I’m really torn with this novel. At first, as intended, I really despised the characters - but to a point where I didn’t want to carry on reading and almost gave up - there seemed simply no redeeming features.

At the end, there was a little heart and this saved the story.

It’s well written, but for me it was just too unbelievable and the characters too unlikeable for me to click completely. A real shame.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book surprised me. I really liked the fun, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers premise, yet when I was about 30% into this book I truly thought both the main characters were going to be irredeemable and I didn’t see how the situation would convincingly turn around. However, somehow Sarah Hogle managed to truly make me root for these characters who had both been spiteful and manipulative at times, which is quite a feat since normally I run a mile at stupid toxicity in romcom relationships. I also found a lot of the taunting of each other actually quite hilarious, and laughed aloud multiple times at the pettiness and immaturity of it all.

I think what made this toxicity bearable is that both Naomi and Nicholas (eventually) acknowledge their wrongdoings, and it is with open communication that they learn to love each other again. However I have only rated this 3 stars as at times in the first 3/4 of the book the lack of communication is what had me tearing my hair out, and even though this is thankfully resolved by the end, it is still incredibly frustrating.

Headlines:
Snicker, giggle, howl on the regular
War of the Roses
Hate to love has never been so sweet

I burnt the midnight oil to finish this one because I just could not leave it with a few chapters left. You Deserve Each Other was unputdownable and so very satisfying. It brought beautiful escapism to my life, with light and deep in equal parts.

I adored the two main characters, Nicholas and Naomi and I even loved reading about the evil mother-in-law to be. Nicholas was such an awful mother’s boy, it was both hard and incredibly funny to read those aspects. Naomi eventually made use of this part of his life and character to wage a war of the Roses.

"I have an abundance of odious fiance. How am I going to get rid of him? I cannot marry this mama’s boy."

The house move brought unexpected fun to the story. I didn’t see where that was going until after but I really loved visualising their house, the land and the pond. The pond <insert many laughing emojis here, winky face>.

The read came with lows and highs and the highs were often accompanied by my snigger-snort. The escapades these two went to, to get the other to dislike them while in reality chemistry was building. This was sloooow-burn territory folks, so buckle in for some delayed sparks.

Expect high jinks, hate and love in percentages and a crescendo of feelings. Also, plan this read in for a full day of uninterruption or you will end up like me, staying up on a school night and sporting matchstick eyes the next morning. Either way, you won’t regret it.

Thank you to Piatkus, Little Brown UK for the review copy.

You Deserve Each Other was a bit of a slow starter for me. I started laughing out loud pretty early on but I didn't actually warm to the characters until a bit further along into the book.

I loved the message of this book and thought it was beautifully conveyed, although the characters were a bit too immature for an engaged couple at times during their 'I hate you' moments. Having said that, the chemistry between them really does pick up after the half way mark and some of the scenes between Naomi and Nicholas were super cute.

I do wish the book had been written with a point of view from both characters. It is only Naomi's point of view, written in first person and I really wanted to get into Nicholas' head at times and know what he was thinking.

This book is bound to make you laugh out loud at times and the ending leaves you with a cheesy grin, so all in all, a weekend well spent.

I got hold of an early copy of this last year and I was blown away. It's one of the best books I've ever read, and along with Beach Read my favourite book of 2020. Enemies-to-lovers is a hard trope to get right, and engaged enemies-to-lovers should have been impossible to pull off, but Sarah Hogle does it beautifully. She made me laugh, she made me cry. She made me genuinely understand and care for these characters. She shines a light on the different ways that we love with honesty, humour and a lot of wisdom. I still think about that snow shovelling scene... Read this now - you won't regret. I recommend it to EVERYONE I meet! I hope the book flies in the UK the way it did in the US. It is utter perfection. Can't wait for Sarah's next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows Naomi and Nick, a couple that go from lovers to enemies, to enemies to lovers and this second chance romance just unfortunately, wasn't for me.

Described as a 'comedy', I rarely found myself laughing throughout this book and rather, found the two characters irritable whilst battling their unhealthy realtionship and manipulative tendencies. The couple never spoke to one another and I just couldn't see how their relationship was able to be salvaged throughout the book. The miscommunication trope is one of my least favourite tropes out there and this book was FILLED with it.

As the story progressed the couple did begin to have some snappy banter which at times, really did uplift my enjoyment for the book but it would only be met with miscommunication and unnecesary arguing. There were several times where I nearly dnfed the book and it took me quite a while to finally finish it as I just kept avoiding picking it back up.

One positive I have about the book is that the smut (lack there of) was written well and did add a little something to the novel.

However, all in all I found the characters extremely manipulative and irritable and it definitely diminished my enjoyment for the story.

