Author: Jodi McAlister
Year published: 2025
Category: Adult fiction (romance)
Pages: 416 pages
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): Australia
Summary: Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since they first crossed paths as undergraduates in the literature department thirteen years ago. Now that a highly coveted teaching opportunity has come up, their rivalry hits epic proportions. Jonah needs the job to move closer to his recently divorced sister and her children, while Sadie needs the financial security and freedom of a full-time teaching position.
When Sadie notices that the job offers partner hire, however, she hatches a plot to get them both the job. All they must do is get legally married. It’s a simple win-win solution but when sparks begin to fly, it becomes clear that despite their education, these two may not have thought this whole thing through.
Review: Ah, a good contemporary romance amongst all the nonfiction that I am reading. And a good one at that. The fisr few pages of this novel might be a bit off-putting or too much for some readers; it's very academic-laden. I know, the word academic is in the title, but I didn't expect quite this level of detail. It's not a surprise though as the author is a professor. But, I come from a family of academics/university types so this worked for me. She also has footnotes throughout the book so really keeps with the academic feel of it all, which I liked.
I haven't read a romance with a fake marriage trope before so it was nice to read a new version of one of my favorite genres. Sadie and Jonah argue and fight with each other all the time. That level of passion can easily signal passion of another kind and the author did a good job of showing that, while they drive each other crazy professionally (at first), falling in love doesn't seem so far-fetched.
This genre often ends with a happily ever after where everything is sorted out by the final page. This book is about 90% there, which I appreciated. Everything isn't perfect, there are still some things to sort out, and I think that's appropriate. I also like that Sadie and Jonah's sisters feature large in the story. They are important relationships that tell us more about the characters, bring deeper dynamics to the plot and emotions, and show the importance and infuluence of family.
I will definitely look out for other novels by this author.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Bookish--academia, writing, publishing
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