They call him the devil. When I crash-landed into him on my first day at Loyola Academy, I was sure that couldn’t be true. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in real life. Little did I know he was also the cruelest. I went from starstruck to stunned the moment his cynical eyes cut through me. I can’t tell you what it was that made him want to punish me. But from that day forward the … to punish me. But from that day forward the brooding recluse of a man made it his goal to torment me.
I want to loathe him, and some days, I do.
But good or bad, nobody’s attention has ever tasted so sweet.
What do you do when you have a hate crush on your bully?
Worse yet, what do you do when he’s also your teacher?
Hate Crush is a full length standalone age gap bully romance with a complete ending.
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WoW!!! I loved this book it had everything I loved to read all in one books that was totally amazing. Can’t wait for what zavarelli releases next.
OMG! If you haven’t read this book yet, read it right now! This book had every single thing I love. Sebastian was the triple threat: sexy, bully, teacher. Stella refused to bend to his bullying. I loved how she stood up for herself when nobody else would. The story was fast paced and sucked me right in and I HAD to read it in one sitting. A. Zavarelli knows how to write a book that is so intense, you can’t help but to feel like you’re right there. And that’s how it was with Hate Crush. Each word painted each scene perfectly so that it was like watching a movie. A dark, sexy, angsty, one of my new favorites movie. Wish I could give it way more than 5 stars.
Student teachers are my Jam y’all! I’m so glad I got to read this one. I was so yummy! Sebastian and Stella’s story was different and interesting and hot. It was heartbreaking and beautiful and so, so delicious. Definitely recommend this new forbidden student/teacher. I promise it actually hits on multiple genres which I won’t tell you which ones so not to give anything away.
Stella LeClaire is gorgeous, strong, and resilient, I mean she had to be. She was pretty much forced by her parents to move to the expensive elite Loyola Academy for her senior year of high school. A diploma from Loyola guaranteed to give you the best chance at the best colleges. With only one friend Sybil, she finds herself picked on by the nastiest “mean girls” of the school and then to add insult to injury by her hot teacher Sebastian Carter. She’s not quite sure what she did to tick him off, but she did something. She landed herself on his naughty list almost immediately. I felt so bad for her, she had just been dealt such a devastating blow and then she was having such a rough time fitting in at her new school. All the guys wanted her, so naturally all the girls hated her. She decided she wanted to fly under the radar, get good grades and follow the rules and path her parents her parents had set for her. Even if those weren’t necessarily her dreams. When she received one final shocker of a hit, she has to go to drastic extremes to take care of herself. Will she be surprised by who steps in to help her when she needs it most? Can she handle the pressures of having to hold everything together all on her own?
Sebastian Carter is gorgeous, emotionally scarred, and bordering on just plain cruel. Living out someone else’s dream and a lonely existence on the outskirts of campus and punishing the entire entitled rich bratty student body for it. He is an amazingly gifted teacher. However Stella starts off testing his patience from the first moment he saw her beautiful ,tardy body step foot in his class. He was immediately drawn to this girl and that angered him even more, so he made a decision to make it his “project” to punish her, to break her. One thing you don’t want to be is on Mr. Carter’s bad side. Stella is on his bad side.
But the more he learns about Stella LeClair he realizes she is not like all the other rich brats that usually pass through the Academy. She’s starting to melt a part of his heart he thought was cold, dark and dead. He realizes he needs her out of Loyola and fast. Will Sebastian get an easy “ A” on his project and break Stella? Or will the girl who looks like a gorgeous pinup model turn the tables on Sebastian, and instead bring him to his knees?
*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book!
My cr8zysockbookblock blog wrap up for this book!
– I love Student/Teachers and this one was great! I’m also a big A. Zavarelli fan and I loved this book. It had it all Hot leads, banter for days, suspense, tension, kindle throwing moments!! Plus that cover is smokin’ y’all! Perfect Sebastian!
-YES,YES,YES!! Freakin HOT Y’all OMG!! Nuff said.
Cliffhanger Warning- NoCliffhanger #HAPPYENDING
Unique and captivating taboo romance that proved once again that love is love.
Stella and Sebastian’s story was an unconventional with plenty of intense and juicy unexpected turns that made this story a real page turner.
Age gap romances are a definite favorite of mine and when there’s a touch of the forbidden with a dash of bully romance thrown in to boot I’m in reader heaven.
