3.75/5 Stars

Yearning is back folks!
Love a man who is pathetic for a women
Also love when there is genuine connection and conversations between two people other than just sexual tension
Also love that a women doesn't just fall for a man who is hot and keeps lusting after his biceps every other page
I really liked Sadies and Jonahs dynamic and the fact that they were both self aware and acted like actual adults.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Once again, the fake dating trope strikes. I think it's pretty tired personally, and I just can't think of any "realistic" circumstance that would compel me to be in a fake relationship so it all just feels very dramatic to me as a reader. The banter was okay, but the plot was too crazy to work for me. I need some element of realism to latch onto in a romantic comedy - otherwise it just feels like a Lifetime Christmas movie. I also found the ending to be incredibly abrupt, which was annoying after reading almost 400 pages of these characters. I didn't mind them personally, I just couldn't connect with their romance. I think there's definitely some readers out there that will really enjoy this one, but it kind of missed the mark for me.

loved Sadie and Jonah quick marriage of convivence and always trying to one up one another in the academia world. loved that he fell first and that they had a 15 year friendship. Loved fi and her sister chessa and would love to learn more about Juliet and Elias . I hope that both of the sisters get their own romance books. I hope that there are more stories around the fisher family. Loved that she read romance books and gave them to her sister. I stayed up way to late reading this book. I adored Jonah and Sadie falling in love and him wanting the best for her. Thanks netgalley

I absolutely loved An Academic Affair! It hit so many of my favorite tropes—enemies to lovers, academic rivals, marriage of convenience, one bed, forced proximity, and that delicious “it’s always been you” vibe. The chemistry between Sadie and Jonah was off the charts, and their banter had me grinning the entire time. I devoured this in basically one sitting—I just couldn’t put it down.

This was sharp, smart, romantic, and emotionally satisfying. Highly recommend for anyone who loves slow-burn tension with academic snark and heart!

Jonah (32) and Sadie (31) met as teenagers whose extended educations and eventual careers would entwine in ways that had them fighting each other for top grades, honors, English professor job opportunities for thirteen years.

Yes, they’ve had a handful of ceasefires over the years (the descriptions of which that open the book give chortle-inducing insight of their personalities and evolving relationship), but now the biggest one is afoot.

The perfect job they both need comes with a gig for the employee’s partner — they just have to quickly get married and point out the contract’s clause to HR. And tell their families. Who know all about the decade-plus of competitiveness and bickering.

This rivals to marriage of convenience to more is so, so good. Yes, it’s about their relationship, but also those with their respective family members, not shying away from how they all can change (or not) over time. And how that can affect us.

Clever, emotional, swoony, slow-building, frustrating, funny…and I want to get to know so many side characters’ back stories. I didn’t want to leave them.

Bonus: Any fans of romance novels, word nerds, and/or lit majors will squee over the peppering of prose including these things throughout this wonderful love story.

Read if you like:
• Contemporary romance
• Funny, snappy banter
• Getting to know thy enemy
• Siblinghood
• Dual POV
• Vulnerability
• English professor with popular fiction research focus x English professor with Shakespearean research focus
• Forced proximity
• Sloooowww burrrrrnnn
• Open door spice

Favorite romance of 2025!! This book is smart and heartfelt. I loved the main trope and I loved the refreshing third act even more. The dual POV was such a treat - both Sadie and Jonah’s inner monologues were equally gripping. I read this in two days and couldn’t get enough of the classic and contemporary lit references. Excellent!

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Super cute! Sadie and Jonah have disliked each other and been rivals ever since they first met when they were undergraduates. 13 years later and they both have the opportunity to get a teaching position that is highly coveted. Jonah needs the position to move closer to his sister and her family. Sadie needs the financial security that the job will give. Which one of them will win it? Or maybe there’s a way that they both could? All they would have to do is get married. They both get what they want, there’s no downside. Except what was supposed to be a simple transaction gets complicated when they begin to develop feelings. Will their fake relationship give them what they want, or will it end in disaster? And what of what they want isn’t what they thought it was in the first place? A charming romance that had me laughing, swooning, and flipping the pages! Jodi McAlister’s An Academic Affair is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers rom coms!!

