Review Tour: Hate: A Love Story by Laurel Ulen Curtis

Hate: A Love Story

by Laurel Ulen Curtis

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 12, 2014

 Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Life can be messy,
And love can be too.

Most people say that it’s not important where you’re going, but instead, how you get there.

Unfortunately for me, the journey to love was absolutely agonizing. Love and Hate wrestled with my life day after day, year after year, and the only way to stop it was to let one of them win.

Which one?

I fought to love harder. But I loathe my love story.

********

4.5 Stars by Jen Skewes

This book was simply amazing.  It is tragic and yet beautiful all in one.   It tells the story about friendship, loss, love and heartache, with the wit and humor that I love from Laurel Ulen Curtis.

Whitney and Blane met in the 8^th grade and from that moment on they became best friends.  It was just the two of them until Franny came into the mix a few years later.  Whitney, Blane and Franny were the best of friends.  Together the three of them just worked.  They understood each other and were there for each other and they didn’t need anyone else in their little group that they had.  They loved each other as friends and their bond was so strong.  Even when Blane and Franny started dating they were still the three musketeers and never made Whitney feel left out.  They needed each other and in some way balanced each other out.  But sometimes life throws a curveball your way and you are not sure how to handle it. And even the strongest of friendships can crumble right before your eyes.  Whitney sat back and watched her friendship with Blane slowly slip away and no matter how much she tried to be there for him through the heartache and pain, Blane just was not in the right moment to be able to accept it.  And therefore pushed her away only to lose what they had in the end. 

Years later Blane and Whitney meet up again and no matter what happened between them, no matter how longs it’s been sine they have seen each other the feelings are still there. Whit has missed Blane in her life but at the same time she still has reservations about seeing him again mainly due to how things ended between them.   But this is their second chance.  This is Blane’s chance to fight for something that he should have fought for years ago, but at the time was in too much pain to even realize how he felt.  

I loved this story and loved Blane and Whitney.  It is tragic and yet beautiful all at the same time.  We see these characters go through so much pain and hurt before they can find their happiness.  I wanted nothing more than for them to be together.  I saw how much they loved each other even if they couldn’t.  They were soul mates and you felt that from the moment they met.  They had been through so much together and my heart continued to break over and over for them.    There were those unexpected moments that were both painful and tragic.  It was in those moments that I felt the pain and hurt right along with them.  But through the heartache and the pain was also those witty moments that came at the perfect time, almost as if the author knew we needed them.

I loved Whitney as the heroine.  She was loving and loyal and she gave it her all when it came to her friends. At least she tried even if they pushed her away.  But I loved her humor which made her so relatable.  At times thinking things that seems so off the wall but yet we all know that we would be thinking the same think.  Like in a situation where blood is involved and you don’t know how it will end but for a split second you are concerned about the fact that you are wearing a white shirt.  That is Whitney, she may ramble at times but you just love her.  Blane was a great hero.  While some of his decisions hurt I understood them.  I understood where is mind was and at the same time where his heart was. I think he made some decisions based on his love for Whitney and wanting to protect her and feeling that she deserved more.  Because in my opinion deep down, even if they were just friends I think it was always about Whitney. 

Blane and Whitney were meant to be together.  But their journey to get to that happiness was a very difficult and painful one.  I am being vague here for a reason but I don’t want you to think that this whole story is one big heartache because it isn’t.  There are some very sad and heartbreaking moments.  But there are also moments that will make you smile, laugh out loud and make your heart happy.  Whitney’s Gram was such a wonderful addition to the cast of characters.  She was witty and funny and I loved the wisdom that she brought and how much she loved Whitney.  They were very close and she was always there for Whitney when she needed her.  She knew when she needed comfort or just needed a good laugh.   

I have read and loved every one of Ms. Curtis' books but I think that this one may just be up there as her best book.   This one brought out so many emotions.   It is about love, loss, friendship and second chances.  You feel every emotion that these characters are going through.  You want to hug them and hope everything will be ok.  There are moments that were unexpected and may just tear you apart.  But in the end Laurel Ulen Curtis knows how to make you smile.  I loved every part of this story but for me the one thing that I wished for is to have gotten inside Blane's head.    There were so many moments where I wished I knew what he was thinking and what his reasons were behind his actions.  But other than Another fantastic job. 

********

In need of a buddy to read with or support afterword?

During the read: SPOILER FREE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/540907082676874/

After the read: SPOILERS ALLOWED: https://www.facebook.com/groups/287718204755467/

Laurel Ulen Curtis is a 27 year old mother of one. She lives with her husband and son (and cat!) in New Jersey, but grew up all over the United States. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, and puts that to almost no use other than forecasting for her friends and writing a storm chasing heroine! She has a passion for her family, laughing, and reading and writing Romance novels. She’s also addicted to Coke. The drink, not the drug.

LAUREL’S SOCIAL MEDIA:

http://www.facebook.com/laurelulencurtis
http://Laurelulencurtis.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/LUCurtisAuthor
www.pinterest.com/Laurelcurtis/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912103.Laurel_Ulen_Curtis


Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1wH0pbp
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1uYweM7
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/ZA30H5
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1o6A59o
Barnes&Noble: http://bit.ly/1vjnJN5
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1sNaimu

a Rafflecopter giveaway