I Hate You, Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount on the surface seems to have your typical rom-com tropes. There’s the popular athlete, a nerdy girl that gets bullied, the ex-best friend turned popular, mean girl, and a bet involving getting a girl. Truly, I think most people can guess how I Hate You, Fuller James ends. However, despite the predictability, I absolutely adored I Hate You, Fuller James.

In the story, Wren is forced to tutor Fuller in order to get Fuller’s grades up to play basketball. However, Fuller’s coach wants to keep Fuller’s tutoring a secret to prevent it from ruining the team’s dynamics. From the start, Fuller and Wren don’t have a great relationship due to their past, and Fuller really messes up by creating a bet to coverup his tutoring sessions. As the story progresses and I learned about their individual struggles both personally at home, it became very heartwarming.

I think Fuller James shines in this story. He makes a lot of mistakes and starts off with a view of high school I think a lot of teens struggle with. It was wonderful watching him grow as a character and realize what’s truly important and what makes a good friend. Wren, on the other hand, has great friends despite her social status. I think in the story, she learned to be more open-minded and forgiving, which was nice.

My only major issue with the story was the fact that the coach wanted to keep Fuller’s tutoring a secret. I thought it was a lot of pressure to put onto a teenager, and instead the coach could have used the situation to bring the team together.

I thoroughly enjoyed I Hate You, Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount. It’s the perfect quick, feel-good read. I highly recommend it for rom-com fans.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Below is my honest review.*

First, let me say that I'm not the biggest fan of teen romance novels so this story was way out of my regular reading zone. However, I'm so happy that I had an opportunity to read this book because I LOVED it!! I like that the cover didn't feature people and instead featured candy which is referenced quite a bit in the book. It would have been great if the candy could have resembled Nerds due to the many times that its mentioned.

The author did a great job of starting the story in a humorous way and establishing the two main characters. I disliked Fuller while being impressed with Wren who was resilient. At some point I was shipping a Wreller or Wruller or Fren romance--I won't tell you if it happens. I think part of the pacing for the potential romance was a bit rushed but, other than that the pacing was pretty good throughout the book. The world building was nice and it felt like a small town community that any reader could relate to. I'm from North Carolina and familiar with some of the areas referenced, so this definitely satisfied that hometown feel.

The author does a fantastic job of including some cultural references such as The Hate U Give, Say Anything, and Princess Bride. Many of these elements were built into the story which only added to the depth of the characters while making the story relatable. I loved all of the characters, and how both mental and medical health awareness were included in this story.

Overall, I loved this book and didn't want to stop reading it. It is definitely worth 5 stars. I look forward to reading more from this author and publisher.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC for letting me read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I was hoping something fun and cute would break me out of my reading rut, but unfortunately I Hate You, Fuller James didn’t end up being that fun or that cute.

The whole tutoring premise started out a little rough for me. The principal of the school straight up blackmails Wren into tutoring the star basketball player. He threatens her with not only multiple days of detention, but suspension because she was caught on video throwing food during a food fight in the cafeteria. The suspension would also mean she would miss out on a prestigious STEM camp. However, if she tutors Fuller, that will be her only punishment. And Fuller’s punishment will be…getting tutored. We later find out that someone else caught on camera throwing food only gets two days of lunch-time detention – which won’t interfere with his spot on the basketball team. So that was all ridiculous enough, but then the basketball coach, who is also Wren’s uncle, asks them both to keep the tutoring a secret. The reasoning is that if the rest of the team finds out their star player may not play in the first game if his grades don’t improve, the team will implode and they’ll never make it to State. That makes perfect sense, right?

So when Fuller is caught by one of his friends going to a the library with Wren for his first tutoring session, he covers for it by making a bet about how he’s hooking up with Wren and will trick her into being his girlfriend and then he’ll dump her. Of course, once he gets to know Wren he realizes she’s the most wonderful girl in all the world and tries to cover his tracks on the bet so she they can be together and she won’t get mad at him.

