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cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this story was so interesting. I liked the idea of Charlotte finding this romantic note inside a wedding dress. But execution was just ok still... the quick with enjoyable banter, along with the easy and entertaining writing style.
Overall enjoyable read.
Overall enjoyable read.
booksandapril's review against another edition
3.0
Its a typical office romance. I enjoyed the book. There were times when I laughed out loud. There were some points in the book which I would have changed, but overall this was a nice book. In my opinion, the worse part of this book was the amount of times Charlotte cried. Other than that, this was the nice typical romance I expected.
karen1214's review against another edition
5.0
I love both of these authors so I decided to read this one. Wow! What an amazing story! I loved Charlotte. This was fantastic!
lauraffc's review against another edition
2.0
achei esse livro tão fraquinho, o reed é um verdadeiro
cdaniels21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
agrippinaes's review against another edition
3.0
When Charlotte is trying to sell-off her wedding dress after a disastrous break up, she finds another, different dress in the shop. Stitched into the lining is a lovely, romantic note from the previous owner’s fiance, Reed. After a drunken joke leads to an angry confrontation between the pair, Charlotte finds herself working for Reed’s grandmother - and by extension, for Reed himself. As Reed and Charlotte get to know one another better, they start to realise their first impressions were unfair - but both of them have hidden secrets that might make a relationship between them impossible.
So, for the most part, I enjoyed this novel. There were a lot of elements in it that were like catnip to me - the set up for how they met was genuinely interesting and funny, and the confrontational side to both characters was very entertaining. Charlotte was a funny and silly heroine and I liked that Reed was slightly more socially awkward than you usually find in his sort of rich, grumpy businessman hero. The sexual tension between them both was really high, as a reader I could really sense how much they wanted each other, and there were also some really touching and soft moments. I really liked that they actually became friends and wanted to be each other’s friend, that was very sweet, and for the most part, they had a lovely relationship.
However, I will say that whilst I enjoyed the first half of this book, I thought the second half got too tied up in their respective backstories which were both huge topics -. I don’t think enough space was allowed in the book to do these plotlines justice - they both felt a bit rushed and whilst I appreciated some aspects of the storyline involving I didn’t think they suited the tone of the first half. It all felt very serious in contrast to the earlier plotlines and I don’t think they were handled as sensitively as they could have been. Also, in regards to plot and pacing, I thought the ending was a bit muddled, with a lot of repetitive back and forth between them as a couple that I didn’t really enjoy.
I also thought there was a generally negative attitude towards women throughout the book. There was a lot of double standards at play - lots of unpleasant jibes about women’s sex lives, particularly Charlotte’s, and some of Reed’s jealousy left a bad taste in my mouth. A lot of their relationship was very sweet, but there were moments when I thought he was unnecessarily cruel and harsh to her. I also wasn’t keen on how the book talked about his ex, Allison, sometimes. There was a huge dash of ‘not like other girls’ when it came to how Charlotte was described, particularly physically, and I didn’t like the way the narrative looked down on Allison for her physical appearance and having had cosmetic surgery -.
Overall, I thought there was some really fun parts to this book, particularly in the first half, but I found the second half lost its way a bit and tried to cram too much into it. I also wasn’t keen on the double standards at play throughout it involving men and women. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to read an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine workplace romance, but check the content warnings as there was some heavier subject matter than I expected.
Content Notes:
Other: On-page sex, unprotected sexNo condom use, brief discussion of birth control but no discussion of STI status , infidelity / cheating (in past), mild OW drama , mild OM drama .
So, for the most part, I enjoyed this novel. There were a lot of elements in it that were like catnip to me - the set up for how they met was genuinely interesting and funny, and the confrontational side to both characters was very entertaining. Charlotte was a funny and silly heroine and I liked that Reed was slightly more socially awkward than you usually find in his sort of rich, grumpy businessman hero. The sexual tension between them both was really high, as a reader I could really sense how much they wanted each other, and there were also some really touching and soft moments. I really liked that they actually became friends and wanted to be each other’s friend, that was very sweet, and for the most part, they had a lovely relationship.
