Can These Opposites Find A Common Ground?
I’m very happy to join the blog tour for A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison today! My thanks to Harlequin Publishing for the invitation to join.
Publisher’s Description
When they’re stuck under one roof, the house may not be big enough for their hate…or their love.
When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the affluent coastal community of Pacific Hills, he’s ready for the questions, the stares and the feeling of not belonging in the posh suburb. Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the mean streets of Lindenwood, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything. He doesn’t even care how the rest of his life will play out.
In Pacific Hills, image is everything. Something that, as the resident golden girl, Nandy Smith knows all too well. She’s spent most of her life building the pristine image it takes to fit in. After learning that her parents are taking in a teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames. It’s the start of summer vacation, and the last thing Nandy needs is some juvenile delinquent from the ’Wood crashing into her world.
Stuck together in close quarters, Trice and Nandy are in for some long summer nights. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it’ll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all.
Details
- Title: A Love Hate Thing
- Author: Whitney D. Grandison
- Publisher: Inkyard Press (January 7, 2020)
- Hardcover: 464 pages
- Read A Sample
- Warnings: Violence, and lots of cursing
My Thoughts
The last place seventeen-year-old Tyson Trice wants to spend his summer is with a family he hasn’t seen in ten years. And to make things worse, he is coming from Lindenwood, a very rough neighborhood. He will be thrown into the wealthy community of Pacific Hills to live with a family he barely knows.
But the Smiths are a caring family, willing to welcome this now teenager into their family. After all, they became attached to him year’s ago when he used to come with his grandfather, who cared for the Smith’s lawn. And at that time the Smith’s daughter, Nandy, and Tyson played together and became good friends.
But Nandy who has worked the last ten years to fit in her elite neighborhood is unwilling to do anything but think about herself. She offers no welcome mat to her onetime good friend. Nandy is also harboring hurt feelings from when he disappeared from her life.
Tyson, who now wants to be called Trice attempts to fit in his new surroundings but soon realizes that Nandy isn’t aware of why he’s living with them. Nandy’s parent’s feel it is Trice’s story to share when and if he is ready to.
Of course the present day Nandy is in no way the girl Trice remembers from childhood. She seems to be more interested in the perfect boyfriend, perfect little clique to belong to, perfect grades, and the need to keep up the perfect facade.
Will Trice, who is totally from the poor side of town, destroy all Nandy has worked to achieve? And will Trice be able to fit in a completely different society?
Thank you to Inkyard Press and #NetGalley for giving me a chance to read and give my opinion of this eARC.
What Concerned Me
- Right off the bat, Nandy’s rude behavior turned me off. She quickly became a character who was easy for me not to care much about.
- And while the f-language was probably fine for the setting, I wasn’t fine with so much of it.
- Also, the Smith parents felt really naive at times. What did they think their daughter was doing? Did they think the snooty neighborhood would eagerly welcome Trice?
- And the differences between Pacific Hills and Lindenwood felt too exaggerated. Trice had been living a very real, hard life, while the Pacific Hills rich and famous, socialites made it hard for me to finish the book. Had it been toned down, I’m sure I would have enjoyed the story more.
As you can tell, this story didn’t click for me. It’s probably one of those books that you really love or it’s quite the opposite. There may not be a lot of middle ground in the ratings.
What I Liked Most
At times Tyson Trice’s story felt very real and touching.
Recommended for
those who like to read coming-of-age stories with the type of characters that I’ve described. And even though the dialog is believable, it’s best not to mind some strong language. If a love-hate type of relationship sounds good, then this book should work for you.
About The Author
Whitney D. Grandison is an American young adult fiction writer. Some of her works can be found on Wattpad, one of the largest online story-sharing platforms, where she has acquired over 30,000 followers and an audience of over fifteen million dedicated readers. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Korean dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio.
