Jennifer is a romantic who escapes from reality with her favorite fantasy series. Scott and Jennifer are workplace rivals that end up staying at the same week long Experience for Elytheum readers. The book series comes to life with paid actors, contests, dress up, and themed parties. As the Experience turns into a competition, Scott and Jennifer are neck and neck, and grow closer through their banter and bonding as they each find clues.

I thought the pacing was slow and I wish we got to see more from Jennifer than her book obsession. I was not convinced that Jennifer and Scott had enough of a connection or chemistry to have a romantic relationship. I also thought the content was too Elytheum heavy. I did think the library scene was cute and the horseback riding!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Romance, and the authors for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a light cute romance book. The main theme of the story really reaches book lovers out there and helps us relate to the different characters in the book (being a romantasy lover myself I loved all the little references and thought it captured well the way I feel about my favorite series). I thought it was a pretty quick read and I really wanted to love it but it fell a bit short for me. The FMC's inner monologue felt very repetitive and made me want to skip over parts of the book. The pace was pretty slow to start with but picked up around 30% in. As much as I loved the whole book fan take with the characters I did not really care for any of them except maybe the MC which for some reason I really enjoyed. The story was good but did not get me excited enough to keep my attention for long or to binge it. I can definitely see the appeal and how many readers will love this book.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me. I found it to be a little too cheesy and cringey. It relied a lot on tropes and was meant to be a nod to the fandom but I found it just too much for me. I think others could enjoy it, but it was really hard for me to get into. I tried doing it on audio as well but wasn't engaged that way either. Nothing against the author or others who liked it, but just didn't work for my taste!

Jennifer is newly single and frustrated with a guy at her publishing job named Scott. He’s everywhere, taking notes, dissing her reading choices and generally driving her crazy.
She’s ready for a vacation at an immersive die-hard fan experience based on her favorite fantasy book series, Elytheum Courts, where the men are brave, chivalrous, and winged.
Given Scott’s disdain, she’s shocked and annoyed to find him at the fan experience. He seems different too, nicer, funnier and definitely more attractive.
There’s a scavenger hunt competition for dinner with the hero of the series, who happens to be Jennifer’s book boyfriend. Unfortunately, every time she searches for a clue she trips over Scott, and as the week passes she finds him more and more appealing and they start to fall for each other.

This is a charming and humorous enemies to lovers romance. I liked the description of the fan experience, and the romance between Jennifer and Scott feels authentic and natural. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this as much as I did!

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

Jennifer is newly single. She attends an immersive fan experience of “Elytheum Courts”, her favorite romantasy series, to escape her new reality. Unfortunately, her work nemesis, Scott, is also in attendance. But this Scott, in his secondhand cosplay outfit, is different. As the two are thrown together by activities and competitions, Scott is slowly transforming into Jennifer’s perfect “book boyfriend.”

This was a unique enemies to lovers story about a book fandom. It was a fun read about self-discovery and finding love in unexpected places. I loved Jennifer and Scott’s banter and their competitiveness during the activities of the fan experience. They both shared some laugh out loud and heartwarming scenes, and I adored the ending. It was such a lighthearted romance with a touch of fantasy.

A very fun concept and per usual with these authors, the banter is well done. For a few reasons, this wasn't my new favorite by the authors. If you are someone who feels really passionately about your romantasy fandom, you might connect with this one more than I did. I didn't quite buy into Scott's reasons for showing up at the experience, and in general there were a few too many things that felt like really convenient coincidences to pull the story together. It's entertaining, but not where I'd recommend starting with the authors' books.

When I read the summary to this book I thought it sounded promising. I was slightly hesitant to read it as the last book I read by the authors, The Breakup Tour was a miss for me. As this is my second book by the duo I think their books just aren't for me. I DNF'd this one 25% in. I had high hopes for the storyline and it just missed the mark for me entirely. I think this book needs to be marketed differently than a romance book for it to reach an audience that will thoroughly enjoy it til the end. From the portion of the book I did read I appreciated the story concept and the banter between the two MCs. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read If You Like:
- Enemies-to-lovers romance
- Fandom culture and book conventions
- Workplace rivalry
- Slow-burn relationships
- Witty banter and forced proximity

Jennifer is a superfan of the popular romantasy series *Elytheum Courts*,and attends an immersive convention dedicated to the series, only to find her work rival, Scott Daniels, there as well. Their unlikely encounter forces them to interact outside the office, blurring the lines between professional antagonism and something far more personal.