This book was ridiculous. There were a couple of cute moments here and there, but honestly Fuller just said so many gross things in the beginning of the book that I could never quite like him. Wren was really naive and emotional and very self-involved and I found her a little hard to like, as well. I kept hoping something big would happen later in the story that would make me love it, but it didn’t happen. Even the Big Romantic Gesture, which was based off of two movies I really enjoy, felt very lackluster to me.

Overall, I Hate You, Fuller James left me very underwhelmed. The initial premise with the tutoring didn’t work for me and Fuller’s behavior in the beginning of the book really kept me from rooting for him and Wren later in the story. However, I am definitely not in the target audience age range for this book, so those that are may find this much more enjoyable than I did.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

I did not enjoy this book. While I thought the premise sounded right up my alley but it fell extremely flat. I did not like the administrators in the school, it felt very unrealistic. I will admit I did enjoy the family aspects, the families felt legitimate and genuine. I didn't like the fact that we had a mean girl just to move the plot along. I also was not a fan of the romance. It just felt like people were too easily forgiven for being a bully in the past. It just fell very flat and very disappointed and underwhelmed..

I have been in such a YA contemporary romance mood and I Hate You Fuller James perfectly filled that need. It was a quick, light read with some sappy but romantic moments.

Wren - The straight A student who has her future all planned out. She’s worked hard and is ready to leave behind the constant bullying of high school. Her only escape is her love of basketball that she shares with her grandfather. Everything is going decently until Fuller James, basketball star, is flunking AP Lit and she is forced to tutor him. He’s the absolute worst and she hates everything about him. Or does she?

Fuller - head jock with an ego so big everyone is surprised it fits through the locker room door. Popularity and basketball is everything to him and thanks to a non-passing grade both could be taken away from him unless he can convince Wren to tutor him and everyone else that it’s something else. Too bad he’s been awful to her for years and she hates him, not to mention what if they’re seen together?

Fuller started off as someone I strongly disliked. He’s this arrogant jock who is mean just to be cool. His inner monologue was all like “dude, the hell are you doing stop” but his word vomit of a**hole just never seemed to stop. He knew he was awful and was just rolling with it. Luckily he kind of starts to check himself and he adores his little brother which redeemed him in my eyes.

Wren is an utter cinnamon roll. She tries so hard to be tough but she is kind, smart and has a hard time standing up for herself which is fair. Her relationship with her grandfather was a sweet and one of my favorite parts of this book. She also has the best friends in the world. As a girl who has almost all guy friends it was nice to see that portrayed here and show that you can be friends with the opposite sex with no romantic feelings. Dae and Brandon always had her back and were there for her when she needed them most.

*SPOILER*
If you haven’t guessed it already, this is most definitely a hate to love story. Wren hates Fuller until she gets to know more about him and Fuller actually starts to gain a backbone and feel bad for how he’s treated Wren over the years. They bond over mutual family hardships which really opens them up to each other. It’s never that easy though and of course Fuller has done something to protect his popularity since he’s spending time with the “class loser.” It was constantly hanging over them and their experiences together. I also think Wren gave in a little too easily. She went from hating him to a session later almost kissing him. Make him beg for it! Have him grovel at your feet! Just kidding but for reals don’t let guys treat you like trash.

The ending was the classic romantic gesture move that I love. Fuller grew so much as a person throughout the story and Wren was amazing from the start but still manages to grow a little as well. The real star of this book though was Fuller’s little brother Hudson! He was stinking adorable and had all the moves for the ladies. I’d so be down for a follow up book of his high school adventures in the future. I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a cute romantic contemporary that melts your heart.

What a delightful read. The characters were rich and full of life. Each showed depth and emotion. There was a nice balance of sadness and joy as well as humor.

I thought the friendship presented between Wren with both Brandon a longtime friend and Dae a more resent friend was a great refreshing mix. I loved how protective they were of her but when she said she wanted to handle her disagreement with Fuller, Brandon backed off and said, “Okay.”

But he did have a talk with Fuller to make it. Right. Toward the end giving him the benefit of the doubt even they were both clearly not happy with him. Yet, knew Wren doesn’t trust easily so there were redeeming qualities in Fuller they needed to check out on her behalf. Because she loved him, and they love her.

