I am an absolute SUCKER for an enemies to lover’s story.
Summer is a hopeless romantic trying to save her indie bookstore (I would gladly go shopping at your bookstore, Summer!!). Wes is all about business and brutal take overs. The perfect pair for a good enemy to lover’s story. Add the forced proximity trope? Hook, line and sinker.
It was an enjoyable read. The story flowed well, and I enjoyed the characters. The banter between the two was fun! Didn’t enjoy the sister, but we can’t like all the characters. 😉
Marina was a new author for me, but it will not be the last book I will read of hers! I will be recommending this book.

I loved this book and could really relate to Summer. Having expected to initially dislike Wes, due to his trying to put Summer out of business, instead I found him very authentic and imminently likeable, right from the start. The gorgeous seaside setting of Summer’s family’s holiday home, as well as her quirky family members, really enhanced the book for me, though I felt very aggrieved at the way her twin sister treated her. As always there is plenty of humour, heat and heart. Reading Summer and Wes’ story made me feel really happy - it’s the perfect Summer holiday read!

Wes and Summer are rival bookstore owners. She is a small town owner, while he is a big box bookstore owner. All the other can see is competition and their store closing (more her than him). I loved the banter and the hijinks they go through. Anyone with eyeballs can see that there is more between them than the feud, but he struggles with trust due to his dad and his upbringing. She is the hopeless romantic that gets her heart stomped on constantly.

One week changes everything for them. He realizes that her family doesn’t appear to have her back, but they support her twin. His brother and her twin add a whole layer of confusion for them, and a marketing strategy could end a newly formed relationship before it begins.

I really enjoyed this book and wish we could have more of these characters. I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

Love to Hate You by Marina Adair follows Summer Russo, a hopelessly romantic bookshop owner, and Wes Kingston, part owner of a chain of bookstores called BookLand. Summer is the owner of her family’s independent bookshop, and Wes is facilitating the opening of a new BookLand directly across the street. Summer hates his guts, Wes loves her hate. Even though their passion is rooted in hatred, with feelings so intense, it’s no surprise that they eventually tip the other way into love.

My personal opinions: The writing style is really easy, just laid back and relaxed (no better way to describe it). I don’t necessarily love that Summer hosts a podcast, but that’s just me personally. Summer and Wes’s chemistry (albeit one of hatred) is off the charts. I do like that Summer and her sister Autumn are so close, but good grief Autumn is infuriatingly selfish. Even worse is that she doesn’t seem to realize it. I do appreciate the way that Autumn apologized, but I still feel like there’s a long way to go. Also, the romance is electric. A truly darling ending, watching their romance grow was something I could read over and over again. I nearly wanted to wring Wes’s and Autumn’s necks several times throughout the book, but Wes redeemed himself (and then some) with his grand gesture. I give it a 4.5/5, with .5 docked because I don’t think Autumn truly made it up to Summer for how selfish she was.

This book is perfect for readers who love books about books (and book lovers), and a very sweet, rivals to lovers romance. Thank you so much to Netgalley and 8th Note Press for allowing me to read this e-arc.

This book was a lot of fun to read! I love a good, humorous enemies to lovers trope! Marina Adair never disappoints. Summer is definitely an independent, people pleaser. Wes is an arrogant, rich guy. I loved the banter in this book. The writing was solid. The pacing was good. I loved the small town. Both characters had good backstory. This kept me entertained from start to finish. An enjoyable read! Huge thanks to Netgalley and 8th Note Press for allowing me to read and review this book!

Love to Hate You was a cute enemies-to-lovers story. I enjoyed it and loved the surprise at the ending!

Love to Hate You was such a cute book. I loved the You’ve Got Mail vibes and the beachy east coast vacation setting. The banter between the two MCs is top notch and there was a lot of fun shenanigans.

There is a lot of family drama especially between Summer and her twin sister. Some of it was challenging for me personally, but it served the story very well.

I have been a fan of Marina’s for many years and really enjoyed this book from her. Highly recommend if you are looking for a fun, beachy read! Thank you to Marina Adair and 8th Note Press for this advanced copy!

