*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

Sexy and swoony, THE ONE I LOVE TO HATE is a must-read for romance lovers, especially those who dig the friends-to-lovers trope. I love everything about this book--the banter between Alex and Jess, their sizzling chemistry, their tender and hot romance, and Alex. Did I mention Alex?

Seriously, Alex Drake tops the Book Boyfriend list. He's perfect and perfectly hot. He's the son of a media tycoon, rich, privileged, but he's unlike most wealthy, entitled heroes I've read. Not sure if it's because of his age--at 24, he may not have had the time to turn cynical yet. Or maybe it was because of how he looked up to Jess. In a way, Jess is his role model. She inspired him to be the best he can be, and perhaps it's this that made him turn out into a nice human being. I love how he carried a torch for Jess all the way from their first year in college. Quite the role reversal here, because while Jess may have acknowledged to herself once that she was attracted to him, she buried it under a wall of rivalry and animosity.

Jess Romano is a likeable heroine. She comes across as real and relatable. I like her principles and the way she stands up for them. I love her banter with Alex--even when they were already together--and was always looking forward to their scenes. I was rooting all the way for them both to have their HEA.

The secondary characters provide depth and conflict to the story. It was easy to guess who could be the villains, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story one bit. I especially like Dan Drake. Where authors usually portrayed the parents with one-sided attribute--they're either good or bad--I love the shades in Dan's character, which I feel is in sync with the position he holds in society.

My first read by Amanda Weaver, and it won't be my last! I'm going to glom her backlist while waiting for the next book in the series, which will feature Livie, Jess's younger sister. Highly recommended!

Romeo and Juliet meet You've Got Mail in this brilliantly woven enemies to lovers romance set in a picture perfect Brooklyn world. I must admit that this trope is not my favourite---but that is often because it is mishandled and one of the two leads is given the short end of the character stick. I was so immersed in Weaver's voice and so besotted by the journalistic world she creates that I was smitten.

As well as a wonderful love story, The One I Love to Hate is a bittersweet look at an evolving media form and how old fashioned conventions and truths are being eaten up by contemporary leviathans: it is there that the Joe Fox aspect of the tale comes in. I loved how the past caught up with our hero and heroine's presents and the little ways we see that life had been sewing them up for each other all along.


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Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The One I Love to Hate. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book and won't be rating or reviewing at this time. Should I decide to give it another chance down the road, I will rate and review on my blog, Goodreads and retailers at that time.

This book gave me such nostalgia for New York City, to be more precise Brooklyn, and I currently live here. It was such a sweet story of enemies to lovers with a love for the written word on a backdrop of Brooklyn Bridge. The whole story itself gave me the feels of "You Got Mail" and that was one of my favorite movies. This book could not have been a bigger hit in my heart.

Alex and Jessica have history between them that makes it so easy to extend it into a rivalry between them. It just happens they are both working in the same field for two very different newspapers. I couldn't' help but compare it to what is currently happening in Brooklyn; Jessica represents the old Brooklyn and love for old fashioned news published in newspapers and Alex is the gentrified Brooklyn as his "newspaper" is online media publishing.

Even when all the odds are stacked against them their attraction is undeniable. Their sexual tension is palpable through the kindle. I fell in love with the characters and even the secondary characters who provided a variety of different characters who reside in this great city.

There are so many layers to this book especially for a New Yorker like me and I can not wait to read the rest of the stories of The Romano Sisters.

I really enjoyed this one! I am all about hate-to-love romances and this one delivered! I loved the snark and the sass! I read this one quickly in one sitting out by the pool one day! Perfect for romance lovers! Can't wait for the next one in the series!!

This is the first in Weaver‘s new series, The Romano Sisters. I was super excited to get a copy from Amanda, and while I’m a bit late to post my review, it doesn’t diminish from how much I enjoyed it.

