Make Me Hate You
Get ready to have your heart pulverized and stitched back together.
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1. MAKE ME HATE YOU by Kandi Steiner
SYNOPSIS
If he kisses me right now, I’ll drown. Every sip of air is shallow and burning, because in the arms of my best friend’s brother, I’m the closest I’ve ever been to sin. His eyes flick to my lips, and I remember the first time I tasted him, seven years ago before I left this town and vowed never to return. His hands grip my waist, and I remember the pain when he rejected me, when my entire world crashed down at his command. His jaw clenches, and my senses come alive with one stinging reminder.
I’m not his to kiss, and he’s not mine. I tried to stay away from Tyler Wagner, putting an entire country between us. But when his sister’s wedding brings us back to the same town, to the same house, I can’t avoid him, no matter how hard I try. He’s always there, his dark eyes bewitching, luring me into their depths. The memory of us pulls me under like a rip current, and when he flashes that smile, I lose my breath, along with my will, unable to escape his grip and find the surface.
Now, hours before our plus ones arrive for the wedding, I’m in his arms, begging him to make me hate him, knowing he never could. If he kisses me right now, I’ll drown. And I’ll take him down with me.
BOOK REVIEW
Kandi Steiner did it yet again. She created an interesting love story with her impossibly right words to add even more heat during an already hot summer. Many book reviewers have labeled Make Me Hate You to be a long-awaited return to legendary times of Weightless and A Love Letter to Whiskey. And although I do agree that the novel was pretty angsty and slow-burnish, I would argue that the level of intensity was not the same, at least for my personal liking. I did find myself being completely immersed in the literary world of the author’s beautiful craft, but I didn’t necessarily feel all the pain and torturous longing for the HEA. The latter was there, no doubt, and just a matter of time…
It’s this thing that never was, but always is, that never will be and will never not be.
Jasmine and Tyler used to be best friends before they turned to silent animosity because of mere misunderstanding. After many years apart, she changed but still remained a lonely girl who went from loving her best friend’s brother in secret to wanting nothing more than to love him out loud to being broken by the said boy who meant the entire world. All while he turned to be something between the boy Jasmine used to love and the man she’d never know, familiar and unreachable all at once. As you may have guessed at this point, the feelings the two had didn’t go away. They stayed and were intensified by the presence of the unknown, the dangerous idea of ‘what if’.
I really liked the chemistry Jasmine and Tyler had. But the development of their relationship was predictable, and the progression of the plot was slow but fast at the same time, if it even makes sense. I didn’t like the cheating aspect, and although the situation was handled with care and precision, it wasn’t handled to its best potential. I don’t know, the writing was amazing and the book was very sweet, and I would definitely recommend it as a quick and entertaining read. But I strongly felt like I expected and wanted something more…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kandi Steiner is a best-selling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed it to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of the press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die-hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer, and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.
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