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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐.25
Tropes: Rivals-to-lovers, fake marriage, workplace romance
Spice Level: 🔥🔥
Sadie and Jonah have been academic rivals for fifteen years—arguing with each other in class, comparing lecture styles, and fiercely competing at every turn. When a tenure-track job opens up, they are obviously pitted against each other, yet again. Jonah needs the job so he can move to be closer to his recently divorced sister and children, and Sadie needs the job for the financial security of a full-time position. When Sadie notices the job offers a partner hire, they decide to team up… by getting legally married. Totally genius, right? It is...until it isn't.
The enemies-to-lovers tension here is chef’s kiss. Their banter is snappy, witty, and filled with that delicious slow burn. I especially loved seeing Jonah’s secret pining play out in his internal footnotes (seriously—footnotes!). Their dynamic shifts beautifully from competition to genuine care as they face university politics, underpaid faculty struggles, and life’s curveballs together
That said, a few things didn’t land for me. The big fight and subsequent silence between them felt a bit out of proportion. They didn't speak for so long, and there was a lot of miscommunication and reading into words that weren't intended as such. The climax and epilogue did feel a little rushed and chunky compared to the rest of the story.
If you're craving a smart, tropey rom-com set inside the world of academia—with marriage-of-convenience, long-built enemies-to-lovers, and secret-keeping turned heartfelt communication—this book delivers in spades. Just be ready for some uni-heavy scenes and a hurry-up ending.
Many thanks to Atria Books for an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
Tropes: Rivals-to-lovers, fake marriage, workplace romance
Spice Level: 🔥🔥
Sadie and Jonah have been academic rivals for fifteen years—arguing with each other in class, comparing lecture styles, and fiercely competing at every turn. When a tenure-track job opens up, they are obviously pitted against each other, yet again. Jonah needs the job so he can move to be closer to his recently divorced sister and children, and Sadie needs the job for the financial security of a full-time position. When Sadie notices the job offers a partner hire, they decide to team up… by getting legally married. Totally genius, right? It is...until it isn't.
The enemies-to-lovers tension here is chef’s kiss. Their banter is snappy, witty, and filled with that delicious slow burn. I especially loved seeing Jonah’s secret pining play out in his internal footnotes (seriously—footnotes!). Their dynamic shifts beautifully from competition to genuine care as they face university politics, underpaid faculty struggles, and life’s curveballs together
That said, a few things didn’t land for me. The big fight and subsequent silence between them felt a bit out of proportion. They didn't speak for so long, and there was a lot of miscommunication and reading into words that weren't intended as such. The climax and epilogue did feel a little rushed and chunky compared to the rest of the story.
If you're craving a smart, tropey rom-com set inside the world of academia—with marriage-of-convenience, long-built enemies-to-lovers, and secret-keeping turned heartfelt communication—this book delivers in spades. Just be ready for some uni-heavy scenes and a hurry-up ending.
Many thanks to Atria Books for an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
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:
Yes
This was a delightful little romance but the real heart of the story lies in the relationship between Sadie and her sister, Chess, which I absolutely loved reading about.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
౨ৎ | "my dad needs to respect you achievements, shaw, thats worth more than my pride."
— ★ 2/5
dont get me wrong i liked these characters, especially the side characters but god. sadie and jonah were just so... boring? i didnt feel connected to them at all and i felt like the chemistry just wasnt there.
i liked seeing them grow a bit together but like they were fighting 99.9% of the book than the 0.01% they were going at it (hated the smut btw and i normally dont care for it.)
this just fell so flat and i had to push to finish it.
if you like cute, fluffy romances though then youll like this.
— ★ 2/5
dont get me wrong i liked these characters, especially the side characters but god. sadie and jonah were just so... boring? i didnt feel connected to them at all and i felt like the chemistry just wasnt there.
i liked seeing them grow a bit together but like they were fighting 99.9% of the book than the 0.01% they were going at it (hated the smut btw and i normally dont care for it.)
this just fell so flat and i had to push to finish it.
if you like cute, fluffy romances though then youll like this.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
inspiring
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:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A cute contemporary romance. Love that they're both English lit professors and that love of reading and writing is very evident in this book. Just overall fun to read. My only downside was that the ending seemed a little rushed, I'm sad there was never another faceoff between Sadie and Jonah's dad and at times the marriage of convenience trope seemed just a little forced.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First, thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister in return for an honest review.
In this very entertaining slice of life romance novel we meet two perfect academic rivals, Jonah and Sadie, as they navigate their intertwining careers and hardships while simultaneously loving to hate each other.
I personally enjoyed every aspect of this book. It is most definitely a romance but in a very sweet, very smart and very heartwarming way. Told in dual POV (Jonah being my favorite POV) with added footnotes and witty snark, I loved the dive into academia as a career and the intense rivalry that it inspires in those who choose it. I felt as though all characters, not just the two main were well fleshed out and had lives of their owns that we got to peek into.
Worth the read if you love smart characters but also if you like
*rivals to lovers
*marriage of convenience (done with a realistic reason)
*only one bed
*he falls first
*very minimal (some would say non-existent) third act conflict
*slice of life vibes
Im really happy I got to read and review this one!
In this very entertaining slice of life romance novel we meet two perfect academic rivals, Jonah and Sadie, as they navigate their intertwining careers and hardships while simultaneously loving to hate each other.
I personally enjoyed every aspect of this book. It is most definitely a romance but in a very sweet, very smart and very heartwarming way. Told in dual POV (Jonah being my favorite POV) with added footnotes and witty snark, I loved the dive into academia as a career and the intense rivalry that it inspires in those who choose it. I felt as though all characters, not just the two main were well fleshed out and had lives of their owns that we got to peek into.
Worth the read if you love smart characters but also if you like
*rivals to lovers
*marriage of convenience (done with a realistic reason)
*only one bed
*he falls first
*very minimal (some would say non-existent) third act conflict
*slice of life vibes
Im really happy I got to read and review this one!