I feel like Amanda Weaver has a flare for writing contemporary with an aroma of historical flavor in the way she’s styling the story. That’s how I felt reading TOILtH, then thinking back to her previous publications.

Anyway, Jessica Romano is living her dream. She graduated from college and is now a journalist in her dream Brooklyn newspaper working for her longtime idol. What else? her best friend works with her. The only bane to her existence is Alex Drake who seems to appear wherever she goes and manages to get the rise out of her without trying too hard.

Alex Drake, the son of a media mogul in the making, works in his father’s online news website, temporarily. He’s destined to inherit the empire and his father’s legacy. He doesn’t want it, though. He wants Jessica Romano, his college crush.

Unbeknownst to them both, they are also chatting online. Alex is Peabody and Jess is PaperGirl. And they somehow manage to fall in crush via their virtual communication. But when they discover each other’s identities, things pick up in a new direction.

Weaver is no fool, and she has an underlying story that carries this romance through the ringer, and makes the whole thing a lot more interesting and fun.

This book is about a hate (is it?) turns lust turns love in a span of days, but with a foreplay of several years. It’s magnetic and fueling, it’s engaging and swoony, it’s romantic and infuriating and it’s such a fun read.

The One I Love to Hate is a pleasant romp through an interesting premise. Two bright young people, toeing the thin line between love and hate for years.

The aspects of Jessica and Alex's story that I loved were that they are both genuinely likable, clever people who come from very different walks of life, but find that they fit together perfectly. This is a multi-layered story, with some complex twists and it all comes together beautifully. I haven't been to New York for many years, but Amanda Weaver does a great job of capturing the cultural diversity of dynamic city life, and creates an interesting back drop for the story to unfold.

There are a couple of areas that needed improvement in this book. First, there is a Twitter-battle, but there aren't an awful lot of the Tweets in the book. I would have liked to have seen more of that interchange. Also, if you are looking for an edgy, angsty tale, this isn't it. I would classify this book as PG-13 on all fronts, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The pace of the story is great, and the multitude of plot and subplots keeps it interesting.

I was cheering hard for Jessica and Alex to make it work! They have to overcome some formidable professional and personal obstacles to find their way to love, and I think you'll enjoy the "hold your breath" moments just as much as I did.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review The One I Love to Hate. This is my honest review.*

Not going to lie, this book was totally a book I picked up because of the cover. It's so pretty and eye-catching. Often times my cover whorish ways can lead me astray, but luckily for me, The One I Love To Hate was a book that was right up my alley. It hit all the right notes for me and it's definitely made me want to pick up more books from Amanda Weaver.

The One I Love to Hate has some fantastic tropes including hate-to-love, rivalry, and relationships developing over texts. All these tropes are total catnips for me so you can imagine just how giddy I was while reading this book. This is the story of Jess, a young journalist working for one of the only old-school newspapers. Jess was a fun character. Her deep love and interest in her career really came through in this book. Jess was also stubborn and I loved that even though her particular job was precarious, she never quite quit dreaming. She had goals she wanted to achieve and she worked hard to achieve them. There is something very inspiring about characters like Jess and she was a good reminder for readers to never abandon your dreams. Jess' nemesis happens to be Alex Drake, who is the son of the owner of a Buzzfeed-like outlet. I really liked Alex's character, as well. There was so much more to him than the confident exterior he gave across. He may have been offered everything on a silver platter, but he also felt a ton of pressure. It was a little sad to see him unable to go after what he really wanted. The guy deserved a hug.

Jess and Alex had a history between them. They met in college and shared an attraction to each other. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us readers), a misunderstanding led to them hating each other. Their rivalry only seemed to intensify their chemistry. The back and forth banter was so witty. I had a permanent grin reading about their interactions. Even through the hate vibes, I could sense their A+ sexual tension. Add to that, their supportive interactions through the message boards (neither knows that the person they are talking to is actually their rival)! When they do get together, the romance was super sweet. It definitely gave me the happy feels. :) I also really loved Jess' bond with her sisters. They were a supportive, funny, and loving bunch. I look forward to Jess' sisters finding love too!

