--- title: "As Long As You Loathe Me: My Queer Sapphic YA Romance" description: "Explore As Long As You Loathe Me, my upcoming queer sapphic YA romance. Packed with rivals-to-lovers tropes, this desi YA book is perfect for fans of Mean Girls." canonical: https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/romance-young-adult-ya-fiction-writing/as-long-as-you-loathe-me-a-sapphic-ya-romance last_updated: 2025-09-15 --- # As Long As You Loathe Me: My Queer Sapphic YA Romance Tribe Verified · Published author with Delacorte Romance By [Swati Hegde](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor) · Ships to India, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia · ₹12K per package (estimate) Part of [Romance & Young Adult (YA) Fiction Writing](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/romance-young-adult-ya-fiction-writing). [View full gallery](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/romance-young-adult-ya-fiction-writing/gallery) A queer, rivals to lovers story inspired by Mean Girls and my favorite Taylor Swift vibes. It is messy, pining, and unapologetically loud. ## Photos and videos - [Video: The cover reveal for my debut queer YA romance, *As Long As You Loathe Me*. It's pitched as *Mean Girls* meets *Never Have I Ever*, and I'm so excited for you to read it. The cover features Meera in bi flag colors and Lucy in pan flag colors.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/8c5db93d-1644-4847-8c42-e8c4f3fd290a) - ![An infographic detailing all the tropes and themes in *As Long as You Loathe Me*. Expect everything from friends-to-rivals-to-lovers and a coffee shop setting to anxiety representation and a coming out story.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/7d1be537-61c0-4a70-b70b-84124f3a8f7c) - [Video: Unboxing the advance reader copies (ARCs) of my third book, *As Long As You Loathe Me*. It's a queer rivals-to-lovers YA romance, and holding it in my hands feels surreal. The story follows Meera as she tries to get back at her ex-best friend Lucy, with plenty of *Mean Girls* and *Never Have I Ever* vibes.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/8ff6b808-ecf7-4b0d-be29-f9181049b26b) - ![A happy moment from August, unboxing the ARCs for *As Long as You Loathe Me*. Seeing my book in physical form for the first time is a feeling that never gets old.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/bbc2bed0-96ff-473e-b698-329a0a1eb257) - ![A little out-of-context quote from *As Long as You Loathe Me* to give you a taste of the yearning. This is a sapphic rivals-to-lovers story full of angst and pining.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/157102bd-31fa-4c6d-91b4-ec6cb11791ff) - [Video: If you're looking for your next Devi from *Never Have I Ever* fix, let me introduce you to Meera Rao-George from *As Long as You Loathe Me*. She's an Indian-American chaos monster and a bi disaster who is desperate to be popular.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/269cf482-cf99-41e9-b930-9c83b12a8be9) - [Video: I wrote a sapphic version of Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" where the dorky girl falls for the cheerleader. My upcoming YA novel *As Long as You Loathe Me* is perfect for fans of *The Summer I Turned Pretty* who want more queer representation.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/b1db6187-5d49-4ff8-8a86-5db6fec0110a) - [Video: The basic plot of *As Long as You Loathe Me*: getting revenge on my ex-best friend for stealing my crush, but then accidentally falling in love with her. It's a classic rivals-to-lovers setup.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/e94e10e6-e156-4c74-979b-8d4121c6d9e9) - ![A look at the dedication page for *As Long as You Loathe Me*. It's for my dear friend Anahita, who loved these messy queer girls before anyone else did.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/fb727a65-eefe-4d62-9faa-7d597e618e90) - ![The official synopsis for *As Long as You Loathe Me*. Meera Rao-George is done being the dorky senior crushing on her neighbor. Her plan? Date his girlfriend, Lucy, to break them up. But as she gets closer to Lucy, she realizes her own heart is at risk.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/8b2cd9a1-7495-49f7-a025-b448866374bc) - ![Announcing a special 25% off preorder sale at Barnes & Noble for *As Long as You Loathe Me*. It's a great chance to grab my sapphic YA romance inspired by *Mean Girls* and "You Belong With Me."](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/0922ad56-f29f-410f-a46f-5c724bef18c0) - [Video: The butterfly effect is real. A queer YA romance I read in 2020 helped me realize I'm bi, which led me to write my own queer YA rom-com, *As Long as You Loathe Me*, now set to be published by Penguin Random House.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/211e73d9-5bac-439f-a057-d7983bf61ab9) - [Video: The acknowledgements for my sapphic YA romance novel are basically for my therapists and all the gay people who inspired me. *As Long as You Loathe Me* has major *Mean Girls* and "You Belong With Me" vibes.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/2eb6f758-ca18-4778-ba7b-6eabf8fddf27) - [Video: I don't need much to be happy, just a sapphic rivals-to-lovers YA romance with vibes of *Mean Girls* and "You Belong With Me." So, I wrote one. *As Long as You Loathe Me* is coming soon.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/f576f842-7b0b-4b71-b7dc-b400d00b1918) - [Video: A little snippet of dialogue from *As Long as You Loathe Me* to capture the rivals-to-lovers tension. This book combines the energy of "You Belong With Me" with the sabotage of *Mean Girls*.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/f162436e-5a5c-4fdb-a0d3-926843094a68) - [Video: Revealing the beautiful cover of my YA romance novel, *As Long as You Loathe Me*. It's inspired by the "You Belong With Me" music video and tells the story of a teen trying to win back her crush from her ex-best friend.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/225491d4-a6de-48bc-a0ff-3d929e611747) - [Video: Meet Meera Rao-George, the feisty and desperate main character of *As Long as You Loathe Me*. If you love Devi from *Never Have I Ever*, you'll love Meera's chaotic energy in this sapphic romance.