New Yorker Molly Blum knows everything about her lifelong nemesis, Jude Stark. With their families so close, they should have been best friends. Instead, she thinks he’s a too-charming slacker, and he thinks she’s allergic to fun. After years of one-upping each other’s pranks (chocolate-dipped cat treats are not as delicious as they appear), one high school joke went too far, and they stopped speaking completely. But now that they’re supposed to help plan a massive party for their parents—together—there’s no better time to resume their war.
And it is on. Only somewhere between all the sniping and harmless hijinks, a reluctant friendship develops, along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. It might have to do with the fact that she’s been dating Jude-lookalikes and he’s been dating Molly doppelgangers. Or the fact that neither of them is nearly as horrible as they thought. All Molly and Jude know is that they’ve mastered the art of hating each other. Falling in love, on the other hand, is a whole new battlefield.
Release Date: Jul 25, 2023
Heat Level: Heat
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Imprint: Forever
Price: $10.99
Jude and Molly have always been enemies since childhood. They now keep their distance after pranking each other too many times. Their families decided to bring them back together for a celebration of both their parents.
The two start right where they left off with the pranks and humiliation tactics. But as they spend more time together, the friendship slowly builds. They discover that they may like each other more than they were willing to admit. However, once the romance kicks in, their old habits kick in. Can they stop trying to outdo one another long enough to realize that they are better off as a team?
I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, but this falls short. There is no way around it. I didn’t connect with this book the way I wanted to. This is supposed to be my jam, and almost immediately, I knew I wasn’t going to like the story. However, I held out hope because I knew the characters would make it right by the end, but sadly, they didn’t.
Jude and Molly have this intense need to one-up the other in their pranks and jokes. I think this could have been done in good taste. However, the two characters are very immature. I don’t like reading a story where the main characters are just spiteful and immature. I half expected that they would change rather quickly, but it took too long, and they still continued to act quite childish.
Overall, if you like an enemies-to-lovers romance with a lot of drama between the main characters, this is for you.
~ Samantha
Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play