Traitor: A Bully Romance (Loxley Prep)

I received an ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book took me a on a roller coaster. Just when you think you might have something figured out, something else happens and takes you back to square one.
Lennon wants answers from the boys that broke her heart and is confused about their reaction to her being back in their lives. Some of them are so hot and cold toward her, and by the end of the first book, some of the tension has been resolved.
Her life continues to be upended and there is obviously some kind of sabotage going on. I just still have no confident guess as to who could be behind it. I think there are two obvious suspects, but there’s no concrete evidence it was either of them.
I’m seriously invested in Lennon’s life and want to know who’s pulling all the puppet strings. Will all of the guys believe her and realize their hatred is misplaced?
Although I am eager to read the next book and really enjoyed the start to the series, I removed a star because some of the writing felt like bullet points to me. If I’m reading a whole paragraph and each sentence begins with “I,” it feels more like a list than a fluid paragraph. Other than that, I highly recommend it if you like high school (18+) RH with a big mystery to solve.

OMG I'm already dying for book two - the cover caught my eye (helllooo pretty!) and I stayed for the story!

I hadn't picked up a bully romance in awhile and I'm sooo glad I chose this one! Hattie Jude had me wanting to turn the pages faster than I could read them! The cliffy was almost too much....mostly because I'm impatient. Especially since my fingers are crossed the steam picks up in book 2!

Lennon first meets her boys at a hellish discipline "camp" - they all become very close throughout their tortuous experience but then are ripped apart unexpectedly. Flash forward several years later and Lennon has lost everything - the big mansion, her family fortune, and even her father. She moves with her Aunt to go to the same high school as her boys, but she receives an incredibly chilly welcome.

The boys do not welcome her back with open arms because they think she massively betrayed them - we find out about their camp experiences across multiple POVs and interspersed flashbacks. I LOVED getting to know their history alongside the current day enemy situation. The hatred is intense and the bully aspect is enough to cause angst, but not so much that I can't ever see them coming together.

Lennon is strong AF and doesn't cave under their hatred - I absolutely love her desire for independence and she has a stubborn streak a mile wide. I thought Hattie jude gave us a great intro to each of the boys (and one is a teacher at their school....helllooo forbidden romance yes please) and I can't wait to see the relationships develop in the next book. The twist is insane and the cliffy has me dying for book two!

This is my first by this author and I know I'll be checking out her backlist!

Looking for something with twists and a slow burn of enemies to lovers RH?! Well this book is the answer. It's the first in the series and will definitely have questioning everything along the way.

This is a new to me author and she definitely has a unique voice in this RH world. It has a ton of twists from past to present with multiple POVs throughout. You follow along with a group of guys now known as the "Valiant" that consists of Ronan, Wells, Abel, and Bishop. They seem to have a grudge against Lennon who they blame for what she and her father did to them at a camp designed for trouble kids but ultimately is a front for something much worse as you're given pieces of each character's time there.

This story starts off with the past colliding with Lennon's present day troubled life. You follow along with her looking for answers only to find more questions mounting up the further the story progresses. You find Lennon unable to fix her friendships with her guys but slowly two of them decide they have more love for the girl they once knew and want more than her friendship this time.

Yes there are very mysterious happenings from past to present in the story and you get pulled into so many different experiences that you start to question what is really happening now. If you love a book full of twists and turns that leaves you guessing what will happen next and a side of bully/enemies to lovers with multiple partners this is definitely a book to check out. Beware there is a epic cliffhanger that leaves many more questions now.

I voluntarily signed up for an ARC to give a honest opinion/review of this book with nothing to gain. I definitely feel this is a great start to this series and a unique RH that has a very slow build up to the romance side. Excited to see where this story goes next since there are so many unanswered questions you're left with now.

I have never read a Hattie Jude book before and I must say I really enjoyed it, but holy cliffhanger! I really hate starting a book that ends on a cliffhanger unless the full series is out because waiting is so hard. I was just starting to get invested in the build up of the story when it was cut off. I personally found her aunt to be too fishy and I am not buying that her dad is actually dead but that is just my theory.

The tension and longing is so obvious between the main characters and I am on pins and needles to see how everything gets resolved with Abel because I feel there is so much there to still unwrap. Solid read that I couldn't put down though.

This was my first book from Hattie Jude, and I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It definitely was a rollercoaster of angst, lies, secrets, and betrayal. I was pulled in immediately from the prologue and couldn't put the book down until the very last page.

At the age of 12, Lennon attended Camp Capitree, which was disguised as a camp for troubled youth. During her time at camp, she formed an unbreakable bond with four young boys: Abel, Wells, Bishop, and Ronan. Over time, they become each other's family and safe haven in order to survive the brutality at camp. Hattie provides flashbacks from all of the characters' points of view to help fill in the blanks and to get a better understanding of exactly what happened to them. However, was the bond truly unbreakable in the end?

Five years later, Lennon moves back to Minnesota and enrolls at Loxley Prep to get closer to the boys, who have come to be known as The Valiant at school. When the boys learn of her return, it becomes apparent they are not happy at all with her arrival, and they are determined to make her life hell. Towards the end of the book, we see Wells and Ronan lessen their anger and resentment towards Lennon and are willing to forgive her for the past. Abel refuses to listen to reason and continues to place all of his misplaced anger directly on Lennon. Since Bishop is older and a teacher at the school, there's been a fine line implemented that can't be crossed. Ultimately, will Lennon's relationship with the boys remain broken or be repaired?

The plot twists sprinkled in throughout the story will leave you stunned and speechless. This book does end on a cliffhanger, and some questions are still not answered, but don't let it deter you from reading. I can't wait for the second book, Thief!

I absolutely loved this story. Lennon grew on my heart pretty quickly. I love how this Story was written and kept me guessing until the very end. It was heartbreaking, betrayal at every turn, and I was addicted to finding out why they hated her so much. I cant wait for book two. Cause that cliffhanger was WILD ! Also this cover is GORGEOUS ! :)

Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book. I have never read anything by Hattie before but I am such a sucker for enemies to lovers and reverse harem so when I saw this, I just had to read it.

Right off the bat, I got excited because the book takes place in Minnesota and there is a character named Cassie (tho she is kind of a bitch). I always get super excited when books take place in Minnesota since I am originally from.

Then, as I kept reading, I found out they all used to be friends. Sucked me in even more with that little bit of information.

I honestly could not put this book down. I loved all of the characters and the plot sucked me in right away. I cannot wait for book 2 because I need to know what all is going on.
Amazing work Hattie!