Lizzie Alonso and Brian Anderson initially met on Valentine’s Day in second grade. He was the broody new kid and she was confident and kind. She gave him a valentine and he tore it up in her face. And this unfortunate non-meet cute set the tone for the rest of their relationship until the end of high school with key angsty events typically occurring on Valentine’s Day throughout the years.

Fast forward years later and Lizzie is now in her thirties, works in mergers and acquisitions, and lives in London. She is flying to her best friend’s wedding and who does she happen to sit next to on the plane? Well none other than Brian Anderson who she hasn’t seen since high school graduation. And the problem is, he is now sexy as hell and happens to be on a press tour for his hit book series which is being made in a major motion picture. And this is a problem because she is supposed to hate him like she always has, right? And Brian has no interest in Lizzie because they are enemies, even though she happened to be the highlight of his world for most of his childhood and she is incredibly smart and talented and still ever so beautiful, right?

Well when they end up together in the same hotel room and start fake dating for their mutual benefit, the sparks start flying and then you wonder, did they ever really hate each other to begin with? You’ll have to read to find out! And in the end, Lizzie and Brian make you realize that love is not easy and that is exactly what makes it worth fighting for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn by this cover and Valentines concept, and was excited to dive in. In practice, though, I struggled with the writing style. I did not finish the book. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is cute, frothy, light and fluffy. Not a ton of depth, but it’s a quick, enjoyable read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Valentine's Hate had me laughing out loud in public. I read this book in one sitting and regret nothing. The main characters, Brian and Lizzie, have HATED each other since the second grade. They part ways when they reach adulthood, only to find themselves, years later, seated next to one another on a flight to Mexico. The tropes in this book include; enemies to lovers, fake dating, and forced proximity, all wrapped into a fast-paced storyline. I only had a few minor issues with this book, the first being that I did not particularly appreciate how the POV would flip between the main characters mid-page. Secondly, the antagonist had to have been written by a different author because she was horrible. Luckily she had minor appearances in the book. Altogether, this was a super fun book to read, and I know everyone who reads this will be drooling over Brian. Thank you, NetGalley and Avon, for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you, Sidney Halston, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Valentine's Hate comes out December 27, 2022.

The Valentine's Hate is an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating romantic comedy about childhood enemies being forced to fake date each other for a wedding and a book tour. The couple will have to move on from the past, and in doing so they see that maybe they can have a future. I honestly loved Lizzie and Brian and who they were separately and together, I was rooting for them to figure their stuff out. I think what held me back from an enthusiastic review is that everything seemed so rushed, they spent so much of the first part being snarky to each other than the moment they call a kind of truce they are jumping each other's bones. They story takes place over a couple days and because of that I think their relationship wasn't able to develop in a natural way. I also believe that the conflict that happens near the end was very predictable, and I would have loved to see the characters grow in that moment and do something different. Overall, it is a cute and fast read and is a good pcik if you are looking for a quick Valentine's Day romance.

This book was sooo cheesy. Childhood enemies to adult lovers is a fun, albeit overdone trope, but this book was so overbearing about the fact that in their infancy the two main characters fought over the most trivial things that I found the whole premise to be unbearable. The writing was cringey also (by which I mean nobody talks like the way these people talk.)

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Is it appropriate to just yell and call it a review? Because it was so good, all my brain wants to pump out is incoherent yelling with a “go read it” thrown in for color.

Lizzie, I LOVE her sooo much!! She is kick ass, no nonsense amazing, with kindness for everyone around her. I officially want to be her when I grow up. ( Not that I plan on growing up, ever.)

Now Brian, on the other hand, is my new book boyfriend. AND I’M NOT SHARING!! He is everything you could want in a character: kind, reserved, honest, and faithful. Making him a writer is like adding hot fudge to your favorite ice cream. It was good without it, but with…. *fans face* I am weak in the knees now!

My only hangups are on the POV switching mid chapter. However, I’m sure this will be corrected before publishing. Regardless, it does not change the fact that this will be one tuff book to beat in 2023!!!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

When childhood sworn enemies find themselves sitting next to each other on a plane bound for Mexico, Lizzie and Brian find through a series of coincidences that they both could be of help to one another. Lizzie helps Brian by offering up as a buffer through a PR weekend promoting his book that is being turned into a movie. Brian helps Lizzie by pretending to be her boyfriend so it's not awkward for her to be around her ex boyfriend and his eccentric new girlfriend.

This book was filled with rom-com moments and Lizzie was perfectly spunky and fun to read. I love how Brian was introverted and how he didn't do well in big groups, I feel like you don't see that side of male protagonists in romance reads. This is the perfect book to curl up with during the holidays...

The Valentine's Hate 4/5 ⭐️
🗓 Release Date: December 27th, 2022

❤️ Enemies to Lovers
❤️ Childhood Enemies
❤️ Fake Dating/Engagement
❤️ Forced Proximity

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC for an exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher For this ARC.
Valentines Hate centers around Brian and Lizzie. They have always known each other, growing up as neighbors and classmates. But they have always fought, competed, and been enemies. Until they run into each other 15 years later. A classic enemies to lovers. Fake fiancée plot. There’s a wedding underlying story, a sunny Mexican vacation, and an anxious Novelist. If you check this book out you won’t be disappointed. Definitely a cheery, mildly spicy read that will put a smile on your face.