AN ACADEMIC AFFAIR is a fun and tension-filled romance with a lot of good tropes such as rivals-to-lovers, fake dating, marriage of convenience, and one bed. What I really liked was how the fake dating was justified making it feel believable that the characters would actually go for it, considering they have always seen themselves as a competition between two. The pacing also felt believable, not too fast or slow with how the character's feelings develop.

Sadie and Jonah only know each other's competitive sides since the moment they've met. Years later, their latest thing they're competing for is the same job. Sadie proposes a sort of win-win that allows both of them to get a job, the only downside is that they have to legally get married in order to take advantage of the partner hire benefit for the job. Will they make their relationship believable in a way that their closest loved ones will believe? What happens when feelings are starting to catch, if they haven't already been caught? What will it take for the Sadie and Jonah to show their vulnerable sides to one another- their soft and noncompetitive sides?

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Atria Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Two rival English professors put aside their trivially in a common goal. They decide to work together in order to accomplish their goal. In doing so their fake relationship ignites sparks. But will they be able to work out things together or will it end up blowing up? It’s a romantic comedy that you will enjoy.

Jodi McAlister has a unique, intelligent voice. I liked that her characters felt fulsome and well developed, while still maintaining the storyline. Sometimes I leave books and don’t feel connected to the story, but I felt like Sadie and I could be friends, which was so refreshing!

There were some quirks with understanding the Australian higher education system as a key part of the storytelling. I’ve only ever been a part of the American education system, but I thought McAlister did a great job making that seem truly background, even thought it was a central part of the story. It did not detract, and if anything added to my enjoyment.

This was my first McAlister but won’t be my last. If you’re like me and have previously enjoyed books by Ali Hazelwood in terms of intelligent characters and a higher education setting, you’ll enjoy this.

Adored this book! I didn’t want my time with Sadie and Jonah to end! A sweet slow burn. I really enjoyed the back drop of academia too. Elias and Julia’s book next?

First, thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister in return for an honest review.

In this very entertaining slice of life romance novel we meet two perfect academic rivals, Jonah and Sadie, as they navigate their intertwining careers and hardships while simultaneously loving to hate each other.

I personally enjoyed every aspect of this book. It is most definitely a romance but in a very sweet, very smart and very heartwarming way. Told in dual POV (Jonah being my favorite POV) with added footnotes and witty snark, I loved the dive into academia as a career and the intense rivalry that it inspires in those who choose it. I felt as though all characters, not just the two main were well fleshed out and had lives of their owns that we got to peek into.

Worth the read if you love smart characters but also if you like
*rivals to lovers
*marriage of convenience (done with a realistic reason)
*only one bed
*he falls first
*very minimal (some would say non-existent) third act conflict
*slice of life vibes

Im really happy I got to read and review this one!

I was hooked from the first page. Academic rivals since freshman year of college, Sadie and Jonah have refined thier arguementative skills over a decade. I enjoyed thier passion for the literary topics. The family backgrounds are so different and the exploration of how they made Sadie and Jonah who they are was good insight. Sadie was raised by an older sister in a chaotic household. Jonah raised in a rigid & analytical. I appreciate the slow realization Sadie and Jonah have that the marraige of convenience (to gain an academic position) was really based on love.

I liked the conversation and characters. Now to read the author's prior novels.

Thank you for a wonderful story! The book was provided as an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

AN ACADEMIC AFFAIR by Jodi McAlister
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Releases: 11/11/25


This book combines two of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience! I immediately fell for Dr. Jonah Fisher and Dr. Sadie Shaw. Two English academics who have been each other’s nemesis since undergraduates. And now they compete for the same academic position with a crazy twist. It’s rare to see a marriage of convenience in contemporary literature and it absolutely works! The author highlights the difficulties of academia and finding a full time position. But what really shines is the chemistry and wit! A delightful romance.

