In the latest of YouTuber-turned-author debuts, Alison Raskin and Gaby Dunn’s novel ‘I Hate Everyone but You’, chronicles a friendship’s attempt at surviving a move across the country. It is told entirely in a series of text messages and emails. While it is a fast and engulfing read, the story lacks a deeper meaning and leaves many essential themes underdeveloped.

Dunn and Raskin’s book is dubbed semi-autobiographical, but with background knowledge of the authors it becomes obvious that the novel is a direct portrayal of their friendship. Dunn’s personality is eccentric with an emphasis on her queer identity and Raskin is the nervous introvert in the ‘opposites attract’ pair. Their personalities spill over into their respective characters, Genevieve and Ava.

I can partially chalk up my enjoyment of the book to my enjoyment of the authors and my understanding of their dynamic. Dunn and Raskin are YouTubers who ventured outside of their comfort zone and wrote a book, as many do. While the book is so heavily based upon the authors it is left vague enough for readers to relate their own coming-of-age experiences into those of the characters.

The success of this novel in circles of people who are not aware of the authors can be attributed to its relatability. Instead of glamorizing adolescent life like many young adult books do, ‘I Hate Everyone but You’ speaks to how much it can hurt to go through changes. The text message format is utilized without feeling juvenile and oversimplified; the juxtaposition of long emails to tiny text messages makes the reader feel like they are engulfed in the drama of the moment and brings the story to life. It is a risky formatting decision, but it makes the reader feel like they are reading through texts on a friend’s phone. Once you get engulfed in the drama, it is hard to put down.

However, the portrayal of the LGBT community and mental illness fell short. While the unusual format was captivating and casual, the humor was sometimes lost in translation and came off as more offensive than anything. The attempts to handle heavy topics such as transphobia, LGBT validity, and drug addiction were awkwardly placed and often times inappropriately covered up by humor.

Both Genevieve and Ava had flaws and prejudices but rarely learned from their mistakes or showed any viable character development, instead continuing with the endless cycle of drama. If they intended on talking about such important topics, the authors should have at least put more effort in developing their characters from ignorance rather than allowing them to continue being insensitive. There were so many overlooked potential learning moments.

There was not an overly strong plot if there was one at all, but ‘I Hate Everyone but You’ is a quick and enjoyable read without much weight. While it is captivating, there are more relevant and interesting young adult novels out there that are just as entertaining but possess the depth that this novel lacked.

Photo Courtesy of GoodReads