Rating: ★★★★★

Jodi McAlister is one of those authors I trust implicitly—she just gets contemporary romance. And An Academic Affair? Absolute gold. I defy anyone to read the first chapter and not fall head over heels for Jonah Fisher, the adorably awkward academic with a 15 year long crush on his fierce, no-nonsense rival, Sadie Shaw. The pining? Olympic level. The yearning? Off the charts.

Sadie is tough, driven in academia but nursing abandonment issues. Underneath the armour is a heart that absolutely deserves love. And while she’s technically Jonah’s rival, the chemistry between them is undeniable. She might not know she’s into him at first, but we do. And it’s delightful watching her realise it.

One of the unexpected standouts here is the supporting cast. Sadie’s sister Chess (short for Francesca) is a powerful, grounding force in her life, but their relationship and dependence on each other forms a catalyst in this book. It's a complex, layered relationship which I loved to see.

Jonah’s siblings Elias and Fiona are a total joy—especially as they grow closer despite an antagonist upbringing spurred on by their father. Speaking of which: Jonah’s dad? Grade-A, full-tilt academic douchebag. Ugh.

Set in beautiful Tasmania—arguably one of the most underrated romantic backdrops in fiction (and in the world IMHO)—the novel uses its setting beautifully. The food, the wine, the landscape, the history… it’s rich and atmospheric, adding just the right depth without stealing focus from the love story.

Now let’s talk tropes: enemies to lovers, only one bed, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, slow burn, and no third act breakup. Are you kidding me? That’s the holy grail of romance bingo. Plus, Jonah’s chapters come with footnotes. Literal academic footnotes. He’s a full-on nerd and I adored him for it.

And okay, I’m going to get briefly on my soapbox here: I love that this book digs into the misogyny of academia—not just in STEM, but in the liberal arts and literature spaces too. It’s rare to see that tackled in romance, and McAlister handles it with insight and heart. Yes, the arts are underfunded. Yes, they’re undervalued. But if we don’t preserve culture, history, and human stories, then what are we even doing? Humanities are, quite literally, the heart of humanity. Steps off soapbox (what? no applause? OK then)

All that aside, you don’t need to be deep into the politics of academia to enjoy this. If you love emotionally layered romance, whip-smart writing, funny rom-coms, sizzling slow burns, and characters you want to root for with your whole chest area, then this one’s for you. Five stars, easy. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC—this is one I’ll be recommending to every romance reader I know.

⭐️ rating - 5/5 Tweed Blazers!

Sadie and Jonah have always been rivals. Since that first tutorial in their first year of university, they have been arguing about what is right in the world of literature. Over the years they have had many ceasefires but they always come crashing down, whether it’s due to their own stubbornness, disparity in their life experiences or larger than life family members, Sadie and Jonah just can’t seem to get along.
But one night over a random heartfelt kitchen conversation and a poorly mad microwave mug cake, that all begins to change.
Can Sadie and Jonah make their marriage work so they can both have their dream job? Can Jonah help his own sister rebuild her life and help Sadie reconnect with her own?
Can they really continue to ignore the feelings that inconveniently keep building between them?

This was a NetGalley review. I happened upon it after seeing another author I follow on Instagram post about it. I thought to myself ‘Oh a rivals to lovers and a marriage of convenience academic romance, this seems like my jam!’ And boy was I right!!!

I adore this story! Firstly it is a delightful slow burn romance. The very slowest of burns to be honest. Although what I really love about it, is its focus on what it means to work in academia, a workforce most people know little about, but that is akin to a gladiatorial arena style battle for most. This book takes this nuanced topic and brings it to the forefront, making it palatable for laypeople who know little of the industry.

I was as deeply invested in Sadie and Jonah career struggles as I was in their budding relationship. The characters have two very distinct voices and you can easily see how they have been academic rivals for so long, while also believing wholeheartedly about how they came to fall in love.
This story focuses beautifully on how different family dynamics work and how we support those we love anyway we can and how hard it can be to rebuild or repair damaged familiar relationships, but why it is paramount to do so.

My only gripe with this whole story is that I wanted more about all the subsidiary characters! McAlister builds such rich and enjoyable secondary characters and plot points you want to see them all through to their own ends. I need to know more about Elias and Julia! What about Fi, what will be her next chapter? And I have my suspicions about which “hotel” Chessie might have been staying in! Why did Sadie know that man’s voice that had her phone…. Oh I think I know but I don’t want to say it! I hope McAlister brings us all the stories and more in these character’s lives.

I loved it! Thank you Jodi McAlister it was a delight!

