This felt incredibly of the moment. It captures connection, identity, and communication that shape digital spaces that feel really timely in 2026. The whole story honestly gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes, and this book is for the extremely literary crowd. NYC bookstores, publishing drama, review critics, and people who live and breathe books and language.

It’s a love letter to words! Rioghnach writes with care that makes the dialogue and emotional tension feel alive, especially the banter between Parker and Selina. Their romance moves from genuine animosity into something pretty consuming. I just couldn’t wait to get there...my reason for not giving it five stars is that I wasn’t always itching to immediately pick it back up when I put it down. It felt like a slower start for me.

I loved seeing characters in their 30s navigating ambition, and identity, and I really appreciated the AAPI representation and mental health rep. All the characters felt so grounded!! The social commentary is smart and naturally fits. It’s thoughtful, well written, and an emotional novel that will especially hit the narrative for readers who love books about books, language, and love stories.

I read it so early (before the cover drop) but I can’t wait for more people to read it. The cover is literally giving LITERARY ROMANCE. So fitting to the story! It’s perfect.

everything they're saying about this book is true!! hands down!!

i didn't want to stop reading!! as someone who loves a good enemies to lovers and LIVES for the tense back and forth, i was invested in this book from the very beginning. rioghnach sets the tone so quickly and you can feel the hate, distrust and animosity between parker and selina right off the bat. like?!! it was so GOOD!! in person, through social media, through email, their banter (is it called banter if it's just attacking the other 👀) was so perfect.

and then comes the moment of oh. . . this person is actually different than i thought & wait they're really hot & oh i really like to talk to them & maybe we could be friends? god i was eating it up!!!! such a perfect set-up and i love love love how their relationship builds and builds and builds. i was on the edge of my seat, butterflies in my stomach, waiting to see how it all played out.

and yes i cried. HARD. bc rioghnach is a wordmaster. she makes you feel every single thing in the moment & you can't help but feel like it happened to you to. i was broken and then put back together.

another thing i loved about this book is how rioghnach tackled some really hard topics in such an authentic way. struggles with mental health, suicidal ideation and being a child of immigrants. i've had close friends who have struggled with all three of these things and knowing their experiences, i think rioghnach captured everything so perfectly. i really really appreciate that she didn't hide away from the messy & instead dug into it. i think you see so much growth throughout both parker & selina's stories bc of it & and it makes their romance that much more impactful.

i cannot recommend this book enough & i cannot wait for the world to read parker & selina's story & to obsess with everyone over how freaking amazing their story is.

thank you SO MUCH St. Martins Press for the arc! this is my honest review.

Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson is a remarkable novel, one that left me feeling as though I'd been through the wringer, in all good ways! Although I found the first half a little slow as the premise was set up and expanded, Parker, the author who wrote his first novel which Selina, the critic eviscerated in her review, which led to his second novel four years later which she was again panned, by the time they meet I was fully immersed. As their relationship develops you'll have to draw your own conclusions on whether you can support it, or whether they're both crazy to attempt being friends, but the author deftly strikes a beautiful balance in keeping you guessing and giving you exactly what you want. I loved this novel!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not usually one for reviews that exceed a single line of text, but for Selina Chan, I’ll make an exception. I will also, in all likelihood, go purchase a few magazine subscriptions after I post this.

Go ahead and queue up “My Ego Dies At The End” by Jensen McRae

Fave quotes:
- Parker: “No offense, Selina, but who outside publishing thinks this is interesting?”
- Selina: “I was in the presence not of greatness but of goodness, something so warm and expansive that it counterbalanced everything else that people were capable of.”
- Parker: “If I’ve ever said anything that mattered, I said it to you.”
- Selina: “I would love him right into my own uncertainty.”

This novel swallowed me whole with its literati setting, succulent prose, and disastrously charming characters. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say it will be culture shaping, or overgenerous to claim that (unlike Parker’s books, in Selina’s opinion) it executes on everything it promises.

