and compelling. It highlighted the importance of young adults taking care of their mental health.

Quique’s journey navigating his bisexuality was very sex positive. He was able to freely explore his sexuality. There was no judgement or shame surrounding him figuring out what he liked and didn’t like. It was really refreshing to get that in a YA novel about a brown bisexual boy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of Saleem and all the discussion surrounding him being Palestinian, what the people in Palestine have gone through in years past, and continue to struggle with in regards to gaining their freedom and their right to self-determination.

Finally, I adored the bond Quique formed with Mr. Chastman. Their banter was just the best!


What I didn’t love:

The only thing I had an issue with was Quique outing other queer people multiple times. It was only to other queer people and his therapist but it still wasn’t ok.

I am eagerly waiting on Aceves’ next project!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s for an eARC of This is Why They Hate Us in exchange for a honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
This is a case where I found the author, Aaron H. Aceves, through Twitter first, then subsequently became interested in his work. This Is Why They Hate Us sounded right up my alley, and I ended up really enjoying it.
I love the bi rep, especially as expressed through the protagonist, Enrique, called “Quique” by those he’s close to. Quique is pretty sure at the beginning of the book he’s bi, but there’s still a lot to explore in terms of his relationship with his sexuality, including coming out to others, even when it’s difficult. And his struggles with his mental health are so real…I wanted to hug him at various points throughout the book. However, the narrative artfully toes the line between self-discovery and self-fulfillment, with each dark moment serving Quique’s growth.
Sexuality overall is handled really well and with a general positive tone throughout. As far as the interactions with his teacher goes, I feel like it approaches the sensitive issue of the blurred lines of a teacher-student relationship that can get too intimate pretty well, with a decent amount of self-awareness, although I can see the opinions varying for others.
And while Quique’s character provides Latinx, queer, and mental health rep, there’s also diversity among the supporting cast too. While he does pursue other options over the summer, he keeps coming back to his (presumably) unrequited love for Saleem, who is Muslim. I cannot speak for the rep intimately, but I do feel that this book attempts to do more than pay lip service to the religion, especially as Saleem is Palestinian. This allows for commentary on the the Israel/Palestine “conflict,” and how, while it made sense for Jewish refugees to receive their own country after the Holocaust, it shouldn’t have come at the cost of the Palestinians living in the area who were (and still are) oppressed and killed by the Israeli government.
This book strikes a great balance between being hard-hitting, yet somewhat lighthearted and even humorous in places. It’s a great read for queer folks, those dealing with mental health issues, and those reckoning with the challenges of growing up. If that sounds appealing to you, you’ll enjoy this book.

As a bi man, I always look forward to reading books with bisexual male main characters, and this one was no exception. As soon as I saw this book pop up on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it (and not just because I fell in love with the stunning, and very bi, cover... although it didn't hurt). I was ecstatic to be approved for the eARC, and luckily, my excitement proved to be warranted because I ADORED this book. I flew through all 400 pages in less than a day and did not want to put it down.

The writing in this book felt very personal, almost like an ongoing set of diary entries, and it had a stream of consciousness to it that I enjoyed. The text was heavy on dialogue and thoughts, but it provided enough description to understand the world of the characters and set the scene well. I found that this combination was really engaging and made the book easy to read at a quick pace. The writing and setting were very contemporary, which included quite a few fun cultural references and some slang that I was thankfully able to decode. This made it feel legitimately like a teenager's viewpoint, at least to me as a Certified Old Person.

As you may have surmised from this review already, Quique, the main character of the book, was bisexual. I can never get over how reading books with bi men/boys is such a surreal experience because at least some of the thoughts and experiences of the characters seem like they were plucked right out of my head. That was the case here, as well, and it really was such a cathartic experience to see certain aspects of myself represented so well in a story. The author did a wonderful job with representation in general, not just with bisexuality, in this story, but I particularly appreciated that Quique felt real and not like a bi stereotype. This story allowed for the exploration of so many important topics related to growing up bisexual, including coming out, dealing with bigots, and processing the shame and guilt associated with internalized homophobia and biphobia. It also did a great job illustrating both the joys and pains of figuring out how to act on one's sexuality for the first time and developing an understanding of how one wants to engage with their sexual orientation.

