The Valentine's Hate

by Sidney Halston

A delightful enemy to lovers/fake engagement rom-com themed around Valentine's Day! Jennifer Lopez's movie Marry Me meets Erin Sterling's holiday themed The Ex Hex.

Cupid only strikes once. At least that's what Lissette Alonso believes. Ever since the Most Disastrous Valentine's Day of All Time(TM) she has hated all things V-day. But Lizzie's best friend is having pre-nuptial festivities for a week leading up to her February 14th wedding and Lissette is taking her maid of honor duties seriously, maybe too seriously. Of course of course of course who is the first person she runs into on the way to the wedding? None other than her childhood nemesis, Brian Anderson, the reason for all of her Valentine's Day hatred.

Brian knows he messed up with Lizzie but give him a break, he was just a kid who was trying to look cool and Lizzie regularly pushed all of his buttons--both in school and out of it. He's always been gruff and grumpy, but these days, Brian is much better off with his writing; fictional characters never talk back. Unlike Lizzie who always has something to say.

Suddenly the two are back under the same roof and bickering like old times, except that Brian has bigger problems than dealing with Lizzie's verbal sparring. Someone Brian is desperate to avoid shows up and somehow Lizzie gets roped into pretending to be dating him. And, suddenly, the simmering anger has blossomed into something extra spicy...

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, Contemporary, Fake Dating, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2022

About the author

Jeanette Escudero worked as an attorney before picking up a pen at thirty years old to write something other than legal briefs. Being published fulfilled a dream and gave her an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side. Writing as Sidney Halston, she is the USA Today bestselling author of the Panic series, the Worth the Fight series, the Iron-Clad Security novels, and the Seeing Red duet. In addition to writing and reading, Jeanette has a passion for travel and adventure. She and her family have been to the Galapagos Islands and have hiked Yellowstone, the Shenandoah mountains, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents, she currently lives in South Florida with her husband and her three children, in whom she’s instilled a love of nature and an appreciation for the planet. For more information visit www.sidneyhalston.com.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Cute holiday themed, “enemies to lovers” trope rom-com, a bit more spicy 🌶️🌶️ than I personally care for but still enjoyed this fairly quick and easy read

[Jennifer Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Is it appropriate to just yell and call it a review? Because it was so good, all my brain wants to pump out is incoherent yelling with a “go read it” thrown in for color.

Lizzie, I LOVE her sooo much!! She is kick ass, no nonsense amazing, with kindness for everyone around her. I officially want to be her when I grow up. ( Not that I plan on growing up, ever.)

Now Brian, on the other hand, is my new book boyfriend. AND I’M NOT SHARING!! He is everything you could want in a character: kind, reserved, honest, and faithful. Making him a writer is like adding hot fudge to your favorite ice cream. It was good without it, but with…. *fans face* I am weak in the knees now!

My only hangups are on the POV switching mid chapter. However, I’m sure this will be corrected before publishing. Regardless, it does not change the fact that this will be one tuff book to beat in 2023!!!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The Valentine's Hate is an enemies to lovers romance and that just so happens to be one of my favorite tropes. In this story the two lead characters met as kids and immediately got off on the wrong foot and things seem to go from bad to worse as they grow up. I loved the flashbacks to all the incidents that kept adding fuel to the fire. That proper development of the backstory went a long way in keeping me invested at the potential of a romantic pairing.

Lissette Alonso is not a fan of Valentine's Day but her best friend has selected that date for her wedding, and there's no way she can miss this for the world. Crazy coincidence but Lissette's childhood nemesis, Brian Anderson, just happens to be on the same plane as her and he is staying at the same resort the nuptials will take place at. Uh, oh. Having not seen each other in years they fall right back into their bickering routine. Oddly enough, they can't go their separate ways just yet as Brian has a bit of a favor to ask of Lissette.

I did feel like there was a good amount of chemistry between the two lead characters. While I found Brian's career as a writer interesting at times, I wasn't really into any of the scenes involving publicity or the actress. Between that and some of the wedding related stuff, there seemed to be filler added to the book that detracted from an otherwise good romance. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book but I think some finetuning would have done wonders to the overall story.

