This book sounded like a good fit for me, but it turned out, I was wrong. When it comes to enemies-to-lovers, I like banter, not open hostility. DNF ~16%. The audiobook narrators did a good job of capturing the angry tone of the book.,

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Much Ado About Hating You was a super cute and pleasantly spicy read that I absolutely adored! I listened to this as an audiobook and was immediately drawn in by the dual POV narration. Cindy Kay and J.F. Harding did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. Their performances added so much charm and chemistry to the story.

I’m a total sucker for a well-done enemies-to-lovers trope, and this book delivered all the playful tension, witty banter, and satisfying romance I hoped for. What really surprised me, though, was the emotional depth, particularly the exploration of Aidan’s character’s complicated relationship with his father. It added a heartfelt layer that made the story even more compelling.

5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The main characters gave me extreme ick. They were both immature and annoying. I did enjoy the spicy scenes but everything else fell flat. Props to the narrarators and publication, though. They did a wonderful job!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the gifted ALC.

***Five Stars***

The SPICE!!! This one was steamy and the chemistry was so good!

Micah is an auditor and Aidan is an English professor at the college Micah is auditing. Of course everyone at the college is weary of her because what she reports could cost them their jobs. Aidan gets caught with his foot in his mouth about half a dozen times. It's so ridiculous. LOL
After the worst days at work both Micah and Aidan go home, Micah to read spicy fanfiction and Aidan to write it. Little do they know the flirty chat they've started with their favorite author and favorite reader, respectively, are each other. One snowed-in night at the college later they discover the truth. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. I really enjoyed it!

Micah Mila is an auditor. She comes in to trim the fat. Her latest assignment is the English department of a University. She runs into the most obnoxious, rude man when she arrives. Her only solace is the fan fic she reads each night by her favorite fan fic author. Aidan Scott is an English professor who's department is being audited by the most infuriating woman he's met. His only relief is the fan fiction he rights on the side. And now he's falling for one of his readers who he's only met online, whom he can confide in and trust. Will these two realize that their crush is actually their mortal enemy? Can they even have a chance when they're on opposite sides of an audit?

The story was cute and extra spicy. I always like a "secret identity" storyline. But I didn't feel like I truly got to know these characters. I didn't feel the build up of attraction to warrant the interactions they had. It was a quick, spicy read, but not a reread for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and @HarlequinBooks for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith—it completely won me over. And honestly, if Aiden were real, I’d be first in line to claim him! If you're into enemies to lovers, Shakespeare and workplace romance, this book is a must for your TBR. It releases on May 27th, so don’t miss it—it’s seriously steamy.

Micah is brought in to audit the English department at a university, and that’s where Aiden, the brooding professor, comes in. From the start, they’re at odds, and Aiden quickly knows how to push Micah's buttons. But beneath all the tension, both characters are dealing with their own issues. And let’s not forget Micah’s twin, who wisely points out that some “hand and mouth” action can be exactly what you need when you're not quite ready for a relationship!

Things really heat up when Micah and Aiden secretly start chatting on a fanfic site, bonding over... Shakespearean erotica. Trust me, this is a twist you didn’t see coming, and it’s absolutely delightful. The banter between them is sharp and witty, the chemistry is undeniable, and the fanfic element? It just takes things to a whole new level of fun. Can't forget to mention the amazing narrators who brought the characters to life. They both did an amazing job!

This book is a fast-paced, entertaining read, packed with humor, chemistry, and just the right amount of steam. If you’re craving a romance that’s equal parts playful and passionate, Much Ado About Hating You has got you covered. Don’t sleep on this one—it’s a gem!
5 Stars!!!

#NetGalley, #HarlequinBooks, #MuchAdoAboutHatingYou, #EnemiestoLovers, #SarahEchavarreSmith

First of all, thank you to the publishers and authors for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book, steamy. Like what the hell steamy. It follows Micah, a financial auditor and Aidan, an English professor who not only writes Shakespeare steamy fanfic in his spare time, but is also on the staff that Micah is currently auditing. What follows is a steamy, secret identity, rivals to lovers story.

Aidan writes fanfic, Micah loves his fanfic. Micah doesn’t know she’s reading Aidan’s fanfic. Micah hates Aidan and I guess since Micah might be cutting teachers at the end of her audit, Aidan also hates Micah. This was really entertaining and pretty damn steamy guys. Worth the read!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC audiobook.

