My Review:

Jonah is from a wealthy family with connections, Sadie is from a poor family and is used to being deserted by her father, to add to it her mother passed away when she was young. Leaving her sister Chess to fend for both of them. Being older meant being very protective over Sadie.
Jonah and Sadie become each other’s fuel that drives them each on through mentally sparring with each other. At some point they reach a cease fire. Gently jabbing away at each other.
I enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables reference, and how they are from different worlds competing in the same pond.
Jodi has written this fun story well, it starts fast paced and evens itself out.
Both main characters are damaged from their childhoods, they’ve been battling it out for 15 years, when the time comes to go in different directions, things take a turn and the story builds on starting over with new insights. As they both move to support Jonah’s sister Fiona and dive into a new work opportunity with a catch.

‘Ticked all my romcom boxes. A super smart rivals to lovers, which was tender, sexy, snarky and full of big feelings’ SARRA MANNING, author of London, With Love

The Love Hypothesis meets The Hating Game in a new standalone romcom from New York Times acclaimed author and romance academic Jodi McAlister.

From rivals in the classroom. . . to partners in real life?

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have known each other for fifteen years – and they’ve disliked each other for every one of them. It started with a minor altercation in an undergrad literature class, but as their academic careers developed, so did the intensity of their arguments. By the time they graduate with their doctorates, they’re embroiled in a full-on rivalry.

So when a position comes up that Sadie and Jonah are both perfect for, their ongoing enmity explodes into a red-hot competition. But as Sadie fights to secure her future, she realises there might be a way for both of them to get their dream job. There’s just one catch – they’ll have to get married first.

When things get personal, though, Sadie will have to keep her eye on the prize. A fake marriage isn’t worth jeopardising her real career over, is it?

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Marriage of convenience
One Bed
He falls first

Readers are OBSSESSED with An Academic Affair!

‘GIVE IT THE BOOKER PRIZE!!!!!!!!! THE MILES FRANKLIN!!!!!! THE STELLA!!!!!!!! I BELIEVE IN LOVE AGAIN!! … This actually filled my lungs up with joy until I felt like they’d burst’ ?????

‘A fantastic read! I loved the enemies/academic rivals-to-lovers setup – Sadie and Jonah are EVERYTHING! This also had marriage of convenience and it was heartfelt, and their banter, THEIR BANTER! Yes please’  ?????

‘From the first sentence I was hooked. The sparkling and witty dialogue to the chemistry between Jonah and Sadie kept me up til ‘3am to finish because I couldn’t put it down’ ?????

‘Wow, wow wow!! This is my absolute favourite romcom of the year! An Academic Affair is such cute, funny, heartstring-tugger of a book’ ?????

‘I absolutely adored An Academic Affair …Sadie and Jonah’s chemistry was palpable … I couldn’t get enough of them as a couple. I’m already thinking about rereading it – it’s the kind of story that sticks with you!’

About the author

Jodi is both an author of a scholar of romance fiction. As an author, she’s the author of romance novels for both adults and young adults, including the Marry Me, Juliet trilogy and the Valentine trilogy. As a scholar, she’s written several academic books about romance and is the Vice President of the International Association for the Study of Popular