This charming book has all the things I love. There are books in all their guises, footnotes, wine bars lined with books, apartments with river views, clever people who fall in love and an evil corporation - this time a university - to be defeated. Jodi McAlister’s prose is lovely. She has such a delicate comedic sensibility that there were very many snippets I just had to read aloud to my husband. Sadie’s theory of the eucastrophe, the dramatic joy and hope that comes with a happy ending playfully frames the narrative. I loved the even handedness of the love story conveyed by Sadie’s and Jonah’s alternating narrations. I’m off to seek out Jodi’s back catalogue!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the arc to review.

I have a soft spot for a book with footnotes. And Jodi McAlister rolls out the footnotes very nicely here thank you very much.

This story of rival academics, Sadie and Jonah, was great. Beautifully written and paced, it is a slow slow burn with lots of pining. It is told in first person dual POV and set in Sydney and Hobart.

Did I get a little bit smarter reading this? Maybe. This was a love letter to fiction with lots of references to literary fiction, romance fiction and early modern drama.

I felt as if the book ended suddenly and I really wanted more of a resolution with Sadie’s sister, Chess. But this is book 1 in the Literary Lovers series so I am totally invested in this world and look forward to more Chess in future books!

Sadie and Jonah are rivals - until Sadie obtains the highly coveted teaching position that they were both fighting for. Jonah wanted the job to move closer to his recently divorced sister, and Sadie finds herself feeling bad for beating Jonah to the job. Until, she notices the "partner hire" in her contract - and pitches an unhinged plan to Jonah to get them both what they want.

This was such a treat to read. I love when characters have already known each other for a long time, and know almost everything about each other. Their chemistry was the best, the book was overall well structured and written and was absolutely delightful to read.

For fans of:

💐 Romcoms
📚 Marriage of convenience (but make it modern)
💐 Rivals to lovers
📚 Australian academia settings

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an e-ARC, all opinions are my own.

An Academic Affair is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance featuring two fiercely competitive academics, Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher. What began as spirited sparring in university lecture halls has simmered into a fifteen-year rivalry.
When a rare, full-time academic position opens at a university in Tasmania, Sadie and Jonah find themselves once again on opposing sides. Sadie secures the role—only to discover a surprising loophole in her contract. One that could allow both her and Jonah to land their dream jobs... if they’re married.
This story was such a joy to read! It hits all the right trope notes—slow burn, fake marriage, and rivals-turned-lovers—with a touch of spice to keep things interesting.

Told in alternating points of view from both Sadie and Jonah, the narrative is rich and layered. The inclusion of footnotes was a clever and entertaining touch! I really appreciated getting to know both characters deeply—their histories, motivations, and family dynamics all added meaningful context to their perspectives and personal growth.

Thanks to @netgalley @simonschusterau & @jodimcalister for the ARC 💙📚

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0 STARS

An Academic Affair is a rom-com about our FMC Sadie and MMC Jonah who have been, well, academic rivals for 15 years! 🤭 This was such a lovely read! Fast paced, well structured and just lovely. This is my first book I’ve read by Jodie but I’m going to have to read everything else by her! 📚

What to look forward to:
Romantic comedy 💞
Dual POV 👩🏼‍🦰🧑🏽
Academic rivals 📝
Fake dating/mariage 💍
Yearningggggg 🥹

Release date: June 04 2025

Thankyou Jodi McAlister, Simon & Schuster (Australia) and NetGalley for and ARC.

I really loved reading this romance. Set in Australia, two academics first met fifteen years ago and have been rivals for top marks throughout their university studies.

Jonah Fisher grew up in a family of high achievers, his father is a professor at the same university where Jonah was studying. Another student studying the same subjects as Jonah was Sadie Shaw. Sadie was determined to get top grades and resented being forced to work on seminars with Jonah.

Jonah and Sadie were continually arguing with each other. They each tell their story of how they were continually pitted against each other during their studies and then competing for the same jobs.

I loved the descriptions of the topics they were studying and teaching and the mention of writers and book titles throughout.

A fun romance about academics, families and workplace relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for a chance to review this E-Book. Opinions expressed are completely my own. I loved it.

I will be honest; I completely fell in love with this book at first sight. The cover, the title, the little teaser catch phrase, “Can they outsmart their own hearts?”

I wanted to know straight away!

This is a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance about two rival academics, Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher. What started off as academic sparring in university lectures, Sadie and Jonah’s continuing rivalry has now lasted fifteen years.

The academic world is fierce and competitive, so when a full time permanent position comes up at a University in Tasmania, Sadie and Jonah find themselves pitted against each other. When Sadie wins this position, she happens upon a loophole in the contract that may give her AND Jonah the opportunity to work in their dream jobs, but this can only be happen if they are married.

This was such a great read!! I loved the tropes in this – who doesn’t love a slow burn, fake marriages, enemies to lovers with a bit of spice thrown in the mix as well?

