What do you think?
Rate this book
Much Ado About Hating You
Enemies by day. Spicy fanfic author and devoted reader by night.
Things are about to get downright Shakespearean.
All’s fair in love. And war. And fandom.
Financial auditor Micah Mila is used to being the bearer of bad news. But her latest assignment in the local university’s English department has been especially taxing, no thanks to a literature professor who clashes with her at every turn. Thankfully, she has an after-hours reading spicy Shakespearean fanfic.
Professor Aidan Scott is damn good at his job. But Micah has been a thorn in his side since the moment he laid eyes on her—eyes that really like what they see. But with his job on the line, there’s no room for distractions. At least, not beyond the sexy fanfic he secretly writes.
When Micah discovers the man getting under her skin is the writer heating her up, their enemy vibe turns steamy. But with Micah’s audit due and Aidan’s career at risk, separating fantasy from reality becomes more than a little complicated…
From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…
Church Girl by Naima Simone
Break Point by Yahrah St. John
Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer by A.H. Cunningham
Things are about to get downright Shakespearean.
All’s fair in love. And war. And fandom.
Financial auditor Micah Mila is used to being the bearer of bad news. But her latest assignment in the local university’s English department has been especially taxing, no thanks to a literature professor who clashes with her at every turn. Thankfully, she has an after-hours reading spicy Shakespearean fanfic.
Professor Aidan Scott is damn good at his job. But Micah has been a thorn in his side since the moment he laid eyes on her—eyes that really like what they see. But with his job on the line, there’s no room for distractions. At least, not beyond the sexy fanfic he secretly writes.
When Micah discovers the man getting under her skin is the writer heating her up, their enemy vibe turns steamy. But with Micah’s audit due and Aidan’s career at risk, separating fantasy from reality becomes more than a little complicated…
From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…
Church Girl by Naima Simone
Break Point by Yahrah St. John
Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer by A.H. Cunningham
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2025
51 people are currently reading
7670 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 499 reviews
May 12, 2025
Oh boy. I just really thought this would be fun. It was just very basic. The enemies to lovers was been there done that. The hockey player turned Shakespeare prof felt very surface level. The sex scenes were hot but did nothing for me.
The writing was nice, though, and it was a quick read. Also his brother seems like he has potential 👀 Plus, the audiobook was well produced and I liked the narrators.
*Spoilers Below*
On the ending: If she doesn’t return the report…SOMEONE ELSE IS GONNA. Wouldn’t they prefer someone who has compassion (her) do the job rather than someone potentially worse? He got with her knowing her job and he was a big wimp about the whole thing. He was completely unreasonable and a whiny baby to his boss too idk like he was kinda of a child.
He doesn’t wanna lose his job so she’s gotta lose hers? Yep! The way it’s written, it feels like she’s now only dissatisfied with her job *because of* him which feels like a cop out. Also you’re telling me her parents gave her money to pay off her debt and now she can just quit her job with absolutely no prospects to speak of? Books don’t need to be relatable but damn if this isn’t a giant eye roll. Oof.
⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I received an ALC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.
The writing was nice, though, and it was a quick read. Also his brother seems like he has potential 👀 Plus, the audiobook was well produced and I liked the narrators.
*Spoilers Below*
On the ending: If she doesn’t return the report…SOMEONE ELSE IS GONNA. Wouldn’t they prefer someone who has compassion (her) do the job rather than someone potentially worse? He got with her knowing her job and he was a big wimp about the whole thing. He was completely unreasonable and a whiny baby to his boss too idk like he was kinda of a child.
He doesn’t wanna lose his job so she’s gotta lose hers? Yep! The way it’s written, it feels like she’s now only dissatisfied with her job *because of* him which feels like a cop out. Also you’re telling me her parents gave her money to pay off her debt and now she can just quit her job with absolutely no prospects to speak of? Books don’t need to be relatable but damn if this isn’t a giant eye roll. Oof.
⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I received an ALC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.
March 26, 2025
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but damn was it a fun fast paced book. I binged it within a couple hours and I’ve not done that in so long.
The chemistry was so hot 😮💨🪭 it did feel like it went from zero to hundred at first but I don’t care I had funnnn
Their annoyance to mutual hatred had me cackling. But their soft moments were so cute.
I liked aidens brother as a character. I’m hoping he gets a book 🤭
The writing needs a bit of work because there was a lot of telling and less showing but I never felt like it was a hindrance to the story itself.
The concept had me intrigued and it really did live up to my expectations in that sense. But it also didn’t play out the way I was dreading and I couldn’t be more happier.
The ending did drag a little but other than that I had a great time.
ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and Mills & Boon | Afterglow Books for the ARC! ♥︎
The chemistry was so hot 😮💨🪭 it did feel like it went from zero to hundred at first but I don’t care I had funnnn
Their annoyance to mutual hatred had me cackling. But their soft moments were so cute.
I liked aidens brother as a character. I’m hoping he gets a book 🤭
The writing needs a bit of work because there was a lot of telling and less showing but I never felt like it was a hindrance to the story itself.
The concept had me intrigued and it really did live up to my expectations in that sense. But it also didn’t play out the way I was dreading and I couldn’t be more happier.
The ending did drag a little but other than that I had a great time.
ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and Mills & Boon | Afterglow Books for the ARC! ♥︎
February 23, 2025
i wanted to love this book. the premise had everything I adore—academic rivals, secret identities, spicy fanfic, and Shakespearean drama. but somewhere along the way, this story went from Much Ado About Nothing to A Comedy of Errors, and not in the good way.
first off Micah and Aidan have the chemistry of two wet socks stuck together in the dryer—full of friction but not the fun kind. their “banter” felt less like sizzling tension and more like an HR violation waiting to happen. i love a good enemies-to-lovers arc, but these two spent so much time bickering that by the time they got together, I felt like I had been third-wheeling an office argument for 300 pages.
and let’s talk about the big twist: Micah, a dedicated reader of spicy Shakespearean fanfic, discovers that the man she’s been professionally (and personally) at war with is, in fact, her favorite fanfic writer. cue dramatic gasps, *GASP!!!* except instead of this revelation leading to any real tension or depth, it just led to some truly unhinged decision-making. GIRL, you find out your academic nemesis has been writing the exact kind of smut you love, and instead of riding that train straight into OTP bliss, you… continue being mad for 100 more pages???? gtfo
also, Aidan dude, your entire career is on the line, maybe don’t spend so much time thirst-posting in the fanfic trenches. i respect the dedication to the craft, but priorities, my guy. the Shakespearean nods were fun at first, but after the fifth dramatic monologue about love and fate, i started feeling like I was trapped in a high school English class where the teacher insists on reading Romeo and Juliet in an accent. by the end, I was less interested in whether Micah and Aidan would end up together and more interested in seeing if the university would just fire them both and put us all out of our misery.