The novel shines in its depiction of fandom culture, celebrating the passion readers have for fictional worlds and the friendships that form around them. The convention setting adds a unique backdrop, allowing Jennifer and Scott’s relationship to develop in an environment where reality and fantasy intertwine. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry undeniable, and their gradual shift from rivals to something more is deeply satisfying.

Beyond the romance, this book also explores themes of self-discovery and personal ambition. Jennifer’s journey is not just about love but also about learning to trust herself and embrace the things that bring her joy. Fans of slow-burn romances and bookish love stories will find plenty to adore in this charming, heartfelt read.

Thank you so much Berkley for my gifted copy!!!

Very grateful to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for the free book, opinions are my own #BerkleyPartner

I was really excited for this book, but it didn’t fully work for me. The concept—an immersive fan event mixed with a workplace enemies-to-lovers romance—sounded fun, but I struggled to connect with the characters. Jennifer and Scott’s dynamic felt more forced than natural, and I didn’t find their romance very compelling.
That said, I did enjoy the bookish setting and the fandom elements. The scavenger hunt and cosplay aspects were fun, and the banter between Jennifer and Scott had its moments.
If you enjoy fandom-centered rom-coms, forced proximity, and workplace rivals-to-lovers tropes, this might be a great read for you. It just wasn’t my favorite from these authors.

“Brit was right… fantasy doesn’t have to be an escape, but sometimes escapes are what help us get through the darkest days.”

Jennifer Worth works a desk job by day, but at night she relishes the ability to escape into the pages of her favorite fictional fantasy. In Elytheum Courts, she can immerse herself in a world full of captivating characters and chivalrous men. But she knows many people don’t get her obsession with the series, or fandoms in general. It’s also something that people like her work nemesis, Scott Daniels, have made abundantly clear time and time again.

Then Jennifer gets the once in a lifetime opportunity to “live” inside her favorite book world through the ultimate fan experience. Upon her arrival, Jennifer is immediately in awe of seeing the places and people she’s read about come to life in such vivid detail. But imagine Jennifer’s surprise when she finds her co worker, Scott, is also there in the flesh.

Confused but more-so, put off by his presence, Jennifer can’t figure out why Scott would want to take part in a simulation of the very scenario he’s mocked so much. But as Jennifer and Scott begin to get to know each other outside their workplace environment, it’s slowly revealed that the equally unlucky in love Scott sees Elytheum as a crash course into being the perfect real life version of a book boyfriend. Although Jennifer remains skeptical, will these two enemies ultimately come together to write a new chapter?

Book Boyfrend is the latest romance from real life couple and writing duo, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. While a few of their books, namely The Roughest Draft and The Breakup Tour, have been on past “best of” lists of mine, in comparison this title falls short. As someone who is admittedly not a fantasy fan though, as a book written as a love letter to fantasy readers, I might not be the target audience.

While the idea of living in a favorite fictional setting is largely appealing, Book Boyfriend is one romance that I, unfortunately, just wasn’t on the same page with.

I thought the blurb sounded interesting, but the story missed the mark for me. I had to force myself to finish. I was just not a fan of either character and I found myself not really caring whether they ended up together or not.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - @28%

I want to start off by saying that the premise of this book was SO promising. A romantasy girly, Jennifer, who just experienced a breakup spontaneously decides to visit an weeklong experience themed to her favorite book series? Hell yeah, sign me up.
But then it kinda just went downhill for me. Sort of off the bat, I was not a fan of Scott, the mmc. He frankly seemed like an asshole. And maybe that was the point?

He seemed meant to be a workplace rival who made fun of Jennifer's favorite series from the beginning, and I didn't like that. The twist on Jennifer's time at the weeklong Elethyeum experience is that Scott, who again hates this book series, is there too!
As the book progressed, I felt more like there was an obsession with Scott in Jennifer's mind. She couldn't escape real life to immerse herself in the experience which is totally valid. But then everything started to feel like it was centered around Scott. And as I kept reading, I realized that the book, to me, read as if it was *telling* me about how everything was happening as it happened rather than *showing* me if things were happening and I just didn't like that.
There were some good parts from what I read but not enough to make me want to continue reading.

So I DNFed it.

2.5 stars

While the concept of this book was intriguing, the execution of it was lacking for me. As a fan of fantasy books, I loved the idea of a romance taking place in a week long immersive fantasy themed event based on the MC’s favorite fantasy book series. However, since the book is not real, it was lost on me how to connect to these moments and characters that was mentioned in snippets throughout the book. You essentially are fed the entire plot of this made up fantasy series of this fake book so much that I was honestly left more confused than trying to read a fantasy book without a map or character pronunciations. The court of that? The lord of who? Demons? I just could not connect at all to these parts of the story despite the authors constant attempts.

