Likely To Be Controversial In Booklandia. Straight up, in making plausible arguments *for* the use of AI in writing, this is going to be a book that will prove quite controversial in booklandia - one area of society that tends to be the most extremist in terms of being absolutely anti-AI, even moreso than visual artists. Even as the book *also* makes strong arguments *against* the use of AI in writing... and ultimately sides with that position, as it is the position of our lead character.

Additionally, in serving as a fairly direct and in-your-face expose and commentary about the publishing industry more broadly, this book is likely to stir up quite a bit of controversy on these topics that already get some discussion in particular circles, with this book perhaps widening those circles and introducing new people to these discussions. Will anything actually get resolved? Unlikely, mostly because humanity rarely actually solves any problems - even among the more objective/ scientific variety. But more people will be talking about them, and assuming at least a few of them reference that they saw the discussion in this book, Gold will likely garner at least some extra attention herself.

Outside of these two factors, the tale itself ultimately becomes a bit of a bumbling crime saga, with the various characters being both so brash and so stupid in some ways that it plays quite well comedically... so I *hope* that is what Gold was after there. These scenes, as objectively serious as they are, involving a major crime, wind up providing the levity that the heavy handed discussions of the "inside baseball" of publishing and the more general use of AI within booklandia so desperately need in order to lighten the overall book at least enough to be a pleasant enough read.

Ultimately this is likely a book that will play better for those interested in the heavier discussions herein than with those just looking for some level of escape - particularly those of us who are already "in the industry" to some flavor (yes, I include even myself here, as a book blogger / book "influencer" (according to some authors, though I still despise the term myself) / Head Librarian at Goodreads alternative Hardcover.app). Still, an interesting book regardless, with commentary from perspectives even authors themselves may not have had coming into this book.

Very much recommended.

I really enjoyed this book—it was fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to write and publish a best-selling novel. While the main character wasn’t always the most likable, you couldn’t help but feel for her and root for her throughout the story. The dynamics between the characters were complex and incredibly engaging, adding depth and intrigue to every interaction. Overall, a compelling and thoughtful read that kept me hooked from start to finish.

I enjoyed this look at the publishing world and what might happen when “the Next fill in a popular author’s name” is discovered to have used AI. Sofie Wilde is successful and independent. She relies on herself, is very competitive, and doesn’t really want or need friends until her world falls apart at a romance readers convention. The AI author phenomenon threatens not only Sofie but also the other authors. Sofie discovers that she must reach out and ask for help from the other authors. What she learns about herself and the other authors surprises her and made for an enjoyable read.There were moments that had me laughing at the antics of the authors and other moments that really had me thinking about the future of AI. As a reader I worry about the future of books and the loss of original ideas and authors. There is also a little romance, it is a book about romance authors. The ending took me by surprise, in a good way, and left me satisfied. I recommend this book to readers that like to read about authors and the publishing industry.

My first of this author’s books, I was exactly 3% in (received this as an e-book ARC) when I had a feeling I was going to love this book, and I was right.

While I knew the premise of the book (and think the conversation around authors and AI is nothing short of complicated) it was the main character that I fell in love with instantly. I think Sofie Wilde is the type of character that readers might not love—she’s a little stubborn, selfish, critical. And that’s why I related to her, for better or for worse. She’s a bit older than me and has a whole literally world launched and gets up to a fair bit more trouble than I ever would (probably) and I loved her dearly for it. I would read another book with her in it in a heartbeat.

Romantic Friction is witty, relatable, rips the world of publishing right open for readers and isn’t your typical love story. It’s for the writers and their words, and I think that was my favourite part.

Lori Gold’s Romantic Friction is a sharp, witty take on authorship in the age of AI. When bestselling author Sofie Wilde is upstaged by a debut writer who used AI to craft her hit novel, chaos erupts at a major book convention. Smart, funny, and timely, this story explores creativity, ego, and the future of storytelling with both humor and heart.

I enjoyed the audiobook the narrator was able to get the character’s personality so well that I enjoyed hearing the book. The banter and all the worrisome moments were just fantastic.

I was not sure what to expect going into this as this is not my usual genre but I was pleasantly surprised! This book was overall entertaining and basically listened to the audiobook in one sitting.

This book poses very relevant analysis about the morality and implications of using AI, in particular in the art space. Our main character Sofia was quite prickly and ultimately I did not mind that I found her to be an interesting character even though at times she's extremely unlikable. The plot that unfolds at the book convention is silly and I found to be a lot of fun.

I also appreciate the commentary on how challenging it is for authors to break into the publishing space and how sometimes scandal, including the manufactured variety, can aid in getting an author noticed. I also really enjoyed how this ended, it was twisty and satisfying!

