Please see below for my review. I also included a Book Synopsis and a List of Book Tropes on my post as well (IG only) This has been posted on Instagram and Goodreads today 8/8/24.

"Thank you so much NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Release day to this adorable gem of a book! I am a huge sucker for a Rock Star romance and this book did not disappoint. Nate, a rock star who suffers from panic attacks, must return home for court order community service. Unfortunately for him, his manager is Bev, a former classmate who he has a complicated history with.

Swipe for full book synopsis and book tropes.

The interactions between Nate and Bev at the animal shelter made me laugh out loud, especially the rescue of a certain rabbit resident. Highly recommend you read this book if you like the following tropes; Small Town, One Bed, Force Proximity, Second Chance and Workplace Romance. I also really enjoyed Nate’s mental health journey. The book goes into detail about his struggles with panic attacks and loneliness. As a psychology nerd, I always love to see books with Mental Health representation. I thought this was done really well. This book is a solid four stars for me but I bumped it up to 4.5 because I really loved all of the different interactions with our main couple and the animal residents at the rescue. It was a quick fun read that I enjoyed! "

Rating: 4.5 Stars"

I Hate Rock Stars by Mia McCoy was a cute romance story!
The story's pacing keeps readers engaged, and Kaswell's writing style is both evocative and relatable. The characters are well-developed and realistic.

Cute romance story with a strong female lead, additional animals make for a lovely story. Not sure about the rock star lead male, a little annoying and weak at times.

I love this book it was such a cute, easy read. The author does such a great job of character development and instantly drawing you in to these relatable stories. The addition of animals just made it all the much better.
I honestly felt like these could have been the kids who grew up next door and I was catching up on what had happened in their lives. Don't forget there's bunnies! Such a warming heart-felt read, I really enjoyed it,

This book is so sweet and features an animal shelter which is close to my heart.

Bev and Nate are both likable characters and I was rooting for them the whole way. I was a LITTLE upset with Nate when he said he didn’t like pets……..but luckily that doesn’t stick for long.

The spice seemed a little rushed in the first scene and it is mild throughout the rest of the book.

The only piece that didn’t fit or get resolved is the part about Scooter harassing Bev —I was kind of hoping for a little more drama or at least for Nate to acknowledge that.

And then It ends with a nice epilogue! I would definitely read another book by this author and I’d recommend this to you if you like a mild spice enemies to lovers romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing publishers for this ARC!

The setting here was cute and the story worked overall but the spicy scenes were just not for me. Felt more cringe than sexy. But I enjoyed reading about the shelter animals and the peripheral characters. Nice ending.

Mein Leseerlebnis

In dieser second chance romance, die zudem eine Kleinstadtatmosphäre mit sich bringt, hat für mich leider nicht alles gepasst.

Meine Probleme beim Lesen fingen damit an, dass ich mir die beiden Hauptcharaktere leider nicht als richtige Personen vorstellen konnte. Beide wirkten auf mich nicht gut genug ausgearbeitet und ihre Liebesgeschichte hat mich darauf aufbauend wenig interessiert.

Die Geschichte spielt teils in einem Tierheim und Tiere nehmen dementsprechend eine große Rolle ein. Beides hat mir gut gefallen.

Weniger überzeugend und sympathisch fand ich hingegen das Verhalten des Helden in den ersten Kapiteln der Liebesgeschichte. So hörte er bei wichtigen Infos im Tierheim nicht zu, was zu einer unschönen Situation für ein Tier führte.

Nimmt man das alles zusammen, dann hat mir der Liebesroman zu wenig gegeben, um ihn zu Ende zu lesen.

Keine Bewertung, da abgebrochen.

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mit Tieren und zweiten Chancen interessant findet, für den könnte sich das Lesen von “I hate Rock Stars” lohnen.

I Hate Rockstars

Short, sweet, easy binge read.


A rockstar, Nate, coming home to complete community service, for an undisclosed misdemeaner, at his teenage home's animal shelter where he is teamed up with his teenage love, Beverley, as his supervisor.

The writing was staightforward and easy reading. The slow start had the kind of set up that laid the end before us early. The spice, open door, for what it was was not overblown.

There appears to be a lost opportunity to elaborate on both Nates mental health woes and develop some real tension in regards to the music executive angle.

A nice filler between other books. Leans closer to YA than A.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

At the start of the book I wasn’t really feeling it, I think from where it was rushed due to the book being short but around 40-45% I was eating it up. A short and cute summer read!

This book didn’t live up to its potential. Unfortunately the story was super rushed and I usually love fast paced books. The setting was cute and the tropes ok. I just didn’t really care for the characters and wasn’t fully invested for that reason.

✨ARC Review ✨

⭐⭐⭐/5

I hate Rockstars by Mia McCoy is a nice summer romance, with likable characters and a decent storyline.

So the good parts... Loved the main characters and their dilemmas. The small town/island was very cosy. I loved the Moose storyline, in fact I think that's the most vulnerable storyline throughout the book. And I love how Moose's story ended up, it was really nice. The alternative dula POV was a nice touch, it helped to navigate through the story easily.

