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But I Hate Him

Study hard. Fall harder. A rivals-to-lovers queer YA romance, from the New York Times bestselling author of And They Were Roommates. Perfect for fans of I Kissed Shara Wheeler and Heated Rivalry.

As the heir to the most successful tutoring company in the world, Rory studies harder than anyone else and he never loses.

Except to Luca - the infuriatingly good-looking hockey player who wins every academic competition without even trying.

When Rory has a public meltdown, he sets his sights set on winning the most cutthroat academic camp in the country to salvage his reputation . . . then Luca shows up. But this time, Rory has a plan: make Luca fall in love with him - and break his heart.

As rivalry turns to romance, will Rory risk losing the competition or losing Luca?

Paperback

First published August 25, 2026

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About the author

Page Powars

4 books1,057 followers
Page Powars is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Indie bestselling author of And They Were Roommates, The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, and more coming down the line. He was raised by video game lore that requires stringboard analyses to understand. Now, he writes books for teenagers and adults. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner.

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5 stars
343 (32%)
4 stars
449 (42%)
3 stars
194 (18%)
2 stars
50 (4%)
1 star
13 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 480 reviews
Profile Image for Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading).
481 reviews139 followers
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
March 2, 2026
3.5
This was so sweet, exactly what I needed.
But I hate him is a ya romance with academic rivals to lovers and it more than delivered. I like the arc the main character goes through and it would only be better if we had an epilogue. I'm serious GIVE ME AN EPILOGUE, I want to see them happy as a couple in their university life it's a NEED.
It was a super quick read and very light-hearted. The conflict was more of the same but that's just a personal preference, I just hate miscommunication and lying. The highlight for me is that it was SO FUNNY. I rarely laugh reading books but I was audibly cackling almost every chapter, the titles killed me, I love them so much.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC.
Profile Image for labibliofille.
624 reviews25 followers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
August 14, 2026
This was my first foray into Page Powers' work, but I was so not disappointed! I love a good hockey romance, especially one rife with representation such as But I Hate Him. There's anxiety rep, loads of queer rep, and even socioeconomic difference rep all loaded within these pages, plus more I'm sure I'm unintentionally excluding. I had a fantastic time with the trials, never mind the yearning slow burn between Rory and Luca. And that ending? Perfection!
Profile Image for Pierce Samuel ✞︎ (My Girlfriend's Ver.).
96 reviews96 followers
high-priority-tbr
October 5, 2025
I loved And They Were Roomates, this is immediately going on the "High Priority TBR" lol. Someone tell me when this comes out, because your boy DOES NOT have any mainstream social media LOL
Profile Image for mads.
791 reviews591 followers
September 6, 2026
Bit of a letdown, but still cute!

I think this one suffered from being a bit too short and, as a result, literally nothing got the attention and development I thought it deserved. Like the plot of Rory's situation with his parents and how atrocious they were, which is a thread running throughout the book, never got the proper attention or closure that one would hope for. Even the romance fell victim to odd-pacing and very little closure.

That being said, I still really like Page Powars as an author and there's a lot of good about this book. I just wish the good had been expanded.
Profile Image for Cristina.
387 reviews220 followers
July 24, 2026
Let me tell you, I love a romance between dumb and dumber. Rory and Luca are so incredibly dense for some of the smartest teens in the country. They’re both flirting with a brick wall, completely misunderstanding each other. Rory having the audacity to claim Luca is oblivious, meanwhile he himself is clueless. What a dynamic. They’re actually so adorable.

I was honestly taken off guard by how sweet Rory was. Because of his upbringing, I assumed he would be a more conflicting character. Someone with a superiority complex and an inclination toward ruthlessness. Especially since the entire plot surrounds this plan to break Luca’s heart so he can beat him in the competition. And yet, he can’t even go through with it. Rory has so much pressure placed on his shoulders by his parents, and he feels like he must fill a certain role to make them proud. But he doesn’t actually want any of it. He’s just a boy who loves astronomy and has a hard time connecting with others. However, despite his lack of social skills he ends up becoming a uniting force for his cabin mates. As well as someone Luca can lean on.

Luca is completely mischaracterized by Rory at first, and it was nice to slowly see the truth of him. Luca is an incredibly intelligent kid, but his main love is hockey. He doesn’t come from wealth like Rory and the other campers. He works hard to avoid placing the burden of paying for his future on his mom. Even though they had such a rocky start, I think Luca and Rory bring out the best in each other. Luca really grounded Rory and taught him how to loosen up. And Rory affirmed Luca, assuaging his imposter syndrome.

