I Hate Everyone But You A Novel

Love the format, kind of hate the characters 🤷‍♀️

This books meant a lot, just like the discussions on jbu mean a lot. Except imcredibly more, because of the setting and life situations going on in the novel that are very aplicable in my own life. We are following two best friends, one that I am much like, and the other that I aspire to be more like (in some ways). I disagree with some of the advice exchanged and the end result of some of the arguments that happened, but that's because no person is exactly like Gaby or Allison, even though taking quizes and recognizing characteristics of yourself in their hyper displays of their personalities for entertainment purposes that reach to this book as well, is super duper fun. Basically, I wish I had a friend who cared enough to fight for me, but I also wish I had someone that I cared about enough to fight for. I loved this. But it also made me really sad in a lot of ways. If you were curious, I'm most like Allison. Or Ava, if you prefer. Also, if there were dials to show the personalities of these girls they would both be set at 10, but I would be like a 7 on the Allison dial. Ya know?

This book barely made a 3 stars for me. This is told entirely in emails and text messages between two best friends who are attending college in different sides of the U.S. Ava who stayed in her state to go to college and suffers from anxiety and Gaby who is trying to find herself away from her dysfunctional family and is free to find herself and explore her sexuality. This book is essentially about friendship. The friendship is very realistic and true. It reads very natural and honest and something many I'm sure can relate to. It is fun to read the difference in the two personalities yet they work so well together. There is a lot of humor throughout and its such a fast read with the way it is written. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. This came off across to me like it was trying way to hard to be relevant in today's issues or topics and sarcasm. Gen is exploring her sexuality and meeting and going out with different people and Ava, used to Gen only being with guys is having a hard time keeping up. I didn't like the way Gen addressed or lack of addressed it with Ava. Although there were times were I felt like shaking Ava because she kept making the same mistakes in labels I still feel like Gen could have been a little more talkative to someone who is suppose to be her best friend. I found Gen a mean and rude to Ava a lot and in the near end I was done with Gen's attitude and did NOT appreciate her actions. There's a lot of repetition in this book that I found over done. In the end this review is purely my opinion, I found myself more annoyed with this book than enjoying it. I'm sure this will be a big hit for a specific demographic and they will love how politically correct some texts happen to go and what not but I personally just thought things were addressed incorrectly and I just thought Gen's character is what made me not like this book.

3.5 stars Review to come this weekend on: thebookdutchesses.wordpress.com

I've been watching Gaby and Allison for a while on YouTube. I think they're clever and funny, and have real potential for long term success online and in traditional media too. I wasn't sure if this book was for me though. I don't tend to like books that are told through texting/emails. But I DID like this one. I was very invested in each girl's life and their growth into who they are as young adults. I also found it encouraging to see examples for younger readers of how people can argue and make up without it being a big deal - and how to imagine someone's life more complexly. The queer stuff was good, the mental illness stuff was good. The friendship stuff was good. It was good! I found the climax to be a bit tricky, just because of the format. They resolved it well, but I was pulled out of the story a bit there - at first wondering how they were going to tackle it within the confines of the format, and then kind of wishing they'd broken format or brought something/someone else in to give a birds eye view or something? Nonetheless it was a really good YA book - glad I read it. *Edit: I have one more thought to add: I found the character of Ava to be more accessible to the reader than that of Gen. I think because we don't really get to see the struggle and emotional justification of Gen's shittiness as much as we see Ava's. I would have liked to get a bit more insight into that, particularly as it pertained to her queer journey, because it seems a little unclear to me now still.

Rating: 3/5 Genre: YA/New Adult Contemporary Recommended Age: 16+ (language, sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. Trigger warnings for rape, drug abuse, and abuse.) I received this book for free through the KidLitExchange program. My opinions are all my own. If you’re interested in joining KidLItExchange and you live in America, please click on this fancy hyperlink. Dear Best Friend, I can already tell that I will hate everyone but you. Sincerely, Ava Helmer (that brunette who won’t leave you alone) We're still in the same room, you weirdo. Stop crying. G So begins a series of texts and emails sent between two best friends, Ava and Gen, as they head off to their first semesters of college on opposite sides of the country. From first loves to weird roommates, heartbreak, self-discovery, coming out and mental health, the two best friends will document every moment to each other. But as each changes and grows into her new life, will their friendship be able to survive the distance? I Hate Everyone But You, the debut novel by two emerging major talents in YA, Allison Raskin and Gaby Dunn, is a story about new beginnings, love and heartbreak, and ultimately about the power of friendship. – Amazon.com Do you have that one best friend in your life that you always communicate with? Even across multiple platforms? That’s the relationship Gen and Ava have in this book! It’s a sweet read about a friendship that refuses to die even though the girls are separated by colleges on opposite sides of the USA. The story is told through mix media and I have to give it credit for truthfully showing college students experimenting in college with alcohol, drugs, and sex and I really loved how one of the main characters experimented with same gendered sex (she does not like to be labeled and thus I will not label her in my review. She is just herself and herself is fabulous). I loved how easy the book was to read and how addicting this book was for me. The writing was very well done as well, as you can feel the genuine love and friendship between these two characters. I also felt that while this book was told through mix media that the character development of these and other characters in the book was very well done. However, I felt that the book was a bit too fast paced for me and that the plot was everywhere. The book is also in a mix media format, but the authors only included two forms of media that the friends talk on. I would have loved to see them incorporate more forms of social media that these friends communicate on. I am also concerned that younger children who pick up this book to read would consider the underage use of alcohol and the illegal use of drugs to be okay and that having sex with multiple partners also okay (it is okay but only if the person takes precautions to prevent STDs and the such and that they aren’t putting themselves in a position to be hurt). Verdict: While I felt this story was a genuine story of two friends and how college is a time for experiment, I do feel that the story was just too fast paced for my liking and I felt that the book struggled a little bit with an overall plot. While I don’t think this book is for me, I think this book can be an amazing read for best friends to read together. It’s heartfelt and sweet. Totally give this book a shot if you have a best friend you love!

3.5!

Not for me. Given up at 53 pages. I thought it was somewhat funny, but the texts/emails, etc got a bit old quite quickly.

i absolutely loved this book. it follows two best friends that go to college thousands of miles apart. as they try to survive their first semester, the book is told through e-mails and texts, and i was a little skeptical about that but it was awesome. one of the main characters struggles with OCD and the other one is queer. it deals with a lot of important topics such as racism, sexuality, coming out, transphobia, and others i really enjoyed. it is a great diverse read if you're looking for something fun, funny and lighthearted.

This was the perfect book for me because I just felt like I was reading the private conversations of Gaby and Alison and it made me so happy they are perfect ♥️