A Sneak Peek at my Debut Novel: Hate That I Love You
Warning: This novel contains depictions of sex, drugs, bad behavior, scandalous affairs, and all the downright messy things you love to read about.
After finishing her first year at Galanis College with a perfect grade point average, naïve Lylah is forced by her mischievous, infinitely more popular roommate, Maisie, to stop being a perfectly behaved do-gooder, for the night at least, and to indulge in the fun the rowdy Galanis College nightlife has to offer.
After one, horrible, humiliating, yet somehow perfect night, Lylah is swept up in Maisie’s aesthetic-addicted and morally twisted world.
And… It becomes her new, wildly more interesting, drama-filled reality.
Set in an elite Gossip Girl-esque society, centered in a John Green-styled coming-of-age romance, and packed with Euphoria-level risqué college-aged content, my debut novel, Hate That I Love You, is a chaotic, emotional rollercoaster making you question how far you are willing to go for love.
Intrigued?
Here is a sneak peek.
While lying by our pool, working on my tan, sipping on one of Hawker’s famous margaritas, and mindlessly scrolling through my phone the way Maisie loved to do, the hate comments keep buzzing in.
It has been non-stop since it all went down.
To be clear, that doesn’t mean it has become any easier to deal with.
I mean… It would be insane for me to be in my right mind with all of this hanging over my head.
And… To make matters worse, my mom decided to crash my pity party.
“Lylah, my sweet bird,” she says as if her tenderhearted tone had the capacity to make everything okay, “I don’t want to stress you out, or to put any extra pressure on you, but have you decided on going to Maisie’s memorial service?”
I don’t hesitate for a second.
With the confidence that had long been Maisie’s trademark…
The thing I loved most about her.
I respond loud and clear, leaving no room for doubt.
“Mom, I am not fucking going.”
As anticipated, my mom recoils in shock. “Um, sweetheart, I know all of this has been so impossibly hard on you, but — but… Are you sure?”
“Certain.”
“Ly… She was your friend.”
“Best friend,” I correct her.
While failing to mask her distress, my mom stares at me with distraught, worrying concern as if I had just told her I was going to drop out of school to become a stripper.
Then, she sighs.
“In the end, it is your decision, Lylah, and — and… And, I will allow you that autonomy, but don’t you think this will only make things worse?”
Probably.
But… Honestly, Maisie forced me into a position where anything and everything I do will only make matters worse.
So, I have no choice.
As much as I loved her, I can’t pretend to parade around like the world of Maisie-stans putting her on a pedestal, all sad and feeling sorry for her as if she had never done a single thing wrong in her entire life.
As if she hadn’t completely screwed me over.
As if this wasn’t all her fault.
No.
It’s time to be real.
To give you my side of the story.
The truth as humiliating and self-incriminating as it might be.
And… Maybe then you will see that I am not nearly as bad as the devil incarnate the whole world is making me out to be.
But… Until then, I will continue on living my life the way I want.
Loving who I want, the way I want.
Because nothing can convince me that I have lost my right to love.
Want more?
Hate That I Love You is now available for purchase in both paperback and e-book formats at the following link:
