In the second installment of the Wilmot sisters series, we follow Katerina (Kate) as she comes home from her world travels. Despite trying her best to avoid him, she is repeatedly faced with Christopher, her childhood nemesis. The two can’t seem to get along, and so Kate’s family reaches out to Christopher to encourage him to get along with Kate. This forces him to come to terms with his true feelings for her, and vice versa.

I absolutely loved this book, every bit as much as I loved Two Wrongs Make a Right. This story is a reimagining of The Taming of the Shrew. It is filled with nods to Shakespeare and Ten Things I Hate About You (another Shakespeare retelling). There’s even a paintball scene! Needless to say, I loved that aspect. I also appreciated the representation of chronic migraines, which I have lived with since age seven. It’s rarely present in books and the depiction here was so well done. I felt very seen and understood, so hopefully it provides some insight to others who don’t suffer from these. There is also neurodivergence representation (ADHD). I love Chloe Liese’s ability to sensitively show these realistic portrayals of her characters and bring awareness and empathy to her readers. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and the banter here was top notch. I couldn’t love this book any more, and I can’t wait for Juliet’s book!

Thank you so much to Chloe Liese, Berkley Romance, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The first book in the series already lifted me off the ground, taking my breath away. Although I loved the introduction of Christopher and Katerina/Kate in the first book, I didn't expect to love their story more than Jamie and Bea's. However, their story shook me to the core, leaving my emotions all over the place. These beautiful, vulnerable individuals who hide behind rough facades and conceal their feelings with the iron walls they've built around them are simply adorable.

Firstly, "Taming of the Shrew" is undoubtedly one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It also reminds me of my favorite "Atomic Shakespeare" episode from Moonlighting (especially the part where Bruce Willis, as Petruchio, sings "Good Love" in the church). Let's not forget the fabulous Broadway musical "Kiss Me, Kate," which garnered several Tony awards and is based on Shakespeare's play!

It may seem like Taurus men and Aquarius women are a match made in hell (although my parents had the same signs and have been happily married for 56 years), and the obvious despise and sizzling hate between Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio, her nemesis since childhood and still her neighbor, only make them more miserable.

After hurting her arm, which affects her career as a photojournalist that requires her to travel the world, explore different cultures, and engage in extreme sports, Katerina curses her luck. She cannot afford her own place, and as you may recall from the first book, broken-hearted Juliet needs a break after what her douche fiancé did to her. They decide to switch places, and now broke, tired, and depressed, Kate returns to her hometown to live in Bea's place.

She tries to find her place in her hometown, forming emotional bonds with her friends and making amends with her family. However, her childhood nemesis, Christopher, who works in a corporate job, is rich, pretentious, and flirtatious, and he still manages to rub her the wrong way.

Christopher hates that she puts her life at risk, always running away from her family at the first chance she gets. He values stability and regulation, while adventurous, chaotic, and energetic Katerina is his polar opposite. Katerina has no idea why Christopher acts so sweet around all her family and friends but is cold and makes the harshest comments around her.

One drunken night, Christopher finds her hiding in a closet, and as he carries Kate to put her in bed, she confesses that she acts hostile because she believes he hates her.

Christopher realizes that he has misunderstood their relationship dynamic. Despite trying hard to hate Katerina, he cannot, and he is determined to show his caring side and change their long-standing animosity.

But what if this new truce between them opens up even more feelings? What if there is more than just sexual attraction between them?

I loved how tender and caring Christopher could be, and witnessing Kate slowly come out of her shell and learn to trust him with her body and emotions was truly heartwarming.

This book is perfect! It is unequivocally my favorite in the series! The representation of chronic illnesses such as migraines and mental health issues such as ADHD is also informative, helpful, and realistic.

I cannot wait to read the third book about Juliet, who may finally find her Romeo (fingers crossed for a non-tragic ending).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this wonderful book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

RATING: 4.5/5 STARS

BETTER HATE THAN NEVER is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, but reinvents its source material as feminist, spicy fun. This is childhood enemies-to-lovers done so, so well. The transformation of Christopher and Kat's relationship from prickly and rife with misunderstandings to tender and caring is done so naturally. Chloe Liese includes thoughtful mental health and chronic illness representation in her books, and this one is no different. The glimpses of Bea and Jamie are also lovely; it's great to see them so happy! I hope that Jules gets her own book - this series has been a joy and I would love to see it continue. <3

CHLLOOOOOOOOOEE

Girly pop I will fight and die on any hill I need to be on for you. I am always sat with so many feelings once I've finished a read and once again, here I am.

Chloe is wonderful. I could close my eyes and point to any of her books and pick a great one. Better Hate than Never is another slight retelling with its own unique spin on The Taming of the Shrew but we feel all the good things this time around. Adored this. Jamie and Bea are cursing along with us but Kat and Christopher steal the show in book two. They grow up with a ton of animosity between the two of them but as Kat comes home for her latest return, she can't stand to look at Christopher and see judgement shining back at her in his eyes. She also gives his shit right back to him just as easily and he feeds off of it. They're a terrible pair but when it gets to be too much, maybe it's time to revisit the rivalry to see what's left under it all.

