Dare you to Hate Me is a great read and it's hard to put down once you start. It is a new adult sports romance with a really well done friends to lovers trope. The book features a great cast of characters that are well written and find easy to root for. I really enjoyed the MMC Aiden. He was really easy to care about and become invested in and I really enjoyed his character development. Yes he had some flaws as an adult and he did some stupid things but it didn't bother me maybe as much as it should have. Ivy was a strong FMC but I found her harder to connect with especially in the beginning but she grows on you as the story continues. This book also had a fantastic supporting cast and I am very excited for each of these football hero's to have their own story. This book has some dark undertones and there are trigger warnings in place for good reason, read at your own caution.

Dare You to Hate Me ARC
B. Celeste
Stars: 4/5
Spicy Level: 3.5/5


I received this story as an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley and really enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for a sports romance, so when I saw the second chance football romance description I knew I had to read it. The writing reminded me a lot of Kandi Steiner’s football books, so if you’re a fan of those, stick around. The story is told in dual P.O.V. and flashbacks, which can be a little hard to get the hang of, but they help flesh out Ivy’s backstory and the history between her and Aiden. I appreciated being able to see the full scope of everything, even if it took me a couple of seconds to recalibrate when things switched time periods.

Ivy and Aiden’s story is a second chance, best friends, with a little bit of reverse grumpy x sunshine. Ivy’s story is heartbreaking, and it makes you understand why she’s so surly, but I still occasionally wanted to throw my phone at her behavior. There are a couple of little spats between her and Aiden in the beginning that had me just shaking my head. And while they were frustrating, I do feel like Aiden and Ivy both reacted/behaved realistically.

Ivy has had a crappy life, and she’s trying to come back from that when she and Aiden end up at the same university. I love that Aiden instantly wants Ivy back in his life, and is willing to put in the work to win her back, even if he doesn’t always handle things the best way. They struggle sometimes with communicating, but they both mean well and slowly start to work through their problems. The idea of fate is woven throughout the narrative, and Aiden admits a couple of times that he’s grateful things went poorly in his past if it meant he could find Ivy, and support her now. It gives a red string of fate vibe, and I’m a romantic at heart and love it.

The one thing I always love about sports romance is the community that comes with having a team. Aiden’s teammates start looking out for Ivy the second they realize how much he cares about her, and it’s really sweet, albeit they’d drive me crazy if it happened to me kind of way. Honestly, the way they start sitting with Ivy in class, heckling the couple when they’re being cute, and begging Ivy to make their favorite treats is pretty on-brand for most football teams. I especially love D.J.’s character and what a good friend he is to Ivy. Aiden’s mom is also one of my favorite supporting characters. She’s acted as a second mother for Ivy throughout her life, and she gives such good advice to the kids during the story, definitely words of wisdom I took to heart.

There are a couple of good spicy sex scenes in the book. Overall two actual sex scenes and two scenes where they get each other off. The main focus of their relationship isn’t sex, and that reflects in the book's focus on them strengthening their relationship in other ways. When sex happens though, the connection between Ivy and Aiden is obvious and very hot.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and would highly recommend it. It’s a sports romance, but also handles a lot of serious topics which gives it some extra depth. The characters feel realistic and are all actually decent human beings (the bar is sadly so low). It was just a really great read, and I’m excited for it to be released so everyone can enjoy it.


CW: attempted suicide, self harm, anxiety, depression, verbally abusive/neglectful parents, trading sex for housing

I started this one late at night, which was a huge mistake because once I was pulled in, I didn't want to stop reading. These characters are full of flaws and realistic in a way that can make you dislike them and their choices but also in a way that they're relatable. I adored each of them in their own ways, and though the book didn't have many bright moments, the ending made it all worth it. I love angst and to see characters that have truly struggled get something good at the end, so this one hit the nail on the head for me. Make sure you know going in that there are triggers in this book and that it isn't exactly happy until the towards the end.