Two characters that were just the sweetest and made it enjoyable were grandpa and Hudson. I loved them a lot. Characters truly disliked…

Principal and coach/uncle for bullying and stating “Boys will be boys” when she was not happy in the past about the player's actions in the past.

TyShaun and Marc for being mean and hazing Fuller at all but to do it in front of Wren was in horrible taste. For TyShaun to tell Marissa about it, some friend he is. Don’t even get me started on Marissa.

So, yeah, a lot to keep you interested and on your toes. You won’t want to miss this YA book. I give this: 5++++ stars. Provided by netgalley.com. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this clean YA novel. It is the usual nerd tutors playboy jock, so there wasn't much new here. The thoughtless jock (Fuller James) redeems himself by falling in love with sweet nerd, Wren Carter. There were a few cute scenes, but not much action. Lots of repetitive introspection, but I suspect that younger readers, wanting to have some clean fun, will enjoy this novel. I rank this one a 3.8 out of 5, because it was decently written and the two lead characters were good kids who went out of their way to help their ailing family members.

4 stars — I love these Crush line of books, I always gravitate towards them when I’m looking for something fairly light and easy to read. Which is not to say they never dip a toe into tough topics, just that it’s not usually the central theme. And that’s exactly what I was looking for, and exactly what I got.

I will admit, I kind of forgot about the blurb to this story before diving in, but now it makes sense why I kept thinking of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You while reading it. The story was very cliché and predictable in some ways, but that’s what I was in the mood for this time, so it worked out well for me. Honestly, it might have been an even higher rating, but there were some bits that just felt too easy or something…I just wanted something more.

I was convinced at the beginning that Fuller James was irredeemable. Honestly. I’m not a forgiving person, and he was a total cocky dbag at the beginning of this book. I don’t know how Ms. Blount did it, but I did come to feel for him as the book went on. He made stupid decisions, sure, but I mostly believed in his turnaround and his feelings. Even though some parts felt easy, for some reason I really felt like he was fed up with his life and finally at a point where he could see how much more he could get if he rearranged his priorities. And you guys, he was fabulous with his brother Hudson. I really felt the way he loved him, but they still had a teasing brother relationship as well…

Wren was easier for me to like, even if she was so entrenched in her hate at the beginning of this story that she came across a bit reverse stuck up (nerdy stuck up). And sometimes I felt her softening towards Fuller to be a bit easy too…but I don’t know, I guess I wanted to buy in, so I just did, you know? I loved her relationship with her Gramps, and that she had a good relationship with her parents too. I LOVED her best friendships with Dae and Brandon, they really helped us see more of who she was.

And the two of them together were really adorable…I just fell in love with them as they opened up and connected about Hudson and Gramps. It was the perfect catalyst to propel their relationship into something more real, and for me to give them both a chance. And then they were just cute together for other reasons — the kind of crush romance that just has you feeling all of the butterflies.

I’ve already mentioned secondary characters, but they were truly solid in this one. I’m still a bit reserved on Marc and TyShaun, but I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I was only meh on the grand gesture at the end. It felt…I don’t know. I wanted something else, but I don’t know what. I did appreciate how Fuller put himself out there and didn’t pull any punches though.

All in all, if you’re looking for a cute predictable YA romance, and you’re a fan of those 90s teen movies, you can’t really go wrong with this one. It gave me everything I was looking for: smiles, tummy tingles, and some genuine emotion.

I read this story so quickly. It held my attention the entire read. This is a new author to me, but I will definitely be looking for more by her. I thought this story was fast paced. It was sweet and I adored the characters. It left a smile on my face. I loved reading this.

This didn't quite hit the mark for me. I was hoping there would be more room for character growth, and a slow build up to the relationship. Good for what it was, great if you want an easy-going read.

Was unable to connect with either character, due to a convergence of cliches and insufficiently differentiated POV chapters.

Wren has hated Fuller James since he came between her and her best friend, AND bestowed that awful nickname on her - Wrentainer. She managed to hate him from afar for the past five years, but as a punishment for launching a handful of mashed potatoes at her nemesis, she was forced to tutor him. After spending time with the real Fuller James, she realized, that maybe, she didn't hate him at all.

