This was adorable. I really enjoyed the insight into academia, since that's an area I really have almost no experience with. I liked both of the characters, Sadie is sharp and witty and Jonah is adorable and bold. The plot is pretty simple, but Sadie and Jonah both have deep backstories and individual traumas contributing to their character arcs.

I'm not sure how to describe this, but I feel like while most of the book was written in a very clear and articulate way, there were sentences every so often that stood out as different, in a worse way. I won't add any of them here, since I read an uncorrected proof, but it made me feel like I was reading a $0.50 romance novel instead of a $15 one, if that makes any sense. They just made me cringe in a way that the rest of the novel didn't.

I also have a lot of opinions about Chess - I feel like her motives and story were left pretty unfinished (maybe the author is planning for a sequel focused around her? Also, Fiona!!), and I didn't like how she treated Sadie for a lot of the story. I can understand the conflict between them, but I feel like there are reasons behind her actions that we didn't get insight into.

Overall, I would definitely recommend! This was a great read and I hope we get to see more of this story in the future!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read An Academic Affair in one sitting. Not because I had nothing else going on, but because the book simply refused to be put down.

I was first drawn in by the cute cover, then the academia setting sealed the deal. I’m in year two of my doctorate and year thirteen of working in academia, so I can’t resist peeking into fictional universities to see how they compare. Turns out… the similarities are uncanny.

This is actually only my second-ever Australian book. The first was Hannah Gadsby’s Ten Steps to Nanette, which was brilliant in its own.

I’ll be honest—going in, I wasn’t sure about the fake dating trope. But wow. This one got me. I’m a sucker for the “secretly in love with you forever” storyline, and the sister relationship subplot just hit me right in the chest. I’ve gone through something similar with my own sister, so those chapters felt personal.

And the darker side of academia? Painfully true. Sometimes I genuinely wonder why I’m still in it—but I guess you have to love it enough to stick around, sharp edges and all.

My only gripe? He calls her darling. Personal ick.

But overall, I laughed, I teared up once, and I closed the book with that good, full feeling that makes you remember why you love stories in the first place.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC—this was such a fun ride.

This book gave me so many feels! I loved the dialogue and the buildup of their relationship. The different uses of academic writings to add to the relationship was very unique and lent to the overall vibe of the book. This one was definitely slow burn, but the ending was so worth it. I also liked how both Jonah and Sadie were so close to their sisters. Jonah in particular I really admired for pursuing a relationship with his sister after he knowingly damaged it years previous. He showed a great amount of humility. Sadie‘s relationship with her sister was definitely fraught throughout the book and I wish I had been resolved sooner, but I still think it went well. I also just generally loved Sadie and Jonas’s academic working relationship. I would definitely have loved to be in one of their classes in university.

Now here are some of the things I struggled with and why this book didn’t get a perfect five star rating. First of all the beginning was so slow and it just took me a bit to get into. I liked the flashback and thought they were super important to building up their relationship, but I still struggled getting through it. I also just really did not like the endnotes. I like how they fit the academic vibe of the book and add some quirky commentary to it, however, in kindle format, it just didn’t work for me. And maybe this is just an issue with having an ARC instead of a finish copy but every time I would click an endnote, it would take me to the back of the book.

It's been a very long time since I read a book in a little over 24 hours, but I completely devoured this one. It was cute, funny, and entirely what I wanted in the moment. I really enjoyed the academic aspect, the rivals to lovers, the fake dating, all of it was done so incredibly well. I'm not usually someone who reads romance books, but I really enjoyed this one. Maybe fake dating is a trope I can get behind.

I went into An Academic Affair with high hopes—the idea of academic rivals forced into a fake marriage for a teaching position sounded hilarious and clever. Sadly, it didn’t quite deliver for me. While I liked the nods to academia and the occasional witty moment, the pacing felt off, and Sadie and Jonah’s chemistry never fully landed. The rivalry, which could have been playful and fun, often tipped into pettiness, and their romantic connection felt rushed and forced at times. I also wanted a bit more emotional depth to balance the setup, but instead, I found myself getting frustrated rather than invested. The book had all the ingredients for a smart, entertaining rom-com, but for me, it just didn’t come together the way I’d hoped.

Enemies-to-lovers and a fake marriage… between two bookish academics? Yes please. The premise had me instantly intrigued, and the characters totally delivered—side characters included. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a whole spin-off about Fisher’s sister and the wine bar owner. 👀

The slow burn here is glacial—but in the best way. Every bit of tension builds toward a sweet, heartwarming ending, and the vulnerability between the main characters felt refreshingly real. I’m crossing my fingers that the messy business with the evil university heads gets tied up in a future book.

My only hiccup? This was very clearly written by an academic. Some passages went right over my head, and it took me a bit to settle into the rhythm. But once I did, it was smart, unique, and brimming with tension-filled romance.

Witty, fast-paced, and delightfully self-aware, An Academic Affair takes the “fake relationship” trope and gives it an academic twist. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher’s years-long rivalry is pure enemies-to-lovers gold, sharpened by McAlister’s knack for razor-edged banter. The premise—two rival English professors faking a marriage for a partner hire—is as absurd as it is brilliant, and McAlister leans into the comedy of the situation without losing sight of the characters’ vulnerabilities.

