Skip to content

I Hate Everyone But You lacks pizzazz

I hate everyone but you by Gaby Dunn &Allison Raskin
8928803_web1_Lowe

I hate everyone but you by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

Young Adult

Published: September 5/17, St. Martin’s Press

I had decided to give this book a try because it was presented in the form of a series of text messages and emails exchanged between two best friends – Ava and Gen – as they leave for their first semester of college. Ava decides to stay closer to home, whereas Gen moves across the country for school. What I got instead, was rather … deplorable to say the least.

I do not know exactly what Dunn and Raskin’s goal was with this book, but they actually started out with a pretty great idea.

Two best friends, having to face the scary realities of growing up and entering the real world apart, seeking comfort and advice in texts and emails, etc.

This was also a perfect opportunity for the authors to explore and show the world what everyday college students have to struggle with – homesickness, socializing, relationships, career paths, and just the general annoyances of being a young adult at times.

Instead, this is what I got from I hate everyone but you: a book with no true plot, or drive.

The main characters came off across too immature, judgmental, and offensive for my taste.

Actually their college “experiences” were the same stereotypical ones you could read about in any other novel or watch on any other TV series, ie. excess of drinking, hooking up, experimenting with drugs and the usual bad romantic choices.

What was slightly explored and could’ve been spotlighted on for topic discussion (gender identity, navigating friendship, and more intimate relationships) was easily over looked.

There are more problems I find with the characters that make me question Dunn and Raskin – Ava, like so many others, suffers from mental illness.

Yet I got the impression she uses it as an excuse as to why she’s so critical and shallow, which I find extremely offensive.

Meanwhile Gen claims to be a proud bisexual and feminist, which is great, but again, her actions in the book make me question everything. In the end, the girls literally learn nothing making this whole endeavour seem pointless. But the end I was just bored with it all.

Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin are well known youtubers, and though I have not viewed any of their videos, that’s where their fame and fans come from, so why did they decide to write a book? I’m not sure, but hopefully if they write a second one, they will do some things differently.

Kirsten Lowe studies at Athabasca University.