Gentle readers: there is frequent strong language and a couple of bedroom scenes.

#atria #simonandschuster #jodimcalister #anacademicaffair #marriageofconvenience #enemiestolovers #bookreview #bookrecommendation

“I loved Sadie Shaw more than words could wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty.”

A man who yearns, is a man who EARNS! Jonah quite frankly takes a top spot in book boyfriends for me. An Academic Affair was so brilliantly written. The prose, the characters, the trials and angst—remind me so much of Emily Henry and all her beautiful stories. Jodi McAlister brings so much to the table with this book. I loved Jonah and Sadie so much, individually and together. Their complex family dynamics, the years long history of being each others academic rivals, the way they struggle with imposter syndrome even though they very much earned every single win that came their way—every bit and piece of this story worked so well and the romance came so naturally and seamlessly.

I especially loved the uniqueness of the ACTUAL footnotes, as if Jonah was the one to write this book himself. I found myself enthralled with his character more than I have been for any other MMC in awhile. His fierce loyalty and fierce protectiveness over Sadie had me giggling and kicking my feet so many times throughout reading this story. I loved how much he continued to open up, not only with Sadie, but in his own inner voice as well.

Sadie reminds me so much of me, but Chess in all her forms, truly is 100% me. Being an older sister/mother figure to sisters led me to understand and empathize with the way Chess went about her relationship with Sadie. When your sisters grow up and become adults, it feels as if your identity has been ripped away from you. While Jonah was angry at Chess and Sadie couldn’t understand her motives, I immediately knew why Chess pulled back. The way the sisterhood/sibling bonds were depicted in this story for both Fiona and Jonah and Chess and Sadie felt so raw and real. I do truly hope we get a book for Chess. I’d love to learn more about her and see her finding herself.

One of my favorite reads this year!

thank you netgalley + publisher for this arc read in return for an honest review 📚🍷🍕🪴

alexa, play fOoL fOr YoU by zayn 🫠

dear god. where to begin…… I ABSOLUTELY DEVOUREDDDDDDDD THIS BOOK LIKE I’D BEEN STARVED FOR WEEKS AND THIS WAS MY FIRST ACCESS TO FOOD.

when i got the email request to read this arc, i totally geeked. from description, i was hooked. but from the prologue i was completely and utterly helpless.

major points to note- NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP 🥵😩🤪 TRUE RIVALS TO LOVERS. GOLDEN RETRIEVER/BLACK CAT DYNAMIC. MARRIAGE OF MOTHER FREAKING CONVENIENCE.

i am down bad for rivals to lovers. i am often severally let down by this trope because it often feels like that label is used so loosely. fear not, that is simply not the case for this book. i was kicking my feet giggling at the genuine banter and debates between sadie and jonah. the development of their relationship felt so real, neither characters had a weird personality shift when they realized their love for one another. it felt like jonah + sadie enhanced one another’s character traits through their relationship and it was so comforting to read.

let’s have a moment of silence for jonah. sweet sweet, jonah. YOURE TELLING ME HE SPENT A DECADE AND A HALF PINING????????????? bye. i can’t with him. protect jonah at all costs. he is baby. we love an emotionally mature + self aware girls guy.

i also absolutely adored, how this marriage of convenience trope was handled. it felt very natural. i feel like so often when it is done, it always leads to a dramatic third act break up. so when, their relationship hit its peak and there was no moment of shit hitting the fan, i felt relieved. it was wildly refreshing.

genuinely i am so so excited for the release of this book. i desperately need to get my grubby lil fingies on a physical copy.

Incredible. I could not put this down, and was so drawn in literally before even the end of the prologue.