You Deserve Each Other - Sarah Hogle

This book is a full on lighthearted (jam packed with humor) read - I think you need to take it as a tongue-in-cheek romance, and then you can relax into it. I loved the two main characters (however at times I felt like I wanted to give Naomi a shake), Nicholas's character was just great and I think I truly loved him towards the end. The author made me feel like I was a friend who was in on all her secrets, it gave a nice intimate feel to the book whilst reading it.... a hug in book form!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for allowing me the chance to read and review this book

I received an ARC of @sarah_hogle’s debut novel from @piatkus_living via @netgalley.

This story follows married couple to be Nicholas and Naomi. The pair have drifted apart and instead of manning up and calling time on their relationship - meaning one or the other would have to pay for the cancelled wedding - they go tit for tat in an emotional war against each other.

I had heard a few things about this novel before picking it it up so I sort of knew what to expect. I am fortunate in I don’t generally have any triggers however I do have a past history of a broken engagement and a cancelled wedding so this was a bit of a trigger for me. Ultimately I enjoyed the book although at some points the actions and indifference of the characters probably affected me more than they might some other readers.

Throughout the characters play pranks on each other, manipulate emotions and ultimately try to cause as much discontent for the other as possible. Naomi narrates throughout and although I sometimes felt like she was being a coward she did start to recognise that the communication breakdown between herself and Nicholas is what started the breakdown of their relationship. Nicholas shows his willingness to work on their relationship and the story becomes one of almost second chance romance than the characters trying to sabotage one another.

As you can imagine there is a lot of tension - not all good - and angst throughout this novel. I enjoyed it and I really loved the writing style so I’m looking forward to more from this author.

I absolutely loved this romantic comedy - sort of a War of the Roses for an engaged couple. Super funny and entertaining!

You Deserve Each Other is, perhaps, a book I should have expected this outcome for. It’s not a bad book by any means, but it’s also not a book I found it easy to root for the central relationship of.

To briefly summarise, Nicholas and Naomi are engaged, but their relationship has fallen apart to the extent that Naomi does not really want to marry Nicholas, and she assumes he feels the same. But Naomi cannot just call off the wedding — if she does so, she must foot the entire bill of what’s been spent so far, an amount she has no hope to pay.

Most of this review is going to cover what didn’t work for me, I’ll admit. This isn’t to say three stars is a bad rating (it means I liked the book and I will stand by that). I did, overall, like the book. It took me a while to get into, sure, and I definitely preferred the second half to the first. If the entire book had been more like that second half, I would have probably rated it higher.

So why didn’t it work? Mainly, because Nicholas at the start was presented as awfully as he was. Yes, it’s all Naomi’s POV, and she doesn’t treat him any better at times, but there were parts that just removed any real chance of him having my sympathy. Like when he sides with his mother when she insults Naomi, when he laughs at her insults — I don’t know exactly how I am supposed to like him with that, even if it’s only Naomi’s POV and we later find out that he struggles to oppose his mother and wants her help for it. I think if I could have seen a little bit of him trying and failing to oppose, just some indication that this isn’t wholly malicious (even if Naomi so believes it, so I do see the tricky balance here), then I could have got more into the book.

And that dislike of Nicholas didn’t exactly predispose me to rooting for their relationship. In fact, at times, I thought the better option would have been for them to quit, regardless of cost, or perhaps go to therapy because they weren’t exactly in a very healthy relationship. Okay so that was the point of the book, them learning to communicate and build a better relationship — and I did like that aspect of it towards the end — but I got kind of stuck at the start.

And this is, I think, the major sticking point for me with this book. I have liked this concept in other books I’ve read (To Have and to Hoax springs to mind), but I think what’s different here is that sometimes what each does to the other feels too cruel. I am not sure, if I were in Naomi’s situation, if I could ever forgive Nicholas siding with his mother in this way, for implicitly okaying her insults. And the fact it appears to have lasted for most of their relationship, too. There’s “I find it hard to oppose my mother”, and failing to communicate that, and then there’s this. This is why, as much as I liked the second half of the book, when some of the spitefulness had cooled, and as much as I liked the journey the characters took, I couldn’t rate it higher than 3 stars.

So, I know this book has been fairly hit or miss, judging by reviews. I can see reasons for both opinions, really, so that’s why I’m plonking myself firmly in the middle with a 3-star rating. It is a good book, it just wasn’t really a great book for me.

I was expecting a beaut romcom however it’s not all that’s seems. The two main characters fall out and just are horrible o each other.

