This was the first book I read by Chloe Liese and it won't be the last. I love how she took the Much Ado About Nothing plot of fake/revenge dating and updated it for modern times, with accurate representation of characters who are on the LBGTQ and neurodivergent spectrums. It didn't feel forced or just for the sake of ticking the boxes of inclusion, but felt real. I felt myself relating to the quirks of both Bea and Jamie with his anxiety. Bea and Jamie are tricked into meeting by their meddling sister and best friend, who are a new couple themselves. Sparks, and drinks, fly, but it is a case of opposites attract and buttoned up Jamie doesn't want to let artsy, chaotic Bea under his skin. When they are set up on a fake date under aliases, they are so annoyed at their sibling/friend they decide to fake a relationship to get back at them. How that would get revenge on them, I don't know, but it allowed for them to realize their true feelings for each other. My only complaint was that there was really no time building up the enemies to lovers trope, they almost immediately realized after starting their scheme that they had feelings for each other. It was a slow build up to those end scenes, but the wait was worth it 🥵The ending teased a sequel based on The Taming of the Shrew featuring Bea's youngest sister and if that's the case, I cannot WAIT! Read this one if you want a quick paced read featuring accurate representation of LGBTQ and neurodivergent characters, love retellings, fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes.

💕 Thank you to Net Galley and Berkeley Publishing Group for a copy of Two Wrongs Make a Right to review.

Bea is autistic. James has anxiety issues. It was hate at first site. Their friends think they are made for each other and try to push them together. To seek revenge they decide to pretend to date. Opposites attract, fake dating and enemies to lovers are all covered in this rom com.

They are a quirky couple that I was rooting for. I always She has a pet hedgehog and he adopted two mischievous senior cats. I liked the cast of supporting characters that were human too.

There are under-represented groups in fiction that are falling in love and making me root for them. That is always the first way I judge a romance and this one was a yes! After finishing this one I realized it was modern update of Much Ado About Nothing. And while I have read it and I’ve seen the play, I did not make the connection during the read. I mention this in case you shy awake from reimaginings or Shakespeare, as this is not an over the top retelling.

Two Wrongs Make A Right by Chloe Liese was shaping up to be one of my absolute favorite books of 2022 until chapter 36 and given there are 37 chapters in this book, it’s a shame really. This author does an amazing job of representing people on the Autism spectrum, people with chronic illnesses, people with mental health challenges, as well as people in the LGTBQIA+ community. Honestly, I appreciate everything she does in her work to let others see that everyone, no matter their challenges in life, deserve love. She did that well for most of this book, very well in fact and I loved it. An uptight, formal pediatrician with anxiety and compulsion issues and a free spirited autistic artist with social anxiety are pushed together by friends and family and while their first meeting just doesn’t go as planned, they do eventually wind up becoming friends and then more by a twist of fate.

James/Jamie/West was survivor of parental and sibling bullying and gaslighting and yet he is still subjected to it as an adult because he chose to be a pediatrician and not a surgeon which his father and older brothers never let him forget. He has a roommate not out of necessity but mainly for the company it once provided but with his roommate now serious with a woman he mainly has the two senior cats he adopted for company. He accepts his life; his work both at his office and his time at a free clinic keeps him very busy but even he will admit he is a bit lonely.

Beatrice/Bea lives with her twin sister Juliet who is dating James’s roommate. Once an artist with extreme potential a relationship gone bad 2 years prior has left her unable to paint. She supports herself by the erotic art she draws for a friend’s stationary shop and by working in the shop. She’s not fond of her twin’s new boyfriend as she sees things in him that remind her of her ex. Bea is covered in tattoos and while she does okay with people she does have her limits.

I loved these characters who lived daily with their challenges and yes, both were guilty of choosing to be alone as to not risk being hurt again, but they were good people and the way they felt they could be their true selves with each other was beautiful. Watching them together and the conversations they shared both via text and in person made me laugh quite a bit. There was something just so right with the way their relationship progress, so much so this book was impossible to put down.

The choice that Bea made late in the game really perturbed me especially considering James had been so upfront about everything he’d been through in his life. I honestly could not fathom she could be so cruel and I realize that part of that was her being on the spectrum, she didn’t realize what she was doing would hit him the way it did, but that one thoughtless move made me go from loving her character to being ambivalent about her character.

