The book is slow-burn with an enemies-to-lover trope. The witty banter, playful teasing, and pranks between them are some strong points for the engaging and developing relationship between January and Enrique. This really highlights the chemistry. I like the fact that the book is not solely focused on the characters' relationships but also on the huge Latino family, which adds depth, warmth, and humor to the story. 

With all that being said, I want to add that January's character was a bit one-dimensional. I wouldn't say her spoiled heiress personality is unrelatable, thinking that maybe it is what the author was going for according to the premises of the book, but I would say it was unlikable initially. Eventually her character evolves in the book, so that's a good thing. Also, the book's pace was a bit uneven, sometimes feeling drawn out and repetitive.
Overall, The Hate Zone is a light rom-com with a little spice and humor. If you want a breezy, entertaining read, go for it!

Very adorable and cute story. But I had a bit of a hard time continuing to read, as I didn’t connect fully to the characters unfortunately

"The Hate Zone" by Gigi Blume is a rollicking romantic comedy that serves up a delicious blend of sizzling hate-to-love chemistry, red-hot banter, and unexpected twists. Set against the backdrop of a prank war between socialite January Madison and her driver Enrique Precio, this book delivers laughs, steamy kisses, and plenty of heart. Blume crafts a witty and entertaining story filled with memorable characters and clever dialogue. With its triple the size, laughs, and sexy banter, "The Hate Zone" is sure to captivate readers from beginning to end. A must-read for fans of closed-door romances with a side of humor.

This was a fun read! I was expecting more spice with the level of steam but it is a closed door romance. I loved loved loved Enrique! He made me laugh and I loved the interactions with his family. I could emphasize with January and I enjoyed her character. It was fun to read about her life and how it meshed with Enriques. Overall this book was hilarious and a super fun read. I would recommend it to everyone!
Thank you Netgalley and Sodasac Press for providing me this ARC!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I am so excited that this is book 1 in a series because I am here for it! I really enjoyed this book and was a little sad there wasn't any super steamy scenes, but it was really great and I'll be reading more! I definitely got Fight Club vibes at points in the book.

There was a lot of spanish in this book , therefore making it a little hard for me to read,
but with all the twist and turns a truly a delight to read. I didn’t laugh as much as I do on some comedy books, but still there was a few chuckles that escaped my mouth. I found it interesting enough that I would not hesitate to read another book by Gigi Blum.

If you’re looking for a slow burn, closed door romance with a lot of food references, this is the story for you!

January Madison is a sheltered heiress who is chauffeured around under her father’s watchful eye. At first, she seems a bit spoiled, but she also had some really redeeming qualities.

Enrique is an entrepreneur from a big family who has signed on with Mr. Madison as an exclusive driver. While Enrique thinks he’s signed on to drive around high level execs, he’s actually scheduled to drive January to and from all her appointments.

The banter between these two is adorable right down to all the nicknames they have for each other. I enjoyed Enrique’s’ family dynamic in this bingeable story along with the “she’s his boss” theme.

If you’re looking for a fluffyrom-com, I recommend this book for you.

Thank you to @netgalley for this eARC.

January is tired of being in her golden cage, but she has no choice. Now her life is going to have another change and she needs a new chauffeur, Enrique. Enrique doesn't know how to deal with a little princess, but of course he didn't expect this job...

The Hate Zone is a romcom that caught my attention because of the cover. The truth is that it is my kind of book and it promised an intense enemies to lovers, but to be honest it fell short for me.

The story is entertaining but at the beginning I didn't connect with the characters so it took me a while to get into the rhythm, but once I did I didn't stop.

January is a girl that at first we see as very posh and superficial, but then we get to know her better. Her attitude frustrated me a lot and I admit that I didn't like her very much... But it was only at the beginning. I did like Enrique from the beginning, he's a guy who has a clear point of view and I loved having his point of view in the novel.

The relationship is not bad, although at the beginning I had a hard time believing it. There is an attraction that is not quite instalove, but almost and that is something that never convinces me. Then it's true that it gets better.

In short, I liked The Hate Zone but I was not passionate about it. It was an entertaining novel but I don't think I'll read it again because the beginning was hard for me and I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters... Then it got better and I enjoyed the ending.

Omg, this book was adorable. The romance, the banter, the character dynamic. Super cute read! I highly recommend if you love hate to love, and slowwww burn.

An extremely lighthearted story that will make you wonder why this is your first book from this author. Humour that will capture your attention and characters that are so delightful.

I had a difficult time connecting with the heroine in this one. I didn’t feel the connection between the main characters other than physical. It’s my first by this author but I would pick up another one of her books again.

''My life has turned into a three-ring circus. My ex is tweeting for attention, my bodyguard is a psycho, the internet wants to burn me at the stake, and my dad is turning into a helicopter parent on steroids. So when I meet my new driver Enrique, I revert back to my reality show persona. And inadvertently start a prank war with him.
I want to say I'm winning, but he's a master of strategy with his sly games and miles of muscles to distract me. I've never met anyone as infuriating as Enrique Precio. So why do I feel like I’m falling for him?''