This one bought me lots of laughs and smiles!
I loved how the romance slowly developed and all of the amazing banter.
This was different to other romances I've read which was so refreshing and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50027029-you-deserve-each-other" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="You Deserve Each Other" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578144336l/50027029._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50027029-you-deserve-each-other">You Deserve Each Other</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18914276.Sarah_Hogle">Sarah Hogle</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3785248482">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Genre: Romance / Romantic Comedy<br /><br />Release Date: 27th April 2020 <br /><br /><br /><br />Naomi and Nicholas are made for each other. They look like the perfect storybook couple. Nicholas Rose holds doors open, brings his mother flowers and comes from the kind of class and wealth anybody would be lucky to marry into. <br /><br />Everyday is the same, everyday is like their anniversary.<br /><br />... And he never remembers their anniversary.<br /><br />But regardless, Naomi is going to be Mrs Rose in a few months time. Partially because she still loves him but mostly because whoever backs out first is footing the bill. She is falling apart, and their relationship has turned into an escalating game of chicken that nobody is winning. They're close to tearing each other apart but sometimes tearing something down leaves room to rebuild ... or walk away with nothing. <br /><br />Hilariously disastrous, heartbreaking and completely captivating, I honestly didn't know what to expect as Naomi and Nicholas' antics got even pettier and I was kept guessing the whole way through right until the very last paragraph. <br /><br />Delving into the simple truth that we don't always love at 100%, love changes and grows and sometimes takes more work than we expected in the first place. I was hooked right from the get-go, I honestly thought I'd hate our two lovebirds and all their cruel tricks but instead I found myself point-scoring and rooting for them at some points, and desperate for them to listen to each other at others. This is a romance that throws the rule book out the window and shows us true, ureliable, messy love in a way thats so refreshing and will stay stuck in your mind for far too long.<br /><br />I sat and tore through this book in one sitting and if you like fun, you probably will too.<br /><br /><br /><br />RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐<br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks you to NetGalley and Sarah Hogle for my copy of 'You Deserve Each Other'
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/66959362-b-s-casey">View all my reviews</a>

First of all, animated covers over covers with topless guys any day and every day!
I have been waiting for this book for what feels like FOREVER. I've read countless reviews of those with arcs with great envy :)

When I'd heard the plot and the trope I SWOONED and I WAS READY.

I have to say I was quite worried when I saw some unimpressed reviews. I was tense that I'd also find this book mediocre but was pleasantly surprised to find that Nicholas, oh Nicholas he set up some pretty unattainable standards and Naomi did not fall short in providing laughter and entertainment.

This is definitely my favourite book-comfort book as of now that I will not hesitate to read over and over again.

I loved their little arguments, their petty one-up tactics, messing with Nicholas' mother and their rare heart-to-hearts.

A sizzling read packed with great enemies-to-lovers chemistry! I could not put this down! Will appeal to fans of The Hating Game

OK so I really wasn't a fan of this at the beginning - it was all a little bit ridiculous. Naomi and Nicholas have been together for a couple of years and are due to get married in a few months. The problem is, they really don't like each other anymore. At first it just seems petty and annoying as they both play games with each other, but there's more to the story than that.

As the book progresses, more characters gain more depth. Naomi isn't in a good place at all and she doesn't seem to know it. Nicholas knows it but he just withdraws from her completely, leading her to believe he's selfish and doesn't care.

Nicholas doesn't know how to break free of his demanding mother who expects to see him every day and calls him all of the time. He sends her flowers and gifts, but doesn't give Naomi any attention. This couple is a mess, and they are for a big chunk of the book.

But the last 30% of the book is so adorable. The characters learn so much about themselves and it genuinely made me smile. I feel like this book is like one of those so bad its good movies, and I really did love the end.

Overall a cute romance if you can stick with it to enjoy the character growth. One thing I would have liked to see was Naomi get help for her issues, because other than the odd comment from Nicholas they really don't get mentioned in the book.

I've read a lot of mixed opinions about this book but I couldn't resist trying it for myself and I'm glad I did because it was delightful. You don't see many nemesis to lovers stories, especially in an already established couple but this was it. It was lighthearted sassiness and it was basically fun from page 1 until the last. I volunteered to read and review an early copy of this. All opinions are my own.

I’d give this story 3.5. I went into it thinking it was a Rom-Com which I don’t think it is. It’s a story about the ups and downs of the beginning of a relationship. Where you’re trying to balance your old family dynamics with your new family dynamics you’re forming.

From the blurb I was led to believe this was an enemies to lovers romantic comedy, so I went in expecting lots of funny banter and sexual tension and laugh out loud tricks played on each other but what I got instead was something else. This relationship felt completely toxic with both of them being childish and vindictive and not talking at all!!! Like just assuming things, just because and then carrying on grudges for evermore because of their assumptions and zero communication. This was more frustrating than entertaining. The whiny annoying heroine didn’t do anything to help either. It might have gotten slightly better towards the end but by then I just wanted to get it over with.
Rating- 2