I especially loved that this book went out of its way to show the importance of queer literature and mentors in the lives of queer youth. Quique learns a lot about himself and what he wants from engaging with books and other out queer people who accept him. In this age of book bans and restrictions on what can be said in the classroom, this book illustrates the desperate need to fight back against such proposals by highlighting the life-altering impact it can have on youth. I know I wish more out queer role models and easily accessible literature existed in my community growing up. I believe it would have made the process of accepting myself much easier if I'd had those resources at hand.

In addition to the great bi rep, this book had fantastic mental health rep. If I had to describe Quique, I'd probably say he was a chaotic good disaster bisexual because he was quite the mess. He experienced intense anxiety, depression, and mania throughout the book. The writing set the tone really well, and I could pretty easily tell how he was feeling based on his thoughts and the pace of the dialogue. There were a couple times where his suicidal ideations were explored in quite a bit of detail, and I appreciated the realistic portrayal and the inclusion of how to cope with the ideations in a healthy way. I also really liked how therapy was included in this book, and the interactions between Quique and his therapist felt like a genuine therapy relationship, which I've found to be a rare occurrence in much of the media I consume.

I know a lot of this review was focused on some fairly heavy stuff, but I also want to note that this book is hilarious. There were parts where I was laughing out loud so much my partner was concerned for my sanity. lol. Many of the supporting characters bring a great deal of the humor, along with Quique's own antics. I felt so much joy while reading this book even though it tackles such serious topics. I laughed and cried several times, and I honestly cannot wait to read this book again. It would be the perfect read for Bi Visibility Day next month. Therefore, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Quique has a plan for the summer before his senior year – to get over his long-time crush on close friend Saleem by checking out some other guys. And he has a few very different prospects to accomplish his goal. It might not be the best plan, but Quique is a flawed character who may not make the best decisions sometimes. Some of these prospects aren’t worth his time, but he learns some valuable life lessons the hard way during his journey.

I adored Quique from the first page. He’s dealing with a lot in his life – he’s only out to best friend Fabiola, worried about how his parents will react to his bisexuality, and he’s head over heels for Saleem, who’s spending time with extended family this summer. Family who are interested in an arranged marriage for him. Quique also struggles with several mental health issues, and I loved that he recognized the signs and wasn’t afraid to ask for help. His parents and Fabiola are a strong support system.

He also has a safe, wonderful resource in Mr. Chastman, his teacher. An extremely awkward and unexpected scene between them could have gone wrong in so many ways, but is brilliantly handled. I wish all high school students had someone like this in their corner.

This is a beautifully written story filled with poignant, humorous, and bittersweet moments that shines a light on some very important topics. It’s an incredible debut, and a novel I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a story about discovering yourself.  Enrique “Quique” Luna has a crush on his seemingly straight best friend, Saleem Kanazi.  There are only a few problems.  Quique, who is bi, is out only to his other best friend, Fabiola.  Even if that were not the case, Quique has basically no experience and no idea how to make a move.  To make matters even worse, Saleem is about to leave Los Angeles for the summer for New Jersey, in part to meet a girl his family hopes to set him up with.  Quique decides his only path for getting past his feelings for Saleem is by going after other possible romantic prospects -- and he identifies three as particularly promising:  the incredibly attractive jock Tyler, who is as often getting stoned as playing sports; the straight arrow senior class president Ziggy, who may not even be interested in guys; and bad boy Manny, who seems the most interested in Quique.  

As Quique fumbles his way through his plan, he struggles with whether to tell his parents that he is queer, the difficulies of being bi, his fears about whether his feelings are recipriocated, and his anxiety which often comes to the fore at the most inpportune moments -- not to mention finding that it is not so easy to get over your first love, even if the feelings are unspoken.

I really enjoyed this book.  The author captures the yearning of first love, particularly a first love that you think will always be unrequited, as well, if not better, than any book I've read.  As a reader, you can palabaly feel the competing feelings of hope and disappointment that Quique experiences for Saleem whenever the two interact.  The difficulty of navigating romantic and physical relationships in high school and how that is compounded when one is bi and largely not out is portrayed both frankly and with nuance.  I also appreciated the way the author showed the various ways Quique seeks out guidance and mentors, from his former classmate who he encounters in Target to his teacher to his mother, and the way that none provides him all that he is looking for, but each provides a critical building block of his growth.  This is a special book with a strong voice, and one you will not regret picking up.

