An Academic Affair

Author: Jodi McAlister Title: An Academic Affair Publisher: Atria Books Date Published: 11/11/2025

Read Dates: 10/03/2025- 10/04/2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

An Academic Affair is a dual POV rivals-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience romance. Sadie and Jonah have been academic rivals all through university and grad school, during their PhDs and in the brutal job market. When the perfect job comes up, one of the few that offers a focus in Sadie’s particular specialty and one that would allow Jonah to move closer to his recently divorced sister, it seems like there will be only one winner. But when the dream job comes with a partner-hire clause, Sadie proposes a marriage of convenience to solve both their problems. Now they just have to balance cutthroat academia and a delicate friendship budding between them! I loved this so much! The prologue gave a very distinct Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe vibe, and I was hooked from the start. I loved the focus on family relationships, how much Jonah and Sadie pushed each other to be better, and all the ways they took care of each other, big and small. Knowing that this is just the first of three books makes me wildly happy!

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.