Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #WhatisLove by Jen Comfort in exchange for an honest review.

This book! I seriously can't say enough great things about this book! Read it! You will fall in love with Max and Teddy! This is going to be a contender for my best read of the year! What are you waiting for? Go out and READ IT NOW!

5 STARS!!

I absolutely loved "What is Love?" by Jen Comfort! The trivia. The rivalry. The scandal. The wanting. The knowledge. The bickering. The bantering. The spice! Maxine and Teddy... these two dopes are my new favorite main characters! I seriously loved them both so, so much. They are endlessly relatable, equal parts flawed and lovable, and their connection sizzles and scorches. I laughed the entire way through this book. Comfort's writing is flawlessly evocative. I also adored the ADHD representation where Maxine's character was concerned. Teddy is such a sweetheart. The subplot about his parents made me cry. Actually, much of this book made me cry. It just felt so authentic and so real, the characters lived-in and special. I rooted for their love, I rooted for them to overcome their differences, I rooted for everyone and everything about this book. It is SPECTACULAR, an absolute must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jen Comfort, and Montlake for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

What Is Love? 💕

Listen, if Jen Comfort writes it, I’m going to read it. 💅🏼

Comfort has a gift for making her characters relatable, interesting, and absolutely hilarious! Seriously, if you want a well balanced romcom, Comfort is the author for you. While tackling heavy topics, like being neurodiverse in a world made for neurotypicals, or coming from a background that isn’t the socially excepted “norm,” Comfort still manages to bring humor and heart to her characters’ stories!!

Maxine and Teddy are both record holding champions of the hit trivia show, Answers! When they’re brought together after an explosive first meeting for a champion of champions Answers! game, they decide to team up to defeat all time champion, Hercules McKnight (he’s a troll 🤢).

The forced proximity and trivia rounds get their engines revving and they can’t help but fall for each other! 🥰

Teddy is such a starchy hero! I love him! A starchy, rule-following hero is my kryptonite, friends!! And Maxine! Loved the ADHD rep. Maxine is a tornado, a hurricane, an absolute whirlwind of chaos, with a heart of gold and the mind of a horny 12 year old. I love her. 🙏 Comfort’s heroines are always so amazing, sarcastic, flirty, hot, and just everything I love! Same goes for her heroes too! And Teddy and Maxine together? 😮‍💨 Yes, please! 🙌🔥🥵

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

I REALLY wanted to love this story, but something fell flat. I loved the idea of the game show and them being rivals, but it felt on the edge of insta-love, which is just not my thing. The characters lacked depth, especially in their relationship. It was still a fun and spicy read, but not my cup of tea.

Fairly quick read, lots of steam, no 3rd act breakup...but something was a little lacking for me. While this was rivals to lovers (a favourite trope of mine), it was also pretty much insta-love (not a fan) and I never fully understood how Maxine and Teddy figured that they were in love with each other. Lust, sure! But while there is lots of trivia, teaching, sex of all kinds, and smack-talking each other, there aren't really many (any?) actual conversations between the two of them that brought their relationship deeper.

Some of the side characters were lightly interesting but most were quite shallowly described; this was very much Max and Teddy's world and everyone else was just sketched in. All that said, it was still an enjoyable experience and I would read more by Jen Comfort.

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Holy smokes! Hot, nerdy, witty banter packages in a rivals to lovers jeopardy game-show premise!! Steamy open door romance!! Jen Comfort was a new to me author, and I will absolutely now be creating her own trophy self as I acquire her backlist books. She has become my new standard for neurodiverse romance joy! I hate that I slept on this author for so long!

Rating: 4.5 stars

CW: aging parent suffering from memory decline; death of a parent (off-page); addiction (gambling)

When I saw that Jen Comfort was writing a contemporary romance centered around a Jeopardy! like game show, I was immediately like SIGN ME UP. I love Jeopardy! and I love trivia. I was even on a local access trivia game show in high school because this stuff is my jam. And then when I saw this book was rivals-to-lovers, I was like DOUBLE SIGN ME UP. Plus, it also has SEXY GEOGRAPHY LESSONS, so truly, what is there not to love?

Jen Comfort is the queen of contemporary rom-com books - and they’re truly rom-coms as there is humor in these books! I love how witty and funny her writing is. I seriously laughed out loud at one point over a terrible Yukon pun. It was so bad, it was good. The situations her characters get into are so unexpected, sometimes even bonkers, but somehow it also feels like totally something that would happen to them and not that weird in the context of the story.

If you love a starchy main male character, you’ll love Theodore Ferguson the Third, aka Teddy. He’s the starchiest of starchy men. He’s an Oxford-educated professor of geography who takes trivia very seriously. But he’s also the biggest teddy bear inside - so soft and sweet. He’s terrible at taking risks and does everything by the book - so of course Maxine throws his world upside down and takes him by surprise

Maxine is the complete opposite of Teddy in every way, shape, and form. She’s a bit reckless and adventurous - she’s not afraid to take risks and speak her mind. Some people may describe her as “quirky,” but I loved that she was not afraid to be herself and fully embraced all aspects of her personality. Maxine has ADHD, and I think Comfort did a fantastic job with the portrayal (Comfort herself has ADHD so she gets it). Maxine’s ADHD is integral to her character and one of the motivating forces behind her success on Answers! as she wanted to prove that you don’t have to be neurotypical or have a prestigious education to be considered smart.