—
sigh that being said, if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers fueled by pure chaos, dramatic misunderstandings, and academic pettiness, you might have a better time than i did. as for me, i need to go cleanse my palate with some actual Shakespearean fanfic. preferably one where the characters have more sense than these two......
thank you Harlequin Romance for an early copy. much appreciated.
first off Micah and Aidan have the chemistry of two wet socks stuck together in the dryer—full of friction but not the fun kind. their “banter” felt less like sizzling tension and more like an HR violation waiting to happen. i love a good enemies-to-lovers arc, but these two spent so much time bickering that by the time they got together, I felt like I had been third-wheeling an office argument for 300 pages.
and let’s talk about the big twist: Micah, a dedicated reader of spicy Shakespearean fanfic, discovers that the man she’s been professionally (and personally) at war with is, in fact, her favorite fanfic writer. cue dramatic gasps, *GASP!!!* except instead of this revelation leading to any real tension or depth, it just led to some truly unhinged decision-making. GIRL, you find out your academic nemesis has been writing the exact kind of smut you love, and instead of riding that train straight into OTP bliss, you… continue being mad for 100 more pages???? gtfo
also, Aidan dude, your entire career is on the line, maybe don’t spend so much time thirst-posting in the fanfic trenches. i respect the dedication to the craft, but priorities, my guy. the Shakespearean nods were fun at first, but after the fifth dramatic monologue about love and fate, i started feeling like I was trapped in a high school English class where the teacher insists on reading Romeo and Juliet in an accent. by the end, I was less interested in whether Micah and Aidan would end up together and more interested in seeing if the university would just fire them both and put us all out of our misery.
—
sigh that being said, if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers fueled by pure chaos, dramatic misunderstandings, and academic pettiness, you might have a better time than i did. as for me, i need to go cleanse my palate with some actual Shakespearean fanfic. preferably one where the characters have more sense than these two......
thank you Harlequin Romance for an early copy. much appreciated.
Read
May 17, 2025DNF @ 50%
I don’t know what was worse—the book itself, the cringey messages between the characters, or the fan fiction subplot.
Wait, never mind—I do. It was all of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harley Quinn audio for the ALC!
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
I’m expecting serious tension—this cover looks like it’s packed with it. If it’s not, I’m going to lose it.
I don’t know what was worse—the book itself, the cringey messages between the characters, or the fan fiction subplot.
Wait, never mind—I do. It was all of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harley Quinn audio for the ALC!
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
I’m expecting serious tension—this cover looks like it’s packed with it. If it’s not, I’m going to lose it.
May 28, 2025
I didn't feel very connected to the first third of the book, including the initial chemistry. I absolutely enjoyed the other part of the book, though. The fanfic sections were cute and the text-based flirting was surprisingly less cringe-y than expected. It was fun, flirty, and felt emotionally connected. Solid three stars--- wish that the resolution would have felt slightly less cheap.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
May 18, 2025
Always a fan of books about books, Much Ado About Hating you has an interesting meet cute.
Micah, an auditor, is often loathed by those she works with. Her job is to report to a facility and figure out how to cut the fat. In this case, she reports to the college where Professor Aidan Scott happens to teach literature.
When Aiden hears an auditor is coming in, he mocks the process in the elevator up to work one morning...
What could a business brain like an auditor have to contribute to the academic world he quips, loudly, with Micah in the elevator.
And so the spicy hatred between these two begins. Add in the layer of smutty Shakespearean fan fiction that Micah reads at night, which happens to be penned by none other than Aiden... and now you've got quite the conundrum.
It's a fun little rom com with lots of banter and Shakespeare thrown in. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for the chance to listen to an advanced listeners copy prior to it's release on May 27th.
Micah, an auditor, is often loathed by those she works with. Her job is to report to a facility and figure out how to cut the fat. In this case, she reports to the college where Professor Aidan Scott happens to teach literature.
When Aiden hears an auditor is coming in, he mocks the process in the elevator up to work one morning...
What could a business brain like an auditor have to contribute to the academic world he quips, loudly, with Micah in the elevator.
And so the spicy hatred between these two begins. Add in the layer of smutty Shakespearean fan fiction that Micah reads at night, which happens to be penned by none other than Aiden... and now you've got quite the conundrum.
It's a fun little rom com with lots of banter and Shakespeare thrown in. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for the chance to listen to an advanced listeners copy prior to it's release on May 27th.
May 30, 2025
Thank you to Harlequin Audio for this ARC! A book about books and bookish people is always up my alley, and this was a fun time but is for SURE a listen you’ll want to make sure your headphones are working for 🥵. It was a super fast listen and easy to listen to above 2x speed, however I just didn’t find myself particularly attached to or invested in the main characters, even with the benefit of dual narration. The insta hate and then insta lust was a bit too much whiplash for me and the multiple “he’s staring at my boobs” incidents were kind of tedious. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this for a day at the pool or the beach if you’re looking for something quick and spicy, but not sure I’d read again.
June 9, 2025
Never give up your career for a man. You will not get your big break in writing from a literary agent on a fanfic site. We are not all Ali Hazelwood.
May 21, 2025
“…I catch myself smiling. I still can’t believe I had such a fun conversation with ShakespeareInLust last night. I expected them to be annoyed at my fangirling, but they were so sweet and gracious about it[…]even when I[…]complain[ed] about my workday, they were such a good sport. They even vented about work, too. It was such a fun conversation. Everything flowed so naturally.”
Oh my goodness, it so did not flow naturally.
Just like this absolutely horrendous chunk of repetitive text that I pulled out from the book, it was stilted, exposition heavy, and the language was deeply puerile. I almost feel bad for saying this about a book whose secondary message is that it’s snobbish and rude to be judgmental of spicy romance novels but I spent an unreasonable amount of time reading this novel wondering how in the hell these characters could possibly be considered adults. Their internal thoughts (and their dialogue) all felt so juvenile in nature that I not only had a difficult time seeing these characters being taken seriously as writers, but also in their careers.
Accepting Aidan as an English Literature Professor was incredibly difficult given his behavior and the immature way he spoke; accepting Micah as a reasonable adult at all was even more difficult. These two people were absolutely horrific to each other and while I can understand tension between them due to the nature of Micah’s job and Aidan’s situation, none of that excuses the manner in which she blew quite literally everything out of proportion—the name, Aidan pointing out her wardrobe malfunctions, etc—and the awful ways they behaved toward each other in the name of hatred and sabotage. And when the writing is terrible on top of it, I had an incredibly rough time forgiving anything I read (let’s just say I inwardly cringed every time the word “hot” was used).
Character development is basically nonexistent. Having your characters completely drop their hatred of each other thirty seconds after learning they’d been chatting online does not amount to character development. They never truly work through all the immature and cruel behavior and commentary they engaged with toward each other and all of this just made the epilogue of this story far more cringe-inducing. At this point I’m rather convinced that the book as a whole was just an excuse to write a whole cluster of sex scenes because, once they get started, they just keep on going. And while these scenes can add to a story, I truly don’t think they did so in this book.
