Dating You Hating You by Christina Lauren

Oh, to be able to properly execute the Workplace Romance....

Wait. Christina Lauren already did that. Perfectly. 

        Ok, people, it's time to talk about it. The workplace romance. The notion that you, too, will find the Pam to your Jim in the cubicle right down the hall. The Derek to your Meredith while scrubbing in. The love of your life found conveniently at your place of work. You love it, you hate it, or you are somewhere in between, but you certainly know it. Be it our need for an example of love in a place we all could potentially find it, or the familiarity of being young, fun, and having a rather witty repartee with a passably attractive co-worker, but in the contemporary romance genre, the workplace romance has wormed its way into our books, and possibly (if this genre tends to be your jam) our hearts. 

    I personally am a workplace romance skeptic. While I am a perpetual rule follower and therefore look at the workplace romance as an IRL HR disaster, having read a few workplace romances myself, I see the appeal of having a contemporary romance story set in the most traditional of places. Work. Yet, I have noticed that most workplace romances often have a certain level of competition and banter. It's not just that he is your attractive enemy, but now he is also going for the same job position as you. While this ensures chaos and hijinks will ensue, it makes me wonder if this is the best basis for a relationship. Romance as a genre is all about love and respect, but the enemies to lover's esque workplace romances often toe the line between fun and flirty hijinks to vindictive behavior. After all, why would you want to date someone who is actively trying to sabotage your career? I love the banter that typically ensues with this genre, but it's the usual "my job is on the line, and I have to fight my crush for it" that I am not so on board with. Yet, after reading this book, I know that workplace romance can totally be done with the right elements, and Christina Lauren totally nails it. 

    As you may know, I hate a synopsis, but basically, Dating You Hating You by Christina Lauren is a great example of "crush to work enemy to lovers" while still maintaining that this is a work environment and that Corporate America can be a toxic place. So, what do they do right? They acknowledge the injustice of having the fight for your job against someone who you are being pitted against while still keeping that tension of the situation with fun, witty banter. *spoilers* Let's be real here; if you have read the book, you know that Evie is definitely more qualified than Carter, and that her boss is a sexist dick who uses her secretly throughout the novel. He obviously plays favorites, and for a while, Carter allows it to happen, but then he is put in his place, and he knows it's wrong. Ultimately, he quits not because Evie is more deserving (which he also acknowledges she is) but because he cannot stand to work for a company that employs someone so corrupt and sexist as Brad. I never thought the words (roughly) "I love you but that's not why I quit" would be so adorable, but here we are. To me, the important part was the acknowledgment that this was no joke; Brad was pitting these two against each other, and he was being sexist the whole time. We all know it's unfair, and we say so, and for me getting this out there allowed us to stop worrying about our character's moral intentions and what they would allow and just really enjoy the books. So while it's fun and fluffy, it's serious too, and it is greatly appreciated as a reader who LOVES a well-structured book!

    Now, one of my BIGGEST romance book pet peeves is when the main characters have like one single friend who you know barely anything about and who totally gets trauma dumped the whole book. It's unrealistic, and honestly, it kind of looks bad for the character to have one friend readers know nothing about. I swear, all these books I've read, and in a LOT of them, the main character has a single friend, and you always think, WTF? These are smart, attractive people, and they know and talk to one person. Quite frankly, it's lazy writing. Romance is best when it is not just the relationship. Christina Lauren does an AMAZING job of this. Evie had like five friends (LOL), and Carter, while having a few less, still had meaningful relationships with all the friends he did have. Even the co-workers! There were so many people in this book, yet they all had a place, and they all moved the story along. It was nice to see so many people in a romance besides the main characters. It's sad I rave about this, but also totally true. 

   I, like many others, totally thrive off a good conflict. In Romance, I find these conflicts often result in a misunderstanding, and while this can be effective, it can also be dumb. For me, if the misunderstanding could have been fixed relatively easily, then why are we even here? I LOVED how in this book, Carter and Evie did not go too far (which happens sometimes. I'm glad no real, serious sabotage went down because that's not like easily forgiven for me.), but rather Brad and, like the patriarchy, was the conflict, and that's what was stopping them. UGH, I love a couple who is willing to say "Fuck the Patriarchy" (and not in a Taylor swift/ Jake Gyllenhaal ala All Too Well way) and date because it makes them happy. These two struggled, and it was fun, but when it was time, they got together. Nothing was dragged on, no one did something completely stupid, and the patriarchy was smashed (in its own specific way).

    While everything I just said is true and important, this book also got WILD. It's not all serious all the time, it is a rom-com, after all.  Besides being hilarious (I mean, really, Steph and Mike thinking they were still down to hang was like, comedic GOLD), we also took a turn for crazy. I mean, like sealing files heist like crazy. I certainly did not suspect that they would SNEAK INTO BRAD's HOUSE and steal his shit, but like good for them, Brad was a terrible piece of shit and totally worth all the hate we readers will be sending his way. 

    So dear readers (whoever you are), if you want the best mix of fun and flirty with the amazing way Christina Lauren handles this workplace romance situation, this is the one for you. This book has it all. Banter. Hijinks. A shitty boss named Brad. A condom-eating dog. Everything! I highly suggest this as a read. Christina Lauren has never steered me wrong, and I am honestly quite convinced they never will, so go support them and this great book because they deserve it!