I'll just sit here and wait for her rightful rise to fame through tiktok because it is well deserved. Chloe Liese has been a favourite and go-to author for me for a while now and I think that you are being silly if you don't pick up one of her books as soon as possible.

This was a fun romance with neurodivergent characters, which I love. Normalizing differences - yay! The middle struggle went on a bit too long, but it was a good story with just enough angst.

The second installment in Chloe Liese’s Shakespeare-inspired Wilmot sisters series stars Katerina (Kate) and Christopher as the bantering, sword crossing pair from The Taming of the Shrew. Lots of fun references and Easter eggs here from the original play and its modern adaptations, including Kiss Me, Kate and 10 Things I Hate About You (there’s a paintball scene! IYKYK).

The trope where the hero is super mean to the heroine because he’s secretly in love with her is not my favorite. Christopher has legitimate reasons for keeping his distance and broodily pining. But he’s really a jerk to Kate and I didn’t love how easily he gets off the hook for it. There’s some good groveling involving baked goods and homemade pasta. But could we stop rewarding men for acting like little boys pulling girls’ pigtails because they can’t just admit they have feelings?

There’s some very charming banter though, and good demi representation. I was still rooting for this pair to make it in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Chloe Liese does it again with this slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance. As usual, the representation is thoughtful, deeply empathetic, and authentic as she creates three-dimensional characters that feel like they could be your best friends. Representation includes ADHD, chronic migraines, and demisexuality.

Better Hate than Never is a retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew that follows childhood enemies Kate and Christopher as they navigate their long-held hatred for each other and the possibility of falling in love. The story begins with Kate returning to her hometown to live with her sister and reuniting with Christopher, a family friend whom she has never gotten along with. The enemies-to-lovers trope is well-executed in this story, and the character development is believable. The two main characters do not suddenly fall in love; rather, they have to work through their issues before they can even tolerate each other, which leads to a wonderfully slow burn romance.

What sets this book apart from others in the romance genre is how Chloe Liese incorporates real-world problems into her characters' lives. Christopher struggles with chronic migraines, while Kate has ADHD. Liese treats these issues with care, and it's inspiring to see how the characters are still able to lead healthy and fulfilling lives despite their challenges. While the story could have benefited from flashbacks to their pasts, it was still a fantastic read that felt authentic and empowering. Overall, Better Hate than Never is an enjoyable romance novel that seamlessly blends the enemies-to-lovers trope with real-world problems.

Chloe Liese is back with her next novel, BETTER HATE THAN NEVER, that is sure to be the romance book of Fall 2023. This book had me wanting to curl up beside the fire drinking hot chocolate, it was truly the most perfect romance. I absolutely loved TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT, so I was so excited to see we were getting another book in the series. This was filled with the most perfect story, characters, and romance that I truly could not put it down. I cannot wait to see what Liese writes next!

thank you so much berkley for this arc!

4 stars!

this book had my attention from the start, and I did not disappoint! We get honestly childhood friends to “enemies” to lovers, and I had so much fun reading this book! Once again, Chloe has done a phenomenal job at mental health representation, and keeping us in the loop of interesting relationship dynamics, I loved the sneak peaks I got of Jamie and Bea’s time together, I absolutely adore them, and I cannot wait for the next one

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC of Better Hate than Never in exchange for an honest review. I LOVE The Taming of the Shrew and I think it's the best Shakespeare work to be reimagined in a contemporary romance setting (any romance setting really). Kate and Christopher have some childhood animosity going on and naturally, in adulthood, it gives way to Real Feelings. I've been loving Chloe Liese lately and wowwwww honestly, you could read it for the passionate spice alone. The characters are so sexy and yeah, ignore the petulance here and there, and the corny ending here and you're golden. Love a good romance with good spice that makes me giggle and this one delivered!

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy of this book. Gotta say, I was excited for this one. I LOVE Chloe Liese. but it kinda fell flat for me. While I enjoyed the story overall, it took me quite a long time to get into it. I didn't really get the burning hatred for each other that stemmed from childhood. I didn't feel like there was enough background and detail on that to make it feel authentic. It made more sense once they were older and Kate went off and did her own thing, but other than that, it didn't really add up. I did like it once they got together and I enjoyed them together, I just wanted more background. While not my least favorite Chloe Liese, it definitely is not going to be one I pick up again.

In Better Hate than Never, a retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, we follow childhood enemies Kate and Christopher as they question their long-held hatred of each other and begin to fall in love. Following the events of Two Wrongs Make a Right, Kate returns to her hometown to live with her sister Bea, and as she joins her sister's friend group, she reunites with Christopher, a family friend whom she has never gotten along with. After one drunken confession and a passion-filled kiss, the two begin to spend more time together and slowly start to realize that they might not hate each other after all...

I really enjoyed Better Hate than Never, more so than Two Wrongs Make a Right. This was probably because the story felt more authentic. The enemies-to-lovers trope, the dialogue, Kate and Christopher's thoughts and emotions -- all were believable. The two main characters did not suddenly fall in love with each other; there was a lot for them to work through before they could even tolerate each other, and all of that just contributed to a wonderful slow burn romance. I loved how much Christopher cared for Kate, and vice versa. I think the story could've been even better, though, if there were flashbacks to their pasts and we got to see how they viewed each other growing up. They both referred to the past very often, so these types of chapters would have been very interesting!