In the end, I can’t help feeling left quite disappointed. I’d really been looking forward to reading Much Ado About Hating You, but I’m left thinking that the only thing I actually liked about this book was its cover. Despite the promise of the synopsis, I honestly can’t think of a single thing I liked about these characters. And that’s a shame.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2025
1.0 ☆
Not sure how this cringy wattpad fic got published but I can only assume the author has no clue how real world jobs work.
Not sure how this cringy wattpad fic got published but I can only assume the author has no clue how real world jobs work.
May 13, 2025
Thank you to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for an ALC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
3/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
This book follows an auditor/consultant, Micah, who must help the English Dept. at a Tennessee university, become more efficient. She must decide if classes need cut or combined or if certain staff/faculty need let go. She immediately makes an enemy with outspoken Aiden, a professor in the department. He is also a secret fanfic writer that Micah loves.
Fanfic is having a moment this year and I feel like lots of publishers are trying to cash in on the craze. This results in books that lack a lot of substance. This one fell short for me. The characters just didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t feel any sort of connection to them.
3/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
This book follows an auditor/consultant, Micah, who must help the English Dept. at a Tennessee university, become more efficient. She must decide if classes need cut or combined or if certain staff/faculty need let go. She immediately makes an enemy with outspoken Aiden, a professor in the department. He is also a secret fanfic writer that Micah loves.
Fanfic is having a moment this year and I feel like lots of publishers are trying to cash in on the craze. This results in books that lack a lot of substance. This one fell short for me. The characters just didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t feel any sort of connection to them.
June 14, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
Tropes:
❤️🔥Enemies to Lovers
❤️🔥Dual POV
❤️🔥Hot Professor MMC
❤️🔥Corporate baddie to SMUT Writer
❤️🔥Funny Pranks
Omg this book was on FIRE with all of the sexy scenes. If you want maximum enemies to lovers SMUT, this delivers. I will not stop recommending this to anyone who asks. I really wasn’t expecting it to be SO good. The chemistry was there once Aidan (MMC) pissed Micah (FMC) off. The best touch is the pranks they do on each other which are ruthless. I loved that this was one of those romances where the characters were chatting online and had no clue they were talking to their enemy. The best part of this book is when they got snowed in, it was giving the one bed trope except there was no bed. Can we please get another book with Aidan’s brother Liam as the MMC? Hoping that the mention of his hotness so much creates another beautiful book that we can all sink our teeth into. This is definitely a re-read for me and I am telling you that you MUST not skip this book.
What I wish could’ve been different:
I did not like the twin sister for some reason, like I get how the relationship was supposed to be playful and stuff but I felt like it was boring as well as the brothers’ relationship (Aidan). It could have been worked on a little better in terms of the dialogue between characters, but eh, it was fine other than that.
Spice: 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
Tropes:
❤️🔥Enemies to Lovers
❤️🔥Dual POV
❤️🔥Hot Professor MMC
❤️🔥Corporate baddie to SMUT Writer
❤️🔥Funny Pranks
Omg this book was on FIRE with all of the sexy scenes. If you want maximum enemies to lovers SMUT, this delivers. I will not stop recommending this to anyone who asks. I really wasn’t expecting it to be SO good. The chemistry was there once Aidan (MMC) pissed Micah (FMC) off. The best touch is the pranks they do on each other which are ruthless. I loved that this was one of those romances where the characters were chatting online and had no clue they were talking to their enemy. The best part of this book is when they got snowed in, it was giving the one bed trope except there was no bed. Can we please get another book with Aidan’s brother Liam as the MMC? Hoping that the mention of his hotness so much creates another beautiful book that we can all sink our teeth into. This is definitely a re-read for me and I am telling you that you MUST not skip this book.
What I wish could’ve been different:
I did not like the twin sister for some reason, like I get how the relationship was supposed to be playful and stuff but I felt like it was boring as well as the brothers’ relationship (Aidan). It could have been worked on a little better in terms of the dialogue between characters, but eh, it was fine other than that.
June 11, 2025
Thanks to Harper Audio and Afterglow Books for the Advanced Listening Copy!
The premise, tropes, and cover for this book had me super excited to read this! I love Shakespeare, fanfic, and hate-to-love. It definitely felt like it could’ve been an instant hit for me, but unfortunately it fell flat. The characters were 32 years old, but their messages and interactions felt very immature. The writing was repetitive and did a lot of telling instead of showing. When it did show, it then recapped by telling you what happened at the start of the next chapter. Lots of repeating the same scenes through reminiscing, even if the scene happened only a few pages beforehand. I also am unfortunately not a fan of Cindy Kay’s narration, as she always sounds like she’s whispering the male voices. JF Harding did a wondering job with Aiden’s chapters though!
I did love the message that romance and explicit books are not any less worthy than so called ‘highbrow’ books. I am very passionate about that message and loved that it was included here, even if this particular book didn’t work for me. 🩷
The premise, tropes, and cover for this book had me super excited to read this! I love Shakespeare, fanfic, and hate-to-love. It definitely felt like it could’ve been an instant hit for me, but unfortunately it fell flat. The characters were 32 years old, but their messages and interactions felt very immature. The writing was repetitive and did a lot of telling instead of showing. When it did show, it then recapped by telling you what happened at the start of the next chapter. Lots of repeating the same scenes through reminiscing, even if the scene happened only a few pages beforehand. I also am unfortunately not a fan of Cindy Kay’s narration, as she always sounds like she’s whispering the male voices. JF Harding did a wondering job with Aiden’s chapters though!
I did love the message that romance and explicit books are not any less worthy than so called ‘highbrow’ books. I am very passionate about that message and loved that it was included here, even if this particular book didn’t work for me. 🩷
October 28, 2025
I picked up Much Ado About Hating You based on the cover and the promise of an enemies-to-lovers romance, my favourite trope and always hard to resist.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver. The characters lacked depth, and the writing was overly simplistic and repetitive. What could’ve been a fun, flirty workplace romance ended up feeling flat and sometimes cringe-inducing. The MMC’s constant ogling of the FMC’s chest, mentioned again and again, bordered on workplace sexual harassment, even though it was clearly meant to be cheeky but didn’t work. The prose was repetitive, and there were quite a few awkward and cringey phrases, especially during the sex scenes, that should have been smoothed out. The lack of proper editing left the book feeling unpolished.
That said, there was potential. With tighter writing and better pacing, the banter could have worked well. The chemistry was rushed, but the spark was there. The characters did grow on you, even if they were a little annoying to begin with. Still, the worldbuilding was thin, and the cast was limited to a handful of side characters. It all felt a bit shallow.
Short, fluffy, spicy books still deserve strong writing and proper editing. This felt more like a draft than a finished novel, and it’s a shame, because the idea had promise. The editor really did the author a disservice here.