A decent read if you like a light and easy romance with some steam.

Thank you to Avon Books for sending me a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

[angelpompom · Rating 3 out of 5]

the valentine’s hate by sidney halston three and a half stars

💋childhood enemies to lovers
💋no strings attached
💋mmc-glasses x rock n’ roll shirts (also an author)
💋fake dating/engagement
💋valentine’s day
💋cancun resort setting
💋dual pov

**something of a hallmark movie but book form with spice**

I like this mostly but he says/thinks “she not like the other girls”🙄 oh and he’s blonde but brunette😱🤣 our fmc is cuban tho💓 the characters are extremely long and go on and on for like the whole day👀 could easily be short characters especially since there is mid-chapter pov switches. In my point of view, the switching pov’s could be a new chapter🤷🏼‍♀️ oh and there’s third act(well kinda since they are “fake” dating)/miscommunication bc the fmc is (acting) stupid😅 I still enjoyed it so four three and a half stars it is💅🏻

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the review copy!

Enemies to lovers romance: they were next-door neighbors as kids and hated each other all through middle and high school. When they run into each other as adults, they still push each others' buttons, but they might be able to help one another out... *Cue the fake-dating & forced-proximity tropes*

Unfortunately, this one really did not do it for me. Both of the main characters were irritating as hell. Brian especially came off like a smarmy dick most of the time (and not in an endearing but-he's-secretly-a-softie kind of way). The sex scenes were awkward, and just in general the way sex and bodies were talked about in this book was really crude and off-putting. I generally like when romance authors just say things directly instead of being flowery about it, but it came across like weird locker room talk sometimes, maybe because I didn't buy the attraction between the characters.

I also thought the timeline from them being frenemies to frenemies-with-benefits to falling-in-love was absurdly rushed (they fall in love over like 3 days). And of course, the whole thing blows up because of a dumb miscommunication that then becomes even bigger because no one talks to one another like adults. 🙄

Skip this one and watch 13 Going on 30 instead.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. At least this book was short, because it didn’t have anything in it that was working for me. I did not care for Lisette at all. She reads the worst into every situation with Brian and cuts and runs any time she can’t deal with something. The romance between her and Brian left me feeling all cringey, and this is one of the few times where I’ve read a romance novel and I wish there was more detail in the sex scenes because they all felt like hop on c**k moments. The storyline with Violet just felt icky, instead of like a romantic rival. The book had several token scenes where the protagonists get drunk, which seems to be a contract requirement in everything I read lately, despite it never adding any benefit to the story. And if I can’t find the romance believable between the characters (I don’t) my fallback of quirky, loveable secondary characters is also pretty much shot in this book except for Rocio. Mari, too many bridezilla moments. Jason, cheating ex who’s hitting on Lizzie in front of his date. Gus, sad sap pushover. Demi, one word - Instagrammer. Even the storyline jumps all over the place. Is it about Lizzie and Brian’s fake relationship? Is it about Mari’s wedding? Is it about Brian’s Invaders book convention (because let’s add a side story about a science fiction book series being made into a movie into this hot mess)? Nope. No part of this besides the length of it works for me. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Laurelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am honestly so perplexed by the good reviews. This reads like bad fan fiction. This book is full of stilted prose and odd phrasing. The author jumps from scene to scene too quickly, abandoning them unfinished. I honestly do not know how anyone finished this book. I got to 70% and couldn’t take it anymore but pushed through so that I could justifiably rate it one star. I’m just left wondering how this book got published? This was vetted by multiple professionals before it went to print, yes? And that is why I have trust issues, and that is why I read the same five romance books over and over and over again. I'm trying not to be too dramatic and give this an actual review but it's so hard.... Like, this was not a “delightful” and “cozy” enemies to lovers rom com. This was an assault to the brain. I literally could not comprehend how someone read this and gave it the green light. Like, is there something wrong with me??? Or everyone else??? My mind is fucking melting over it, I am unraveling because I cannot figure out how this got PUBLISHED by a REAL COMPANY that had a plethora of other books to choose from? I feel so betrayed because they are NOT looking out for us readers. I am not ok.