I love queer and trans joy + love! This was an adorable romance with lovable characters and a heartfelt coming of age focus. I thought the Brain camp element was really unique and fun, making this a great summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC!
Profile Image for Bethany Hall.
1,212 reviews47 followers
March 26, 2026
Thank you @macmillanusa for the digital copy to review!

This book by @pagepowars was a perfect book to read during the #TransRightsReadathon! Luca and Rory were literally everything to me. I *LOVED* their rivalry and chemistry and banter and cute moments. But also, the initial meeting we see them at had me gasping 😅😅😅.

I also have to say, I still think Page is writing the funniest YA books right now. The chapter titles alone sent me into oblivion. I was reading this while getting my hair done and I couldn’t stop giggling.

The dynamic between Rory, our main character and storyteller, and Luca, his “enemy” and pseudo love interest was so much freaking fun. I *KNEW* about Luca but oh my god was it so great to watch Rory figure it out too. Their ice skating date? The stars? The work on Luca’s project?? I’m so in love with them.

Anyway I don’t want to spoil the goodness but trust me - this one is fantastic. I already preordered my signed copy (you can too!) and can’t wait to tell Page how much I loved it.
Profile Image for BookishKB.
1,576 reviews425 followers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
March 5, 2026
💔📚 But I Hate Him 📚💔

This was a cute queer YA romcom!

It’s a fairly short and easy to read romance. The antics between the different teams trying to sabotage each other were genuinely funny. I also really liked the competitive camp setting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

🏳️‍🌈What to Expect
• Academic rivals
• Queer YA romcom
• Academic camp
• Overachiever MMC
• Hockey player MMC
• Enemies to lovers
_ _ _ _
⭐ Final Score: 3.75 Stars
📅 Pub Date: August 25, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
Profile Image for nicole.
24 reviews
September 6, 2026
i would say these are hours of my life im never getting back. but i listened to the audiobook of this so thankfully at least i was able to do something while listening. i dont know if i would be able to read this word by word with my full attention without giving it up.

two stars feels a bit generous, but one stars seems unfair because there are definitely worse books out there. so let’s say 1.5 stars.

first of all, rory was insufferable. i get the character who is obsessed with school and doing well because i was like that too, but the main character has to have SOME sympathetic traits. rory didnt really have much, so i couldnt find it in me to root for him. i know the author was probably trying to make him dislikeable so we would grow to like him, but in the end there was nothing to like. luca was fine, although his character felt a little flat.

some other things i had an issue with. why were the characters acting like luca was the only one who deserved to win? like what if other characters were poor and we didnt know lol or had some other issue. we only had cabin omega’s backstories really. also why were we acting like luca’s reasons for wanting to win the medal noble or something? at the end of the day, nobody NEEDS to get into an ivy league lol. ofc, i do think he deserves it more than the the other chars we learned ab it in terms of needing the scholarship, but needing an ivy league specifically is just not necessary. and we don’t seem to ever address that.

the characters had no chemistry. tbh i see the argument for rory/benedict more. but still, i dont feel ANY friendship was developed well between ANY of the characters.

plot felt tighter than and then they were roommates, so i’ll give it that. but at the end of the day, the plot was BORING. even for me, a former academic overachiever

one small thing that doesnt affect my rating, but that i must say as a programmer — i get the comedy of the scene where the robot is accidentally named luca, but i promise u if they were able to code all of that, it’d be super easy to code a name override
Profile Image for Brianna Willis.
344 reviews5 followers
June 3, 2026
Shane and Ilya in a different font and I loved it so much!!
Profile Image for Alyssa.
927 reviews47 followers
Did Not Finish
September 30, 2026
I technically finished this book, but it was more so flipping through the pages.

I was hooked in the beginning, but once he got to camp it sort of died down.

This was a cute novel, but something about it I couldn’t get very invested.

I think there was too much focus on camp and the other characters than building up Rory and Luca’s relationship. There was a lot of inner thoughts of Rory thinking he hated Luca and it kind of got repetitive. I liked them together, but not enough to sit down and really read every word.

I actually really liked Benedict! Honestly, he might’ve been my favorite. I felt for him at the end, though it ended up being okay. What he said to Rory was so true, I’m glad he said it.