Unfortunately, it’s doubtful I’ll pick up anything else by this author, no matter how tempting the covers might be.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver. The characters lacked depth, and the writing was overly simplistic and repetitive. What could’ve been a fun, flirty workplace romance ended up feeling flat and sometimes cringe-inducing. The MMC’s constant ogling of the FMC’s chest, mentioned again and again, bordered on workplace sexual harassment, even though it was clearly meant to be cheeky but didn’t work. The prose was repetitive, and there were quite a few awkward and cringey phrases, especially during the sex scenes, that should have been smoothed out. The lack of proper editing left the book feeling unpolished.
That said, there was potential. With tighter writing and better pacing, the banter could have worked well. The chemistry was rushed, but the spark was there. The characters did grow on you, even if they were a little annoying to begin with. Still, the worldbuilding was thin, and the cast was limited to a handful of side characters. It all felt a bit shallow.
Short, fluffy, spicy books still deserve strong writing and proper editing. This felt more like a draft than a finished novel, and it’s a shame, because the idea had promise. The editor really did the author a disservice here.
Unfortunately, it’s doubtful I’ll pick up anything else by this author, no matter how tempting the covers might be.
July 14, 2025
yall…….
i was fooled by the cover and premise. this was PAINFUL. PAINFUL!!!! ive never skimmed a book so fast in my LIFE!! i read 3/4s of it in under and hour bc i was too stubborn to dnf. half of it was sex scenes that i literally only half read the dialogue of JUST IN CASE there was something interesting. there wasnt.
there was no build up to their relationship, he hates her IMMEDIATELY bc of her job, he never gets over the fact that she is doing her JOB (and is trying to be as professional and kind as possible with it), AND THEN SHE QUITS HER JOB FOR HIM!!!! “youre not passionate about your job and also youre evil” “wow hes so right…. i am going to quit my stable job that provides me income after i lost all my money and i will just write fanfic instead! so we can bone with no problems!” WHAT.
he says he loves her SIX WEEKS after they meet, when they were fighting and hated each other for more than half of that, she moves in with him and repeats EXACTLY what traumatized her from her last relationship but its ok bc they write erotica together so its different
there’s no actual discussion about their issues with each other theyre just suddenly fine with all of their problems bc theyre all horned up and like shakespeare….
i was going to give this three stars but im so angry rn that its just getting two
i was fooled by the cover and premise. this was PAINFUL. PAINFUL!!!! ive never skimmed a book so fast in my LIFE!! i read 3/4s of it in under and hour bc i was too stubborn to dnf. half of it was sex scenes that i literally only half read the dialogue of JUST IN CASE there was something interesting. there wasnt.
there was no build up to their relationship, he hates her IMMEDIATELY bc of her job, he never gets over the fact that she is doing her JOB (and is trying to be as professional and kind as possible with it), AND THEN SHE QUITS HER JOB FOR HIM!!!! “youre not passionate about your job and also youre evil” “wow hes so right…. i am going to quit my stable job that provides me income after i lost all my money and i will just write fanfic instead! so we can bone with no problems!” WHAT.
he says he loves her SIX WEEKS after they meet, when they were fighting and hated each other for more than half of that, she moves in with him and repeats EXACTLY what traumatized her from her last relationship but its ok bc they write erotica together so its different
there’s no actual discussion about their issues with each other theyre just suddenly fine with all of their problems bc theyre all horned up and like shakespeare….
i was going to give this three stars but im so angry rn that its just getting two
May 5, 2025
I enjoyed “Much Ado About Hating You”, but I found it very frustrating at the same time. It’s a lovely fast-paced office romance and what you see is what you get, but as soon as I dive a bit deeper into the details, I cannot help but find many flaws.
Aidan Scott is an English Professor, who also secretly writes steamy romances on a writing app. Micah Mila is a financial auditor that is tasked to review the local university’s English department and find ways to cut costs. She also enjoys reading steamy Shakespearean fanfic.
When Aidan and Micah meet, there is hostility. She’s there to cut costs, which in Aidan’s world means – she’s there to try and take away his job, which he very much loves. Both characters have huge egos, and what starts as bickering and general hostility, quickly turns into competition and them becoming sworn enemies for life.
But the twist is – their hate turns into tension. And their connection on the writing app is about to get deeper. As time goes on, they are starting to push the boundaries of what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and lust gets the better of them.
As for the story, unfortunately, it didn’t connect with me.
I found the characters slightly childish and immature. Their office encounters are completely unprofessional, and their writing app conversations cringey and over the top. The only bit I did like was the suspense in the real world and the tension between them. And also maybe Aidan’s relationship with his father and how that progressed throughout the book.
I have to be honest and say that the book had a lot of typos and grammatical errors, and what I believe to be one plot hole, that also diminished my reading experience. I think I noticed around 6 typos in the book, which I will flag to the publisher, so they can hopefully rectify in the next edition.
All in all, “Much Ado About Hating You” is a fast-paced romance that will appeal to some of the romance lovers. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but hopefully the synopsis will pique your curiosity. I really do hope you enjoy it more than I did.
Wishlist | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Ko-fi
Aidan Scott is an English Professor, who also secretly writes steamy romances on a writing app. Micah Mila is a financial auditor that is tasked to review the local university’s English department and find ways to cut costs. She also enjoys reading steamy Shakespearean fanfic.
When Aidan and Micah meet, there is hostility. She’s there to cut costs, which in Aidan’s world means – she’s there to try and take away his job, which he very much loves. Both characters have huge egos, and what starts as bickering and general hostility, quickly turns into competition and them becoming sworn enemies for life.
But the twist is – their hate turns into tension. And their connection on the writing app is about to get deeper. As time goes on, they are starting to push the boundaries of what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and lust gets the better of them.
As for the story, unfortunately, it didn’t connect with me.
I found the characters slightly childish and immature. Their office encounters are completely unprofessional, and their writing app conversations cringey and over the top. The only bit I did like was the suspense in the real world and the tension between them. And also maybe Aidan’s relationship with his father and how that progressed throughout the book.
I have to be honest and say that the book had a lot of typos and grammatical errors, and what I believe to be one plot hole, that also diminished my reading experience. I think I noticed around 6 typos in the book, which I will flag to the publisher, so they can hopefully rectify in the next edition.
All in all, “Much Ado About Hating You” is a fast-paced romance that will appeal to some of the romance lovers. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but hopefully the synopsis will pique your curiosity. I really do hope you enjoy it more than I did.
Wishlist | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Ko-fi
December 24, 2024
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book! I was initially really excited to read a spin on shakespeare with a professional setting! I much prefer the two main characters of a story to be mature adults & have adult stuff going on.
If you enjoy a fun silly romance, short under 300 pages, not much character depth or seriousness to get into & plenty of smut you'd enjoy this. It's an office romance; I just don't think it's for me.
SPOILERS AHEAD! ‼️‼️
Unfortunately this book just didn't hit the spot for me, plot ways and narratively I just wasn't super pleased with the way the story went. The basic premise is Micah is a financial auditor hired in a university to audit their English department which includes her quick to be nemesis Aidan. Outside of this, the two adore each other online as their fanfic writing alter egos.
