Hate Notes by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

 

Hate Notes by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward is the tale of Charlotte, recently jilted by her fiancé and Reed, recently jilted by his fiancée. Charlotte is selling her wedding dress in an attempt to pay the bills, and while she's in the store she comes across a beautiful dress with a romantic note pinned inside. She looks up the author of the note and it turns out it's Reed and they immediately butt heads, but don't worry because Reed's grandmother finds Charlotte crying in the bathroom and hires her.  Does all this sound improbable? Sure. But that's never stopped a good romantic comedy from unfolding in front of our eyes.

Interesting characters: I like them both very much. Charlotte is smart, but somehow seems to have her priorities straight about what's actually worth getting upset about. Honestly, I could probably take some lessons from her. Reed is a bit snarky and sarcastic and it's clear he's hiding something, but I like them.  Their dialogue is peppy and fun and their notes/texts and quite wonderful.  

Believable conflict: Sure, these two butt heads from the start. He's serious and straight-laced and she wants to dance with a stranger in the rain. Their personality conflict is believable. The rest of the overly coincidental plot is not so believable, but who am I to take away the authors' fun?

I was not a huge fan of how Charlotte felt the need to essentially throw herself at a man who had repeatedly turned her down.  If the sexes had been swapped, I would have been absolutely horrified. But I do think this is how it would have played out, so it's believable, if also off-putting.

Emotional tension: I thought this was well done. They each had something big to deal with and until they dealt with it, they couldn't move on to a romantic relationship. That made sense to me and it made me think Keeland and Ward understand the importance of self-love.

Happily ever after: I mean, sure. It's a bit bittersweet, but they are happy and together and that's what counts.

Overall, this was a good book. I'd put it on the level of People We Meet on Vacation and not the A+ level of Love Lettering, but still a very good entry into the world of romance.