As Long as You Loathe Mecoming March 31st, 2026 from Penguin Random House; 320 pages
About the Author: “Swati Hegde is the author ofCan’t Help Faking in Loveand Match Me If You Can, as well as the forthcoming As Long As You Loathe Me and Love Beyond Reasonable Doubt. She is also a freelance editor, mindset coach, and self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast who lives in Bangalore, India, and can often be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea or singing her favorite songs off-key at karaoke night. She looks forward to a long career bringing Indian stories and voices to light” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Swati Hegde on the following platforms:
Meera Rao-George is over being the invisible girl pining after her longtime crush, Sushant—especially when he only seems to notice Lucy Hughson, Meera’s perfect ex-best friend. After years of feeling second best, Meera decides it’s time to flip the script. Her plan is simple: get Sushant to fall for her and finally prove that Lucy isn’t as untouchable as everyone thinks. Even though Lucy seems to be perfect, behind her facade, she fights with anxiety, her own identity, and feelings she hasn’t fully faced. When Meera starts getting close to Lucy again to carry out her plan, old memories and unresolved tensions begin to resurface. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore their complicated history—and the unexpected feelings growing between them. Soon Meera realizes that revenge might be costing her more than she expected.
As someone who comes from a South Asian background, I always appreciate seeing characters who share parts of my culture represented in books. As Long as You Loathe Me was especially enjoyable in that regard. Meera, her parents, and Sushant are all Indian, and the story includes cultural elements that aren’t often highlighted in many young adult (YA) romances. Seeing those details woven naturally into the story made the reading experience feel a bit more personal and meaningful for me. That said, the beginning of the book was somewhat difficult to get into. Early on, Meera and Lucy felt a little similar to one another, and it took some time before their personalities started to feel more distinct. Because of this, the opening chapters felt slower than they should have. As the story continued, however, the characters became more engaging and the dynamics between them started to stand out more clearly. While I personally couldn’t relate to the central romance between the two girls, the book also spends a lot of time exploring friendship, complicated feelings after a falling-out, and the uncertainty that often comes with the last years of high school. Those elements made the story feel more relatable to me. One area where the story could have been stronger was pacing. Some major emotional moments, especially toward the end, felt like they wrapped up more quickly than I expected. Because of that, the resolution felt a little rushed compared to how long it took for the story to build up to those moments. The story also leans on some familiar YA tropes. Despite this, the relationships and themes in As Long as You Loathe Me give it a perspective that still felt thoughtful and engaging!
As Long as You Loathe Me releases on March 31st, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Vanshikha Vij, Pine Reads Review Writer & Website Manager