As for the romance aspect of the book, our MC has recently been dumped by her boyfriend after 6 months of dating and honestly didn’t feel much for him at all but is deeply hurt by it. She’s on a quest for a love like the one she reads in fantasy books (aren’t we all?) but cannot disconnect reality with fiction. Rather than an immersive experience I think she needed actual therapy. This is not something a real person holds on to so tightly. Alas, the MC ( i already forgot her name honestly) has a work nemesis, Scott, who she tried to befriend one night and is rejected by him. This then makes him her work nemesis and they are petty to one another over the course of a year. He sees her after her breakup and overhears her ex say something about how “fun she is in the bedroom.” First, weird thing to mention to someone, but this happens twice as apparently when he first rejected her friendship he overheard her talking to a friend about being dumped by someone else after she performed oral sex on him. It was really creepy that the authors picked these moments to reflect the character and made this guy Scott seem like a real creep for eavesdropping in on this moments.

Anywho, Scott, who she hates, ends up being at the same immersive week event as her and they have to find some clues to win a date with this actor dressed up as the male main character of this made up fantasy series. Weird choice but okay. The guest are suppose to look for clues around this college campus where the event is taking place and the MC and Scott compete against one another using the details of the made up fantasy book to figure out the clues. I was tired by this because again we are being told the story of this made up world and just along for the ride.

Scott is trying to become more like a book boyfriend and as an adult man, taking notes on eyebrow lifting, growling, and leaning on walls to impress women. Seems like he needs to get out more? The MC harbors a little crush on him and of course by the end they are finally hooking up ( 4 times in one night apparently) but of course our MC cannot get over reality mirroring the fictional love she reads about and has a panic attack about it all and Scott leaves. She goes after him and somehow knows exactly where he lives back in NYC despite being work nemesis’? Okie dokie. They make up, dive back to the event 8 hours away just to make it to the last minutes of the grand ball at the end. The end. WOW.

What I did like about this book was the MC (still cannot recall her name) finding friends at the event who share her love of the fandom and opening up more to the big wide world of long distance friendships. Weird that she wouldn’t consider branching out and finding her people prior to this event, no? I also enjoyed the best friend character, Amelia, who put on the immersive event. She had a crush on the actor playing the fantasy books male MC and I honestly would have preferred a book about her struggles to manage her work life balance and finding love in an unexpected place. Alas, this was just trying too much and made me feel icky. OH! After they hooked up, Scott starts calling the MC baby after literally hating each other for a year and I wanted to gag.

The end.

The book started off really well but about halfway through I was just pushing to finish it. The banter between Jennifer and Scott was so good, and the plot was really fun. I even loved the side characters and their own stories. But I was getting frustrated by the third act. The plot of the book does span over a week, where at the beginning, they dislike each other and by the end, they love each other? It just felt super quick. And their sudden interest for each other, after a year of an unnecessary feud, seemed a bit off. I do really like getting both sides of the story, so to speak, when it comes to romance. And I think I might have liked it better if I could have gotten a stronger sense of who the hero was outside of Jennifer's observations. The ending was really rushed as well and I am still unsure why it ended like that. I did, however, still enjoy the premise of the book and liked the characters a lot, but I just hoping for more at the end.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I found the first third and several parts after to be SUPER cringe.

Jennifer Worth is eager to immerse herself in Elytheum Courts, her favorite romantasy series, at a fan convention—only to run into her work nemesis, Scott Daniels. But the standoffish editor she knows is suddenly flirtatious, determined to embody the perfect book boyfriend. As convention magic pulls them closer, could their enemies-to-lovers arc turn real?

I think my issue with this book is more of a me thing than a story thing. About halfway through, I realized I could name three similar books I didn’t love either—so maybe this just isn’t my trope 😅

This one’s for the girlies who have a beloved fantasy romance series and love contemporary stories where the MC gets to live elements of their favorite world (in this case, a cosplay convention). Add in an enemies-to-lovers arc with a man who—of course—doesn’t like romance novels, and you’ve got the setup. But as you know, I’m not a die-hard romantasy fan, so I had a hard time connecting with Jennifer’s tone.

Because of the competition vibe, Jen’s comment about how incredible it would be to train with an Elythean, and her love of romance novels, I was hoping for (okay, maybe expecting) more Nesta vibes (A Court of Silver Flames). Instead, this felt closer to a TLC romantasy cosplay competition.

What did work for me? Helen Laser’s impeccable narration. She brought the sass and emotion to life, and honestly, I don’t think I would have rated this three stars without her.