Despite the winks at the publishing industry the author allows (a joke about too many books these days starring novelists, Parker asking Selina if she thinks anyone outside the industry cares about its niche drama), my obsession with this story had nothing to do with my proximity to the industry. Though set in publishing, the relationship portrayed here (between an artist and a critic) could be transmuted to any industry and the message would hold: that criticism makes for better art, better stories, and better music. That it’s vital to our ecosystem, and must be protected as its own form of creative expression. That there is nothing so remarkable as holding onto conviction in your opinions.

I will of course rate this book 5 stars because I loved it, but I’ll put it in people’s hands and recommend it because I want to start opinionated, varied conversations. I think that’s what would make Parker and Selina most proud.

I’ll close with a metaphor that Selina would probably say circles the point instead of making one, but I’m an author and, like Parker, sometimes I’m prone to overwritten nonsense:

In the finale of Season 1 of The Final Table on Netflix, three-starred Michelin chef Grant Achatz is arguing against his fellow judges, who want give first place to the more experimental, gastronomically fancy dish, even though it doesn’t taste as good. But Achatz — known himself for experimental, gastronomically fancy food — wants to give first place to the homier, more appetizing dish. He says [paraphrased]: “Is it not the ultimate charge of a chef to serve you something delicious?" I think about this all the time. I think about this world-renowned innovator reminding everyone in his industry that food can't be award-winning if it isn't also good.

Selina, here’s your point: It’s the ultimate charge of an author to write a great book, and BAD WORDS is precisely that.

I slowly began to hear chatter about this book coming out in October. Enemies to lovers, set in the publishing world— I had to read it! To say I loved it would be an understatement. Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson deserves the hype and everyone is going to be talking about it come release.

On a writing level I loved it! It had me feeling all the feels: giddy, smiling, angry, sad. The characters were real. I loved Parker and Selina. The side characters were so well written and intentional added so much to the story.

I love a book that includes email and text correspondence and wow(!) does this deliver. I had such a smile on my face reading this.

Bad Words is a romance, but there is a lot of build up to that point. Well worth the journey and it made the romance and emotions feel so real.

Highly recommend Bad Words! I cannot wait to read anything Robinson writes next. This will be one of my favorites of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book!

I am convinced that I just read something that has been etched on the soul of this author for, possibly, their whole life. Bad Words isn’t just a romance novel, it’s a gentle soap box that was stood on to speak about art, writing & the human experience in these present days. What a treasure. A part of me wants to say there’s some magic in these pages, but I know that is just not true—it’s humanity, Prometheus’ ever-glowing flame, that’s what’s here. It grabbed me by my shoulders & made me so glad to exist in a world of people who are vulnerable enough to share their thoughts with the world. With me. GOSH. I just loved this so much.

Bad Words is the PERFECT marriage of, say, a more contemporary fiction vibe with a romance. This story was so meta & eye opening to the world of modern authorship, but also so perfectly romantic & filled with delicious tension. Selina Chan, you will always be famous to me. Ugh. I love her so much, I just wanted to crawl into the book & tell her how amazing she was. & Parker, that sweet, sweet fool—of course I see my own reflection in you, the person who sees themself as a pawn for keeping peace. This book will not be everyone’s cup of tea, ESPECIALLY in the romance sphere. But, man, if you want to watch a tenuous relationship naturally unfurl to love & understanding & maybe think about what you say a bit more, Bad Words is your girl. It’s so easy for us nowadays to see people & drama & to throw our opinions around, & I think Bad Words is a timely story to remember the human being behind the smoke & mirrors.

5 ⭐️. There is not one bad word I could say about this book <3 thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press & their Early Reader Program for this eARC & also to NetGalley. LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Genuinely hyperventilating & sobbing. RTC <3

A literary romance. A tale of two artists and why art (and love) is so important.

An enemies to lovers romance between a fledging author and book critic, who slowly realize they have much more in common than they first believed.

A war of who is most stubborn, but also so much more. A war of if/why criticism has a space in the book industry.

This book challenged me with its commentary and made me smarter. It feels very timely and poignant.

An engaging and satisfying read about art, love, writing, and figuring out how to say what you mean.