• Pro: This book was exactly what I needed after being sick for a week. It was fun and cute, and I really couldn't stop reading it, because I was enjoying it so much.

• Pro: I ended up liking both Fuller and Wren a whole lot. I loved getting to know them, and seeing beyond the surface, because they were pretty wonderful underneath all their armor. I also adored them together, and was absolutely shipping them the entire time.

• Pro: There were a few really wonderful familial relationships in this book, which I could not get enough of. Fuller and his little brother were precious together, and Wren and her grandfather stole my heart too. I loved all the positive family focus, and there was a lot of it in this book.

• Con: Marissa, the ex-best friend, was a miserable mean girl. This trope tends to annoy me, but at least I felt like she served a purpose in the story, and she was dealt with appropriately.

• Pro: Both characters experienced personal growth, but Fuller grew a LOT. Being with Wren, and being recognized for more than his basketball prowess, had Fuller looking at things from a new perspective. He realized he was changing, and embraced these changes and his new outlook on things, and gosh darn it! Fuller 2.0 was pretty fabulous.

• Pro: Blount gifted me with a rather wonderful grand gesture, a combination of some fan favorites, which delighted me to no end.

Overall: A fun and cute hate-to-love romance, which delivered many smiles and swoons for me.

While this book was a bit predictable, it was fun to get captivated in an enemy-to-lovers YA romance. Girl hates boy. Boy hates girl. Girl tutors boy. Boy and girl fall in love. Wren and Fuller were made for each other, it just took them a long time to realize that. Their family dynamics, love for basketball, and kind hearts were the center of this love story. It was so sweet to follow. This book was quick to read, entertaining, and full of character development and cute high school student fun. Loved it!

Kelly Anne Blount’s ‘I Hate You, Fuller James’ is the perfect blend of witty and sweet. It’s fast-paced, surprisingly empathetic, and is begging to be made into a movie.

Wren Carter hates Fuller James. She’s hated him ever since he embarrassed her at the seventh grade dance and dubbed her “Wrentainer.” Wren also finds it kind of annoying that Fuller just so happens to be devastatingly handsome and an amazing basketball player. On the other hand, Fuller James needs help. Badly. He’s failing out of AP Lit, and desperately needs a tutor. He also feels guilty about how he’s treated Wren. As they are forced to work together, Wren and Fuller begin to get to really know each other, and realize that they connect in ways they wouldn’t have suspected. But can their blooming relationship survive all of the high school drama?

I love the way that Blount slowly builds the relationship between Wren and Fuller. They go from enemies to frenemies; from frenemies to friends; and from friends to something more. You go through the journey with the characters and can see how they grow both individually and collectively throughout the narrative arc. In the beginning, there are elements of bullying, but it never veers into over-the-top cruelty. ‘I Hate You, Fuller James’ isn’t overtly explicit in its content or its language, which some readers will undoubtedly find refreshing. It’s a delightful addition to this genre, and a safe read for a variety of ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis and saw the cute cover for I Hate You, Fuller James, I expected a fun, and cute story. However, I got so much more! I must admit that at the beginning of the story I didn't know if I would enjoy it, because James came across as immature for being a senior in high school, and it seemed like everything about him irritated Wren, even things that I thought weren't a big deal. However, we quickly learn it's because these two have quite the history!

I'm happy to say, that the pages just flew by! James was the captain of the basketball team and the most popular guy in his high school. He was dating mean girl, Marissa, who was pretty, but extremely shallow, and a horrible bully! Both of them consistently gave Wren a hard time at school. James was more worried about his image and being popular than anything else.

I loved Wren. She was sweet, intelligent, and dedicated to her family. When James starts a food fight, Wren, who usually doesn't react to shenanigans, gets so angry that she throws food back. As her punishment, she gets stuck tutoring James, because he is failing A.P. Literature, and needs to bring up his grade in order to play basketball.

As Wren and James are forced to spend more time together, they get to know each other on a deeper level. I connected to both of these characters emotionally, and found myself in love with their story.

Wren was extremely close to her grandfather, who had moved in with her family, because he was suffering from Alzheimers. My heart broke for her, and I smiled at all of the heartwarming scenes with her and her grandfather. This was extremely difficult for me read, because I've always shared a special bond with my grandparents, and lost my Nana a couple of years ago, and my grandpa has been really sick.