Very highly recommended!

This is a stunning bi coming of age novel! It features out bi MC who is struggling with feelings for his best friend, so he sets out to investigate three other potential partners over the course of the summer.

I really really liked this book. I loved that we had a bisexual male main character and bisexual female character who both navigate biphobia and bierasure within their own relationships. I loved Enrique's relationship with his other best friend and was really happy to see their relationship flourish. I think it's really important to have stories like this and young adult books where characters are allowed to explore sexually and romantically. There are a couple on page explicit scenes where our MC is testing the waters for certain things and figuring out what he likes and doesn't.

Books like this always throw me off just a little bit because as I'm well over the age of young adult audience intended, I'm always thrust back into my own high school experience when I read YA and I cannot even fathom what Enrique was going through. For some reason I can read about adults and their sexual attraction or whatever, but it always makes me feel like the odd one out when I read about teenagers being so open in their sexuality. I so wish that I had books like this and books with other queer characters as a teenager because maybe I would have been able to figure my own things out. Being asexual, everything that Enrique does in this book is something that I would not have even thought about at 17 which makes it even more vital for it to be in the hands of young adult readers.

Definitely a perfect summer read and one I will be recommending to many!

I really wanted to like this book. It has all of the elements that make a great YA contemporary book: a great romance, messy plot line, discussions about mental health, good character development, and an adorable friendship dynamic. To be honest, this book was entirely too sexual for me to enjoy. The number of sexual references and innuendos made me incredibly uncomfortable, and while the content may be relatable for some teens, it was entirely overwhelming for me as a reader. That being said, I think this is a really good representation of what it means to be a bisexual teenager in a world that is obsessed with binaries. Quique was messy, funny, and relatable as a narrator and I loved watching him develop over the course of the book. The romance was the saving grace of this book– Saleem and Quique were absolutely adorable and I appreciated that we actually got to see their relationship develop towards the end of the book! If not for the incredibly sexual writing, I would have loved this book.

Enrique (aka Quique) is in love with his best friend, Saleem. But Saleem doesn't know it. When Saleem goes on a trip for the summer, to meet a girl his parents set him up with, Quique decides to get over his feelings for Saleem. How, do you ask? By getting his dating game on for the summer.

The only problem is Quique is really only out as bisexual to his other best friend, Fabiola, and a few others. And also, he's only been romantically with Fabiola (which turned out to be a mistake). As Quique tries to find love and the courage to be himself, he's bound to make some mistakes along the way. When summer really starts to heat up, Quique has to figure out if he truly has the courage to be himself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of This Is Why They Hate Us to review! Can we start by talking about this gorgeous cover? I am absolutely in love with the color palette. That pink to purple fade? One of my favorite things ever.

But I digress. At first, I wasn't quite sure about this book. It jumps right into the action and doesn't look back. However, it did not take me long to fall in love with Quique as the narrator. Quique is an absolute mess of a teenager. He knows he's bisexual, but he doesn't know how to convey that to the people he loves most (i.e. Saleem and his parents). He's trying to gain romantic and sexual experience, but doesn't really know how to do that either. I just loved him as a narrator because he felt so absolutely relatable.

Yes, there are hilarious moments in this book, but man, there are heartbreaking moments too. Quique struggles with severe anxiety and depression, and we get to see him getting help for these. There are also moments where he thinks about reasons why he's so focused on dating guys as a teenager, and guys. The reasons will probably just about break your heart.

I haven't talked about the side characters! Fabiola and Quique are two bi best friends, just trying to be there for each other. I loved that they tried the romance thing, but it wasn't for them. I don't think I've seen that very often. And Quique's obvious love and care for Saleem was adorable. Everything about it was just so well done.

All in all, this is a book I think I'm definitely going to have to buy. Because I just loved it so much.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me! I was really excited for this book, but struggled to connect with the writing style and the characters.