{"product_id":"as-long-as-you-loathe-me-isbn-9798217028160","title":"As Long as You Loathe Me","description":"\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen a teen tries to get back at her ex-best friend for stealing her crush, she ends up unexpectedly rekindling their complicated friendship and discovers that it’s not just her pride on the line, it’s her heart too. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBring down the cheerleader. Just don’t fall in love with her.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeera Rao-George is done being the dorky high school senior crushing on her neighbor Sushant, who only has eyes for cheerleader Lucy Hughson—Meera’s ex-best friend. After countless attempts to get his attention, Meera decides it’s time for a bold move: the Date Sushant \u0026amp; Dethrone Lucy Plan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucy Hughson appears to have it all: a loving boyfriend, top grades, and a designer wardrobe. But beneath the surface, she battles anxiety, struggles with her identity, and questions her feelings for Sushant compared to what she felt for someone from her past.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Meera cozies up to Lucy to execute her plan, she realizes her heart's at risk. Their friendship ended for a reason—a secret Lucy won’t confront. Now, she must reevaluate everything she thought she knew about herself, and what a real shot at love ultimately looks like.Praise for \u003ci\u003eAs Long as You Loathe Me\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[A] \u003cb\u003ejoyful\u003c\/b\u003e YA debut. This \u003cb\u003eangsty romcom\u003c\/b\u003e will have readers listening to all their favorite Tay-Tay tracks on repeat.\"—\u003ci\u003eTeen Vogue \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eTender\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003efunny\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003etotally adorable\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAs Long As You Loathe Me\u003c\/i\u003e captures the dizzying rush of young love and the ache of finding out who you are. YA at its finest.\"—Sophie Gonzales, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eNever Ever Getting Back Together \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAs Long As You Loathe Me\u003c\/i\u003e is a \u003cb\u003esweet\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003esoulful sapphic love story\u003c\/b\u003e, a much-needed diverse addition to this generation’s catalog of joyful queer romances. Hegde’s characters leaped off the page and straight into my heart.\"—Erin Baldwin, author of \u003ci\u003eWish You Weren't Here\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Swati Hegde’s \u003ci\u003eAs Long As You Loathe Me\u003c\/i\u003e delivers a heartwarming, sapphic take on \u003ci\u003eMean Girls \u003c\/i\u003ewith the romcom gold of friends to rivals to something...\u003ci\u003emore\u003c\/i\u003e that'll have you listening to your favorite love songs on repeat—\u003cb\u003esweet\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003efiery\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eundoubtedly romantic\u003c\/b\u003e!\"—Matthew Hubbard, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The writing is \u003cb\u003ecrisp\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eemotionally immediate\u003c\/b\u003e, capturing the exhilaration and fear of wanting what you’ve sworn to hate. \u003cb\u003eEarnest\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eswoony\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003edeeply romantic\u003c\/b\u003e.\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"This dual-POV title is recommended for fans of \u003cb\u003erom-coms\u003c\/b\u003e, the \u003cb\u003erivals-to-lovers trope\u003c\/b\u003e, and, of course, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMean Girls\u003c\/b\u003e.\"—Booklist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eSwati Hegde \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of \u003ci\u003eCan't Help Faking in Love \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eMatch Me If You Can\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as a freelance editor, mindset coach, and self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast who lives in Bangalore, India. She can often be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea. She looks forward to a long career bringing Indian stories and voices to light.Chapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” \u003ci\u003eby Taylor Swift\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeera\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou know that moment in every love story when the protagonist realizes they’re \u003ci\u003ethis\u003c\/i\u003e close to losing the love of their life, so they have to do something really drastic to get their happily-­ever-­after before it’s too late?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs I sit beside Sushant on the school bus, listening to him go on and on and \u003ci\u003eon\u003c\/i\u003e about looking up date-­night restaurants in New York for him and his girlfriend, I realize one thing: This is that gotta-­win-­my-­love-­back moment for me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExcept, well, Sushant was never really mine. He’s always been Lucy’s. Goddamn Lucy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“And, yeah, you have to book a table, like, four months in advance, but they apparently have the best steaks in the—­” Sushant pauses when he notices my quirked eyebrow. “What?” He shows me the restaurant. “Look, it’s so close to this romance-­only bookstore. I could take Lucy there before dinner.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Why are you planning this already?” I ask. “You don’t even know for sure if you’re both going to college in New York.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSushant frowns. “Of course we are. I’ll get that scholarship any day now, and Lucy’s got the perfect application for NYU.” He brightens. “So, what do you think? Should I add a reminder on my phone to make a reservation for our first night there?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI shake my head indignantly as I look over the restaurant menu, wishing I could shake some sense into him instead. “Two hundred dollars . . . for a steak? What, is it gold-­plated or made of diamonds?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe blinks in confusion. “Meera, I’ve always wanted to take Lucy to a fancy restaurant, and it sucks that we don’t have one here in town. Maybe in New York I can give her the kind of romance she deserves.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Yeah,” I snap, “and I’m sure the gigantic New York rats and the muggers on the streets won’t bother you at all on your romantic date nights.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSushant bites his lip, clearly at a loss for words. The bus lurches to a stop to pick up another student, and I take the opportunity to collect my thoughts before speaking. “Let me get this straight: You’re giving up your scholarship to Berkeley to move three thousand miles away from home to the most expensive city in America . . . because you want to buy your girlfriend overpriced steaks? Do you hear yourself right now, Sushant?