Hate to Love You by Elise Alden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
HATE TO LOVE YOU is the story of a young, broken girl who is faced with grown up issues way before her time and the long, difficult road that her mistakes take her down. It’s told with an embellished, over-the-top flair that can only be told by someone who refuses to take themselves too seriously and the result is nothing short of amazing.
Paisley was born to two parents who thought she would be the glue that would finally heal their disjointed family. But if Paisley was the answer to their prayers, that meant their firstborn Caroline was the mistake that broke their family in the first place and Caroline couldn’t handle that. Out of jealousy and spite, Caroline devised a series of lies that shamed and isolated Paisley when she should have been protected and defended.
Being violated and then rebuked leads Paisley down a road of drugs and self-destruction. When she meets Caroline’s fiancé James, a combination of an undeniable attraction, anger at Caroline’s never-ending cruelty, and too much alcohol causes her to throw caution to the wind and embrace one night of a better life, even if it’s by pretending to be her sister. When she’s faced with overwhelming desperation at her newest predicament, Paisley makes a rash proclamation at Caroline’s wedding that changes her, James’, and her unborn baby’s lives forever. Seven years later, Paisley is still living with the consequences of her revelations and she sets out to reclaim what’s hers.
I loved every second of Paisley’s difficult journey—from the severity of her broken family to how unabashedly immature she was at the beginning of the story to the indulgent exaggerations of the story. James was alpha male to his core and I loved his every word, thought, and action. He was Paisley’s desperately needed knight in shining armor and he loved her, scars and all. Paisley made some unforgivable choices but she was also dealt a really unfair hand of cards. Some people might find Paisley’s mind reading or her pregnant virgin status too much but I thought Paisley’s personality itself was brash and flamboyant so those parts of her story fit in and added extra pizzazz to an already stellar story.
I could read about James and Paisley’s love story forever. HATE TO LOVE YOU is one of those books where I never wanted it to end but I couldn’t put it down. It’s the reason I love to read—for those books that capture me in their story and don’t let go even after I’ve finished.
**Complimentary copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.
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