Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie – Review

My first read of October was Because You Love To Hate Me, a book with 13 tales about villains. I thought it was the perfect book for October and Halloween. As with all short story anthologies, there were some stories I loved and some that I really did not. Overall though my ratings averaged out at 4.07 stars, so I can definitely say I liked this book.

Because You Love To Hate Me edited by Ameriie

• UK paperback – 368 pages
• Release date: 24th of July 2017
• Published by Bloomsbury Childrens
• ISBN: 1408882760
• Goodreads page for Because You Love To Hate Me here!

This book got off to a rocky start for me, but then I began loving the stories. It was interesting to see the mix of author + booktuber, however I must admit that some of the booktuber sections were a little dull. I definitely recommend this book, it’s perfect for October and Halloween! I have mini spoiler-free reviews for each story below!

1. The Blood of Imruv by Renée Ahdieh + Christine Riccio – 2/5 stars.

This story was good, but for some reason it took me a while to get into it and then the ending seemed a bit abrupt. However, it’s probably very difficult being the first story in an anthology and so I know it’s likely just me.

2. Jack by Ameriie +Tina Burke – 1/5 stars.

I was really enjoying this story about a giant until the ending. It featured something horrific that used to give me nightmares. I’ve never had a story give me a cold sweat before, I went from feeling fine to feeling like death. So I guess that saying Ameriie’s writing is good? This is probably an unfair 1 star… but I was genuinely horrified.

3. Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani + Samantha Lane – 5/5 stars.

I am not usually a fan of stories set in high schools, but I really loved this one. It was written in a series of texts between the three characters and I enjoyed that. It made it a really quick and enjoyable read. The booktuber section by Samantha Lane was also one of my favourites, it’s clear she put a lot of thought and effort into it.

4. Shirley & Jim by Susan Dennard + Sasha Alsberg – 3/5 stars.

Unlike the previous story, I didn’t like this one because I don’t really like books set in high schools. I didn’t love this retelling of Sherlock and Moriarty very much, but it was still an enjoyable read. Definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” with this story.

5. The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni + Sophia Lee – 5/5 stars.

This story was one of my favourites! It follows a main character seeking power and it took them to an island of the coast of Scotland so OF COURSE I loved it. I wish this had been a full book. I’ll definitely check out one of this authors books one day!

6. The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer + Zoe Herdt – 5/5 stars.

Despite having a name that’s not very original, I absolutely loved the story Meyer created! It was the perfect mix of feeling bad for a character whilst also acknowledging her flaws and not so good actions. I really wish this had been a full book not just a short story.

7. Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon + Benjamin Alderson – 5/5 stars.

I loved this story! This story mixed Greek mythology and (I think) Chinese mythology, and it was brilliant. It felt like the perfect combination of Cindy and Ben and I would have loved this to be a full book. I felt like this was one of the only stories that tackled a real issue, the problematic way in which rape is often dealt with in our world. Trigger warning for implied rape.

8. Death Knell by Victoria Schwab + Jesse George – 5/5 stars.

This was another wonderful story! This was a retelling of Hades set in a rural town in Ireland and I absolutely adored it. I loved the way Schwab wrote the character Death and the story took a turn I wasn’t expecting at all. I felt like the booktuber section was a little random, not expanding much on the story, but it was interesting to read.

9. Marigold by Samantha Shannon + Regan Perusse – 5/5 stars.

THIS story!! This was an Erl-Queen retelling set in 19th century London and it was so brilliant. I really liked the focus on how folklore and beliefs was affected by the rapid industrialisation at that time. It’s something I’ve never really thought about, so that was brilliant! I really hope to see Shannon writing more based on folklore in the future!

10. You, You, It’a All About You by Adam Silvera + Catriona Feeny – 4/5 stars.

I liked this story about a female teenage crime lord, and would have loved if this was a full book. This story was supposed to focus on masked villains, however I was a little disappointed to see a story using the whole disfigured villain trope which is so pointless. That’s the reason I dropped it down to 4 stars. I’m not sure how I feel about it!

11. Julian Breaks Every Rule by Andrew Smith +Raeleen Lemay – 5/5 stars.

This story was so great. I found myself loving Julian and this was definitely the most humorous of the 13 stories. I really liked the way Julian spoke to the reader and the ending left me desperate to learn more! I will need to check out one of Smith’s books one day.

12. Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke + Whitney Atkinson – 4/5 stars.

I loved the setting that Tucholke created, I could really imagine it in my mind. I sometimes forget that Gaston is a villain and not just a ridiculous character, so it was really interesting to read about him in a new way. The ending left me so surprised. I wasn’t a huge fan of this booktuber section, just didn’t agree with their opinion which is bound to happen!

13. Sera by Nicola Yoon + Steph Sinclair and Kat Kennedy – 4/5 stars.

The final story in this book! This was very unique and different from the other stories. I really liked that we followed the whole life of the character. The booktuber section felt a little ridiculous, but it was an amusing end to the story so I still enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to Ben Alderson for signing and giving me a copy! This summer I also managed to get this book signed by Sasha Alsberg and Victoria Schwab which is fun!!

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