Book Review: “A Love Hate Thing” by Whitney D. Grandison

“A Love Hate Thing” by Whitney Grandison (2019)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Page Length: 448 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

A fantastic enemies to lovers romance about an It girl whose world is upended when a boy from the past moves into her house after tragedy strikes. For fans of Ibi Zoboi’s Pride, Mary H. K. Choi and Samira Ahmed. Wattpad author Whitney D. Grandison’s traditional publishing debut.

When they’re stuck under one roof, the house may not be big enough for their hate…or their love.

When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the affluent coastal community of Pacific Hills, he’s ready for the questions, the stares, and the total feeling of not belonging in the posh suburb. Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the mean streets of Lindenwood, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything. He doesn’t even care how the rest of his life will play out.

In Pacific Hills, image is everything. Something that, as the resident golden girl, Nandy Smith knows all too well. She’s spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit in. After learning that her parents are taking in a former childhood friend, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames. It’s the start of summer vacation and the last thing Nandy needs is some juvenile delinquent from the ’Wood crashing into her world.

Stuck together in close quarters, Trice and Nandy are in for some long summer nights. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it’ll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Upon reading A Love Hate Thing, I immediately got Fresh Prince vibes. The two main characters Nandy and Trice come from two different backgrounds. Trice is sent to live with Nandy’s family after a tragic incident while living in the city (Lindenwood). Nandy grew up in the suburbs and is preparing for cotillion. They spend their summer becoming reacquainted after so long, but will their differences continue to keep them apart?

Pacific Hills, even though it sounds like a gorgeous place seems full of superficial people. Everyone is in a clique and is very caught up in their appearances. Most people refuse to break the status quo. It’s a huge juxtaposition to Lidenwood, where people are real and the neighborhood looks out for each other even though conditions are much harsher. Tyson struggles to adjust life in a new place, leaving his old life behind while grieving . On top of everything, Nandy and Tyson continually have to spend the summer working on rebuilding their friendship after so long.

Both try to work through their own problems during the summer, but their preconceived notions of each other ended up pushing them apart more than ever. Their backgrounds constantly clash and though they do care for each other, surrounding influences push them further apart. Nandy, even though her character became more redeeming as the story went on really bugged me. I felt that she was selfish and takes her feelings out on others instead of admitting when she was wrong.

This was a book that seemed lighthearted but turned out to be a teen drama. It deals with some realistic and heavy topics such as the death of a parent, gun violence, bullying, etc. There was a lot packed into this book, but I didn’t feel that it was overwhelming. It was an okay book and I couldn’t click with the plot and some parts of the story fell flat.

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Harlequin in exchange for a fair and honest review.