I really enjoyed Valentine’s Hate. Though formulaic, the setting and plot were distinctive, supporting characters were good and and dialog was realistic and entertaining. However, I didn’t quite feel the attraction between the MCs—too much time spent on past sins and not enough on behavior establishing the present day electricity. Verdict? Very readable and recommendable but not exceptional.

3.5 Stars
I keep going back and forth on this! Enemies-to-lovers in a fake dating situation is my favorite trope, so the novel started with a leg up. I really liked the premise and the characters were believable and fun, but the ending was a little rote for me. They both grew throughout the book and then regressed super hard without warning and didn't really have time to come back from it. The resolution felt a little rushed and in a lot of ways this felt unpolished. That said, I read it in one sitting and had a good time. It's not life-altering imo but it IS really, really fun. It's a good beach read, similar in aspirations to Book Lovers or the Unhoneymooners.

What a cute book!! I really enjoyed this and it was fun quick read. This is for fans of enemies to lovers and fake dating. Lizzie and Brian meet as kids and are neighbors. Immediately after meeting things turn sour and this is the beginning of them being enemies. From elementary to high school, Brian always ends up somehow ruining Lizzie's Valentine's Days. They part ways after high school and reconnect on a flight to Mexico. She's on her way to her best friends wedding and he's going for a work event. After spending a little time together they realize still hate each other after all this time, but there are circumstances that throw them together and the two end up fake dating. Will they get over the hate or will they end up together?

The Valentine’s Hate is a fake-dating/childhood enemies to lovers romance that follows Lisette and Brian over the course of a long weekend. Lisette remembers the day Brian moved to town - it was Valentine’s Day and she made sure to welcome him to school with a card, which he immediately crumples. They will never be friends after that.

I loved that we got several glimpses into Lizzie and Brian’s backstories. Though a lot of it ends up being misunderstandings, they really disliked each other! In many enemies to lovers romances you’ll have characters who have one argument and turn into “enemies” for the first half of the book until it’s time to fall in love. In the Valentine’s Hate the author shares memories of several Valentine’s Days from Lizzie and Brian’s childhood through young adulthood so you can actually see their rivalry develop and animosity grow.

The flip side to this is that I didn’t really believe the hate to love could be resolved so quickly. It all felt very rushed and unbelievable. The whole story takes place over a long weekend (it is a quick read), but I feel like even a few additional days could have helped make the story flush out a bit or if the enemies to lovers trope was left out completely and the author focused on the fake dating. It just felt like too much in too short of a time period.

Overall this was a quick, mostly enjoyable read that is perfect for around Valentine’s Day. I also loved the inclusion of a Latinx main character and side characters!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for a review copy of The Valentine’s Hate.

I could not put this book down! It was such a fun story and I was rooting for Lizzie and Brian to finally get on the same page and realize their hate was definitely lust driven.

Enemies to Lovers, Second Chance Romance, Celeb/Normal Person Romance - it has so many good romance tropes included.

This was a fantastically funny book with loveable characters. I wanted to climb inside the book and join them on their adventures!

Enemies-to-lovers and fake dating/engagement tropes are always a winner for me! Lissette hates Valentine's Day, since her next-door neighbor Brian has ruined nearly all of them. So of course when she flies out to her best friend's wedding (held on Valentine's Day, naturally), she runs into Brian immediately. Brian and Lizzie immediately start sparring, and when Brian gets word that someone Brian doesn't want to be involved with is going to be there, Lizzie is talked into pretending to date him.

Add in room sharing, the fact that Brian is a shy author whose main character seems a LOT like Lizzie, and lots of bickering--this book was a delight to read and I couldn't stop.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for letting me read this book before it was published. All opinions are my own

The Valentine's Hate by Sidney Halston was a cute rom-com featuring an enemies to lovers trope. It was fun, light, steamy, and adorable. This is definitely a one sitting read as you want to know what is going to happen. For fans of Christina Lauren, it had very similar vibes. Highly recommend!

3.5 Stars

Lizzie and Brian have been at war since they first met in elementary school. Brian has always embarrassed Lizzie on Valentine’s Day so much that she hates the holiday. Lizzie is forced to face Brian again when they are stuck going to the same place. She is there for her friend’s wedding, and he is doing a book tour for a series he created. He needs her help, and she could use his. They agree even if they both think it could lead to another showdown.

I love the start of the story. Lizzie had good reason to dislike Brian in their younger days. He just seems to always be there for all of the embarrassing moments in her life, which happened on Valentine’s Day. From the moment they met in 2nd grade, they had become enemies. The background gave a good idea of why Lizzie would be hesitant around him.

The premise and ploy of the “super fans” are very shaky. It gets them together to play along as lovers, but it is unrealistic. I also didn’t care for the fan part of the story. I push Brian’s career stuff out of my mind.

They have an instant connection which they use to become enemies with benefits. I liked the premise, but they couldn’t stay mad at each other long. This is not my first read by Ms. Halston, so I knew they would find themselves entangled quickly.

Here is what bugged me the most about the story. Brian and Lizzie seem to be in such a good space. Readers get this chance to connect with them on an adult level as lovers and bam, a silly misunderstanding occurs. We are right back at the beginning of the book, where they are like children. The small misunderstanding does not call for the big blowout. I wanted them to behave like adults. I think it would have shown character development. Unfortunately, it did not add value to the story.

The last thing is that the author kind of left it open. I don’t particularly like that. She didn’t have to include an epilogue, but the way it leaves it kind of open. I wonder, will there be another book, or is this a part of a series?

Overall, this is a relatively fast-paced read for people who like a light-hearted and steamy rom-com.

~ Samantha

Childhood enemies to unexpected adult lovers - can you name a better trope. The tension between the main characters drove the book. Both growing up in Miami next door to each other and then going on with the lives and all but forgetting the other exists to catching the same flight to Mexico and being seated next to each other and ending up at the same resort for different events. Everything about this book is unexpected, but it is delightful.

Lizzie and Brian were super chemistry on the enemies to lovers! This book was truly a rom-com and I’m glad there wasn’t too much heavy pressure on the enemies side unlike other dark romances. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a rom-com that wasn’t a “every line” romance so I wasn’t sure what to rate this at first but I decided on a 4 star! It was a great light read that was pretty quick but had enough love, sex, and smileys to make it a fun, fun, fun read!

The Valentine's Hate was a love story about Lissette (Lizzie) and Brian. They met when they were in grade school and miscommunication led them to dislike one another even though their families were close. Fast forward several years later, they are in the same hotel and circumstances have them sharing a large suite.

This story was fine. I was entertained for most of the book, but it was fairly predictable. The HEA was obvious at midpoint or earlier. I would recommend this book for someone who wants a quick pick me up and an easy read.

Thank you to Sidney Halston, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I REALLY enjoyed this enemies to lovers, dual POV, fake dating, destination wedding romance between childhood neighbors by a new to me author!! Fun, flirty and steamy. I loved seeing the flashbacks and getting a sense of the relationship between the MCs.

Miscommunication/misunderstanding was a big trope but I didn't mind that at all. If you're looking for a good Valentine's day romance this one fits the bill - recommended for fans of Christina Lauren's Love and other words! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I will be withholding my review until Harper gives their Harper Collins union workers a fair contract. Thank you again for the copy.

Four Stars

“She was his Lizzie, his home, and wherever she was felt like the right place to be.”

This book was such a fun lighthearted read and I absolutely ate it up. I really loved how the enemies to strangers to lover’s trope played out as well as the fake dating. The author did an amazing job and combining all these tropes together to have fun romance novel.

