Everyone knows that all’s fair in love and war. But these two will learn that sabotage is a dish best served naked.
The first standalone romance by New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard) is a sexy, compulsively readable romantic comedy that dives headlong into the thrill and doubt of modern love.
Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire.
But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?
Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants in life? Can their actor clients just be something close to human? Whether these two Hollywood love/hatebirds get the storybook Hollywood ending, or just a dramedy of epic proportions, you get to enjoy Christina Lauren’s heartfelt, hilarious story of romance in the modern world.
Goodreads
I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating: 5 Stars
On March 30, 2017 at approximately 2:40pm, my entire month was made. Sometimes as a book reviewer, you just have to be a little bit brave. A few months ago, after Christina Lauren responded on Twitter to one of my reviews, I boldly asked for an ARC of their next romance novel to review. Imagine my shock when my ballsy move was rewarded with an ARC, beautifully delivered to my Kindle yesterday afternoon.
Now, I have been a member of the Christina Lauren fan club for quite a while (if it isn’t already, this should be a thing – I will happily wear an I heart Christina Lauren sandwich board and ring a bell), however, I will also be the first to admit that the first books they wrote as a duo were a bit rough around the edges. Although the Beautiful Bastard series will always be one of my favorites in the contemporary romance genre, Bennett and Chloe’s book wasn’t as much a romance novel as it was a couple hundred pages of smoking hot hate sex. Since then, and over the course of many collaborated books, these two ladies have managed to perfect the formula for the perfect love story.
Carter and Evie are talent agents in LA – a career path that gives new meaning to the words competitive and cut-throat. At the beginning of the book, they are shamelessly set up by mutual friends at a costume party (they both dress up as Harry Potter characters, adorable), and their chemistry is undeniable. However, they work for competing firms and immediately agree that a relationship just isn’t feasible. When the pair finally does give into their chemistry a week later, they wake up only to discover that their firms have merged, and they have been pitted against one another for a position post-merger.
In the chapters that follow the merger, my smile can only be described as Joker-esque. Not only is the constant banter between the two knee-slapping hilarious, the ways in which they sabotage one another are clever and entertaining as hell. Although I spent most of the book hoping they would reconcile and finally get together, I didn’t want the pranks to end.
In true Christina Lauren fashion, Evie and Carter’s courtship is not only funny and full of wit, it is sweet and tender. While they fight tooth and nail for the same position, and sabotage each other every way imaginable, they cast longing glances across boardrooms and have passionate, rage filled rendezvous on photo shoot sets.
If you are looking for a fun and sexy read that will leave you with a dopey smile on your face, Dating You / Hating You is a book that you should absolutely preorder. While you wait for its release on June 6th, I highly recommend giving their Wild Seasons series a chance (it is my personal favorite of theirs).
My Takeaway: An unstoppable duo, Christina Lauren does it again – Evie and Carter’s endless shenanigans will have you grinning like a love-struck fool from cover to cover. Though this book is marked as a standalone, I hope that it has a sequel – I personally think that Becca and Jonah would make an interesting couple (hint, hint).
As The Book Ends 