Hate to Love You: Cast, Episodes & Where to Watch

What is Hate to Love You about?

Hate to Love You starts with a young woman who has already been burned. After a devastating senior year of high school, Kennedy Clarke heads into her next chapter with two rules, spelled out in ReelShort's official synopsis. First, nobody will know she is related to her brother. Second, she will never fall for another one of her brother's rivals.

Both rules tell you a lot before a single scene plays. Her brother is clearly someone people know, and being attached to his name has cost Kennedy before. The second rule says the last time she fell for one of his rivals, it went badly enough that she made a policy out of never doing it again. The show leaves the details of that past for the story to unpack, and we are not going to spoil them here.

Then Shay Coleman barges into her life. The official description calls his charm irritating and irresistible in the same breath, which is the whole enemies-to-lovers promise in two words. Shay is an athlete with a reputation, ReelShort tags him as a playboy, and he is exactly the kind of guy Kennedy built her rules to avoid. He threatens to make her break both of them.

ReelShort's tags set the scene: Campus, Stadium, Mansion, Student, Athlete, Sharp-tongued, Wallflower, Independent Woman and Strong-Willed. Kennedy is the quiet one trying not to be noticed, with a sharp tongue when someone pushes her, and Shay is the loud, admired star who is used to people noticing him. The banter is the engine of the early episodes.

This is also not a purely fluffy romance. The series carries the tags Social Issue and Morals & Ethics, and the novel it is based on deals with what its publisher called the dark side of college. ReelShort labels the series Adults Only and tags it Steamy and Provocative, so expect mature themes and intimate scenes alongside the sweet romance. It is meant for viewers 18 and older.

The series is live action with a real cast and crew, according to ReelShort. IMDb credits Heyi Pan as director and lists Hannah Lowery and Blake Manning in the lead roles, with Carter Moczan as Gabe Clarke, Kennedy's brother. It went live on May 12, 2026, and had pulled in more than 140 million views on its official page as of October 2026.

Who is in the Hate to Love You cast?

These are the actors credited for Hate to Love You in verified sources (the official ReelShort page, IMDb or the production's own credits). We only list names we could confirm.

• HLHannah LoweryKennedy Clarke
• BMBlake ManningShay Coleman
• CMCarter MoczanGabe Clarke
• KBKeiva BradleyCasey
• DLDaniela LeonBecca Lee
• KCKimberly CrabbAby Martinez
• CLChaz LackCarruthers
• JWJonah WalkerParker Stanson
• CKCailynn KnabenshueMina
• KPKrystal PohakuCheerleader #2

Actor pages: Hannah Lowery's roles beyond Hate to Love You, Blake Manning's actor profile, Carter Moczan's actor profile, Keiva Bradley's actor profile, Daniela Leon's actor profile, Kimberly Crabb's actor profile, Chaz Lack's actor profile, Jonah Walker's actor profile, Cailynn Knabenshue's actor profile, Krystal Pohaku's actor profile.

Main characters

Kennedy Clarke

A college newcomer still recovering from a painful senior year of high school. She hides the fact that she is related to her brother and has sworn off his rivals for good. Quiet on the surface and sharp-tongued underneath. Hannah Lowery plays her.

Shay Coleman

A confident star athlete with a playboy reputation and a talent for getting under Kennedy's skin. He is irritating, charming and exactly the kind of guy her rules were written for. Blake Manning plays him.

Gabe Clarke

Kennedy's brother, played by Carter Moczan. His name and his rivalries are the reason Kennedy keeps their connection a secret.

Kennedy's college circle

IMDb credits Keiva Bradley as Casey, Daniela Leon as Becca Lee, Kimberly Crabb as Aby Martinez, Chaz Lack as Carruthers, Jonah Walker as Parker Stanson and Cailynn Knabenshue as Mina. They make up the friends, teammates and rivals around Kennedy and Shay.

Why people are watching Hate to Love You

It comes from a real book with real fans. Tijan is a New York Times bestselling romance author, and her standalone Hate to Love You, first published in August 2017, has a loyal readership that has wanted to see Kennedy and Shay on screen. ReelShort credits the series as inspired by the novel, and it is the second Tijan adaptation on the app after the mafia romance Carter Reed. Book readers get to compare; newcomers get a story with a tested backbone.

