low_vely's review
5.0
Wrecked
This book wrecked me and sent me into a mini-hangover! I was warned that it was dark, and it definitely is, so you should also be warned and watch out for your own triggers. Sometimes dark romance has gratuitous violence or scenes that add shock value sure, but offer nothing to support the plot; this is not one of those books. The darkness in this book gave glimpses into past, and present trauma, and built up tension within the plot like psychological warfare. Knox was broken and lined with rage, but still magnetic. Aspen was bullied and hurting, but still fought for her own needs and wants. And their story had my heart pounding; I loved it. Five huge stars!
This book wrecked me and sent me into a mini-hangover! I was warned that it was dark, and it definitely is, so you should also be warned and watch out for your own triggers. Sometimes dark romance has gratuitous violence or scenes that add shock value sure, but offer nothing to support the plot; this is not one of those books. The darkness in this book gave glimpses into past, and present trauma, and built up tension within the plot like psychological warfare. Knox was broken and lined with rage, but still magnetic. Aspen was bullied and hurting, but still fought for her own needs and wants. And their story had my heart pounding; I loved it. Five huge stars!
intheend's review
2.0
2.5 stars
This book had a lot going on. Non-con, age gap, grooming, step-siblings, and murder. I just felt it wasn't believable, especially how two teenagers ended up getting away with murder. I had a hard time believing that Aspen was okay with her mom being murdered. I mean, her mom was absent and definitely didn't make her a priority but is that enough to justify her murder? Just something I thought about.
This book had a lot going on. Non-con, age gap, grooming, step-siblings, and murder. I just felt it wasn't believable, especially how two teenagers ended up getting away with murder. I had a hard time believing that Aspen was okay with her mom being murdered. I mean, her mom was absent and definitely didn't make her a priority but is that enough to justify her murder? Just something I thought about.
readingbelle's review
Don't read this if you don't like dark. Also, triggers galore. Fair warning.
A. Jade likes to write crazy stuff. Crazy.
A. Jade likes to write crazy stuff. Crazy.
kerasalwaysreading's review
4.0
Dirty and gritty and absolutely everything I was hoping for!
This was a “dark bully romance” that fully lived up to its name. If you are looking for a typical romance this isn’t going to work for you. This is depraved and dark. This is all the hate and angst and forbidden. And it was amazing!
What I loved most about this was that Aspen was no pure as the driven snow, corruptible female. She was already flawed af! She was real and had issues and a dark side. While she portrayed a good girl mask at school, she was really anything but in her personal and private life. I loved that.
Knox, the boy who hated her and bullied her from the moment he met her when they were just kids, was as bad as they come... and he never let you forget it. He wasn’t fake and he didn’t lie about it. The ONLY thing he ever lied about was the fact that he pretended not to want Aspen. Because yes, he DID hate her... but he wanted her so bad at the same time and it created the most fantastic friction between the two.
If you are looking for a light you up, sizzling hate romance, this is for you. If you are looking for a romance where the girl knows how evil the guy is but still can’t stay away from him, this is for you.
The ONLY reason this wasn’t a five star was due to something that happens towards the end. I thought it could have been handled a little differently on Aspen’s part and I think she willingly went along with a little too much... but that is the only aspect of this book that I didn’t care for.
I am very excited to see that this is just one book in a HUGE collection of books from some seriously amazing authors. I can’t wait to check out more in this series.
This was a “dark bully romance” that fully lived up to its name. If you are looking for a typical romance this isn’t going to work for you. This is depraved and dark. This is all the hate and angst and forbidden. And it was amazing!
What I loved most about this was that Aspen was no pure as the driven snow, corruptible female. She was already flawed af! She was real and had issues and a dark side. While she portrayed a good girl mask at school, she was really anything but in her personal and private life. I loved that.
Knox, the boy who hated her and bullied her from the moment he met her when they were just kids, was as bad as they come... and he never let you forget it. He wasn’t fake and he didn’t lie about it. The ONLY thing he ever lied about was the fact that he pretended not to want Aspen. Because yes, he DID hate her... but he wanted her so bad at the same time and it created the most fantastic friction between the two.
If you are looking for a light you up, sizzling hate romance, this is for you. If you are looking for a romance where the girl knows how evil the guy is but still can’t stay away from him, this is for you.
The ONLY reason this wasn’t a five star was due to something that happens towards the end. I thought it could have been handled a little differently on Aspen’s part and I think she willingly went along with a little too much... but that is the only aspect of this book that I didn’t care for.
I am very excited to see that this is just one book in a HUGE collection of books from some seriously amazing authors. I can’t wait to check out more in this series.
mothermoth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
reading_with_2_book_lovers's review
5.0
Omg what did I just read? This author always astounds me with her stories. This book is a standalone with new charaters and I devoured this read. Very much highly recommended
kfriend's review
5.0
HOLY SHIT- what a delicious, dark, and insane ride. Ashley Jade never ceases to find beauty in the twisted and titillating, to be unapologetically original and provocative, or to completely OWN me with her stories. Hate Me is nothing like I expected- darker, more complex, more twisting and shocking. But drama aside, Hate Me is an emotional tour de force- its a story that makes you question the very nature of love, and by extension, our orientation to it.
