It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Jodi McAlister’s books and I was thrilled to receive this as an eARC from Atria and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed An Academic Affair. Sometimes, when authors write about things directly related to their experiences, the situations are under or over explained but this felt like the right amount of information. It’s evident how passionate McAlister is about the broken and often unfair system of academics. I felt outrage and frustration with Sadie and Jonah when they did and elated whenever things went their way.
The romance was very sweet. I think this was correctly listed as rivals to romance. I loved seeing how they started completely unable to work together and that they had real consequences for that, but as they matured and began to understand each other, were able to pull off more than I would be able to do even with someone I work well with!
I liked the dual POV and the footnotes in Jonah’s chapters. Note that as an ebook, I read this on two devices and one worked as a pop up but the other sent me back and forth between pages and that got annoying, because some of the footnotes we’re important to the story. The family dynamics were interesting, but I do wish we got a little more Elias after meeting Julia. Some of the plot line with Chess felt a little contrived but I liked that the conflict was less about why Jonah and Sadie couldn’t be together and more about them learning to navigate through difficult people and situations together. I also liked Fi and how fiercely she loves.
Overall, this was a great story. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for good banter, deep love, and breaking/repairing family ties. 4.5 ⭐️

I loved this book!! Not only did it get me out of a reading slump but the romance was out of this world. The comedic timing was brilliant - at several points I actually laughed out loud.

McAlister does a superb job at actualizing the pain of becoming distant with an important person in your life. I felt very connected to Sadie because of this.

Thank you to net galley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

An Academic Affair was an amazing and engaging story. Sadie and Jonah were the perfect narrators and I loved getting to see Jonah pine after Sadie both in the text and the footnotes. The footnotes were one of my favorite parts of the story and I wish that they were simply part of the normal text. While I wished that I could have seen Sadie fall in love with Jonah a little more, I enjoyed watching her realize how and why she loved him. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed. I would have loved to see their fight against the university a little more instead of just jumping to the end.

Grateful to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have competed academically for as long as they have known each other - from their times as undergrad, through their PhDs, and then as adjuncts - so it comes as no surprise that they are competing with each other for one of the very rare professor jobs posted in their field. When Sadie is chosen for the job, she doesn't find any satisfaction in having beaten Jonah, since the job would be in the same town as his sister, whose husband had recently abandoned her and their three children. Sadie proposes (literally!) that she and Jonah take advantage of the partner hire clause in her contract, so that they could both have secure positions at the university.

The concept of the story might seem far-fetched to anyone not familiar with the academic job market, but this felt like a really clever take on a marriage of convenience trope. The dual POV was used effectively and it was a very charming addition (and completely true to the characters) to have footnotes. The romance was very sweet and Sadie and Jonah's perspectives felt distinct. There was minimal spice. Overall, it was fun and largely well-executed, but there were a few places that fell a bit short (for example, all this build up about a woman who Jonah's brother had a similar competition situation with, but when she is introduced she becomes friends with Sadie and is their union rep, but with several mentions about the previous relationship between her and Elias, it felt... weird? I was waiting for something else to happen). Definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys the Ali Hazelwood steminist romances given the university setting.

Loved the book, captured real dynamics about academia and yet didn’t make me feel like i was at work

Wow oh wow!!!!! I loved absolutely everything about this book!!!! If you like Ali Hazelwood you will definitely love this story, I love academic rivals so this book was everything! Jonah was such a sweet gentle MMC I just adored everything about him, the banter also 10/10, this was such a well written story I recommend reading this as soon as it comes out!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria books, and Jodi Mcalister for the amazing eARC!

An Academic Affair is an engaging enemies-to-lovers romance told through dual points of view. It’s a quick, enjoyable read that kept me entertained from start to finish. Sadie and Jonah are intelligent, competitive academic rivals who enter into a fake marriage to improve their chances at securing a rare, permanent teaching position.

The forced proximity amps up both the academic and sexual tension, and the way their family dynamics are woven in adds a nice layer of emotional depth that grounds the story in a lovely way. This was my first book by Jodi McAlister, but after enjoying this one so much, it definitely won’t be my last.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review!

