This is a great standalone romance! If you love drama and some head turning chemistry, Christina Lauren is for you.

In the social economic times we are in where women and men are still not paid the same for doing the same exact job in many instances -this book rang amazingly true. But...we'll get back to that.

In Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren we are introduced to Evie and Carter. They are both young, hard working, ambitious and single. When they are introduced by mutual friends at a party. When they discover they are in the same field - hollywood agents - they both say it would never work out. After seeing where things go they are suddenly thrust into a very bizarre and unpredictable situation where companies merge and they are competing for the same job.

While this situation would be harrowing at best for anyone of any gender to compete against someone else for the same position - it is made even worse by one person. BRAD. Brad is Evie's boss - and now, it seems, Carter's as well. Brad sees women in the workplace as lesser. The one to place blame on. The one to order around for menial tasks. The one who you skip over when there is a primo client and give the difficult clients to. This is not just something that takes place when you need a bad guy in a book! That is the main lesson I learned from this book. Whoever says you can't learn something beneficial from a romance book isn't reading the right books! So many women work with a Brad, for a Brad, have a relative or partner who is a Brad and have no voice.

This book is told in my absolute favorite format - the back and forth point of view. These two are not only struggling with the worries over really liking the other person, but of playing what is perceived to be "the game" with the winner taking the job the are both so desperately vying for. Pranks, hurt feelings, victories and more take place in Dating You/Hating You. I fell in love with the books written by the writing duo that makes up Christina Lauren last year and was not at all disappointed with this - the newest book!

Dating You/Hating You left me wanting more and to see what more Evie and Carter could accomplish when they stop the hate and continue to date!
Dating You / Hating You
Christina Lauren

This is my first Christina Lauren book though I've heard of her before. I loved the cover and title. So glad I picked it up! I will be glomming her backlog next. Such a fun, feisty read. The cover is gorgeous and so colorful. I can't wait to display it along on our New Titles shelf. Maybe even build an Authors You Should Be Reading display.

My library has purchased ALL formats of this book. Very popular author.

I enjoyed the story and cant wait to share with my customers.

The writing duo that makes up Christina Lauren do it again with this funny and sexy rom-com that hits all the right beats.

Evelyn Abbey loves her job. Growing up with parents who worked in the “Business” she has been around movies her entire life and now as a movie star agent, she is the one who gets to wheel and deal behind the scenes for her clients. What she is missing is romance – basically a guy and at 33 she knows she needs to find one soon. Then she meets Carter at a costume party and she thinks she may have found the one – or at least one with potential.

Carter Aaron wasn’t expecting anything when he meets Evie at his best friend’s costume party. Then he meets a girl that loves movies and TV just as much as he does. Having only been in LA for a short time working as a TV agent things are beginning to look up – that is until he and Evie’s companies merge and now instead of finding love they are in direct competition for the same job they both love. Now instead of romance, they try to one-up each other as their competition takes a turn for in some cases the worse.

I first have to say that the Christina Lauren does a fantastic job setting up the story of Evie and Carter – you as the reader are invested in their relationship from the start. Then when the story starts to take a turn I definitely felt the anguish in some cases but the humor in others that made me not only laugh out loud but make me want to shake some sense into the two characters. Especially since the readers know that Evie and Carter are perfect for one another. The dialog was crisp, witty and hysterical and the dual POV was perfect and needed for us to see where these characters were coming from. The story is fast paced and the secondary characters were just as much fun as our main couple – true friends on both sides. There is a little bit of a mystery that is quickly solved but the core of the story is all about Evie and Carter.

All in all, this is definitely on my top 5 list of 2017. If you are looking for a fun romantic comedy then don’t look any further than Date You Hate You.

I have literally nothing against this book, besides the fact it just didn't work for me. Would however still talk it up to customers and patrons because it is a perfect romance for someone.

I'm a big fan of the writing team Christina Lauren and have enjoyed many of their books but this one, isn't one of my favorites. While I liked this story, I didn't love it. The story has more office politics than romance and I found myself losing interest. I liked the characters and the premise of the story but I wanted the two main characters to spend more time together.