The One I Love to Hate was just the loveliest romance and I recommend it if you enjoy your romances full of snark and sexiness! I am always excited to discover new authors that I like and Amanda Weaver is definitely one of those exciting discoveries for me. I can't wait to read more from her.

I like books that have an enemies to lovers vibe, and this one fit the bill. I really liked this, and would definitely read more from Amanda Weaver.

Oh, this was a book I couldn't wait to get home from work to read all this week! It's a tale of two young professionals who have some unresolved feelings from their college days. Jessica had a huge crush on Alex back then, and circumstances almost had them hooking up, but it just didn't happen.

When they run into each other a few years later, it's clear from the start that Alex has feelings for Jessica but they still have many hurdles to cross -- especially Jessica's fiery irritation with Alex that masks her true feelings. There are definite sparks flying between these two in the first half of the book and I really loved these pages for their growing sexual tension between Jessica and Alex.

It takes a little while for Alex and Jessica to get on the same page, but when they do, it's sweet and romantic. The book is written mostly from Jessica's point of view, with occasional glimpses into Alex's head which were like little nuggets of gold throughout the book. And I really liked the contrast between Jessica's extended middle class family and Alex's wealthy father. Dan Drake was a very interesting character and the way he loved his son was a refreshing aspect of this story.

This was a book I read whenever I had a free moment at work and I couldn't wait to dig back into it when I got home. It had a good pace, and I liked the issues that lurked beneath the surface like the difference in the main characters economic status and their search for what they truly wanted in their lives.

The One I Love to Hate is a sweet and romantic tale of fated frenemies that kept me interested until the final page. It's a lighter story that had me smiling and left me feeling good. Definitely recommended.

An ARC was provided for review.

I truly enjoyed the characters and situations, this was a light and easy read with a lot of heart.

Jessica Romano and Alex Drake are reporters in a world of competing media. The anonymity of their internet profiles brings them together, but in real life they can’t help but antagonize one another. And yet they continue to grow closer in cyberspace.

I found their evolving relationship and romance just endearing, the build up from hate to love was well paced. Alex is heir to a media empire, but he owes his success to his own merits, he is talented and dedicated. He admires Jessica’s determination, and yet he never wastes an opportunity to provoke her. The dialogue between them is fun and witty. Their chemistry was intense, both in real and virtual life.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I will certainly be picking up more books by Amanda Weaver, as she certainly knows how to create a delightful read with endearing characters and page turning dialogue!

This was a fun, quick little book. The romance built perfectly. I loved how ‘intelligent’ it felt. It’s a story for grown-ups, for people who want to see adults acting like adults. The MC’s were tough when they needed to be, but tender when it was called for. Some of the circumstances worked out in ways that were a bit too perfect for reality, but fit in the story really well. I feel smarter for having read it.

Gosh, this book was so fun!

The One I Love to Hate follows Jessica Romano, the youngest of three sisters and impassioned journalist, as she reconnects and falls in love with college rival and son/heir to a media empire, Alex Drake. They meet after having not seeing each other for a few years standing in line for coffee, and they quickly fall back into a pattern of snarky banter and sharp words. Unbeknownst to either of them, they’ve also connected on an anonymous forum for journalists, where their interactions are markedly different from those they have in person.

This is one of the sweetest romances I’ve read and it says a lot about its quality that I read it in a day! Jessica has lots of opinions and she stands up for her beliefs every chance she gets. She also has a great, close family with her sisters, Gemma and Livie, and her father, John. Her family regularly does big get-together with cousins and aunts and uncles all in attendance. She works for one of her idols, Marial Kemper, who got a big break when a young Jess wrote her about her mother’s cancer and the insurance dropping her at her diagnosis.

