Gen and Ava are best friends from high school, who are going to college on opposite coasts. Their story is told through text and email messages, making for a fast pace and not always reliable narrators. This was a very good story and made me remember how great the changes are that first semester away at college.

Best friends Ava and Gen start their freshmen years of college on opposite sides of the country. They keep in touch through a series of text messages and emails. Their friendship develops and hits rocky roads when dealing with self-discovery, heartbreak, mental health and weird roommates. As each young woman grows, readers wonder if their BFF-ship will survive. Will they still be best friends living side-by-side in a gated community like the Golden Girls?

I Hate Everyone But You had potential to be a good YA novel but it fell short. I absolutely love books in e-mail or text message format. But this one I grew tired of real quick. Not because of the writing style or content but because of the annoying characters. I kept asking if I acted like this during my first year of college with friends back home or enrolled at different schools. Hopefully not! Maybe this book is relatable to younger women but it's a hard pass for 30-somethings.

Happy Pub Day, Gaby & Allison! I Hate Everyone But You is now available.

LiteraryMarie

I’d give this book a 3.5/5 stars, and let’s get into why:

This book is basically about two girls who are best friends, and they end up going to colleges on different coasts. This book is about all of the emails and text messages that they write to each other.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I loved certain aspects but really didn’t like other aspects. One great thing was that this book had great diversity in that one of the best friends, Ava Helmer, deals with OCD, depression, and anxiety. As well as the second, Genevieve Goldman is bisexual.

I loved how light and easy of a read it was. It was something easy to pick up before I went to bed if I was really tired because it was just a easy read. I also loved the friendship they had, they were so closely knit which was so great as well. I loved how they had fun quotes in this book as well as how Genevieve always talks about movies. X-men, Star Wars, etc. All the movies I love! When she offhandedly mentioned them it was THE BEST! However, if you don’t like those movies, not to worry, they’re just on the side of the story, mentioned here and there. For some of the book, they exchanged little quotes at the end of their emails, which was awesome. I love quotes. Those were my favourite parts of the book as well as how strong their friendship was, how close they were. They talked to each other every day and they talked about A LOT of things. As I mentioned earlier, it was an easy, light, quick read. Some parts did make me laugh, however other parts I didn’t find as funny. They talk pretty inappropriately sometimes and other times they didn’t. I kept in mind that they were in college, and dealing with everything, however sometimes it felt a little excessive.

Ava Helmer. I loved her. She cared about her friends and she had a big heart. Genevieve Goldman. I loved how she was so brave and out there, how she was strong and confident. That being said, there was one thing that she did a lot that I didn’t like, but obviously I can’t share because of spoilers. When they finally got into a conflict, it really felt like they just disappeared, like that. It’s not that’bad, however, it would be better too if they talked more about what happened.

I know I talked a lot about the good things, but this book just didn’t exactly hit the right note for me. I know many of my friends would love this book so incredibly much. They’d laugh at all the jokes and this book would be perfect for them. However, for some of it, the humour wasn’t for me and it just wasn’t my favourite book. I loved the last half significantly more than the first, and the ending was perfect. I’d say the first half they talked about a lot more inappropriate things than they did in the second half, which was the reason I loved the second half more.

Overall, it was great. It just wasn’t completely for me. However, I can think of about a hundred people on the top of my head who would love a book like this. I recommend it if you are feeling like a light, easy read, as well as a comedy that will make you laugh. Thank you again St. Martin’s Press for sending me this book. I’d definitely pick it up again if I needed something that would make me laugh.

Mini review:

DNF

I received an E-ARC via the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was highly anticipating this book! And I was so happy to get it from Netgalley. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.

At first I was really enjoying it! I was laughing here and there and it was all fun. But then it just became boring. It started to drag. And I lost interest in it. I didn't care for all the stupid drama these girls had.

This was just a me thing. Still recommend.

I Hate Everyone But You is the story of two best friends, Ava and Gen, who leave each other when they go to college.
The story was told by their written communications, meaning their texts and emails.

