Mia never planned to fall for Liam Lockhart a second time. He’s her brother’s best friend, a decade older, and the inspiration behind the villain in her wildly popular webcomic. After one unforgettable kiss ended in heartbreak, she turned that pain into art, and swore she was done with him for good. But when her brother gets injured, Mia is offered the writing job of her dreams at Liam’s streaming company. Now she’s stuck working side by side with the man who ghosted her, trying not to strangle him, or kiss him senseless. With stolen glances, late nights, and a stray dog only complicating things, staying professional is harder than it sounds. Kissing Liam again might be the worst decision she ever makes… or the one that changes everything.

3.75 stars

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and especially author Leslie North for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The book had such an easy, natural flow. Even though it felt a bit long at times, the story moved along beautifully. The writing was clear and precise—I always knew exactly where the plot was heading, which made the experience so enjoyable.

The characters were great, and I absolutely loved Mia. She was such a relatable character—fierce and strong, yet sensitive. I admired how she followed her dreams even when her parents weren't supportive. Liam was a very intense character, and I appreciated how the book took time to explain his behavior and background.

That said, the book was incredible and very enjoyable—I read it all in one day! Leslie, I hope you have an amazing career ahead because your writing and storytelling are truly impressive.

Very strongly written. Plot does not contain any holes and is a great read! The characters have such a strong relationship that makes it so easy for the readers to connect.

Mia has always had a crush on her brother’s best friend, Liam. Liam is intrigued by Mia, but stays away because of loyalty to her brother, who was in an accident and is now in a wheelchair and having a hard time coming to terms with his new life. There is too much chemistry to avoid, so they decide to see each other in private. As we all know, that comes with a whole new bag of problems, so watching the story evolve after that was such a fun read.

This book gave me similar vibes as The Hating Game, which is one of my favorite books of all time. The banter between Mia and Liam had me in knots waiting for the eventual kiss. Though it was an extremely slow burn romance, it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed everything about this book, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Tropes- workplace romance, secret dating, brother’s best friend.

Love and hate balance on a thin line that could be easily crossed. In THE CEO I HATE, Leslie North crafts a compelling romance blending irresistible tension with open vulnerability. Mia swears off kissing her brother's best friend, Liam Lockhart. A mistake she made two years ago. As a heartbroken writer, it was only sensible to turn him into a villain in her webcomic. In a twist of fate, after her brother's intervention, Liam offers her a position as a head writer in a hit show. Working together should be easy, but it becomes a challenge when trying not to devour each other.

The best part for me about this book was how it doesn't keep revolving around one thing. It's fast-paced. I didn't find it lacking in any area. This supposedly enemies-to-lovers romance is compelling and intriguing. Romance readers are sure to enjoy this familiar trope.

The CEO I Hate by Leslie North is a romcom with the enemies-to-lovers and brother's-bestfriend tropes. I love the romantic buildup and the character development. I look forward to reading the rest of the Lockhart brothers' series.
I got the complimentary copy of this book from Relay Publishing via Netgalley. This is my honest review

Amazing book loved the characters abd plot. I couldn't stop reading I stayed up all night. Ii loved the book so much thank you for the arc.

A brother's best friend is getting together with the younger sister. This works, though, from the start when Mia is busting his chops for cutting in line at the coffee shop as if he is the only person. It just gets better from there, especially when you find out that he ghosted her two years ago after they kissed. It comes full circle, though, when she walks out on him. A good with excellent characters.

Mia and Liam are attracted to each other, but because she is his best friends younger sister, Liam keeps blowing hot and cold. But a twist of fate has Mia working with Liam and the close proximity makes ignoring the attraction that much more difficult for Liam.
This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the banter and the sizzle between Mia and Liam. It was fun watching the push and pull. Ash was a wonderful addition, nothing shows a grumpy persons soft side than a furry friend.
Overall a fun read !

5 stars without even thinking twice. It was easy to read and just flowed from start to finish. I really liked how Mia and Liam interacted, their energy together felt intense but also fun at the same time. There was drama, emotions, tension, and some really great banter between them. I smiled a lot while reading. Mia was such a strong and relatable character. She had passion and didn’t give up, even when things weren’t easy. Liam was grumpy and cold sometimes, but deep down you could tell he cared. Their connection grew slowly but in a way that felt very real to me. I also liked that the story had some emotional layers. It was definitely one of those stories I didn’t want to end. Everything came together so well, and I enjoyed every chapter. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

When Mia unexpectedly runs into Liam Lockhart, her brother’s best friend and the man who once kissed her only to push her away, old feelings resurface. Now working together, Mia is determined not to repeat the past, especially if it means risking her dream job. But when Liam kisses her again, resisting becomes far more complicated.
This is a fun and flirty romance that balances emotional tension with witty banter. There is plenty of banter between Mia and Liam, as well as a lot of chemistry. I found the story entertaining and enjoyed the relationship between Liam and Mia. As they navigate their feelings while also caring for Mia’s injured brother, she begins to feel overlooked, particularly in her budding relationship with Liam. This book delivers a steamy romance, with plenty of heartfelt moments. An enjoyable romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

brothers best friend
enemies to lovers
workplace romance
3rd act break up

All my favorite tropes in one book.

