If You Hate Me started off fine for what it was—a trope-heavy brother’s best friend spicy romance where the emotionally unavailable hockey player falls for the sweet girl next door. It ticked the expected boxes: some decent tension, a fight when feelings got involved, and a reconciliation.

However, that’s where the book should have ended. Instead, the story dragged unnecessarily with another breakup, Tristan flying out to Vancouver to grovel, and then quickly reverting to his old habits by running away again. While there was some character growth—Tristan going to therapy was a positive step—it didn’t feel like enough to justify the extended and repetitive plot.

The spice scenes were fine, but it felt odd how their families and friends were overly involved in their private lives, joking about details that should have remained between the couple. Instead of adding humor, it just felt invasive.

On top of that, the writing itself became repetitive, especially with certain word choices and metaphors. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at cucumbers or pretzels the same way again. Overall, the story was fine, but it didn’t stand out in any way and could have benefitted from tighter pacing and more originality.