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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
One of my favorite romance tropes of all time is without a doubt workplace rivals to lovers, especially when those rivals are competing for the same position/project/prize! Add in the fact that they have been competing for years and I am THERE. In the case of Academic Affair, we were also gifted a marriage of convenience as a treat. “Thank you, Jodi McAlister” we all chant in unison.
I absolutely adored Jonah from the very beginning of this story. McAlister makes it so the audience can tell Jonah loves Sadie from the prologue. The way that Jonah loves Sadie is different, he knows her inside and out, and can anticipate her needs before she can. He is steadfast, grounding, and always willing to bicker with Sadie over anything. It was lovely getting to see the pining from Jonah’s POV, and as much as I loved his chapters, Sadies were honestly just as good. I could so relate to Sadie’s internal fears throughout the story and the way that those impacted her relationships and her life. Something else I loved about Academic Affair was the side characters. The dynamics between all of the characters felt authentic and I found myself rooting for everyone in this story, not just Jonah and Sadie. I only wish we would have got more Elias in the second half. It felt kind of strange that he wasn’t mentioned again after like chapter 12 when we meet Julia in chapter 13, but I am *hoping* that means we will get more in this universe (ahem second chance romance, perhaps.) Overall, Academic Affair was a 4.5 star read for me and I placed her Marry Me, Juliet trilogy on hold at my library immediately after I finished it.
I would definitely recommend Academic Affair out November 11, 2025 in the US! Grateful for NetGalley and this ARC :)
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An Academic Affair
3.75 ⭐️
I have been in a pretty bad slump the last few weeks and this was the shot of espresso I needed to kick me back into gear. I finished this in less than two days, oh yeah baby we are SO BACK!
The story was well executed, and the characters motivations felt appropriate. Normally I’m not a huge marriage of convenience person, simply because it lends itself to a lot of miscommunication, however this one was done very well. Sadie and Jonah’s reasonings for getting married were understandable, and there wasn’t a big miscommunication that kept them apart, just a little bit of a misreading. They were rivals to friends, and watching that friendship develop was a lot of fun and made me feel those warm fuzzies because truly they understand each other so well.
I was very frustrated by the Chess storyline and am low key still a little upset with her, I felt so bad for Sadie and don’t feel like she deserved all the sadness Chess put her through.
*spoilers* also I’m already like 89% certain that Chess was staying with Isamu at the vineyard and if she was that close to Hobart the entire time I’m going to be even more upset. PLUS why is she lying about it? She’s lying about something and I wanna know why. (Even though I’m pretty sure I already figured it out.)
The supporting characters were all very lovable. I really hope we get more stories from this little group because I want to know what happens with Elias (and what happened with Julia) and I really desperately want to read Fi’s love story with Satoshi.
The ending did feel a bit rushed and sudden, like one second we were finally seeing the reunion between Chess and Sadie and the next it was months later and an epilogue. It felt very abrupt and I would have liked to get a bit of the fight between the union and the uni.
Overall this book is just what I needed during this slump and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks NetGalley and Atria books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback!
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister is a super cute rom-com, and I am so glad I was able to read an ARC.
As an academic, I appreciated not only the story but also all the little academia/literature references strewn throughout the book. It’s a classic enemies to lovers/fake relationship, and I was there for it. Definitely one of the cutest books I’ve read all year.
Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I loved it.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a wonderfully written novel. Immediately one of my all time favourite contemporary romcoms (perhaps the very top).
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Yearning!!!
This book was so lovely and their love was so beautiful! Jonah is the perfect book boyfriend, or shall I say husband?
The romance in this book is so real and beautiful that it kept me hooked. I will say the end felt rushed and left some plot holes as to where Chess had been. I just wanted to know more. Also I NEED to find out more about Julia and Elias. I need their love story ASAP. Overall a beautiful read that I would definitely recommend.
The Yearning!!!
This book was so lovely and their love was so beautiful! Jonah is the perfect book boyfriend, or shall I say husband?
The romance in this book is so real and beautiful that it kept me hooked. I will say the end felt rushed and left some plot holes as to where Chess had been. I just wanted to know more. Also I NEED to find out more about Julia and Elias. I need their love story ASAP. Overall a beautiful read that I would definitely recommend.