I really liked this book, I thought the characters were great, and it was a quick read. I did lose interest towards the end of the book and ended up skipping through to the end.

This book follows two people in the tv / writing industry. If you are really into that, then this is perfect for you. Those were the parts I skimmed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Relay for the arc.

If you’re looking for a quick office romance, this is just that. The book was not short but didn’t feel fleshed out. I don’t think we got time to really connect to them as a couple. I think when there’s a third act breakup, the readers should feel a little down because of how much they like the couple and I just couldn’t feel anything. It’s a cute not so palette cleanser since it’s not as short. I like that the brother didn’t act irrational the way they usually do in the brother’s best friend trope. Mia was cutesy, I think I just couldn’t feel the romance aspect from Liam. I also like that they actually fleshed out the brother’s story.

Thank you to Leslie North, Relay Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really really loved this book!!! It was a quick and fun romance with a pace that kept you wanting to read more. Workplace Romance? Brother’s best friend? Enemies to lovers? Check check check!!

I really loved the two main characters together and their banter. It really kept me interested through the whole book. Mia is a badass and I loved the overall storyline, I feel like it had a great mix of romance and fiction that you don’t always get!

I am really excited to read the next books in this series, I think the premise of a brothers trilogy is always a hit for me!

4⭐️ 2🌶️ I really enjoyed this book and all the tension and top tier banter! One passionate kiss between Mia and Liam had Liam running for hills after realizing what he did with his BFFs little sister that is 10 years younger than he is.

The banter between Mia and Liam was so dang funny, the scene in the coffee shop and my cackling!! The tension is high between these two, but Liam is down bad and can’t stay away like he feels he should. Loved their journey to a HEA!

I really enjoyed the side characters in this story, crossing my fingers Jake and Gabrielle and their HEA. Lyle & Damion are the villains we love to hate!

Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for this advanced copy of the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

4 🌟
Spice: open door
Format: ebook

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. (I did read on KU though so the author gets paid)

This was everything I thought it would be! I think a lot of friends would enjoy it. I love the TV show aspect, it was different and made me wish the show was real so I could watch. I really liked Mia & Liam together. I love a good brother's best friend book so it had me hooked by that alone. I am excited to read the other Lockhart brothers books. So many great side characters in this book too! Side characters can make or break a book for me. Ash is probably the best side character of all.

This book was a fun read, I enjoyed the plot which was written so well that it had me hooked from the moment I started reading. I liked Liam and Mia, their chemistry was brilliantly written, these characters were perfection. The bond that formed between all the characters was top notch.

4.25/5 stars ✨ Leslie North has knocked another book out of the park. I always love her books - they’re fun, easy reads with lots of spice and banter.

This book follows Mia, who lands a job at the TV studio owned by the infamous Liam Lockhart - who also happens to be her brother’s best friend and a one-night kiss several years ago. Liam will do anything to get rid of her, but she’s naturally perfect for the job and wins over the studio. Their current project is Season 2 of an award-winning drama TV series, and I love that it felt like we were behind the scenes of this in the making, as well as getting the romance and the story with it.

The characters were fun, the drama and side plots were AMAZING, and the romance was spicy. I enjoyed the banter so much, and really liked the character development, especially as Liam finally woke up to himself on what he was missing out on with Mia. I wish he got a clue sooner, but I feel like Leslie did a really good job of portraying the miscommunication between them and the perils of being a stubborn MMC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Leslie North for the eARC of this book!

The CEO I Hate follows the story of Liam and Mia. Off the rip I want you to understand the banter and arguing in this book is borderline insane. I am all for banter of the main characters but in the beginning there has to be an end to arguing and the 'hate' between these two. It felt a bit much to me.

I did love the story and the sidekicks throughout the book. & the third act break up was justified because of how the MMC was acting and not realizing that she just wanted comfort and acknowledgement of her feelings.

What I have realized while reading this book (as a fixer) is that sometimes we're so focused on fixing the problem we forget to ask & acknowledge the other person. & maybe, what they want isn't for us to fix things.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐.5

This book follows Liam, who is the CEO of a production company that is putting out a TV show. They happened to lose their head writer going into season 2 and Liam is desperate to keep the show afloat. That is where Mia comes in. She is a writer and also Liam's Best friend's little sister. He gets her an interview and she blows everyone away easily earning herself the job. But there are some unresolved feelings between Liam and Mia that really come to the surface with them now working closely together.

Overall, this was a cute, quick, somewhat spicy read. I really liked Mia! She was driven, funny, smart and excelled in her field. I couldn't get myself to like Liam though, unfortunately. What caused their third act breakup (because there is what felt like a pretty lengthy third act break up) seems like a big issue and I felt like it was kind of swept under rug. Idk, maybe I just don't think I would get back together with someone after something like that happened lol. Also there was a cringy (in my opinion) moment after they got back together. Don't want to say too much and spoil it! I really enjoy Jake (Mia's brother) and wish he was getting a book too! I do look forward to reading Finn and Connor's books when they come out later this year!


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!