Thank you to Chloe Liese, NetGalley, and Joyful Chaos Bookclub for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

I was ECSTATIC to get the email that I had received an ARC of BHTN from the Joyful Chaos Bookclub - could I have waited until October to read this? Physically, yes. Mentally, no. And it was everything I imagined it would be.

One sentence plot summary: Christopher and Kate are childhood neighbors out with some serious animosity toward each other that really stems from just overprotectiveness and misunderstanding, but slowly work their way toward one another as they grow and process their feelings.

Chloe is a legend in the way she writes neurodiverse characters and characters with chronic conditions, and this book was a classic example of that. I've struggled with migraines for years, and have never seen a character in a book with chronic migraines represented this well. Christopher's anxiety about being away from home and having a migraine was SO REAL and hit so close to home, as it's something I've repeatedly worried about. In a peak level of irony, I ended up getting a visual migraine right when I started the book and had to (regretfully) wait a few hours before I was able to read again - if I had to get a migraine, at least it was on-brand for the content!

I also really strongly related to Kate's ADHD. There are so many passages when she was describing her life and her experience that I highlighted saying "THIS! ME!" because I just felt so seen. And Christopher talking about wanting Kate to have wiggles and adventures because "whatever makes Kate happy...[is] all worth it, for a world filled with Kates" had me crying on the couch. I really cannot emphasize enough how much I treasure Chloe's characters and how real they are; through their struggles, successes, and relationships, they all feel like friends that I want to support and love along their journey. Better Hate Than Never Might be Chloe's best yet, and I am so excited for everyone to get to read it on October 10!

You can expect: neurodivergent FMC (ADHD rep), MMC with chronic migraines, childhood enemies to lovers, slow burn, they've known each other their whole lives (!!!!), forced proximity, demisexuality rep (FMC), age gap, Bea and Jamie make adorable cameos, Cornelius the hedgehog therapist, Christopher has Henry Cavill's ass, how can I apply to work at Verona Capital for those benefits, men who make pasta from scratch, correct use of lube, "I hate the way I don't hate you" energy.

After reading the first book in 'The Wilmot Sisters' series, I was so excited to read the next. I adore Chloe Liese's stories and enemies to lovers is my jam. Not to mention the heroine has ADHD and is a vegetarian- helloooooo! Could she be any more relatable?

Kate Wilmot is back in town for an extended break, which is unusual for her. Unlike the rest of her family, she has wanderlust. She's the baby of her family and a photographer and has spent most of the last 9 years working and seeing the world. Christopher is her parent's next door neighbor and like the son they never had. He's close with everyone in the family, aside from Kate.

Kate and Christopher aren't friends and can't seem to stand each other. But isn't that how some of the best love stories begin? This one was a bit of a slow burn and had somewhat of a slow start, but once it picked up I really started to love it. I loved Kate and Christopher together, how they got each other and once they put their animosity and differences aside, they really clicked.

Chloe Liese is a go to author for me. She writes the most feel good romances with fantastic diverse characters. I loved not only the two main characters, but so many of the supporting characters as well. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Better Hate Than Never is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the classic book that brought us the absolute masterpiece, 10 Things I Hate About You. In true hate to love fashion we have a classic tale of misunderstood childhood enemies who walk the line of hate and love. With a secret cinnamon roll neat freak MMC and an ADHD chaotic FMC opposites attract never felt so good. Read this if you enjoy-

10 Things I Hate About You
Small Age Gap 6 years
Childhood enemies
Capitalist / Liberal
Intimate conversations
Honest communication between characters
Opposites Attract
Lives to please MMC ;)
Cozy family setting
Spice

3.5 stars rounded up.

