3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️

At the start of the book I wasn’t really feeling it, I think from where it was rushed due to the book being short but around 40-45% I was eating it up. This is such a short and cute summer read. It had some great tropes such as rockstar, workplace romance, small town, second chance, forced proximity and one bed. These just so happen to be some of my favorite tropes. At first I found some dialogue to be kind of cringy but that’s something I can definitely look over in books! Also I loved the animal shelter scenes and any of the scenes with the actual animals!

This was such a quick and easy read! I love rock star mmc’s so when I received this arc, I was so excited. This was a perfect palate cleanser book! This was advertised as a second chance romance but it didn’t really seem that way to me. We didn’t get a lot of backstory and I wish there had been more character and plot development. The end seemed very rushed too and I wish we’d gotten more. But the relationship was so cute and Nate was so sweet. Overall this was entertaining and I love Bev having a job at the animal shelter!!!!

I liked reading this book. It was a cute and fun second chance and enemies to lovers book. I loved all the quirky animals at the shelter, but Moose was my favorite. I feel like it wrapped up a little too quickly and didn’t really give me all the answers I wanted, though.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Thankyou to netgalley for this ARC read. I am voluntarily giving my review.

I read this book in one sitting it was quite a light and fluffy read and was quite enjoyable.

I did however get slightly confused with bits of the storyline, like how the main male character was portrayed didn't match up in the actual story.

I would recommend it to others to read as the second chance romance is a trope I do love, but there is very little spice which made me not love it as much as I usually would a read (I live for smut haha)


Tropes / What to Expect
Enemies to lovers
Workplace romance
Second chance
Small town (beach)
Forced proximity
One bed
Palpable tension
Fun dialogue
And a motley crew of animals you can’t help but fall in love with

This was interesting. I generally like this genre so thought I would give it a try but I found the second-chance part of this very vague and like we were missing an entire backstory. There just wasn't enough follow through and I didn't love the end. Hope you have better luck!

I Hate Rock Stars comes out next week on August 8, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Nate Hart. Nate fucking Hart. I can't believe it. Never in a million years did I think there was potential to cross paths with him again. After a minute of clearer thinking, I realize it's still probably unlikely to cross paths. He's on the rich side of town now. The beachfront side. There's no reason to run into each other, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Quick and easy read! I got through it within a few hours. Nothing to write home about. It felt like there was a piece of their relationship missing, although I’m not sure what. It just felt a little incomplete and didn’t draw me in in the way I thought that it would have. I do love an enemies to lovers pipeline though… and obvious bonus points for dogs!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had very little spice, but it gave us a taste that was pretty good. I'd give it half a chili pepper out of five for spice rating.

The book itself as a romance was sweet and I'd rate it four stars out of five. It had a lot of appeal to me as I used to be a singer and have also volunteered with a dog rescue.

Hot rock star + romance + rescue animals = a lovely story!

I don't always like second chance romances, but lately I've liked every book that I've read that has one so maybe I'm changing my tune.

It was a nice small sized novel that could have been longer with more spice, but I enjoyed my time reading it.

I also really loved that the last chapter gave "what happened tos" for some of the rescue animals in the book.

It was fun. It was cute. And I'd recommend it to plenty of people.

I am so excited to be reading this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for a review.

This is a sweet story about a rock star who has to do community service at the animal shelter where his enemy from high school works.

It does what you’d expect from a novel with that kind of blurb. It’s a quick and easy romance with many animals described. Which as an animal lover I really enjoyed. I read it by the pool on holiday and it’s that kind of book - one where you can concentrate on it even with the distractions of kids in the pool and music!

The relationship is a bit uneven and whilst the main character comments that he’s an ‘asshole’ there’s no evidence that he is. In fact the opposite really. And there’s a few inconsistencies that suggest this book wasn’t carefully read even by the author before it was published.

It’s very short which is totally fine but maybe why there’s not much in terms of romantic development. There was no brilliant sexual tension that would make me want to read it again.

Overall an amusing book probably good for teenagers’ first forays into adult romance.