Alex has a very privileged background and when he met Jess in college she helped him become more aware of that privilege, as well as pushing him to become as invested in journalism because he wanted to impress her.

While Jess and Alex have always been rather antagonistic towards each other and consider the other an enemy, it’s just a front to cover the crush they’ve each had. Finally having a chance to connect anonymously, as well as getting to know each other during chance encounters, allows them to finally admit to those softer feelings and begin developing something romantic.

I loved the family scenes and how much the sisters care for each other, as well as the banter and snark that flies between Alex and Jess. If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers, strong familial bonds, and grand romantic gestures, this book may be right up your alley!

3.5 stars

The One I Love to Hate is a rivalry years in the making, an enemies to lovers story that gets better with each argument. I love enemies to lovers stories. I love the tension, the passion, and the conflict. Clearly, I'm a drama lover and this book has some worthwhile drama. It has that friend vibe- like the characters are your friends and you are watching it unfold.

Watching Jess and Alex is entertaining. The push pull factor gives you whiplash in the best way possible. I'm looking forward to more from the ladies in her family. I think they might just run the world!

[#bookreview The One I Love to Hate - Amanda Weaver]

Release Date: 3/18/19
Enemies to lovers is always a trope I can get on board with. Alex and Jess have butted heads since they met in college. A few years post graduation, Jess sees Alex again in a coffee shop and is suddenly running into him everywhere. The banter is relentless. Meanwhile, Jess has struck up a flirtatious online relationship with a mystery man. The more Jess and Alex run into each other, the more Jess can't stop thinking about him. Will she go with the real life Alex or the online perfect personality?
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I loved Jess unapologetic ambition. It was refreshing to read about a working class Brooklyn women fighting to achieve her dreams. I thought the chemistry between Alex and Jess was perfect, the debating and bantering had me laughing out loud. This was an enjoyable book even though it was fairly predictable. Of course a sequel about Jess's sister is coming later this year, I love stand alone series!!

I enjoyed this story. The enemies to lovers is my fav trop.
If anything I really wished I felt more of the connection and the I love you's came a little later but again I did enjoy this as a passage of time

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Five big stars To The One I Love to Hate. It’s Shop Around The Corner and You’ve Got Mail for a modern era. I adore both of those movies, so I would love to see this one play out the big screen. The chemistry and love/hate relationship between Jessica and Alex was perfect!! I loved the slow build up to their relationship. And when they finally sorted things out, it was nothing but fireworks!! I loved seeing how both of these characters were developed, as well as their backstory. And I loved the cast of characters surrounding them too. I can be particular about my romances, but this one was perfect!!! I can’t wait to read the other books Romano Sisters series. I would love a book about Jessica’s boss Murial too! Amanda Weaver has become an auto buy for me!!!!

I am a sucker for a good love/hate romance but I loathe a contrived storyline. The One I Love to Hate is all of the former and none of the latter. The story is seamless and effective with my very favourite type of love/hate interaction - banter. The use of twitter in this storyline had me goofy smiling many times. I would actually have loved to see more of it. Having said that, one of the true issues with some stories is the need to drag out an arc that was working and making the reader think "get on with it". I loved the fact that there was little drama with the big reveal and most definitely that there was no "I knew it was you but didn't want to spoil this" trope.
Whilst hoping for the protagonists to get their happy ending was my main focus, there are also important underlying themes in this book about the importance of ethics, both personal and professional. About being true to yourself and being honest, even when it isn't what people want to hear.
The One I Love to Hate is a quick, happy read and although I have been reading Amanda Weaver's work for around ten years, I'm so happy to see her published work is equally as excellent as her previous work.

I found it difficult to settle on a rating because even though the premise/tropes really appealed to me, there were some plot decisions in the latter half of the book that made it really difficult for me to suspend my disbelief.

