I judged this book entirely by its cover, and I’m not sorry.
I found Joshua Hortinela’s debut, Hate You to Love You, completely by accident on a casual browse through my local Dymocks. It had its own table: Dymocks’ book of the month, given over entirely to one title, which isn’t something I’d seen the chain do quite like this before, and it stopped me in my tracks.
I was mid-vow at the time. I’ve got an epic to-read list and a strict no-new-books rule to match it. But I was drawn to this cover, so I picked this one up anyway.
Turns out I love queer romance and had somehow missed this one entirely. Not for much longer.
Hate You to Love You is out now through Atria Australia, Simon & Schuster’s romance imprint (RRP $24.99) and Hortinela’s first novel after close to 10 years working as a bookseller.
The premise
The book follows Carlos Reyes, a writer in the middle of a full-blown quarterlife crisis.
Carlos is a hopeless romantic – a character type I will never tire of – and his running commentary of favourite rom-com films is a genuine joy to read.
But he’s heartbroken, too. He’s three years out from a break-up whose real reason isn’t revealed until much later in the book (no spoilers from me here), and he’s still grieving his father, who died in circumstances the book doesn’t rush past.
The once hopeless romantic is now just... hopeless. Carlos can’t find his mojo, professionally or otherwise.
Then the opportunity of a lifetime lands: the chance to write a career-making profile on Claudia Leighton, a blockbuster author turned recluse.
The catch is Claudia’s publicist for the tour. It’s Elliot Simpson – arrogant, insufferable, and the man who broke Carlos’s heart. Weeks on the road with him is the price of the gig.
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Why it’s so Sydney
What I loved most is how much of this book is actually Sydney. Dymocks gets a mention. So does Gleebooks, which I now need to visit before my book ban makes that awkward. The Rover, Surry Hills, Newtown — it’s all here, and it’s all real.
As a queer Australian who’s grown up reading mostly American and English fiction, getting to picture these actual streets in my head while I read isn’t something that happens often for me. It mattered more than I expected.
The tour eventually takes Carlos and Elliot further afield too, through Dublin, Edinburgh and London, so readers chasing the European leg get that as well.
Carlos and Elliot’s dynamic carries the most of the fun and games of the book. I loved being inside Carlos’s head, and I loved watching these two circle each other.
My one gripe: I can’t picture a publishing house funding an international junket for one digital journalist writing a single article, for anyone. But this is a rom-com doing rom-com things, and I was happy to suspend my disbelief, that’s probably my own bias from digital publishers always getting the short-end of the junkets stick.
Hortinela himself is a bookseller and a well-known face on Bookstagram (which yes, now I’m finally following), and it shows in how lovingly this book handles the industry.
If you want comparisons, trade reviewers have already pitched this one alongside Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall and Rachel Reid. Good company for a debut to keep.
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The verdict
And the cover. I need to talk about the cover. Now that I’ve finished the book and know these two characters, there’s so much told in their expressions alone; you can see exactly where their journey is headed.
I blasted through Hate You to Love You in two days, and I think you will too. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s joyful, and it’s exactly the kind of book I want more of on Australian shelves.
I’m already looking forward to whatever Hortinela writes next. Go support an Aussie queer author: buy this one.
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