Lissette Alonso was a really loveable character; she was so down to earth and really easy to connect with. I loved how sweet she was to everybody and her banter with Brian was always really entertaining. She is so perfect she deserves a hug; I truly liked her character just because how open-minded she was. She was also such an amazing friend and her relationship with her best friend Mari was so warm I could cry.

Brian Anderson was definitely a character who needed some patience. For the first part of the book all we really know about Brian is how terrible he was to Lizzie. He stood her up at prom and was constantly ruining her Valentine’s days. But we find out not all of it was true and it was never purposefully malicious. I really liked Brian once we got to see more of him, he was so romantic with Lizzie and him being an author had me wrapped around his finger.

Lizzie and Brian were such a cute couple I honestly couldn’t even believe they were enemies at one point. The chemistry they had from the start was so undeniable and when Brian initiated the fake dating, I just knew he’s loved her since they were kids.

Brian wrote a happy ending in his novel for Lizzie, that was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read. They truly cared so much for each other and all they needed since they were young was communication. I liked the fact that they did end up communicating and learning how to better communicate throughout the whole book. Once they finally came to the truth about their younger issues their relationship just worked out so much better.

The plot of this story was very simple, but it was exactly what needed to happen. The characters were enough for the plot development. The book was more character based but I didn’t see anything wrong with it. The dynamic between the two characters was very smooth and everything in the book worked so well together.

Overall, The Valentine’s Hate was a super cute light read that would be an exceptional read during the Valentine season. The characters were super easy to love, and the plot was light giving way to a connection with the characters.

A special thank you to the author, Sidney Halston, NetGalley, and as well as Avon and Harper Voyager Publishing for these eArc in exchange for an honest review!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, light, steamy and adorable. It held my interest, made me laugh and I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

This is going to be my next favorite holiday theme for books. I mean it fits the romance genre perfectly but not enough themed around this holiday. so cute!

Lizzie travels to Cancun for her best friend's wedding. There, she encounters Brian, her childhood neighbor and nemesis, now an acclaimed author. After a mix-up with her hotel room, he comes to her rescue. Spending time together, their old animosity fades and they embark on an affair. Can they have a future together?

Lizzie and Brian are likable, clever, and kind. Neither are sentimental, but the emotion between them is strong. The story and side characters are fun.

As a person with social anxiety, I wasn't quite comfortable with the suggestion toward the end of the book that Brian should seek help for his anxiety. If he's happy with his life except for public appearances and interacting with fans, then maybe he should just say no to public events. People who aren't neurotypical don't need to be "fixed." They need to be accommodated.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This rom-com is a luscious mix of rom-com tropes played out by two fun characters in a delightfully entertaining story that was a joy to read. We get childhood second chances, enemies to lovers, fake fiancees, sharing a room, it was all a misunderstanding, and so much more.
Lizzie and Brian have been enemies since they first met as little kids one long ago Valentine's Day. Their families are friends and neighbors so they can't escape each other, even though Lizzie blames Brian for being the reason she never had a good Valentine's day growing up.
Happy to never see him again after they graduate, it's a shock to run into him on a flight to her best friend's Mexican beach wedding. An even bigger shock is that he's the secretive writer of one of the biggest series in the world - soon to become a movie - and that he grew up to be a very handsome man who suffers from horrible stage fright. One thing leads to another and they wind up sharing a cabin and pretending to be engaged. Only the best rom-com goodness can follow that.
It's a very easy read that I sat down thinking to read a couple of chapters and devoured it from cover to cover without even realizing it. Things move at a great pace, with Halston's characters pulling you into the story and making it easy to care about them. I laughed. I felt like crying. I got mad. I went through a whole range of emotions all while reading what is genuinely a very heartfelt story.
I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for some light yet heartfelt romance.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the deliciously enjoyable read!

What a quick, and fun enemies to lovers trope! Neighborhood child sweethearts (before they realized) coming in the form of Lizzie and Brian. They drove each other crazy then, and they drive each other crazy even more now. When hate turns into passion, you never know what you’ll get! Such an adorable read!