These two really don’t seem like a match on paper, but the chemistry is there from the jump and it just works. Their personalities are designed to clash, but I loved that they didn’t start off as adversaries immediately. You get a hint of what their relationship could have been - if Maxine didn’t end his win streak on Answers!, the second longest in the show’s history. I loved how Comfort incorporated the game show rivalry into the romance. There is so much unaddressed sexual tension from their first meeting that really comes to a head as they spend time coaching each other to address each other’s Answers! weaknesses.

I also enjoyed how the romance developed during their coaching sessions. And these coaching sessions are totally not what you’d expect since some lessons involve jumping out of airplanes and others focus on building mind palaces. But I felt like it gave Maxine and Teddy a chance to get to know the other’s strengths and weaknesses and embrace all of them without judgment. I loved how during the coaching, we got to see Teddy be one of the few people who really “gets” Maxine. He doesn’t try to fit her into a regular mold. He would make changes to his routine or teaching strategies to accommodate what works best for her. He doesn’t give up on her, and that’s something Maxine really values. It was so sweet and led to a really nice intimacy within their relationship.

Now, this romance may be sweet, but it’s also incredibly HOT. The amazing chemistry between Maxine and Teddy definitely translated into some very sexy scenes. And I think this is the horniest book Jen Comfort has written, and I’m here for it. Seriously, who knew geography could be so sexy? I was literally fanning myself after that lesson - and I read a lot of romance so it has to be very sexy for me to feel the need to fan myself. Also, who knew sky-diving could lead to some very sexy times under a parachute?

The book's pacing was spot-on. The big Answers! tournament of champions brought plenty of additional tension to the story, especially when Maxine and Teddy become united against a common enemy - Hercules McKnight, the longest-reigning champ of Answers! who is also sleaze-tastic. I loved how Comfort seamlessly balanced the game show tournament with the romance and character progression. The plot threw a few fun curveballs at the end (which felt like a classic Jen Comfort move), but I really enjoyed it led to some big drama (but not big relationship drama!). Honestly, this whole story was just so fun. I was just as invested in Answers! tournament as I was the romance and I felt so torn as I wanted both Teddy and Maxine to win the game. But Comfort wraps up the book perfectly and I was left with a big dopey grin on my face at the end.

If you’re looking for an incredibly fun, yet very sexy contemporary rom-com, look no further than What is Love? This book was a pure delight from beginning to end with fantastic characters and a really sweet romance, plus some fun bonkers situations along the way. After loving Midnight Duet, Comfort is quickly becoming one of my go-to contemporary romance authors when I’m looking for pure escapism in my romances and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to Montlake/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas. and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a fun story about a self educated woman named Maxine and an Oxford professor named Teddy who compete against each other on a Jeopardy type trivia game show. When one of the all time great players comes back to play, Maxine and Teddy join forces to fill in the blanks in their knowledge. When it looks like something might be fishy with the ex champ, they work together to find out what’s going on.

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

Jen Comfort is now an auto-buy author for me. Maxine and Teddy's rivalry is top-tier, as is the relateable way that they both bring out the others competitive nature. I learnt SO MUCH from this book also, and as an ADHD learner like Maxine, because I learnt it in a fun and fascinating way I'll likely retain it! Maxine as a character hit close to home for me and I loved that representation. Teddy's character development was so genuine and soft, I really loved how I discovered more about him as Maxine did too... It made for a deliciously tender read, while still bringing all the steamy spicy good times of a Jen Comfort romance novel. Highly, highly recommend!

Jen Comfort’s WHAT IS LOVE? is everything you could want and more in your romance. Give me rivals-to-lovers and forced proximity and neurodivergent rep and allllll the nerdy talk!!! Not only did I have the absolute best time reading this, but I got to learn along the way… and in a fun way!?! I feel like Maxine would be a big fan. I loved the development of Maxine and Teddy’s relationship. There was so much care and comfort and intentionality - it was beautiful to watch their story progress in a way that felt real and natural. Now, off I got to tell all my friends to read this, so we can geek out about it together!!

Jen Comfort is one of my all-time favorite authors, ever since Midnight Duet. She has such an absurd and fun sense of humor that you don’t often see in romance. Her latest book was delightful!

Thought this sounded like a cute and fun concept but I didn’t feel the chemistry between Maxine and Teddy.

Maxine Hart is a trivia buff. Her ADHD brain likes to jump from subject to subject, so learning trivia is second nature to her. It’s far better than sitting in classes and memorizing whatever the teacher is going to test on. So in her Brooklyn neighborhood, she is a regular at the pub quiz, and she’s ready to take on the champion of the Answers! game show, Teddy Ferguson.

Teddy is a college professor, highly educated. He enjoys trivia, but he is good at it because of this strong educational background. He loves to sit and study and can spend hours in the library. But the first time he met Maxine, he was a goner. She knocked him off the show after his 76 game run, and he wasn’t even all that upset.