If like me, you're a sucker for enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and opposites attract, you'll enjoy Love to hate you.
We got Summer Russo — a hopeless romantic who owns a bookstore and dreams of having her own meet cute. Her nemesis? Wes Kingston is a cold, corporate CEO who moves in next door with his big-box chain and zero belief in love. Sparks fly as the two clash over business models — but the real fireworks start when they find themselves unexpectedly sharing a vacation in the same beachside town. Hello, forced proximity.
Did I mention there is a pasta competition and lots of banter?
I appreciated that the emotional side of the story balanced well she spice and sparks. And when I say sparks the chemistry is like magic, the attraction made even more irresistible by the love-hate relationship.

New to Marina Adair, I was curious to see what unique qualities she brought to contemporary romances. Right off the bat, I was drawn in by her lovable characters, hilarious and witty banter, and the raw, real depth she gave not only to the main characters but also to the supporting ones in her stories. Within the first few chapters, I knew I was in for a treat.

Summer Russo gives a whole new meaning to the term "hopeless romantic." Meet-cutes, destiny, love at first sight, forever - these are words that warm her heart and fuel her dedication to her bookstore, All Things Cupid. Unfortunately, romance may have missed the memo. Plagued with meet-uglies and forever living in the shadow of her mirror twin, Autumn, Summer dreams of finding "the one" and getting her own happily-ever-after. That is, right after she deals with the pompous Brit building a behemoth of a bookstore right next to hers!

Shots are fired, and the battle between Wes and Summer rages on. Refusing to back down but desperately needing an escape, Summer turns to her annual vacation with her family for refuge - only to find the enemy darkening her doorstep. Of all the places to be stuck for a week, being trapped with her sister Autumn’s new boyfriend’s brother, who also happens to be the man trying to put her out of business, is downright unforgivable.

All his life, Wes Kingston has been the outsider looking in. Born from an affair and cast aside, Wes learned early on that the only thing that mattered was the bottom line. Love was for fairy tales - money and success were the only things he could rely on. What he didn’t expect was for a spitfire bookstore owner to make him question everything he’d ever believed in.

Determined to keep his distance and stay focused on his job and grand opening, Wes finds himself constantly at odds with Summer - and yet, he’s surprised to find there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. As the stakes escalate, so does the fire burning between them. Can they keep their hearts from becoming casualties of war?

There were so many people and moments in this book that I truly enjoyed, but the two things that stood out the most were Cleo (everyone should have a Cleo in their life!) and the annual games - specifically the scavenger hunt. These moments made me feel like I was part of the family and helped me understand why this vacation was such a cherished annual event and a pivotal turning point between Wes and Summer.

Marina demonstrated immense talent in her ability to manage three parallel storylines, giving each one the love and attention it deserved as it cycled through the classic arcs of introduction, fallout, and resolution.

I’ll hand it to Marina - I actually thought I was going to escape the classic third-act breakup. As I approached the finish line, everything seemed to be going well… until a particular chapter title reminded me that, to get that HEA, it has to be threatened first. And boy, did she go all in on the fallout.

Truth be told - I kind of saw it coming, so in the back of my mind, I was anticipating it, but she held out just long enough for me to let my guard down. Just a reminder - never trust a contemporary romance author!

Even though I was enthralled with the book, there was quite a bit of repetition, reiteration, and redundancy. For example, Marina’s references to how Wes ended up in his position were fine the first and second time, but repeating the entire situation each time became somewhat off-putting. The same applies to Summer being a mirror twin. As readers, we understood these details as essential to the characters' backstories, but they didn’t need to be fully explained every single time they were mentioned.

Despite that, I absolutely loved the humor woven into the spicy moments of the book. These days, spice in a book is a dime a dozen, and for those of us who read a plethora of contemporary romances, it’s easy to feel desensitized to it. You almost need a position or situation unheard of by mankind to really get a reaction.

For Marina, while the traditional spicy scenes were present, it was the humor embedded in those moments that truly stood out.

For those who caught the undertones, Marina beautifully blended in the love of Pride and Prejudice along with The Princess Bride. From the dog being named Princess Buttercup, to Wes as the male protagonist - named after Cary Elwes’s character Westley - and, of course, the line that still makes every woman swoon to this day. There may have been other references, but those were the most obvious ones that stood out to me.

