The Trouble with Hating You: A Review

Hi Friends!

OH HOT DAMN. This book was EXACTLY what I needed to get myself out of a reading slump!

With Romance-A-Thon approaching on June 22nd, I decided to read one of my picks for the Read-A-Thon to get myself out of a unfortunate slump. I am so glad I decided to FINALLY pick this book up because it was everything I wanted and didn't know that I needed.

The book? A new release as of May 2020, The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel 

Seriously, this book was adorable and gave me all the When Dimple Met Rishi vibes! A wonderful debut by another Indian author who put together an amazing, fluffy, empowering, cultural, romance that had my romantic heart swooning. 

This story follows our main characters Liya and Jay. Liya is an independent bio chemical engineer who has no want to get married or settle down any time soon. However, in her culture, it is important that women be married off and follow Indian traditions of being a submissive house wife who bears children. Liya's parent's have been trying to set her up with Jay for so long, that they have her over for dinner, neglecting to tell her that Jay will be there. So when she shows up and sees him, things do not go well and Liya runs. Little does she know, Jay is the lawyer who will be working with her company and she will be spending a lot more time with him than she wanted. 

First off, I love reading books about other cultures. It's fun and interesting to see how other cultures operate and what their values and morals look like. 

Liya was a freaking badass. Jay's devotion to her was amazing and had my heart practically bursting out of my chest. He truly loved her unconditionally and his patience as she pushed him away for reasons that we later discover, was admirable and an example of what love should look like. 

Liya's dad was the biggest piece of shit and I wanted so badly to throat punch him. Any time his dialogue came up, I was fuming. 

The romance that developed between Liya and Jay was not only derived from the hate-to-love trope, but was also a bit of a slow burn which I really enjoyed. It kept me engrossed and wanting to know more, and impatiently waiting for that first kiss to finally freaking happen. I do love me some insta-love stories, but I can only take so many before I get annoyed at the unrealistic nature of it. Needless to say, this slow burn was exactly what I needed and enjoyed. And where do I find myself a man like Jay who will spend $1400 dollars on me for a single pair of shoes? I mean seriously, how freaking adorable. 

And that first sex scene? Completely not steamy or detailed and I liked that. Sometimes it can become too much for me to read all these sex scenes in an Adult Romance, so it was nice to see this one where it was not detailed and you were left to figure out on your own if it happened and wait for the characters to confirm that yes, it did. Jay was so respectable when it came to sex. He made sure that Liya and himself were 100% ready and took it slow (again with the slow burn). 

Also shout out to Sajni Patel for handling the topic of sexual assault so well and realistically. That is a hard topic to discuss, let alone write about, but needs to be talked about and acknowledged because it is happening every single day to many woman of all races, ages, and backgrounds. 

I seriously loved this book! I am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner, as it was sitting on my shelf for quite some time. 

If you're new to the romance genre and don't like steamy stuff, this book is the perfect fit for you. 

Rating: 5 stars

CAST:

Liya Thakker: Naomi Scott

Jay Shah: Dev Patel