Slightly cringy, very adorable, and the perfect bit of light fluff in this fresh take on You’ve Got Mail

Small town bookstore owner Summer (twin of Autumn, lol) has a real burning (passion) hate for big box bookstore owner next door Wes, but when her twin starts dating his brother, they’re thrown together in more ways than they can imagine (and oh, they have imagined). Can love survive competing bookstores?? A classic conundrum

The brightest light in this book was our girl Summer, a hopeless romantic who gives her whole heart to her loved ones. Unfortunately for Summer, that same grace is not extended to her and her twin is lowkey the actual worst in a way that feels comically bad- and then the family sides with Autumn in a way that baffles me!!! Luckily for Summer, Wes isn’t as bad as he seems to be, and he helps her find her voice in standing up for herself (though he could use his voice a bit less).

This book honestly felt like a perfect palate cleanser: not too deep, entertaining, and a quick read!! Thanks so much to Marina Adair and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Who doesn't love a modern Pride and Prejudice love story with an explicit nod to the classic and involving two bookstore owners.
It took me a while to like Summer and Wes because they were just too much themselves, she a people-pleaser and he too stuck-up in his ways.
But they overcome all of that. Their conflict in the relationship was painfully obvious from the beginning but the book still held my attention with the execution of the resolution.
Loved reading about a generational bookstore and family holidays. It was amazing how familial relationships were built up in the plot beyond the romance. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley, 8th note press and Marina Adair for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Love to hate you is a nod to You've got Mail. I was super hyped for this as You've got Mail is one of my all time favourites.
You have Summer our FMC, she runs a small independent bookstore that has been run by members of her family for decades. Honestly Summer kind of annoyed me at times. I found her quite a selfish character and very self pitying to the point I got annoyed. Summer had a twin whom Summer refers to as being selfish and everything is done to center around her sister but I don't think that right. Summer very much played the victim card a lot.
We have Wes. Our MMC. CEO of his father's company whom are about to open a large Book Store next to Summers shop. Wes was cheeky. Flirty and also caring.
I was enjoying this book and then we got to rhe spice. This is probably a personal thing for me but I found the terminology used to be so cringe that I really didn't enjoy reading it. The fact that midway of them doing the deed they are having an almost full blown conversation aswell. It kind of took me back a bit.

Over all it was an ok read. I likes the nods to some classic rom coms.

This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review may contain spoilers

This was a 3.75 -star read for me.

When I started this book I was so worried for our FMC, Summer. But then in swoops Wes and I just knew everything was going to be ok!!

Our girl Summer was having a bit of a rough go, but Wes just kept showing up for her and I absolutely fell in love. I love it when he falls first! Wes was just so patient with Summer and I loved their whole relationship from rivals to lovers! I enjoyed all their banter, the laughs, and the spice...umm hello breaking the bed!

Also, I absolutely loved that we got chapter titles!!! To me those are like a treasure hunt in each chapter to find the correlation between the chapter name and what happens in the chapter!! So this is a YES for me!!

Summer's sister Autumn was pretty awful but I enjoyed the growth and maturing in their relationship. The week at the summer house and Aunt Blanche added some good laughs to really round this book out. It really was everything I wanted in a romcom!

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a modern twist on you've got mail and or enjoy a good RomCom!

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

#LovetoHateYou #NetGalley

Love To Hate You by Marina Adair is a 2025 take on the classic romance movie, You've Got Mail. Summer Russo is the owner of a local romance bookshop and Wes Kingston is one of the heirs to a large book conglomerate opening a rival store next to Summer’s. Summer and Wes naturally clash over their businesses but are unexpectedly thrust together on an annual summer vacation when they realize their siblings are dating.

Love To Hate You covers a lot of romance tropes, including: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, secret will stipulations, and meddling family members. I’m a lover of tropes, but at times, the excessive use of cliches makes the characters seem one-dimensional. There is clearly sexual chemistry between Summer and Wes, but I feel like there was a lot of telling rather than showing their developing relationship. One of my biggest gripes with You’ve Got Mail is the lack of true grovel by Tom Hanks’ character, Joe Fox, after he forces the closure of Kathleen Kelly’s indie children’s bookstore. Thankfully, Love To Hate You changes the plot and the outcome of the Summer’s romance bookstore is much more satisfying. Love To Hate You is not a deep, romantic novel but is a great contender for a light summer poolside read if you’re a fan of classic romcom plots.

