She had me at eucatastrophe.

Well, that and the ML being a total cinnamon roll beneath the snark honed by an utterly toxic family dynamic.

Enemies to lovers is kind of a knife edge for me. I really enjoy this trope if the conflict is banter that makes me chuckle, rather than bickering in which the two tear at each other at max volume over and over and over again. I want to feel the attraction slowly eroding the snark.

This book carries it off in a style that appealed to me, and did not disappoint. I was dreading the Third Act "big misunderstanding" but guess what! The climaxing run of action arose straight out of the story and watching the two deal was actually a real pleasure.

If you like "academics against the soulless system" stories, banter, and intense family dynamics, here's your romance.

Thank you, SS Atria, for recommending this book, and NetGalley, for providing me with a free eARC for my honest review.
I picked up this book because the synopsis was very intriguing. The fake dating trope is not new, and is arguably one of the most common rom-com tropes, but Jodi McAlister breathed new life into the trope with witty banter, appropriate angst, and comforting fluff.
The footnotes, while original in this particular genre, made it annoying to keep flipping back and forth by pulling me out of the story and making me hunt for the context. After the first 15 or so footnotes, I gave up and continued without the context of the footnotes. I found that I enjoyed the book better when I didn't have to keep flipping, so I stuck with that method.
I give this four out of five stars.

I loved the start of this book. I was laughing and kicking my feet when she thinks about that partner clause and then asks him to marry her. Peak academic rivals to lovers. They are so obsessed and can't function as well academically without each other. But once they moved and started the new job I felt like this book lost steam? It felt like most of the problems disappeared minus stuff with her sister. It picked up again at the end,

Oh my god, this was perfection. A truly incredible rom-com. I haven’t worked in academia but I am a self-professed nerd and I felt so seen. Sadie and Jonah are forever in my heart. Their banter, their drive, their tension - I was swooning all throughout. I could read five books on them. Actually, make it ten books. I will be screaming about this book from the rooftops.

Thank you so much to Atria and Netgalley for this ARC. I read it all in one day and I am so happy.