I loved the ending and how it turned everything on its head, but found the characters pretty insufferable! Had it not been recommended by an author I love, I probably would not have finished. Will be curious to see the feedback this one gets out in the world.

I love when a book pulls you in slowly, and then suddenly you are drowning. This book took me by surprise. It felt outside my normal repertoire, but I loved it!

From the perspective of a MFA student writing her thesis, “Seduction Theory” is a modern take on the messiness of marriage and adult relationships. The author takes their time in the justifying the complexity of infidelity and sexual tension between adults, who cross all sorts of ethical boundaries. If you enjoy an unreliable narrative and a realistic sense of the awkwardness of real life, please check out “Seduction Theory” by Emily Adrian this coming August.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was such a good book with a plot that I haven't seen before. I enjoyed the part about the thesis being used to dissect an affair. Hah! I couldn't put this book down.

This is a perfectly good book, but it wasn’t for me. The story is written as an MFA thesis from a student who has an affair with her professor as the professor’s husband is having an affair with the department secretary. None of the characters were attractive or appealing to me. They all seemed like your typical pretentious academic jerks….the people I have no interest in as an academic myself. Maybe my bigger issue is that the literary style always seems inauthentic to me. I’ve never met anyone who thinks or articulates thought in this way, so I have a very difficult time connecting with characters in books like this. If I were grading this for myself it would be a 2 star book.

However I am clear that it is very well written. For the right reader this is going to be a 5 star, best of the year read. I hope that it finds its audience!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me access to an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I have a sneaking suspicion SEDUCTION THEORY is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.

Simone, a celebrated writer at Edwards University and campus hottie, has her perfect marriage rocked when her husband, fellow faculty member Ethan, cheats with a colleague. While he's away, Simone grows close to grad student Robbie, who secretly uses their complicated relationship as material for her thesis that blurs the line between truth and fiction.

I have to admit, I did not know what was going on at first, but once I locked in, I devoured this book. The voice is incredible, and the storyline kept me coming back for more. Reflections on marriage, the attention economy, and how to make it as a writer were just some of the things that gripped me. It won't be for everyone, but I absolutely loved every minute of it. It's a book you want to go back and re-read the minute you finish it.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked all of the characters and the different relationships they shared with each other. I would definitely recommend!

Loved this book!!! I could barely put it down.

I wasn't totally familiar with Emily Adrian prior to this, but will now be reading everything by her.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Seduction Theory is presented as a MFA candidate's thesis about the college she attends and two professors who are married but both skirt with affairs. Robbie is Simone's student and wants to be more. She writes a thesis in which she is intimately involved in Simone's life and in which Simone's husband, Ethan, has an affair with the somewhat frumpy department secretary at the school. Robbie's fantasy and the reality collide and she often rewrites what actually happened instead of what she wishes would happen. The book is darkly comedic and is accurate in showing graduate student life, academic life and what it takes to be a writer.

I was intrigued and, at first, a bit baffled by, the premise of the novel as an MFA thesis. Very clever and interesting. It took a while for my brain to catch up to what was going on and, then, to realize that much of the story was imagined by the author rather than a 'true' accounting of what was going on in the professors' marriage. And, then, I wondered throughout much of the ensuing narrative what was invented/imagined and what was 'true.' Which I think was part of the point about fiction and memory.

I was annoyed somewhat by the married protagonists and a bit surprised by the sexual/infatuational twist (at first, but then it made sense, considering the characters.) I honestly had mixed feelings but, overall, enjoyed the story. I would definitely read more from this author.

Many thanks to the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advanced e-copy of this novel. It will be published on August 10, 2025, and if you're a writer or a professor or have ever been a college student drawn to a professor, you will likely enjoy this intriguing, quick read.

I’m afraid this wasn’t my cup of tea. Too selfconsciously smart, too narrow in its territory, too pleased with itself. Yes, the author is witty, can turn a fine phrase and demonstrates confident flair. But the book itself gets lost in its constant reconsideration of its small plot. The characters aren’t inviting, probably intentionally, and there just isn’t enough meat here to fill a sandwich.
Let’s hope her next book dials back the knowingness in favor of a wider perspective.

I remember seeing the deal announcement for this book and was thrilled to see the ARC was available. Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the early read.

I am a sucker for an academic novel, and the premise of this one intrigued me.

I loved the thesis format of the novel - a fun and clever device. But what I was most engaged by was the narrator's voice which was funny and smart.

I suspect that this is a writer's sort of book - especially for someone (like me) who has been in an MFA program.

This was the first time I read a book with this style writing.
It sort of gave me Bridgerton vibes (which I love.) but this book does expose scandals, betrayal and mistrust in modern day relationships.in away that made it fun to read even if I disagreed with the characters actions.

This book combined so many of the things I love about getting lost in a story. The complex relationship, a college campus, professors, students, married life, and much more. I think Adrian writes in an excellent way and I like how she crafted this title. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this fresh, modern take on marriage and relationships. Each character was well developed and fleshed out and were able to be interwoven within Simone and Ehtan's marriage flawlessly. I rooted for every character because they felt organic, and the writing style really helped to prop them up.

rating — 3.25 out of 5 stars.

there is something to be said about the narrative structure of this book — when i saw that it was being presented as the narrator’s MFA thesis, i came in with certain expectations. at different points, i feel like this structure alternatively helped and hindered it, but this also seems to be the point! which is honestly messing with my head a little. ultimately, though, i don’t think it worked for me as much as i wanted it to — i see how it’s been used, but i wanted the POV problem to be a little less meta (if only so we could spend less time with ethan. men!)

on another note, i feel so vindicated — i picked this up without any lgbtqia+ tag to guide me, and cheered realizing it actually was. i smelled lesbianism afoot! that’s not really important, but i did enjoy that aspect a lot. i think i was hoping for the plot to go a slightly different way than it did, but that’s probably on me — i am not typically a reader of the “fraught marriage” literary genre, but i was seduced (ha!) by the promise of some gay shit. this wasn’t a bad book, but i don’t think it was as much For Me as i wanted it to be. and that happens!

interesting story about a couple and their flirting and having affairs with those that they work with or committee. Interesting that they both end up cheating with people and there is issue with a story ( thesis) and how much of it is true.

It is only early February, but this might be my favorite book of the year?

Emily Adrian's Seduction Theory is a delightful tangle of perspectives on marriage, power, academia, ambition, and betrayal. Presented as an MFA thesis, this tells the story of two married English professors and what happens when their lives calamitously intersect with both the department secretary and our graduate student narrator.

The resulting novel is hilarious and, honestly, one of the freshest and most biting things I have read in a long while. Single sentences crackle to life and I basically would have ended up highlighting the whole book if I didn't stop myself. This is something I look forward to reading again soon and then forcing into the hands of anyone I can so that we can discuss it.

Can't recommend this one more!

A delicious read characters that come alive a book of marriage ofbetrayal told through a students masters thesis .Will be recommending this novel .

I just finished a great women’s fiction book. Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian was an amazing book. I loved it!

Oh, this was delicious.

The shifting perspectives, all within the confines of a grad student's MFA thesis, serve as a brilliant tool to unfold this winding story about the (un)raveling of a marriage. The book had me hooked instantly, and after ripping through it left me gasping at the end, jolting at the stuttered finale. I loved this one, and very much look forward to Adrian's next.