The next time they met on the show, Teddy took Maxine down, ending her run. And then they were both invited back for a tournament of champions, up against the other big winners on Answers!, including the most winning champion, Hercules McKnight. Maxine knows that this is not a typical competition, and she can’t win without help. She has to turn to the only person who might be able to help her with the weak parts of her game. And that person is Teddy.

Maxine shows up at his doorstep and makes a deal with him—if he can help her with the holes in her education, then she can help him with the weaknesses in his game. He may know his facts, but Maxine knows how to compete, how to ring on the buzzer, and how to bet on those Daily Duplex questions. It was Maxine’s hand-eye coordination and her willingness to bet big that had kept her winning streak going as long as it had. But it was going to take more than that to beat Hercules.

Teddy can’t say no to Maxine, so when she moves all her stuff into his house—including her pet snake and her gaming setup—he is helpless to stop her. And as they start to work with each other on their weak spots, there is a spark between them that they both feel helpless to resist. But they only have weeks before they have to take down Hercules, and it will take everything they’ve got to win that battle.

Of course, if they can raise their individual games to the point where they can beat Hercules, then Maxine and Teddy are faced with the truth that only one of them can win the game show. As they stand there, putting their hearts and minds on the line for the biggest win of their lives, what will that final answer be?

What Is Love? is a rom com that goes right to the heart of Jeopardy! fans everywhere. While author Jen Comfort is quick to say that the show in the book is not Jeopardy!, it is clearly a love letter to the show and to all of its fans. This steamy love story is quite a ride, and that ultimate tournament is just one twist of many as these characters risk everything for what they love.

I bought the audio book of What Is Love?, narrated by Scarlett Everdeen and Rock Engle. I thought they did a good job with their respective characters, but I thought it was a little strange that while the characters had accents, which could be heard in dialogue and inner thoughts, the rest of the narration was told without the accents. However, when Teddy was speaking in a Maxine chapter and vice versa, both narrators did an excellent job of matching the characters’ accents. That style of narration was not something I have ever noticed before. But I also have a preference for novels in first-person, where any accent in question would be used throughout, as it’s all told by a single perspective.

I really enjoyed What Is Love? I wouldn’t recommend it for teenagers, as some of the steamy scenes are extra hot, but I did love the sensitivity Comfort showed to those with ADHD who might struggle with conventional education the way Maxine did. The game show aspect was a lot of fun, and once you got to know the characters better, there were a lot of lovely surprises hiding in their stories. I think romance readers and game show fans will enjoy this book, and that is my final answer.

Egalleys for What Is Love? were provided by Montlake through NetGalley, but I liked it so much I bought the audio book myself.

Here's what I didn't love: the FMC's "I'm going to do it for the ADHD kids!" motivations, which seemed to come up a lot, didn't quite hit with me. Like, she has won already, so winning more isn't going to significantly move the needle. Eventually it felt a bit like the Classic Hollywood "let's put on a show to save the [insert whatever needs saving]." As someone with ADHD, the enthusiasm and even the half-bakedness feel real, but I'd have liked to see more facets of Maxine's drive.

Here's what worked: the story. Damn, this was a great read, even if I was doing some head-scratching about why everyone is here and doing these things. Fun and hot: there are worse things to be.

Devastatingly witty, and completely hot for all the nerdy reasons to open up a book and dream about a hot professor in your vicinity, I had a blast reading this — and even more adding Jen as an author to continuously lookout for.

This is a okay read for me. It isa a cute and sweet romcom. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to netgalley for this arc

I enjoyed this book, I preferred the first half to the second half much more. I just sort of felt like the second half was more lustful and quite rushed. I wouldn't call this an enemies to lovers but is definitely an insta love. This is the first time I actually did not dnf an insta love book and I think part of that was because the first half was well structured for me in that we got more plot than romance. I actually wanted more plot than romance in this book because although I knew it was a romance book, the plot was really interesting therefore the end just felt rushed and fell off for me.

Would recommend the book.

This was a cute romcom centred around a trivia based game show. I appreciated the female main character Maxine's ADHD representation and felt the author portrayed this well. Teddy was a great male lead, putting up with a lot that Maxine threw at him. This book was enjoyable with witty banter and some funny moments. I look forward to reading more by this author.

My 1st from Jen Comfort and I thought it was a real delight. Fun, sexy and edutainment for this trivia nerd. I'd happily try another from this author.

It's like this book was written just for me. This book has everything - neurodivergent and bisexual MC's, rivals to lovers romance, sexy nerds, and a heavy use of "good girl" that had me fanning myself. I forced myself to read this book slowly, to savor it, because I was so hooked that I almost read it in one go.

Both Teddy and Maxine are dangerously lovable, frustrating, and impossible not to root for. I give the author all the kudos for the tension she built between them from the very beginning, which became thicker and more wonderful over time. The banter alone had me smiling nonstop.

I'm also grateful for the sheer amount of trivia packed into this book which 1) was just delightful in itself, and 2) made the premise and characters feel authentic and not dumbed down in any way.