More than the romance, I enjoyed how Liese yet again brought real problems into her book characters. Christopher struggled with chronic migraines and Kate had ADHD. Liese gave ample discussions on these subject matters, and she treated everything with care. It was wonderful to see how, despite these challenges, Christopher and Kate were still able to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Again, this just contributed to the story's realness, and it was very empowering to read.

My only complaint was the book's pacing. It took a while to get to the main action and conflict, and some of the chapters had a lot of fluff. I often felt disengaged with the book, which wasn't that fun. However, the spice was excellent, so that's a plus.

Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley, for the ARC!

From the nods to "10 Things I Hate About You" to the snippets from The Bard himself, "Better Hate than Never" is a perfectly delightful (spicy!) retelling of "Taming of the Shrew."

4.5

i’ve said it before & i’ll say it again - chloe liese! never misses! i will always fiend for her next title. i think i ended up liking bea & jamie’s story better than this one, but it’s still dang good!

#netgalley

Chloe Liese does it again! She is an absolute must read author for me and I will try to convince anyone to read her as well. She is thoughtful and writes important things. The romance was so real and they way Christopher loved her was so pure. Kat was a little hard to love always, but I think I should explore why I felt that way. It is Taming of the Shrew inspired anyway. Liese could do with less cutesy nicknames and that would be my only gripe with this book!

Chloe Liese is my FAVORITE author of all times and this book was definitely as amazing as her other books are. I cannot wait to read more from her!

This was a delight from start to finish, possibly better than the first book. I loved the hate but really suppressed love vibe and I really loved that everyone seemed to know it but them. Since it was first person POV that was implied not explicit and it worked well. Christopher was dreamy and well written and I’m not usually the kind of person that likes the term honey, but it works so well from him. The sex was hot and fairly frequent but sensitively drawn and great. Really enjoyable,

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing House for giving me a digital copy of "Better Hate Than Never" by Chloe Liese in exchange for an honest review.

"Better Hate Than Never" is the second book in the Wilmot Sisters series, a riff off "The Taming of the Shrew." I've read the first book "Two Wrongs Make a Right" as well as a few other books by Chloe Liese and I figured I'd give this one a try. I'm happy to report that BHtN is my new faaaaaaavorite Liese.

Kate and Christopher have known each other forever; they grew up in neighboring houses and when Christopher's parents passed, Kate's family welcomed him into their fold. Kate seems to bring out the worst in him and vice versa. Once reaching adulthood, he settles into a career of ethical investing and she takes her camera on the road, traveling the world as a photographer. They rarely see each other, but when they do, they are guaranteed to fight.

That emotional gulf and physical distance may have lasted forever, except Kate suffers a broken shoulder. The shoulder limits her work, affects her bank account, and sends her back home for an indefinite amount of time. Their newfound, sustained proximity rachets up their constant fighting, until the family pointedly asks Christopher to cool it. Between that nudge and an unguarded (i.e. drunken) confession, the antagonism shifts into the simmering sexual attraction.

It's a bit of an emotional landslide, once they start making to transition from enemies to lovers. That one confession, and suddenly Christopher is desperate to gain her good graces. It feels like a fast turnaround, but the book explains that. Kate is a little more hesitant, even though she definitely wants to indulge in their growing attraction.

I appreciate that Liese makes a genuine effort to bring neurodiversity to the page. For people who have ADHD or are generally familiar with it, the explaining of Kate's qualities may feel a smidge heavy-handed at times, but I appreciate the way it's presented for people who are not as well acquainted with the condition. I liked that she wasn't painted as a manic pixie dream girl or as a vacant daydreamer. Kate is creative, ambitious, and passionate about her work, doing her best while also managing her condition. She's not perfect, but she's not tragically flawed either.

I liked the character of Christopher less. He can be pretty bossy and overbearing. However, this is "Taming of the Shrew." Not my favorite Shakespeare play and Petruchio is not my favorite character. So Liese was true to the Petruchio's attitude and I give her credit for that. It also made for a satisfying character redemption, when he decides it's time to make things right between them. For example, I loved his patience and understanding when she is not ready to jump right into bed with him.

I will definitely recommend this as a modern Shakespeare retelling, and anybody looking for ADHD representation on the page.

After loving Bea and Jamie’s story - the youngest Wilmot sister Kate and her childhood nemesis Christopher seemed like it would be a slam dunk. And for most of the book I enjoyed their banter, their enemies to lovers vibe. It made me laugh and while it seemed a bit childish - it felt acceptable.


However, the ending 1/4 (?) was just too much “I love you more than anything in the world and no one is more perfect than you and I’ve been fighting it for so long but I don’t want to fight because I would give anything for you.” It got laid on wayyyyy to thick at the end. We get it - you love each other. I don’t need 6 pages of you explaining it.

Overall - I’ll read the third when it comes out - I’m invested now but this was just ok.