Love, Off the Record was a delightful read! I was intrigued by the book's synopsis and knew I had to read it because I loved The Hating Game!

Wyn and Three, two driven journalism students, compete strongly to get the top spot on their school newspaper. As they turn to mind tricks and sabotage to outsmart one another, Three discovers something that casts doubt on their rivalry, while Wyn finds herself captivated to an unknown man on a university dating app.

I adored the characters and felt that their personal experiences of managing delicate family issues, dating, friendship, and collage were so genuine. One of the best things that kept things interesting and made for some enjoyable moments along the way was the competition and banter between Wyn and Three. I was rooting for them right from the start since I could feel their tension nearly jumping off the paper.
I adored how characters supported one another in speaking and living their truths, even when it was challenging, and to prioritize their mental health.

I got the chance to listen to the Love, Off the Record audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job, in my opinion, with pleasing expression and timing.

I have not read any books by Samantha Markum before, but this one is not the last. I was very captivated in this novel, and it was difficult to put down! I will definitely look for more of Samantha's works.

Strongly recommend to all YA readers, especially those who enjoy the academic setting's enemies-to-lovers trope.

Did I binge this audio in a day…. Maybe

I loved this!

Two ambitious journalism students, Wyn and Three, engage in a fierce competition for a coveted spot on their university newspaper. As they resort to sabotage and mind games to outdo each other, Wyn finds herself drawn to a mystery man on a campus dating app, while Three uncovers a story that challenges their rivalry.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audio! Definitely will be purchasing a copy!

4.5/5 rounded up.
This book was so sweet and fun. A great story about both romance (enemies to lovers/workplace rivals) as well as relationships with friends and parents and finding yourself.

Samantha Markum writes the amazing young adult novels! I recently re-read This May End Badly by Markum (2022) and I was really excited when I saw the synposis for this book. I was even more excited that Gabriel "Three" Wellborn was one of the main characters! In this novel, Éowyn (Wyn) and Three are freshman staffers on the newspaper, and if you read This May End Badly you can probably guess that this turns into a huge rivalry. What you may not guess is that we actually get to watch Three soften up! As Wyn searches for the perfect story and engaging in college shenanigans, she finds herself interacting with Three in ways she never would have imagined and she doesn't hate it either. What happens between these two is compeltely off the record as far as their journalism careers are concerned...

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ARC of this novel!

My. GOSH. The BANTER! The TENSION! I loved every single thing about this book - I wasn’t even halfway through when I paused my reading to preorder a signed copy. Samantha Markum gets every single star.

Love, Off the Record is going on my list of favorite YA novels of all time. Markum’s writing and storytelling was SO sharp, witty, captivating, and heartwarming, and I had the absolute best time getting lost in this story. Three and Wyn were such likable and lovable characters with incredible depth and conviction and their personal journeys navigating and juggling academic pursuits, complicated family dynamics, friendship, and dating were deeply relatable. I loved how positively the characters spoke of therapy and encouraged each other to prioritize their mental health and speak and live their truths, even when it was difficult. I’m not kidding when I say you will be rooting for and cheering theses characters on from page one.

The newsroom setting was so perfect - I kept imagining Paris and Doyle bantering at the Yale Daily News - and I loved following Three and Wyn as they competed for a permanent spot with the university newspaper AND despite their loathing, join forces to investigate dark and dangerous school secrets. I know I keep saying it was perfect and I loved it all, but truly, it was perfect and I loved it all.

I ADORED the audiobook and loved getting to hear Three and Wyn's story come to life. I think I would have enjoyed reading with my eyes too, but getting to hear their banter had me giggling out loud and squealing in delight.

This YA rivals to lovers with a You’ve Got Mail twist was absolute GOLD and I need everyone to read this book ASAP. If you love a stories overflowing with heart and charm, relatable, endearing, and nerdy characters, a found family, and a perfectly executed rivals to lovers trope, Love, Off the Record is a must read.

Rivals-to-lovers are my favorite!

