Official Review: Better With You by Hattie Lou

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Better With You" by Hattie Lou.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Harper and Tate started as best friends with a secret crush on one another. Their mutual feelings quickly developed into a sweet high school romance. It seemed as though they had just become an item when Tate and his father disappeared one night and never returned. Heartbroken and without any closure, Harper was inconsolable.

Seven years later, Harper is unhappily engaged to a man named Porter and is suffering from depression. In hopes of clearing her mind, she goes to Boston to help a friend with a home renovation. She marvels at the prospect of a new city where nobody knows her, but she comes face-to-face with a painful part of her past—Tate.

She wants to forgive Tate, but she is angry and confused at the way he ended things. Tate still cares deeply for Harper, but she is engaged and harbors such ill-will towards him. Can Tate make her understand why he had to leave all those years ago, and will it be enough to give him another chance with Harper?

Better With You by Hattie Lou is a charming love story that takes place over an entire decade. The whole book is told in the first-person perspective and alternates between Harper and Tate. The first quarter of the book reads like a Young Adult novel as readers are introduced to the pair as teens. Their friendship quickly evolves, and readers are privy to the burgeoning romance. The rest of the story takes place seven years later and is noticeably more mature. By showing this evolution it enables readers to grow with the characters.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the way that the author weaved weightier topics into the plot. While Harper and Tate’s love story took center stage, there were obstacles separate from their relationship that needed to be addressed. Harper had suffered a terrible loss, which led to her battling depression. Her friends and family expressed great concern about her plummeting weight and her gloomy disposition. Tate was battling demons from a troubled childhood where he was directly affected by addiction. It took a lot for him to be able to open up about it. With the addition of these subplots, the author was able to create multifaceted characters.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and storyline, there were times when the writing felt rushed. Although Harper was surprised at her impromptu reunion with Tate, the discovery left me wanting more. I wanted more detail about the flood of emotion she must have experienced at that moment. For a woman who had seven years of pent up anger, she treated the interaction like a minor disagreement.

The book had several grammatical errors that I quickly found on the first few pages. Missing commas seemed to be the biggest offender, and I think Better With You could benefit from another round of editing. I chose to give the book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.

While the book had some instances of profanity, they were not exhaustive, and I would recommend it to a wide age range of readers. For readers that enjoy love stories with complex characters, this book is for you! The writing is simple, and I finished the book in one sitting, so it would be perfect for a reader who doesn’t have the time to read a book that is long and drawn-out. On the flip side, I would be hesitant to recommend Better With You to readers who are looking for a highly descriptive book, you won’t find it in this story.

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Better With You
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[Prisallen]

I do enjoy romance novels and this one seems intriguing. I can see how it would appeal to a wide range of readers. Thanks for the great review!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I do enjoy romance novels and this one seems intriguing. I can see how it would appeal to a wide range of readers. Thanks for the great review!

Thanks for your comment!

[Ria710]

Great review, this book seems like a light read, definitely going to be checking it out.

[Nisha Ward]

Part of the romance genre's appeal to me is the way characters' emotions resonate through the story, so, given the issues you mentioned, I'm gonna pass. Great review though!

[Jennifer2020]

I like the idea of a romance that plays out over such a long period of time. This sounds like a book I'd enjoy.