I think if I focused less on it, the education portion of it I would’ve cared more. It just kind of felt a little bit more tell than show their feelings for each other. It almost didn’t make sense to me that Luca liked Rory the entire time because he didn’t really know him. Sure they were at a lot of the same events and yes, Luca said he was watching Rory and saw a different side of him when he thought no one was watching, but it still wasn’t super believable that he had feelings for him all that time, but never said anything. It was a little abrupt Rory’s switch up from not liking Luca to liking him, but I could excuse it a little bit because I always felt that he did secretly like him. He just got upset that he kept beating him in that competitions.

I know the whole premise was supposed to be done competing and being at camp but again like I said there was just too many scenes where the focus was only on that and not showing them to get to know each other better to make the love story more believable.

I thought they said I love you too fast. I hate to say it, but they kinda seem like one of those couples that won’t stay together long-term. It would maybe work out when they were younger, but I can’t see them together forever. Which you don’t want when you’re reading a romance novel.

There were some funny scenes in there that I chuckled at, but overall either this was too young for me or just wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.

I did like the chapter titles!
Profile Image for Drew's ambitious reading.
935 reviews
September 22, 2026
WHY DIDN'T I READ THIS EARILER THIS YEAR?! I had an arc of this from Yallwest which was in april and holy moly this was such a quick and fun read! I love a good summer camp setting as well as a book with short chapters!! These two characters are perfect for each other enemies to lovers trope! Yes plz. I'm over here kicking myself for not reading this sooner but happy I did because it's my own book club pick for September! A solid 4 star read! Happy I bought a finished copy already!!


*My actual review for But I hate Him*

Before we begin this review I wanted to say thank you to the publisher and Netgalley as well as Yallwest for sending me an e-arc copy & I got a physical copy at Yallwest how cool?!!!

Tell me why it took me till after publication to read this book?! I read it in 2 days cause of how short the chapters are and omg it was so good and so funny too! I didn't realized that this book was about hockey and set at a summer camp, so that was a fun combination! I love how it was also M/M love story even though our main character is trans! Loved the trans rep in here and so happy I picked this book for my own book club queerreads it going to be a fun discussion!!
I read this one while I was sick and let me tell you it made me laugh so hard my chest was hurting cause I was deling with a cold and still am as I'm typing this review out. I loved how rory stood up to his parents for being trans and trying to live the way he wants to live that was a powerful moment in the story. I would say all the math equations I didn't understand cause math isn't my strong suite for me plus I read this while I was sick so it just went over my head. Lol

Overall I really enjoyed this novel it was fun and funny fast pace too and totally worth reading because of the trans rep, and it got me out of a reading slump so yay Page Powars!!! Also it was my first novel by the author and I'm excited to check other things out by them! Four out of five stars
Profile Image for Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany).
2,945 reviews4,769 followers
Read
September 2, 2026
A rivals to lovers queer YA rom-com with a very messy protagonist who behaves badly along the way. Rory is a nerdy trans boy with big dreams and a ton of pressure from his brilliant parents. So when he loses to the smart but easygoing Luca, he loses it in a very public way and subsequently loses the opportunity to attend a prestigious summer program. Trying to save face, his parents send him to an academic camp where who should show up? None other than his rival Luca. But this time, Rory is determined to win at any cost, even tricking Luca into falling in love with him...

I applaud the author for having such a messy protagonist, though for some readers the bad behavior might be a little much for him to come back from with a romantic interest. I'm a little on the fence about it, but I also think teens make mistakes and it's good for them to see the potential for repair. The audio narration is done pretty well. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. all opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Sindu.
503 reviews25 followers
August 27, 2026
Sweet and charming YA novel!

“I always liked you because of who you are when you think I’m not watching,” Luca goes on. “And what you tried to hide when you knew I was.”

But I Hate Him has all the elements of a Page Powars novel! It's got the effervescent charm of a YA story, the journey of self-discovery and growth, and a sweet romance to top it all off!

I love the way this book was set in a camp that removed the outside world to get to the core of who these characters were. Without his parents around or a phone to keep him connected to the public, Rory is finally able to just be himself. He doesn't have to perform for an audience and he gets to stumble and make mistakes and figure out exactly who he is.

This was a slow, methodical unraveling of Rory's carefully constructed, public image and what we end up with is a flawed, real human who's so relatable. Through science projects, pranks and just teenage shenanigans, Rory builds a community around himself that he never would have found otherwise. This mishmashed group was the heart of this story but it wouldn't be what it is without Luca.