Honest review in exchange for an ARC from 8th Note Press and NetGalley.

3.5 ⭐️

This is a super cute, easy to read story. It could even be labeled as a beach read. It is a fun rivalries to lovers.

Summer is a third generation romance book store owner. And Wes is a big box book store owner who’s building his store right next door to Summer. They spend months antagonizing and pranking each other. Summer despises Wes and his threat to her store. While Wes enjoys antagonizing Summer. He likes the sparks he gets out of her.

Summer is very close with her family, almost to a fault because she tends to try to please everyone to her own detriment. Especially in the dynamic with her outgoing twin sister Autumn. Summer folds like a deck of cards to her sister every time. The only one who Summer truly stands up to is Wes.

Wes is in town temporarily. He has to follow the terms of his father’s secret will or lose the business to the board. One of those stipulations is he can’t tell his brother. Wes didn’t grow up with his half brother and father and never fit in with his family because of it. He’s always felt like no one has chosen him. Once this store is open he plans to open the next and return to London.

Summer’s favorite week every year is their family week at the lake. It’s all about their twin-ness. Only this year her sister has a fiancé and it happens to be Wes’s brother. During this week Summer becomes her sister’s third wheel and ends up spending most of her time sparring with Wes. Only their sparring becomes so much more and they truly fall for each other. Their sparring also gives Summer the confidence to finally stop pleasing everyone else and put her needs first.

What happens when both their stores have a popular author for her book signing but on the same day? The conclusion of this story made me believe that anything is possible when you learn to compromise both in love and with family.

Thanks to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the ARC opportunity.

Cute, entertaining read! I enjoyed the premise of them being rivals yet each being secretly attracted to the other. Overall a fun read.

Cute, entertaining read! I enjoyed the premise of them being rivals yet each being secretly attracted to the other. Overall a fun read.

Do you like Hallmark movies? This is the book for you.
Is a cozy romance, big shot CEO hoes to small town and meets small bookstore owner.

This was a lot of fun to read,made cry for a minute while reading it on my flight home. I think at the beginning it was a little confusing with the fast pace change of scenes and some info dump. Thats why 4 stars but it got better, a lot better after the first couple of chapters.

I loved the banter, how they were able to talk to each other about anything. I loved the close knit family.
I absolutely hated her sister. 🙄


Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Love to Hate You by Marina Adair is my first introduction to her writing and I really enjoyed it! I feel like we've seen the rival to lover book store owner/CEO storyline before but this one had a lot of heart. At times, I was beyond annoyed with Autumn (our main character's twin sister). However, I really enjoyed our main characters. It was a cute good time.

Rating-
3.5/5 stars
(Rounded Down)

Genre-
Contemporary Romance

Age Rating For It-

Tropes-
📚 Forced Proximity
📚 Enemies To Lovers
📚 Small Town

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?
This book was a really cute, easy book to read that I enjoyed reading. It’s definitely one of those books that are just super easy to read and a good fluff piece for in between other heavier books if you need a break. I loved how we saw Summer go through the growth she did, realizing she can’t always be the peacemaker and give up what she may want for others want just to keep the peace. The only thing I didn’t really love was the 3rd act breakup because it was like 5 pgs long, and then they were back to normal. So, I wish the author had made it longer to actually make it seem more needed or just not included it because I don’t know if it really needs it. All in all though, a great book, I’d definitely recommend as a good light read!

Marina Adair’s books always feel like a warm hug, and Love to Hate You is no exception!

Dual POV
Opposites attract
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Lots of family
British swagger
Rival bookstores
Slower burn
Spicy spice
You’ve got mail vibes


Weston Kingston and Summer Russo play out loathing to loving in this breezy romantic comedy. Love to Hate You feels like you are back in the bliss that was early 2000s rom coms. So many “meet cutes” and “meet uglies” bound to make you laugh—and root for Summer to find her HEA.

Now…Summer’s twin sister Autumn. When I was looking over my notes, I found that I really, really hate her. I cannot remember the last time (if ever) I hated a character so much. I think my main critique of this book is the lack of Summer just flat out taking down Autumn for her selfishness. I mean, this kind of needed to happen if there was a chance of her redemption. Alas, Summer is still kind of a push over.

Thank goodness for Summer’s dad, her best friend Cleo, and Wes having her back in the “Autumn only matters” family vacation.

Fans of Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail will enjoy this bookstore rivalry. This is a light and easy breezy read with the highlight being the witty banter from a cheeky, flirty MMC and CEO Wes.

I really liked the story and genuinely lol’d at some of the interactions. Summer, the FMC sometimes acts at odds with both how she’s viewed by her family and how she portrays herself. The small contradictions meant I struggled to really understand her or relate personally but regardless, it’s an enjoyable romance to read poolside this summer.

Special mention of the found family (Himbo Randy and dad goals Frank) who elevated the book! I think fans of Tessa Bailey will love this one.

this was a very cute read! it was very easy to pick up and get into, especially if you’re okay with a fast paced book.

love to hate you is an enemies to lovers, “i hate you but maybe i want to kiss you?” book. i am usually all over enemies to lovers, and although this was super cute and quick to follow, it just felt a bit like there was no transition from the the “i hate you” to “let’s make out”.

this didn’t take too much away from the book for me to be honest, i still enjoyed it and especially loved the grand gesture at the end.

there were also family dynamics and overarching problems that felt sincere and had me invested to see if everything would work out for everyone.


thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

I love this book! It feels like watching a Hallmark movie, and as a hopeless romantic, it felt like it was made just for me.

The story of Wes and Summer is so sweet. Their opposite personalities lead to playful banter, which, without them realizing it, turns into undeniable attraction.

Their chemistry is perfect—Weston Kingston is clearly the king of flirting. Omg, I would blush every single time he spoke. (AND LET’S NOT FORGET HIS BRITISH ACCENT 🫠🫠🫠)

I have a soft spot for Summer Russo. As a fellow hopeless romantic, I truly felt every struggle she faced. And that’s why I was so happy to see Wes finally treat her the way she deserved.

And i love Russo’s family! Especially Frank Russo! ❤️

I read this book in one sitting because it’s such an easy, sweet read. The plot twist was shocking but necessary. I’d definitely recommend this book when you need something light and heartwarming in between your “heavier” romance reads.

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' This was a super cute romance that I read quickly in a span of three days! I gravitate so much towards stories where the two MCs are complete opposites but over the course of the book, they’re alike in so many ways that they never would have guessed had they not learned to put their differences aside and give the other a chance. This was one of them, filled with humourous and sometimes flirtatious bantering between the MCs that had me laughing out loud and heart-to-hearts that enabled them to look past judging the other by its cover so fast 💬

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' There’s so many books now where the FMC’s main focus is to be independent and never rely on others, which is a great message to send as times modernize. But I think we also tend to forget that there’s nothing wrong with FMCs wanting a swoon-worthy happily ever after and it doesn’t make them “weaker” than the ones who are more headstrong and self-reliant. Summer Russo is the epitome of a hopeless romantic and she had a very lovable personality that it was impossible not to like her. She spent her life savings to take over the family’s romance bookshop and dreams of finding her soulmate by using her knowledge of meet-cutes, tropes, and her Cupid’s guide to love. I love that she’s unapologetically romantic and a big dreamer who wears her heart on her sleeve, and that it’s not necessarily a weakness to dream to love and be loved by the right person 💓

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' However, Summer is a chronic people pleaser and will constantly prioritize others’ wants and needs even if it means putting her own dreams to the side. Over the course of the book, she has so many internal struggles with wanting to keep her twin sister, Autumn, happy and not having anyone in her family stand up for her except for her dad. It would have been really nice to see Summer stand up for herself and to have some scenes where her family does actually support her and give their long-overdue apologies to her, especially Autumn who was so inconsiderate towards her sister’s feelings numerous times throughout the book. Summer’s inability to say no to others and to speak up for herself is a big factor in her character development that I would have liked to seen be resolved with more heartfelt conversations between her and her family to tie all her loose ends up.