Spoilers have been removed.

When a hopeless romantic saves a failing indie bookstore, the last thing she needs is a smug CEO setting up shop next door. Summer Russo is all heart, love stories, and charm. Wes Kingston? He’s all business, boardrooms, and brutal takeovers. Sparks fly fast—and not the flirty kind—when their bookstore turf war kicks off. But things get really messy when a beach vacation neither one of them was expecting, turns into forced proximity, and they realize their lives (and hearts) are more tangled than they thought.

This story is packed with snappy banter, great chemistry, family chaos, and just enough steam to keep things interesting. Summer and Wes are total opposites, but their dynamic is electric. If you love enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, or books about book people, this one’s for you. Pranks, tension, romance, and a touch of drama—it’s all here. A super entertaining, feel-good read!

Thank you @authormarianaadair @8thnotepress and @netgalley for the ebook arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Love to Hate You by Marina Adair is a fun and flirty enemies-to-lovers romance with a cozy bookish vibe.
Summer owns a small indie bookstore, while Wes is the CEO of a big-box chain moving in next door. Sparks fly when they’re unexpectedly stuck together on a family beach vacation—and things go from competitive to complicated real fast.
I enjoyed their banter, chemistry, and how Wes actually listens and supports Summer. He wasn’t the typical cold rich guy, which was a nice surprise. The forced proximity trope worked well here, and the writing was fast-paced and fun.
That said, Summer’s twin sister was hard to like, and the third-act drama felt unnecessary. Still, this was an easy, entertaining read with some swoony moments. If you like rom-coms this one’s worth a try!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Summer Russo believes in destiny, true love and chocolate cake. She has her own bookstore and podcast, specializing in the romance genre. Wes Kingston is her business rival, the tall, dark and handsome CEO of his company.

The story is not slow-burn, but it is enemies to lovers and forced proximity, full of sparks between the two.

I loved that Wes supports Summer, that he listens to her, that he sees and understands what she feels, and that they communicate beautifully about everything. The story is well written, full of emotion. I didn't like her sister and family, who all expect Summer to give them everything and give her nothing in return, especially her spoiled sister.

I give this book 5 stars.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮
𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟐𝐭𝐡

- - -

Read this book if you like:
□ enemies to lovers
□ romcom
□ forced proximity

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

DNF.
Sadly, this book wasn't for me. I looked forward to reading this rom-com. The blurb sounded really intriguing. I am not a huge fan of the writing, and the enemies to lovers trope was kinda disappointing. There is more talk about the FMC's sister than herself. While the story should be about her and her 'enemy'.

The only two things I liked were the FMC's dog and that Taylor Swift was mentioned a couple of times in the book.

Love to Hate You definitely has shades of You've Got Mail, but it's also a unique, fun romance all its own.

Summer hasn't had much luck in love and she's dealing with Wes and his bookstore trying to put her store out of business. Things don't seem to be getting much better when he ends up on the same vacation as her. The forced proximity and chance to get to know one another better changes everything, though.

The plot was sweet, fun, and moves at a good pace, and I loved that they both worked in book stores. I liked Marina Adair's writing style and can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book!

I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I went in thinking it would lean heavily on the rivals-to-lovers trope because of the competing bookstores (which is still there), but what really stands out is the forced proximity element, and I’m such a sucker for that.

We’ve got Summer, the owner of a small indie bookstore, a romance lover with a big personality. On the other side, there’s Wes, a CEO of a massive bookstore chain, who seems like your typical serious businessman… except he’s not. He’s the one who flirts first, has a great sense of humor, and is way more charming than expected.

By coincidence, they end up having to spend a week together at a family beach house — and of course, sparks fly. This is a fun, light rom-com packed with a lot of cliches tropes but it works.

Highlights for me:
• Their dynamic! Summer is no pushover, she claps back, they bicker constantly, and the tension is just right.
• Wes being a CEO but not boring or too serious. Total green flag.
• The writing flows really well, and it’s an easy, fast-paced read.