The characters are so dynamic, their love starts as a true rivalry and is a slow-burning marriage of convenience, and the plot is so interesting. I’ve never been in the world of academia, but the way it was written about struck the perfect balance between being so clearly a love for the author (+ characters), and also showcasing many of the problems in the field that need to be addressed.

I loved the way the dual POV was handled - each character’s personality really shown through their writing style, and the chapters matched. Also, I didn’t realize I wanted a love story to unfold in footnotes, but it turns out I absolutely did.

This is going to be a book I’ll be thinking about constantly, and will be recommending to everyone I know.

There’s nothing I can say that will hold up to how good this book was - just pick it up and give it a read!

I can’t wait to see what comes next - I’m hoping maybe Chess x Isamu?

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for this ARC!

Read this in less than 24 hours!!!!! Perfectly blended my love and hate for academia as well as such a solid marriage-of-convenience. PLEASE tell me there’s more books because what about Elias and who is Chess’ mystery man? Plus I need more Jonah and Sadie! Top notch story!

An Academic Affair is one of the best romantic comedies I have read in the past couple of years. Smart and witty, it checks off all the boxes for a sexy and banter-filled romance novel, but it also reflects the politics and game playing that can occur in academe. I am more familiar with what goes on in American universities, but, apparently, similar shenanigans occur in Australia, the novel’s setting, too.

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher meet as undergrads and immediately become rivals for academic awards. This continues through a 13 year history as they vie for similar academic degrees and positions. We learn that some of the tensions between them stem from the very different family life they experienced, although both of them had a challenging upbringing. Both are very likable, and with dual POVs, we understand their motivations. I particularly enjoyed their relationships with their siblings and also many of the literary allusions to other romance novels and some classics.

I had never read Jodi McAlister before, but I’ve just ordered all the rest of her books.

This one was going to get 4 stars…but then it ended the way it did. Let me explain.

In this novel we follow Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher. They have been academic rivals for the past 13 years. When we enter the story, the two have been living in a common space (basically they each have their own bedrooms but share everything else) with a bunch of people. They are going for the same job that is a bit of a hike from their current city. When Sadie gets the job, she discovers there is a partner hire program…and she proposes to Jonah. I’ll keep the “why” a secret, but it’s truly a selfless act. Will these two pull off married life and tying to juggle teaching a million classes together?

I’ll admit the first 15% of the novel was a bit boring. We had 13 years of rivalries to summarize and a new writing style to learn, but it did pick up from there. The ending though…it just felt unfinished. There were so many plot points that were not wrapped up, I felt cheated.
1. Did the school officially keep Jonah and Sadie?
2. How did the union completely fix the issue beyond media?
3. Is Elias going to see Julia again and have a HEA?
4. Did Chess get that lawyer for Fiona?
5. Why was Matt back in Hobart?

Just too much left unanswered. I hope there is another book.

Here are the things I liked overall:
1. Jonah was the perfect MMC. I loved how he showed his emotions and was quick to defend Sadie and his siblings.
2. Sadie reminded me of myself. She didn’t take crap from anyone, was passionate about her work, and had commitment issues. Overall, she was the opposite of Jonah but it just worked.
3. The fighting. Well, bickering. At first I thought it may get old or be too intense, but it was funny to read. You could tell they were fighting out of love not hate.
4. The plot was interesting. I don’t think I’ve read a marriage of convenience like this before. Bravo.

Here are the things that I disliked:
1. I already said it but the ending and the loose ends.
2. How Fiona didn’t immediately get a lawyer the minute her husband left her for his second family, and decided he didn’t feel like paying child support.
3. The writing style took a while to get used to, especially when they brought up topics I knew nothing about. I also didn’t care for the dozens of footnotes. Some were irrelevant while others should have been regular text in the novel.

I did like this book, but wish it was more finished. I will keep my eye out for a follow-up novel because I need Elias and Julia to reconnect.

*An ARC was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.