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe frowns at me. “I do, and it sounds like the perfect future to me. A future with Lucy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScoffing, I lean back in my seat and turn my gaze to the window. “Cool.” I can feel his questioning eyes on me, but I plug my earphones in and blast my favorite Spotify mix—­EDM songs, of course—­loud enough to drown out the thumping of my heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe’s moving. In a few short months, I’m going to lose the only boy I’ve ever loved to the only girl I’ve ever hated. Just my lousy luck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI know what my father would say. Appa’s voice rings in my ears, calm and spiritual as ever: “Hate is a strong word, putta. Hate carries negative energy. Your higher self knows love is the only real force and hate is simply a manifestation of your own insecurities.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut what does he know about heartbreak? Appa and Dad were high school sweethearts, each other’s first love, and they’ve never had to fight anyone or anything in their quest for happily-­ever-­after—­except perhaps Appa’s traditional South Indian parents. But even \u003ci\u003ethey\u003c\/i\u003e warmed up to the idea of having a son-­in-­law instead of a daughter-­in-­law shortly after I was born through artificial insemination and surrogacy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs for me? I’m fighting persistently frizzy hair, a depressingly low peg on the high school social hierarchy, and, worst of all, the most beautiful, smart, perfect girl there ever was: Lucy Hughson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bus finally pulls into the high school parking lot, and Sushant turns to me, smiling. “See you after football practice? Gianni’s Pizza? I need help studying for the French midterm.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I have plans already,” I lie stiffly, slinging my backpack over my shoulders and following him down the steps of the bus. He’s now whistling to the tune of some random song. It never ceases to surprise me how quickly this boy lets conflict slide. If I were in his place, I’d be paranoid wondering if my since-­fetuses neighbor was mad at me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Sushant? He doesn’t care. He has other things to worry about, after all. Like his girlfriend, whose Honda has just pulled into its designated parking spot under three shady trees. Nobody else parks there. It’s an unspoken rule that the best parking spot on campus is reserved for our darling head cheerleader.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSushant squeezes my shoulder before heading over to Lucy. She gets out of her car and gives him a hug and a kiss that lingers. I avert my gaze, teeth gritted, and tighten my grip on the straps of my backpack. I have to do something to stop Sushant from making the biggest mistake of his life—­giving up everything for a girl who could never deserve him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You’re joking, right?” My more socially acceptable friends (and by that I mean “just as unpopular as me”) stare at me, wide-­eyed, when we congregate at our adjoining lockers and I fill them in on my vague plan to break up the It Couple.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m not joking,” I say, shrugging. “I can’t let the love of my life slip through my fingers.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRon blows a strand of his shaggy, straight brown hair out of his eyes and leans against his locker. His pale, freckled nose has a smudge of white sunscreen on it. He speaks before I can point it out. “We’re seventeen, Meera. We have a long way to go before we meet the loves of our lives.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You know who she’s going to bring up,” Valeria mumbles under her breath. She’s snacking on a Snickers bar from the candy collection stashed in her locker, one toned arm resting on her hip.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI raise a finger to shush them. “Need I mention my parents? They locked eyes across a crowded, noisy classroom on the first day of senior year over twenty years ago and knew they were meant to be.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValeria shoots Ron an I-told-­you-­so look, then sighs. “We’ve discussed this. Sushant doesn’t know you are meant to be. Hence, your parents’ example doesn’t apply.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I thought you’d accepted your fate as his neighbor and nothing more,” Ron says, chuckling. “What changed?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe’s right. Since we became friends a little over a year ago, they’ve heard me rant about Lucy and Sushant’s relationship over and over, but apart from one (failed) attempt to get Sushant to notice me romantically, I’ve been all talk, no action.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI blow out a breath. “The entire bus ride, he wouldn’t shut up about how excited he is for their perfect future in New York, and yet I vividly recall him telling me three years ago that he never wants to leave the West Coast. She’s clearly brain­washing him.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“That was three years ago,” Ron points out. “He might have changed his mind.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Because she forced him to change it.” The first bell rings, and I lead us down the hallway. “Maybe Sushant doesn’t know it yet, but she’s not the one for—­”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy words are cut short when Lucy walks past us with her new best friend, Natalie—­my replacement. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that? Lucy and I were once inseparable, until she unceremoniously friend-­dumped me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucy’s head is held high, and a designer purse hangs from one wrist. She’s too cool for backpacks. Her red hair is beachy-­wavy today, and she shows off four-­inch heels and a short skirt that fits her like a dream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd here I’m wearing an oversized black T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and five-­year-­old sneakers whose soles are glued on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRight before the queen bee turns the corner, she looks over her shoulder. Our eyes meet, and I narrow my gaze. Her green eyes flicker with a difficult emotion I can’t quite place, and then she’s out of sight. The sound of her heels echoes long after she’s gone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Sushant belongs with me,” I say, glaring at the space Lucy just deserted and ignoring the little annoyed murmurs my friends let out. “And I’m going to prove it to him.”","brand":"Delacorte Romance","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48232936145125,"sku":"NP9798217028160","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9798217028160.jpg?v=1767721837","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/as-long-as-you-loathe-me-isbn-9798217028160","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}