I enjoyed this story. The way it’s told is interesting and I enjoyed getting to know both of those characters.
I saw a lot of myself in both of them but they often annoyed me in some ways.
I felt like the end wasn’t all that satisfying though…
Still, I read this really quickly and had a good time doing so.

College Freshman Ava and Gen are best friends who find themselves separated by an entire country. This story follows the two friends as they deal with life, love, and new experiences. Ava and Gen stay in contact with each other through Emails and text messages.
I loved this book and the concept of telling the story through emails and text messages. You will fall in love with Ava and Gen from the start.

I Hate Everyone but You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin is as eye-opening as actually going off to college. Two unlikely friends become separated by the entire U.S. when they go to university. Ava and Gen share their experiences by keeping in touch via emails and texts, which is how the book is read. Their stories are sweet, humorous, slightly shocking, and very real. I Hate Everyone but You is a quick read that can't be put down until the reader knows how the friendship ends up.

I love epistolary novels, there’s something really addictive about them, I think it’s because I feel like I’m getting an up close and personal look into someone’s life because letters/emails/texts are so personal. The format of this worked well for me, it’s all emails and texts between two eighteen year old best friends who are starting their freshman year of college at different schools. These two are polar opposites each dealing with their own issues and I found it to be a really timely read that I think will be a hit for the younger YA crowd.

This was a highly diverse read as Gen is trying to figure out her sexuality and Ava has mental health issues, it really hit on several hot button topics that are hugely relevant today. Ava is sort of naive and uninformed and she struggles to understand Gen’s sexual preferences and behaviors. Gen is mostly patient with her but there were a few times where I felt like she was too harsh with Ava. These two had the type of friendship with no boundaries and when Ava would ask a question (albeit one that’s not politically correct) Gen would bite her head off, she was flat out mean to her. I get Gen’s frustration but I think Ava felt like it was a safe place for her and she genuinely wanted to become informed and in no way meant to offend her friend. It was just a bit over the top for me.

This was a cute, funny, fast paced read and the dialogue was hip and current. Ava and Gen have a fantastic banter and their exchanges really read like that of best friends. I didn’t really like either of them but that didn’t stop me from reading it, but then again these two were born the same year I graduated high school, so as far as being able to relate to them on a personal level… 😂👵🏻

I have an unnatural and enthusiastic love of texting and emailing in books as a way to exchange dialogue and move the story forward. So an entire book comprised of text messages and emails? Totally up my alley.

Indeed, it was a super quick and easy read and I was drawn immediately into Gen & Ava's coming of age stories. I felt like this was an incredibly authentic look at female friendship as the two navigated their unfamiliar ways in the world beyond high school. In fact, so many things rang true to me about their exchanges - it could easily have been my own best friend and I over 20 years ago.

That said, it wasn't a smooth ride. While I recognized myself in this story, it wasn't always my best self. Things aren't always pretty and at different times I found both Gen and Ava to be difficult to like. I suspect this was intentional. It didn't pull me out of the story and the writing was on par the entire time - but man, sometimes I just wanted to wring their necks and make them be nicer to each other.

I might have liked a bit more action. Maybe some direct interaction to supplement the texts and emails. I enjoyed the end, but I did feel it wrapped up a little neatly (and didn't resolve all of my own personal anger issues, haha!).

Ultimately, it read like a trip down memory lane and a very real, very unapologetic look at the way friendships can grow or die over the course of time. Well worth the read!

Let me start off by saying I am probably pretty biased in my review, even though I am trying my hardest to remain unbiased. I am, however, a huge fan of Gaby and Allison’s youtube channel Just Between Us so I feel there is no real way for me to remain truly unbiased, as is human nature.

This book was a really fast read and I could hear the whole thing in Gaby’s and Allison’s voices, (like legitimately heard their voices in my head…I’m not crazy). This whole book is told through texts and emails and I think that really fits the setting of the book, two best friends going to school on opposite sides of the country. This book is own voices with Allison being Ava and Gaby being Gen and I loved that about this book, it really comes through. Their characters in the book seem so much like the characters on their show it’s ridiculous. I could picture so many of the situations in the book being portrayed as skits.

