[Hate You, Maybe]: A Review

Hi y’all!

Loving the fall weather right now and all our favorite traditions.

Today I’m here with a review of Hate You, Maybe by Julie Christianson. I absolutely adored Julie’s newest release! I have read all of Julie’s books and was lucky to be on her ARC team for Hate You, Maybe. This just might be my favorite of her books! I loved it start to finish and am so glad she is continuing her stories set in Harvest Hollow.

Enemies to more. Workplace competition. Forced proximity. Caught in a storm. Laugh out loud banter. The swooniest kisses ever. And the most beautiful romance. I LOVED THIS ONE!

I received an ARC from the author. All opinions are my own.
This book releases today – October, 8 2025!

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

Sayla Kroft has only two goals this year.

Score the big district grant to rebuild her high school’s dilapidated theater. 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.“

I loved Sayla for all her hard working, determined, clipboard loving, quirky qualities. She was so much fun to read about and laugh out loud funny even when she wasn’t trying to be. I loved getting to know her and understanding why she is how she is. Her childhood was transient and she’s never felt like she truly belongs anywhere. I absolutely loved how Dex truly saw her and made her feel safe.

Dex is my favorite! I loved his wit, his loyalty, his humor, and his heart. His witty banter with Sayla was laugh out loud funny and I loved the nicknames he gives her. Seeing him start to break down her walls was so lovely. He also has hard experiences in his past that he chooses to keep bottled up rather than shared. I loved seeing him open up both to Sayla and to himself. While his grief will always be a part of him, I admired his strength to love and hope with Sayla.

The romance was just so fun, and the plot was a delight! I loved the days Sayla and Dex spend at the collaboration retreat and how that changes their relationship (breathing with my toes, scalp massages, forced roommates, fake dating, and one very very very real kiss!). It was a clever way to begin their changing relationship. Their collaboration at school was so fun to read about as well. And the climactic moments at the end of the book were intense and beautiful and so healing.

I can’t say enough good things about this one. Definitely one of my favorites from Julie and a top read of 2025 so far! Also can’t wait to get the NEXT STORY IN THIS SERIES!