Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith was an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance that had me blushing and laughing from start to finish. Micah and Aidan had undeniable, tension-filled, steamy hot chemistry that you couldn’t help but find irresistible.

Cindy Kay and J.F. Harding performs this audiobook in dual narration. Both narrators fully embodied their characters, creating a spicy hot connection between Micah and Aidan. Cindy’s soft voice encompassed Micah’s uptight turned passionate persona peeling back all those guarded layers. J.F.’s smooth, warm tone conveyed Aidan’s smug turned supportive lover to Micah and her dreams.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of an enemies-to-lovers romance with a hot nerdy English professor, a feisty heroine dedicated to her auditing job, secret fan fic writing careers, all the tension, hate spice, snowed in, intimate conversations, finding your true passion, and a HEA that will make you smile, then you will love Mcah and Aidan’s romance. I’m looking forward to more from Sarah Echavarre Smith.

I liked both narrators actually, my problems were with the story itself. I DNFd at around 40% of the way through. The two main characters behave like middle schoolers. Their pranks to each other were immature and I found there wasn’t enough tension or build up in the hating but not really aspect of the story. It had potential, unfortunately I could not get past how insufferable both main characters were. The fan fiction part was kind of funny. Not my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the Advance Listener Copy.

Micah Mila is auditing a university in Tennessee and sitting in in classes, critiquing professors on how they can retain students in their classroom.

Aiden a professor in the same university where Mila is auditing, finds it a waste of time. He and Mila start off on the wrong foot and starts turning their professional relationship into a hateful one.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, close proximity, secret romance

Mila and Aiden started off in a bit of rocky start but Im glad they found their common love for writing spicy fanfic. I felt they had really good chemistry and the spicy parts were spicy-ing! 🌶

I was able to relate to the story because I am also Filipino and found the "pancit" reference to be noteworthy because Filipino representation is very important to me.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Sarah Echavarre Smith for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Much Ado About Hating You is spicy, smart, and seriously fun. Enemies by day, secret fanfic lovers by night? Yes please. Cindy Kay and J.F. Harding bring the heat with pitch-perfect narration—sass, steam, and all the Shakespearean smut your heart desires. Aidan’s dirty talk? 10/10. Micah’s fire? Unmatched. The pacing lags briefly, but this hot nerd romance totally delivers.

Oh my goodness, it so did not flow naturally.

Just like this absolutely horrendous chunk of repetitive text that I pulled out from the book, it was stilted, exposition heavy, and the language was deeply puerile. I almost feel bad for saying this about a book whose secondary message is that it’s snobbish and rude to be judgmental of spicy romance novels but I spent an unreasonable amount of time reading this novel wondering how in the hell these characters could possibly be considered adults. Their internal thoughts (and their dialogue) all felt so juvenile in nature that I not only had a difficult time seeing these characters being taken seriously both as writers and in their careers.

Accepting Aidan as an English Literature Professor was incredibly difficult given his behavior and the immature way he spoke; accepting Micah as a reasonable adult at all was even more difficult. These two people were absolutely horrific to each other and while I can understand tension between them due to the nature of Micah’s job and Aidan’s situation, none of that excuses the manner in which she blew quite literally everything out of proportion—the name, Aidan pointing out her wardrobe malfunctions, etc—and the awful ways they behaved toward each other in the name of hatred and sabotage. And when the writing is terrible on top of it, I had an incredibly rough time forgiving anything I read (let’s just say I inwardly cringed every time the word “hot” was used).

Character development is basically nonexistent. Having your characters completely drop their hatred of each other thirty seconds after learning they’d been chatting online does not amount to character development. They never truly work through all the immature and cruel behavior and commentary they engaged with toward each other and all of this just made the epilogue of this story far more cringe-inducing. At this point I’m rather convinced that the book as a whole was just an excuse to write a whole cluster of sex scenes because, once they get started, they just keep on going. And while these scenes can add to a story, I truly don’t think they did so in this book.

In the end, I can’t help feeling left quite disappointed. I’d really been looking forward to reading Much Ado About Hating You, but I’m left thinking that the only thing I actually liked about this book was its cover. Despite the promise of the synopsis, I honestly can’t think of a single thing I liked about these characters. And that’s a shame.

J. F. Harding did a pretty good job with his narration but I couldn’t stand Cindy Kay’s voice—though some of this may have been related to how much I hated Micah as a character.

Based on the description, it had a ton of potential, and while it was a quick and easy read, I didn’t completely fall in love with the story or, more specifically, the characters. Their behavior with each other lacked maturity, and instead of working professional adults, it gave school-age or early college vibes. Just didn’t totally jive with what I anticipated from them.