I loved this book it made me laugh out loud. The part that did through me off was the mention of their own YouTube channel it was kind of fourth wall but also just weird. Also the subtle nod to the Best Fiends app and constant mention of Gatorade kind of made it feel like a sponsored YouTube video…I’m not saying that’s a bad thing just throwing that out there.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.

The story was cute but at the same time deals with serious issues such as sexual identity, mental illness, family conflicts, romantic relationships, and substance abuse.

The book has two main characters: Ava and Genevieve. They are best friends and are both starting college in different schools but located in completely different states. Ava stayed in California and Gen moved to the east coast. ​They have very different personalities and you get to know them as you read the novel.

The book is narrated in the form of emails and texts exchanged between the main characters and the dialog was witty, relevant and lovely. There are a lot of movie references and that was great for somebody who loves films as much as I do.

I generally go to the movies one or twice a week so to be able to "get" the puns added a layer of awesomeness to my reading experience.

Overall, I LOVED this book and recommend it to all.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my god, I LOVED this book. My emotions were all over the place while reading - I was laughing one minute, worrying the next, and at one point almost crying. I Hate Everyone But You is a novel by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin (Youtube comedy duo “Just Between Us”). The book is an epistolary, that consists of texts and emails between two best friends, Ava and Gen, who go to college on opposite sides of the country.

“Everyone always talks about the effort you have to put into a romantic relationship or a marriage, but why would a friendship be any different?”

Initially I wasn’t sure howinvested I would be in the book since the format isn't like your typical novel, but holy wow I was. The messages and friendship sounded authentic, they told secrets, made jokes, got into fights, and overall sounded like actual eighteen year olds. It was clear to see how much each friend meant to the other. And since the book was in epistolary format, it was a very quick read.

Ava and Gen are two best friends hundreds of miles apart, and trying to keep their friendship intact. It was nice that even though the two girls are very different, they’re still so close and always have each other’s backs. Gen is outgoing and not afraid to call people out, and Ava is introverted and has a difficult time putting herself out there because of her anxiety.

I love how Ava’s anxiety is portrayed, it’s something I can really relate to. She's constantly overthinking, and freaks herself out when her negative thoughts spiral out of control. I really appreciate how Ava talks about her anxiety, and isn’t ashamed of it. Not only does she talk openly about anxiety, she also talks about seeing a therapist and taking medication. I think it is so important that seeing a therapist was normalized in this book, and is a positive thing. Unlike most books, Ava wants to see a therapist, she knows how helpful seeing a therapist is for her and she talked openly and realistically about medication. I’ve never read a book where the character actually talks about what you can do to live with your mental illness.

“People love to open up to me about their problems. I think it’s because I’m so relatable. I’m like the Sandra Bullock of mental illness.”

During the girls’ first semester at college, Gen begins exploring her sexuality. I like how open Gen was with talking about her sexuality, and wasn’t afraid to call Ava out when she said something homophobic or transphobic.

The ending crushed me, this was the part where I almost cried. I wish there had been more closure, but I understand why it was left a little open ended because I don’t think the story would have been as impactful if it had ended so neatly. Overall I think this book is very realistic, and talked about important issues teens face. I think fans of YA contemporary, and incoming college students will enjoy this book.

This book was a roller coaster of emotions. It's well-written and a modern-day epistolary, but I truly hated the characters. That didn't make me quit reading, and it didn't make me enjoy this story any less. Sometimes, there's something charming in irredeemable characters.

Ava and Gen remind me of friendships I had of my own. And I've been on both sides of things, while not as extreme as either of them. Their drama exhausts me, but it's real life. Friendships like Gen and Ava's exist everyday, and exhaust me just as much.

Overall, it's a great read! I enjoyed my time with this book and enjoyed the story.

I HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin is a young adult novel written in emails and texts between two good friends who are starting college in Boston and California. Honestly, I initially had a difficult time differentiating between these two rather shallow main characters, Ava and Gen – even though they had text icons which helped a bit. In fact, I debated between a 2 and 3 star rating. My general reaction was that the pace did pick-up, but I was still wondering who would want to keep reading about these two young women hooking up, possibly being hit on by a TA (teaching assistant), and calling each other gay? Dunn and Raskin explore issues of friendship and identity while supplying plenty of humor, but as Kirkus says, "What might be funny in a 3-minute video quickly becomes wearying in a 300-page novel." To be fair, School Library Journal (in its starred review for students in grade 10 and above) believes that "fans of the authors'YouTube channels will find themselves turning pages quickly."