Micah has just come fresh out of a nasty breakup with her author boyfriend who essentially wiped her of all her money and cheated (given how much we were told she has an amazing salary at her job I can online imagine the money he took is a lot; this is important for my latter issues). Her family paid off the debt and she's currently staying in her sister's apartment as she moved in with said ex and now has nowhere to live and no funds to move away.
Aidan is an English professor by day, fanfic author by night whose quite popular on the site apparently (despite the niche of Shakespearian erotica being what I'd feasibly imagine is a caveat to audience levels). He used to be a professional hockey player but his love was with literature and he did have a massive scrap with his dad over this so he's got some daddy issues.
My first issue is that Aidan is absolutely vile to Micah, he questions her ability to audit the English department with her lack of educational qualifications (which I don't think is ever apologised for, if it is I don't feel it was enough so because it was so nasty. Literally Infront of an entire hall of people questioning her ability to do the job she is literally hired and qualified for). He rants and tries to brainstorm ways to get her fired for literally just doing her job to which she calls his bluff on it because she's literally done nothing fire-able and he's then angry at her for being right about his behaviour. He then oogles her once when her blouse is accidentally unbuttoned, and again just because he did, sexual harassment?? Not sexy. After all of that, she retaliates finally and spikes his lunch with hot sauce, to which he then withholds information about the coffee being decaf (she apparently cannot function without a pot a day, so she's going through caffeine withdrawal and not doing well) and she embarrassed herself Infront of the entire department that already hates her for screwing up her meeting due to being so sleep deprived and off her game. They argue more, and then they start fucking and then they're besties til the third act breakup where Aidan ridicules her job, tells her how heartless it is and how she should quit and everything it was honestly really pathetic of him, I wanted someone better for Micah she's been through so much and I think she deserved better.
The wider context of Micah's story (saving up to have her own place, no security after her last breakup) makes her ending honestly break my heart. This girl in a vulnerable position gets with another guy pretty quickly, they move in together in the epilogue so did she even get her own place?? Any security?
The worst offence; she quits her job for him. She decides her true passion is in writing (which is valid but she didn't need to quit her job to write fanfic outside of work hours) despite Aidan keeping his job and writing on the side for some reason she has to quit hers because she's ethically questionable (again, literally just hired to make recommendations her job isn't to "get people fired" her job is to see where money is mismanaged departmentally; I feel like there should've been more nuance to her job in general).
She quits her WELL PAYING JOB! FOR A MAN SHES KNOWN 6 WEEKS! TO BECOME AN AUTHOR! AFTER HAVING A FANFIC ACCOUNT FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS???? And he keeps his job of course 💅🏻 like maybe we see if there's job opportunities in publishing queen? Managing the financial aspect of book printing? Marketing? Financial stability alongside a passion project? Micah baby I'm WORRIED about you!
I just really struggled with how poorly Aidan treated her, how quickly it was remedied by sex, how she quit her job for him after knowing him for six weeks because he made her feel bad about it without considering the wider implications of her having no security of her own, and not even a year later they're set to get married. I couldn't stand it!
And just from a university stand point; the ending is magically solved by the university deciding an audit is too costly and they'd rather just keep hemorrhaging money. You're telling me A) the auditing company she worked for kept no tabs on her work, took no regular reports, and it was only that final audit she was doing that mattered and they wouldn't do another? Did they not have anyone else capable of completing the job? And B) the university after the first auditor left her job due to circumstances I'm assuming they don't even know have just decided ah it's too annoying to audit these departments too costly let's just keep hemorrhaging funding we don't have 💅🏻✨ in what world?
The prose was easy to get on with, but was quite repetitive (character would do something and then reiterate immediately like "wow she's holding my hand, oh god it's so warm holding my hand" like alll the time) and since I wasn't invested the smut didn't do it, I honestly ended up skimming all the smut bits it just wasn't for me.
Unfortunately just a case of this book wasn't for me. I know some people who might enjoy it and I will reccomend it to them but this book reeeeeally wasn't for me unfortunately!
If you enjoy a fun silly romance, short under 300 pages, not much character depth or seriousness to get into & plenty of smut you'd enjoy this. It's an office romance; I just don't think it's for me.
SPOILERS AHEAD! ‼️‼️
Unfortunately this book just didn't hit the spot for me, plot ways and narratively I just wasn't super pleased with the way the story went. The basic premise is Micah is a financial auditor hired in a university to audit their English department which includes her quick to be nemesis Aidan. Outside of this, the two adore each other online as their fanfic writing alter egos.
Micah has just come fresh out of a nasty breakup with her author boyfriend who essentially wiped her of all her money and cheated (given how much we were told she has an amazing salary at her job I can online imagine the money he took is a lot; this is important for my latter issues). Her family paid off the debt and she's currently staying in her sister's apartment as she moved in with said ex and now has nowhere to live and no funds to move away.
Aidan is an English professor by day, fanfic author by night whose quite popular on the site apparently (despite the niche of Shakespearian erotica being what I'd feasibly imagine is a caveat to audience levels). He used to be a professional hockey player but his love was with literature and he did have a massive scrap with his dad over this so he's got some daddy issues.
My first issue is that Aidan is absolutely vile to Micah, he questions her ability to audit the English department with her lack of educational qualifications (which I don't think is ever apologised for, if it is I don't feel it was enough so because it was so nasty. Literally Infront of an entire hall of people questioning her ability to do the job she is literally hired and qualified for). He rants and tries to brainstorm ways to get her fired for literally just doing her job to which she calls his bluff on it because she's literally done nothing fire-able and he's then angry at her for being right about his behaviour. He then oogles her once when her blouse is accidentally unbuttoned, and again just because he did, sexual harassment?? Not sexy. After all of that, she retaliates finally and spikes his lunch with hot sauce, to which he then withholds information about the coffee being decaf (she apparently cannot function without a pot a day, so she's going through caffeine withdrawal and not doing well) and she embarrassed herself Infront of the entire department that already hates her for screwing up her meeting due to being so sleep deprived and off her game. They argue more, and then they start fucking and then they're besties til the third act breakup where Aidan ridicules her job, tells her how heartless it is and how she should quit and everything it was honestly really pathetic of him, I wanted someone better for Micah she's been through so much and I think she deserved better.
The wider context of Micah's story (saving up to have her own place, no security after her last breakup) makes her ending honestly break my heart. This girl in a vulnerable position gets with another guy pretty quickly, they move in together in the epilogue so did she even get her own place?? Any security?
The worst offence; she quits her job for him. She decides her true passion is in writing (which is valid but she didn't need to quit her job to write fanfic outside of work hours) despite Aidan keeping his job and writing on the side for some reason she has to quit hers because she's ethically questionable (again, literally just hired to make recommendations her job isn't to "get people fired" her job is to see where money is mismanaged departmentally; I feel like there should've been more nuance to her job in general).
