Review: “Make Me Hate You” by Kandi Steiner

Book Title: Make Me Hate You

Author: Kandi Steiner

Rating: 4.5⭐

Release Date: June 25th, 2020

Synopsis: Jasmine and Tyler have known each other for years. Thanks to Jasmine’s friendship with Morgan, Tyler’s sister, and being an unofficial member of the family, she’s just always been around. Jasmine has her own set of problems with her mother and that catapults the chaos between her and Tyler to start. It was meant to be a hug of comfort that turned into so much more. And then the next day, Tyler shut her out and all Jasmine could do was run. Run away from everything to find something better. And the book picks up seven years later, when Jasmine and Tyler have no choice but to be around each other for his sister Morgan’s wedding.

Review: “Please,” I begged, fisting my hands in his shirt to hold him closer but still trying to shove him away. “Please, just make me hate you.”

It’s been said time and time again, but Kandi Steiner is the queen of angsty romance and it’s because she does it so damn well. Every inch of this book was filled with angst that set you on fire.

This second-chance, best friend’s brother, angsty romance is one for the ages! It’s got all this silent longing and the brooding stares and the desperate need to touch, but not touching that makes you want to just lock Jasmine and Tyler in a room together and ask them to get it over with already.

“I couldn’t be just friends with him. And I couldn’t be more. Which meant we only had one option of what we could be. Nothing. And that word sank into my skin like a tattoo with each new mile we drove, until I could no longer ignore it or pretend it wasn’t true.”

The chemistry between Jasmine and Tyler is so intense, you can feel it in your bones. When the boy you love breaks your heart, and then you’re forced to face him over the course of a week to watch his sister (the best friend) get married, things get really complicated. And that’s how it is for Jasmine and Tyler too. And the worst part is, both of them have significant others who are just sitting by, loving them in their own ways and yet, they can never really have them, can they?

You feel all of Jasmine’s pain and through her eyes, you feel all of Tyler’s pain too. When an author can make you feel all those things at once, it’s just a whole lot to handle and a little more than you bargained for when reading a book. But that’s what Kandi Steiner does so well, she tugs at your heartstrings and gets you so invested in the book and the characters, they become a part of your life.

“It’s you who brings me pain. It’s you who is killing me. It’s you, and us,” I added, motioning between us. “It’s this thing that never was, but always is, that never will be and will never not be.”

Yes, Jasmine and Tyler’s love story and their pain is the focus of the book, but in true Kandi Steiner style, there’s an incredible friendship, there’s love of family, there’s passion unlike any other and the best part was that while Jasmine and Tyler are forever longing for each other, they have their own partners who are perfect. So often you find yourself rooting for the hero because the new boyfriend is an asshole. But in this…everyone is so bloody perfect!

It would have been quite something to see Tyler’s POV, to really understand what was going through his head as he watched Jasmine try and fail to push him away. To see how much he loved Jasmine in his own way. What should have been the big twist to their story wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would be. Having gotten an inkling of it early on in the book, I was hoping it would be something else. But keeping this spoiler free, I can’t divulge too much. You’ll just have to read to find out!

The beautiful cover, the blurb – none of it prepares you for what you’re really going to deal with when you start reading the book, because it’s a rollercoaster of emotions.

Thanks to Valentine PR and Kandi Steiner for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.