Loved this concept! Beautifully written! I loved the relationship between characters.beautiful story with lots of laugh out loud moments!

I picked this book up on the title alone and I was so happily surprised to say I loved it just as much as the title. Lizzie's Valentine's Day has been ruined by Brian for as long as she can remember. As kids, he was her nemesis, but after high school, she moved away and lost touch with him. Which was great, thank you very much.
Brian had a rough childhood. Losing his parents and moving in with his grandparents in a new town was hard, but a girl coming up to him wanting to him to be her Valentine when he was so down in the dumps? That was just too much. He hadn't thought about the girl he tormented in years, but here she is, on the plane, next to him.
While they are going to the same place for different reasons, they each have something that they need help with, so they agree fake dating would mutually benefit each of them.
They say opposites attract, and these two have never been "unattracted" to each other, but by being in one another's lives, they are able to see just how they might fit together perfectly.
I loved Lizzie and her wit and Brian and his awkwardness. The two of them just felt like they complimented each other so perfectly and their banter was off the charts.
Thank you to Avon, Netgalley and Sidney Halston for an early copy.

'The Valentine's Hate' makes me wish that today was February 14! Lizzie and Brian have known each other since they were kids, but they never seemed to get along. They were neighbors, but they were never really friends. Fast forward 15 years after high school and they find themselves sitting next to each other on a plane. Brian needs a favor from Lizzie: he needs her to pretend to be dating him! She agrees because she needs a place to stay for her friend's wedding (her hotel room is flooded, and the closest hotel is 45 minutes away!). Brian and Lizzie pick up right where they left off all those years ago.

Their banter and bickering was so much fun to read! I loved that they were able to communicate what they had felt when they were younger. There was closure to their past, and this was able to pave the way toward a future. Lizzie and Brian were adorable together, and I could feel their spark through the pages. I wished that the story had an epilogue because I felt like the ending was abrupt. I wanted to read more!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a friends to lovers and fake dating story with a lot of fun and a lot of heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC.

The premise of this book is adorable and of course we love the cover. Likable main characters, relatable annoyances and insecurities, funny best friends, several favorite romance tropes. The book itself fell a little short, though. This felt like a story submitted for a school assignment that they left until the last minute. Some of the ideas weren't well developed or tidbits were randomly dropped but felt like they needed more fleshing out. Some descriptions even felt contradictory from the way Lizzie and Brian's youth was discussed compared to their time in Mexico. It's a quick read but overall would not recommend because there are so many other options that do this trope better!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Very fun enemies to lovers fake dating who doesn't love those tropes I do and the story was fun to read also and the characters were very likeable would love to read more from this author

Lizzie and her childhood (and teenage) nemesis, Brian, bump into each other on an airplane to Mexico. Lizzie is there for her best friend's wedding, while Brian is there to promote his book series and the first movie adaptation. Despite not liking each other, they agree to fake date; him to steer away fans and a clingy actress and her to have a date to the wedding since the groom's sister brought Lizzie's ex- boyfriend as her date.

Super cute, rom com! I wish there was more to the ending because it felt abrupt and I could have used a few more chapters or at least an epilogue. I love an enemies to lovers and there was plenty of banter and tension between Lizzie and Brian. They MCs really complemented each other and were a great pairing.

Quick read! Most of the book takes place over a few days, with some history in the prologue and a time jump of a few weeks at the end.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and Net Galley for the eARC!

Funny, sexy and heart! I had such a good time reading this it was super fast paced and fun. The fake dating and forced proximity were PERFECT.

The story follows Lizzie and Brian who have known each other and HATED each other since the second grade. They've played mean pranks on one another their whole childhood but Brian has always took it to far on Valentine's Day. They dont see eachother for years until as adults they accidentally run into eachother at a hotel in Mexico where Lizzie's best friend is getting married and where Brian is having an author event for his book series. To keep Brian's fans off his back and to keep from Lizzie's ex thinking shes a loser they decide to start fake dating.

The witty banter between the two MCs was top notch. Angsty and perfect comebacks! While I loved the MCs and their banter I really could care less for most of the other characters. The antagonist is horrible and were not really sure why she seemed to be written in a way a man would imagine a horny, older, desperate lady. The FMCs best friend was also a let down she gave the FMC advice and it wasnt good and the FMC was just like yeaaah thats bestie she sucks at advice... it was so weird.

Overall this was a quick, fun, and sexy read! I'll definitely be recommending it to my friends. Thanks so much Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute enemies to lovers book! The main characters have great chemistry and I loved the banter. Great character development and backgrounds. Would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Sidney Halston!

I loved this one!

It had all my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and fake dating. I also see my own self in Lizzie and my husband is a lot like Bryan. This was a fun, easy read!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Not usually a fan of holiday themed novels or fake dating tropes, but I do a enjoy a good enemies to lovers trope, so Halston's story works.

Lizzie and Brian, life long enemies since childhood reconnect on an airplane to Mexico, and later the same resort in Mexico. Brian, trying to feign off the unwanted affections of a Hollywood starlet while promoting his new book, while Lizzie is supporting her best friend's wedding. Unfortunately, Lizzie will have to stay nearly an hour away from the wedding and wedding party to a Resort mishap, until Brian offers her a deal she cannot refuse to share his suite.

I enjoyed Lizzie and Brian's back and forth banter and Halston's dive back into their childhood spattered throughout the novel.

An enjoyable read.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!