I thought that this was really cute! I loved that the FMC was Filipino like me, because I haven’t read a lot of romance novels with Asian characters. I loved the enemies to lovers and how they were unknowingly talking to each other online. I also loved that the chapters the characters were writing were shown in the story. Am I also too early in hoping that the next book is about Aidans brother and co worker?? 4.5 🌟

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook!!!

3.75 ⭐️

I’ll be honest—I wasn’t loving this book at first. That surprised me because I usually enjoy a good rivals/enemies-to-lovers dynamic, especially when it’s paired with a workplace romance. But the level of pettiness in the beginning really threw me off. As someone in their 30s, I just couldn’t relate to all the prank wars and childish behavior. It felt a bit much, and I had to pause reading for a few days.

That said, once I got back into it, I started enjoying it more—especially their online banter. The fanfics scenes … now those were HOT, if you ask me. I also loved the way the ending and epilogue were written through the fanfic format—very cute and definitely suited the couple. Oh, and can we please get more about Aiden’s brother? I just know hockey boy is hot and need to know what happened w Kendall (I think that’s her name).

As for the audiobook: I didn’t love the FMC’s narrator. Her delivery made the FMC come across more immature than I think she was meant to be. I’ve listened to other books narrated by her and didn’t have this same feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ALC—I really appreciate the opportunity to listen early!

This book had dual narrators and they truly embody their characters. They did an excellent job. Enemies to lovers is a trope I will forever love so I wanted to read this book and it did not disappoint. Interesting side stories that are spicy Shakespearean stories which I thought was wild, but also had me turning pages faster to see what would happen next. The MMC is very realistic to the point I truly hated him at first. It was nice to see him have growth in the book.

I sure do love a Shakespearean romance! And I adored several aspects of this book.
Aidan is a professor at a university that hired Micah to do an audit and make suggestions for cutting classes, staff, and curriculum. They immediately start things off on the wrong foot and are at each other’s throats. Little do they know, they’re actually recently online pen pals because Aidan writes sexy fanfic and it’s Micah’s favorite thing to read in her down time.

OK I LOVED HOW THIS ALL PANNED OUT. I think it was immaculate that as soon as Micah was suspicious that Aidan was the writer, she immediately checked and told him that she was his online pen pal. I think this aspect is usually super drawn out in books and causes so much tension and guilt, but this immediate addressing of it made me so happy.

I thought their story was very cute and I loved watching it develop. It was a cute romcom and I would definitely read more from Sarah Exchavarre Smith!!

Audiobook wise - the production was so good. Both narrators beautifully executed their roles and brought the story to life excellently. I really enjoyed it!!!

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and Harlequin Audio! Thank you so much for the ARC!! <3

“Much Ado About Hating You” is like ordering a spicy enemies-to-lovers with extra fanfic drizzle, only to find out the kitchen ran out of emotional depth and the story structure’s on break. This book wants to be your next favorite rom-com. It’s got the grumpy academic, the snarky interloper, the anonymous online flirtation — the ingredients are there. But instead of sizzling, it mostly simmers... and simmers... until the plot just quietly evaporates into thin air.

Micah Mila shows up to a college campus with one goal: gut the English department like it’s a budgetary crime scene. She’s a sharp corporate auditor who doesn’t have time for tenure whining or poetic egos. Enter Aidan Scott, the moody professor who reacts to budget cuts like someone keyed his car and insulted Virginia Woolf. Their first interaction is pure chaos, and it only escalates from there — petty insults, professional sabotage, and the kind of verbal sparring that feels one HR report away from disaster.

But of course, they’re also anonymously thirsting over each other on a fanfic app. Because why stop at one rom-com trope when you can speed-run the whole damn trope challenge? And honestly, the premise is gold — enemies at work, lovers online, no clue they’re the same person — but the execution? It’s giving discount "You’ve Got Mail."

Let’s talk about the spice, because that’s where this book cashes its checks. The scenes are steamy, detailed, and absolutely channel that fanfic energy. If you came for the heat, you’ll get your fix. But once the post-coital glow fades, you’re back to two people whose emotional connection is thinner than printer paper. I’m all for some good tension-fueled hooking up, but I also need to believe that these two people should be together — not just that they’re horny and conveniently located.