This was my first read by Gigi Blume and I quite enjoyed it! I love the fact that Enrique had such a big family and January fit so perfectly with them! The family dynamics was pretty entertaining, I loved Francesca and the sexual innuendoes were humorous. I'm also glad that January finnally reconciled with her mom. Enrique & January didn't like each other the moment they met which lead to clash of their personalities, lots of banter and attraction that was undeniable. The character development was great

The tension radiating between January and Enrique was intense! With really great payoff, I must say.
July 23, 2022
3 1/2 stars

An enemies to lovers, forbidden romance romcom with an endearing Hispanic family and plenty of laughs. This is the first book I’ve read by Gigi Blume and I’d give her other books a try. While it’s technically a closed door romance there’s some detailed foreplay and quite a lot of sexual innuendo. In true enemies to lovers fashion, there’s a lot of tension as well. The characters, especially Enrique and his family were quirky and fun. I loved their family relationship and it’s what I most enjoyed about this book. I also liked the harmless pranks, some involving a Nicholas Cage cutout and Saran Wrap.

January is a wealthy hotel heiress and Hollywood influencer. She’s used to having her every whim obeyed. On the surface, she appears spoiled and shallow, but underneath is a vulnerable person who struggles in her relationship with her parents and her life.

Enrique comes from a large family who runs several successful restaurants. With seven siblings and several quirky relatives, there’s never a dull moment. Loving cars his whole life, Enrique wants to start his own limousine service and thinks his life is made when he lands a job with a wealthy hotel owner. Little does he realize, he’ll be chauffeuring the daughter and not the father. From the get go, there’s a deep animosity between the two but underneath the misnaming (Enrique calls her every month of the year except January), and teasing, there’s a passionate undercurrent that becomes too hard to ignore.

The fiery passion between January and Enrique is definitely off the charts. I secretly enjoyed all the ways Enrique tries to get under January’s skin. I loved Enrique’s family and I’d read the other books just to find out what happens to the siblings. There’s some funny and also tender moments where we learn January may not be as shallow as she appears. While I enjoyed the hate/love relationship between these two, I had a hard time seeing a deeper connection other than passion and physical attraction. It also took quite a lot of chapters before I even began to like January.

All in all, a fun romcom with plenty of passionate, funny moments. I don’t normally read books with a lot of sexual innuendo and borderline sexual content. If you don’t mind some steam, you might like this

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not the biggest fan of January, but that happens and it wasn't enough of a dislike for me to DNF. The relationship and banter with Enrique were the saving grace for this, and I really enjoyed Enrique's family and their dynamic. As this is my first novel by Blume, I did end up enjoying it, and I will be looking into other books by Gigi!

You had me at "Rogue chickens" - lol.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The banter was everything and I flew through it. Highly recommend.

I was very excited to start reading this book as I imagined it would be somewhat along the lines of the Brown sisters series. I was utterly disappointed. While I was reading I was constantly appalled by the behavior of both MCs. January was the more believable character of the two, even though many others said they disliked her from the get go. After about ten rather cringy moments in the book I finally DNF'd it at 40%.

This is your next listen if you enjoy a deep male voice narrating the male POV in a book. Enrique was so suave… great job Gigi for picking a male narrator I literally would listen read the phone book!

Oh, don’t get me wrong! The story is absolutely swoony too! It’s an enemies to more troupe, with a bodyguard troupe and one bed thrown in there for fun (darn chickens!) mixed in with a single child vs. child of 8 family dynamics and hotel heiress vs down home Latino working class. Mix it all up for one amazing story.

I have had The Hate Zone and it’s second novel, Nacho Boyfriend on my shelf for months. And just haven’t picked them up from when I got them last fall. But now I’m glad I waited because that audio… whew! So #worththewait

However, I can’t wait any longer for an audio version for Nacho Boyfriend. I’ll be jumping into that one this weekend! 🫣😘🥰😘

If you like:
🚙 nicknames - aka Mr. Hot Bod
🚙 side effects of Anesthesia
🚙“Put a shirt on!” (said multiple times)
🚙“Whatever you want, Princess!”
🚙Gelato
🚙The banter / squabbling
🚙 bodyguard types
🚙a hotel room rescue
🚙 Quinceañeras
🚙meddlesome families
🚙kisses!

Then this is your next read!

✨Content Review:✨
For those that debate the clean/sweet/closed door wording. Here’s my content review for this book.

I felt The Hate Zone was all clean, some innuendos, until the last 4-5 chapters. Nothing bad, or open door, but I don't think I can call it sweet reads anymore. I'm still trying to decide if I can call it clean reads. 🤔

Kisses that just got a little carried away. And both mentioned they wanted more, but not outside of marriage...and both instances they were interrupted and stopped. So I can still call it closed door... but clean??? That's on the fence. It's between PG and PG13. Use your best judgement with what I’ve got here.

Let me put it this way, I still loved it. And I’ll be reading it/listening to it again because it was just the right amount of spice for me… and while I like FLAVOR, I’m not all that into SPICE. 😘

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

I’ve been really enjoyed romance fiction and the Hate Zone ticked all the boxes. Will read again and will continue to enjoy the story.

This book had me laughing out loud and gave me some serious Tessa Bailey vibes and she is AMAZING!

I would recommend this to any of my friends and I really enjoyed it. Wish I could read it again for the first time.