“There is a fine line between love and hate,” Jin said wisely.

I rolled my eyes.”For us it’s mostly just hate with a bit of civility thrown in when necessary.”

Title: Instalove

Author: Lexy Baker

Series: Standalone

Publication: March 8th 2016 by Bloomsbury Spark

Pages: 250

Source: Netgalley

Summary from Goodreads:

A month after losing her mother, Avery Edwards arrives on campus alone and shattered, hoping just to make it through the year and stay under the radar. Until she meets Declan Hargrove, ex-teen heartthrob and campus celebrity, who just so happens to be her Resident Advisor. With dark hair and striking blue eyes, Declan definitely lives up to the rumours.

Unfortunately, so does his reputation.

The night before Avery arrived on campus, Declan was caught with his pants down. Literally. The “Stairwell Video”, as everyone dubs the sex tape, only makes Declan more desirable on campus, while it turns the girl into an instant pariah. Livid at the double standard, Avery does everything she can to stay away from him, which is easier said than done since they live in the same building…and considering the rumours definitely weren’t exaggerating about his amazing abs.

But when they finally stop denying the sparks flying between them-in a closet at a frat party, no less-Avery panics and throws Declan under the bus in front of an entire audience ready to record them for posterity on Instagram. Unfortunately Avery’s mistake on social media will affect more than just their social life. Turns out that rumors don’t always tell the full truth. And when a new movie threatens to take Declan away from school, Avery must decide if opening her heart is worth falling for a star.

My Thoughts:

I know what you’re all thinking right now. Wait, what? Samantha read a book titled after the very thing she hates the most in books? WHAT TYPE OF SORCERY IS THIS!!

Well, rest assured my lovely bookish people, this book – though titled Instalove – features something more like insta-hate, tolerance, and burning sexual tension.

I can honestly tell you that, while I was annoyed by certain things in this book, I did enjoy it immensely. In fact, it was nothing short of entertaining. Instalove is a story about a girl going away to college, states away I might add – so I could really related to pretty much everything going through Avery’s head. Now, what I am about to say is the very reason I could not bring myself to fall in love with this book – actually, I can barely bring myself to tolerate it’s existence for one reason and one reason only: it is a complete rip off of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s New Adult college series, Wait for You.

Now, I’m going to get nit picky – really god damn nitpicky because I am extremely pissed off. I love J. Lynn’s Wait for You series – love, love, love, love, love it. So… the instant I started this book.. the similarities were hard to miss.

Here is the synopsis for Wait for You:

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

So… just think about that for a second.

Want help? Here’s a fucking list.

Instalove:

• Main character named Avery Edwards
• Shares Astronomy class with campus hearthrob/celebrity who also lives in the same dorm
• Late to class on first day, heartthrob saves a seat just to tease her
• Asks her if she wants his Banana
• Heartthrob tells professor they’ll be lab partners because they live in the same building
• Starts of hating said heartthrob for duchebaggery reasons (Like him making her miss her bus)
• Shares adorable date with heartthrob to “Look at the stars”
• Has a hidden past with a sexually abusive ex-boyfriend
• Tells heartthrob about it only after ex-boyfriend comes for confrontation
• Declan (Instalove‘s Cam) is a total campus sensation that every girl loves and would kill to be with
• Has a moment on the roof of the dorm

Wait for Me:

• Avery Morgansten
• Shares astronomy class with heartthrob who she runs into
• Late for class on first day, heartthrob saves her a seat
• Cam offers her his “cookie” in front of the entire class
• Cam claims her as a lab partner when she isn’t there because they live in the same building
• Cam makes her miss her bus to get somewhere she wants to go just so he can talk to her
• Avery dislikes Cam because she can’t stand the fact that every girl swoons- though she is swooning too
• Has an adorable date on the roof of the dorm to look at the stars “for an assignment”
• Avery has a hidden past of sexual abuse from an ex-boyfriend that only comes to light after months of receiving threatening emails/texts/ etc.
• Only tell’s Cam about what happened after nearly doing it with him and having a panic attack because she is supposed to go home and confront ex-boyfriend (and other reasons, I just grossly simplified a shitstorm)

So yea, I’m kind of pissed off. Now I realize that these things don’t make my assumption a definite, but it – for a fan of the books – is too much to ignore. I cannot formulate my words to explain how upset I am. If you want me to be frank: Read Wait for You. Not only is it better written, it is one of the best contemporary reads I’ve ever had the honor of getting my hands on.

On the other hand, if you had no prior knowledge of Wait for You then maybe you could enjoy Instalove (Unless I’ve just ruined it for you).