First, the premise: I picked up this ARC because the blurb sounded right up my alley. Journalism enemies-to-lovers + You've Got Mail retelling? Sign me up. Jess Romano and Alex Drake have had an antagonistic relationship since college, which ended... two years ago. I kinda had to suspend my disbelief that so many 23/24-year olds were running around NYC in high-demand journalistic positions (I *maybe* bought that Jess and Lina could get jobs at a downtrodden newspaper right after college - though really, that would most likely be an internship in real life - but I found it hard to swallow that Chase became the "head of journalism" at ClickNews, even with Alex's connections.). Jess's family business is a bar at Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, but she's escaped the family legacy by pursuing a journalism degree and becoming a reporter at the Brooklyn Daily Post, a local investigative outlet headed by Jess's mentor Mariel Kemper.

Alex Drake is the son of Dan Drake, billionaire and owner of Drake Media. They've recently acquired ClickNews (envision a fictional version of BuzzFeed but without a large journalistic division) and Alex has temporarily been put in charge of the ClickNews HQ in Williamsburg. It just so happens that the ClickNews HQ is across the street from the Brooklyn Daily Post, so Alex and Jess conveniently bump into each other at every coffee run. Unbeknownst to both of them, they also regularly message each other on a social media-esque site for anonymous journalists. Even though "PaperGirl" and "Peabody" don't reveal their identities to each other, they are able to confide about their workplace struggles and secret insecurities.

I really, really dug the premise. I'm a sucker for college rivals, and in this case both of them had secret crushes on each other during college (and one make-out session that didn't go any further due to an eavesdropping misunderstanding). I liked the insecurity Alex faced re: the weight of his dad's expectations and the understanding that he'd eventually lead Drake Media. I also liked Jess's idealistic nature about what journalism can accomplish, and felt sympathetic to her workplace struggles (from battling the "dragon" Lauren to trying to write a more important story about local corruption). Alex and Jess also had great banter and chemistry with each other.

Unfortunately, the things I didn't like outweighed the things I liked.

1) There was an incident where Alex's longtime friend Chase makes a racist remark to Jess's friends, Lina and Hassan, who are respectively Puerto Rican and Pakistani. Chase is Lina's ex and an egotistical asshole. Generally speaking, I'm not of fan of characterizing an asshole by making him casually racist. It seems like lazy characterization, especially when before that incident, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to ship him with Lina or not. I was also *extremely* annoyed by this incident because Alex apologizes to Lina and Hassan, but doesn't actually do anything to hold Chase accountable. He doesn't follow Chase and make him apologize (at least not that I saw in the text). He doesn't end his friendship because his longtime friend is an asshole. What am I supposed to learn from this incident? That Alex is a passive bystander who is willing tolerate racist bullshit? That it's not a friend-ending offense? This is especially infuriating because Alex and Chase come into conflict later on over a separate reason - apparently *that* conflict (which is admittedly very important) is enough to make Alex mad at Chase. Honestly, this throwaway racist remark seemed to have zero purpose except to lazily characterize Chase as an antagonist. I could have gleaned that from Chase's other actions, especially when the incident caused me to have a lower opinion of Alex.

2) Alex and Jess handle their organizations' respective social media accounts and get into a twitter feud. I guess this is supposed to be funny? They basically insult each other under the guise of humor. Well, I didn't find it funny and thought it was hugely unprofessional (who cares if it gained Jess's newspaper more followers? It still doesn't justify the unprofessional behavior).

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@ClickNews @Brooklyn_Daily_Post Yeah, the geriatric crowd loves using twenty words when five will suffice. Explains so much.

@Brooklyn_Daily_Post @ClickNews If you’re implying it’s quality over quantity, first that requires some level of quality.

@ClickNews @Brooklyn_Daily_Post Quality? You’re a paper that covers recycling schedules on the front page

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I was cringing the entire time (and there's so much more). I really, really could have done without this plotline.

