by Robin Mimna
ASIN/ISBN: B0B7G4ZXBG
Publication: August 23, 2022

**I was provided a copy of the book by the author. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

Frances is tasked with tutoring Jesse so he can continue playing football. As she tries to sort through her growing feelings for him, she also has to deal with an unexpected nomination for prom queen. 

Hating Jesse Harmon has potential. I liked Mimna’s writing style and appreciated the short chapters, which contributed to it being a quick read. It captured parts of high school well with the cliques and the crushes. Frances’s friend Naomi was especially amusing with her plan to get a prom date. While there were components of the story I enjoyed, it was difficult for me to entirely embrace the novel.

There were multiple interesting storylines, but they were not fully developed. In particular, Frances and Jesse’s romance was not very convincing. It was sudden. They hardly interacted before developing feelings for one another, and people started assuming they were together. Their attraction needed to be fleshed out before I could believe they liked each other. There were missed opportunities to solidify their connection. Many of the subplots similarly faced this lack of development.

Hating Jesse Harmon has potential with its many interesting subplots. While the book drew me in, the story often felt incomplete. I could not enjoy it as much as I hoped.