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' The MMC, Weston Kingston, comes off as a stereotypical male lead in a romance: a successful millionaire who doesn’t do relationships but loves to shamelessly flirt. I liked learning that in reality, he closes off his heart to avoid becoming close to people who will only reject and leave him which led him to only rely on himself and build his business up from the ground up. I think it was interesting that it wasn’t painted that he had commitment issues in the sense. Instead, it was portrayed that Wes simply couldn’t do relationships because he had never had been in a romantic relationship that was worth opening himself up to be vulnerable after being heartbroken or loved unconditionally which he didn’t receive from his estranged father 🗃️

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' I think Wes’ background could have been expanded on just a little bit more as I felt like I got to know Summer very thoroughly in comparison to him. What was his childhood like with his grandmother and his mother? What parts of his adolescence shaped him for the better and which ones could he never forget no matter how much he tried to block it out? I think there’s a lot of potential for readers to connect with Wes on the same level as Summer. I was also super curious in seeing how Wes’ relationship with his younger brother, Randy, turned out and how they started to rebuild their bond that their father took away from them 💭

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' I loved reading about how Summer and Wes kept pushing each other’s buttons and drove the other crazy while secretly admiring them. I did feel like the attraction and turning point into their relationship was based on looks initially, but I did like that they got to know each other on a different level that neither of them would even think of opening up to others about. Summer sees the good and vulnerability of Wes running away from his problems and ignoring his heart’s desires, while Wes sees the side of her that even she has to struggle hiding from her sister and her family just to avoid disrupting the peace. Summer makes him feel safe and not afraid to open his heart, while Wes shows up for her and stands up for her when no one else does. I loved reading their relationship progress and almost wish the ending weren’t so abrupt so we could see them in love for a bit longer and how they interact with each other after what they’d overcome separately and together 💘

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*' Overall, this was a great, fast-paced romance that I would read again. When you put a sunny MC and stormy MC together like Summer and Wes, you can never go wrong in learning that sometimes you have to take the risks that scare you to go after the love you want 💗

Tropes:
- Indie bookstore owner FMC x bookstore chain CEO MMC 📖
- Hopeless romantic FMC x grumpy pessimist MMC 💌
- Enemies-to-lovers 🌓
- Opposites attract 🧲
- Forced proximity
- Small town setting 🏡

Thank you to Marina Adair, 8th Note Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a fun read! I just loved Summer & Wes. It was emotional at times. Loved hearing from both characters. The second half of the book flew by. Really enjoyed.

2.75
This is a fun book and quite an easy read.
Perfect if you want something cozy and easy-going; its spicy, cute and has an easy-to-follow plot.

However, I did have some problems with the book (that are totally my own preferences and do not affect the plot); i just couldn't get over the names of the FMC and her twin sister (who has a mayor role in the book and the character arc of the FMC), even when they explain the reason behind their names, I just cringed everytime I read them.... Summer&Autumn.
The family dynamics was wierd, and the 'problems' presented in the book were only there for like one minute and rapidly resolved, without any mayor character development. I did like it in the end when Summer briefly stood up for herself to her sister (which i think is a mayor change for her); but thats about the most character change we had from her.
Inspite of that, I had a good time reading this book.

Definitely a retelling of "You've Got Mail". So cute. So funny. Just a good story. Love the characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

This is a cute rivals to lovers romcom that gives You’ve Got Mail vibes. It goes deeper, also, into family drama and trauma, and complicated feelings around how much support someone should be responsible for to keep those they love afloat. Both characters had to deal with these feelings while discovering what really matters to them through the other person. It was such a delight and seeing the growth of the characters and how they confronted their issues with one another’s support. It really made it feel personal.

Also supernatural funny and cute!

Thanks to 8th Note Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!