Thank you to NetGalley, Sloane Brooks, and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I adored this book! It's a fun, cozy read with quirky characters and great humor that had me laughing out loud. The fact that this book also discusses serious topics was a bonus. I heavily relate to both Courtney and Bryce. Courtney is tired of people judging and trying to fix her life. She wants to live in peace, whatever that looks like to her. Bryce has a hard time living his life without fearing that people he begins to care about won't leave, like the others did. They are an unlikely pair that get each other. Sometimes meeting the right person is messy and frustrating, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the journey. I need more books by Sloane Brooks. There was something special in the pages of this book. I highly recommend giving this book a try! Especially, if you love a cozy fantasy with Frenemies to lovers.

I really wanted to enjoy this one—the setup sounded fun and had a lot of potential. A snarky underachiever and a grumpy hermit thrown into a fantasy world and forced to become heroes? I’m usually all in. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t land for me.

The humor felt forced and repetitive, and the banter between the main characters didn’t evolve much beyond surface-level snark. Courtney’s whole “no goals” personality quickly became frustrating, and Bryce didn’t bring enough depth to balance her out. Their dynamic, which should’ve been fun and filled with tension, just felt exhausting.

The fantasy elements were more chaotic than charming—dragons, undead armies, peanut butter poisoning—it all seemed to exist for random laughs rather than meaningful plot or character growth. The story leaned too heavily on quirk without building a strong emotional core or narrative momentum.

It might work better for readers who enjoy irreverent, zany humor and don’t mind a meandering plot, but this just wasn’t my kind of escape. Glad I gave it a try, but I won’t be continuing with this world if there's more to come.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this book, but it was an absolute delight! So many, many funny moments that actually had me giggling out loud. Do yourself a favor: don’t do any research, just read this bonkers book! Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC.

The writing was good, the story flowed and had some interesting side characters but lacked in a big way for me. Sadly, It didn’t hold up for me.
I really wanted to love this book. I loved the books the blurb compared it to. Sadly I didn’t enjoy reading this story. It was 12 hours of adult toddlers snipping back and forth at each other. Then lead characters were not likable for me, I really disliked them both.They were just so childish and mean. This is something I don’t enjoy reading. I can’t personally recommend this book based on my taste.

This was such a fun book to escape into!

It had me bursting out laughing and everything! If you're in a slump, this will bring you right out of it!

This book is delightfully funny. I simply have to navigate away from themes of protagonist “overworked” or working a “ dead end job” etc currently as I myself am recovering from burnout. These themes tend to feel more insulting than relatable at the moment unfortunately. Yes. It’s a me thing.

Fit the right audience this book is wonderful. For me it didn’t connect.

I may end up buying this book later to enjoy but for now this is not for me.

Thank you for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

I've been looking forward to this book for months and it did not disappoint! The whole story is an engaging adventure that pokes fun at fantasy stereotypes and the idea of the Chosen One. The humor was great, and I loved Courtney and Bryce and their witty feud. Their journeys of self-discovery perfectly balanced the sillier aspects of the story.

I also liked the side characters, especially Kelly the skeleton and Greg the talking mouse. (There's really no easier way to gain my approval than to include a talking mouse in a fantasy story.)

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. I had a dopey grin on my face the entire time I was reading it. I also wish I could be best friends with this author because, based on her writing, she might be the comedic genius of a generation. With chapter titles like "In Which an Easily Avoidable Misunderstanding Leads to a Third-Act Breakup" and wholesome romantic thoughts like "maybe I was a trash fire, but I was Bryce's trash fire," what's not to love?

This is the story of Courtney, a burned out marketing manager, who never feels good enough and wants a simple life that requires no effort, and her neighbor Bryce, a constantly terrified accountant who works from home. They push each other away immediately upon meeting each other for *reasons*, and decide to become mortal enemies instead. Their banter and pranks are reminiscent of Sarah Hogle's You Deserve Each Other. Creative, insane, and laugh out loud funny.

Once they're pulled into a portal and forced to be heroes to save the kingdom, they form an uneasy alliance. The fantasy world is incredibly unique in that it feels like a video game, not a real world. This allows the author to play with so many fantasy stereotypes and turn them on their head. I won't spoil any of Courtney and Bryce's exploits, but these two flawed characters were such a joy to watch realize they're dummies in love.

NEED MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR!!! This is the most fun I've had reading a book in years. I laughed, I cried, I kicked my little feet. The plot, pacing, humor, characters, everything was 10/10, no notes. And to the editors --- I've read highly anticipated, big name titles this year (releases, already on shelves) with 5-1o typos in print. I am an editor/proofreader by heart, and I didn't find a single error in this ARC. But also, maybe it's because I was distracted by how good it is... Excellent job all around, you all deserve a raise. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book once it releases for my shelf, and I will be promoting it for a long time to come. I would give it infinity stars if I could.

I will not be making an official social media post until closer to the release date, but I will be hyping this book up everywhere I can until then!

4 stars

This was a cute story! I thought the premise was fun, and the banter was cute.

If you’re looking for a book that’s primarily banter, this is a book for you. There is a side cast of characters, but the primary focus in this book is our main couple, their banter, how they see themselves and how others see them.

The world is interesting, but I wished there was a bit more exploration in the world. It felt a bit lighter on the world building than I would have personally preferred!

Once again though, come for the banter, stay for the banter. If you want to read about two grumpy characters trying to save the world, then you’ll have a good time!

I don’t even have words to say how much I loved this book. This was hilarious and sweet, and had me laughing one moment and tearing up the next. The enemies to lovers between Courtney and Bryce was amazing, their bickering and banter, and the slow burn yearning was just perfect. The writing and humor is sharp and snarky, and the chapter title’s alone told me I was going to be entertained. The way Courtney and Bryce faced their fears, realizing that you don’t have to be perfect, that you can be broken and a mess and still love and be loved, was done so well and yet they never lost their snarky banter. This was definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

The Underachiever's Guide to Love and Saving the World is my new favorite read. The way every trope is turned on its head brought me so much joy. I appreciate the romance and build-up to everything. Killer emotional arcs and absolute laugh-out-loud moments on every page. I would recommend everyone read this if you're looking for ACTUALY comedy in a romcom.

The Underachiever’s Guide To Love and Saving the World is a somewhat cozy isekai adventure in which two self-described assholes compete to be the chosen one and try not to fall in love with each other along the way.

This is a character driven work - the magical storyline does not have much sense or substance to it.

I really liked Sloane Brooks’ tone, style, and subversiveness. The chapter titles are very funny.
I would definitely like to read more from the author so I hope this story is able to find the right audience.

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance review copy.

This book started off so freaking awesome. Like a parody of a fantasy Mel Brooks’ esque. Then around the 30% mark our FMC Courtney just became annoying to me. Still enjoyed this fantasy portal/fantasy romance twist but Courtney not so much.