James was very close to his little brother, Hudson, who had brittle bone disease. I loved his little bro, and their relationship was super sweet. James matured, and underwent a lot of character growth, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because of an unfortunate mistake that James made at the beginning of the story.

I Hate You, Fuller James, was a super fast, light, cute, and fun read! It balanced out heavy topics, with lightness, humor, friendship, and first love. This was a story that sucked me right in, and gave me great characters, and a real, relatable, and emotional reading experience.

4.5 Stars

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Ever since Wren was in middle school, she has been ostracised by most of her year, especially her ex best friend, Marissa, who dropped her as soon as the most popular boy in school, Fuller James, starts to go out with her. To make matters worse, Fuller also landed her with a hideous nickname, and now the only people at school to call her by her proper name are the teachers, and her two best friends, Dae and Brandon. After Fuller launches a food fight in the cafeteria, and aggravates Wren enough to retaliate, she finds herself in the principal's office, basically being blackmailed into tutoring Fuller enough that he passes AP Literature, and isn't benched from the team. Neither really want to be seen with each other, but when some of Fuller's team mates see them together, Fuller ends up making a bet that he can get her to go out with him, and then he'll publicly dump her, in order to save his cool. The issue here, the more he spends with Wren, the more he actually realises that he is falling for her, and he needs to make sure she doesn't find out about the bet.

This book was so fun, and enjoyable. I flew through it one Saturday morning, and just found myself adoring the characters, especially Wren. She has dealt with so much, and with the added complication of sick relatives, she shoulders it all with what seems to be ease, but the more that she can talk about it, and Fuller is perfect for this, the more she comes into her true self, and I just love her! Fuller initially appears as a basic jock, but his family life has it's own difficulties, and very few people know the real him. Like with Wren, he can be open, and that shows him in the best possible light. I found their chemistry perfect, and knew they were made for each other.

The plot was a little predictable - of course that bet situation would come to bite Fuller at the worst time, and Marissa - the ex best friend, and ex girlfriend - isn't going to go down without a fight, she needs a bit of bitchiness. However, it was still a perfect YA contemporary read, and I'm so glad Entangled approved my request!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is perfect for fans of 10 Things I Hate About You and She's All That. While it was somewhat predictable, it was still an interesting spin on the Enemies to Lovers trope. I really enjoyed watching Fuller and Wren learn more about each other and themselves throughout the book. I did kind of want a grander display from Fuller to win Wren back though. Or maybe more attempts before the big one at the end? And is it wrong that I wanted the mean girl, Marissa, to be meaner? Even still, it was an enjoyable read and a really cute story.

THIS WAS SO CUTE!!! the cover was what enticed me but the plot was fascinating. i've never read a book that involves a BET i loved it so much.

i loved the plot, the characters, the character DEVELOPMENT!!!! everything was perfect.

for some reason this book reminded me of to all the boys i've loved before???

So I just read this book in one sitting and I really enjoyed it. This is a quick, fast paced dual POV YA romance with enemies to lovers at it's core.

I enjoyed the character development for both main characters and loved the pop culture references, including The Hate U Give which is one of my all time favourite books. Also, that fact that this book reminds me of one of my favourite film 10 Things I Hate About You made me enjoy this book even more!

This is an adorable high school romance which keeps you on the edge. Definitely worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishng for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I Hate You Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount a sweet as sugar five-star read. This was sweet and simple and just made me smile so much, it does come with a side of cheese but honestly that’s what made it so special for me. Wren wasn’t your typical heroine, there was something special about her and I liked how she was pretty and still got picked on, not that it makes it okay, but it shows us that it can be any of us, and her strength and power of self just showed us how strong you can be . I also liked how Fuller grew during the story. If you are looking for sweet and romantic then you can’t go wrong with this story, it doesn’t re-write the rule book, but it does bring plenty of smiles. I loved how we are shows that just because life looks effect on the surface it isn’t always and you never know what people are dealing with at home, so you should always try and be nice, this is a great thing to preach and one we should talk about more.