A review by 831bookworm
Love Hate by Dakota Rebel

lighthearted fast-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? Yes

3.5

Love Hate 
Andy + Trevor 
What happens when a boy who wants to be a priest and a boy who wants to be a footballer finally break through their bully facade and know each other and themselves for who they really are? Jesus f*ck. 
 
Andy is trying to figure himself out, oscillating between his masochistic tendencies and devotion to the church. He intended to choose the church if it weren’t for the influence of Trevor, his high school bully, whom he ends up falling in love with. The misunderstanding trope is in full flame in the first act, then the second focuses on Andy and Trevor’s obstacles to understanding how they feel about each other, with the final act basically tying off all the plot threads. This wasn’t the most “complicated” romance read, in fact there is a lot that is not “answered” when Trevor’s wondering about the origin of Andy’s preferences. That and the pacing makes the book seem either half filled (seems very fast paced) or more of a personal story sharing without too many details. 
 
One of the biggest things I liked about this story was Monsignor O’Shea and the strength and lack of judgement he offered to Andy as he was figuring himself out. Knowing the church’s stance on homosexuality (~ now updated to not be politically cancelled), and the protagonist desire to become a priest, I expected to get some shame/etc from this figure. But in fact, Monsignor was a bastion for both boys, especially when the group is dealing with a kind-of hate crime. This particular plot point was not delved into much, mostly acting like a friction plot point for the Andy and Trevor, which could be frustrating for those that might have any history with hate related crimes. But overall I thought it was nice to see “God” portrayed in a positive light and with such a benevolent church representative. I usually avoid religious touching romance reads specifically because I dont want to deal with all the heavy beef that comes with high religion x high sexuality, however this was not heavy at all when dealing with the religious thought-correlations or Andy’s unwavering loyalty to a religious following. 
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