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This was a cute and heartwarming graphic novel that had a friends to enemies to lovers relationship that was really well done. The conversations between the characters were so well done, the mending of past relationship problems was very mature and the characters took responsibility. I enjoyed this a lot, it was a cute quick read!

I received an eARC courtesy of Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, all opinions are my own.

When 20-something Tessa returns home to help her sister with her parents' anniversary, she's surprised that her parents' basement tenant, is her former high school friend-turned-bully Olive, with whom she forges a new friendship and maybe (well definitely) something more.

I Hated You In High School charts the messy ways that queer people can hurt each other when they're scared and closeted. When Tessa first arrives home she can't even remember why she hates her, just that Olive treated her awfully in high school. Through flashbacks we learn Tessa and Olive formed an intense friendship with romantic overtones as techies for a high school theater production, but Olive messily rejected Tessa at the cast party, then bullied her afterward as a way to run from her own growing feelings and fears of ostracization.

Present-day Olive is delightful, though, and after talking things out the two of them form a grudging, then caring, friendship. There are a series of misunderstanding that get in the way of their budding romance, but it all works out with romantic comedy aplomb. There's a decidedly indie-movie feel, here that brings to mind 90's classics.

Gros' art becomes more assured as the book progresses, and lives in a visually "indie" space that invites comparison to other queer comic creators, especially evoking 90's and early 2000's era comics, with its two tone color style that evokes teen marker art.

What a sweet, heartwarming graphic novel. I really liked watching Tessa, the main character, go on a journey to try and figure out where she belongs and what she wants from life. I also liked her relationship with Olive, and how she realized who we are in High School is not who we are as adults. People can change. But I did appreciate that the story didn't gloss over Olive's treatment of Tessa in HS, but that it was talked over and resolved. All in all, this was a fun, queer graphic novel with beautiful art.

Tessa lives in Vancouver and just lost their job as a coffee barista. They’re an artist but has yet to find success. Losing their job gives them a great reason to visit home. And it turns out their best frenemy is living in an apartment in their parent’s basement. Tessa must dig through old memories to remember why her and Olive were friends and then enemies and the effect it had on them. This was a cute romance. It feels autobiographical, but I do not know that for sure. Originally the artwork was annoying, and I don’t think it was the artwork. I think it’s the color, because everything is green. In Vancouver everything is green, it’s temperate rainforest. But that gave a weird feeling to the book. By the end, it matched it really well, but in the beginning, it was a little off. Overall, this was a quick and interesting read. It was both fun and entertaining, and there will be others who enjoy it too.

Cute and nostalgic I love a good enemies to lovers. It’s going to do it for me everytime. I would definitely read more by this author.

thank you netgalley for the earc

this story was really cute and i really enjoyed it
loved the art style

This was such a cute sapphic enemies-to-lovers graphic novel! The art style was minimalistic and refreshing. I enjoyed the story and loved that it placed a focus on communication! The characters were likeable, and I found myself rooting for Tessa and Olive! Lighthearted and fun read.

Oh, this was such a lovely little read. I picked "I Hated You in Hight School” without knowing anything about it beforehand. And I'm glad I did.
This story is about Tessa, when she loses her job it comes with an unexpected opportunity to fly home for the first time in a couple of years and celebrate her parent’s anniversary. What she completely forgot is the fact they are renting out the cellar to an old friend of her big sister. Who also happens to be an old nemesis of hers. Well, one thing leads to another, she is forced to get to know Olive once more. And try to remember how they went from friendly to enemies.

And yes, it’s predictable. But sometimes that’s everything you need. A warm queer hug of loving parents, siblings and friends. And a love story on top of that. I love queer stories where the main story isn't about being queer or not. Tessa is fully supported by people around her and has been out since forever, even if that’s not the case for everyone. I especially loved the bits where Tessa shares pictures of her old diary with her friend back home. The graphic novel format works really well with this blend of digital communication and an old paper diary.

I enjoyed reading this book. The art style was very cute and I look forward to finding more things from this author and can’t wait for it to come out and print!

thank you netgalley for the earc

this story was really cute and i really enjoyed it
loved the art style

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this one. All thought are my own!

This was such a cute graphic novel with a really lovely kind of second chance romance.

I loved the way Tessa and Olive talked about their past, the way Olive really owned her bad behaviour and Tessa was willing to forgive her and move on. It would have been valid of her to stay mad, of course, but I liked that she was willing to give Olive a second chance because she understood people change as they grow up.

I liked the use of Tessa’s teenage journals to tell her and Olive’s backstory.

I also LOVED Tessa and Frankie’s friendship. It was so lovely and wholesome and wonderful.

The more graphic novels I read the more I realize that they can absolutely pull on your heartstrings while still remaining cute and fun to read. This is the absolute perfect example of such. I liked how the tone was more mature, and the characters themselves weren't super young. I absolutely loved the band of characters as I thought they were all very charming and felt exceedingly realistic.
I thought the art design was cute and thought it was done really well overall!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Tessa hasn't spoken to Olive in years, and remembers how horrible Olive was in highschool. When she returns home after years away to find Olive now rents a room from her parents, they will have to confront their past.

This queer graphic novel is a beautifully illustrated storynof past hurt and potential future. This story was so sweet that I could not help but read it in one sitting. The characters were self aware, knowing their issues and recognising that people can change. I loved watching them connect, while the value of friendships was also highlighted.

Highly recommend this one if you like a sweet story.

4.5⭐ rounded up
After losing her job at the coffee shop, Tessa is freed up to go home to Toronto for her parents 35th anniversary; on arriving home she discovers that her high school friend turned enemy, Olive, is renting their basement room. Olive seems a lot nicer now, but forced into close proximity, can they get past bad high school memories?

This was such a cute read and felt so true to life. Lots of classic romance tropes with a sapphic lens. I enjoyed the art style which can make or break my enjoyment of graphic novels.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book was published on 4/15/25.

When Tessa finds out that her high school nemesis Olive is living in her parent's basement apartment, she is overcome by a wave of bad memories and feelings. Why doesn't everyone remember how terrible Olive was to her? How is Olive so close with her parents? However, when Tessa returns home to help with her parents' anniversary party, she rereads her high school journals and realizes that her feelings for Olive were more complicated at the time. As they spend more time together planning the anniversary party, Tessa finds herself in a new place with Olive. How does she feel now? Does Olive feel the same? Enemies to lovers with some great conversations about friendship, career development, and young queer love.

This was a straightforward read. It wasn’t particularly angsty, and there weren't too many conflicts in the present timeline.

The artwork wasn’t particularly impressive, but the shading was visually pleasing and made things easy to follow.

The story itself was a mixed bag. Some parts were really enjoyable, but others felt kind of meh. I wasn’t fully convinced by the backstory and the eventual resolution. It felt like the past issues resolved way too easily.

Despite these flaws, it’s an okay read if you’re looking for something positive, simple and overall warm.

A quic and delightful read that was relatable and honest. I really enjoyed the illustrations and the complexity and reallness of the chacters. <3

I Hated You in High School was a nice quick read! I wish there was more of a conversation/apology around the two main characters' past relationship and how that ended. It felt like such a major part of Tessa's misfortune in high school and it didn't feel like it was treated with the same impact by Olive (or Tessa's family). I did like how Tessa and Olive's relationship progressed though after the initial rekindling and in the future!

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Kathleen Gros' work. I loved her Anne and Jo, and I'm excited for her upcoming "Carousel Summer" this year as well. But I'm also happy for her doing a story with slightly older characters, and I hope she makes more in the future. No notes, 5 stars.