While I was happy with the outcome of this book, I wasn’t thrilled with the way it came about or the fact that James ended up apologizing to her. Honestly he deserved a much better apology than what he got. All of that said (I got my mad out), Two Wrongs Make A Right was a mostly delightful story; equal parts sweet, swoony, fun, swoony, and sexy I enjoyed it immensely.

THE 411...

4.5 STARS

*•.¸♡ “𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐.” ♡¸.•*

 I love a good opposites attract romance but up until now I haven't read anything that really gets the magnetic pull and irresistibility you feel when you meet your polar opposite. Bea is an artist who creates sensual cards for a stationary shop, she's Pansexual, a twin, prone to accidents, a junk food lover, and an astrology loving Cancer. Jamie is a pediatrician, cat lover, health conscious, and non-astrology loving Capricorn. They've had a few run-ins that didn't end so well but their meddling friends seem to think they're perfect for each other. Bea and Jamie zone in on their schemes to make them date & are peeved by the intrusion. They hatch a plan to fake-date that includes a big break-up in hopes that it will dissuade their friends from ever playing cupid again. The thing is, they do connect in all the ways that matter. Bea is on the spectrum and Jamie has severe anxiety, they pick up on each other's wants and needs very quickly. There's a magnetic attraction and a desire to protect each other and create a safe space where they can speak their thoughts. Their dates are fun and different, from Chess matches to Sip & Paints they begin to fall hard. Soon it's made very clear to them both that they're not just pretending to like one another, they're actually enjoying their dates.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

I've heard the name Chloe Liese mentioned on every bookish platform I'm in and it's always been high praise for delivering romance with neurodivergent rep. Having loved Helen Hoang's Kiss Quotient series, I was on the hunt for more romance books with this representation. I kid you not my fellow book lovers, it was 1am and I had startled everyone in my home with my laughter within the first chapter of reading this book. The laugh out loud scenes were sudden and unexpected and as a fellow Capricorn I'd say it was the dry humor Jamie dished out lol. Jamie and Bea could square off any day and I'd grab a front row seat! the snark was on point. These characters are well fleshed out, it honestly felt like we're getting to know them as they're digging deep. There were times I wondered to myself why things were handled a certain way but understood the reasons as Bea and Jamie started to let each other in.

I LOVE Jamie, but that doesn't mean I didn't find flaws that contradicted the picture I had of him for the majority of the story. Without spoiling anything, I started to not love some of Jamie's reactions or lack there-of to how a major side character was being treated, this is why I docked it half a star. Why only half a star? well because it could be argued that Jamie didn't know the extent of how terrible a certain character was acting. Jamie is honestly the sweetest most thoughtful male MC I've read, he tunes into Bea's love language very quickly. Bea on the other hand I instantly fell in love with! she's quirky and artistic but also fiercely protective of her healing journey. Our girl went through some things and she is not about being rushed into anything, I loved seeing this on the page! Bea keeps the cutest little hedgehog in her room that I dare you not to make heart eyes over. We're here for non-traditional pets haha! there are also a handful of side characters that really bring the friend circle to life. I’m anticipating Juliet’s story arc, she is Bea’s twin but also came across as three-dimensional and had me invested in her side-line story. In the meantime, I think I’ll join the Chloe Liese lovers & pick up the Bergman Brothers series ;)

I enjoyed this book, it’s a retelling of “Much Ado About Nothing“ and features two of my favorite tropes, fake dating and enemies to lovers.

Jaime and Bea are tired of hearing how perfect they are for each other. They’ve decided they couldn’t be more wretched for each other, and they want to stop their friends’ matchmaking.
They decide to fake date and then break up to quiet everyone down once and for all. Unfortunately, things don’t go as they planned and now they’ve got a different problem.

This is a fun and funny read, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

The starting lines were what got me wondering what will be the plot of this book exactly?

"A word to the wise: don’t have your fortune read unless you’re prepared to be deeply disturbed."

Now coming to the book, I just loved this. The enemies to lovers, fake dating trope with a twist is what I did not expect. For the rep itself this book is more special and unique.

"He’s the stuff of sculptures I stared at reverently in European museums, of artwork that made me fall in love with drawing the human form."

Bea is erotic artist (a profession I have never come across in any book) smart, funny and too good. Jamie is cat lover, a pediatrician and someone you will love too much.

The character descriptions in this one, ugh!! It is amazingly flawed and I just loved them. The one for Jamie by Antoni is hot that you can't help but blush. The chemistry between them and sex scenes are some best ones I have read.