3.75! This book was super cute. I love a good enemies-to-lovers moment, and this was very much a “can’t live with each other, can’t live without each other” plot, which I really enjoyed. I especially loved reading about Jonah’s feelings for Sadie. There was so much pure yearning, and it really touched my heart. It also hit my academic validation feelings hard, and the university setting gave it a cozy, fall vibe. I loved all the literary references—especially as someone who was an English major, they really had me excited lol.

I struggled a bit with the dynamic between Sadie and Jonah. I found that their conflict wasn’t believable, and the enemies aspect felt forced—there weren’t a lot of actual enemy vibes there. I also really don’t like when books start mentioning things like TikTok, or when Sadie referenced “Dark Academia.” It felt overdone and pulled me out of the story and back into reality, which I didn’t love.

Honestly, though, these weren’t enough to ruin the book for me. I loved the characters (Chess not included—sorry), and Sadie and Jonah’s story was just so cute.

3.5 STARS🌟
YALLL get yourself a man who <u>YEARNSS</u> like😩🙏🙏
the absolute WANTING and YEARNING jonah did in this book had my jaw DROPPING‼️ authors PLEASE BRING THIS TYPE OF YEARNING BACK I BEG🧎‍♀️🙏🙏🙏
i LOVED the characters’ descriptions and development and i thought it was SO funny how jonah was known (or sadie bullied him for😂) for annotating his books so much (real lmao) and leaving so many footnotes on his research papers AND HIS CHAPTERS WERE FULL OF FOOTNOTES LMAO💀💀 and they were hilarious too!! its little details like this that makes an author really sell their characters and i loved how jodi added those footnotes for him!!! props to her really👏🎉 and sadies emotions felt so real too like me having an older sister i completely related to what sadie was feeling when chess left🥺 the feeling of saying things to her that you dont mean and later regretting is so hard to overcome and i felt punched in the gut many times during these sisters’ relationship😢‼️
overall the book was SO FUNNY, especially with the footnotes, there were many moments where i was laughing out loud😭😭😭 but the pacing started to slow down towards the middle of the book and kind of kept on going like that towards the end… so thats why i give this book 3.5 instead of maybe the 4 i was feeling, but its so good!!!!😁😁

Overall, this was a good read! I love an academic setting, and I wish I could read the main characters' research projects because they sound intriguing.

It took about a third of the book to properly reach its premise (i.e., the move and partner hire), and the build up helped to more fully establish the main and side characters before delving into it. The dual POV was done well and fairly balanced. The villains weren't cartoonish and there were layers to the characters' motivations.

As is typical of the genre, the plot was fairly predictable and the tropes were obvious but incorporated well into the story. The "rivals" aspect of academic rivals-to-lovers felt weak, being very one-sided from Sadie while Jonah was pining for her the whole time. I'm used to this let-down from other books with the rivals-to-lovers trope, so I'm not completely upset, but I still am disappointed that it wasn't a true exploration of this trope. I'm not a fan of unnecessary miscommunication; the argument between Sadie and Chess felt a bit overblown and could've been resolved with even the slightest bit of effort. It was, however, refreshing for the third-act conflict between the main characters to have not been based on poor communication and was resolved fairly quickly.

I would've liked to read more about Julia and Elias's past relationship as they acted as a foil to Sadie and Jonah's. It felt like Julia had more story potential than what we saw, given that they vaguely referenced her past a few times but never fully addressed it. Perhaps the author is planning some spin-offs? I could easily see books on Julia and Elias and Fiona and Satoshi.

I'm not sure if it was because of the eARC format, but the footnotes linked to a list of endnotes at the back of the book, and this format wasn't conducive to a smooth reading experience. I would've preferred to have them as proper footnotes on each respective page or as endnotes per chapter.

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

This book was so sweet and clever! The biting humor really sucks you in from the beginning. With the enemies to lovers trope, I usually enjoy if they both truly don’t like each other at the beginning. I found it so earnest & endearing though that the MMC in this did truly like her, but didn’t know how to express his emotions. So debating and arguing with her became the only way he knew how to be around her. I like when a character or characters has some growing up to do and we can see that change throughout the novel. This is one of my top books this year and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

This was a really good story. I loved the romance and just the electric tension created. The footnotes were a fun twist. Interesting story with great chemistry and dialogue.