Sebastian was the perfect mix of dark and broody that drew me in like a moth to flame. Even in the moments where I wanted to hate him a bit I couldn’t help but love Sebastian and found myself rooting even harder for him. His complete opposite Stella was young, naive, vulnerable yet stronger than even she realized.
The emotional connection these two shared made the push and pull between them that much more palpable. These two were explosive together and I loved all the twists, turns, drama and suspense woven throughout their story that kept me hooked until the last page.
Full of steamy moments, a bit of the forbidden and lots of angsty goodness Hate Crush made for one deliciously captivating read.
Wickedly forbidden with a splash of deliciousness. Who doesn’t love a forbidden romance, a teacher/student romance, an older man/younger woman romance? It’s the perfect combination with sides of hot and mind blowing scenes that will melt your e-reader.
Honestly, every book she writes A Zavarelli continues to amaze me with her wonderous stories. No matter the age. Love is love. Stella and Sebastian had such a strong connection from the start. No matter age or social standing. Emotional connection is one of the strongest feelings that you can’t fight. The struggles of their lives seemed to be the complete strain and destruction of their relationship. A Zavarelli weaves an incredible story with so much anticipation and angst. You just want more and more and cannot stop until the very end. I loved everything about this book . Such an amazingly talented Author!
***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***
Storyline: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Heat Factor: 4 stars
Overall Rating: 4 stars
“Cruelty is just pain’s gatekeeper”
Hate Crush is a bully romance/forbidden romance story by A. Zavarelli and the first book I’ve read by this author. As soon as I heard it was a bully romance, I knew I had to read it. Overall, I enjoyed this story but feel that there was some disconnect between the characters at times which made the relationship they were having seem forced.
Stella is new to Loyola Academy. She hails from a family of coldness and there is no love lost between her and her mother. When she finds herself the new girl with the target on her back, she takes comfort knowing she has one true friend in Sybil. Grappling with the changes and uncertainties in her life, things quickly change when she catches the eye of Sebastian Carter, her new teacher. Super-hot and arrogant, he seems to have it out for her and is destined to make her feel as unwelcomed and uncomfortable as possible in his classroom but outside of the classroom he can’t get enough of her.
This story follows the Stella and Sebastian. There is lots of hate between these two but lots of chemistry also. I loved the Stella was strong yet vulnerable when it came to Sebastian. He truly was her kryptonite. Sebastian was arrogant and alpha. Very dominant and often callous with Stella. There was a lot of depth to him and as the story progressed, we really saw the demons he was facing within.
Overall this is a good story. I like the bully romance/forbidden romance element and enjoyed the storyline.
4 stars
Someone call the fire department- there’s a five-alarm rager over here!
“Say yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir,” she breathes.
“Say I’ll do anything you want, Mr. Carter. Anything you tell me.”
She swallows, still trying to resist me, but ultimately caves in just as I knew she would. “I’ll do anything you want, Mr. Carter. Anything you tell me.”
Sweet baby Jesus. My breathe actually caught in my throat. The chemistry between Sebastien and Stella was off the charts.
The push and pull Sebastien dealt out frustrated the hell out of me. That said, I get it. His self-loathing was nearly as strong as his contempt for the entitled kids that made up the majority of the student body. If he felt a twinge of emotion toward Stella he wanted to shut it down. Save her from being tainted by him before it was too late.
Stella exhibited considerable strength for someone who is 18 years old. I doubt I could handle those mind games now in my 30’s, and I KNOW I wouldn’t have been able to handle it in high school. That, coupled with the shenanigans with her parents, had me heartbroken for Stella. Add the resident mean girl into that mix, and I’d have been outta there (#bye). But, Stella? Nope. She rises. To every challenge.
I love this author’s books, and this was no exception. It hasn’t dethroned Crow as my favorite of hers, but I still loved it!
Definitely recommended!
Hate Crush, the latest novel by A Zavarelli, was a taboo bully romance which are usually two tropes I enjoy, however this one missed the mark for me. Yes there were hott, steamy scenes and it was a forbidden romance with some drama and bullying included, however I didn’t really feel the love connection between Stella and Sebastian. Both characters were complex however I thought Stella came across as needy and Sebastian hot and cold attitude towards her was a bit off-putting. However inspite of that it was still a good read and I would recommend it to all lovers of teacher/student bully romance.