What makes the story shine is the layered tension beneath the playful sparring: professional ambition tangled with personal longing, pride bumping against unexpected tenderness. The academic setting is vivid without being dry, and the romance builds in a way that feels both slow-burn and inevitable.

A smart, funny, and unexpectedly heartfelt rom-com, An Academic Affair proves that even the most bookish rivals can’t out-argue love.

I read this books SO fast. My only wish is that we got to experience Jonah and Sadie’s second wedding. I loved the characters and the cute academic premise.

Thank you Atria books & NetGalley for this ARC!!

An Academic Affair had me intrigued right from the start with its clever rivals to lovers premise. The opening chapters painted a vivid picture of academic and competitive tension. The setup was strong and full of potential. However, I struggled to connect with the characters and found parts of the story slow. Some scenes left me feeling bored and the chemistry between the main characters never fully convinced me. At times the dialogue made me cringe and took me out of the story. Overall, the concept was fantastic and the rivals to lovers setup worked well. Unfortunately the emotional connection did not land for me. Readers who enjoy academic settings and relationship tension might still find this an entertaining and light read, even if it did not become a favorite for me.

I loved this book. It was a great showing of relationships in general and it even gives itself the moment to make fun of itself when it comes to frequent book tropes. I really like the sibling relationships within the book showing how hard it is to grow up and with another person and being dependant on them. I almost gravitated to that more than the romance relationship in the book. This was my first book by this author and it's overall a great book and I'd definitely read another Jodi McAlister book again.

Thank you Atria books & NetGalley for this ARC.

3.75/5

This is a sweet romance about 2 academics, constantly at war with each other that end up getting married to secure permanent jobs and end up falling in love.

I thought the beginning was slow and the ending was too quick. It took me a second to get into it but then I wanted way more chapters towards the end, which leads me to wonder if the author will write about the other characters next.

Overall, this was a sweet love story about perseverance in the face of injustice and showing up for the people you love.

This book really put me in the back to school mood, but there were two things that prevented me from loving this book. The first is that the main "conflict" between our main character Sadie and her sister Chess was so minuscule, to the point that I was shocked that it was even considered a conflict at all. And then it all turned out to be one big miscommunication? No thank you. The other thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that this was a fairly closed-door romance, until a smutty scene that just felt like it came out of nowhere. I typically enjoy smut in my books, but this one felt out of place considering that there weren't any spicy scenes until the 80% mark. There were parts of this book that I enjoyed, like the academic setting and the writing style, but I just couldn't ignore those two aspects.

thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this advanced copy.

This was absolutely delightful!! The heart, humor, and eventual heat from Jodi McAlister’s novel have made me an instant lifelong fan. I loveddddd Jonah’s inner monologue, and the footnotes were such a whimsical touch that I found myself excited when I saw one coming up.

This book is soft, tender, for book lovers and academics alike. I will be championing this one hard upon release.

This was a DNF for me, but it's mainly a me-thing. I have a really hard time when a book has footnotes in the text but they aren't on the bottom of the page or at the very least at the end of the chapter. In non-fiction, when the note is primarily for citation, that's fine to have it at the end of the book but in a novel, when I want to be able to read the note when I see it or very soon after, it's enough to annoy me into not finishing the book.

A fun romcom following academic rivals. Plus we get the added bonuses of marriage of convenience and one bed trope.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Sadie and Jonah. It's academic rivals done right. You truly get a feel for the stakes in their rivalry and how important it is for them to one-up each other. The marriage of convenience trope worked here because of how much both characters cared and wanted the job. It made send for both of them to be willing to do this. Plus, it made for entertaining interactions. Their romance is a slow burn that makes you feel the yearning and wanting between the two. The moments of intimacy are what drive this romance to be romcom gold.

I liked the setting and felt the author did a great job helping the reader understand the academic world. The author does a great job also demonstrating each characters' career struggles.

The side characters and family members were great too.

I found this to be funny, romantic and charming. Would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope! Very Hating Game in the Academic world vibes with a marriage of convenience thrown in there to add to the chaos.

This comes out in November and would be a perfect read to get back into the swing of the school year.

I thought this one was going to be so cute but felt so bored. I wasn’t wanting to reach for it when I wasn’t reading and was honestly putting it off. It couldn’t keep my attention.

Enemies to lovers in an academic setting? Sign me up. Sadie and Jonah had immediate chemistry right from the first page and I love both of them so much! One thing that I also thought was really strong about this book was the side characters and family members. Jodi McAlister did a fantastic job capturing the complexities of family relationships, while still showing how, in the end, they come together and support each other no matter what.

I also really enjoyed the meta touch of reading about characters who love books while reading a book myself. This is definitely a book for people who love books, especially romance books! I thought it started off strong but got slower towards the end but overall it was still a fun and lovely read.

As someone that works in academia, this book immediately drew me in. This story had me laughing and rooting for the two main characters. So many wonderful tropes - enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience and one bed - such a wonderful read!

I enjoyed the plot of this and the two main characters points of view, however there definitely were parts of the story where I wasn’t surprised by some of the twists. I liked reading about two academic college professors because I feel like there aren’t that many books that are about that subject area. I also loved all the different book references, some of which I was interested in looking up more information on. I also enjoyed the setting too because it took place in Australia which I don’t read many books that take place there. I think that the ending of the book was wrapped up too neatly and it was obvious how it was going to end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.