She quits her WELL PAYING JOB! FOR A MAN SHES KNOWN 6 WEEKS! TO BECOME AN AUTHOR! AFTER HAVING A FANFIC ACCOUNT FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS???? And he keeps his job of course 💅🏻 like maybe we see if there's job opportunities in publishing queen? Managing the financial aspect of book printing? Marketing? Financial stability alongside a passion project? Micah baby I'm WORRIED about you!
I just really struggled with how poorly Aidan treated her, how quickly it was remedied by sex, how she quit her job for him after knowing him for six weeks because he made her feel bad about it without considering the wider implications of her having no security of her own, and not even a year later they're set to get married. I couldn't stand it!
And just from a university stand point; the ending is magically solved by the university deciding an audit is too costly and they'd rather just keep hemorrhaging money. You're telling me A) the auditing company she worked for kept no tabs on her work, took no regular reports, and it was only that final audit she was doing that mattered and they wouldn't do another? Did they not have anyone else capable of completing the job? And B) the university after the first auditor left her job due to circumstances I'm assuming they don't even know have just decided ah it's too annoying to audit these departments too costly let's just keep hemorrhaging funding we don't have 💅🏻✨ in what world?
The prose was easy to get on with, but was quite repetitive (character would do something and then reiterate immediately like "wow she's holding my hand, oh god it's so warm holding my hand" like alll the time) and since I wasn't invested the smut didn't do it, I honestly ended up skimming all the smut bits it just wasn't for me.
Unfortunately just a case of this book wasn't for me. I know some people who might enjoy it and I will reccomend it to them but this book reeeeeally wasn't for me unfortunately!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Well that was quite a delightful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I could not put this down. The hate tension, the clandestine pen pals, the workplace prank shenanigans, the fanfic aspect, the bossiness (iykyk), SO GOOD!
Aidan really is a bit of a bastard, to the point where I almost had the ick, and I really didn’t know if he could redeem himself. But then his alter ego, ShakespeareInLust, stepped up and saved the day, being so kind, supportive, and encouraging.
Absolutely loved Micah’s character arch as a budding writer. Can 100% relate to working a soulless analytical career, but secretly being a creative. And of course, since it’s fiction, happy endings are delivered on every level!!
Thank you Net Galley for ARC, this was so fun, short, and spicy
Well that was quite a delightful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I could not put this down. The hate tension, the clandestine pen pals, the workplace prank shenanigans, the fanfic aspect, the bossiness (iykyk), SO GOOD!
Aidan really is a bit of a bastard, to the point where I almost had the ick, and I really didn’t know if he could redeem himself. But then his alter ego, ShakespeareInLust, stepped up and saved the day, being so kind, supportive, and encouraging.
Absolutely loved Micah’s character arch as a budding writer. Can 100% relate to working a soulless analytical career, but secretly being a creative. And of course, since it’s fiction, happy endings are delivered on every level!!
Thank you Net Galley for ARC, this was so fun, short, and spicy
March 18, 2025
I loved this book! It was a cute quick read. The mmc being an English professor and writing erotic fanfics on the side was what made me want to read this book. I liked reading the short stories that the main characters wrote. It’s a type of book that makes you smile while reading. I really enjoyed it.
June 10, 2025
I was drawn in by this adorable spicy cover, but it was thoroughly deceiving. I haven't read a book I have been this disappointed with in a long time! Even though I loved the idea of the book; the enemies to lovers, the Shakespearean spin, and the hot-for-teacher vibes, it all fell short. If you are looking for a book that is less than 300 pages, and would like characters that are as interesting as a wet blanket, with insults and pranks that my 5 year old niece would think up, than this is the book for you!
Can we discuss the audiobook? The main female character is supposed to be Filipena, and I just don't feel like Cindy Kay helped this book out. I have loved past work that Kay has done, but this one just didn't flow for me. J.F. Harding did an adequate job, but I have heard other books Harding has done, and I know this was not his best work. At times you couldn't tell who was supposed to be speaking (which, I guess is better than a horrible falsetto fake female voice...) but it was tough to understand who was saying what sometimes. The two narrators also didn't mesh well together, and that was tough for me.
The enemies to lovers plot was weak at best. The fighting was dull, and the tension wasn't there. When they threw insults at each other, I didn't feel any passion behind it, and it felt immature at best, and cringe-y at worst. It was difficult to listen to the first 1/3rd of the book, which was ridiculously repetitive. Micah Mila (The fmc) would complain about something, and then we would hear a long rant from Professor Aiden Scott about the same thing, but from his view, and then we would hear it a third time, written as a modern-day Shakespeare rewrite of the situation. And OMG, once was MORE THAN ENOUGH.
Then the pranks. My goodness, the pranks. Ok, mostly just two pranks, one from each of them. Sometimes I read books and I think, "Wow, that was super creative! I wish I was creative like that, that character really punished that other character in a sneaky but also funny way!" (I.e. Sarah Hogle's You Deserve Each Other or The Hating Game by Sally Thorne) and other times, like in this book, I read the pranks an think "really? That is how you want to treat a co worker?" It wasn't funny, it wasn't creative and dark, it was really just childish and dumb.
Ok, let's move on to "the worst day of [her] life", where she states she lost her job, her life savings, her place to live, and her boyfriend.
Ooooook.
Deep breaths.
First of all, she did not lose her life savings on that day. She explains what happened with her money, and yeah, she was kind of dumb, but it didn't happen that day, she was being dramatic (no spoilers). She lost her boyfriend because he was a dummy and sleeping around, and I'm sure she could have made a claim on the house depending on how much was invested and how long she had lived there and what state they were in.
But this is just fiction, so let's just gloss over all of that, and just say she was being super dramatic and it really wasn't that bad. She just rolled over and took it without a fight. And then went crying home to her parents. And then complained some more when she had credit card debt after a couple months of being on her own. Suck it up, buttercup, that's life! Rework your budget, get some roommates, and GROW UP! Holy heck...
(This might be spoiler-y)
I am not even going to go into how ridiculous it was that it basically came down to either her job or his job, and neither one could get their heads out of their bums long enough to come up with a better solution. There is no way at all that the college would just "drop" the audit and come back to it later. There is a reason they did an audit. They paid a company for an audit, and just because she left, doesn't mean the audit won't be completed! Jobs are still on the line! If she had stayed (like a reasonable adult!!) and helped the college work out some solutions, maybe there would have been a way to cut costs without staffing changes!
UGH.
Ok, last thing, we're almost done.
They have one big fight, and then she ends up on her knees in front of him at school? What the what?? There was no chemistry to this, this was not hot. It was like, they are enemies, and then there is some sucky sucky, and then they are enemies until she decides she can like him because he writes mediocre fan fic and they get snowed in together? I hated this. All of it. The lazy contrived way the author put them together, still no chemistry... And then they just hooked up for a third of the book...