[maddie (thenmaddieread) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought I was going to like this one - and I should have! Enemies to lovers, fake dating, sign me up. But it was absolutely not a good time and I’m very sorry about that.

Lizzie and Brian grew up together, and Brian antagonized Lizzie in that way that’s actually bullying but people hand wave away as “oh he’s just a boy, maybe he likes you!” I don’t have a high tolerance for bullying romances, but I recognize that as just being not my cup of tea. The problem for me really was Brian’s absolute refusal to acknowledge his actions as being hurtful. At one point, he’s literally gaslighting Lizzie about the things he did to her in high school. That’s 100% not cool.

The whole book also feels fairly misogynistic and a little racist to me, too. Lizzie and Brian run into each other at a resort in Mexico, where Lizzie’s there for her best friend’s wedding and Brian for a fan convention type of deal for the book series he writes. Brian’s agent isn’t able to make the trip, so the resort has assigned him an attendant as an assistant, a Mexican man who mostly delivers food, speaks to Brian (a White man) in broken English, and is starstruck because his son is a big fan of Brian’s work. I did not love this. There’s also a fair amount of “not like other girls”ing here, and one of the antagonists is Lizzie’s ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, who’s vilified for being into makeup.

Anyways, this was a super disappointment. Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was SO cute the beach rom com vibes were immaculate!! such a great fast paced read, i ate this up in one sitting! i absolutely love lizzie and brian their chemistry was amazing. i’m such a sucker for fake dating and childhood enemies to lovers, and this was perfect to help me get out of a lil reading slump👀

[Mairi Swan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Childhood enemies to lovers. It was a cute little story.

[איינה · Rating 4 out of 5]

Спочатку було трохи нудно і більше 3 зірок я не дала б, але після спа 🔥🔥🔥…

[Bethany]

dnf @ 25%

I got a quarter of the way through this book, was bored and put it down, and now I could not tell you anything that happened or anything about the characters. So take that as you will.

[Shira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, sexy and heart! I had such a good time reading this it was super fast paced and fun. The fake dating and forced proximity were PERFECT.

The story follows Lizzie and Brian who have known each other and HATED each other since the second grade. They've played mean pranks on one another their whole childhood but Brian has always took it to far on Valentine's Day. They dont see eachother for years until as adults they accidentally run into eachother at a hotel in Mexico where Lizzie's best friend is getting married and where Brian is having an author event for his book series. To keep Brian's fans off his back and to keep from Lizzie's ex thinking shes a loser they decide to start fake dating.

The witty banter between the two MCs was top notch. Angsty and perfect comebacks! While I loved the MCs and their banter I really could care less for most of the other characters. The antagonist is horrible and were not really sure why she seemed to be written in a way a man would imagine a horny, older, desperate lady. The FMCs best friend was also a let down she gave the FMC advice and it wasnt good and the FMC was just like yeaaah thats bestie she sucks at advice... it was so weird.

Overall this was a quick, fun, and sexy read! I'll definitely be recommending it to my friends. Thanks so much Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Anastasia💋 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Мила та легка історія на один вечір🥰
Брайан та Ліззі знайомі ще зі школи, їх стосунки, м'яко кажучи, були не дуже. Але доля зводить їх разом і вони складають певну угоду.
С приводу головних та другорядних героїв, вони мені сподобалися, але деякі дратували, як Вайолет наприклад.
Тропи від ненависті до кохання та фейкові стосунки–це те, що я обожнюю, тож, у цілому, ця книжечка стала мені до вподоби. Ставлю 5/5⭐

[Courtney LaGamba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers. Fake dating. And childhood friends. This book was so cute! Perfect for Valentine’s Day.

[Demi Snell · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORABLE enemies to lovers - with the added bonus of fake dating and forced proximity! Doesn't get better than that!

