I Hate You, James Fuller
By: Kelly Anne Blout
Release Date: March 2, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Crush
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Source: eARC from the publisher in exchange for a honest review
Book Summary:
I hate you, Fuller James.
I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me.
I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at a middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché.
I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.
I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.
But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.
I hate you, Fuller James.
I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me.
I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at a middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché.
I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.
I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.
But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.
My Thoughts:
When I read the synopsis and saw the cute cover for I Hate You, Fuller James, I expected a fun, and cute story. However, I got so much more! I must admit that at the beginning of the story I didn't know if I would enjoy it, because James came across as immature for being a senior in high school, and it seemed like everything about him irritated Wren, even things that I thought weren't a big deal. However, we quickly learn it's because these two have quite the history!
I'm happy to say, that the pages just flew by! James was the captain of the basketball team and the most popular guy in his high school. He was dating mean girl, Marissa, who was pretty, but extremely shallow, and a horrible bully! Both of them consistently gave Wren a hard time at school. James was more worried about his image and being popular than anything else.
I loved Wren. She was sweet, intelligent, and dedicated to her family. When James starts a food fight, Wren, who usually doesn't react to shenanigans, gets so angry that she throws food back. As her punishment, she gets stuck tutoring James, because he is failing A.P. Literature, and needs to bring up his grade in order to play basketball.
As Wren and James are forced to spend more time together, they get to know each other on a deeper level. I connected to both of these characters emotionally, and found myself in love with their story.
Wren was extremely close to her grandfather, who had moved in with her family, because he was suffering from Alzheimers. My heart broke for her, and I smiled at all of the heartwarming scenes with her and her grandfather. This was extremely difficult for me read, because I've always shared a special bond with my grandparents, and lost my Nana a couple of years ago, and my grandpa has been really sick.
James was very close to his little brother, Hudson, who had brittle bone disease. I loved his little bro, and their relationship was super sweet. James matured, and underwent a lot of character growth, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because of an unfortunate mistake that James made at the beginning of the story.
I Hate You, Fuller James, was a super fast, light, cute, and fun read! It balanced out heavy topics, with lightness, humor, friendship, and first love. This was a story that sucked me right in, and gave me great characters, and a real, relatable, and emotional reading experience.
About the Author:
Two of her Wattpad works, including Captured (seventeen-million reads), have been optioned for film by Komixx Entertainment, and she is regularly invited to present seminars about social media at author events.
Stop by any of Kelly’s social-media platforms (@KellyAnneBlount) and stay tuned to this website for announcements and information about upcoming releases and events.
Kelly Anne Blount is represented by Jennifer Wills (jennifer@theseymouragency.com) and Nicole Resciniti (nicole@theseymouragency.com) of The Seymour Agency.