Why I read: The cover is cute, I love the narrator, Helen Laser, and workplace enemies/rivals is usually a hit! I was also curious about romantasy obsessed characters in a contemporary romance—I was hoping for a more resonating FMC.

Perfect for you if you like:
Romance-averse MMC
Immersive fandom events
The joy (and chaos) of being a passionate book fan
Contemporary stories where characters get to experience their favorite book

Similar to:
Not in My Book by Katie Holt
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

⛔️chapter 31 contains explicit romance scene (open door)
⚠️explicit language

This book was amazing from start to finish- and as stated in the book- the ultimate enemies to lovers. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be immersed into a world like one of your books? Have you ever felt you needed to get away from the "real world"? Jennifer finds herself in need of a break after her boyfriend breaks up with her... in front of her work enemy, Scott. Lucky for Jennifer, her best friend has created a weeklong event highlighting their favorite romantasy world and characters. Jennifer is excited, but quickly surprised when she arrives to find none other than Scott. Instant rivals they begin to find clues for the scavenger hunt that will guarantee a dinner with the famous (and hot) mmc of the books. At every turn Jennifer finds herself against Scott, to the point that he's the only thing she can think of. And the lines of enemy begin to blur the more Scott shares and immerses himself in her favorite romantasy (the one he always tears to shreds at their workplace). Jennifer has to decide- is reality finally better than fantasy? And has she read Scott completely wrong? This book has some *smoldering* banter that had me kicking my feet. And the main characters were to DIE for- both quirky and fun in their own ways. I highly recommend this for any reader who ever wanted to join a fantasy world they've only ever read about. #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARC

Thank you @BerkleyRomance for the free book and thank you @PRHAudio for the #gifted listening copy of Book Boyfriend! #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #berkleyromance #BookBoyfriend #emilywibberley
#austinsiegemundbroka

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐝-𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐚
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

3★

Jennifer is newly single and attending an immersive fan experience celebrating her favorite book series, Elytheum Courts. She’s in her happy place, except she see’s the last person she is expecting: Scott Daniels. Scott is not just her co-worker, but her work nemesis. But the Scott who is attending the book event is unlike anything she’s experienced before. For starters, he’s in a cosplay outfit. But he’s also flirty, and confident nothing like the Scott from their publishing job. Scott is determined to make himself into the perfect book boyfriend. As the convention continues, various immersive activities force Jennifer and Scott to work together as this real life enemies to lovers trope plays out in real life.

I will be the first to admin that I love this real life writing duo. Every one of their books has worked for before this one. While I really enjoyed parts of the book, I had a hard time staying connected to the plot at times. I just did not connect much with Scott’s character, and did not find that the connection between Scott and Jennifer felt very authentic. I also thought parts of the book felt a little drawn out to me. Again, I love this writing duo, and will read whatever they write, but this one was a little more difficult for me to connect with.

🩷Enemies to Lovers
🩷Co-Workers
🩷Grumpy x Sunshine
🩷Book About Book Lovers
🩷Great Banter

Posted on Goodreads on February 19, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 20, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 25, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Jennifer attends a week long immersive experience for her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts. After a recent breakup, she needs to be swept up in a world where the men are swoony and brave. Unlike the men she's dated in the past. What she doesn't expect is to see Scott there, her work nemesis.

I liked the concept of being immersed in the setting and meeting the characters of your favorite series. Jennifer's passion for reading and the escape it provided her is something I appreciated. There was some good banter between Jennifer and Scott as enemies. I enjoyed the parts when Scott started acting flirty and throwing Jennifer off course. The lines started to get blurred as she questioned what was fantasy and what was reality?

I wish I felt more between Jennifer and Scott. The chemistry wasn't really there for me. There were times when I struggled with the storyline and wasn't as invested as I had hoped.

Ever imagined going to a camp as an adult that centers around your favorite romantasy series? This book is for you!

Jennifer was recently broken up with and runs away to a immersive fan experience for her favorite romantasy book series Elytheum Courts. When she arrives she realizes her nemesis from work Scott is also in attendance, despite his claims to hate the series.

This book was so cute, if a bit cheesy at times. The fantasy element of going to an immersive event like the one in this book is what made it for me. It gave me so many good vibes of adults coming together to celebrate and enjoy a series they truly love. Jennifer and Scott's rivalry is a bit trite but I found myself rooting for them anyway. I absolutely loved the found family Jennifer found in this book and is the main reason I rated it so high.

Tropes
* Workplace rivals to lovers
* Camp setting (sort of)
* Book loving MCs
* Found Family
* Scavenger Hunt
* Forced Proximity
* Fantasy Cosplay

4.5 stars