I was already a big fan of the premise of this book and as an academic about to start my Ph.D, I was deeply enjoying the footnotes. However, when I read the words: “On an intellectual level, I missed her, deeply and profoundly”, I was so sat, it would’ve taken a crane to move me. I have been in a deep reading slump for most of 2025, taking days and weeks to finish books when it would typically take me hours. However, when I opened up An Academic Affair (2025) – sorry the academic in me could not resist – I was immediately enamored, much like Jonah with Sadie. It was deeply enjoyable to read characters who I could truly tell enjoyed each other. Despite the book starting 15 years into their story, save for the prologue flashbacks, I felt like I knew all about them. The second aspect I greatly enjoyed was how much they had going on. I think the key to romance books is characters that feel full, whose lives do not revolve around the romance and Sadie and Jonah were full and whole people with personalities and intricacies and value outside their love. This of course was greatly helped by the dual, first person POV, and I am forever an advocate for that style of writing. Academia is hard and scary and perhaps being literally one month away from starting my Ph.D has made me feel a bit more emotional in that regard but it was truly wonderful to read about people kind of, sort of, a little bit just like me, I’ve read academia romance before but never so close to my field and it was really just….nice. I loved it so much, I read the acknowledgements. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Thank you Dr. Jodi McAlister for the new academic journals to stalk, hehe. I love books!

An Academic Affair combines several familiar tropes in an unfamiliar setting -- enemies to lovers, he falls first, marriage of convenience -- amidst the challenging reality of the academic (specifically English studies) job market. As someone who has the same professional background as Sadie and Jonah and who has also struggled in this job market, I give the author all the stars for bringing this experience to a wider audience in such an accessible way.

The author manages to combine two totally different genres -- the popular romance novel, with aspects of the research article genre -- and make it work. For example, I adored the footnotes in Jonah's POV. They keep in line with a common move in the research article genre, yet they are repurposed in a way that adds charm to Jonah's character and solidifies him as a prime nerdy cinnamon roll. I also thought the way that the author sprinkles in literary references in both Jonah and Sadie's POVs was clever, and it really spoke to my English studies heart!

The only aspects of the book I wish were different are the "caricature-esque" ways that the author characterizes Jonah's father (Dr. Fisher) and Sadie's sister (Chessie). These two figures are a little overdone from my perspective and could have been toned down to still achieve the same effects -- that is, to demonstrate the prejudices/nepotism that can exist in academia from Dr. Fisher's side, and the theme of cyclic family trauma/emotional repression from Chessie's side.

Aside from this minor drawback, this book is perfection. I cannot thank the author enough for shining a light on the awfully difficult reality that is the academic job market. It really hits home for this specific reader. I also hope that there are other interconnected stand-alones which feature these characters as well. The author does seem to hint at some connections between Chessie and a mystery man as well as Fiona and a certain wine seller/bookstore owner.

Thank you so much to Atria for approving me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adore this book.

Gosh, I loved this book!! It’s clever and sexy and adorable. It’s a little bit The Hating Game, it’s a little bit You Between the Lines, but it’s still a totally unique story (and set in Australia, which is uncommon in romance and was wonderful). Sadie and Jonah are longtime academic rivals who engage in a marriage of convenience for career reasons, and you can guess how that works out for them.

What I really liked about this book is that even though you have to suspend a little bit of disbelief as with any romance novel, ultimately the characters did have valid external reasons to make the decisions they did. McAlister did a great job of developing their characters and helping us understand their motivations. We get to see their relationship evolving and deepening over a very long period of time, and it makes the payoff even more satisfying.

The side characters were also great and added to the story/character development. I finished the book desperate to read sequels about three other possible couples in this world, and I really hope McAlister writes them.

I’m in love with these characters! Jonah is very relatable because of his parents with high expectations. Jonah’s also funny and fun. The tension and chemistry is amazing from start to finish. I also love how they were introduced over the course of years it gave the story depth

This was such an heartfelt, quick romance read. I loved The two main characters and their journey to realizing they loved each other. Marriage of convenience is not a trope I generally go for but this was so well done. His pining for Sadie was top notch. I look forward to reading more from this Author!