Lizzie and Brian have not only known each other since they were in second grade but they hatted each other from the day they met which so happened to be on Valentine's Day. Brian was infamous for ruining her Valentine's day every single year, on top of the constant pranks as they grew up. All of that adding to some great sexual tension and a swoon worthy pair 10+ years later when they are forced to not only fake date but share a room for an entire weekend; all while attending events for Brian's book / movie release and Lizzie's best friends destination wedding - that is all happening at the same resort!

Lizzie is a strong and funny character that doesn't take anyone's bs, and Brian is a shy writer with a bit of social anxiety but I loved how she was able to help him through all that. I enjoyed the way they continued to challenge each other throughout the book. The banter was everything [banter is always my guilty pleasure in enemies to lovers] and this was perfectly done.

This was a supper cute and fast passed read [I devoured it in a day], it had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. I LOVED the bickering and banter between Lizzie and Brian so much and you couldn't help but fall in love with them together. He was charming, caring and Lizzie didn't stand a chance! Once you read this you'll understand why. You not only fall in love with Lizzie and Brain but you also adore her relationship with Mari and William, you even love crazy tia Lily and Demi. Sidney did a great job at making you feel like you were right there next to her characters.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes enemies to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity all wrapped up in a fun and witty story.

- Side note I had yet to read a book with a character that had my name and it was a nice surprise I wasn't expecting.

[Jonathan (Jon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙯’𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙀𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙭 𝙃𝙚𝙭.

📍 Read if you like:
• Enemies-To-Lovers
• Fake Engagement
• Forced Proximity
• Valentine’s Day

I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, but for some reason, it didn’t feel as strong in this book. I still enjoyed the story, and I loved that Brian was this famous author.

This book starts with a flashback that explains why Lizzie doesn’t love Valentine’s Day. She also becomes a maid of honor to her best friend, Mariana, and therefore takes a flight to Cancun, Mexico for the wedding… which is also where Brian is - aka the reason she hates the holiday.

I felt “the beauty and the geek” vibes from this book and I enjoyed that aspect. I love how the characters start a fake engagement and I loved the sweetness between the two.

Although this book is a quick/short read, it’s full of some steamy moments!

My biggest issue with the book itself was the miscommunication. That’s a trope I dislike so much and the whole past could’ve been prevented if the characters would’ve communicated about it.

Overall, I enjoyed the quirky characters. Brian was my favorite. I loved the enemies-to-lovers and fake engagement tropes. Also, there were some sweet moments mixed in with those spicy scenes. I enjoyed the holiday book overall, it’s a great Valentine’s read!

Thank you Avon Books for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review!

[Alison James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! This book was full of so many great tropes: enemies to lovers, fake dating, second chance romance, forced proximity.

The main characters were perfection. You have Lizzie who is a bad ass, strong woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone. And then there is Brian who is the introvert with social anxiety, he’s such a sweet guy who has a big heart but often gets misunderstood because of his anxiety.

the banter between them was perfect. A lot of times with enemies to lovers books I get annoyed or bored of the banter. But Halston, did such a great job of writing it and making it playful and fun that it only added to the story.

I understand both sides of why they had issues together as kids. Brian was going through a really rough time when he first moved to Miami after his parents death. Lizzie wasn’t aware of this so she was just trying to be nice to the new kid but he was hurting and took it out on her. And from there it just became a lot of miscommunication between them. So when they finally talk about it all and get clarity, they are able to see how great they are together.

The scene on Valentine’s Day where Brian made an effort to make up for all the past ones he messed up for Lizzie was so sweet and wholesome. He never intentionally ruined them for her, but

I was gutted when Lizzie found out about the “kiss” between Brian and Violet. Since it is Dual POV, we as the reader knew what really happened. But reading it from Lizzie’s perspective was hard. To her, he was just another guy who lead her on and cheated. And when the fight or flight response kicked in, her default reaction was to run.

I think the ending was handled really beautifully. Brian was equally hurt because Lizzie ran without giving him the benefit of the doubt and listening to him. But after some time thinking he realized that he needed to fight for the woman he loved. He got on a plan to London and wrote an ending to his book that showed how much he loved her. Brian is one of my new favorite book boyfriends.

