When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. … They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.
Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.
But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves—and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
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I have never, NEVER cried willingly while reading a book–I have forced myself to cry reading Mockingjay and TFIOS–but this book got me. I love this book and I come to it whenever I need comfort and it’s just wonderful. Highly, HIGHLY recommend.
I absolutely fell in love with Sarah Hogle’s sarcastic first person POV snarky writing. This is an enemies-to-lovers romance, but technically it’s a lovers to enemies to enemies to ENEMIES to lovers romance. We spend the majority of the novel way heavy on the enemies… but once it gets to the lovers, it’s soooo worth the wait. And the enemies part is funny because of the deeply sarcastic writing. In the prologue, dentist Nicholas and retail worker Naomi have some chemistry on their second date. We see them about to kiss for the first time. Then we fast forward two years where everything has completely fallen apart.
The scenes have brilliant comedy. They hate each other to pieces… maybe a little too much, to the point you wonder why even though there was clearly once chemistry, they are still together. It’s a relationship that should have ended a year ago. Nicholas has a terribly demanding mother and Naomi is stuck in a dead-end job in rural Wisconsin (the book did a great job of examining themes of small-town living, poverty, jobs disappearing, etc. at one point remarking that everyone was going to have to make a choice between moving back in with their parents or working at the newly opened dog food factory in the next town over.) I loved the brutal honesty. And again once you get past the dark part early on, the sweet payoff is so worth it. I definitely look forward to seeing what Sarah Hogle writes next!
This novel has a sort of comic Beatrice and Benedict vibe, only they’re already engaged and Beatrice is trying to get out of it without bearing any financial responsibility for the wedding plans her nightmarish future MIL has co-opted. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through, because the heroine does do a lot of genuinely crappy things, but I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. It’s got energy and verve and great use of unresolved sexual tension in a very original way. I suppose it’s also not entirely implausible that someone with perennially low self-esteem would react the way our MC does. Both the main characters have grown very nicely by the end.
I wasn’t sure about this book at first. But the more I read, the more I liked. What a unique deconstructed kind of romance. And funny as heck! Adored it.
I didn’t think I would enjoy this book when I first started. I was not in the mood to read about unhappy people. I’m so glad I didn’t stop reading because the story developed into much more than I expected. Not to say that other romance novels are completely unrealistic and shallow, but this book has fully fleshed out and imperfect but lovable and relatable characters with their own issues and back stories. I felt like I knew these people. It broke my heart and put it together again. I think this is one of the most realistic portrayals of a love story I’ve ever read because it isn’t just boy meets girl and happily ever after. It shows how relationships ebb and flow while still being full of love.
Beautifully written, hilarious, tear-jerking, and swoony!
I adore romances where a couple falls back in love even stronger than before. This story was one of them, along with lots of laughter. It was a ton of fun to read!
This may go on my list as one of my favorites. I LOVED this book. It was outrageous, hilarious, sweet, and romantic. A fabulous read.
I’m fairly certain this is one of my favorite reads of 2020. It’s amazingly written and wonderfully witty, but what puts it over the top is the truly original premise.
Naomi and Nicholas are supposed to get married in three months. Except one little problem: they can’t stand each other. Trapped in a relationship that feels like a dead end, but worried whoever caves first is on the hook for the monstrous wedding Nicholas’ mother has arranged, they engage in a game of chicken on who can bail first. A prank war ensues until the pair realize they’re having more fun with each other than they had been in ages.
This is a very difficult concept to execute well. You have to believe the characters are engaged but hate each other’s guts and then ~~spoiler-alert-but-it’s-a-romance-so-is-it-really-a-spoiler?~~ are in love again. And I think the author accomplished it masterfully. Naomi, our protagonist seemed so batty yet so believable, and you truly feel her disgruntlement and the disgruntlement fade away. This book is also incredibly funny (I laughed out loud a few times) while also being incredibly touching–the chapter towards the end of the book describing how the characters met had me majorly as the heart-eye emoji. Seriously, one of my new favorite romcoms!
I almost DNF’d this one because the “hate” part lasted too long. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of well-written enemies-to-lovers romance, but the bitterness and outright loathing without a glimmer of vulnerability or hope for more than half the story got tiring. If a friend hadn’t told me to keep going, I would’ve missed out on what ended up being a believable, sweet second-chance romance.
The writing and voice, on the other hand, was fantastic from the jump. I laughed out loud several times, and I’m definitely interested in what this author puts out next.
RATING: B/B-
(Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.)
This book was AWESOME! Wow, I knew I’d enjoy it but holy cow I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! It was hilarious and smart and real and incredibly sweet. I loved how this was a lovers to enemies to lovers and was completely different than anything I’ve read in a long time. The characters made me laugh out loud constantly and I felt such a connection to the story. If you want a hilariously sweet rom com, this is the book for you. I can’t wait to re read this one again!!!! SO GOOD!!!
OMG! I read the book in one setting staying up to 2 a.m. to finish it! It is that GOOD! This book will have you laugh and check yourself on whether you are showing appreciation for your significant other.
Going into this, I wasn’t sure that I was going to finish. Several chapters in and I had such a strong dislike for all the characters that I didn’t think it would turn around at all. But I kept going. And then I read some more. And the next thing I knew I was so completely invested in the spectacle that was Naomi & Nicholas that I couldn’t stop.
What a unique concept, honestly. I laughed. I cried. I rooted for no one. I rooted for everyone. And when I got to the end, I was so completely satisfied. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
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Naomi Westfield is engaged to Nicholas Rose. On the outside Nicholas is perfect….he is a dentist, comes from a respected family and treats her well. The problem is is that everything is too perfect. They never fight and they just seem to be going through the motions in their life. Naomi wants to call off the wedding but then she would have to pay for all the non-refundable charges. So instead she decides to start to make Nicholas’ life miserable so he will call off the wedding instead.
As these two keep trying to one up the other on making their lives miserable, they start to realize that for the first time they are acting like themselves and really enjoying being with each other. As time goes on they start to find their way back to why they fell in love in the first place.
I enjoyed this story. I really liked the characters. Naomi is a little off the wall but that helped make her pranks even more fun. Sometimes she did get a little on my nerves though. Nicholas may be a dull dentist but once he started letting his true self show, he was a fun guy. I loved all of the craziness with his mom. Overall I enjoyed this story and would recommend it.
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You Deserve Each Other has taken some heat from readers. I’ve seen a few negative reviews that suggest this book is filled with unlikable, and bitter characters. HOWEVER, I did NOT feel this way at all and am so glad I took a chance on this authors debut because I absolutely adored this book. . Marriage and relationships are NEVER easy. We have to skirt problems, check ourselves, and not be selfish no matter what stage we are in. All relationships are a learning experience and people are filled with flaws and ticks that some may find… irritating. However, knowing these things and still loving someone despite them shows a healthiness within the union which is exactly what we find in this book. Getting to the point of realizing their own faults within this novel takes time. In between we see hilarious pranks and a small amount of bitterness and distaste, but when it comes down to it it’s a real eye opener. Sarah Hogle mixed real-life emotions into the story that slowly creep up on us and the characters and watching them come together after everything they endured was breathtaking. The process is slow, but it’s so worth it in the end and I think many readers can learn a thing or two about letting go and the importance of communication with your partner THROUGH this hilarious and at times, emotional read.
There were some moments when I didn’t care for Nicholas and I think this is because he never had a POV through the story (I would have loved to see his thoughts on page). However, as I got to know him towards the end, I started to really love his character (just like Naomi). There were also some parts of Naomi I didn’t like (she had her selfish moments, but don’t we all?) but again, she grew so much and I started rooting for her despite the issues she was having within herself. I think the couples main flaw was miscommunication and being a key to every healthy relationship, lacking it can cause serious problems as it did with them. But as they open their eyes and look at themselves its beautiful to see them come together.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, You Deserve Each Other was a major winner for me and I am so glad I bought this book. I loved every single second of it. I laughed, got emotional (especially towards the end) and really thought about how IMPORTANT communication is. I always KNEW it was important, but seeing it play out negatively really opened my eyes.
If you’re looking for a hilarious and heartfelt read, try this one! It’s a new top favorite of mine and I recommend it 100%!
I absolutely loved this book . I thinks it’s the best book I’ve read so far this year !
You Deserve Each Other is a wonderful debut from author Sarah Hogle. It’s a brilliant, witty examination of how even the best of relationships can suffer when there’s a break down in communication. It’s funny, it’s poignant, and you’ll fall in love with Naomi and Nicholas. Their narrative arc is perfectly executed, and you feel wholly invested in their relationship. It’s unputdownable, and one of my favorite romance reads of the year.
Possibly the funniest book I’ve ever read. Fans of The Hating Game will love it!
I didn’t like this book all that much, and it comes down to two simple reasons: Naomi and Nicholas.
Amazon tags this book as “women’s humorous fiction,” and I’ve also seen it labeled as a “romantic comedy.” The problem is that the romance is implausible because Naomi and Nicholas are despicable people. Nicholas redeems himself (to a point), but Naomi begins and ends just as self-involved and self-consumed as she can be.
Naomi thinks that Nicholas, the guy who was so perfect for her, has turned into a dud, and she wants out. Alas, she sold herself to his mother, who is planning their very expensive, very glitzy wedding. If Naomi dumps Nicholas, she risks having to repay her future mother-in-law, and Naomi doesn’t have a spare dime. So she resolves to force Nicholas to break up with her.
You will spend copious amounts of time wondering why Nicholas sticks around. Naomi herself can’t figure it out. Is it because he doesn’t want to be the bad guy? Is it because he fears the wrath of his mother? Or could it be because he loves her? No way. No freaking way. Naomi is awful! She can’t see that she is every bit as responsible for the nadir of her relationship as Nicholas is. He even tells her why he’s unhappy and how she has played a role in that, and she STILL insists it’s all him.
I gave this book three stars (instead of one) because while I did intensely dislike Naomi (and Nicholas for a while), I kept reading. Sarah Hogle deserves credit for crafting a tale that compelled me to get to the bitter end to find out what happened.
Nicholas, you can do better. I started to like you about halfway through the book, to the point where I dearly hoped you would make Mommy mad and dump Naomi. I still hope for the best for you. I’m not sure I think you’ll be happy ten years from now, but let’s cross our fingers.