I Hate Everyone But You is a story about the friendship between two girls that go away to different colleges. It is written by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin, two girls that have a popular YouTube channel. I have not personally watched their youtube channel but I am all about this trend of influencers writing novels. It was really easy for me to put the two main characters in Gaby and Allison’s shoes. I have no idea if they meant for that to happen, but I have seen in a few other reviews that their characters are really similar to the two girls on their youtube channel.

What I liked the most about I Hate Everyone But you was the format it was told in. These two best friends move away from each other and go to different colleges. I love how relatable that is. We have all had friends that we have to physically leave at some point or another, whether it’s for school or for a job etc. So it was really cool to see all the different things that go along with that, and trying to stay in touch and trying to maintain your friendship. I loved all the themes explored in this book. And I really love that it was told in texts and emails. It was very fresh and modern.

What I didn’t love so much were the two main characters. I did like them overall, but there were more than a few times that each of the girls annoyed me. But in a way that just made them feel even more real to me. Real life people will annoy you sometimes. Especially if you are of the mindset that you don’t like or get along with most people. So this book was an interesting perspective for me to read about. It is a fast and fun read that you will be able to breeze through. I really enjoyed I Hate Everyone But You. It felt fresh and interesting.

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Ava and Gen, two BFFs from LA, start college across the country from each other. We receive their first year of college experiences in a series of emails and texts messages. Will they grow apart? Meet new people? How will their friendship ever survive?

So, a couple of things before we begin here. 1) I went to college across the country from my hometown. 2) I communicated with friends via texts, LiveJournal, and emails. and 3) Gen's narrative voice reminded me so sharply of my wife that I could hear her voice in every joke and quip.

And how, with all of that, did this story not completely resonate with me?

Well, I feel like it didn't add anything new to the realm of what we already have. The epistolary format really constricted the narrative at times, and the authors held to it so firmly that they even had the girls text each other *when they were in the same room*.

The characters were 2D (even when we had their POVs AND a reaction to them from another character!), and the plot went nowhere.

I also cannot recommend this for a high school classroom library. The literary impact does not outweigh the consequences of having to explain to parents the drug use, student-teacher relationships, and unaddressed alcoholism. ((I am NOT saying that teens cannot read or understand these things and I am not an advocate of censoring library selections in general, but teachers do have to weigh the costs and benefits of any book selection and this is just a truth, y'all.))

This was wonderful. It feels like my best friend and I wrote it. It was so funny, laugh out loud moments at time. Or chuckle out loud, anyway. So much is handled and it feels so authentic. Can't recommend this enough. Seriously.

Going into this novel I didn’t really know what it was about. I just love the authors, Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin, who started out at BuzzFeed before starting their own YouTube channel, Just Between Us. When I heard they wrote a YA novel together I knew I had to read it and was very excited to receive an eARC copy. I was even more excited when I realized this book is told in emails and texts, my favorite form of story telling (I love dialogue more than plot, fyi!).

I Hate Everyone But You, follows two best friends, Ava and Gen, who are starting their first year of college. While Ava is staying close to home by going to the University of Southern California, Gen is moving to the east coast to attend Emerson. Thus, the emails and texts are how they keep in touch, and I absolutely loved their friendship.

Ava has anxiety and is constantly battling that. Even though she’s still close to home she’s moved far enough where she must find a new therapist that can help her, and that’s sometimes easier said than done. Moreover, because of her anxiety and her personality in general, she struggles to make new friends and live in a world without Gen.

Differently, Gen is diving head first into her new life at Emerson. She’s writing for the school newspaper and aiming for a staff writer position, and her TA, Charlotte, seems eager to be her mentor. Additionally, Gen is exploring her sexuality in a way that surprises Ava.