Better Hate than Never is the second standalone book in the Wilmot Sisters series. It tells the story of Katarina and Christopher, childhood enemies, that try to keep their distance under the guise of preventing animosity just to hide their true feelings for each other.
Kate has always felt like an outsider even in her own family, which made her all the more eager to dive into her profession as a photojournalist traveling the globe. She has ADHD, which adds to her feelings of isolation. (I'm a twin and have a third sister, younger just like Kate. I'd never stopped to contemplate what it meant for her to be on the outside of the twinship. Such a great reflection, personally.)
Christopher is a stand-up guy who's lost his parents very young. He suffers from anxiety and chronic migraines, and the fear of losing more loved ones keeps him from being open to love.

It's beautiful to see these two coming together, sharing their vulnerabilities, and building a beautiful relationship.
No third Act breakup. Yay! I love how the characters grow into their own person and as a couple with enough maturity to have a conversation to resolve their issues.

Kate's become my favorite Wilmot sister, and this book is even better than Two Wrongs Make a Right, which is such a feat because I loved Beatrice and Jamie's story so much and thought no follow-up in the series would be able to top it. I should have known better. This is Chloe Liese we are talking about. Wordsmith and stirrer of emotions.❤️

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Romance and Izzy for coordinating the free e-ARC in exchange for honest review for the #joyfulchaos group. If Chloe Liese writes it i wanna read it and this has been an incredible series a surprise to no one. Chloe is able to set a story characters and ABSOLUTE perfection.

Highly recommend!!!

Better Hate than Never
by Chloe Liese
Pub Date: 10 Oct 2023
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Romance
Rating: 4.25/5

Chloe Liese's Better Hate Than Never is the second in the Wilmot Sisters series. I really appreciate Liese's neurodivergent perspective on the story. The plot was exceptionally well-crafted and adds an additional layer of sensitivity. Her writing style is insightful and thought-provoking, making for an engaging read that is both poignant and heart-warming.

Kate Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio may have lived next door to each other since childhood, but they are sworn enemies in real life. Growing up, everyone wished they could let go of their pasts and get along like civilized people. Christopher promises to show her a different side to him, one that will build a bridge between them. But will this newfound connection last, or succumb to past pressures? For a moment can they can imagine what life could be like if they put aside their differences?

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this book with me. It was a pleasure to read this eye-opening novel written by Chloe Liese.

If Chloe Liese writes it, it has to be in my hands as soon as possible!

Kate Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio may have been nextdoor neighbors but realistically, they were sworn enemies. Now, as adults, everyone around them is begging them to make up and be friends. Either won't budge yet, on a druken night, Christopher hears Kate tell him that she believes he hates her. The gentleman that he is, Christopher swears he will change her mindset. Things later start off as a kiss.. and turn into something more but will history repeat itself again, making hate the trademark for both friends?

Better Hate Than Never is the second in the Wilmot Sisters series. I loved how the story picked up right where Two Wrongs Make a Right left off and readers immediately got to see the characters that we grew to love. Chloe writes with such a prose that makes you want to give the characters a hug and yell at them for their antics. I adored the representation of ADHD, as I also have severe ADHD and could relate to Kate that much more. The nod to sequence had me sharing this book with everyone and making me want to play the game again. Readers, run and grab this novel wherever you find your books!

Better Hate than Never is the second book in the Wilmot Sisters series and I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved it even more than the first one. Chloe Liese continues to write compelling and relatable characters that I cannot help but love.

Christopher Petruchio and Katarina Wilmot grew up together and “hate” each other, but their relationship is full of complicated feelings toward each other. Kate is the youngest of three sisters and although her family has always been loving and supporting, she has always felt like an outsider - due in part to her ADHD and other personal insecurities. Christopher lost his parents at a young age and the Wilmots have always been like family, but he has always had a contentious relationship with Kate.

Kate has spent the majority of her adult life away from home and her family while traveling for her job as a photographer. After suffering an injury and a mental burn out, she is back home trying to recuperate both physically and emotionally. Kate is feeling a bit broken and more than a little lost and she desperately hopes to avoid Christopher and any in-depth scrutiny from her family.

Christopher is disconcerted by his feelings toward Kate and his best method of defense has been to either antagonize or keep his distance. It’s not until he realizes how deeply his actions have hurt Kate that he begins to try to make amends. It takes a while, but slowly Christopher and Kate lower their defenses and what follows is a truly charming love story.