Usually sports romances aren't for me, but I had to give this one a go and I'm glad I did! This book tugs at your heartstrings especially with Ivy and her development. She never had a good home life with not feeling wanted by her parents and the constant arguing from them, but she ran away and did unsavory things to survive. And while I honor how strong her character is and turning her life around, it just makes me so sad as parent that she could be treated the way she was by them and made to feel unloved, I just couldn't ever imagine making my children feel that way. And Aiden's character... I just wish everyone was as sweet and caring as he is and how he just longed to take care of Ivy and let his ACTIONS speak louder than his words ever could!

Sexy, heartbreaking, and just amazing! New author for me and I absolutely loved her writing style! Would recommend!

If you enjoy a friends to lovers or sports romance trope this is a good book for you to check out. It felt like a mashup of both to me.

I read this book in few hours, it is pretty fast paced. It had a solid storyline and I did enjoy Ivy & Aiden's love story.

Please check Trigger Warnings, this book does touch on some hard emotional topics.

Thank you to Net Galley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, and B. Celeste for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Another hit from this author! The books are amazing and I just love these covers. Do yourself a favor and definitely pick these up!

"I dare you to hate me, Ivy.
Because we both know you don't.
You couldn't even if you tried."
….
…. MY REVIEW NO SPOILERS
….
- Omg 😱 omg … I was a little worried when I started this book because the store has no backstory at first but man oh man! This book is definitely a 5⭐️. Aiden is so sweet but firm at the same time. I love how strong Ivy is, she dealt with so much but still got back up 💕
If you want some football and second chance romance this is for you !

I like romance as a genre, but romantic drama isn't my go-to for some reason. I think this is PERFECT for Colleen Hoover fans, because it deals with heavy topics, but it is ultimately a little lighter. Fans of Mariana Zapata and Hannah Grace will love the sports romance, Aidan and Ivy are such a beautiful couple!
There wasn't a moment that I didn't know that these two lovebirds would end up together, but even knowing, I was intrigued the whole way through! Ivy hasn't had the easiest life, she's struggled with her parents, and once she ran away from her childhood home, things only became much harder, and much more... desperate.
She's come to Linden U to prove to her parents that she can apply herself, and succeed at something, and has created a lovely relationship with the baker at the bakery she works at. She's like a spirit guide, or a warm hug, Bea is a safe haven.
And then she comes face to face with Aidan. He was her guiding light through the darkness when they were younger. He was her neighbour across the road, always ready to open his window for her to hide away from her fighting parents. But he's got his own struggles. He wants to save her, protect her, and never wavers from this. The only issue is outsiders telling him what's best for him.
But his loyalty and love and kindness has obstacles, as Ivy is sceptical that he really wants to help her at all, and he spends most of the book trying to convince her that he only has the best intentions for her, all while they are both slowly falling in love with each other.
This was such a great introduction to sports romance for me, and I'm definitely keen to read Celeste's next book in the Linden U series!

3.75 stars

I couldn’t put this book down; I loved Ivy and Aiden’s dynamic and the childhood friends-to-lovers narrative!

I found this book incredibly real and comforting whilst still letting me escape into a world that isn’t my own. I’ve been in a reading slump lately with so many assignments pending so I’ve been finding it difficult to concentrate on anything, but I honestly couldn’t put this book down. The idea that it's okay to change your mind and pursue happiness even if venturing out on your own doesn't go as planned really resonated with me.

Thank you to Bloom Books, NetGalley, and B. Celeste for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ivy and Aiden have my heart. Friends to Lovers can be hit or miss for me, but I’m this case it was a total hit. There are some heavy topics discussed, so make sure to check your TWs. Ivy experienced tremendous growth throughout this book, and I loved watching her face & conquer her demons. The reunion moment with Porter brought tears to me eyes, and watching their relationship mend was beautiful. DJ and ivy’s friendship was an unexpected highlight! I still can’t stand Ivy’s parents, and I wish the confrontation between them had been more stern, because I felt like Ivy barely scratched the surface of all the pain they put her through. However, the ending made me smile and I loved that Ivy got the closure she needed.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to be able to read this book! A solid sports romance with a heavy dose of heart wrenching emotions. I always love when a sports romance isn’t JUST a sports romance… a fantastic read

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4⭐️

A heart-warming friends-to-lovers, sports romance. Please beware there are TWs, so please be sure to check those before reading. Definitely recommend this book.