The concept is interesting based on what I've seen lately in the literary industry. Even though the story did not head in a direction that I thought made the most sense, it was still well written and gripped me.
The themes of AI in writing and how some readers accept it for the sake of having more of the same content hit close to what I've seen on Bookstagram lately. I'm glad the author showed this conflict and developed the plot for that in the story.

ROMANTIC FRICTION is exactly the hilarious romp that I needed right now. I read this in less than 48 hours. Just when I thought I’d figured out where the plot was headed, Gold threw another twist that kept me turning the page.

Bestselling writer Sofie Wilde has worked hard for her success. She’s read the craft books, written the shitty first drafts, and endured humiliating readings to near empty rooms. She’s missed family events and forgone friendships. Her writing career has always come first. And it’s paid off. Now that Sofie’s a bestselling writer about to launch the final novel in her successful romantasy series, she’s not about to let a self-published wannabe newcomer Hartley West take away her spotlight, especially when Hartley announces that she’s used AI to create a book in the style of Sofie Wilde. Um, no. Surely, Sofie’s fans will rally around her, right? They want the real Sofie Wilde. Or at least that’s what Sofie thinks. But, here’s a plot twist: fans embrace “the new Sofie Wilde” and Hartley’s “innovative” approach. Sofie finds herself doing things she’d never thought she’d do: fighting for her keynote, asking for help from the other romance writers at the convention, fighting and flirting with Hartley’s accomplice Cooper-Brad, and plotting a kidnapping.

ROMANTIC FRICTION grapples with the timely issue of GenAI and publishing. If anyone can write in the style of Sofie Wilde, do we need Sofie Wilde? Insert: Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Kiley Reid, etc. Like Kuang’s YELLOWFACE, Gold provides honest insights into the publishing industry. I found this book to be a sharp, funny, and realistic critique with many clever details about what it’s like to be an author. If you’re working in the industry, you’ll feel seen. And if you're a curious reader, you’ll learn about what happens behind the scenes.

This book really hit the itch for me. It’s intellectually stimulating and fun, fun, fun!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing the chance to read this ARC!
"Romantic Friction" offered a fun and unique reading experience. While some sections were fast-paced and thrilling, others could have benefitted from a quicker tempo. I didn't feel a strong attachment to any of the characters, but I also didn't find them unlikable. The concept of the book was solid; however, the storyline could have been more engaging with less internal dialogue. Overall, I appreciated how the narrative concluded!

Thank you Lori Gold and getredprbooks for the eARC of Romantic Friction! This was definitely a different from my usual reads and I found it to be super interesting! This book made so many great points about AI and how it can change this industry for better and worse! Can’t wait to check out more from this author!

I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one! I’m always a fan of books about authors so that’s why I was originally drawn to it. I thought the FMC was extremely realistic and I appreciated how she didn’t portray this “picture perfect” person. It seems a lot of people are getting caught up on her pessimistic attitude and tendency to safeguard herself instead of trusting others. I totally understood her, though I do disagree with a few of her actions throughout the book (I was cringing about the whole Max bit). Maybe that makes me controversial 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anyway, I thought incorporating the whole AI storyline was relevant and interesting. Seeing a group of authors band together in what seems to be a somewhat isolating industry was also fun. I think it would’ve been nice to dive into those friendships more because I could’ve connected on a better level. Instead I was left not even remembering who was who in terms of the other authors. I think more dedication to the authors would’ve been better than the seemingly forced love interest. This book felt like more than a romantic relationship but rather one with a career so it didn’t seem to fit.

I did truly enjoy the book overall. I think it could’ve benefitted from a more powerful FMC character arc, shifting focus to relationships amongst the other authors and also just shorter chapters vs longer ones. It was cute and different and that’s why I’m landing at a 3.5–thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this eARC!

I don’t know if it was the narrator or just the tone of the book itself but it just wasn’t for me. The premise was interesting but the FMC’s attitude and overall demeanor didn’t sit right with me. I think ai stealing work is a valid concern, but if your attitude toward other authors is so bad you have no one on your side.. well it’s just not the kind of thing I wanted to continue reading.

This is one of those books that seems like it was written specifically for me. Reading this is the first time in a long time I felt the joy that I did when I first read The Bestseller by Olivia Goldsmith. That has always been my gold standard for soapy publishing books and this book not only meets that high bar but exceeds it in places. This is such a smart and intellectual book and if a man had written it we'd be talking about literary legacy and all of that. But it's fun and entertaining and one of those books you'll think about long after you finish reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader copy.