Evie is a successful, single woman working as a talent agent in Hollywood. She meets Carter, another talent agent from a competing agency, at a party. They immediately hit it off but working in the same industry causes some problems between them. They have to figure out how to date and have a career. It isn't always easy as they find themselves competing against one another and they start to feel insecure and mistrustful of each other.



The story starts out when they meet and start to date and follows them through all the pitfalls of dating. They are both ready to settle down but have never met that certain person they connected with. When they meet each other, there is a instant connection, however their careers may keep them apart. I liked Carter and Evie. They are both smart and funny and genuinely nice people and there are also some interesting secondary characters that add another dimension to the story.

Loved it! This is a fun romance with great sexual tension. I connected with the characters quickly and enjoyed watching them find their way to each other. I liked that the book showed that when the stakes are high, we don't always behave the way we know we should and that those actions can have consequences. It was plausible and engaging. It's a must-read!

Sometimes you pick up a book by one of your favorite author duos and stay up all night reading it and it's so amazing you buy copies for all your friends. And sometimes you pick up a book by your favorite duo and nothing clicks. Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren was one of those books.

The author's first big hit was Beautiful Bastard which dealt with two co-workers who hate fucked like their lives depended on it. The book was insanely hot, but also funny and extremely well written. So when I picked up Dating You / Hating You I was interested to see how Christina Lauren wrote a story a lot of the same similarities. Dating You / Hating You starts with the two main characters - Carter and Evie - set up at a party by their married friends. Carter and Evie find they have a lot in common and even though they're both workaholics they form a tentative relationship that surprises both of them because of how quickly they feel such an intense connection. However, when their two companies merge Evie and Carter find out they will both have to compete for the same job. Even though they try to handle this information like adults they soon start sneaking around behind each other's back to get a leg up while also playing pranks to drive each other crazy. But underneath all the backhanded compliments and capers is their intense attraction. Sounds like a great book, right? Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it.

It's hard to explain how something that looks great from the outside just doesn't fulfill expectations. For me the story was just kind of . . . boring. The first few chapters were okay, but there was no spark that made me want to keep reading. In fact, I had to push myself to finish the book. I liked the characters but I didn't love them, which made it was hard to care about what happened to them or their jobs. I was also a little bummed that the intimate scenes were pretty fade to black. They weren't YA by any means but compared to Christina Lauren's previous books I thought they were pretty tame. It felt like an uneven balance between how much Evie thought about Carter's ass in suits or how much Carter though about Evie's cleavage and how much time they actually spent being physical. They built up this sexual tension only to not give us much when they finally came together. But sex wasn't my biggest issue, and I don't want anyone thinking I didn't like this book because it wasn't erotic enough. My main problem was the story felt a little bland for my taste.

One aspect that I did love was that the authors highlighted how much harder Evie had to work because she was a female. Plus, it made Carter that much more endearing that he acknowledge that Evie was being treated poorly because of her sex and tried to stick up for her (most of the time). It's a sad truth that I was glad was addressed especially since this book takes place L.A.

Everyone reads books differently, and I know there will be many people out there who absolute love this book. It just wasn't for me. Even though I didn't love Dating You / Hating You doesn't mean I'm going to quit reading books by Christina Lauren. I can't wait to see what they release in the future.

Carter and Evie are Hollywood Talent Agents who meet at a party and realize they were set up. Although they really like what the see and hear, neither one dates within the industry. Their job is way to competitive. When unforeseen circumstances find them competing for the same job, they begin pranking each other to get the upper hand. For me it came across a little childish and I got a few smiles but real laugh and I just didn't get any emotion reading this story.
Also this book brings up the workplace issues of how men are treated different than women in the work place. And as I feel this important, if felt out of place in a Rom/Com.
Just wasn't my cup of tea

This is one of my least favorites by Christian Lauren. Usually I breeze through their books but this one took me forever to get through.

Evie and Carter's journey was bumpy to say the least. They hit it off right away, though I wish we would have gotten more of that initial impact. It seemed like we were "told" of their connection before we felt it. That came later on as the book unfolded. I really liked each of them, though they both stooped to beyond childish levels of the games they played. They were hot and cold, sometimes saying things that were hurtful and other times clicking famously. I enjoyed reading their story and I hope Daryl gets a book. I loved the supporting characters and found myself curious about their lives. Overall, a solid read.

