I fell in love with Hating Jesse Harmon by Robin Mimna the moment I saw it on Bookstagram. A contemporary romance with a  plus-sized main character, an autistic friend, and LGBTQ+ supporting characters? Sounded totally “me”. And I’m very happy to report that I indeed loved this book as much as I expected!

Thank you again, Robin, for the ARC!

Hating Jesse Harmon

Every year, the most popular girl becomes prom queen. However, this year will be different. That is, if Frances has any say in the matter anyway. Together with her friends, she decides that it’s time to prove that anyone can be prom queen.

Nevertheless, such a thing is easier said than done. She’ll need all the help she can get if she wants to reach the throne. And she’ll have to be focused. But how can she focus if she’s supposed to tutor one of the popular boys at the same time? Who turns out to be quite different from what she had ever imagined…

A delightful high school story

I really loved reading Hating Jesse Harmon . Not only did I love, LOVE, the representation in this book, I also was drawn in to the plot as of the very start.

Let’s talk representation first. Being a “goddess sized” girl myself, I love reading about main characters who have similar body shapes as I do. I’m sad to say that I have not often encountered such characters yet, so Frances was a breath of fresh air. On top of that, I like that she wasn’t your typical ” I’m oh so sweet and kind all the time” YA heroine. She makes mistakes, has a temper, and is in no way perfect. Which makes her perfect <3

There were also several LGBTQ+ supporting characters, and *drum roll* a girl with autism. While she was clearly on another place on the spectrum than I am, I was thrilled that there was neurodiversity representation. I also loved that we got a few chapters narrated from her point of view. I truly adored all the butterfly metaphors <3

Last but not least, there’s also a scene exploring panic attacks. Another theme very close to my heart. Told you this book has got it all!

I also really liked the plot as such. It’s feel good, easy to follow, and entertaining. Furthermore, there were quite a bit of very recognizable moments, even for someone who has – luckily – left high school behind more than a decade ago. The following quotation really hit home, so I’d like to mention it. Note, however, that this is way darker than most of the story and does not represent the general atmosphere of the novel. I just thought it deserved to be featured:

“You can’t hide forever […]. Everyone gets dumped, humiliated, used, and treated like dirt. It’s high school.”

If I had to point out one possible improvement point, it would be that the blossoming romance between the two main characters felt a bit “out of the blue” to me. Nevertheless, this didn’t keep me from becoming their number one shipper and from cheering them on as the story progressed. It can be called an enemies-to-lovers, but in the lightest sense of the word.

A very well deserved four out of five gemstones!

Age Category: Young adult

Representation: Autism representation (<3), mental health, and LGBTQ+ supporting characters

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Mild. Warnings for bullying and (past) alcoholims.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: eBook edition

Similar to this

Hating Jesse Harmon reminded me somewhat of the Heartstopper Series by Alice Oseman. More specifically, it brought to mind the TV series inspired by those comic books (which, if I’m honest, I loved WAY more than the original). Obviously, the cast and plot of Hating Jesse Harmon are quite different from this series, but there was something about the sweetness of Jesse and the group of friends that made me think of it. I’m working on a series review, coming soon!

If you liked this novel, you might also like The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting by Holly Bourne. This novel has certainly another type of vibe (much darker) but it’s also the story of a girl who tries to flip the board around and become popular. My review will follow shortly.

Last but not least, I would love to recommend one of my favourite YA contemporary novels of all time: The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good. I loved this story so much! It’s about a boy with one foot and a girl with anxiety beating the odds and finding happiness together *swoon*. My review can be found here.