#the hate project

[onlyhurtforaminute]

THE HATE PROJECT-DEEP IN THE MIRE

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: The Hate Project

Author: Kris Ripper

Genre: Fiction | Romance | Friendship | Drama | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Anxiety | Depression

Overall Rating: 9.9/10

Personal Opinion: Oh, the sweet sweet enemies to lovers trope. Oscar and Jack are constantly at each other’s throats. Always sniping at each other and being overall grouches. But it works for them. Even if Oscar doesn’t realize it. They’re an oddly adorable pair turned couple and if you’re like me, you’ll be shocked by just how cute they can be together.

Couple Classification: Oscar Nelson X Jack Phillips = ??? X Nerd/Jock

Do I Own This Book? Nope.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- The first kiss took my breath away. Literally, it happened so quickly and naturally that I was taken aback because Oscar and Jack had never kissed before that point! It was such a moment that I was enthralled in it. And it was just written and described so well, I wish that I could write a kissing scene that was half as impactful.

- Oscar’s anxiety is relatable and the way it causes him to self-sabotage his relationship with Jack is painful but real. I love how his friends were there for him though and helped him see that maybe, just maybe, he was in the wrong for the way he reacted to the kiss and flipped out on Jack. But also, he has anxiety and they get it. At least, Ronnie gets it.

- The friendship of everyone in the Motherfuckers is so pure and wholesome, I love the roles that they all play in it. But I love seeing the depth in Oscar’s and Ronnie’s personal friendship. How they ended up being college roommates and Ronnie was pre-transition and she was a scared 18 year old girl and Oscar was there for her through it all. He’s a mess but he’s such a good friend and it made me so happy just seeing him and Ronnie interact over the course of the story.

- Like with Declan and Sidney, I like that Oscar and Jack have these unique dispositions that make them a perfect fit for each other. During their sex scenes, they were constantly egging each other on and sniping at each other and it worked for them. It definitely does not work for me but I like seeing their interactions as just uniquely them.

- Also, Oscar deliberately just hanging around until Jack would come home so they could fuck was so cute for some reason? I don’t know, he’s just such a grouch but he respects Jack’s privacy while he’s cleaning the house and he lingers while organizing just to be there when Jack comes home and it’s oddly domestic. I love domestic cuteness. And then Jack had the audacity to come home one day with sushi for two and I lost it. They are so oddly domestic together and it’s so cute.

- Evelyn is such a spark of joy. I adore her. She’s hilarious for casually introducing Oscar as Jack’s “young man” and also for getting the house painted neon green while Jack was at work. Not to mention her very irreverent but sometimes very wholesome humor. Oscar is right, she really is the coolest old lady ever.

- Jack being so understanding of Oscar’s condition is also so thoughtful. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that Oscar’s new meds were affecting his libido and when Oscar expressed his traffic light system for anxiety, Jack didn’t judge. It’s just so sweet and I honestly cannot believe I rooted so hard for their relationship when their sex scenes were so… verbally violent and aggressive. But also Jack explicitly and openly loving Oscar’s plus-sized body… mwah.

Dislikes:

- Their sex scenes are weirdly aggressive and verbally violent. It works for them obviously but there were some moments where I worried things were going too far? I don’t know, maybe it’s just not for me personally. Maybe it’s hot for others.

- There was this whole chapter where Oscar was just wallowing in his depression and it was just a lot. Every detail was concerning his wallowing and I just don’t really know how much of it was actually necessary to the storytelling? Because it was just all mundane and maybe it could’ve been condensed into… a few paragraphs? Rather than a whole chapter. 

- Oscar flipping out over the kiss is obviously overreactive but like hey, anxiety is a bastard. So I’ll let that pass.

[onlyhurtforaminute]

THE HATE PROJECT-FATHER OF SIN

[onlyhurtforaminute]

THE HATE PROJECT-HUMAN SACRIFICE

[onlyhurtforaminute]

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

Have you read The Hate Project by Kris Ripper (2021)?

YES

NO

Voting ended onApr 6, 2024

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Love Study

Author: Kris Ripper

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2020

Genres: fiction, romance, LGBT+, contemporary

Blurb: Declan has commitment issues. He's been an office temp for literally years now, and his friends delight in telling people that he left his last boyfriend at the altar. That's all true, but he's starting to think it's time to start working on his issues...maybe. When Declan meets Sidney - a popular nonbinary YouTuber with an advice show - an opportunity presents itself: as part of The Love Study, Declan will go on a series of dates arranged by Sidney and report back on how the date went in the next episode. The dates are...sort of blah. It's not Sidney's fault - the folks participating are (mostly) great people, but there's no chemistry there. Maybe Declan's just broken...or maybe, the problem is that the only person he's feeling chemistry with is Sidney.