September 2023 BotM - They Hate Each Other

[Kaje]

The winner this month isn't available yet in ebook in a large part of the reading area, so we will read Gwen & Art Are Not in Love as our December BotM. (sorry, folks, I didn't notice)

Second place by just one vote was They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody

Jonah and Dylan get along like oil and water. Until a fake dating ploy gives them new perspective, and they realize that “falling for your enemy” isn’t as impossible as it seems.

There are plenty of words Jonah Collins could use to describe Dylan Ramírez. “Arrogant,” “spoiled,” and “golden boy” to name a few. Likewise, Dylan thinks he has Jonah accurately labeled as an attention-seeking asshat who never shuts his filthy mouth. Their friends are convinced Jonah’s and Dylan’s disdain for one another is just thinly veiled lust—a rumor that surges like wildfire when the two wake up in one bed after homecoming. Mutually horrified, Dylan and Jonah agree to use the faux pas to their advantage by fake dating. If they can stay convincing long enough to end their “relationship” in a massive staged fight, they can prove their incompatibility to their friends once and for all. But the more time they spend together, the more their plan begins to fall apart—and the closer they come to seeing each other clearly for the first time.

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[Alcoholism in a parent
Recurring theme of child neglect
Multiple instances of underage drinking
A character copes with PTSD and panic attacks
Multiple mentions of eating habits and body image
A minor is sexually harassed by his employer (not graphic)
Use of abrasive language and explicit sexual language/innuendos
Discussion of physical abuse (some flashes in nightmares/invasive images) (hide spoiler)]

I look forward to seeing what our members think of this one. If you want to comment on something that may be a story spoiler, you can hide it by putting <*spoiler> (without the *) ahead of it, and <*/spoiler> (without the *) after it - eg. (view spoiler)[hide the info. (hide spoiler)]

[ReadToFilth]

Awesome - I just bought They Hate Each Other as an audiobook so now I have some incentive to jump it to the head of my list!

[Kaje]

Kelrick wrote: "Awesome - I just bought They Hate Each Other as an audiobook so now I have some incentive to jump it to the head of my list!"

We'd love to hear what you think of the narration too.

[Kaje]

I just finished this one - I enjoyed it quite a bit although there were a couple of moments when I expected more anger or reactions. Both young men were keeping secrets, and the slow reveal was good. I'd have liked to see Jonah struggle a bit more with the resolution to his problems, but perhaps by then he was just so ready to set his burden down. I did like how they were quite different underneath from the faces they wore.