After years of rivalry, Rory finally gets to see Luca for exactly who he is. A passionate, lovable human who has an epic crush on Rory. From stargazing to hockey, these two found ways to combine their interests and truly connect with one another. Though this is primarily Rory's story, his love for Luca is really what brings this story full circle.

I adored this story so much! The only thing that would have made this better is an epilogue but I still like the way this ended. This is a sweet, charming story of finding yourself and learning to love who you are, even if it's not the perfection you imagined it'd be.
Profile Image for Emily G.
623 reviews32 followers
August 5, 2026
A rivals to lovers sabotage of the heart.

This, like and they were roommates, is a sweet queer YA novel. It's light-hearted, funny, full of shenanigans and clueless boys who haven't a clue when it comes to feelings.

Luca is a part time hockey player part time genius, Rory, is academic royalty and the face of his families tutoring brand. They have been rivals for years, and Rory 'hates' Luca, or so he thinks. When the two end up competing for a prestigious award at summer camp, they both have differing motives but the same goal.

The sabotage attempts, found family rep, and growth in this book were wonderful to read. We see Rory come to terms with what he wants, rather than what's expected from him.

A lovely YA novel with a splash of hockey. (there's a scene where they're on the ice together that I loved). I found this funny, wholesome and enjoyable to read. The audiobook was brilliant and the narrator did a great job at delivering the characters.

Thankyou to the publisher for an ALC and EArc!
Profile Image for julia.
353 reviews31 followers
September 5, 2026
oh to be the heir to a tutoring franchise and forced to go to smart kid camp with your rival and your roommates are a hand model and two gay girls and a rat named big papa huge time
Profile Image for Victoria | Victoriabooklover ✨.
389 reviews106 followers
April 28, 2026
Cuuuuuute.

The relationship felt a tiny bit forced but other than that I liked it a lot! Rory and Luca are full of miscommunication but adorable el.

A huge fan of the trans man x cis man relationship, I need more!
Profile Image for Joseandbooks.
240 reviews5 followers
July 28, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Page Powars for the advance audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up because the premise screamed rivals-to-lovers, and I was excited to dive into a messy, emotional romance. While I enjoyed parts of the story, it didn’t quite deliver what I was expecting.

My biggest issue was that the rivalry felt very one-sided. Rory spends so much of the book disliking Luca, while Luca is mostly just…existing. Because of that, the romance never fully clicked for me. There also weren’t enough meaningful moments between the two of them, so when their relationship finally progressed, it felt a little rushed and underdeveloped. I also found myself much less invested whenever the focus shifted to Rory’s camp friends and the secondary romance.

That said, I did appreciate the humor, the summer camp setting, and the discussions around identity and self-discovery woven throughout the story. Even when I wasn’t completely invested in the romance, those moments gave the book heart.

The audiobook was definitely the highlight for me. Joshua Waters gave a wonderful performance, bringing personality and emotion to the characters, and his narration kept me engaged even during the slower parts of the story.

Overall, this one just wasn’t the right fit for me, but I can absolutely see why so many readers are connecting with it. If you’re interested in a YA queer romance with themes of identity, friendship, and growth, it’s still worth checking out—especially in audiobook format.
Profile Image for Ally.
409 reviews523 followers
August 18, 2026
Got an arc through Libro.FM

Page Powars has done it again! I love his books, I know they’ll be the exact fun I need to laugh until I almost cry and this delivered. Also, I’m so glad kids are gonna have a book like this because if it hit this hard for me at my grown age of 30, I know it’s gonna hit harder for teenagers actively in the throes of intense academic and personal/familial pressure. To those kids I say, you are worth so much more than what your parents want you to be, so come over here, take a break, and have a laugh with Big Papa Huge Time, the rat who steals the show in every chapter he’s in.
3 reviews
September 10, 2026
I had high expectations for this book, but I was disappointed in its execution. I love an unlikable main character, but Rory was just so self centered and whiny. I kept on hoping that at some point the narrator would switch POVs just so that I didn’t have to be in his head any longer. On the flip side, Luca is such a ray of sunshine that he didn’t feel like a real person. It felt like Powars put no effort into developing his character, or giving him his own internal world or motivations.