Christopher and Kate experience a lot of character growth in Better Hate than Never and learn to be vulnerable with one another and communicate effectively in order to form a true and honest relationship. They go from childhood enemies, who secretly longed for one another and hurt each other, to soulmates. The way they were so gentle with one another and took care of each other left me breathless.

I adored everything about this story and I really hope we get to see more of Christopher and Kate in Juliet’s story.

Loved it! I don’t know what else to say. Unfortunately I did not read the first book in the Wimot Sisters series but you can bet it’s on my TBR now. This was just the sweetest childhood friends, enemies to lovers rom com. Everything about it made my heart happy. Thank you for the chance to read this wonderful book and introduce me to this author.

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Drunken Confession
✔️ He Fell First
✔️ Retelling

Aside from the musical Kiss Me Kate, this is the only other Taming of the Shrew retelling that I've enjoyed. Mostly because the taming wasn't really happening in a "she's terrible and has to change" way; rather, it was "hey, my actions bring out the worst in her, how do I change myself to cause less pain". So lovely and my fave kind of hero's journey: once he finds out he's being hurtful, he changes and apologizes. ❤️

I do enjoy a Chloe Liese read, particularly for the rep: Christopher's migraines and Kate's ADHD are treated tenderly in the author's hands and I love how both characters found nothing but support when opening up about their struggles.

If you love retellings, cinnamon roll MMCs, and a delightfully non-angsty enemies to lovers, this is the read for you. 4⭐️. While thisnis book 2 in the Wilmot Sisters series, it's standalone and not necessary to have read the first (I haven't!)

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

This was so intense! Enemies to lovers truly has a meaning in this book. Kate and Christopher’s relationship has always been terrible and their fights at the beginning made me hurt so bad for them and everyone else who was caught up in the middle of it. However, deep down, I could see that they both were scared and being angry was easier than letting themselves have feelings because that would mean loss could happen.

I have to say that at first I struggled with Kate. She was always so determined to see the worst in Christopher and to make him a villain. I can understand her side and feelings… but to be fair, her family never pushed her away or did anything to exclude her. I don’t really get what her problem was. I did love her character development and how she trusted Christopher in the end, and I also loved how the ending was managed. I was fearing something similar to the end of Two Wrongs Make a Right but it didn’t happen.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. You can always count on Chloe to write the most tender romances ever. Her books feel like hugs!

Rating: 4/5
Steam level: Open door, 4-5 scenes, high level of detail

ARC provided by PRH International and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

Better hate than never by choke liese. This is a story of two people who have passion for each other. He has always been through conflict , but now it is sparks. This is not a book that I could snuggle down and get involved in.

In this 2nd book of the Wilmot Sisters series, Liese gives her readers a delightful, modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Christopher Petruchio suffers from chronic migraines and anxiety and has spent 20 years (since his parents died in a car accident) trying to keep himself from letting anyone else too close for fear of losing more people he loves. His neighbors, the Wilmot family, pretty much adopted him, but it’s Kate Wilmot, six years his junior, who really captured his heart, although he masks his feelings by acting like she’s the bane of his existence practically from the moment she was born.

Kate, the youngest of the three Wilmot sisters, has ADHD and has always felt like she doesn’t quite belong. Her parents have a loving relationship, her older twin sisters have each other, and Christopher is the son they never had. However, her feelings for him have never been brotherly, despite the animosity between them that escalated once they both reached adulthood. She’s convinced that Christopher hates her when all he ever wanted was for her to hate him, to keep her at a distance. Unfortunately, after years roaming the world as a photojournalist, she’s home indefinitely and is being forced to face the feelings she ran away from years before. Is it possible for two people, who have seemingly hated each other and purposely kept their distance, to mend the rift while still protecting their hearts?