I was not a big fan of the POV switching mid chapter, I wish it would just go to another chapter. Hopefully this will be fixed before the final publication.

[Literally Booked Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 37/100
💫Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance/Rom-Com
🌹🌹🌹🌹
This was a quick and fun read with all the banter and spice to make everything nice😉
Enemies to lovers trope and fake dating/engagement that was very well paced. Lizzie and Brian go way back, and they run into each other unexpectedly at a resort. With so much history behind them, she still feels that resentment towards him. They end up needing each other and then the story unravels! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
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[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was ok for me. I wasn’t a fan of the pov switches in the middle of the chapters and it made them way longer than they should have been.

It was a super quick read and I’m not usually a fan of the fake dating trope which didn’t help. The romance in this one felt kinda rushed and not super believable either. Lizzie and Brian both had their own issues but I did end up liking them together and thought they had good chemistry. There was of course some miscommunication which I hate but I did love how it all came together.

Thank you to Avon for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read at least one Valentine’s Day themed romance this year, and I simply couldn’t resist this cover and title!

It had cute moments. It follows two childhood nemeses both unexpectedly at the same resort in Cancun, Mexico—Lizzie attending a wedding and Brian promoting his book.

With Brian the root of Lizzie’s hatred towards Valentine’s Day, the bickering was definitely playful and sweet as they land themselves in a fake dating situation. Lots of forced proximity fun!

But the transition from enemies to lovers didn’t flow well for me. It was a bit rushed, the conflict feeling overly exaggerated. And the open-door language used was … just not for me.

(heat level: a few open-door scenes, explicit details)

[Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

putting this couple at the top of my “would break up after the end of the book” list

[Allie | booked.with.allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! I went in totally blind, regrettably thinking I wasn’t going to like it. But the more I read, the more I definitely changed my tune! This book has tension, childhood enemies-to-lovers, a tropical resort setting, and to top it off - fake dating turned fake engagement! It has a best friend’s wedding, a jealous ex-boyfriend dating the groom’s sister, and an epic dystopian book convention with adoring fans. The main character is also a kickass Latina who knows what she wants and goes for it.

I really loved watching the friendship/relationship between Lizzie and Brian evolve. Though they definitely had their petty fights throughout the story, they worked through their problems turning their fake relationship into something resembling something real.

I think this book was available as ‘Read Now’ on NetGalley a few months back and had a cute cover that caught my attention. I haven’t really seen many people talking about it, but I definitely recommend giving this book a chance!

[☆Mel☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Ella era su Lizzie, su hogar, y dondequiera que estuviera le parecía el lugar adecuado.

—Te amo, Brian Anderson. Gracias por darnos a Gwinnie y a mí un felices para siempre.”

Me hubiera gustado que Brian se arrastrara por el perdón de Lizzie, él dejo que la pobre sufriera un mes entero pensando que no la amaba. Solo le mando el libro, fue a verla y todo se solucionó así.

En fin, me gustaron Lizzie y Brian pero no sentí tanta conexión con ninguno. Igual el libro está bueno para pasar el rato.

[makayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, perfect for Valentine's Day! I wasn't a fan of the long chapters, changed pov in the middle of chapters, and Brian's story arc which is why I gave it a 3. I also didn't find myself connecting to the characters and it felt very rushed. I liked the fake dating storyline and still found this enjoyable though!

[Elizabeth McFarland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some cute and funny moments. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers and the fake dating tropes. The sex scenes were great and the characters were likable, but overall it was just okay. I found myself skimming through parts and a little bored.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Mandy (Bookishlove85) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super short, enemies to lovers, Valentine’s Day read. I liked the setting and story premise. There was a bit of spice, but like with a lot of romance books, the miscommunication ruined part of it.

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fifth grade reading level smut……I guess anyone really can write a book

[Emily Wiebold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect Valentine’s Day book!

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely freaking adorable. Hilarious dialogue. Compelling and lovable characters. An all around delightful RomCom.