The side characters were also incredibly underdeveloped and unrealistic. This book feels like it’s supposed to have themes of found family, but there was no chemistry between Rory and his cabin mates. They don’t seem to grow together as friends or aid in each other’s character growth.

Luca forgives Rory wayyy too quickly. Rory spends weeks committing psychological war crimes, as well as REAL CRIMES against Luca and then he forgives him for literally NO REASON. It was hard to root for the two of them because Rory was so unlikable that it didn’t feel like he deserved Luca. Though I don’t think this book needed to be any longer, I wish the third act conflict went on for a little bit longer so that Rory could have a chance to earn Lucas forgiveness and grow as a character.

I also took issue with the way that Rory’s transness was portrayed. As a trans person, I don’t see myself in his character at all because his transness is barely spoken about or explored. I don’t know how Rory feels about being trans, I don’t know how it works into his identity or sense of self. It’s spoken about so little that it feels like the trans label was just slapped onto this character for the sake of representation, with no thought given to how this would impact him as a person. Just another example of how little effort was put into developing any of these characters and making them feel like real people with their own rich inner worlds.
Profile Image for Quilted.reads.
565 reviews22 followers
March 20, 2026
I went into this already knowing I love Page Powars writing And They Were Roommates completely had my heart last year and somehow this one still surprised me. But I Hate Him was everything I wanted and more. I literally binged it in a day because I could not put it down.This story follows Rory, who is basically academic royalty. He’s been raised to be perfect top of his class, no mistakes, always winning because anything less means disappointing his parents. And for the most part, he does win except when it comes to Luca Melendez. Luca is effortlessly good at everything, including beating Rory in every academic competition, and it drives Rory insane. After a very public meltdown (yes involving a smoothie), Rory’s reputation takes a hit, and he becomes determined to win it all at this elite academic camp called BRAIN.But when Luca shows up too, Rory decides on a new strategy: make Luca fall for him and then break his heart before the final competition.And obviously, things do not go the way he plans.What I loved so much about this book is how it takes that classic rivals to lovers energy and adds so much more to it. It’s not just tension and banter (though there’s plenty of that) it’s also about pressure, identity, and what it means to be seen for who you really are outside of expectations. Rory’s need to be perfect and the way that slowly unravels felt so real, especially when mixed with feelings he doesn’t want to admit.
Also, the chemistry was insane. The banter, the slow shift from enemies to something softer, the emotional moments that sneak up on you it all just hits. I was rooting for them so hard even when Rory was being well, Rory.And I think it’s really important to talk about why books like this matter especially during something like the trans rights readathon. Stories like this center queer and trans joy, messiness, growth, and love in a way that feels human and relatable, not just “issue based.” Seeing characters exist fully being competitive, petty, soft, ambitious, and in love matters. It reminds people that trans stories deserve to be celebrated in every genre, including romcoms.This book isn’t just fun (though it absolutely is) it’s meaningful. It gives space for identity, for self acceptance, and for complicated emotions, all wrapped in a story that will have you hooked from start to finish.I loved this so much. if you read And They Were Roommates, you need to pick this one up.LOVED.
Profile Image for Montes.
175 reviews6 followers
August 31, 2026
If there’s truly a thin line between love and hate, then this book is the prime example. Rory, by his own definition, has been programmed by his parents to only succeed for the benefit of their company and Luca Melendez has been his direct competition for the past three years, always managing to take the first place. After an unfortunate incident at JSHS involving Luca and Rory’s smoothie, the only place that would allow Rory to attend is BRAIN for which at the end, the winner of the Medal of Victory wins admission to the Ivy of their choice and scholarship money. There’s only one problem, Luca is also there, charming as ever and everyone’s camp crush.

Rory and Luca are in miscommunication central. Rory, in his competitive bubble, completely misinterpreted every single compliment and flirtation Luca sent his way and poor Luca has just been yearning from a distance. At first, their interactions were so awkward and adorable. I loved the typical romance movie scenes included in the book, with special mention to when Rory understood Luca’s sport exclusively through physics and it brought me so much nostalgia for the movie Ice Princess. I would love a bonus chapter or epilogue of their relationship in college.

Christiana, Jade and Benedict made for an amazing found family. Christiana and Jade and their push and pull with their attraction and relationship had my heart. I’m very glad that, along with Rory, they were able to recognize their privilege and understand that some people were in camp for more than just contacts or bragging rights but that they actually needed the assistance.