Liese, who is neurodivergent herself, is a master at writing feel-good romances featuring characters dealing with chronic illnesses, neurodivergency, or both, proving that they are able to find their happily-ever-afters despite their disabilities.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Overall this was fun and just fine. Classic trope of messy dysfunction heroine meets wealthy manwhore that has his own baggage. There were some good parts and some eh parts so solid 3 stars. Romance novels are definitely in that between stage where they want to be updated and inclusive (amazing), but you don’t need to hit the audience over the head with things. I think subtly would work better!

This one is cute!! I liked it a lot and loved the fall theme. The romance was perfect for me and this was my first book by this author. I think I’ll check out her other one now!

As always, Chloe Liese fills her novels with humor, heat, and grace.

Better Hate than Never, the latest book in her Wilmont Sisters series (all inspired by Shakespeare plays) grabbed me from the first page. This modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew is reminiscent of many people's favorite romantic comedy, 10 Things I Hate About You. Christopher is a progressive, caring, playboy (a man of contradictions) and Kate is a tenderhearted yet fierce advocate for what she believes in. After decades of clashes in front of their friends and family, these two set their weapons (harsh words) aside and discover passion has been hiding behind all that animosity. Full of tender moments and heartfelt humor this book is a must read.

I fell in love with Chloe’s writing with the Bergman siblings: each of them uniquely perfect with voices that were all so relatable and endearing.
She started as an indie author but there was 0 doubt that she would be picked up because her voice is one that leads heartwarming love stories.

When I saw her post about this one, it felt like it was meant to be for me to read. While I don’t have ADHD, my son does. And my other son has chronic migraines. I felt like I needed this to hear their love stories even if only by fiction.

No surprise that I loved Katerina and Christopher (my husbands name!) enemies to lover’s story, but beyond that HEA was feeling like I got into the heads of my kids and saw their invisible struggles played out on paper.

So grateful for this. And falling for the Wilmot sisters in the same way I did the Bergmans.

Thank you Berkley and the author 💛

I'm sorry but this was just... really not good!

Ignoring the fact that calling this a Shakespearean retelling is like saying Netflix's Persuasion is a solid adaptation, the entire premise of "enemies to lovers" in this book is so flimsy it's akin to a house of straw. In the very FIRST chapter it is clear the characters are attracted to each other, and in the very SECOND they are staring at each other's mouths and breathing heavily in front of all their family. No build-up, no tension, no slow discovery of the other.

Also, it is SO EXHAUSTING reading about white characters who cry about vague world news as a way to show that they are ~so enlightened~ and ~so morally developed~. Kat's entire characterization was "this is a brazen woman who cares about the world" without showing any real, tangible evidence of it. In fact, there were distinct moments that read as too close to white saviorism for comfort. A lazy way to write a character at best, offensive at worst.

Both Christopher and Katerina were shallow characters that I did not connect with in the slightest. I wanted to DNF from nearly the get-go but something forced myself to get through this. I'd give it 1.5 stars.

I really loved this book and the overall plot and storyline and characters. As an MMC I loved Christopher. He takes responsibility for his actions, he works to correct past wrongs, and he’s very self aware IMO. I also really liked Kate and I understood her motivation for treating Chris the way she did at first but I did find her very hard headed at times and I wanted to shake her just a little bit.

The spice was great, there’s no third act breakup because Kate and Chris have a very rational adult conversation instead (other authors take notes). I only wish we got her familys and friends reactions to them getting together because I low key loved all the side characters

The more Chloe Liese writes, the better it gets. I loved this story. I liked the revisit to the Wilmot sisters’ world. I loved the 10 Things I Hate About You Easter eggs/parallels. Chloe writes so beautifully…I love the lyrical way she describes settings and feelings and characters…and the spice! She gives us characters with neurodivergence and/or disability representation, for lots of inclusivity. (And can we talk about the cover?! Gorgeous.) Will be anxiously awaiting Jules’s story and any nugget I can get of these characters.

Thank you to Chloe Liese, Berkeley Publishing, and Netgalley for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.