Micah’s twin sister shows up to drop a few pearls of wisdom — some of which hit, and one of which definitely should’ve been left on read. Aidan’s younger brother makes a brief appearance, but it’s more of a walk-on role than any real contribution. It’s a shame, really, because they’re the closest thing this book has to characters with boundaries — and even they are wobbly.

The relationship arc here is more like a series of vibes than an actual progression. One minute they’re fighting, the next they’re flirting, then they’re full-on hate-kissing in a conference room — rinse, repeat. I wanted character growth, emotional payoff, some actual evolution. What I got was two messy people making each other messier while pretending it’s romantic.

Narrated by Cindy Kay and J. F. Harding, the audiobook delivery was solid — both brought the characters to life with chemistry and clarity that the text itself sometimes fumbled. Big thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for early access to the audiobook, which honestly elevated the experience.

Final thoughts? It’s not a disaster. It’s just a beautiful mess that never quite lands. The concept deserved better, and so did Micah, honestly. I’m giving it 3 stars — one for the setup, one for the spice, and one for the emotional support twin who hopefully gets a therapist.

Very spicy! I liked the premise for the plot, but the execution left something to desire. I liked the fan-fic weaved into the story, I wish there was more of that actually! You couldn't feel the chemistry between the main characters. It was entertaining and OK, but I don't really think I'll be recommending this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook!

For the bookworms and the hot nerds—this one's for you.

Think: Shakespeare, but make it sexy. This office romance delivers lust at first sight, enemies-to-lovers tension, and the perfect dose of witty banter. Our leads? Smut writers serious chemistry and even more serious unresolved tension.

It's flirty, filthy, and full of heart. If you love your romance with brains, banter, and spice, Much Ado About Hating You needs to be at the top of your TBR.

I was having a hard time eating this but I think I've decided there were too many red flags from both the FMC and MMC to recommend the book. It wasn't atrocious but it wasn't worth the time. Spice scenes were okay, I suppose.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this title. I attest that I am writing this review voluntarily and honestly.

I was so intrigued by a Shakespearean themed enemies to lovers book but this just didn’t do it for me. Not even the inclusion of fanfic writings and dynamics could save it for me. The two lead characters were a walking HR violation and they were just so mean to each other! I found it really hard to root for them and eventually just gave up trying. I’m sure this is the perfect enemies to lovers dynamic for a different reader but it’s just not for me :(

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this. I really enjoyed this fast steamy listen! Good chemistry between the main characters and cute storyline. Would recommend on audio really liked the dual narration.

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so I was excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately, the plot felt flat and the characters were more frustrating than fun. The narrators did a great job with the audiobook, but overall, the story didn’t live up to my expectations.

This was really interesting to listen to as Micah has to review each professor to see of it worth it to have the class or professor assign to it. her company trying to cut losses and Aiden is not happy about it. Many teacher fear of lossing their jobs. So Aiden goes to fhe Dean to see if they can fire her from her Job.
The story progress as a slowburn a d the conflict wasnt neccessary my opinion but like any book we need the drama.

narrated by Cindy Kay; J. F. Harding

Very cool concept with the two main characters having an enemy-to-lovers quarrel. Aidan and Micah were filled with a little too much hatred at the start of the book for me, but I stuck it out! I liked that Aidan and Micah both loved writing and were on the Scribblers writing website. If you like spice, this book is for you! A lot of spice in this story.

This was kind of a mixed bag for me. The premise of this book sounded right up my alley and I do think the beginning was quite strong. But then it kind of quickly unraveled to what the heck just happened, where did these feelings come from, wham bam love you okay bye. I think there was a lot of potential for this book to be great if some of the emotions were fleshed out a little more and the characters relationship developed a little more. It seemed very surface level.

This next part is probably just a personal preference, but other people may feel the same way. I love enemies/rivals to lovers, especially in an academic setting when it's based in the real world. A problem I have with it though sometimes is when the characters are cooking up schemes to get back at each other and the antics end up being very juvenile, verging on cringey. This was not the worst I have seen, but it was getting pretty close. It's especially annoying when the MMC says something so misogynistic with no regrets and it's just glossed over, forgotten about, or is resolved with a halfhearted sorry. Kind of ruins my view of them the rest of the way.

The spice was written very well and was kind of the star of the show. I did really enjoy how the fanfic writing was intertwined throughout the story and how Aidan and Micah used it as a means to communicate their feelings, thoughts, and desires. The ending was saved from being a complete disaster because of the fanfic. That was cute.

I listened to this as an audiobook and this was a quick, easy listen. I really like Cindy Kay as a narrator. Her voice is so distinct.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for a chance to listen to this ALC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.