In my opinion, this book had a great premise but unfortunately didn't quite deliver. I love the idea of workplace rivals/enemies to lovers and secret romance, but the plot was very surface level and the character development was severely lacking. The rivalry seemed overly immature (especially the reactions of the FMC) and their interactions seemed very unbelievable for a professional setting. I felt like the steamy parts needed more build-up and romantic tension and should have been reigned in a bit; there were just way too many of them in my opinion...it got redundant and a bit boring.

The narrators were fantastic, so that helped me hang on and finish the book.

A reader who like a lot of spice with little storyline might enjoy this book, but ultimately it just wasn't for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.

I wanted to love this book. Enemies to Lovers? Check. Hot professor? Check. Shakespeare *and* fanfic? Double check.

Alas, this is a 2 star for me.

The spice is spicing, but the characters and plot are forgettable and repetitive. The dialogue and inner monologues were stilted and both the FMC and MMC seemed to lose the sense of self that they'd been developing outside of past relationships or family stuff in the haze of their hate hookups.

I'm a nerd. I don't read sports romance. No judgement, but it's not me. If you dangle a carrot in front of me that looks like a hot Shakespeare professor who can pen his own steamy smut, don't be surprised if I gag a little at the hockey romance that worked its way in there.

Anyway, all that to say - the premise was fun, the spice was good, but it really would have benefitted from a beta reader or two.

Thank you to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for an ALC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️

This book follows an auditor/consultant, Micah, who must help the English Dept. at a Tennessee university, become more efficient. She must decide if classes need cut or combined or if certain staff/faculty need let go. She immediately makes an enemy with outspoken Aiden, a professor in the department. He is also a secret fanfic writer that Micah loves.

Fanfic is having a moment this year and I feel like lots of publishers are trying to cash in on the craze. This results in books that lack a lot of substance. This one fell short for me. The characters just didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t feel any sort of connection to them.

This just fell flat, the relationship between both main characters was frustrating and annoying. Also enemies to lovers my arse, it’s a very mild dislike- authors need to stop marketing their books with this trope if they’re not even going to put any effort into actually doing it.. it only pisses off readers which then leads to bad reviews.

The audiobook narrations are the only reason I pushed through it. They did a fantastic job; it's too bad they weren't given a good story to follow. The story definitely was a lot of telling and less showing.

Dramatic misunderstandings? No more like dramatic reactions.

The one that annoyed me the most was when Micah bends over and flashes her boobs. I WOULD even look, like why bend over in front of me with your shirt open? Like girlllll, you knew what you were doing. Then claims "victim".

Thank you NetGalley and Mills & Boon | Afterglow Books for the ARC! ♥︎

I would compare this to a Shakespeare fanfic written by a twelve year old….but that’s offensive to the twelve year old.

Where do I begin? Should we start with this man MAKING FUN of her name? Or maybe objectifying her not once, but TWICE when she has made it explicitly clear she doesn’t want to? Or or or MAYBE we begin with him THREATENING to get her fired from her job??? In no way should these enemies have become lovers.

I think what bothers me the most about this book is Aiden’s insistence that Micah is out to get him fired and that she is an awful person because she is a financial auditor. Excuse while I scream. She is simply doing her job and he is so convinced that she is satan herself for making a living. Maybe if your department wasn’t hemorrhaging money and you were good at your job, maybe you wouldn’t be so worried. I fear the call is coming from inside the house.

Plot aside, the narrators are fine I guess. They aren’t the best. They aren’t the worst. They certainly couldn’t save this god awful book.

If you want my advice? Skip this book and watch You’ve Got Mail instead. That is the far superior Much Ado About Nothing retelling.

This isn’t a terrible book. It’s not a great story, but it’s not bad, per se. it’s entertaining and shockingly spicy, while also being repetitive with dull MCs. I think the author’s just trying too hard. The dual narrators did well with what they had to work with, I guess. Thanks to Harlequin Audio for the ARC.

Oh my. There was a lot more 🌶️ than I'm used to and expected (which seems like a silly thing to say based on the cover art 😅). I turned down my car's audio volume every time I got to a stoplight! 🫣

Our couple was cute and flirty, although I feel like some of their initial interactions were more workplace harassment than fun - but, as it always does in romance, it all worked out! Being in both of their heads to understand the thoughts/intentions behind their actions helped a lot to get through the story.

I really enjoyed the almost modern You've Got Mail twist (although I'm not sure that was the authors intention), and I think that is what kept me interested for so long. I'm a sucker related to anything YGM-esque. I was hoping for a more dramatic reveal, but I think the written one was unique also.