I understand Beatrice and her decisions but what she did to Jamie was wrong. My heart broke for him. One more person to fail him in his life. I wish I could knock sense into her. Still I loved the story.

"As my mom says, anyone who can’t love you for you doesn’t deserve your heart."

I love the relationships that are shown here. The plot and setting was good and cozy. This book was humorous, filled with sweetness. This was a rollercoaster ride. Chef's kiss.

"To remind myself what I learned in therapy—sometimes thoughts lie, but our hearts don’t. It reminds me my heart knows best."

This is my first by the author and her writing of romance is brilliant and top notch. I just couldn't put this down and highly recommend it.

After a couple of failed attempts and many recommendations, Two Wrongs Make a Right was my first full read of a book by Chloe Liese. I loved it. The main characters are pushed together by their friends and as the cover copy says, it's a meet-disaster. They then decide they'll pretend to date and then stage a big messy breakup to stick it to their friends. I loved the ridiculous fake dating premise (yeah, you'll really show them lol) and the building tension as they get to know each other. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but there has to be true relationship development during all that forced proximity. Liese did that really well.

It's not often these days that a romance novel truly makes me feel, so I was surprised to find myself ignoring the rest of my life to flip the pages. The pacing is great and I loved the story so much that I was worried what would happen during the inevitable bleak moment. I was right to be worried, because the third act breakup almost ruined the book for me.

While I didn't love how that was resolved, the strength of the first 80% of the book carried it through. Two Wrongs Make a Right is a great example of how to build the romantic and sexual tension for maximum payoff. (There's actually a bit of edging on page, too.) It's funny, clever and romantic. The anxiety and ADHD rep was great and I always like a strong support network for characters--family and found family.

My only experience with Much Ado About Nothing prior to this book was the rather lackluster Joss Whedon film adaptation, so keep that in mind if you're a fan of the play. I've been told by others that this is a book inspired by the play, not a retelling.

I'm sure I could pick apart the book more if required, but my emotional response while reading pushes this into five-star, "Loved It" status for me.

***

Content Warnings: interpersonal violence, emotional abuse

A fun rom-com read. I liked that the protagonists were flawed but worked hard to understand and accept each other as they were.

This was a very cute book, but I struggled to stay engaged after a certain point. Perhaps it was the lack of tension, or perhaps it was the wrong time of my life. While a very good, well-rounded and fun book that displayed disability and understanding well, it did lack something large or 'bigger picture' to make it unforgettable.

However! I adored the characters and I had so much fun reading it. I loved their little quirks and how they both embraced them and helped each other to come out of their shell together. All in all this was a very feel good book and I'll be on the look out for future Chloe Liese books.

I really wanted to love this one, but sadly it never quite hooked me. Things started off promising and I love the fake dating trope, but I wasn’t fully sold on Bea and Jamie’s relationship and chemistry. The pacing was on the slower side too, which made the book feel overly long. It was the third act breakup though that really sunk this novel for me. Bea’s decision made me so angry (I still don’t understand how she thought *that* was the best solution?!) and I couldn’t believe that it was Jamie saying sorry/extending the olive branch. The resolution to the drama was equally questionable and though I was happy that they got their HEA, I was also annoyed that it happened at all.

The narration was overall enjoyable, but I preferred Charlotte North over Stephen Dexter. His performance was good, but sometimes it felt too over the top and I’m not sure he matched with my mental image of Jamie.

Audiobook Review
Overall 3.5 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3 stars

CW: FMC was in a previously toxic and emotionally abusive relationship and her sister is in a similar relationship (mentions and discussions on page), anxiety, estrangement/family tensions

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Chloe is an auto-buy author and I did love this book. I feel like everything fell apart in the final 5% and it broke my heart. The conflict felt incredibly forced and I was really disappointed in it. But Jamie and Bea were so good - SO so good - up until that point. I love the queer and neurodivergent rep. Both felt so comforting and I always love seeing my identities represented on the page. I’m looking forward to the next Wilmont Sister book.

As the first book in a series, I felt it was a solid start to the Wilmot sisters. And I loved the representation of neurodivergent main characters. It had a straitlaced meets bohemian vibe to the main characters who clashed from the first spilt drink.

My only real complaint is that I felt that it was a bit over the top in the language they used - it felt a bit stilted and not how people actually speak to one another.

Still an enjoyable book and will definitely see which sister is up next!

