New Release Review: Make Me Hate You by Kandi Steiner

Make Me Hate You is available now.

Check out the blurb and my review below!

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Trope: Best Friend's Brother; Second Chance; Friends-to-lovers

Release Date: June 15, 2020

Author: Kandi Steiner

Publisher: Indie (Self Published)

Blurb:

*As found on Goodreads

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.

Review:

In Make Me Hate You, Kandi Steiner builds tension, chemistry, and a strong connection between her two main characters. The plot is angsty, but not as "tear your heart out" as I was anticipating. Things didn't hurt as bad as say, A Love Letter to Whiskey, which I found a lot of early reviews were comparing the feel of this book to. I loved that book and the amount of angst it had, so I found myself slightly disappointed that Make Me Hate You didn't bring forth the same level of emotions. I went in with certain expectations and I probably would have loved this story more had I not. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the story. I did. Kandi's writing was beautiful as usual and her story was engaging with good flow. The characters were human and flawed. The slow burning friends-to-lovers romance pulled me in. I just craved more of that gut-wrenching emotion and angst.