I'm not in academia myself, but my partner is, and this was such a fun read! Especially Reviewer 2 being the worst, Reviewer 2 is always the worst!

I could imagine having to write about a topic/institution as harrowing as academics was no easy feat. I'm glad Jodi McAlister braved the mess that is navigating grad school and university work in a way that was fun! Sadie and Jonah had believable beef, and watching them try to navigate overcoming their differences was really enjoyable.

I'm excited to see the stories from these characters expanded! I want updates on literally all 3 siblings!

so many questions…will we get follow-up books about Fiona or Chess? Elias and Julia? will we get a future update on how Jonah and Sadie are doing? this was great and well-written, and meaningful. i want to know so much more!

this book was built for me in a lab. i am notoriously difficult to please when it comes to any kind of fake relationship-type story, but i will admit that the marriage of convenience subset of that trope automatically elevates things – something about the permanence and weight of that particular kind of fake relationship raises the stakes and makes for a more interesting plot. add in a dash (or 15 years’ worth) of animosity on top of that, and you’ve got quite the recipe for something all the more delicious. jonah and sadie certainly delivered on that front!

i loved that this book didn’t shy away from the how tough it is to be an academic in today’s day and age. i felt like it struck a perfect balance between showing the reality of jonah & sadie’s situations while still bringing in the levity i’m looking for with a romance – they had tough spots, but they shared a lot of good moments together, too. i loved how integral the side characters were to the story, too, particularly both of their sisters. they helped flesh out backstories, provide motivation for this crazy scheme in the first place, and maybe one day they’ll pop up in future stories too?? who’s to say, but i’d love to see it! #LetFionaAndSatoshiFuck

last (but certainly not least), thank GOD jodi mcalister had some patience and really let their feelings marinate. i’m so tired of plotlines where the main characters give in within the first 20% and share a kiss or hook up – it nearly always ruins the tension! drawing it out and making us wait for their inevitable Big Moment was well worth it and very pleasing to me. overall, i loved everything about this one, and i’d highly recommend it!

This book had me hooked from the start. I loved the structure of the prologue - taking a trip down memory lane through the many “ceasefires” in Sadie and Jonah’s long-running academic rivalry. The footnotes in Jonah’s chapters add extra humor and character (though I admit, reading digitally meant they sometimes broke the flow).

The whole thing has a definite Ali Hazelwood flavor—and I mean that in the best way. The banter, the bickering, the academic setting… plus, the characters are in their 30s (!!!!) which was such a delight to read. The sense of humor here is dry and self-aware, with occasional breaking of the fourth wall (“If you have any sense of story progression, I’m sure you can see where this is going”) that made me laugh out loud.

Sadie and Jonah’s dynamic is smart, sharp, and funny, and I really enjoyed their interactions and the way their rivalry bleeds into affection. It’s also a thoughtful peek into the realities of academia and scholarship, adding depth beyond just the romance.

Where it faltered a bit for me was the ending—it felt rushed, with the work-related conflict not fully fleshed out, and two characters set up as villains simply disappearing from the page. It makes me wonder if they’re being saved for a sequel.

Overall, though, I really liked this book. It’s witty, clever, and romantic in a sharp-edged way. If you love Ali Hazelwood, smart characters, and a pining hero, this book’s for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. An Academic Affair follows Jonah and Sadie, 2 academic rivals as they enter into a marriage of convenience. The unique reasoning was interesting for me and it felt different from other books that have a similar trope. I loved the prologue starting with the “truces” they had over the years and the bantering throughout. The story takes a dive into academia, specifically in the college setting with tenor tracks. I very much enjoyed the academics scattered throughout. This book is a romance and the proclamation was *chefs kiss*. Also, no third act breakup? Yes, please!
5⭐️

This was a really wholesome and well done academic rivalry to romance that I enjoyed for its uniquely executed plot twists and unconventional family dynamics. Dual point of views are something I favor, and I found the unfamiliar setting of Tasmania charming as well.

Australian authors always seem to have something special.

Such a cute read! I absolutely loved the banter between Jonah and Sadie, knowing how to use it as a weapon but also as a needed distraction! Jonah and Sadie just got each other on so many different levels and I loved every second of it!

I loved this. Granted: I'm a sucker for pining MMCs and nerdy characters in general. So, a tad biased. But I thought the premise was compelling and stayed so, the structure was unique and effectove, their rivalry was nuanced, their chemistry believable, and goddamn was that the best love confession scene I've ever read.

The pacing was really well done. Up until the end. I thought the series of anecdotes at the beginning to give us their backstory was a brilliant choice. I forgot what the premise was, so the proposal had me shocked. The ending felt a bit rushed and tidied up. But I guess part of that is because I have come to expect a third-act break up. So imagine my surprise when it turns out the main story conflict was about sisterhood. Crafty, brave, and moving. Love to see authors taking genre-defying risks and succeeding.

Jonah's POV has a lot of footnotes. Some more interesting than others. Made sense for the character, but I found them a bit distracting. But whatever, pining nerd pined and I was there for it.

A million thank yous to the powers that be for the ARC. Now tell us when we can expect Elias and Julia's book!

This book was so good until the end. It almost felt like the 2 main characters got together with their HEA and then the author was like "oh yeah, there's this giant plot point that I forgot about: How can I get this solved and move on?" And she did. She created a 3rd act problem (not a breakup, so yay!) and solved in the next chapter to wrap up the forgotten plot point. But overall, it was a good read and its set up for multiple stories from this group of characters, so I do look forward to that, should they appear.