A duo of reporters who love to hate each other, work together at the college paper, and are both up for the new editor job. This story is not only a plus-size girlies dream with body position mixed with the real struggle of self-love. Full of witty come-backs and secret online personas.
You will love, love, love Wyn and Two!
Thank you to the publishers and Netgallery for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! I went in expecting a cute rom-com set in college and I got so much more! I loved the dynamic between the two main characters as well as the look into real college related issues via the journalism. I would say this one is a rom-com with a fair amount of drama mixed in.

Also, the narration was great.

Overall I would highly recommend this one! I only found out after reading some reviews that apparently Three is a side character in one of the author's previous books, so now I will be making sure that I read that one soon.

WYN AND THREE HAVE GENUINELY ROCKED MY LIFE.

I adore enemies to lovers in an academic setting. These two were so good at getting on each others nerves and bantering while being sexually frustrated! Such a sweet YA romance set in college.

FELL TO MY KNEES I JUST FINISHED THIS IN UTTER GLEE!

This is competitive rivals to lovers done correctly. Everything from the genuine academic competitions, the jabs, the banter, the unwanted attraction, oh yes it was all done so well! Wyn was such a sympathetic heroine. She was smart but also insecure and worried about her weight and her inexperienced. Three was so damn fine—he was such a menace and didn’t back down from a fight and loved egging her on but he always knee when to be knee weakeningly sweet!

They are overall such a fantastic and fiery couple. I adored listening to this romance via audiobook!

Damn. (Is it ok to start with a mild swear? Because I really have no other word for this intro.) I am twice the age of these characters & don’t really know what it’s like to be an adolescent in 2020-whatever, but somehow this book transcended space and time and captured all. Of. The. Feelings. Seriously. Allllll of the feelings. There were times when I almost recoiled in horror at what I read. Why? Because Markum managed to nail exactly what I thought at 18 or 19 or 25 or 30. I felt so exposed. I’m sure there are readers who might think the book leans slightly melodramatic. If I hadn’t lived this life, I could see that. But there is no melodrama here. I can think of 10 girls right now who need to read this. They need to be seen. This book allows for that recognition of their humanity—no matter how it is packaged.

The narrator was solid. She captured the essence of the characters & allowed for them to develop off the page without becoming affected or too influenced by her reading. She really amplified Markum’s words well.

Such a sweet and lovely romance! I loved the chemistry and banter between Wyn and her love interest, they were so funny and I loved how the author wrote their interactions, it didn't feel cringey or forced at all. Made me want to write articles and stuff which is not something I usually feel like doing. 4 stars

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of Love, Off the Record. I thought the narrator did a good job, with enjoyable pacing and expression. In some spots the mic seemed to pick up the narrator breathing, but it didn't really take away from the story.

This was one of those books where I loved it so much, I was sad to see it end. I absolutely loved the characters and thought they felt realistic. The rivalry and banter between Wyn and Three were great, creating a tension that kept things interesting and provided for some fun moments along the way. While on the surface the story is a coming-of-age romance, it dives into a lot of deeper topics that characters have to overcome, such as finding their individual selves amidst family expectations and how low self-esteem and trust issues can affect relationships between people. There's also a theme of Wyn struggling with being fat, which mostly portrayed a sense of body positivity while also highlighting the insecurities that come with it. The anonymous dating app storyline was pretty predictable, but I still liked how it helped see characters from a different angle. This was a story that I felt completely invested in, and it was really hard to put down! I'll definitely be seeking out more books by Samantha Markum.

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the advance audiobook copy of Love, Off the Record! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

This is the first Samantha Markum book I have read and will not be my last. I'm pretty she is one of my new favorite authors.

This story made me remember why I still love YA books so much. The connection between Wyn and Three is adorable. I loved their playful banter and the way they are super sarcastic with each other.

okay, now it's time to go read the other books by Samantha!

I listen to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration!

Thank you Natgalley and spotify audio foe the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. Thia is a grea new adult romance. I loves the narration the enemiea to lovers/alight case of mistaken identity. I found thia fresh and fun.

4.5/5☆

This is one of the best young adult books I have ready lately. When I saw the blurb for The Hating Game, I just had to get it! It's as good as I was hoping for!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Spotify Audiobooks for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.