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/51971e6c-40e9-42d2-8116-f14536579e74) - [Video: I'll convince you to read my *Mean Girls* meets *Never Have I Ever* YA romance in 11 seconds. *As Long as You Loathe Me* is a sapphic rivals-to-lovers story with a messy Indian-American main character.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/485aa2a6-7816-468a-b45d-50238806c9ae) - [Video: The summer I plotted to steal my crush from the cheerleader but ended up falling for her instead. That's the story of *As Long as You Loathe Me*, my upcoming sapphic YA romance.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/16e9386f-e1b5-4c63-ae76-5fd6e10e8741) - [Video: Someone called me funny, and I told them it's because I watched Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" music video and wrote a queer version of it. That book is *As Long as You Loathe Me*.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/47b074ce-15b5-4da0-89d2-1968a127faa8) - [Video: When the "You Belong With Me" music video inspires you to write a queer version of it, you get *As Long as You Loathe Me*, my sapphic YA rivals-to-lovers romance.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/e5ed109e-1294-4143-bfc8-2e377acd3292) - [Video: I can't stop talking about my queer *Mean Girls* meets *Never Have I Ever* YA romance. *As Long as You Loathe Me* features a messy Indian-American main character in a rivals-to-lovers sapphic story.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/cdeebd5a-dcdd-4ccc-bf1b-b112deb7e7e6) - ![A summary of my upcoming queer YA romance, *As Long as You Loathe Me*. It features a friends-to-rivals-to-lovers plot, bi x pan romance, and a coming out story, all with *Mean Girls* and *Never Have I Ever* energy.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/3f14ec28-fd0d-419d-9deb-eaa3e798d1c1) - [Video: How many aura points did I lose when I made a revenge plan to break up the cheerleader and my crush, only to fall for the cheerleader instead? Find out in my upcoming book, *As Long as You Loathe Me*.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/b390e6d8-5b04-4f2b-ac34-aec045291e25) - ![The official cover for my debut queer YA romance, *As Long as You Loathe Me*. It's pitched as *Mean Girls* meets *Never Have I Ever* and comes out on March 31, 2026.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/4f599c13-c490-45a3-9d72-85f26303ee4f) - ![A mood board for my upcoming sapphic YA romance, *As Long as You Loathe Me*. It captures the vibe of the story: bring down the cheerleader, just don't fall in love with her.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/58a66045-9eb4-4558-9c83-9c50c27bf0fe) - ![Announcing my third adult romance novel, *Love Beyond Reasonable Doubt*. It's a second-chance workplace romance about two lawyers who have a vacation fling and meet again a year later in the same office.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/186bf961-d8b3-4b92-b6e9-5a10940ab364) ## About As Long as You Loathe Me: A Sapphic YA Romance If you ever wondered what would happen if the 'You Belong With Me' music video got a queer, desi, Mean Girls twist, this is the book for you. My upcoming novel, As Long As You Loathe Me, follows Meera Rao-George, an Indian-American teen who decides to sabotage her ex-best friend Lucy by dating her boyfriend. Of course, things go exactly how you expect they will not, and feelings get complicated fast. This is not just a story about rivalry. It is about the specific anxiety of figuring out who you are when everyone else expects you to be someone else, all wrapped up in a slowburn romance. Writing this book felt like exorcising my own teenage demons. I wanted to capture that sharp, desperate desire to be seen and the messy, confusing reality of coming out when you are still trying to figure out if you want to be someone's best friend or their girlfriend. **Why you will love ALAYLM:** * **The Tropes:** Rivals to lovers, friends to enemies to lovers, fake dating, and the classic 'there was only one bed' anxiety. * **The Vibe:** Think Indian-American protagonist Meera Rao-George meets the chaotic energy of Never Have I Ever. It is high school drama without the polished edges. * **The Representation:** This is a bi and pan romance. It is about queer joy, messy mistakes, and finding people who love you even when you are being a total chaos monster. While this book is my pride and joy, I also offer mentorship and coaching for other writers who are stuck in the messy middle of their own drafts. If you are struggling with your own query letter, synopsis, or just need someone to help you unstick your plot, let me know. I have been through the 400 rejection letter trench, and I am here to help you get your story out into the world. Whether you want to talk about my books or your own manuscript, I am all ears. ## About Swati Hegde I'm Swati, a Bangalore-based author writing the queer desi stories my 13-year-old self would have killed for. I'm a total chaos monster, a Taylor Swift fan, and I'm here to write books that make you laugh, cry, and feel seen. [See all of Swati Hegde's services](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor) ## More from Romance & Young Adult (YA) Fiction Writing by Swati Hegde - [Featured](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/romance-young-adult-ya-fiction-writing/featured) - [Can't Help Faking in Love: A Fake Dating Desi Romance](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/romance-young-adult-ya-fiction-writing/can-t-help-faking-in-love-a-fake-dating-desi-romance) - [Match Me If You Can: A Friends-to-Lovers Desi Romance](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/romance-young-adult-ya-fiction-writing/match-me-if-you-can-a-friends-to-lovers-desi-romance) ## More services by Swati Hegde - [Fiction Writing Coaching](https://mytribe.in/swatihegdeauthor/fiction-writing-coaching) ## Book To book Swati Hegde, message mytribe on WhatsApp: [Chat on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hey%20Swati!%20I%20loved%20the%20look%20of%20As%20Long%20As%20You%20Loathe%20Me.%20How%20can%20I%20get%20a%20copy%2C%20or%20maybe%20talk%20about%20your%20writing%20coaching%3F)