You Deserve Each Other

January 6, 2020
With a narrator readers will either love or hate, Hogle’s over-the-top debut takes the progression of lovers-to-enemies (and back to lovers) to an unbelievable extreme. Almost two years after Naomi Westfield and Nicholas Rose’s first date, the picture perfect couple is engaged and Nick’s overbearing mother, Deborah, is planning their wedding. Naomi despises Deborah and Nick can’t stand Naomi’s artsy work friends. And Nick and Naomi have grown to loath one another as well, but have kept that a secret since neither can break the engagement without incurring massive bills and embarrassment. Instead, they embark on an all-out prank war as each tries to get the other to end things first. Though the couple’s shenanigans are written as humorous fun that help them rediscover the joy of their relationship and slowly bring them back together, the pranks themselves frequently verge on gaslighting and actual cruelty: Naomi sabotages Nick’s business and breaks his phone, Nick berates Naomi and dangles the potential of him having an affair in her face. Hogle has a gift for detail and narrative flow, but many readers will grow frustrated by Naomi’s voice, which alternates between snarkiness and whininess. This rom-com is not for the faint of heart. Agent: Jennifer Grimaldi, Chalberg & Sussman.

January 1, 2020

DEBUT Hogle's first book features an already coupled hero and heroine. Naomi's life is falling apart a little more each day. Her fiancé, Nicholas, is from a society family complete with an overbearing mother. The two quickly realize their relationship is problematic, but with hundreds of thousands of dollars invested into a lavish wedding, neither is willing to admit to wanting to break off the engagement. While it does have entertaining sequences and sweet, comical moments, the book fails to show the true connection between the hero and heroine until the very end, making it a frustrating and bittersweet read. VERDICT While many have compared this to Sally Thorne's The Hating Game, die-hard fans of that work will be disappointed by the lack of passion here. Those seeking a hate-to-love romance, however, should enjoy, as will admirers of Christina Lauren's Dating You Hating You.--Jacqueline Rammer, Lakeview Community Lib., Random Lake, WI

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Naomi Westfield and her perfect fiance, Nicholas Rose, are just a few short months away from walking down the aisle. But there's one big flaw in their seemingly idyllic relationship: She hates him. Naomi is an underachiever who works at a local junk store that's on its last legs. She isn't close to her family, her only friends are her ragtag bunch of co-workers, and she is so run down by her fiance's overbearing mother that she has all but checked out of her own life. But when she discovers that Nicholas is just as tired of her as she is of him, Naomi decides to wage a war in the form of petty pranks, mind games, and general sabotage to get Nicholas to call off the wedding. Nicholas, the upstanding dentist who nevertheless cowers in the shadow of his mother's expectations, responds by buying a house in the woods. He is convinced the move will save their relationship, but Naomi is dubious. At this point it's clear that the novel would be greatly improved by a dual narrative--Naomi is so utterly convinced of Nicholas' hatred and lack of interest (despite all evidence to the contrary), and responds so cruelly based on her convictions, that it's difficult to understand why Nicholas would want to marry her at all. Although self-centered Naomi eventually comes to the realization that she has been ignoring the realities of her relationship, it's a revelation that arrives far too late--all the romance in this overlong rom-com is relegated to the last few pages. There are glimmers of important discussions about mental illnesses like anxiety and depersonalization, but they never go past surface level, a lost opportunity to elevate the text. A page-turning premise that gets overshadowed by its unlikable heroine.

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February 15, 2020
Misunderstandings, mothers-in-law, and matrimony, oh what a trio. Naomi Westfield and Nicholas Rose are in an all-out feud, complete with childish pranks and ruthless sabotage. They also happen to be only months away from getting married. Their whirlwind romance turns sour as they both fail to communicate their needs, revealing the worst versions of themselves. Nicholas caters to his mother's every whim, and Naomi pretends everything is fine, retreating into herself. Each too stubborn to either address their problems or call off the wedding, Naomi and Nicholas resort to pettiness to get the other to crack. But as their plotting becomes more ridiculous, they slowly start to laugh with each other and rediscover their love and their individual passions, learning that perhaps they are strongest when supporting each other as a team. Hogle's hilarious debut romance starts off with two awful people who are hard to root for, a clever approach that, paired with quick-witted dialogue, rewards readers with laugh-out-loud moments and a satisfyingly sweet and redeeming ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)