I had so much fun reading this book, it was a small and interesting book with a story to tell,. I have to admit I like more complex things but this was perfect to cross a road between my normal reads.. I did like Bev and Nate story but some parts could have been a little bit more complex,

Well, this was a pleasant read! I truly enjoyed getting to know Nate and Beverly's story throughout the pages. The only thing that kind of bothered me was that there wasn't really anything special. I mean, I'm sure most of us love reading second chance romance books with forced proximity and great banter between characters - it was all there! It's just that when I think of this book nothing *special* and memorable comes to my mind.

Also, the pacing was fast so I felt like the ending was a bit rished, but I hope that's just me:/ I think the best thing to come out of this story was the relationship between Bev and her dad. This also added to Bev's character! It showed what kind of person she is, how caring and thoughtful she actually is and made me like her even more.

When it comes to Nate and Beverly - I found some of their interactions hilarious. I definitely enjoyed reading Bev's POV more, I just could relate to her in more aspects. Nate, on the other hand, felt like a flat character at times (that definitely changed near the ending).

Overall, I think it's a fun, enjoyable read that can have you giggling and crying all at the same time!

4.25 ⭐
1🌶️
Tropes: Rockstar, second chance, small town, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, second chance, one bed

Nate Hart is a rockstar with panic attacks. Bev is his childhood love, who lives with and cares for her ailing father while working at the local animal shelter. When Nate is court ordered into community service at Bev’s shelter, his first thought is “I wonder if she’s home”.

Tensions run high while he learns the ins and outs of the shelter, and at first they both try not to let go of their hatred for each other which started when they were in middle school. Except when news of a severely abused dog who needs to be taken in by the shelter comes, Nate and Bev drive 10 hours to go pick him up. As luck would have it, their plans for separate rooms and ignored feelings are foiled by toe wrestling.


**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**







There were a few things that stuck out to me that I wasn’t a fan of.

First, with the bunny. The fact that it was adopted by someone to be eaten came out of left field. I expected it to be something like he was a known animal abuser or bounces checks or maybe even resells them for profit but eating rabbits is not uncommon. Many people raise meat rabbits specifically for eating. It seems odd to me that someone would spend a lot of money adopting a rabbit just to eat it instead of hunting or raising it himself?

Secondly I find it odd that at 30 Bev hasn’t done more research into the issues she’s having with her period, either by going to a doctor or looking online.

When they finally get down to business at the hotel and Nate talks about having wanted her for 15 years, I didn’t expect that. I didn’t really get the unrequited love vibe from anything in the story leading up to that, especially since there was so much animosity between them when they first started working together and how much he wanted to get away from her.

I also felt the ending happened all of a sudden- I don’t mean it needed to drag on but maybe another 20 or 30 pages so he didn’t blow his load as soon as he thrust in?




I know this all sounds harsh, but this was a quick, fun read. I really did enjoy the book though and I definitely recommend it.

Hmmm okay, I was expecting a little bit of a different book. Things were mostly too fast paced due to the book being short, and due to that there were some things lacking for me.
The one thing I liked, was having older main characters. Most of the time main characters in romances are 25 or younger, and I really liked the trend of getting older main characters in (romance) books.
But this book also gave me some icks here and there, and I give a few examples:
Our main character needs to get a promotion to get a manager function, and to do that, she needs to raise 10k (!!!). That just does not feel realistic to me. Maybe things are different in the US? But that would be so impossible were I live, and it already gives you a heads up about what is going to happen and who is going to help.
"Do you feel the energy there' (whilst someone's hand is laying on another persons arm). The end up describing heat, when you touch a person it feels hotter than when your hand hoovers over a person. But to talk about energy? It immediately gave me icks because I thought it would talk about chakras, and I am not at all a spiritual person.
Another thing that was so weird was the following "I consider how unexpected it is for a rock star to love ice cream." Girl, you went to school with the guy??? Like, you actually knew him. How is it unexpected.

And the chemistry between Nate and Bev just felt lacking, the book pacing was off, everything just happened to fast. Same with the ~corn~ scenes. Due to the so called 4play not really being there, it was just a bit cringey. And honestly, the scenes were over way too fast to actually feel realistic, but once again, due to the 4play kinda missing, I couldn't really care for those scenes.