The heroine's rules give the romance real structure. Kennedy is not just playing hard to get. She has specific reasons, rooted in her past and her family, for keeping Shay at arm's length, and every time he gets closer the show makes you feel what she is risking. That makes the slow give-and-take more satisfying than a standard opposites-attract setup.

The banter carries it. The Sharp-tongued and Love-Hate tags are not decoration: the early episodes run on verbal sparring between a wallflower who refuses to be impressed and an athlete who is not used to being turned down. If you enjoy the hockey and football romances on ReelShort, this is the same college-sports energy with a more grounded edge.

It is a proven hit with a fair sample. More than 140 million views and over a million saves on the official page as of October 2026 put it among ReelShort's most popular releases of the year. Episodes 1 through 9 are free, which covers Kennedy's rules, her first collisions with Shay and enough of the tone to know whether the 18+ content suits you.

Tropes and themes

Enemies to lovers: two people who start out annoyed by each other, often in public, slowly discover that the friction is covering something else. Here the hostility is mostly Kennedy's, and Shay seems to enjoy it.

Hidden identity: Kennedy keeps her family connection secret so she can be judged on her own terms. The tension comes from how long she can keep it hidden and what happens when the wrong person finds out.

Campus sports romance: the star athlete, the stadium and the social hierarchy that comes with them. Being seen with the campus celebrity is never private, which is the last thing Kennedy wants.

Playboy and wallflower: a guy with a reputation meets a woman who refuses to be one more name on his list. ReelShort also tags Glow-Up, so Kennedy's arc is about more than the romance.

Book-to-screen adaptation: the story is inspired by Tijan's novel, so it keeps the emotional core readers know while compressing events into short episodes.

What we know about how Hate to Love You ends

The official setup leaves the key questions open. How long can Kennedy keep her family connection a secret on a campus where her brother's name means something? Will Shay turn out to be another rival she should avoid or the exception to her rules? And what exactly happened during that senior year that made her write the rules in the first place?

What we have verified is that ReelShort lists Hate to Love You as a complete 68-episode live-action series released on May 12, 2026, inspired by Tijan's novel, that IMDb credits Hannah Lowery and Blake Manning in the lead roles, and that no season 2 has been announced as of October 2026. We have not verified how the series ends, so we are not describing it; readers of the book should expect changes in the adaptation.

Where to watch Hate to Love You full episodes legally

• Official app: ReelShort (iPhone, Android and the ReelShort website).
• Publisher: ReelShort is run by Crazy Maple Studio, Inc., the company named on the official ReelShort site. See more Crazy Maple Studio short dramas besides Hate to Love You.
• Free episodes: the first 9 episodes are free, according to the official ReelShort page (68 episodes in total).
• YouTube: drama apps often post trailers and clips on their official YouTube channels. If you find Hate to Love You there, check that the channel is verified and run by ReelShort; anything else is an unauthorized re-upload.
• Avoid: “premium APK” or “mod APK” downloads and pirated full-series compilations. They are unauthorized, often incomplete and can carry malware.

The official place to watch Hate to Love You is ReelShort, in the app for iPhone and Android or in a browser at reelshort.com, where the series has its own page. It is a ReelShort original, filmed in English and not dubbed, and it is not available on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video or other general streaming services. Because ReelShort labels it Adults Only, it is intended for viewers 18 and older.

ReelShort's page says premium episodes begin at episode 10, so episodes 1 through 9 are free. After that you can unlock episodes with coins, collect free coins through daily check-ins and rewarded ads, or buy a membership that opens the whole catalog for a set period. Prices and promotions change often and may differ between the App Store, Google Play and the website, so check the current deal before paying.

Do not confuse this series with Hate to Love You Again, a separate ReelShort title with a different story: a woman who once left a man now faces him as a powerful billionaire while dealing with her husband's brothers and a vicious ex. It is not connected to Tijan's novel or to Kennedy and Shay. The one you want is the 68-episode series starring Hannah Lowery and Blake Manning, released May 12, 2026.

Full-movie uploads on video sites and premium APK downloads are not authorized by ReelShort. They are often incomplete, out of order or bundled with malware. Stick to the official app and website to get every episode in full quality.

Hate to Love You FAQ

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