The last two reasons are extremely spoilery and spoil a significant plot point in the latter half of the book. I will use spoiler tags to describe the rage-inducing character actions. Don't click if you don't want to know. You have been warned.
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SPOILER BEGINS
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3) At one point, Jess is accused of something with little-to-no hard evidence. No one in the organization believes in Jess's innocence, including her friend Lina and boss/longtime-mentor Mariel. And she gets fired on the spot.

Okay. Let's rewind. Where's freaking HR? Where are the lawyers? The thing Jess is accused of has serious consequences and there should be follow-ups from higher authorities in the company (like: there is obviously a co-conspirator at another rival organization and they never bother questioning Jess about the details of her crime). How can they just fire her when 1) there's laughably no evidence proving that it was her and 2) HR doesn't launch an investigation to make sure that it's really her? I was so angry by how this organization was run. Real companies (whether it's a small newspaper or not) don't run like this. They were laughably incompetent at every step of the way.

I should add that what they do is perfectly legal. At-will employment is a real thing, and employers can fire employees without cause or justification. That doesn't make the newspaper's actions intelligent or rational. In this case, having lawyers and HR present would be rational. They're open to liability - if Jess can later prove that she's innocent, she can sue them for harming her reputation and future employment opportunities. And even putting aside the fact that this is legal (if dumb), my suspension-of-disbelief was stretched because Mariel has literally known Jess since she was a child. The company boss isn't some faceless entity who wants to punish without evidence.

Even if I bought that Lina and Mariel were initially mad at her because the circumstantial evidence seemed damning (FYI, I didn't think hanging out with the "enemy" at coffee shops is damning, but whatever), I fully expected that they would see the light and question the thin evidence. Lina is supposedly Jess's best friend and Mariel is her mentor from childhood! Shouldn't they have more trust in Jess, especially when the evidence is so paper-thin? Nope. Shouldn't they have lawyers contact the rival organization (who is also involved in Jess's supposed crime) and threaten to sue for civil damages? Nope. Shouldn't they at least attempt to question Jess to get the details of her crime and ask her why she did it? Nope. They just accuse her, say mean things, fire her, and refuse to ever talk with her again. Because that course of action is somehow conducive to finding the truth.

What made me furious is that *days* pass by, and Lina and Mariel don't ever come to Jess. They only admit that they're wrong when they're given evidence of her innocence. Okay. Am I supposed to trust their friendship ever again? If I were Jess, this would be a relationship-ending breach of trust and I would refuse to ever work at that newspaper ever again. What does Jess do? Immediately forgive them? Yep. Gah.

4) This was the thing that made me the angriest. Alex is trying to find the truth over Jess's supposed crime. He suspects someone in ClickNews is responsible. Does he call the company's lawyers and HR department to get to the bottom of this? Nope. Does he question the suspect? Nope. Does he casually bump into the suspect's phone so that it falls into the trash and then fish the phone out when the suspect is at lunch? Yes! In case you're wondering about passwords or finger-print tech: don't worry, Alex isn't an idiot! He knows this person and knows *exactly* what password the phone would have.

This is so enraging. Going through someone's phone is childish and a huge invasion of privacy. I don't think it's a criminal offense, but who cares? Alex is trying to solve a huge conspiracy by *going through his employee's phone* and invading that person's privacy. This isn't high school. They're at a freaking legitimate media organization with an able HR department and an army of lawyers trained to investigate these matters. Alex is the company head and the son of the billionaire owner - he definitely has power to enable an investigation. The suspect is a head of a major department, and is in a position where he is most likely to be involved in said conspiracy. If Alex wasn't acting like an immature 24 year old, it might have occurred to him that he is engaging in unethical behavior and that he has *many* other options to suss out the suspect. But no. He has to play the savior and bring down this conspiracy all by himself.
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SPOILER ENDS
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I really wanted to enjoy this because the premise was my catnip, but it didn't work out because I just couldn't get over some plot/character decisions made in the latter half of the book.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and will cross-post this review on Amazon on release day.