When Sophie Wilde, a best selling romantasy author, finds herself upstaged by a self published writer Hartley West, she is annoyed. She becomes even more irate when she finds out that Hartley has used AI to write the book that is making others call her "the next Sophie Wilde." Sophie goes on an internet rant about the use of AI in creative writing pursuits and finds camaraderie with others writers who fear being replaced by AI and they work to take down authors like Hartley West.

The premise of this book sounded fun and funny. Unfortunately, it was neither. Sophie is immediately both unlikeable and uninteresting in her unlikeability. This was a book I just couldn't stick with.

Romantic Friction by Lori Gold follows Sofie Wilde, a bestselling fantasy romance author who’s final book of her popular series is about to be published and on top of that she’s headlining a big romance readers convention in Chicago. This is obviously a big deal for her and would’ve been an exciting next step in her career if it wasn’t for “the next Sofie Wilde” aka Hartley West.

Hartley is a self-published new author and the next big thing. They call her the next Sofie Wilde because she writes in the stype of Sofie, earily so. And that’s when Hartley confesses to having used AI to write her book. Instead of being flooded with animosity and scorn on social media, like Sofie expected, Hartley is being praised and admired. Unable to believe this Sofie loses it and goes on a rant that inadvertently goes viral which eventually leads to her slowly losing any support she had. She starts working together with a few of her fellow authors to take Hartley down.

I’ll start with the positive. I loved how the story was very much set in the book community world with reader conventions and book signings, which as a reader in the book community for quite a while it felt really familiar to me. I also liked the commentary in this book about people using AI and usuing other authors’ writing style to write books. It’s a very timely topic and personally I’m very much against using AI in this kind of way, even for creating book covers. I enjoyed thinking about creativity and how can we safeguard authors and the book community in general from AI.

Where I started to lose the story a bit was with the character of Sofie herself and when it all took a rather silly yet alarming turn, in a criminal kind of way. Sofie wasn’t a likable character at all. But I also don’t think she is supposed to be likable so I don’t feel super bad about not liking her. She did have some growth eventually but not enough for me to really enjoy reading about her. Also, the turn that the story took was rather unexpected. Even bothering on the criminal and I just couldn’t like this either. I think it could’ve been funny but it just didn’t feel that way for me. Obviousy I’m not saying what happened because I don’t want to spoil it for potential reader. I just didn’t feel it, but I’m sure other readers will.

I really loved the description of this book but it took a really long time for me to get into it and it felt a little unrealistic. I like the idea of an author being called out for AI so it is a good concept, however, this book just wasn't for me. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you, Harlequin and Lori Gold, for the ARC.

Romantic Friction by Lori Gold is a gripping look at the intersection of creativity and technology. The story follows Sophie Wilde, a successful romantic fiction author, and Hartley West, an up-and-coming writer who idolizes Sophie. In a desperate attempt to make a name for herself, Hartley uses AI to write her latest book, programming it to mimic Sophie’s unique voice. The book becomes a hit, but it quickly raises questions about originality, ethics, and what it means to be an author.

What I really liked about Romantic Friction was how Gold writes—it kept me hooked. She does a great job of showing the tension between Sophie and Hartley, and the whole storyline feels relevant, especially with how AI is starting to play a part in creative work. The relationship between the two characters felt real and made me think about how far people will go to succeed.

That said, a few moments felt a little over-the-top and unrealistic, which took me out of the story for a bit. While the characters and themes are solid, there were some parts that just seemed a bit ridiculous.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend.

I loved all the romance trope chapter titles!

I kept thing what the hell is going on! The whole time I was reading this. Something that can be a bad thing but with this book it was a good thing!

okay this book was interesting! unfortunately i don't think this book was for me, not really a fan of the plot, the use of AI, and the plot twist. the writing was decent and im looking forward to more by this author. thank you netgalley!!!

I went into this one blind, not reading the description, and it was not at all what I expected- in a really fun and surprising way!

Sofie Wilde is the reigning Romantasy Queen, releasing the last book in her overwhelming popular series, when rumblings about “the next Sofie Wilde” start making their way around the bookish social media community.

Hartley West is self publishing her first book and people are shocked and falling in love with her style, that feels so similar Sofie’s. When Hartley admits to using AI to mimic Sofie’s voice and a drunken rant of Sofie’s goes viral, everything starts changing for both women. People all over the publishing world are taking sides, some calling Harley a cheat, others saying she’s an innovator.

When Sofie and Harley end up at the same romance author’s convention, the tension erupts causing people from all over the industry to take sides and get involved.

This book is funny and thought provoking. I had just literally a few days ago had a big debate with my sister in law about AI use in publishing so this felt so timely. What a fun idea! And I loved that the characters were older-Sofie is approaching 50 which is an age that rarely gets written about.

I received this Advanced Readers Copy via NetGalley. It releases May 6, 2025.