Parker's second novel is about to be published. He is excited until his least favorite literary critic publishes another scathing review of his work. Selina and Parker have a public fight but, privately, they being to develop confusing feelings for one another. Is it love? Is it hate? Or something much more complicated?

This was lovely. Readers are treated to both Parker's and Selina's perspectives, and it was a delight to see their relationship develop over emails, texts, and in-person.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I won't delve into the blurb of the book too much cause I would never be able to succinctly put into words what this book about made me feel, but ill try: Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson is an ode and a challenge to three things: Asian familial dynamics, the publishing industry, and criticisms.

The first thing it did was made me feel SEEN, I might be south asian but the family dynamics in all of asia are more of less the same, the loud boisterous family of Parker where he feels like he's never heard, and no matter how hard he tries there's always another fire to put out. In contrast to Selina's family where you are heard but never seen. The book does a brilliant job to explore both the dynamics.

The second thing this book does is question how does one critique art for art's sake and not to chase a viral moment. It questions the responsibility we share as readers and reviewers and the author's ability to be able to shrug off criticism and not let it affect them.

the third thing this book does is show a beautiful private relationship, full of YEARNING, stolen moments, vulnerability, and honesty in the background of an ugly, nasty public feud, where people have already decided who you are. The even more beautiful part of the story is that neither Selina or Parker change themselves to fit one another, they learn to grow next to each other and come to appreciate their shared jagged edges as something to be love.

I would have happily read another 100 pages of this sarcastic, headstrong, contradicting couple because of how well they work together.

a HUGE thanks to Rioghnach Robinson, Amelia Beckerman, and St.Martin's Press for this advance reader copy

As a reader, a writer, and a lover of all things bookish, this novel was an easy 5-star book. The writing is excellent, and the characters are well-developed. Robinson is creative and has crafted a beautiful story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I'M OBSESSED! Everything you've heard about this book is true -- it is the best romance I've read in years (and I've read a lot of romance!!). I love books about publishing and this is a true love letter to the publishing industry and book lovers. Both Selina and Parker are real, complex characters who just love novels the way I do. It is a also a true enemies to lovers, where there are actual stakes involved and reasons why they hate each other, while still creating a compelling, believable romance. A perfect reminder of why I love to read and why fiction matters.

Perfect for fans of literary romance and Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I feel like this book was written for me specifically.

Bad words left me with only good thoughts.

In fact, for a very well named book, I can say I will ONLY have good words - and that is just so clever of this author.
If you took Pride & Prejudice, made it modern, swapped gender based personality norms and added a dash of smutty deliciousness, you would end up with something like BAD WORDS. Something, because this book cannot be replicated.

It was perfect. When Parker's novel is torn town by the city's toughest literary critic, it destroys his life and confidence. Now, armed with his sophomore attempt, Selina Chan has her hands on the book, and a lot of pressure from the new owners of her company.

What results is one of the best books I've ever read. This will be one I recommend for years to come. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy, my pre-order is confirmed for October 6th.

Picking up a novel by an author I’ve never read is always a mystery. How could I have known that this novel would be one of the loveliest I’ve ever read ? The writing is exquisite. The protagonists who co-narrated, are so well developed and described that I would know them if we passed on a street.

The novel is narrated by Parker Navarro, an author, and Selina Chan, a literary critic. It’s an Asian Hepburn/Tracy, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE love story that the author has created, combining the elements of a romance (a meet ugly not cute) with the ability to write on a level that generally eludes romance writers.

As a reviewer, I was very taken with Selina and the integrity which a critic should aspire to. Writing reviews is often difficult, even for a non-professional like me. Hard to pan a book that someone has put years of their life into writing, but being honest comes with writing reviews.

As a woman, I have a crush on Parker, brilliant, sensitive, and needy enough to make some errors in judgment which alienates him from his community and Selina.


I HIGHLY recommend this novel to all my readers. Without a doubt, this will be one of my favorites of 2026. I got pue pleasure getting to know Parker and Selina. I found myself genuinely delighted with the way Robinson managed to create a perfect and satisfying ending.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. I could not have hoped for a better experience as a reader and reviewer.