IDK, the entire thing just didn't work for me. For a hundred reasons. I am usually not this upset at books, I can't even remember the last time I disliked a book this much!
I do have to say, the book premise had potential, but everything about it needed life support.
Can we discuss the audiobook? The main female character is supposed to be Filipena, and I just don't feel like Cindy Kay helped this book out. I have loved past work that Kay has done, but this one just didn't flow for me. J.F. Harding did an adequate job, but I have heard other books Harding has done, and I know this was not his best work. At times you couldn't tell who was supposed to be speaking (which, I guess is better than a horrible falsetto fake female voice...) but it was tough to understand who was saying what sometimes. The two narrators also didn't mesh well together, and that was tough for me.
The enemies to lovers plot was weak at best. The fighting was dull, and the tension wasn't there. When they threw insults at each other, I didn't feel any passion behind it, and it felt immature at best, and cringe-y at worst. It was difficult to listen to the first 1/3rd of the book, which was ridiculously repetitive. Micah Mila (The fmc) would complain about something, and then we would hear a long rant from Professor Aiden Scott about the same thing, but from his view, and then we would hear it a third time, written as a modern-day Shakespeare rewrite of the situation. And OMG, once was MORE THAN ENOUGH.
Then the pranks. My goodness, the pranks. Ok, mostly just two pranks, one from each of them. Sometimes I read books and I think, "Wow, that was super creative! I wish I was creative like that, that character really punished that other character in a sneaky but also funny way!" (I.e. Sarah Hogle's You Deserve Each Other or The Hating Game by Sally Thorne) and other times, like in this book, I read the pranks an think "really? That is how you want to treat a co worker?" It wasn't funny, it wasn't creative and dark, it was really just childish and dumb.
Ok, let's move on to "the worst day of [her] life", where she states she lost her job, her life savings, her place to live, and her boyfriend.
Ooooook.
Deep breaths.
First of all, she did not lose her life savings on that day. She explains what happened with her money, and yeah, she was kind of dumb, but it didn't happen that day, she was being dramatic (no spoilers). She lost her boyfriend because he was a dummy and sleeping around, and I'm sure she could have made a claim on the house depending on how much was invested and how long she had lived there and what state they were in.
But this is just fiction, so let's just gloss over all of that, and just say she was being super dramatic and it really wasn't that bad. She just rolled over and took it without a fight. And then went crying home to her parents. And then complained some more when she had credit card debt after a couple months of being on her own. Suck it up, buttercup, that's life! Rework your budget, get some roommates, and GROW UP! Holy heck...
(This might be spoiler-y)
I am not even going to go into how ridiculous it was that it basically came down to either her job or his job, and neither one could get their heads out of their bums long enough to come up with a better solution. There is no way at all that the college would just "drop" the audit and come back to it later. There is a reason they did an audit. They paid a company for an audit, and just because she left, doesn't mean the audit won't be completed! Jobs are still on the line! If she had stayed (like a reasonable adult!!) and helped the college work out some solutions, maybe there would have been a way to cut costs without staffing changes!
UGH.
Ok, last thing, we're almost done.
They have one big fight, and then she ends up on her knees in front of him at school? What the what?? There was no chemistry to this, this was not hot. It was like, they are enemies, and then there is some sucky sucky, and then they are enemies until she decides she can like him because he writes mediocre fan fic and they get snowed in together? I hated this. All of it. The lazy contrived way the author put them together, still no chemistry... And then they just hooked up for a third of the book...
IDK, the entire thing just didn't work for me. For a hundred reasons. I am usually not this upset at books, I can't even remember the last time I disliked a book this much!
I do have to say, the book premise had potential, but everything about it needed life support.
March 28, 2025
Thank you to Afterglow Books and NetGalley for the arc!
I wish I could say I enjoyed this, as it seemed like it had everything I wanted in a book! Academic rivals to lovers, workplace rivalry, fanfiction, Shakespeare...too good to be true, unfortunately. These two were the most immature characters I think I have ever read in a romance novel
I wish I could say I enjoyed this, as it seemed like it had everything I wanted in a book! Academic rivals to lovers, workplace rivalry, fanfiction, Shakespeare...too good to be true, unfortunately. These two were the most immature characters I think I have ever read in a romance novel
April 20, 2025
I was so excited when author Sarah Smith gave me the opportunity to read this arc early for my honest review. I have loved her other books and this book did not disappoint. I loved so much about this book especially Micah and Aidan’s enemies-to-lovers workplace romance and that they are both erotic fanfic writers and that some of their fan fic writing is included in the book. I think my friends who love fan fiction will especially love and appreciate this romance novel.
July 8, 2025
I was about to say there were some good parts but then realized those beats were actually courtesy of Shakespeare 🫤
Author can def write a sex scene but everything else is iffy. The initial tension was excellent too! but then it fizzled.
def needed editing. the repetition was annoying. and it felt like every chapter started by retelling the last chapter and I'm like GIRL I KNOW I JUST READ IT
Author can def write a sex scene but everything else is iffy. The initial tension was excellent too! but then it fizzled.
def needed editing. the repetition was annoying. and it felt like every chapter started by retelling the last chapter and I'm like GIRL I KNOW I JUST READ IT
May 13, 2025
I would compare this to a Shakespeare fanfic written by a twelve year old….but that’s offensive to the twelve year old.
July 26, 2025
DNF’ed at 75%. I’ve dated some shitty guys, but this is the most bs i’ve ever heard 😭 still adding it to my “read” list tho because i deserve a reward after sitting through that torture.
June 2, 2025
A perfect book for the mindless! Don't take these kind of product seriously!
MMC is an English Professor who's obsessed with Shakespeare. He's also blind, not really he's not but he describes himself as a nerdy sixty-six year old man who's in dire need of a shave and new wardrobe.
In reality, he's a thirty three tall muscled man who used to play hockey professionally and still play it as a work out who has a curly hair, sexy glasses, and shirts that barely contain his forearms.
Good news is that he met our delulu girl who's a tall, tan, beautiful Pilipino with huge breasts but she describes herself as out of the league of every man she ever crushed on and that she's not easy on the eyes.
She works as an auditor, the university of MMC hired her to audit the English department financial efficiency. Even if she'll recommend somebody getting fired that's her fucking job and that's what living in a capitalistic society means. Our MMC doesn't accept that and launches a campaign against her.
Few pranks here and there, some heated confrontation and tongue lashing.
Also, there is this parallel plot about MMC writing erotica fanfic about HEA based on Shakespeare tragedies. FMC doesn't know it's him and they exchange flirty messages. Then FMC confesses that she's into romance smutty writing as well. They do a collab work and then they discover that they are enemies in real life.......
PS: the way MCs talk especially on messages when they write smut is extremely hilarious, it's like they are 14 (Super hot, my phone caught on fire, UGH indeed) and stuff like that!