This reader loved An Academic Affair. It's a SLOOOOOOOOW burn (like a decade) workplace enemies to lovers romance. We have forced proximity, marriage of convenience, ONLY ONE BED. It's so good.

Sadie and Jonah have been rivals in their academic fields since they started in uni and have been subsisting in the adjuct space vying for a permanent role. When a permanent position is posted in another town, Sadie gets the role. But, because Jonah's sister is a newly minted single mom struggling in the SAME town, she offers to MARRY Jonah. This university has a partner hire clause.

And, shocking, they work well together, and begin to work through some toxic family issues. University life seems super HARD, full of anxiety and strife. Sadie and Jonah are the real deal and it's so fun seeing them connect and work through the drama!!

An Academic Affair releases November 11, 2025 from Atria Books. Lordy, this one is SO fun and good. You won't want to miss it.

An Academic Affair is a masterclass of a romance genre staple- the marriage of connivence. Set in the Australian academic scene, two rival professors go up for the same position. Sadie, all grit and determination, and Jonah, who is cardigan and tweed?!?

Both Sadie and Jonah have inadvertently made their entire careers about each other, to the point where neither of them can really conceive of a world where they aren't working side-by-side. Pair that with complicated family dynamics and fragile sibling bonds, the narrative takes us to the most "logical" place-the marriage of convenience.

I really enjoyed both Sadie and Jonah's characters. On their own, they are fascinating examples of the environment that raised them (looking at you, complicated family dynamics), and products of their chosen industry. The characters really shine with each other, though. This is clearly one of the cases where the two romantic leads make each other better. You see them help the other work through work issues, complicated emotions. They support each other, and genuinely help the other become a better verson of themselves. I really love it when that energy is palpable in a romance book. It feels so genuine, so real, so romantic.

I had one complaint, and that is I wish we got to see more conflict in the workplace. It was set up, and it was definitely there, but it fell a little flat for me. We didn't get to see a third-act breakup, or have some big scene where the rest of the world finds out that their marriage started as a sham. While I enjoyed seeing Sadie and Jonah work through the minutiae of their relationship and growing bond, I would have liked to feel as if their workplace drama had a little more stakes. It felt like many of the "dark-academia" books (this is not marketed as dark academia, to be clear) where there isn't really a lot of academia. I wanted to see more of the lecturing, to see them interacting with students, contemplating their research.

But at the end of the day, the book was about their romance, so I won't be to fussy about the B-Plot not having as much explosion as much as I wanted.

Overall, a fantastic, romantic read. I will one-hundred percent be checking out what else this author has to offer, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this!

One of my favorite romance tropes of all time is without a doubt workplace rivals to lovers, especially when those rivals are competing for the same position/project/prize! Add in the fact that they have been competing for years and I am THERE. In the case of Academic Affair, we were also gifted a marriage of convenience as a treat. “Thank you, Jodi McAlister” we all chant in unison.
I absolutely adored Jonah from the very beginning of this story. McAlister makes it so the audience can tell Jonah loves Sadie from the prologue. The way that Jonah loves Sadie is different, he knows her inside and out, and can anticipate her needs before she can. He is steadfast, grounding, and always willing to bicker with Sadie over anything. It was lovely getting to see the pining from Jonah’s POV, and as much as I loved his chapters, Sadies were honestly just as good. I could so relate to Sadie’s internal fears throughout the story and the way that those impacted her relationships and her life. Something else I loved about Academic Affair was the side characters. The dynamics between all of the characters felt authentic and I found myself rooting for everyone in this story, not just Jonah and Sadie. I only wish we would have got more Elias in the second half. It felt kind of strange that he wasn’t mentioned again after like chapter 12 when we meet Julia in chapter 13, but I am *hoping* that means we will get more in this universe (ahem second chance romance, perhaps.) Overall, Academic Affair was a 4.5 star read for me and I placed her Marry Me, Juliet trilogy on hold at my library immediately after I finished it.