However, I will say that whilst I enjoyed the first half of this book, I thought the second half got too tied up in their respective backstories which were both huge topics -
Spoiler
childhood abandonment and reconnecting with a birth parent, and a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.Spoiler
Reed’s diagnosis - namely that it was clear in the epilogue he had been unwell with the condition, as some books that cover this kind of diagnoses just have it all resolve neatly with no real impact on their life in the epilogueI also thought there was a generally negative attitude towards women throughout the book. There was a lot of double standards at play - lots of unpleasant jibes about women’s sex lives, particularly Charlotte’s, and some of Reed’s jealousy left a bad taste in my mouth. A lot of their relationship was very sweet, but there were moments when I thought he was unnecessarily cruel and harsh to her. I also wasn’t keen on how the book talked about his ex, Allison, sometimes. There was a huge dash of ‘not like other girls’ when it came to how Charlotte was described, particularly physically, and I didn’t like the way the narrative looked down on Allison for her physical appearance and having had cosmetic surgery -
Spoiler
it came across like the fact she was very skinny and had false breasts was being used as a marker for how superficial and selfish she was, and whilst I didn’t like or have any sympathy with her character, I didn’t think it was necessary to link her kind of personality with cosmetic surgery as if they were clear signals she wasn’t a ‘good person’ - unlike Charlotte, who we are repeatedly told is all-natural.Overall, I thought there was some really fun parts to this book, particularly in the first half, but I found the second half lost its way a bit and tried to cram too much into it. I also wasn’t keen on the double standards at play throughout it involving men and women. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to read an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine workplace romance, but check the content warnings as there was some heavier subject matter than I expected.
Content Notes:
Spoiler
Warnings: Multiple sclerosis / MS diagnosis, child abandonment (in past), death of a parent (on-page).Other: On-page sex, unprotected sex
Spoiler
Hero is hit on by 1 OW and goes on a date with her, nothing else happens; hero’s ex shows up and tries to talk to him a few times but nothing happens; hero meets an OW in a bar and they have drinks together, she hits on him and he considers having sex with her but turns her down.Spoiler
A few men show interest in the heroine over the course of the book and the hero is jealous.aliciab85's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing
This book is so far beyond words. I wasn't expecting the emotions I would feel reading this story. I will forever want a love like Reed and Charlotte.
This book is so far beyond words. I wasn't expecting the emotions I would feel reading this story. I will forever want a love like Reed and Charlotte.
sambrooke's review against another edition
4.0
Hate Notes
Hate Notes has all the makings of the typical romance novel, but it has a unique spin that sets it apart from all the others.
Charlotte is a twenty something year-old, unemployed gal with a cheating ex in New York. One day she goes to a thrift shop to trade in her wedding dress which leads her to a dress with “something old, something borrowed and something blue.” But more on the blue side. In the dress she finds a love note sewn into the tulle from Reed Eastwood.
That night Charlotte gets drunk on wine and ends up looking Reed up on Facebook. Turns out he’s a smoldering young lad who may or may not still have a fiancé and is a part of the family reality business. Drunk Charlotte finds out he’s showing a loft priced around $6 million and decides to send in a request form.
Charlotte ends up meeting Reed during the showing which was quite a first impression (on both ends) to say the least. Charlotte comes off as a bad liar and Reed an insensitive jerk. Next thing you know, Charlotte’s meets Astrid, the CEO of the company, and ends up getting a job as a secretary/personal assistant, not knowing she’ll also be working for Reed.
And that is how the story begins.
From there, we see how Charlotte and Reed’s relationship evolves from one of apparent dislike to a tentative friendship. Still, we all know they’re going to end up together, so friendship my butt. The sexual tension was too thick to ever be just friends.
