I Hate You

I had to distract myself

LOVED THIS STORY!! This binge worthy read was such an amazing, captivating story that I could not put this book down until I finished the whole thing. Our beautiful broken Blaze and our strong Charisma, they fit together like gloves and damn if they aren’t perfect for each other. Yes there were times I wanted to slam the book and never open it again but these characters where just too captivating to not finish this one. God damn I loved everything about this book and can honestly say that Illsa Madden is now one of my One-Click authors from now on! * I received an arc for my honest review *

"You were fire in my hands." Best way to describe this book: sizzling hot, angsty, yet beautifully heart-wrenching! I have read this author's previous works (especially the ones in this same world) and they were good, but I wasn't entirely wowed. This one floored me and I was in need of more! I wanted to keep reading more of Charm and Blaze! Charm and Blaze had been loosely dating until Blaze called it quits at Charm's party in front of all of her friends. Charm has been heart-broken about it, but she's moving on. She encounters Blaze three months after the break up and her response is a middle finger salute. She thought she was done with him until she finds out he's in her same class, sitting next to her. It's impossible to ignore someone like Blaze, especially when he's trying to make amends. He... He stares at me like I'm a girl he wants to worship. I ate this book up! I remember telling Chai that I just couldn't deal with my current read at the time and was so unmotivated. I picked this one up, and the motivation was back from the first page! You could say I inhaled this book in one breath. I adored Charisma so much. From the first chapter, I could tell I was going to have fun with her and friend, and I was right. I just want to be their friend! I loved how Charm is a nerd girl with a few mischieves up her sleeve. I was able to relate to her in this so I was highly rooting for this woman! Deep down, no matter how hard I fight, part of me thinks I'm not worth it, that I'm not good enough. My heart hurt for Blaze so much! I just want to keep screaming, "I love you!" If you read it, you understand why

This was a solid book. I like hate to love, and football stories so this should’ve been right up my alley. There was just something that didn’t quite click for me. I was a bit confused as to Blaze and Charisma’s relationship. They weren’t together long at all and I wanted to see why that three weeks meant so much to both of them. I felt like it should’ve been longer. I also wasn’t keen on charisma herself. To me, she was overly selfish and never once opened up to Blaze even when she knew what he’d been through and how it was bound to affect him. I liked Blaze. He has a vulnerability to him that made me melt. To me, it felt like he did most of the work for the relationship. I have a bit of a rocky time with Ilsa’s books. Some I love, some not so much. This is a not so much one but it is still a solid book, give it a go!

When I'm looking for new sports romances to read, I look for a few things: humor, great characters, romance, some steamy moments and a good balance between the romance and sport aspects in the book. I Hate You gave me all these things and more! In this story we meet Charisma and Blaze. They had a fling for a little while, nothing serious, but it didn't end on the best of terms. My favorite thing about these two characters is that they're really genuine. Charisma and Blaze both felt real and that's important to me in a story. Charisma is a bit of a "nerdy" girl who is working hard to get her degree and make something of it. Blaze is a star football player who isn't sure he'll be making it to the NFL, so he really needs to make sure he earns his degree. Even though their fling ended badly, they can't deny their chemistry. Both of them have insecurities they need to work through. Charisma doesn't have the best history with guys and Blaze didn't have an easy childhood. Their insecurities definitely cause some difficulties and at times I wanted to smack the characters and tell them to wake up. I loved their connection and it was clear they were supposed to be together. I Hate You had me laughing out loud at times, but also hit me in the feels. Let's just say Blaze definitely made the book boyfriend list!

LOVED IT! Angsty and cute college romance❤️❤️

"You were fire in my hands." Best way to describe this book: sizzling hot, angsty, yet beautifully heart-wrenching! I have read this author's previous works (especially the ones in this same world) and they were good, but I wasn't entirely wowed. This one floored me and I was in need of more! I wanted to keep reading more of Charm and Blaze! Charm and Blaze had been loosely dating until Blaze called it quits at Charm's party in front of all of her friends. Charm has been heart-broken about it, but she's moving on. She encounters Blaze three months after the break up and her response is a middle finger salute. She thought she was done with him until she finds out he's in her same class, sitting next to her. It's impossible to ignore someone like Blaze, especially when he's trying to make amends. He... He stares at me like I'm a girl he wants to worship. I ate this book up! I remember telling Chai that I just couldn't deal with my current read at the time and was so unmotivated. I picked this one up, and the motivation was back from the first page! You could say I inhaled this book in one breath. I adored Charisma so much. From the first chapter, I could tell I was going to have fun with her and friend, and I was right. I just want to be their friend! I loved how Charm is a nerd girl with a few mischieves up her sleeve. I was able to relate to her in this so I was highly rooting for this woman! Deep down, no matter how hard I fight, part of me thinks I'm not worth it, that I'm not good enough. My heart hurt for Blaze so much! I just want to keep screaming, "I love you!" If you read it, you understand why 😭❤️ He has gone through so much in his life, such as, being forgotten, never feeling like he's wanted in his own family, always left behind, and much more. It's why he kept Charisma away the first time they were together. I was so happy Blaze wasn't really a playboy. From the outside looking in, he fits the profile. But once you get to know the guy, I'm telling you, your heart will feel all warm for him. The way he treats Charm! 😍 There's this one hand-holding scene that I couldn't believe I was melting over. HAND-HOLDING, people! That's how sweet Blaze is! I want her. I want her. I want her. For as long as I can hang on to her. My hand palms the back of her head, and I kiss her mouth with a ferocity I didn't realize I was holding back. I was glad that the climax wasn't so explosive. It was on the mellow side and I was grateful for that. I think it was executed in a way that it fit both characters, especially Blaze and his background. I believed it helped to give more insight to who he is. Also, this story deals with Mental Health, and I freaking loved how Ilsa introduced it. She wrote, "It's just I trait I come with, not a disability." FREAKING PREACH IT! I couldn't agree more with this statement! Overall, I Hate You was a wonderful book that stopped me from going down the book slump path. It was entertaining, emotional, beautiful!