If there's one thing you can expect from B.Celeste books is being hit hard from the start breaching those hard topics before a time jump in the second chapter. At least in the Lindon U series so far. Ivy has dealt with some tough times and asked her childhood friend to run away with her but with his football career, she knew it wouldn't happen. Years later they wind up in the same college together and that's Lindon U. One thing I loved about this book was the house dynamic Aiden shares with his roommates and how they quickly welcome Ivy into it. After reading this book and the second, I'm not a huge fan of their coach apart from helping Aiden achieve his dreams. Overall, I enjoyed reading their dynamic and continue rooting for them.

3/5 Spice Level

TWs: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts.

If your look for a good second chance romance. then this book is for you. I loved reading this book. it had me hook from the being. I highly recommend you to read this.
thank you Netgally and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this arc.

I am a sucker for a Sports Romance so jumped at the chance to read this one. I have a actually read some of B Celestes work previously and really enjoyed it.
We are given dual POV which i really loved - its great being able to get inside the minds of both Ivy & Aiden .It was such an emotional rollercoaster and my heart broke multiple times, add into that the slow burn which was just perfect, and you have yourself all the makings of the ideal romance.
There are some difficult subjects covered in this story but the author dealt with them sensitively and it wasn't just added in for dramatic effect.
Overall I loved this book and it most definitely has me wanting to read more by B Celeste.

Funny thing, I usually don't do romance and when I started reading this author's books I thought it was the author who wrote Little Fires Everywhere. It wasn't until I finished this second read from her that I looked it up and found out I was way off. That said, I'm so glad I made that mistake because I absolutely love this author. Something about her writing just grabs at you and tugs at your heartstrings and although I'm usually rolling my eyes at romance stories, this one had me convinced maybe I'm just a closet romance fan beneath all the thriller and mystery stories I'm normally invested in. This one created the image of the perfect guy that doesn't exist but made it actually believable and had me rooting for them so much I was almost embarrassed. There were a few things that could have been explored more but otherwise this was a solid read that had me diving into the next in this series as soon as I finished the last page. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC.

I enjoyed this read. I wasn’t obsessed but it’s a solid book that I was into as I read it. I enjoyed seeing how the relationship progressed and how both people evolved a bit.

Dare you to hate me by B. Celeste

"I dare you to hate me, Ivy. Because we both know you don't. You couldn't even if you tried."

I haven't been in a romance mood lately but this book made me realised what I love about this genre. I think the author did a great job at portraying the mental hardships Ivy had to go through. I loved that it has the friends to lovers trope, I think it brought the whole story together. I appreciated Aiden and how he respected Ivy. Also, he is such a sweetheart, he did so many things for her, you could tell how much he cared for her. I enjoyed the book and I am surely continuing the series.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @read_bloom for the advance reader's copy of Dare You To Hate Me!!

This was so classic New Adult, that I’m actually obsessed. This had all the tropes I loved sans toxic relationship. We have a possessive hero but he’s not the overbearing asshole type. He’s possessive but he gives her the space she requires, and is not controlling in any way. I also really liked how he wasn’t the manwhore star player we usually see in stories like these. Instead, he’s hyper focused on his career and making his dream a reality.

This is a dual perspective college sports romance novel that follows Ivy and Aiden. The two used to be neighbors and childhood best friends, until Ivy up and leaves one day. They never thought their paths would cross, until they both end up at the same university at the same time, four years later.

Our heroine went through some tough stuff, but she didn’t let it stop her. She was sassy, sarcastic and spunky - in other words, she had a spine. She didn’t take shit from anyone and she didn’t cower away from other people’s opinions of her. She was so strong despite everything she’s been through, and it’s so empowering.

Watching these two fall in love was such a journey. It was the perfect slow burn, and it was exactly what I needed. I adored these two!!

Tropes:
- Childhood Friends to Strangers to Lovers
- Second Chance
- Hero takes care of sick Heroine

Triggers:
- Self-harm
- Mentions of suicide

*Thanks for netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.