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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ok so. The fact I blasted through this in just a day speaks volumes. I kept mumbling to myself "just one more chapter" and then I looked up and I had one more chaptered myself to nighttime. I feel this a lot with the main characters, that I relate too hard, but Bea might have hurt the worst. I'm very much the coconut. The friend group is so real and I really liked all of them. I adored the relationship between Bea and Nate; one can only hope to find someone that understands when you say "you're an asshole" they know you really mean "I love you." The cyclical nature of the beginning and the ending was also perfection.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like this novel would have benefitted from dual POV. I was so confused by the MMCs actions and motivations. I didn't like anyone in this book.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SUMMARY:
Beatrice Nilsson is what some might call “feisty” (those who love her) and others “combative” (those who don’t). But no matter what you call her, she’s a good lawyer and an even better friend. So when the marriage of her two closest pals ends in divorce, Bea picks a side and storms the office of attorney Nathan Asher to tell him exactly what he can do with his alimony petition. Unfortunately, what should end with a few choice words soon spirals into uncharted territory when Nate shows up at her NYU Law office a few days later as a newly-minted adjunct professor and her new colleague. Bea still hates Nathan, of course. But between weekly meetings and networking events, walks around Washington Square Park and late-night pizza, that hate begins to feel a lot like something else. And as uncomfortable truths emerge about the divorce that started it all, she might have to choose between her friends’ happily ever after and her own for the very first time.
REVIEW:
How Freaking Romantic is the first book by Emily Harding that I've read and is my July Book of the Month pick. Beatrice Nilsson is a feisty law student that is trying to keep her group of friends together though two of her closest friends are going through a divorce which leads her to storm into divorce attorney Nathan Asher's office to tell him exactly what he can do with his alimony petition for his client Josh. It was a hilarious meet cute moment when Beatrice comes into Nathan Asher's office yelling at him for trying to ruin her friend Jillian's life in her divorce with Josh and he can't get in a word to ask her what was going on. These two do not have the best introduction though that doesn't stop them from getting to know each other when Nathan decides to take the adjunct professor position that Bea is the PA.
Bea had a childhood filled with disappointments as her mother was always falling in love, marrying and then divorcing these men. Nathan comes into her life when she least expected to turn her life upside down but in the right direction. Though they start as enemies they slowly become friends that eventually ends with them falling in love. Emily Harding delivered a fun enemies to lovers contemporary romance that had me from start to finish as Bea and Nathan finally work through there past traumas to finally get the HEA they both deserve. This is a very solid debut solo novel for Emily Harding and I look forward to any future solo books she publishes.
Beatrice Nilsson is what some might call “feisty” (those who love her) and others “combative” (those who don’t). But no matter what you call her, she’s a good lawyer and an even better friend. So when the marriage of her two closest pals ends in divorce, Bea picks a side and storms the office of attorney Nathan Asher to tell him exactly what he can do with his alimony petition. Unfortunately, what should end with a few choice words soon spirals into uncharted territory when Nate shows up at her NYU Law office a few days later as a newly-minted adjunct professor and her new colleague. Bea still hates Nathan, of course. But between weekly meetings and networking events, walks around Washington Square Park and late-night pizza, that hate begins to feel a lot like something else. And as uncomfortable truths emerge about the divorce that started it all, she might have to choose between her friends’ happily ever after and her own for the very first time.
REVIEW:
How Freaking Romantic is the first book by Emily Harding that I've read and is my July Book of the Month pick. Beatrice Nilsson is a feisty law student that is trying to keep her group of friends together though two of her closest friends are going through a divorce which leads her to storm into divorce attorney Nathan Asher's office to tell him exactly what he can do with his alimony petition for his client Josh. It was a hilarious meet cute moment when Beatrice comes into Nathan Asher's office yelling at him for trying to ruin her friend Jillian's life in her divorce with Josh and he can't get in a word to ask her what was going on. These two do not have the best introduction though that doesn't stop them from getting to know each other when Nathan decides to take the adjunct professor position that Bea is the PA.
Bea had a childhood filled with disappointments as her mother was always falling in love, marrying and then divorcing these men. Nathan comes into her life when she least expected to turn her life upside down but in the right direction. Though they start as enemies they slowly become friends that eventually ends with them falling in love. Emily Harding delivered a fun enemies to lovers contemporary romance that had me from start to finish as Bea and Nathan finally work through there past traumas to finally get the HEA they both deserve. This is a very solid debut solo novel for Emily Harding and I look forward to any future solo books she publishes.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
🩷🩷🩷🩷/5
I had so much fun reading this one!
Bea is in her final year of law school, juggling ambition and baggage like a pro (well… almost). At first, I worried she’d be one of those heroines who constantly gets in her own way, but Bea surprised me. She’s sharp, self-aware, and grows in ways that made me root for her. As her mom says, Bea is a coconut: hard on the outside to protect herself, but soft and sweet once you crack her open. I am 100%stealing that analogy.
And Nate? Swoony perfection. Tall, casually handsome, and blissfully unaware of how attractive he is. The catch? He’s the divorce attorney for Bea’s best friend’s almost-ex-husband—who also used to be Bea’s best friend too, until she chose sides in the divorce. So yeah… it’s complicated.
Their first meeting is a full-on storm-the-office moment, and from there, we’re off on a delicious enemies-to-lovers journey. This book was just the escape I needed after a bonkers workweek (because in real life, I’m just another corporate girlie who dreams of reading full-time). It had me laughing, kicking my feet, and fully forgetting my inbox. It’s witty, quirky, and packed with heart.
Note: There are heavier themes around substance abuse, so check content warnings if needed.
Tropes I loved:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Best friend’s almost-ex-husband’s divorce attorney (yes, really—messy in the best way)