I Hate Everyone But You: A Novel

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
I Hate Everyone But You is an epistolary novel about Gen and Ava. They have been best friends for years and are faced with going to college on opposite sides of the country. Gen is a journalism major at Emerson College and Ava is studying film at USC. Their friendship is tested by distance, teenage drama, Gen's exploration of her sexuality, and Ava's mental/emotional instability.
I wanted to love this story; however, the characters were difficult for me - they had complexity but not a lot of likeability. This made the novel a fun read, but not the meaningful read it could have been.

Thanks to the #kidlitexchange network for the free review copy of his book – all opinions are my own.

Let's just cut to the chase: I loved this book. I loved how candid and connected Ava and Gen were, and how they said everything without a filter. It reminded me of myself. Or at least how I imagined myself to be: fearless and bold.


Despite the laugh-out-loud moments that laced their nearly constant communication, there were also a lot of heavy topics including sex, sexuality, drinking, drugs, and mental health. Heavy topics dealt with with that fumbling grace often associated with young adults trying to find their way in the world. This book made me laugh and cry. I highly recommend this book for mature readers, young and old.


Really loved this concept for a book -- two best friends separated across the states as they begin their freshman year of college. Themes of first love, sexuality, mental health, alcoholism, friendship and more make this novel not only fun but an important read. I loved how Gen in the book would explain things to Ava in a non-condescending way about being bi-sexual, and that their friendship was for the most part non-judgmental. It was such a quick read too, and I can envision a sequel. Also loved the little shout-out to Allison and Gaby's youtube channel Just Between Us!

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
This book is told in texts and emails. This book is about two best friends Ava and Gen. They went to high school together and this novel takes place over their time apart attending two different colleges.Ava has OCD and is depressed and is trying her best to make new friends and find a social circle in film school. Gen is wild and reckless and definitely exploring her sexuality, which is the exact opposite of Ava.
It was good, Just a tad weird on how it was written in texts. but overall I liked it.

4.5 STARS! Just an all around enjoyable story and super relevant for college readers especially!

I Hate Everyone But You is the debut novel by Youtube comedy duo, Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin. The story follows Gen and Ava, best friends starting college on opposite sides of the country. It's a slice of life kind of book told entirely in emails and text messages. They seem like two polar opposites but they complement each other marvelously. We could always use more books about genuine female friendships. Bonus points for being an Own Voices story!

Gen is confident, outgoing, and socially conscious. She attends Emerson and is an aspiring journalist. She is polyamorous and constantly experimenting with her sexuality. Ava is more reserved and depends on her parents and Gen a lot for emotional support (I related to her and her insecurities the most). She attends USC for screenwriting. She is dealing with OCD and anxiety.

If you watch Just Between Us, Gen and Ava are really similar to Gaby and Allison's JBU personas if they were college freshmen. The comfort of feeling like I already "know" the characters made it so easy to get lost in the story. Their back and forth humor is 100% on point, it's very sex positive, and Gen and Ava's friendship is so cute! There's a bunch of fun inside jokes and bits. My only fault with the book is some conflicts seemed to be brushed over a little too quickly... Other than that, I don't think you have to necessarily be a viewer to find this book hilarious and relatable!

I love epistolary novels, there’s something really addictive about them, I think it’s because I feel like I’m getting an up close and personal look into someone’s life because letters/emails/texts are so personal. The format of this worked well for me, it’s all emails and texts between two eighteen year old best friends who are starting their freshman year of college at different schools. These two are polar opposites each dealing with their own issues and I found it to be a really timely read that I think will be a hit for the younger YA crowd.

This was a highly diverse read as Gen is trying to figure out her sexuality and Ava has mental health issues, it really hit on several hot button topics that are hugely relevant today. Ava is sort of naive and uninformed and she struggles to understand Gen’s sexual preferences and behaviors. Gen is mostly patient with her but there were a few times where I felt like she was too harsh with Ava. These two had the type of friendship with no boundaries and when Ava would ask a question (albeit one that’s not politically correct) Gen would bite her head off, she was flat out mean to her. I get Gen’s frustration but I think Ava felt like it was a safe place for her and she genuinely wanted to become informed and in no way meant to offend her friend. It was just a bit over the top for me.

This was a cute, funny, fast paced read and the dialogue was hip and current. Ava and Gen have a fantastic banter and their exchanges really read like that of best friends. I didn’t really like either of them but that didn’t stop me from reading it, but then again these two were born the same year I graduated high school, so as far as being able to relate to them on a personal level… ???

Funny and heartfelt look at a college long- distance friendship between 2 high school BFFs told through texts and emails. The discussions about sexuality, mental health, dating and sex were honest and the friendship struggles are relatable to anyone who had tried to maintain a friendship cross-country. Recommended for mature teens and college+.

I loved this book! Quick read, funny, and uplifting (strangely enough). It's a little weird, but aren't we all. I pre-ordered this book as part of Gaby and Allison's book tour and still loved it though I'd never seen Just Between Us (my friend is a big fan).

I remember the struggles of communicating with my best friend before Facebook and when MySpace and Yahoo chat rooms were still a thing. It was so difficult to be away from a good friend for so long, but I believe it helped to bring us closer. Though as sappy as that sounds, just read the book. It's an amazing conversation starter for both new and old friendships.

I bought the book first to support talent and two creative and funny women. After opening and reading the first couple of pages, I honestly couldn't put the book down and finished it in just 2 days. This has been the first book in a long time I've read and finished. I've missed reading and this was the perfect book to get me back in the groove. It read so well, the characters were very relatable and realistic. I read the entire book hearing Gabby and Allison's voices. The style of writing worked so well and flowed so naturally. I am waiting for a second book! Part 2, please?

This book is truly great. It is reminiscent of the YA books i read as a teen, but updated for the 2010s and still enjoyable for someone on the older end of young adult! Its fresh and funny but also delves into deeper topics like sexuality, gender and feminism. I wish there were more books like this when I was a teen so I didn't have to be so misinformed about those topics for so long.

I seriously love this book. It's funny and touching at the same time. It truly gives you a rollercoaster of emotions in a good way of course. I almost cried at the end. I really hope there will be a sequel to this. This is truly a must-read.

The book wholehearted and authentic, the duo does a great job representing mental illness and discovering yourself while at college. I found myself connecting to the characters, making me feel more normal in my own college experiences.