I have always been intrigued by Page Powars’ books, the covers are always so beautiful. I’m so glad that But I Hate Him was the first one I read and will now go on to read his past publications and will be sure to look out for his next books.

Thank you to Page Powars, Macmillan and Colored Pages Book Tours for providing me with an eARC and a physical ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lara.
110 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2026
I was so disappointed with this book unfortunately. It really missed the mark for me and maybe especially on the hockey aspect because I thought with the love interest Luca you know being a hockey player (and hockey sticks and skates being on the cover) that it would play a bigger theme. But it truly didn’t, like we barely got anything at all hockey related except one or two scenes of Luca practicing his slapshots. I wanted more hockey that’s a big reason I wanted to read this. And this book is tagged as sports book which obviously is incorrect. So I honestly felt a little cheated.

Some other aspects that I didn’t like was the writing I just wasn’t a big fan of it, felt a little bit lack luster.
Rory was an annoying main character I kind of don’t like him. He was just so judgy and like made assumptions so quickly. I know it’s part of his character development but damn it was just too much. Also so oblivious- listen I like when two characters clearly like eachother but don’t realise it but everyone else does. Normally that is a fun trope but it just wasn’t well executed here and it think it was due to how Rory was written. Rory was so set on believing that Luca was trying to sabotage him or that Luca was constantly implying that he was stupid or something like that (which Luca was not he was clearly flirting which even I could tell.) It was just annoying. For that reason we also never really get to know Luca he is kind of two dimensional and I would have liked to know more about him and his struggles. Rory also seemed to go for the extreme like his response to believing that Lucas cabin had stolen Omega cabins bed sheets were to BREAK HIS HEART?
I know it’s in the description for this book but not for this being part of the reason. That’s a bit fucked up no? Over some stolen bedsheets. AND THEN HE BURNS LUCAS CABIN DOWN. Granted by accident but like they could have killed someone and they don’t get any consequences whatsoever for property damage? And the police wasn’t called either? Like I can suspend my disbelief but come on now. Rory also should replace Lucas hockey gear that was destroyed because that shit is expensive and Luca is not rich like Rory is.
They also did not feel guilty enough for burning something down. How did none of them feel SICK with guilt??? I don’t understand.

Also and this is just a thought I had, and a subject that this book also could have very easily explored. Is that Luca seemed to have no worries what so ever about how the very real problem that the NHL has with homophobia would seriously affect him. Like isn’t Luca worried about being a queer person and entering that world of hockey. But to be fair I guess we don’t even know for sure if he wants to go to the NHL (because at the end we didn’t really GET TO KNOW HIM) but like he literally going to uni for hockey so we can assume yes he wants to go to the NHL. Just felt like a thing that was completely ignored.


Ok so here are some of the things I did like about this book and why it is not a one star. First is Benedict I think he was my favourite even though we didn’t get a lot of him. I think his character could have been explored more and it would have given this story more depth. I felt like I could tell a lot about him just by the books that Benedict was reading and obviously I felt sympathy for him because he has unrequited feelings for Rory. So Benedict for the win and I wish we could have gotten more of you.
I also did love the chapter titles. We so rarely get them anymore especially silly ones.
I also love the cover of course it is absolutely beautiful.

I maybe just think that Page Powers books are not for me. I read his first book which I have no memory of at all and I do have his second book which I started but had to put away to read for another time because the love interest was insufferable- like truly. But like now I might not even bother with it at all, which is a shame.
I’m just so bummed because I wanted to like this book and was excited about hockey.
Profile Image for iam.
1,343 reviews163 followers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
August 23, 2026
Super fun YA romance with a trans protagonist and a competitive summer camp!

I had a lot of fun with this book. Rory is a genius, regularly takes part if academic/science competitions, and he is the face of his parents' tutoring business. The one thing in his life that doesn't align is how Luca keeps beating him at the competitions they both go to. When Luca also shows up at the lastest science competition summer camp that is Rory's last resort after a humiliating loss, Rory is ready to do anything to make sure he wins this time, including sabotage and manipulation.

Following the shenanigans at the camp, the pranks/sabotages and how oblivious Rory was in regards to how the people around him view him was very entertaining and really well done. It also got quite real in regards to parental expectations and privilege at times, even though I wouldn't say this was a heavy or dark book. That said, I think it could have gone a bit more in depth in those aspects, and the ending was a bit short too.

The romance was quite lovely, and I think Rory was being just obstinate and oblivious enough to create tension but never veered into the too much territory.

Rory being trans was never a plotpoint or center of conflict, which I found refreshing.

Overaall a lovely animosity-to-lovery YA romance!

I received and ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Profile Image for ♡ Ivy ♡.
60 reviews
September 27, 2026
In classic Page Powars fashion, this book is full of humor, yearning, and enough secondhand embarrassment to want to bury yourself in.

As much as I love an insufferable pov character, Rory stressed me out more than I was prepared for, at least for the first 100 pages or so. Once we got more on-page Luca scenes (and actual ice time), this became a much more enjoyable read for me. Speaking of Luca, I think that it was a disservice to market this as a hockey romance; I went into this book expecting more hockey content than we got. But I loved the Celebrini mention as a Sharks fan lol 🦈

I also wish we got about 10-20 pages more at the end to wrap up loose ends; I'm left feeling like the story is still unfinished. And can I say that I'd literally pay for a Benedict story? 👀

All of that said, I still had a lot of fun with this story! While not my favorite Powars book, it delivered the humor, gay trans joy, and sweetness that I know I can expect from his work. I recommend this to anyone who wants a one-sided academic rivalry and idiots-to-lovers 💖
Profile Image for Ann .
348 reviews26 followers
August 26, 2026
Okay this is a really cute book that I liked way more than I expected too going in! As an adult reading YA I know I’m not the target audience but this one is so funny, cute, and swoon worthy.

Rory Prince has always been the Picture Perfect Child to his parents and the face of their business, but puts his whole future at risk when he loses his cool in a competition against his arch rival, Luca (who is also a great hockey player, NBD). With no recourse left to stay Ivy League Bound, Rory agrees to go compete in an elite academic competition, only to find Luca is also there.

A funny queer love story with trans rep that is centered around two lovable characters and funny moments. Definitely will appeal to anyone who (like me) was once into any type of competitive academics (former mathlete right here). Thanks so much to Colored Pages Book Tour for the gifted copy!
Profile Image for Aun.
10 reviews
September 7, 2026
Reads like a wattpad original but its cute

But actually I find it kind of tragic that this is some of the only explicitly trans lit ive been able to find. Characters are reduced to tropes and the plot is super predictable. I appreciate that this author is writing queer literature but its incredibly inconsequential to the plot or character motivations. Not that all queer stories have to be tragic, especially as the few pieces of trans media that have been recognized at all are typically within the horror genre(like I saw the tv glow) and queer people deserve some happy endings in thier media but it feels like those are the only options. Either the most gut wrenching thing you've ever seen or meaningless fluff. Is it wrong of me to want some actual substance in my romance? For the fact that the main character is trans to mean something seeing as its, like, the whole of the books marketing campaign? Idk, I feel like all of the queer books ive seen advertised lately are like this with the queer aspect more of a marketing gimmick than something inherent to the work. It just kind of sucks that this is the best representation these communities get.
Profile Image for wampor.
431 reviews57 followers
September 6, 2026
where is the rest of the book. page powars i want more book. seriously tho this ending felt so abrupt that i was confused for a whole 5 minutes that yes, i actually finished the book. that's the only criticism i have because i loved it so much. i love how powars writes his characters to be annoying teenagers that are pissing me off so bad but i can't help loving them at the same time. amazing give me 14 of those. i can't wait to see what the author does next because you will always catch me reading a ya romcom if it was written by this man.
Profile Image for Ellen Rose.
108 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2026
Another excellent book by Page Powars! Thank you NetGalley for approving my request for this ARC! I am such a huge fan of Page Powars and have been dying to get my hands on this book. I read it in one sitting. Such a great read!

Everything about this book was chef’s kiss! The chapter titles were my absolute favorite. The characters in this book are so lovable and so unique. The pacing was great and the end was satisfying! I must say though, I need an epilogue! It simply cannot end like this! Also, the dedication… just yes.

I can’t wait for Page Powars’ next book!

Thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC! <3

Profile Image for Sierra Lightner.
409 reviews6 followers
Did Not Finish
July 30, 2026
21% in DNF

I can already tell where this is leading and it’s similar to And They Were Roommates where the main character is “rivals” with the other MMC but it’s honestly just one-sided and he’s mean to the love interest when the love interest literally hasn’t done anything 😀 and the main character already seems pretentious as hell so I KNOW he’s gonna piss me off, especially at a CAMP
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