If you’re anything like me, you cannot wait for the Holiday Rom-Com season. Whether it’s on Hallmark, Cinema, or your favorite streaming platform. So, when I saw Netflix was coming out with Love Hard I knew it would be right up my alley!

Natalie (Dobrev) and Josh (Yan) in Love Hard

What is Love Hard about?

Love Hard stars Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley/Crazy Rich Asians), and Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever). Dobrev plays a woman named Natalie, who, like a lot of us, has a tumultuous dating life. However, after a string of dreadful dates, Natalie swipes right on someone who could actually be her perfect match. However, after flying 3,000 miles cross country to surprise him for Christmas, Natalie realizes that she has been Catfished!

The film eventually splits into two separate stories. One, Natalie and Josh team up in order to try and hook her up with the man from the pictures, Tag (Barnett). The other is Natalie helping Josh figure out who he is and stand up to his awful brother, Owen. (Harry Shum Jr.) 

https://youtu.be/zRxcaofoa9g

I absolutely LOVED this movie. Love Hard hits all my favorite things. Funny? Check. Great chemistry? Check. Fantastic characters that I’m rooting for the entire time? Triple check. Dobrev and Yang are so fun together. Their chemistry and banter are fantastic, and I love that the characters go on separate journeys but still build an incredible bond together. I also found Josh (Yang) to be a refreshing romantic lead. He delivers some fantastic one-liners, and his competitive dynamic with his brother gives you even more reason to root for him.

Do I care that the story isn’t original and follows the typical Holiday Rom-Com jokes? Absolutely not. Love Hard gives me everything I want out of a Holiday Rom-Com movie. Thank you, Netflix.

Thanks for reading! Love Hard is now streaming on Netflix. Make sure to bookmark That Hashtag Show for all your pop culture reviews.