Better Hate than Never

By: Chloe Liese

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Charlotte North

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
A Best of the Month Pick from:
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Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won’t even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.

Despite their friends’ and families' pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she’s only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn’t sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.

When Christopher’s persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize “peace” is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.

Another great Shakespeare reimagining

Can’t decide which story I liked better, so I recommend both. The first one was a bit funnier, but the bravery/honesty in this one (ie low angst) really made me happy. Love the 10 Things I Hate About You references and the use of a neurodivergent MC.

Feminist soapbox, but still wants a masculine man

I was really looking forward to this book after the first one but wow, I was disappointed. The feminist droll went on way more than the story needed. I literally couldn’t finish this book, I was so over the emotional damage monologue.

Good-ish

I enjoyed this one, but the first one was better. Ms. Liese does a very good job of writing Kate. I really disliked her. You know an author is good when you feel strongly about her characters!
The female narrator mispronounces SO MANY WORDS! And outs the wrong inflection on sentences. She definitely took some of the joy out of both this one and Two Wrongs.
As always I appreciate the realness of Ms. Liese’s characters! She does neurodiverse characters better than most. If you enjoy found family, good familial relationships, emotional growth, real friendships, and communication…this book is for you.

Good Rep

I felt like Chloe Liese was trying to retell the story so much that I couldn’t connect with Kat and Christopher. The novel started out okay, but there was a disconnect somewhere within the narrative. I did love the migraine and the ADHD rep, which both were done very well.

Representation

I loved the ADHD rep as well as the demisexuality. The use of “inexperienced” instead of virginity was noticed and appreciated!