The writing itself is okay, and the book would've been 10 times better if it was a little bit longer and took more time to slow down the pace from time to time. I do see potential in this writer, and hopes she doesn't stop writing, because there is a lot of room for development.

That all being said, I ended up rating this book 2.75 stars. It is not "bad" enough for a 2.5 stars, but not good enough for a 3 star book.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this adorable book—it will be published August 8, 2024!

This is such a cute, fluffy dual POV book that really makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I enjoyed the evolution of Bev and Nate’s relationship and teared up at the end of the book. This is truly one of those romance books to read if you need a little pick-me-up!

While the character development is fairly minimal it is there for both of our main characters. Bev and Nate both grow into themselves alongside each other and no, it isn’t exceptionally thought-provoking but it does seem realistic. This isn’t one of those books that will change your outlook on life but—at least in my opinion—it offers a bit of wholesomeness to it nevertheless!

3 ⭐️

I started reading this the moment I got my hands on it this morning and finished it in one sitting- a quick easy read. The relationship between Bev and Nate, former enemies from high school, started rocky but developed through the story as a classic enemies to lovers. My issue with this story is that I had a hard time believing their romance and the development of the romance felt incomplete. Otherwise, the animals in the story really add a cute touch!

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC!

I wasn’t convinced by the beginning or end of I Hate Rockstars. I did enjoy most of the book but I definitely lost a bit of interest in parts because it seemed to lose direction.
What was the bit about Scooter bringing Moose back and making an offer/threat? It seemed to have no point and didn’t seem to make any difference to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC 🤍

I Hate Rock Stars is a delightful and charming read that offers a mix of humor, romance, and heartwarming moments. The engaging banter between Bev and Nate keeps the narrative lively and entertaining. Their chemistry is palpable, making their interactions a highlight of the book.

The side characters, especially the lovable Moose (definitely the standout character 🐶), add depth and warmth to the story.

However, I did find some aspects of the book less satisfying. The resolution of the main characters' drama took longer than necessary to unfold, which slightly hindered the pacing. Additionally, the conclusion felt a bit rushed, leaving me wishing for a more drawn-out and satisfying wrap-up to the story.

Despite these drawbacks, it remains a charming and cozy read that I would recommend to fans of romance and animal lovers alike. It’s a heartwarming story that provides a pleasant escape, even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of a five-star read.

Overall, this is a cute and cozy read that successfully balances humor, romance, and endearing animal companions. While it may not be perfect, it's a delightful addition to any reader's collection and a solid three-star read.

This was such a cute and fluffy read! I really enjoyed seeing their relationship blossom. However there were sections that felt a little rushed but overall a really lovely read!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

This was a cute and easy summer read! It's short and only took a few hours for me to read.

The premise is so fun! The story follows Beverly (Bev) and Nate, two former high school enemies. Bev is back living in their cozy island hometown, and she is working towards a promotion at the Melody Bay Animal Shelter. Nate is a world famous rock star, whose tour has been cancelled after he punched a record executive.

Bev is surprised to learn that her new intern is none other than, Nate, who has ordered to do six months of community service at the animal shelter. Bev tries to her put her hatred of Nate aside so that she can show her boss that she is a good supervisor and deserves the promotion.

Working closely together, Bev and Nate's feelings toward each other begin to change. An overnight road trip to save a troubled dog leads to a steamy night together... Was it just one night or could there be something more between them?

While the story and characters were cute, this was only a 3⭐️ read for me. The characters fell a little flat. It isn't explained why Bev hates Nate so much until about the 60% mark, so it was difficult to feel the enemies to lovers. A lot happens in the last 15% of the book, and the character and plot development felt rushed and not full explained. The HEA happens quickly and a little too easily.

Some of the tropes: Enemies to lovers, small town (beach), forced proximity, workplace romance, one bed

This is a sweet, fun romance and I really enjoyed it. The animal rescue centre setting makes for some hilarious scenarios and a big part of this book’s appeal is the animal escapades. Yes, it’s predictable and yes, it’s not incredibly realistic but who cares? It’s a fun, romantic read which will make you smile.