I’m happy it wasn’t an instant love though. If it had been, well, I’m not sure how high I would’ve rated it because I don’t find them believable (even though it happens).
Why Read This?
If you need to smile like a goof, then this is the book for you because there’s plenty of moments when that’ll happen.
Reed: he’s pretty great when he’s not being a thick-headed numbskull.
The fact that Reed gets into a fender bender because of a squirrel . . . or, more accurately, because of wandering eyes. Distracted driving, always gets you in the end.
My Recommendation
Go ahead and give it a go. It’s a fun story to take your mind off things and just relax with a good ol’ romance and a cup of hot chocolate. Also, it’s a pretty nice book to binge in the middle of the night. You don’t need to be 100% alert, unless you’re Reed. Then you should be alert at all times. This probably doesn’t make sense, but it will. One day.
Hate Notes has all the makings of the typical romance novel, but it has a unique spin that sets it apart from all the others.
Charlotte is a twenty something year-old, unemployed gal with a cheating ex in New York. One day she goes to a thrift shop to trade in her wedding dress which leads her to a dress with “something old, something borrowed and something blue.” But more on the blue side. In the dress she finds a love note sewn into the tulle from Reed Eastwood.
That night Charlotte gets drunk on wine and ends up looking Reed up on Facebook. Turns out he’s a smoldering young lad who may or may not still have a fiancé and is a part of the family reality business. Drunk Charlotte finds out he’s showing a loft priced around $6 million and decides to send in a request form.
Charlotte ends up meeting Reed during the showing which was quite a first impression (on both ends) to say the least. Charlotte comes off as a bad liar and Reed an insensitive jerk. Next thing you know, Charlotte’s meets Astrid, the CEO of the company, and ends up getting a job as a secretary/personal assistant, not knowing she’ll also be working for Reed.
And that is how the story begins.
From there, we see how Charlotte and Reed’s relationship evolves from one of apparent dislike to a tentative friendship. Still, we all know they’re going to end up together, so friendship my butt. The sexual tension was too thick to ever be just friends.
I’m happy it wasn’t an instant love though. If it had been, well, I’m not sure how high I would’ve rated it because I don’t find them believable (even though it happens).
Why Read This?
If you need to smile like a goof, then this is the book for you because there’s plenty of moments when that’ll happen.
Reed: he’s pretty great when he’s not being a thick-headed numbskull.
The fact that Reed gets into a fender bender because of a squirrel . . . or, more accurately, because of wandering eyes. Distracted driving, always gets you in the end.
My Recommendation
Go ahead and give it a go. It’s a fun story to take your mind off things and just relax with a good ol’ romance and a cup of hot chocolate. Also, it’s a pretty nice book to binge in the middle of the night. You don’t need to be 100% alert, unless you’re Reed. Then you should be alert at all times. This probably doesn’t make sense, but it will. One day.
kirsten1312's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I find myself always liking the books written by Penelope and Vi. I absolutely loved charlotte’s personality and her kind heart. And she has the ability to stand up for herself and not let anyone think down on her. Reed was very sweet but had insecurities and I loved them together. You could see the chemistry when they were just in a room together.
I would say this is a slow burn and I found myself waiting and wanting for a lot of the book for something to happen because of the built up tension and chemistry. The only thing I don’t like about books that do this is that it doesn’t happen for a while therefore I feel I don’t get enough of the couple actually together together and that is what I like. I would say I prefer books where the couple get together and then some drama happens that causes them to split or have troubles.
Overall I really enjoyed the book!
I would say this is a slow burn and I found myself waiting and wanting for a lot of the book for something to happen because of the built up tension and chemistry. The only thing I don’t like about books that do this is that it doesn’t happen for a while therefore I feel I don’t get enough of the couple actually together together and that is what I like. I would say I prefer books where the couple get together and then some drama happens that causes them to split or have troubles.
Overall I really enjoyed the book!