This was such a fantastic book! Fake dating? Yes please! Alternating POVs? Sign me up! Neurodivergent representation?? ALL THE YES!!! Plus, the steam?? Very niiiice! This was my first Chloe Liese novel, and I can't wait to devour her others like I did this one! It did take a little while for me to get hooked on it (probably bc the main character's anxiety triggered my own, but hey that's good writing for you lolololol)

Thank you SO MUCH NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this fantastic arc!!

This book is now one of my favorite romances ever. Two Wrongs Make A Right is a fun, witty and heartwarming reimagining of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing? The fake dating trope worked so well in the story because we get to see the protagonists go from reluctant allies, to friends, to lovers. Every stage was truly a delight to read about and it allowed the characters to go on dates and have cute domestic moments that made me swoon; so much so that it sometimes felt like I was intruding!

Bea and Jamie are FANTASTIC main characters and I loved having with of their points of view as they were navigating their growing feelings for each other. Also it's important to mention that this book has terrific disability rep. I always see so much of myself in Chloe Liese's characters and they always bring me a lot of joy?

I could go into detail of all the little things that made me give this book five stars ('the references to the original, plan, acts of service as a love language, the cats, the tattoos!!!, the references to historical romances, the batnerii) but this review would never end. Overall this book had the perfect balance between swoon-worthy moments, raw and honest discussions and wonderful spicy scenes.

What's better than a fake-dating ploy? A fake dating ploy ala a Much Ado About Nothing retelling. The banter was superb, and some of the scenes were [fire].

More fire than some of the scenes? The communication.

Can't wait to read more from this author.

Two Wrongs Make a Right had everything I love in books. The way the characters met each other where they were instead of trying to change them. The humor, fun plot, and chemistry was absolutely perfect. I completely adored this book.

Did I stay up until 4:30am to finish this book because I literally could not out it down? Yes. Yes I did. Chloe Liese is one of those authors who will never write something that doesn’t grip me by the soul, and refuse to let me go, and this story was no different.

Chloe never fails to make people feel like they belong, like they are *worthy* with her stories, with her words. Her representation is like a warm hug to all nuerodiverse people, myself included. Not to mention the gentle yet brilliant way she tied in the themes and tropes from Beatrice and Benedict’s story in this reimagining - including the clever way she included both names for Bae and Jamie.

Chloe’s banter is witty and elegant but will still have you snort laughing. Her tension and chemistry will you have sweating and swoony. And her descriptions will paint a picture so vivid you can help but picture it in electric color. And her affirmations that every single person deserves the love story of their choosing will make you feel so valued and loved, even if you don’t have anything specifically in common with that character. Chloe’s writing only improves with every story, and this new series only further proves her mastery over storytelling and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Chloe can do no wrong for me. I have loved watching her grow in her writing and her first traditionally published book was as top knotch as her indie books!

These neurodivergent characters stole my heart and I am so glad to see them presented more in books.

The romance made me so happy, they had their difficulties but I could see the love they had for each other so easily!

A contemporary new spin on The Taming of the Shrew written by none other than Chloe Liese? I'm in.

Admittedly, this story didn't resonate initially. I am glad I circled back, because my time spent with enemies turned lovers, Bea and Jamie was highly enjoyable.

Liese has such a talent at writing neurodivergent characters. While Bea was wonderful and so relatable, it was Jamie who stole my heart. Once his hostile shell was cracked up, this man was pure marshmallow and so lovely.

The third act breakup- ehhh.... not my favorite. However, Liese's talented writing kept the story flowing and the ending was just the cutest. For others who enjoy a feel good romance with depth- check out Two Wrongs Make A Right!

My love for Only When It’s Us makes me want to devour everything Chloe Liese writes, and this book just confirmed that she’s now a one-click author for me.

Tropes included in this book:
• Enemies to Lovers
• Fake Dating

The relationship dynamics in Chloe’s books are so well written. While this book was fluffy and light it also had Autism rep and Anxiety.
Those tender moments between Jamie and Bea made me aww and squeal every time.
I mean, the man has two cats. If that isn’t perfect enough for you then read the book to see everything else that makes him perfect (a gentleman in the streets and a freak in the sheets, my kryptonite). And Beatrice is such a badass. I see myself a little in her and there’s nothing i adore more than characters you can relate to.
I will say it threw me off that the break up happened in the last 90% but overall everything else was perfect with great representation.

This romcom is a must read.