I requested this before I really knew what it was about, and I regret that. I have no interest in reading a book about political opposites finding love in the current political climate, especially when it's about white people who, in the grand scheme of things, don't have a lot to lose either way. I think this book was in poor taste, and probably should not have been published

I was intrigued by the blurb and how the author could pull off a romance like this. It was definitely a fun read!

Just the right book for today! Such a sweet romance and I love the protagonists. I loved, too, how they discuss how to disagree politically with grace.

I was anxious as hell to get my hands on this book. It’s been nearly a year since I’ve read it for the first time. Yes, the first time. This is a book that I immediately wanted to reread after finishing because it was that damn good. Then the release date got pushed back and I reread it again. And I just reread it. The author knocked it out of the park with this one. The sexual tension between Kate and Ben was hot and spicy from page one of their encounter. GOSH, BEN WAS SEXY. The slow burn was a roast, but I lived for those cute as moments like him carrying her horn from the bar. SEND ME! I want a BEN 😭

🇺🇸 Meet You in the Middle 🇺🇸

If I had to describe this book, it would be if the Simple Wild met the West Wing! In short, it was adorable and fun. This book had the traditional enemies to lovers trope which is my favorite.

Kate and Ben are on rival political parties, but they share an office building and similar jobs even though one is a republican and one is a democrat. Kate has to present a bill to Ben and when he doesn’t it take it series, their rivalry take off! They love to spar with each other and make jokes at each other’s expense, but deep down they do respect each other and their passion for politics. Their banter and prank war back and forth was the highlight of the book. I also liked that there was some steam, but not an overwhelming amount.

The one part I would have liked is to have heard more from Ben’s side. This book is told all through Kate’s side and I think as a reader, we could have used his side of things, especially as the conservative voice.

This book is out now; perfect for all the romcom and west wing fans!

This book took me by surprise - I absolutely adored it. Devon Daniels knocked it out of the park.

The story is a hate to love scenario, but the writing (especially the quick wit and unexpected turn of events), really captured me. I think I read this book within 3 or 4 days.

You should pick up this book if you want a fun, feisty, rom-com (and enjoy a little bit about politics too).

I would highly recommend this book!

The one unfortunately did not work for me. Maybe it is because I am Canadian? I went in expecting it to be a fun read reminiscent of Legally Blonde 2 but it was not. It contained too much discussion on politics and not enough of the relationship.

3.5/5 stars. I didn't hate this book nearly as much as the many other reviewers on GoodReads seemed to. In fact, as a former Hill staffer, I quite enjoyed this fictional romance and requested this title from NetGalley (which I received for free in in exchange for my honest review) because of the Capitol Hill setting. The love-hate relationship that blossoms between liberal Senate staffer, Kate Adams, and conservative Senate staffer, Ben Mackenzie, felt current (lots of pop culture references) and fairly accurate to work on the Hill (with the exception of the fictional political figures). Individuals of opposing political views find love every day, and overall, I thought this was a fun, enjoyable read.

I absolutely loved the first half of the book - so funny! This enemies-to-lovers made me laugh so much! The female character, Kate, grows as a person in the story - so much that she is able to accept her opportunity for happiness.

I really enjoyed this one! It was fun, heartfelt, and the type of page turner I needed in the midst of a stressful time.

This book was not for me. I’m a very liberal democrat and I just didn’t love the politics of this book. There were some cute parts but for the part this book seemed quite problematic.

I started this one and it was just NOT for me. Others may find it entertaining, but I didn't buy the chemistry between the two main characters and it just fell super flat.

I have been mulling over this review for days. DAYS. I keep coming back to "why now." This book feels tone deaf (in the worst way) after 2020. I am a huge advocate for diversity in thinking in relationships, and REALLY tried to go into this book with an open mind. Truly. I did know that the buzz around MYITM wasn't super positive, but I read for myself, and was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. I wasn't.