I have devoured all of A. Zavarelli’s mafia romances and loved them so I was eager to try out some of her other books. Bully romances are always tough because there is a very thin line between a troubled guy fighting his desires by punishing the female and just a straight up d-bag. I enjoyed both characters separately, but something was lacking when it came to the connection between them. Stella was a contradiction, she seemed unique and strong at moments but then she would become weak and dependent on her parents, teachers, and friends telling her what she needed to do. Her family life was horrible and of course she was lost, but her obsession with Mr. Carter came on pretty fast so it seemed to lack any real emotions at first… by the end the connection seemed more genuine, it just took a while to get there. I liked the depth of Sebastian’s character, what he went through was extreme and he was more paying a penance than living his life. Again, he seemed to lack a connection with Stella… he was attracted to her right away but it kept coming back to teaching her a lesson by breaking her. The student teacher relationship troupe was new to me but definitely hot, and the way they both turned their lives around at the end was great! In my opinion, Sybil gets the best character award, I loved her personality and the way she stayed right by Stella’s side no matter what!
Zavarelli has been one of my favorite authors since I first read her Boston Underworld series. Her writing is fantastic, her characters believable, and the twists and turns always leave me hanging by the edge of my seat.
When I learned Hate Crush was a taboo, student teacher romance, I was ready to dive in. When I heard it was a bully romance? I was intrigued, but a bit worried as that’s not my normal read. But you know what? I ended up devouring this book. I finished it in under a day, couldn’t put it down, and spent days thinking about the characters and living in this world.
I really felt for Stella. Her world was falling down around her and she was doing everything she could just to keep her head up. Thrown into a new, prestigious school where money was as important as grades, Stella was looked down upon by some of her classmates just because they could. And to her, her jerk of a teacher wasn’t much better, despite his good looks.
Sebastian was definitely a bit broken. His upbringing taught him to act a certain way, and the circumstances that made him change his course and start teaching were devastating. He was jaded from the beginning, looking for a project that could calm his conscience and make up for his past. His intentions were good, his execution not so much.
There was definitely chemistry between these characters, and the story that swirled around them kept me zipping through the pages. Still, some of the romance I wanted seemed missing. I wanted to feel the characters falling in love, but they seemed to be stuck in lust/dependence until something happened to make them step up and change.
I really enjoyed this read and was sad when it ended because I wasn’t ready to let Stella and Sebastian go. Definitely 4.5 stars.
Hate Crush is Commanding, Risque and just SOOOO GOOD!!
This story robbed me of a good night’s sleep. A few days later and I am still thinking about Mr. Carter and Ms. LeClaire!!
*warning* BOOK HANGOVER!
Hate Crush evoked so many different emotions. I wanted to scream at Sebastian and Stella, I was heartbroken for them and all the unfortunate events in their lives. I wanted to smack so many of the other characters but wanted to reach out and hug some of them too. I was excited about what was happening and sad for others. GAHHHH So many emotions! It’s what had me glued to my kindle.
I love Stella and Sebastian. I love how they needed one another and OHHH the Passion between them was HOT… “TOE CURLING” HOT!!!
Is this a Student-Teacher romance? Yes but I prefer to say it’s a tormented hero finding love.
I absolutely love this story!
I loved Sebastian and Stella’s story. I’ll be honest and say that bully romances can be hit and miss with me. I often feel that they are just written as a lame excuse for bad behavior and/or a cop out way that lets a woman admit to her darker, more edgier desires. I am absolutely thrilled to say that this was simply not the case with this wonderful read. There is a very strong, well written storyline here that is paired with complex, flawed characters. Stella and Sebastian are both very wounded individuals and the each carry heavy emotional baggage. Their attraction is so intense it is almost tangible and the chemistry they share simply sizzles. Add in a touch of the forbidden with both the age gap and student/teacher trope and you have yourself a delicious read that is filled with deep emotions, angst, drama, tension, twists and scorching and a bit kinky heat. I found it very easy to connect with Stella. Quirky, spunky and with such a tender heart, I found myself wanted to be both her friend and the caring adult that she could rely on. As for Sebastian, my heart hurt for him but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there were moments that I wanted to give him a hard shake and a good swift kick. However, this is a bully romance and so the male lead is supposed to be a jerky @$$#0!e that you love to hate until you truly get a look behind the curtain and he worms his way into your heart and for me, Sebastian fit that role perfectly. I highly recommend this book to any romance fan, even those that aren’t usually into bully romances because this book delivers so much more than you might expect.