While it’s clear Ava and Gen love each other, they also fight and have disagreements about a lot of different things. They discuss mental health, gender, sexuality, and more. They also challenge each other. Gen constantly corrects Ava, who struggles to understand that sexuality is fluid, and Gen has to come to terms with the fact that Ava will sometimes say things that Gen really needs to hear, even if she doesn’t like it.

Possibly my favorite thing about this novel is that Ava is clearly Allison and Gen is obviously Gaby, and the fact that the novel didn’t try to hide from that, but instead joked about it. BuzzFeed is mentioned as is their YouTube series, and Gen even calls Ava an “Allison,” at one point. I really liked that the authors weren’t afraid to poke fun at themselves.

Overall, I thought this was a great read and shows a realistic friendship, while also covering very real topics that aren’t talked about enough. Even if you’re not a fan of Allison and Gaby (though you really should be), you should definitely pick up this book.

This is the kind of novel that will be read in an afternoon. Part of it is the format (it's told through emails and texts) and most of the emails are super short and part of it is the premise. Basically every woman and teenager knows what it is to have a best friend and what a complicated relationship that can be, especially if it's someone you've known forever. And Gen and Ava have that kind of backstory--they have a total shorthand and they already know why the other is the way they are.

Which is what makes their freshman year of college so weird for their friendship. For the first time in years, they aren't together (and literally have most of the country between them; they are time zones apart) and so their obviously-changing lives can seem weird and a little threatening to the other person. And I know that makes it seem like this is a serious novel and it really isn't. At least, that's not all it is. This is also literally laugh-out-loud funny. I'm glad I didn't read it on my commute because I would've annoyed the other passengers.

I absolutely love this novel and everything about it. (And I hope there's a sequel because I want to see what happens with Gen and Ava. I think they'll stay friends but I also think it'll stay awkward.)

Recommended.

The first year of life after high school is one of the most transformative times of our lives. This novel, by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin, captures the many changes and realizations of college. It also is a wonderful look at friendships and how they may, or may not, survive. This was a very enjoyable book with a unique format, interesting characters, and heartbreaking firsts.

What I Liked:
Unique Format:

This book is told completely with emails and texts between the two characters. I was very curious as to how this would play out, and it was actually very satisfying. Emails, and especially texts, are how teens communicate with each other (I don't know any teen who enjoys talking on the phone anymore). So, even though this format may seem gimmicky, it realistically shows how young adults interact in relationships.

Characters:

Ava is a teen dealing with issues of anxiety and depression. Gen has been her lifeline in high school, so she is floored that her best friend has decided to go to college on the east coast. So it is mostly Ava who is texting Gen to get advice and keep in touch in the friendship. While Ava is rather needy, she puts up with a lot from Gen, who seems to change overnight (in Ava's eyes).


Gen has finally broken free of her dysfunctional family and is out on her own at college. This is a big year for Gen, as she comes out as bisexual. Along with her new taste of freedom, she has become somewhat wild, partying non-stop. Will she remember to actually go to class? I think many teens will relate to this scenario.

Other characters are presented through the filters of Ava and Gen. So it may be challenging to get a complete picture of who they are. But this just shows how smart the writing is for this book. It doesn't take too much time for the authors to convey that Ava is stuck on an obnoxious frat boy, and some of Gen's new, older, friends are manipulative.

First Experiences:

Despite the limitations of emails and texts, the story shows many of the big firsts of young adult life: first sexual experiences, first relationships, and the first time one must accept responsibility for one's actions. I think the book also subtly hints that both Ava and Gen have led rather sheltered, entitled lives. It is a year of big shocks, revelations and consequences for both of these two young women.

What I Was Mixed About:
Gen:

Although I liked Gen, I don't think she was a very good friend to Ava. Oftentimes, she seems annoyed with Ava's texts, and will choose to ignore her, instead of valuing Ava's opinion. I felt terrible for Ava.

Missed Opportunity:

There was also a subtle inference to Gen having a problem with alcohol (her own father being and alcoholic). I wish the authors would have explored this topic further. Gen seemed to be in need of an intervention, and it would have been good to see her face how she was was abusing alcohol and drugs.