What I didn’t love as much:
• Summer’s twin sister… honestly unbearable. Super selfish. That whole subplot felt frustrating, especially because Summer also overreacts. She acted like her sister falling in love and getting married was a personal betrayal, and her clinginess felt a bit much.
• The third-act breakup kind of annoyed me. It felt unnecessary, Summer heard the whole conversation, knew Wes wasn’t at fault, and still ran off without giving him a chance to explain. A little too much drama for something that could’ve been resolved with a five-minute talk.

PS: There’s a Swiftie couple in this book! It’s not the main couple, but there are a few Taylor Swift references. If pop culture nods in books aren’t your thing, consider this your heads-up.

Overall? Super fun read. Perfect for anyone in the mood for a sweet, trope-filled romance with banter, chemistry, and just the right amount of angst. Would recommend!

I really liked the beginning of this book! The story pulled me in quickly, and I loved all the book references and the cozy bookshop setting. Summer was fun and easy to root for. I even liked her - until I didn’t. She slowly turned into one of those “not-like-other-girls” characters and started whining a lot. That’s when she lost me.

Also, this is not really an enemies-to-lovers story. It felt more like insta-love and lust, which isn't my favorite. The ending got really cheesy too.

I was still going to be kind in my rating, because I didn't DNF it, after all. But then I remembered—Summer has a dog. A dog we don’t hear anything about in the last 10 chapters! As a dog owner, that really annoyed me. Poor pup!

The writing itself was fine, but the story just wasn’t for me in the end.

Love to Hate You by Mariana Adair
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first Mariana novel and it served a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance in Love to Hate You. It was packed with witty banter, undeniable chemistry, and just the right amount of emotional depth. The story follows two fiercely independent characters who seem to have nothing in common, except their mutual irritation with one another. But as the sparks fly and tensions rise, so does the heat, and what begins as antagonism slowly evolves into something much deeper.

I think it was quite interesting having Summer’s character be the way she was and portrayed. As a chronic people pleaser and always putting others. You could tell it was a constant battle and not being able to say no to her family was confronting as someone who also struggles with that.

Wes the very standard, stereotypical millionaire who of course doesn’t do relationships and has closed off his heart. This book felt very hallmarky with their transition from enemies to lovers. Would have loved to have seen more of his background however on depth.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this early!

Happy to say, I read this book in a single sitting.

I'm an enemies-to-lovers and rivals-to-lovers girl at heart. I gobbled this book up like it was my favourite meal.

If you are a fan of You've Got Mail, stories about tightknit families and shenanigans of all kinds, then you'll love this book.

Summer Russo owns and runs a romance bookshop which is now under threat of going out of business because of the ginormous chain bookshop opening next door, The CEO of the company that owns the chain bookstore, is none other than Wes Kingston, the bane of Summer's existence.

Summer believes in true love, meet cutes and lives in the hope of one day getting her happily ever after. Wes doesn't care for love, only the bottomline. He wants to get the job of opening the bookstore done and so he can go back to his life in England.

There's a bit of a snag in that plan unfortunately because Wes' half brother Randy falls in love with Autumn who turns out to be Summers twin sister.

Stuck together, with their families, on a week long vacation Wes and Summer get to know each other separate from their work and sparks begin to fly. Wes sees more Summer clearly than her own twin sister does right now. Summer can't help but admit that there's more to Wes than his posh English accent, expensive suits and annoying habit of being right.

Now that they really see each other, what's going to happen when they return to their regular lives?

Summer Russo’s life is turned upside down when a large bookstore sets up next door to her nearly bankrupt independent bookstore that specializes in romance novels and beach reads. To make matters worse, it is run by the grumpy and arrogant Wes Kingston, who seems determined to ruin her livelihood. Wes is a cutthroat CEO who doesn’t believe in love and is determined that his bookstore is going to open, irrespective of Summer’s intrusion into his life. When Summer escapes to Mystic, CT, to spend time with her family, she is astonished to find her sister has invited not only her boyfriend but also his brother, Wes.
This was an enemies-to-lovers storyline, but the enemies part did not make up a large portion of the book. Whilst Wes displays plenty of arrogance to annoy Summer, their time together with family reveals a different side to him that draws them to each other. I found the book entertaining, with plenty of spice.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF. I tried with this one. Tropes I absolutely love but I didn’t like the characters and I didn’t like the dialogue. Too many references and Summer just wasn’t likable. Sorry!