(affiliate link)
Are you the kind of reader that rolls your eyes at common tropes of the romance genre? Fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, all of it feels too unrealistic and contrived? Then An Academic Affair is the perfect romance book for your cynical heart. I came across a copy through the Libro.fm ALC program.
Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since the earliest days of their undergrad. Fifteen years later, they find themselves in direct competition once again for the dream job: a permanent lecturer position that promises the kind of stability and career progression that every academic desires. Somehow, the ‘solution’ is for Sadie and Jonah to get married. Yes, it’s a marriage-of-convenience, and yes, it sounds ridiculous, but in An Academic Affair, McAlister makes it work.
I loved, loved, the self-awareness of this romantic comedy. The characters openly acknowledge and discuss the ridiculousness of the marriage-of-convenience trope, even as they’re living it. McAlister gently plays with other tropes of the romance genre, too, even the much-maligned miscommunication storyline (crucially, in this version, the miscommunication does not occur between the romantic leads, and yet it still has a major impact on their relationship).
An Academic Affair might be the first slow burn romance I’ve ever read that didn’t have me teeth-gnashingly impatient by the fourth or fifth chapter. Sadie and Jonah’s relationship evolved very naturally, and by the time they hooked up, it felt both inevitable and satisfying.
My only criticism would be that the ending felt a bit abrupt – and the epilogue very chunky, as McAlister crammed a whole bunch of loose-end-tying into the final moments. That wasn’t enough to dull the shine of An Academic Affair for me, though. I loved, loved, loved it.
Read An Academic Affair on audiobook via Libro.fm here. (affiliate link)
July 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM
crucially, in this version, the miscommunication does not occur between the romantic leads, and yet it still has a major impact on their relationship
Ooh, this sounds like a really interesting way of handling it. I hate the miscommunication stuff because it fills me with frustration in most cases (“trust each other just a little bit, drat it!”, “talk about it for goodness’ sake!”) and because it becomes so repetitive, but this sounds like an interesting way to add barriers without them feeling so ridiculous…
July 17, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Yep, exactly – it was really cleverly done!