3.5-4

I liked the overall story. It was winsome and fun. At times it was a little slow but the overall writing was good. The setting was unique. It was interesting having the characters compete against each other for their job at a talent agency. The main characters were likeable and relatable. The secondary characters were a little more forgettable and easily confused. I was really impressed at the theme of sexism in the workplace that was woven into the story. This book was nothing like I was expecting. But that is why this wasn't a 5 star read for me. My expectations ruined it. I was hoping for a bit more "Hating Game" with the words "Hating You" in the title. Instead I got a few pranks between friends. But if I took my expectation out of the mix then this was a pretty decent read.

***Advanced copy obtained from Gallery Books via Netgalley***

*4.5 stars*

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute. Evie and Carter are both talent agents in Hollywood, but work for different companies. They meet at a party and instantly hit it off. They go on a date and everything is great! But then, the next day, Carter is told to report to work at a different place. When he gets there, he quickly discovers that it is Evie's agency. They are all called together and told that their agencies are merging. Worst of all, Evie and Carter hold the same job title, and there is only one space after the merger. They have to compete for their jobs.

They are actually willing to work together, but their boss is a total a**hole. He pits them against each other, and they start pulling pranks on each other to throw each other off. As the pranks escalate, the chemistry grows. Eventually they give in, and they start dating in secret, but that obviously won't work long term!

I loved the characters in this book. Carter was so sweet, and Evie was so sassy and fiery. Even though it was a cute romantic comedy, it also touched on some serious topics, mainly misogyny in the workplace. Her boss is the worst. He's a terrible person. But the way that he puts her down is in little interactions that seem normal to others, and they slowly build on each other, until he's actually sabotaging her career. And it's terrible. But it's so relevant to how some women are treated. It made me so mad.

Multiple people have recommended Christina Lauren to me, and now that I have read this, I will definitely read her other books!

This was similar to the Hating Game, which was a book I thought was okay. But this one proved to have better writing and be more fun while still having that amazing enemies to lovers trope!

This is a perfect read for the summer. It is quick, well written, fun story and even a dash of gender politics.

It is a classic story initially and you think you know exactly where it is going, but ends up veering into directions that were unexpected. And you will definitely be amused by the hi jinks.

While the set-up of burgeoning lovers unexpectedly finding themselves having to deal with workplace politics (after a corporate merger) is nothing new, the wit and realness of the characters and overall voice of the authors gives this story a contemporary feel that was fun and easy to invest in.

I have a video book review blog on FB, under a pseudonym.
I reviewed it there, and will give it a great rating on Goodreads.
Thank you for letting me read it! https://www.facebook.com/QuickieRomanceReviews/videos/737833646404248/

4,5/5 STARS

Christina Lauren are one of the reasons I’ve started reading YA/Adult Romance, with the Beautiful Bastard series

I’m a huge fan since.

But with DATING YOU HATING YOU , I enjoyed it differently.

The blurb is another love story, of course, and with CL writing, success is guaranteed, but the book is more.

Yes, we have romance, sex, humor (I laughed so hard soemtoimes)…

But wuaht I really appreciated was the way the authors dealt with the other main subject: women professional issues, and all the barriers they have to overcome, on a daily bases, for the simple fact of being a woman (being payed less, having to prove and work more, multi-tasking at work and at home…)


And that what’ I want to point out in my review, since I don’t have to tell you CL write another great romance. We know we’ll enjoy any love story they write.


CL did an great job at describing woman’s professional situation, from Evie’s POV, but also from Carter’s (which is also refreshing).
In this “competition”, he realized in which world he works (and the book only describes the PR and show business world, but we know women have to face all those barriers in every job, anywhere) and that he may win over a woman who could be better than him, just because of his gender…

So, yes, the writing, the romance are awesome, the humor too, as usual with any CL Romance book, but DATING YOU HATING YOU has also a great “feminist” “protest” touch that makes it special.