#1: I Hate Everyone But You
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: ★★★★
Dear Best Friend,
I can already tell that I will hate everyone but you.
Sincerely,
Ava Helmer
(that brunette who won’t leave you alone)We’re still in the same room, you weirdo.
Stop crying.
GSo begins a series of texts and emails sent between two best friends, Ava and Gen, as they head off to their first semesters of college on opposite sides of the country. From first loves to weird roommates, heartbreak, self-discovery, coming out and mental health, the two of them document every wild and awkward moment to each other. But as each changes and grows into her new life, will their friendship be able to survive the distance?
Review:
The first thing that I want to say about I Hate Everyone But You is that it was absolutely hilarious. There were moments in this book where I laughed out loud because the authors are flat out entertaining as their main characters, Ava and Gen.
There were a lot of moments in this book where I connected with the words. I felt like I wanted to be Ava and Gen’s friend and could relate the back-and-forth banter to my own life with my best friends.
I loved how fast this book was paced. It was set in an email chain so you’re bound to fly through this book as a reader. One of the issues that I had with this book was that it felt a little rushed towards the end after the big climax of what’s going to happen. However, I feel like I was able to sit back, read, and enjoy every word that was being shown between two friends.
Lastly, I loved how much I learned from this book. There was a lot of talk about social problems going on in the world and I wasn’t the most knowledgeable about them. Instead of not being interested because I was uninformed about the situations, I felt compelled to learn more.
I believe that this book should be for older young-adult readers as there are heavy talks about college life, sexuality, mental health and more. A fabulous read for Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin.
#2: Please Send Help
Publication Date: July 16, 2019
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: ★★★
In this hilarious follow-up novel to the New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You, long distance best friends Ava and Gen have finally made it to the same time zone (although they’re still over a thousand miles apart).
Through their hilarious, sometimes emotional, but always relatable conversations, Ava and Gen are each other’s support systems through internships, relationship troubles, questionable roommates, undercover reporting, and whether or not it’s a good idea to take in a feral cat. Please Send Help perfectly captures the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world and how no matter how desperate things seem, you always have your best friend to tell it like it is and pick you back up.
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley, Gaby Dunn, Allison Raskin, and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Every day IS a day. Wow. Is this my next tattoo?”
Please Send Help is the second book of the I Hate Everyone But You Series by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin. These two ladies sure do know how to make you laugh.
Something that I loved about I Hate Everyone But You was that it was funny. Some of the stuff that was said in this one had me laughing out loud. It was a pretty unfortunate situation, but lead to hilarious quotes like this:
“I’m honestly not sure where to begin here. You know how there are certain moments and experiences that really stay with you forever? I REALLY hope today was not one of them.”
Their wit and sarcasm displayed throughout this book is A+. I feel like Gaby and Allison had to just be actually responding to each other and that’s how they are in real life.
There were a few things that I wasn’t so sure of in this sequel. I feel like in the first book, I was able to connect with the characters because we learned about them over their exchange of emails and instant messages. In this one, some time has passed, but I feel like there were some misleading signs of development.
Also, something in this book that was not shown in the first, there were a lot of manipulative tendencies throughout the characters. I know many people who fancy that in a book, however, I am not one of them. I understand that it’s a young adult novel, and they are …young …adults, but I feel like these problems were for sure older than they were.
I would definitely recommend reading this sequel if you read the first one. I feel like you could also read this book as a standalone, there’s not much that you miss.
Lacey's Library 