This book made me cringe. The author makes a point of saying to the reader that she tried to write a romance in which the main characters had differences and were able to overcome those differences (which, I love). But she presented the main character, Kate (a democrat) as an offensive, disrespectful, unkind, hysterical woman. She is awful. And Ben, was like....fine. He was presented in a "I carry guns and worry about tax reform" way, but Daniels fails to address the other polarizing issues between the left and the right. Abortion? immigration? healthcare? they don't exist in this book. Kate rails about them in her head but Ben just "doesn't talk about it." And instead of spending this book feeling like the author was truly trying to write to both sides, it felt very much like she wanted the opportunity to bash feminists. It was brutal.

I want to say that if there was a positive, it was the pacing of the enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance piece. The pacing was a slow burn, and I felt that Daniels pulled that piece off. I also did enjoy the office pranks and could read a whole book about that.

This book is tone deaf, but especially so after 2020. This book could have been released in ..... 2009? 2012? Even 2016, and while it would have still felt funky (especially with how awful Kate is written to be), it wouldn't have been as jarring as it was after a truly difficult year.

Thank you Berkley Publishing, Netgalley & Devon Daniels for #gifting me a copy of this book.

🔥🔥 2/5 Steam Rating

I have to be honest, I put off reading this book because I was just over politics after the last year. With that said, I think that this book did a marvelous job of keeping politics out of a book surrounding politics. This can easily be read and enjoyed by everyone, no matter what your political affiliation is.

What I enjoyed about the book:
🇺🇸 Enemies to Lovers AND Opposites Attract.... YAAAAS Please!!!
🇺🇸 The back and forth banter was great to watch! It’s what I love in a romcom
🇺🇸 A great mix of romcom with a bit of seriousness
🇺🇸 I appreciated Kate’s background and how her upbringing affected her outlook on life
🇺🇸 I ADORED Ben’s character and what he stood for
🇺🇸 There’s so much build up and angst, but in the fun romcom way!
🇺🇸 I loved how it all came full circle in the end. Don’t worry... I won’t spoil it

I just wish that there would have been another chapter or two before the epilogue. I really craved to see how everything shook out in Ben & Kate’s day to day life.

This book was not for me. In theory I liked the idea of it, but in the end it didn't work for me. Thank you for the chance to read this one.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

The synopsis of this book sounded fun, but it just didn't grab me as I'd hoped regardless of the political theme. DNF

This was a very interesting take on an enemies to lovers romances, pitting a Replublican against a Democrat, especially during the time we are in now. I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Kate and Ben, the secondary characters and that it wasn’t too political while still being about politics. THis was a cute romcom, but a little bit of a slow burn.

So. If this book was published in any other year, I'd give it three stars easily. The storyline is cute and fluffy, the pacing is good, there's several funny moments, and it's pretty enjoyable. It obviously pulls a lot of inspiration from The Hating Game and some of the politics were cringeworthy (the gun range scenes in particular really bothered me - you can be against guns without being afraid of guns, I felt that Ben's protective nature was more than a little bit much, and I really didn't like the way the author downplayed Ben's political views) but it was still a fun, light way to pass an evening.

Once it's viewed from a 2021 lens though, this book goes downhill real fast. Would Ben be okay with what happened on January 6th? What are Ben's stances on anything other than gun control? Would I root for my friend to be involved with someone in Ben's position? Definitely not! The book made different political parties seem frivolous and, right now, that's just not the case. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends or family members (even Republican ones).

That said, since the book was written and released before 2021, I'm averaging my ratings of 1 star and 3 star to a solid 2. It's not the author's fault that this was released in such a crazy time but I just can't recommend it in good faith.

Thanks to Net Galley for the copy!

Disclaimer: I recieved an ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love the fact that Ben and Kate are polar opposites. Kate can't stand Ben and Ben thinks she's way too judgemental. A republican and a democratic romance had the potential to be really interesting but I wasn't a fan of the fact that it takes place during a pandemic and voters were encouraged to go out (potentially putting themselves and others at risk) during a pandemic. I get that it's fictional, but due to the current covid=19 times it felt off. I was looking forward to this one and it ended up disappointing me. To clarify: no hate towards the author, but this book just isn't for me. It might be for you.