First Review: I Hate Everyone But You

I debated which book to choose for my first review. I have read several incredible books lately, especially in the past few weeks, but it felt odd to retroactively write a review and I honestly could not choose just one of my recent favorites to highlight. Instead, I'm reviewing the book I finished just moments ago-- there's probably some bookish rule against writing a review right away, but who cares?

The way I usually read is about 50% books I've requested at the library, whether I've heard a lot about them or someone has recommended them, or I'm waiting on a new book in a series, 30% spontaneous picks off the new shelf at the library, 10% books my husband has encouraged me to read from his personal collection, and 10% books randomly passed along from my mom and her friends. I love books from all of these categories, but this particular book was one of my spontaneous library shelf finds, specifically from the YA shelf. I love going straight to the YA shelf and selecting books that just speak to me. This one did just that.

I Hate Everyone But You is a quirky, charming story written by Youtube duo Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin. I am not someone who follows much about the Youtube community so I picked this one up just based on the cover and inside jacket blurb. I later discovered that these creative gals were internet famous and I am glad I picked this one up without realizing that, as it did not color my first impressions of the story.

The story, written in the form of e-mails and text messages, is quick-paced and resonated with a slightly younger version of myself. It follows the friendship of two girls, Gen and Ava, entering their freshman year in colleges on opposite coasts. I loved the fast, easily accessible, and relevant style of storytelling and I stayed up late the first night whipping through the story; had I not started it right before bed, I could have read this treat in one sitting!

Like much YA literature, on the surface this book seemed shiny, loud, and fluffy. However, between the use of emojis, pop culture references, and snappy dialogue, the girls delved deep into discussions of mental health, politically correct conversations, social pressures, and the hard realities of being on your own for the first time. I was impressed that this story made me laugh out loud one moment and feel a pang of nostalgia and resonance the next.

I read this book in less than a day and fell fast and hard for these two incredibly different, but wholly believable young women. Yes, some of their conversations seemed trivial to me as a married adult, but as an adult who reads YA literature regularly, I know that this is part of the process. I recognize that I cannot relate to every moment of these stories, but I found myself relating to this story in unexpected ways. I remembered myself at that age and saw in myself, both then and now, the anxieties, insecurities, and confusion of real life.

I would rate this book a solid 4/5. I recommend it for lovers of YA literature, especially contemporary YA. This was also a great read to break up some of the fantasy and magical realism I've been hooked on lately. While it was not one of my absolute favorite reads lately, I still adored it and felt genuine emotions for the characters and their struggles. It also had poignant commentary on some relevant issues and it was refreshing to hear those types of discussions from 18-year-old points of view.

General note: I like to rate books out of 5 stars and I am fond of using a half star in my rating if the book warrants it; I like the freedom of being more succinct in my rating system without feeling like I have a large gap between stars if I had mixed feelings on a book. A 5 star read is rare for me, but I fall in love with many books that I feel are more than simply 4 stars. 4.5 is probably my most popular rating.

On to my next Stephtacular read!