Dare You To Hate Me: arc review

Title: Dare You to Hate Me

Author: B. Celeste

Publisher: Bloom Books

Release Date: April 11th 2023

Page Count: 392

Genre: Adult Romance

When I asked my best friend to run away with me at sixteen, I knew he’d say no.⁣

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He had football, an amazing family, and a happy home to go back to every day.⁣

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So the night I snuck out of his bedroom window after hugging him goodbye, I’d accepted I’d probably never see him again.⁣

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Then we both wind up at Lindon University four years later.⁣

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I’m barely picking up the pieces of my life when the boy whose initials I used to doodle hearts around approaches me at work.⁣

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Aiden Griffith. Lindon U’s star tight end.⁣

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Still as attractive. Still as dedicated.⁣

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With rumors of him being drafted to the NFL coming to fruition, I know it’s only a matter of time before we have to say goodbye again.⁣

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But he can’t seem to let me go no matter what I say, and I don’t think I want him to.⁣

B. Celeste is a new adult and contemporary romance author that gives voices to raw, realistic characters with emotional storylines that tug on the heartstrings.

She was born and raised in upstate New York where she still resides with her four-legged feline sidekick Oliver “Ollie” Queen. Her love for reading and writing began at an early age and only grew stronger after getting a BA in English and an MFA in English & creative writing. When she’s not writing, she’s working out, binge-watching reality game shows, and spending time with her friends and family.

Email: bcdwrites@gmail.com

So, I'm not big into sports romances and avoid them at all costs. I don't know what it is about sports, but I find them utterly boring to watch. Reading about them isn't any better for me. But when I read the synopsis, Ivy and her story drew me in.

Ivy is one of our protagonists. She ran away from a tumultuous home at sixteen and spent the last four years bouncing from couch to couch doing unsavory things for a place to stay. She decides to stabilize her life and enrolls in college. She also works at a local bakery. When she reunites with the boy she left behind, she's immediately angry. She had asked him to run away with her, but he'd stayed. He had a budding football career and a good life. She didn't blame him. Well, part of her did.

The romance was lusty from the start, which is fine. They were childhood friends and Ivy always had a crush on him. Aiden, for all his quarterback sexiness, surprised me with his gentle side and secret I will keep to myself (it'll make you smile). I like that his POV wasn't heavy on the football scenes whatsoever. I liked the friendships and the drama with his coach.

What I didn't vibe with:

I wanted Ivy to have a close female friendship at the school.

Aiden was a little handsy and controlling in some scenes.

I also didn't understand why her parents were so freakin' awful to her. I suppose it's the mother in me that can't fathom ever treating my child that way and letting her leave at the age of sixteen to fend for herself. UGH

Overall, DARE YOU TO HATE ME surprised me and talked me into giving sports romances a shot in the future.

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