Now for the not so good... As I started the book, it took me quite a while to build the connection. It's not until almost 40%, that I felt that connection building. So even though, it's a short romance, those first 40% felt really long. But after that, it was good, and I started to really enjoy the book. Also the tropes felt rushed, mainly because it's a short fiction. The Forced proximity, enemies to lovers were so rushed that it didn't felt as enjoyable as it should. And It's the first time that I have noted my frustrations throughout the ebook.

Overall, it was a nice, easy read. But it could have been more. So 3/5 is all I can rate.

And if these tropes excite you,
🔣 Rockstar
🔣 Enemies to Lovers
🔣 Second Chance Romance
🔣 Small Town
🔣 Forced Proximity
🔣 Workplace Romance
🔣 Bucket list
🔣 One Bed
Give this a try

Thank you Author Mia McCoy, NetGalley, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for sending me this ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The idea of this book is adorable, and unlike anything else I’ve seen in the romance genre recently.

Nate, a rock star with panic attacks, is assigned community service at an animal shelter in his home town, which just so happens to be where his high school crush works.

There’s a cast of adorable animals, especially Moose and Louise, but most of the side characters fall flat and are as underdeveloped as the main characters.

The story is too fast-paced that nothing truly feels explained enough or resolved properly. What the hell was that stuff with Scooter? And why does Bev give up her dreams to follow Nate around the world?

The chemistry between Nate and Bev is lacking, there is an over-use of some awful phrasing and often, sentences, paragraphs and scenes are often abandoned without coming to their natural conclusion. All of this made the book difficult to read.

If you can overlook all of this, though, it’s a cute little second chance romance.

This was good! I loved it but I just wish it wasn't so rushed. I usually enjoy a good short romance but this felt like a pace problem rather than a length problem. Certain parts such as the dad hating the love interested for over 15 years over a high school thing doesn't really make any sense, nor is very realistic, just as an example

This is a contemporary romance novel that dives into the tumultuous world of fame, music, and unexpected love. The story centers around Bev who harbors a deep-seated aversion to rock stars due to past experiences. Her life takes a surprising turn when she crosses paths with a charismatic rock star who challenges her preconceived notions.

The author crafts a compelling narrative filled with emotional depth and witty dialogue. Bev’s journey is marked by personal growth, as she learns to confront her fears and past traumas while navigating the complexities of a relationship with someone from the very world she despises. Nate’s interest is portrayed with layers, showing vulnerability beneath the public persona.

The book's strength lies in its character development and the chemistry between the main characters. Their interactions are both fiery and tender, creating a dynamic that keeps readers engaged. McCoy's exploration of themes such as trust, forgiveness, and the impact of fame adds a layer of realism to the romantic plot.The pacing is well-balanced, with a mix of dramatic and heartfelt moments that maintain the reader's interest. This is a captivating read for fans of contemporary romance who enjoy stories of love found in unexpected places. It's a testament to the idea that sometimes, the people we least expect can change our lives in the most profound ways.

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️

At the start of the book I wasn’t really feeling it, I think from where it was rushed due to the book being short but around 40-45% I was eating it up. This is such a short and cute summer read. It had some great tropes such as rockstar, workplace romance, small town, second chance, forced proximity and one bed. These just so happen to be some of my favorite tropes. At first I found some dialogue to be kind of cringy but that’s something I can definitely look over in books! Also I loved the animal shelter scenes and any of the scenes with the actual animals!

This was such a quick and easy read! I love rock star mmc’s so when I received this arc, I was so excited. This was a perfect palate cleanser book! This was advertised as a second chance romance but it didn’t really seem that way to me. We didn’t get a lot of backstory and I wish there had been more character and plot development. The end seemed very rushed too and I wish we’d gotten more. But the relationship was so cute and Nate was so sweet. Overall this was entertaining and I love Bev having a job at the animal shelter!!!!

I liked reading this book. It was a cute and fun second chance and enemies to lovers book. I loved all the quirky animals at the shelter, but Moose was my favorite. I feel like it wrapped up a little too quickly and didn’t really give me all the answers I wanted, though.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Thankyou to netgalley for this ARC read. I am voluntarily giving my review.

I read this book in one sitting it was quite a light and fluffy read and was quite enjoyable.

I did however get slightly confused with bits of the storyline, like how the main male character was portrayed didn't match up in the actual story.

I would recommend it to others to read as the second chance romance is a trope I do love, but there is very little spice which made me not love it as much as I usually would a read (I live for smut haha)


Tropes / What to Expect
Enemies to lovers
Workplace romance
Second chance
Small town (beach)
Forced proximity
One bed
Palpable tension
Fun dialogue
And a motley crew of animals you can’t help but fall in love with

This was interesting. I generally like this genre so thought I would give it a try but I found the second-chance part of this very vague and like we were missing an entire backstory. There just wasn't enough follow through and I didn't love the end. Hope you have better luck!

I Hate Rock Stars comes out next week on August 8, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Nate Hart. Nate fucking Hart. I can't believe it. Never in a million years did I think there was potential to cross paths with him again. After a minute of clearer thinking, I realize it's still probably unlikely to cross paths. He's on the rich side of town now. The beachfront side. There's no reason to run into each other, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Quick and easy read! I got through it within a few hours. Nothing to write home about. It felt like there was a piece of their relationship missing, although I’m not sure what. It just felt a little incomplete and didn’t draw me in in the way I thought that it would have. I do love an enemies to lovers pipeline though… and obvious bonus points for dogs!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️