Hate Crush is an exciting new bully/ forbidden romance from A. Zavarelli. The chemistry between Stella and Sebastian is off the charts as is the forbidden-ness of their relationship. Stella is made to go to Loyola College for her final year and seems to have a whole host of difficulties from day one and especially from her teacher, Sebastian Carter who seems to make it his mission to make Stella’s life a living hell.
Sebastian carter has secrets and reasons why he is still teaching at Loyola College. His decision to make Stella his pet project is easy and he is going to do anything in his power to break her and make her stronger! Only, he never counted on Stella being stronger or less malleable than he thought.
This was quite a riveting read, mainly due to you feeling the intense hatred that Sebastian feels for Stella. He does some really horrible things to her as does some of the other characters in the book who you want to punch in the face as they are that vindictive and mean. You follow along with the story told by both POV’s quite easily and you see what has happened to both of the characters to bring them to this point. There are moments of true heartbreak as well as anger, especially when there was moment (I found) where Sebastian could have stood up to the plate but decided not to.
This book is extremely hot and keeps you moving along at a fast pace. It has everything: betrayal, loyalty, passion and denial to name but a few and should definitely go on your TBR list.
ARC received for a fair and honest review.
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
HATE CRUSH is a forbidden, taboo, bully romance and boy did A. Zavarelli perfect the bully in Sebastian Carter. He is one cruel ruthless bastard. His exterior is magnetic and seductive, but inside he is cold and heartless. The torment and provocation that he directs towards Stella is callus and unscrupulous. His justification is that she is his experiment and he must teach and prepare her for the harsh realities of life, to allow her to navigate without living her life for others.
Stella LeClaire is a spirited and resilient young lady. Her attraction to Sebastian is inappropriate but also unexplainable. No amount of his punishments or mistreatments seem to turn her against seeking his attention or affection. Both Stella and Sebastian have been emotionally neglected and repressed, and both are desperately in need of love.
Zavarelli has once again crafted a story rich in detail, loaded with tension, and eloquently written. Sebastian and Stella’s story is simultaneously turbulent and romantic, a tale perfectly balanced to bring just the right amount of angst to the reader. The attraction and sex between the two characters exposes the thrill of the risk and danger of getting caught as well as the intense emotions of a love/hate relationship. I commend the author on her development of the characters and her ability to connect the attraction of each character so elaborately that it seduces the reader, and brings the storyline the inevitable edge that it has. This tale is a perfect addition to her literary repertoire.
Stella has her whole life planned out by her parents so when they send her to boarding school. They have high expectations for her but she just wants to please them. Her first day of school she meets Sebastian, he’s a tough teacher who has high expectations of his students. Sebastian hasn’t had an easy life but after his sister’s unexpected death, his whole life changes. He has kept to himself for years, all that changes when Stella walks into his class. Will he make a move on her? Can he be what Stella needs?
Okay damn! I don’t even know where to beginning with this book as I’m fangirling so much!! This is my first A Zavarelli book and I’m very upset about that. Why did it take me so ling to discover her?! I shall remediate this by reading her other books ASAP.
So, Hate Crush was everything I wanted it to be and more. It is a fantastic bullyish book with a domineering alpha and a kick ass heroine. If you’re into this trope seriously jump on it you won’t be disappointed.
Sebastian and Stella relationship should come with a warning as they scenes they are sharing together are not only hot they are flipping scorching! It seriously can burn you!
The story was really well written, and the character had great dimensions. I felt a whole lot plethora of emotions reading it. Pain, angry, frustration, lust, love …everything. This is really a sign of an amazing author.
So yea basically it was epic, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it or maybe one thing I would have love more I was just not ready to say goodbye.
Hot. Hot. Hot. Loved Sebastian the teacher and Stella the student’s story. Forbidden romance that was meant to be. Love these kinds of books. I could not stop reading.
5 DIFFERENT BULLY STARS!! I absolutely love this bully story….so different from your normal bully books. It is refreshing to read something different and this is that book. Sebastian and Stella will give you are the feels with lots of ups and downs. This author is amazing at her storytelling and I can’t wait to read more by her. You must read this book.