For two people that supposedly knew each other for 15 years, I felt like I knew nothing about them expect for surface level things. With that and the sporadic pacing, I just could not connect to these two characters and by the time you get to the crescendo, where they confess their love to each other... the spice just fell really flat and really cringey. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me.

Thank you to Atria Publishing and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this early.

When you start off with 5 instances where you had to ceasefire between each other you know that the relationship between the FMC and MMC will be a rollercoaster of emotions. Jonah and Sadie are the work enemies to lovers that you need in your life. The academia rivalry that was also created between the families also provided some background. Sadie was raised by her sister Chess when her parents abandoned them. Jonah has his family but their relationship is strained. An Academic Affair gives us the story of Jonah and Sadie that enter into a marriage of convenience that in the end brings so much more to their lives. From the friendship that they develop to the family dynamic that is created I loved how they both communicated and made sure that regardless of anything they had each other's back. Eucatastrophe was the perfect word for so many reasons. I am all for a cardigan and tweed wearing professor and his gardening professor wife.
(Sadie listening to Hamilton Not Throwing Away My Shot had me dead love that reference)

Literature professors Sadie and Jonah have sparred for as long as they can remember—from their first day of undergraduate to their current (unstable) jobs as new academics to the house-share they just both happen to live in. Full-time academic positions are so hard to come by, with only a handful open each year, when the perfect opportunity for both of them comes up, and the battle is on. Only neither feels quite right about it, and each knows the other deserves the job too.

And that’s when Sadie see the provision about a partner hire: if they’re married, the university will have to hire Jonah as well. It’s a perfect situation for both of them, right? Only they don’t expect friendship, chemistry, and love to come into play….

I ADORED this book. This is my first Jodi McAlister read and I will be all over her backlist now! The whole story exudes tension, from their rivalry to the close living quarters to their office; you can just feel it everywhere. Both MCs were so well-developed, likeable, smart, interesting, loyal, supportive, and just genuinely great people despite their imperfections. Both grow and develop so much throughout the book, Jonah becoming a better sibling and an amazing husband; Sadie being independent from her overbearing sister and learning to function without her. And they can achieve this growth at least in part because they have each other’s backs and they care. Plus, the way Jonah always lifted her up, kept her from spiraling, made her see her worth—amazing!

Everything else was fascinating too—the glimpse into academia, witty writing, hilarious footnotes, banter, side characters. I am REALLY hoping Fiona gets her own book next….

Thank you to Atria Books for my advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Don't let the length of the prologue scare you! I really enjoyed this book and the character's dynamic. The footnotes were a great addition, I love a good interjection.

I'm afraid Jonah and I feel the same about Chessy.

And I'm also curious about Julia and Elias' story...

Oh okay McAlister! This was amazing! It gave me similar vibes to Alli hazelwoods STEM books by following two PHD profs who are grown adults, acting like teenagers. It had some great witty banter and kept me totally enthralled! I love love loved it!

“Sometimes, despite all the odds, something good happens.”

Short Synopsis: A charming new romance about two English professors who embark on a fake relationship…only to discover that it may be harder to pretend than they realized.

I enjoyed watching Jonah and Sadie, who have been academic rivals since Uni, navigate the academic job market, especially when one single ‘perfect’ permanent position opened up, leading them back into competition with each other.  I thought the obscure contract provision allowing a ‘partner hire’ was an interesting take on the marriage of convenience trope, allowing them to both get a much-needed job, but also force them together.  I enjoyed their sparring and all the literary references set against the (unfortunately) realistic university politics and academia.  And I loved the wine and used book bar, whose wine label was Bibliophile.  This is a spot I would visit or that would make a great book club meet-up spot.

Thank you Jodi McAlister, Netgalley, and SS Atria Marketing for the digital arc to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and read it in one day. I loved the storyline and the characters. I thought the characters had great growth! I would definitely recommend this book.

this is ali hazelwood for english majors and i ate it up. very much he falls first she falls harder, and academic rivals eats down. the downfalls? i wanted to bash chess up like girl get your act together. and then after all of the pages of yearning the get together was a little anti-climatic dare i say. like duh of course you guys love each other it's been so freaking obvious. but at the same time it's realistic enough to overcome all of that and i appreciate that there is not a weird power dynamic involved.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Sadie and Jonah are both academic rivals who get married to secure elusive permanent positions at a university, but Jonah has loved her for years. The tension, the yearning, the wit, and the slow burn was so good. I felt like their relationship felt so seamless. The only thing that caught me off guard was how rushed the ending seemed — I really enjoyed the character development and wanted to see resolution take a bit longer.

It had a promising start but I just couldn’t connect to the story.

I’m an absolute sucker for academic rival stories but this just wasn’t giving me what I was looking for. I’m a mood reader at heart, so it’s difficult getting into ARC reads.

The writing was definitely interesting and so was the plot. But I just couldn’t connect to the story.

This review will be posted more in depth after the release

3.5 stars

An Academic Affair portrayed the ~world of academia~ so accurately you could totally feel the underlying anxiety. The couple, Jonah and Sadie, are academics that have been competing since freshman year. It’s not an enemies to lover thing as much as you’d think. More of a relationship that slow burns and has lots of history. Enjoyable but the ending left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. The ending conflict (while not a third act breakup!) felt very built up and the resolution was like half a page. Overall, it was good but my socks remain on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!