The multiple POV’s from both Sadie and Jonah was great. I loved the footnotes!! I also very much enjoyed getting to know both of the characters, their backgrounds and what makes them tick. Knowing where Sadie and Jonah have come from and their different family experiences explains a lot about their world views and beliefs and enables the reader to get a clearer insight into the character development.

Well worth the read! Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster Australia and Jodi McAlister for the ARC of this book.

This book is PERFECT. I loved the writing style, the way the book flows and both the character and story development.

I've read all of Jodi McAlister's books, and this one takes the cake for me. It's intelligent, heartwarming and best of all, based in Australia! Plus I work at an Australian university, so it was also super relatable.

This had my favourites:
- Rivals to lovers
- Banter
- University setting
- Marriage of convenience

It also tackled some tricky themes, including family relationships and toxic family members, the treatment of women in male-dominated roles and also acknowledgement of the age discrimination among women in their 20-30's (maternity leave). One of the key ones that spoke to me was the disconnect between the FMC and other people, feeling as though she didn't have anyone who cared about her or anyone for her to care for, the lack of connections in her life and the single minded focus on work and study.

I loved An Academic Affair, I related to the characters and the story. Big thank you to Jodi McAlister for writing this book.

I really did enjoy this book. While it took me a while to get into the book (particularly with the epilogue being in Jonah’s voice - I found it took me a little while to click with him) but once I was in I was in!

It is an interesting take on the enemies to lovers, fake dating/marriage premise with less fighting than I expected. I found the sex scenes a bit cringy (the line “he must’ve also done a PhD in p**sy” a bit on the nose…) but the love was nice and wholesome!

I devoured this book in basically an entire sitting I couldn't put it down.

This ticked every single one of my trope boxes:
- marriage of convenience
- academic rivals to lovers
- he falls first
- one bed

Set in Australia, we follow the story of Jonah and Sadie over the period of their academic career and into life post university. Jonah had me giggling and kicking my feet from the get go and I adored Sadie's character development too. I also loved the development of not only the relationships between the FMC and the MMC, but their relationship with their families as well. The banter was incredible, the footnotes giving us an insight into what Jonah was thinking was an amazing touch and I loved the references to other texts as well.

My only criticism (and the reason that I gave it four stars) was that the ending felt a little rushed, I could see the page count as I was reading and kept thinking to myself that there was no way we were getting to the end of the book already. I would've loved to have seen more about the work-related conflict and its resolution.

I saw that this is book one in a series and thought we were set up quite well for the next books in the series, I can't wait to see what's next!

An absolute must read.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for the ARC!

Academic rivals to lovers is definitely one of my fave tropes and this one was done so well. I was hooked from the get go and I loved the context at the start. I honestly could’ve had more from this book, but was so happy with how this ended. There was so much packed in, but I was never bored.

Well I absolutely loved this. Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for this wonderful ARC!

Jonah and Sadie have been competing academically for 15 years. From the top spot in class to casual jobs and now the ultimate holy grail in academia - a full time, ongoing position teaching. This means financial security like they've never known before but for Jonah, this position is particularly appealing as it's in Hobart near where his sister lives - a relationship he desperately wants to rebuild especially in her time of need. Sadie gets the position and deservedly so but she also has a thing for sisters, as hers is her best friend and was her sole care taker for most of her life and she wants to help Jonah. Enter the partner hire clause and the idea of marrying your academic nemesis, who keeps you on your toes and at your best at work, who also needs to be in Hobart for his sister, it seems like an excellent idea. Only Jonah wants to marry Sadie for other reasons too, reasons he's kept to himself forever because she would never feel the same - she absolutely hates him (and yet she offers him this life changing offer).

This was a 4.5 star read for me. The writing was brilliant - I learned lots of new words haha - and I was completely immersed in the story from the get go. I loved Jonah from the beginning while Sadie was a slow burn for me. This book is full of enemies to lovers, forced proximity, marriage of convenience with a little dapple of only-one-bed. It had all the winning tropes, the banter was often explosive but at heart these two characters were deeply loving romance academics and enthusiasts, one of historical romance and the other of modern fiction. Loved the cameos of other romance books thrown in too. This will appear to lovers of STEM romance with the academic setting. I loved the footnotes in Jonah's chapters and I always appreciate a dual POV. BONUS POINTS for no third act break up. My only "criticism", if you can call it that, was that the ending felt a bit anticlimactic to me. I would have easily gobbled up another 100 pages of this book if offered to me, the momentum was still there at the end as they faced managerial issues at the universities and so I would have loved to have seen the ending fleshed out a bit more (and consequently had a bit more time with Jonah and Sadie post realisations of feelings, maybe some more consummating of the marriage - very well written by Jodi) to really come full circle.

Anyway, I'll be buying a copy once this hits shelves because it was bloody adorable and can see myself enjoying this over and over!