Ashley has such a keen ability to take a trope and put it on its head- her stories are never what they seem-and the result is a story that really defies any labels, stories that are refreshingly different and unexpected. Stories that hit you in the gut so sharply that you have to recover a bit before you can truly digest their brilliance. There’s daringness to her storytelling, a bravado that is quite consuming. In part, this is because Ashley is unafraid to do what so many avoid- she lets her characters be deeply flawed, unlikeable at times, villains in their own story. She sees the humanity in their brokenness, the bravery in their savageness, and she doesn’t just dabble in their issues, she IMMERSES us in them, by giving us narratives that put her characters through incredible adversity, with her own delicious brand of dramatic darkness. And Hate Me might be her boldest story yet.
Knox- oh Knox. I can’t describe him without spoiling, but he is a FORCE. He’s Ashley’s most flawed character yet- not truly redeemable, not likable but somehow lovable. He’s sinister and toxic and unsettling- but he’s also surprisingly vulnerable. Ashley chisels her way into his heart’s darkness and somehow uses it to paint the beauty of his soul- even if it is forever stained. Like so many characters before him, Ashley accepts Knox for who and what he is, she develops him with integrity- even the parts that are “wrong” and messed up, even his hate and anger, even his depraved choices. She doesn’t justify or excuse his actions, she lets him be what he is- a psychopath- and for that, somehow I love him even more.
Aspen rivals Sawyer for my favorite Ashley Jade heroine of all time- she’s quirky, loving, and gentle- but unlike Sawyer, she’s been tainted by the darkness around her- she’s the least straightforward heroine in Ashley’s books, because there is a duality to her. Twin existences that rival one another- contrasts that make her so interesting. She’s the good girl who touches darkness, a sweetheart that has developed her own grit, a lost soul who won’t stop fighting to be found. Her heart just longs to matter- to belong to someone.
These two have a violent, chaotic, and vitriolic connection- make no mistake, it is intense and unusual and unsettling, but also electric and captivating. And their dynamic is only part of this wild ride- the whole time you’re just trying to figure out just where this story is going, and where it does I was not anticipating. This is a stepbrother bully, a taboo, a romantic suspense- all of those things yet none of those things. Such is the genius of Ashley Jade- she makes you question everything. Even the nature of love itself-is perhaps hate really just an expression of love? Ah, well you’ll have to read to find out.
PS: this is a total standalone. None if the Black Mountain Academy books need to be read to read this, nor any of AJ’s other series.
Another PS: Fair warning- those concerned with safety or those with strict parameters when it comes to romance, this is not for you. This book doesn’t skirt around it- in fact, it embraces its “unsafe” depiction of love. I also have exactly ONE trigger (ie very little makes me unsettled), and this book hit on it, so readers who are on the fence, beware.
Ashley has such a keen ability to take a trope and put it on its head- her stories are never what they seem-and the result is a story that really defies any labels, stories that are refreshingly different and unexpected. Stories that hit you in the gut so sharply that you have to recover a bit before you can truly digest their brilliance. There’s daringness to her storytelling, a bravado that is quite consuming. In part, this is because Ashley is unafraid to do what so many avoid- she lets her characters be deeply flawed, unlikeable at times, villains in their own story. She sees the humanity in their brokenness, the bravery in their savageness, and she doesn’t just dabble in their issues, she IMMERSES us in them, by giving us narratives that put her characters through incredible adversity, with her own delicious brand of dramatic darkness. And Hate Me might be her boldest story yet.
Knox- oh Knox. I can’t describe him without spoiling, but he is a FORCE. He’s Ashley’s most flawed character yet- not truly redeemable, not likable but somehow lovable. He’s sinister and toxic and unsettling- but he’s also surprisingly vulnerable. Ashley chisels her way into his heart’s darkness and somehow uses it to paint the beauty of his soul- even if it is forever stained. Like so many characters before him, Ashley accepts Knox for who and what he is, she develops him with integrity- even the parts that are “wrong” and messed up, even his hate and anger, even his depraved choices. She doesn’t justify or excuse his actions, she lets him be what he is- a psychopath- and for that, somehow I love him even more.
Aspen rivals Sawyer for my favorite Ashley Jade heroine of all time- she’s quirky, loving, and gentle- but unlike Sawyer, she’s been tainted by the darkness around her- she’s the least straightforward heroine in Ashley’s books, because there is a duality to her. Twin existences that rival one another- contrasts that make her so interesting. She’s the good girl who touches darkness, a sweetheart that has developed her own grit, a lost soul who won’t stop fighting to be found. Her heart just longs to matter- to belong to someone.
These two have a violent, chaotic, and vitriolic connection- make no mistake, it is intense and unusual and unsettling, but also electric and captivating. And their dynamic is only part of this wild ride- the whole time you’re just trying to figure out just where this story is going, and where it does I was not anticipating. This is a stepbrother bully, a taboo, a romantic suspense- all of those things yet none of those things. Such is the genius of Ashley Jade- she makes you question everything. Even the nature of love itself-is perhaps hate really just an expression of love? Ah, well you’ll have to read to find out.
PS: this is a total standalone. None if the Black Mountain Academy books need to be read to read this, nor any of AJ’s other series.
Another PS: Fair warning- those concerned with safety or those with strict parameters when it comes to romance, this is not for you. This book doesn’t skirt around it- in fact, it embraces its “unsafe” depiction of love. I also have exactly ONE trigger (ie very little makes me unsettled), and this book hit on it, so readers who are on the fence, beware.
carina_cristino's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
finia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
high_lady_of_reading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
This was terrible, but I kept reading hoping it would get better, it never did. At the end I didn't even care what happened or if they ended up together. I wasn't a fan of Aspen, she didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities. I've loved some of this author's other books, but this wasn't even close to the quality she normally rights with.