MMC is an English Professor who's obsessed with Shakespeare. He's also blind, not really he's not but he describes himself as a nerdy sixty-six year old man who's in dire need of a shave and new wardrobe.
In reality, he's a thirty three tall muscled man who used to play hockey professionally and still play it as a work out who has a curly hair, sexy glasses, and shirts that barely contain his forearms.
Good news is that he met our delulu girl who's a tall, tan, beautiful Pilipino with huge breasts but she describes herself as out of the league of every man she ever crushed on and that she's not easy on the eyes.
She works as an auditor, the university of MMC hired her to audit the English department financial efficiency. Even if she'll recommend somebody getting fired that's her fucking job and that's what living in a capitalistic society means. Our MMC doesn't accept that and launches a campaign against her.
Few pranks here and there, some heated confrontation and tongue lashing.
Also, there is this parallel plot about MMC writing erotica fanfic about HEA based on Shakespeare tragedies. FMC doesn't know it's him and they exchange flirty messages. Then FMC confesses that she's into romance smutty writing as well. They do a collab work and then they discover that they are enemies in real life.......
PS: the way MCs talk especially on messages when they write smut is extremely hilarious, it's like they are 14 (Super hot, my phone caught on fire, UGH indeed) and stuff like that!
dnf
June 10, 2025dnf @ about 40%
I was really intrigued by this premise since I love all things fandom culture, but unfortunately every sentence of this book made me full body cringe.
There were a lot of issues I had with this book, overall the writing was just super cringy, but also several more specific issues. First, a lot of the tension between the two characters stems from the MMC blatantly staring at the FMCs breasts in the workplace. Something that she (rightly) calls him on and he then makes excuses and blames her for (despite feeling some guilt in his narration). I think for me this would have been a dealbreaker. Go to HR, girl.
Second, the FMC is not an auditor (despite being called that). She is hired by the university to observe the department and recommend places for cost cutting/increased efficiency. She is doing no financial auditing. She is a business consultant. Call her a business consultant.
Last, the narrative structure was super simple and repetitive. The two characters would interact and then go talk to their respective siblings about the interaction, over and over and over.
Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Afterglow for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
I was really intrigued by this premise since I love all things fandom culture, but unfortunately every sentence of this book made me full body cringe.
There were a lot of issues I had with this book, overall the writing was just super cringy, but also several more specific issues. First, a lot of the tension between the two characters stems from the MMC blatantly staring at the FMCs breasts in the workplace. Something that she (rightly) calls him on and he then makes excuses and blames her for (despite feeling some guilt in his narration). I think for me this would have been a dealbreaker. Go to HR, girl.
Second, the FMC is not an auditor (despite being called that). She is hired by the university to observe the department and recommend places for cost cutting/increased efficiency. She is doing no financial auditing. She is a business consultant. Call her a business consultant.
Last, the narrative structure was super simple and repetitive. The two characters would interact and then go talk to their respective siblings about the interaction, over and over and over.
Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Afterglow for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
May 6, 2025
This book was incredibly fast paced and fun! I definitely think it could have used one more edit to make trim down some of the explanation and add to the characters actions. But over all it was a really cute and fun read. The spice is full of dirty talk which is very fun if you like that 😉
Aiden is an ass, he’s grumpy and just so ready to hate Micah from the jump. (Can’t blame him) Micah is detached from her emotions to do with her job and can’t understand why people don’t want to be her friend. Their banter is fun but definitely an HR violation from the jump. 😆
The duel writing was my favorite part of the book. Their adorable banter of complaining about each other to each other unknowingly was really funny. And then teaming up together after to write for their fans was perfect. The ending is absolutely precious, I truly enjoyed this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
Aiden is an ass, he’s grumpy and just so ready to hate Micah from the jump. (Can’t blame him) Micah is detached from her emotions to do with her job and can’t understand why people don’t want to be her friend. Their banter is fun but definitely an HR violation from the jump. 😆
The duel writing was my favorite part of the book. Their adorable banter of complaining about each other to each other unknowingly was really funny. And then teaming up together after to write for their fans was perfect. The ending is absolutely precious, I truly enjoyed this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2025
⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Much Ado About Hating You
Author: Sarah Echavarre Smith
Thank you so much Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for my audiobook copy. This was such a fun listen. I have to start by saying Cindy Kay is one of my favorite female narrators, so I was thrilled to hear her voice when I started. The story follows an English professor and a financial auditor who’s been assigned to review his department. He is convinced she is trying to get him fired, and Micah has no problem playing the villain. But at night, she escapes into reading and writing spicy Shakespearean fanfiction. When a snowstorm traps them on campus, Micah discovers that the professor she despises is actually the author of her favorite fanfic. What follows is a fast-paced enemies-to-lovers romance filled with heat, tension, and fun Shakespearean references. The enemies-to-lovers transition does happen very quickly, so keep that in mind. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
Much Ado About Hating You
Author: Sarah Echavarre Smith
Thank you so much Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for my audiobook copy. This was such a fun listen. I have to start by saying Cindy Kay is one of my favorite female narrators, so I was thrilled to hear her voice when I started. The story follows an English professor and a financial auditor who’s been assigned to review his department. He is convinced she is trying to get him fired, and Micah has no problem playing the villain. But at night, she escapes into reading and writing spicy Shakespearean fanfiction. When a snowstorm traps them on campus, Micah discovers that the professor she despises is actually the author of her favorite fanfic. What follows is a fast-paced enemies-to-lovers romance filled with heat, tension, and fun Shakespearean references. The enemies-to-lovers transition does happen very quickly, so keep that in mind. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
May 22, 2025
Spicy workplace romance!
Aidan is basically a literary girl's dream guy. A hot, sensitive professor who is protective of his friends, and secretly writes fan fic stories. Micah is a financial auditor who doesn't deal with people's crap but is secretly an aspiring writer who's dreams were stomped on by a jerk of an ex.
The journey this book took us on with chemistry ---> enemies ---> forced proximity ---> deep conversations ---> romance and unbelievable chemistry.
Was it realistic? No. Would this have been a complete HR nightmare? Yes. But was it fun to escape into this world for a while? Absolutely!
I listened to an audio of this book and the narrators did a great job with the dual POV. I really enjoyed listening.
Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin Audio, and Sarah Echavarre Smith for an ALC of this story.
Aidan is basically a literary girl's dream guy. A hot, sensitive professor who is protective of his friends, and secretly writes fan fic stories. Micah is a financial auditor who doesn't deal with people's crap but is secretly an aspiring writer who's dreams were stomped on by a jerk of an ex.
The journey this book took us on with chemistry ---> enemies ---> forced proximity ---> deep conversations ---> romance and unbelievable chemistry.
Was it realistic? No. Would this have been a complete HR nightmare? Yes. But was it fun to escape into this world for a while? Absolutely!
I listened to an audio of this book and the narrators did a great job with the dual POV. I really enjoyed listening.
Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin Audio, and Sarah Echavarre Smith for an ALC of this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 499 reviews