I absolutely adored An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister, and it quickly became one of my favorite romance novels of the year. Sadie and Jonah's chemistry was palpable, their witty banter kept me smiling, and I couldn’t get enough of them as a couple. The literary references were such a fun addition, and Jonah’s footnotes added a quirky touch that I really enjoyed. The book included some of my favorite tropes, like enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience, while the unique settings and well-developed supporting characters added even more charm. It’s a fantastic Australian romance with impeccable storytelling. The only downside? It felt a bit too short! The ending came up so fast, and I was loving every moment, wishing it would go on longer. I’m already thinking about rereading it—it’s the kind of story that sticks with you! A big thanks to Simon & Schuster (Australia) and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There was so much to love about An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister and it quickly became one of my favourite romance reads of the year. Sadie and Jonah's chemistry is well-written, their banter is fantastic and I absolutely loved them together! The literary references throughout were fun and the footnotes in Jonah's chapters are a nice touch. I loved the tropes (I can't resist a good enemies to lovers/marriage of convenience) as well as the unique settings and the supporting characters. A great Aussie romance and great delivery. My only wish was that it was a little longer, the end really snuck up on me and I was enjoying it so much and wanted more! I can see this becoming a comfort read that I return to again and again! Loved, loved, loved!!!!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster (Australia) and NetGalley for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️ 1🌶️

If Love Theoretically is your favourite Ali Hazelwood book, I think you’d love this! I loved the snappy back-and-forth between Sadie and Jonah. Rivals to lovers is quickly becoming one of my favourite tropes. Jonah was so pathetically down bad and it was ✨delicious✨ The footnotes!! So funny and added SO much. The slow burn was so slow it was almost painful lol. I wanted to give this a 4, but it kinda lost me towards the end. The love confession felt very quick. We knew that Jonah was in love with her for 15 years, but I feel like we didn’t get enough of Sadie’s POV and her changing feelings towards Jonah. The ending also felt very random and unfinished? Overall, I would still recommend! Super fun & easy read.

Thank you to net gallery and Simon & Schuster Australia, for the opportunity to review this book. The thoughts and opinions in this are my own.

Slight spoilers ahead xx

Pre thoughts:
⁃ Australian academia romance?

Post thoughts:
⁃ I really should have been doing university work, however this book had me invested from page 1 and captivated me to finish it in 2 days.
⁃ The references to other texts in the novel are lovely tidbits.
⁃ The inner monologue of the MMC a great addition (reminds me of Vancouver referencing and had me giggling at some parts)
⁃ The growth and emotional development over the course of the book is impeccable.
⁃ The academia aspects are very interesting and quite honest about the field.
⁃ The story is a great realistic depiction of romance and family relationships.
⁃ A healthy amount of emotional maturation of the FMC and MMC.
⁃ A lot of yearning from the MMC... Jonah is the new standard for men.
⁃ Sadie is an icon and a strong inspiration for other women, as she has tenacity and a tender heart behind the walls she has built.

Overall I loved this read, I can’t wait for it to be published and to add it to my collection of books.

4.5/ 5 stars rounded to 5
2/5 spice

Tropes
⁃ marriage of convenience
⁃ Enemies to lovers
⁃ found family
⁃ One bed
⁃ academic rivals
⁃ Slow burn

From the first sentence I was hooked. The sparkling and witty dialogue to the chemistry between Jonah and Sadie kept me up til '3am to finish because I couldn't put it down. I mean, Much Ado Beatrice and Benedict meets Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe vibes plus two academic rivals marrying for convenience? It's like Jodi McAlister knows all of my rom com jams. Even better, she addresses some of the things that irk me - I'm with you Chess I detest problematic paperwork - and also carefully weaves in literary theory (it makes me want to go back to uni).

I absolutely cackled with Jonah's footnotes (#25 was my fave) and the line about Sadie arguing with him over her proposal. Jonah and Sadie felt so real with their complementary personalities - Jonah with his caring and steadfast nature who has been yearning for Sadie since they first sparred in class, while Sadie is slightly spiky and tenacious but tender hearted who hasn’t quite worked out why she’s drawn to Jonah but knows he’s made uni better for her. Both are passionate about their work and the sorts of Lit academics I wish I had when I was at uni (I wouldn't have switched majors). Best of all they’re staunch union members who go to meetings (more unionism in rom coms please).

If I had any quibbles, I think the work-related conflict wrapped up a bit too quickly, and perhaps could've been woven in a bit more earlier. The signs were there, but it felt a bit last minute for the conflict to arise and resolve. Also timeline-wise the maths doesn't add up with knowing each other for 15 years and their ages (minor I realise).

An Academic Affair is a sparkling gem of a rom com that left me with a smile on my face. I truly hope one day a production company buys the right and sticks to the spirit of it.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for the ARC.