Hate You, Maybe by Julie Christianson: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

When the stakes are win, lose or fall … and love is not in their lesson plan.

Sayla Kroft has only two goals this year:

1. Score the big district grant to rebuild her high school’s dilapidated theater.
2. Avoid Dexter Michaels, the flirty-flirt athletic director who wants those same funds for the gym.

Losing to her workplace enemy—again—is not on Sayla's never-ending to-do list. Neither is being trapped with her maddening coworker at a professional retreat.

Or noticing his relentlessly crooked smile is actually kind of ... hot.

But just as she’s beginning to believe Dex might not be the devil himself, the two are forced to switch job titles to prove their collaborative spirit. That’s when Sayla realizes her competition is fiercer than she imagined, which leaves her with an impossible choice:

Fall for Dex and risk losing the grant … or stop at nothing to win, and risk losing everything.

Hate You, Maybe is a closed-door romantic comedy with all the sizzling chemistry, crackling tension, and laugh-out-loud humor of an enemies-to-lovers romance, without all the spice. You may find some mild language and innuendo, but the heat stops at passionate kisses.

This standalone love story is the first in the Maybe This Time series.

The Author

Julie Christianson writes sweet romantic comedies—but only when she’s not reading them. A former English teacher and lapsed marathon runner, Julie lives in Southern California with her one husband, two kids, and three rescue dogs. She’s madly in love with all of them, but there’s not a lot of room on her couch.

To connect with Julie, visit her website juliechristianson.com and follow her on Instagram (@juliechristiansonauthor).

Book Review

From the moment that I saw this title, I just knew it was going to be a fun one... and I'm happy to say that Dexter and Sayla's story absolutely did not disappoint! These two were so fun together. One of the things I love most in an enemies-to-lovers romance is the banter, and even though this rivalry may have been one-sided, we still get that great banter just the same. And the chemistry? Well, even if Sayla WANTS to hate Dex, she can't help but admit his attractiveness. When they're forced to attend a retreat together to prove they can collaborate, they learn that there is a lot more to each other than meets the eye. I loved seeing those more tender and vulnerable moments between them. And while the story did touch on a few tougher issues (making me root for these characters to get their happily ever after all that much more), they were perfectly blended with the humor to keep it feeling lighthearted and fun overall. The side characters also added so much to the story, and I found myself hoping that we'll get to know some of them better later in the series too. (And as a Julie Christianson fan, I loved seeing some mentions of previous characters too!)  If you love workplace/teacher romance with cute pop culture references, this is one you won't want to miss! 

Hate You, Maybe is a closed-door romance with kisses only. It does have very minimal minor language and innuendo. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/3IpLUqZ