I know fanfics have become increasingly popular over the years, and this book is perfect for anyone who finds romance fanfics entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for this audio ARC!

Thank you @HarlquinAudio and @netgalley for this ALC, in exchange this is my honest review.

Much Ado About Hating you by Sarah Echavarre Smith and narrated by Cindy Kay and J. F. Harding is an amusing, spicy, enemies to lovers romance that I loved listening to. Kay and Harding wonderfully weave Micha and Aidan’s love story together.

Kay brings Micha’s fiery personality to life and Harding vividly creates the sexy nerdy Aidan both lending to the overall cadence and enjoyment of the novel. Micha finds herself being the financial auditor for the English department where Aidan is a professor. They have an instant connection, their instant hatred of each other, Aidan distrustful of someone he doesn’t believe understands academia and Micha just trying to do her job without the pain that is Aidan. Both finding solace and comfort in Shakespearean fan fiction, Micha reading it, Aidan writing it.

Honestly, I love that Aidan writes unhinged erotica Shakespearean romance fan fictions (but with happy endings). It’s a relatable vibe and I love that Micha is an unknowing fan of his (again another relatable vibe). My millennial ass loves this.

These two have incredible banter and truly start off on the wrong foot and in their misunderstanding they end up being each other’s unknowing comfort. While they both hate each other they struggle with their undeniable attraction to each other which is clear when message each other unknowingly online. I was left dying to see them finally get over themselves, get together, and figure out was next for them. Overall a 5/5 star spicy listen. I loved this audiobook. It was so enjoyable! Buy or pre-order Much Ado About Hating You May 27, 2025.

Oh boy. I just really thought this would be fun. It was just very basic. The enemies to lovers was been there done that. The hockey player turned Shakespeare prof felt very surface level. The sex scenes were hot but did nothing for me.

The writing was nice, though, and it was a quick read. Also his brother seems like he has potential 👀 Plus, the audiobook was well produced and I liked the narrators.

*Spoilers Below*

On the ending: If she doesn’t return the report…SOMEONE ELSE IS GONNA. Wouldn’t they prefer someone who has compassion (her) do the job rather than someone potentially worse? He got with her knowing her job and he was a big wimp about the whole thing. He was completely unreasonable and a whiny baby to his boss too idk like he was kinda of a child.

He doesn’t wanna lose his job so she’s gotta lose hers? Yep! The way it’s written, it feels like she’s now only dissatisfied with her job *because of* him which feels like a cop out. Also you’re telling me her parents gave her money to pay off her debt and now she can just quit her job with absolutely no prospects to speak of? Books don’t need to be relatable but damn if this isn’t a giant eye roll. Oof.

⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5


I received an ALC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

This was a very surface level book with some things that were very unrealistic. It was a good quick listen and I did laugh quite abut, but really just the two main characters arguing or hooking up. The side story of them both writing and then writing together was my favorite part of the book.

this was an interesting premise. I picked this book because I needed a Shakespeare retelling for a reading challenge and this one looked interesting. this is was well..... Ok..... nothing special nothing that made it stand out...... I was hoping for something that made the characters love story interesting and them writing erotica was just not it in this case. I found myself not liking the characters and not even caring about them.

What do you do when your job essentially puts other people on the unemployment line? You suck it up and do what you're paid to do, no matter how much people put you down and question your morals. But what happens when the person who is the most vocal decides that you're a feast? (You'll have to read to find out!) Those are the problems faced by our FMC, Micah. Poor thing.

And our MMC, Aidan, is suffering from wondering how much longer he's going to have a job since Micah is consulting for the University to find out where the fat could be cut in his department. Will he be next on the chopping block? And who else should be blamed but poor Micah?

If you enjoy a good spicy, enemies to lovers book, then this book is definitely one you should pick up. Sarah did a great job with the tension in this book and of making the characters both likeable and loveable.

And Cindy Kay and J. F. Harding gave the book the extra pizzaz it needed to bring it to the next level. Kudos you two, kudos! Stand up and take a bow!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Review of book: Fun story! Enjoyed the actual content and found it engaging, but the characters were pretty poorly written. Micah was maybe the most frustrating FMC I’ve read in a while, every single decision she made was bad and her thoughts were not great. Aidan was more well written, but again FMCs reactions to his mistakes were out of proportion and not in an entertaining way. I love a book where they hate eachother but don’t know they like each other, this one missed the mark on characterization.

Audiobook: Enjoyable! Listened on 1.75x, found the male va more enjoyable than the woman but that could be because I didn’t love the character.