I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately the main character was too unlikable (with an almost frantic internal dialogue) to make this one enjoyable for me. I think the premise and discussion of using AI to generate content was timely and relevant, but the way the plot unfolded felt juvenile and silly to me. Some parts were humorous, and readers who are comfortable with unlikable characters/satirical criticism might enjoy this one! The narrator did a good job with the ‘tirade’ portion against AI and captured the main character’s personality well, but I struggled with distinguishing between the secondary characters voices.

Sofie is a romance author with the last book of a very successful series about to be released when she is confronted by another author who has taken her work and emulated it using AI. This story explores what might happen if readers embraced AI work. Our first-person main character, Sofie, is prickly, entitled and unlikeable, having ostracized herself from her fellow romance authors. She also has a wee bit of a drinking problem. When they are all brought together at a romance book convention where the AI author’s success appears to be on the horizon, they must all work together to ensure the future of publishing.

The book itself reminded me of Yellowface, in the plagiarism angle and the unlikeable main character. The book cover is reminiscent of Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Romantic Comedy.”

In the audiobook I sometimes found it difficult to distinguish between first-person main characters narrated internal dialogue and when she was speaking. Sofie’s internal dialogue is often quite critical and judgmental, and most of the time she has trouble censoring her speech.

Betrayal. AI. A viral rant.
Sofie Wilde built an empire with her words, until a debut author using AI stole the spotlight. Now, with her career crumbling and revenge on her mind, Sofie’s ready to fight back.

Romantic Friction by Lori Gold is a fierce, funny, and all-too-real battle between human creativity and machine-made stories.

The story was simply amazing!! Figuring out what the world is going to come to after AI wants to take over is really an eye opening. After a lot of people work so hard to get where they are and when people get to just take the easy way out and get recognition is shocking.

The audiobook was phenomenal, loved the way the narrator was able to bring the character to life.

I thought this book is timely as AI is getting incorporated so much into our lives. We have Sophie, an established best seller author, releasing her final installment of her series with an up and coming writer, Hartley sharing the event with her release party. Instead of celebrating her release, the event makes a turn with Hartley confessing her book was written by AI.

The story from there goes on how the public reacts to this news. It was an interesting premise and it was fun to see it set in book community with book signings and events.

I was hoping the story would focus on this but it took a turn and it focused on Sophie and her actions. For someone that is older, I did not agree with her actions.

The story redeemed the story when it revealed Hartley's side.

Courtney Patterson did a good job with the narration. Thank you Harlequin Audio @netgalley for a copy of the audiobook.

Thanks to #NetGalley and HarlequinAudio for an advance listening copy of #RomanticFriction. I really liked the discussion around the timely topic of AI and art. Beyond that, the plot was rather silly. I can see how it may appeal to some readers. 3 stars.

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. The narrator was entertaining!

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!

What a fun take and a unique listen. I had no expectations going in and was pleasantly surprised I’m so glad I took a chance on this one.

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!

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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audio book.

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. Secondarily, the narrator for the audio book didn't provide any differentiation in the voices for different characters, which made the story hard to follow, in terms of who was speaking when. This was a book I just couldn't stick with.

I listened to the audiobook of Romantic Friction and really enjoyed it. The narrator was awesome—she really brought the characters to life, especially Sophie and Hartley. You could feel the tension between them, and it made the story even more interesting.

The plot was really relevant, especially with how AI is changing the world of writing. It got me thinking about how far people will go to succeed. Sophie and Hartley’s relationship felt real and complex, which made me pay attention to the whole story.

That said, there were a few parts that felt a little too over-the-top, but overall the audiobook kept me hooked. Romantic Friction is worth a listen, but it has a couple of moments that might make you roll your eyes.

Overall, I recommend.