*Immediate Thoughts Post Finishing The Book: Have you ever finished a book a not been sure what to rate it....? I think I need to sit and process my thoughts for a bit before coming back to this. *blinks slowly to attempt to process WTF just happened*

**New thoughts: So, I'm back to write a review after having sat with this for a day or two. I'm still not completely sure how I want to rate this, but I'm going to go with 2 for now..maybe a 2.75-ish if we want to get specific. Hear me out..

First and foremost I think it is important to note that the "Romance" Genre is not really my thing. Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I don't find people that just met on the street going on a few dates, then falling in love, then having some third-act conflict, then everything just resolves and they move on exciting in anyway shape or form...I believe in true love and soulmates, but I believe in relationship-building and prefer stories of people discovering who they are and how they can love better, etc. This predisposition that I have to Romance Novels pretty much guarantees that they're never going to be five-stars in my eyes. That being said, however; now and again a story comes a long and I'm like.."Ok, I love this!"..'The Hating Game' by Sally Thorne was one of those one-offs for me. Because of that, and my interest in Frankenstein (this makes me want to read Shelley's version even more); I really wanted to give this an honest shot but went into it blind and excited. 

***It's going to be a little spoiler-y here, you've been warned.*** Angelika Frankenstein is the brother of pretentious Victor Frankenstein and she is on the hunt for love. But, in true Frankenstein fashion, after many failed attempts to find eligible or acceptable suitors, she takes to 'making' her own match. On the surface level this seems alright, but like a few paragraphs into the first chapter it's already a little cringe due to the conversation between the siblings as they search through the morgue and make comments on dead guy's 'packages'. But, I powered on. Obviously, the man in which Angelika creates for herself comes to life, and the story progresses from there. 

Will - the name given to the man raised from the dead - comes to life with positively no memory of his past life and therefore he and Angelika set off on a mission to find out who he was. So, this is a side-story/subplot amongst the plot. (To be honest, there are like 67 subplots taking place throughout and it does become slightly chaotic to follow at times.) As they're hunting for him, Angelika comes across another potential suitor and maybe starts to develop feelings for him even though she's sworn that she'll only ever love Will even if he can't return this love to her. So, enter a weird love-triangle-ish situation that is just..not developed well. 

Moving on, we find out eventually who Will really is and then we have the conflict and then they end up happily ever after. So, like I said, all in all not a terrible idea for a story and I want to like it at the surface level. 


**OK, now it's going to get spoiler-y again**. Let's talk about WHY I gave this book such a low rating.  The biggest reason is that this book is like EXTRA CRINGE. Like..I am a person that is crude and swears like a sailor, I grew up in the Fire Dept. and EMS scene and use dark humor as a coping mechanism...it takes a lot to offend me or gross me out. But maybe, just maybe, as I age and become a bit more mature..the cringe factor comes into play more. 

I mean, Angelika Frankenstein literally took pieces of all the most desirable traits of men, to create her perfect man. LIKE EXCUSE ME SHE PICKED HIS WEEN. And, while I'm talking about it..the numbers of times his WEEN is mentioned is ridiculous. Like..there are reasons, I get it..but it's like a 13-year old boy who can't control his emotions wrote this with the number of times a penis joke or sex joke is made. And like..it's sex with a sort of dead guy so it's like..is it necrophilia? Like I said..CRINGE. I get it, people like books because of sex. I'm not a prude by any mean and I'll read spicy books but this is just..UGH. *bleaches eyes*

**ANOTHER SPOILER** Then, let's talk about the fact that in the end, Will becomes Arlo as they discover that he was actually to become the town's new priest..and this is why he says his dick wants Angelika but his head and heart cannot. But then, because why wouldn't he..he gives into the temptation and they basically have a bunch of random sex until he starts dying because DUH he was raised from the dead. So, because he's dying the whole Frankenstein family sits around 'praying' for him (which like religion is another subplot of the story, because they're mostly Atheists) and then like he just fucking lives and you don't know if it's due to science or prayer. In my Atheist heart I'm hear to tell you it's the science. It's always the science. But then, like they have a little Frankenstein baby that doesn't look anything like Will-Arlo because it's not his damn ween that made the baby and I just..UGH THE CRINGE I CANNOT! 

So, with all of that being said. I liked the main idea for the story. I really WANTED to like the book but I am left feeling so uncomfortable I just cannot and I feel terrible saying that.

Read at your own risk.