Dare You to Hate Me by B. Celeste
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Web ID: 16836736Exceptionally written love story!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dare You To Hate Me is the first book in the Lindon U. series by B. Celeste. This is a unique premise for me. The novel follows a university football star, Aiden, and the girl who stole his heart as a child and disappeared, Ivy. After years, fate stepped in and reunited Aiden and Ivy. However, Ivy has made decisions that have led her down a very dark path. Aiden is at the top of his game and has every goal he sets to achieve, yet all he can think about is Ivy. My heart cried for Ivy. She was a neglected, emotionally abused teenager who made a bad decision. Ivy had no one to fall back on, and she spiraled. Ivy left her only emotional support in Aiden and his family. Ivy has paid dearly for her decisions, yet she has risen from the ashes of her past. Ivy finds her voice and her worth with Aiden’s support and love. Aiden has worked diligently to be the top player and A student at Lindon U. Aiden is going pro after this semester. Aiden reunites with Ivy, and all those feelings come rushing back, but Ivy is a shell of what he remembers. Aiden is sweet to Ivy; he never lets go, even when she lashes out. Aiden’s love helps heal Ivy and gives her the strength to begin again. The plot discusses situations that could be content warnings for some readers. Emotional abuse is prevalent in Ivy’s young life, and I felt the book did an excellent job portraying how destructive words and neglect can be to a child. Self-harm is also discussed, and I thought it was described in a realistic, respectful manner. Ivy eventually seeks assistance with her mental health. The message of hope the author creates with Ivy’s journey is beautiful and uplifting. There are a lot of secondary characters whom I feel are waiting on their own stories. I was intrigued by the football team and look forward to their stories. This is my first novel by B. Celeste, and I was impressed. The author did an excellent job portraying important themes within a heart-wrenching, passionate love story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Dare You to Hate Me ARC Review
Dare You to Hate Me ARC B. Celeste Stars: 4/5 Spicy Level: 3.5/5 I received this story as an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley and really enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for a sports romance, so when I saw the second chance football romance description I knew I had to read it. The writing reminded me a lot of Kandi Steiner’s football books, so if you’re a fan of those, stick around. The story is told in dual P.O.V. and flashbacks, which can be a little hard to get the hang of, but they help flesh out Ivy’s backstory and the history between her and Aiden. I appreciated being able to see the full scope of everything, even if it took me a couple of seconds to recalibrate when things switched time periods. Ivy and Aiden’s story is a second chance, best friends, with a little bit of reverse grumpy x sunshine. Ivy’s story is heartbreaking, and it makes you understand why she’s so surly, but I still occasionally wanted to throw my phone at her behavior. There are a couple of little spats between her and Aiden in the beginning that had me just shaking my head. And while they were frustrating, I do feel like Aiden and Ivy both reacted/behaved realistically. Ivy has had a crappy life, and she’s trying to come back from that when she and Aiden end up at the same university. I love that Aiden instantly wants Ivy back in his life, and is willing to put in the work to win her back, even if he doesn’t always handle things the best way. They struggle sometimes with communicating, but they both mean well and slowly start to work through their problems. The idea of fate is woven throughout the narrative, and Aiden admits a couple of times that he’s grateful things went poorly in his past if it meant he could find Ivy, and support her now. It gives a red string of fate vibe, and I’m a romantic at heart and love it. The one thing I always love about sports romance is the community that comes with having a team. Aiden’s teammates start looking out for Ivy the second they realize how much he cares about her, and it’s really sweet, albeit they’d drive me crazy if it happened to me kind of way. Honestly, the way they start sitting with Ivy in class, heckling the couple when they’re being cute, and begging Ivy to make their favorite treats is pretty on-brand for most football teams. I especially love D.J.’s character and what a good friend he is to Ivy. Aiden’s mom is also one of my favorite supporting characters. She’s acted as a second mother for Ivy throughout her life, and she gives such good advice to the kids during the story, definitely words of wisdom I took to heart. There are a couple of good spicy sex scenes in the book. Overall two actual sex scenes and two scenes where they get each other off. The main focus of their relationship isn’t sex, and that reflects in the book's focus on them strengthening their relationship in other ways. When sex happens though, the connection between Ivy and Aiden is obvious and very hot. I really enjoyed reading this book, and would highly recommend it. It’s a sports romance, but also handles a lot of serious topics which gives it some extra depth. The characters feel realistic and are all actually decent human beings (the bar is sadly so low). It was just a really great read, and I’m excited for it to be released so everyone can enjoy it. CW: attempted suicide, self harm, anxiety, depression, verbally abusive/neglectful parents, trading sex for housing
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Possibly too realistic for some
I started this one late at night, which was a huge mistake because once I was pulled in, I didn't want to stop reading. These characters are full of flaws and realistic in a way that can make you dislike them and their choices but also in a way that they're relatable. I adored each of them in their own ways, and though the book didn't have many bright moments, the ending made it all worth it. I love angst and to see characters that have truly struggled get something good at the end, so this one hit the nail on the head for me. Make sure you know going in that there are triggers in this book and that it isn't exactly happy until the towards the end.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com