I like these authors, but this wasn't my favorite. I think it's a great concept to have a fictional land come to life. And I liked the scavenger hunt and the competition.
I thought the enemies to lovers worked, but I just didn't click with these characters.
A cute read that many will like, just wasn't for me.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

I was surprised I really enjoyed this one! I’m not a fantasy reader but I loved the setting of the immersion experience! I also loved the insight into fantasy readers and hope they see in their characters. This was a fast read with likable characters! I definitely recommend for a fun read!

Sadly this one was not a win for me. This had a super fun concept--our FMC meets a guy cosplaying as her favorite book boyfriend from her favorite romantasy series, and the romance sparks from there. Unfortunately the FMC was the main issue I had with this book; she behaved very immaturely through the majority of this book and it drove me absolutely nuts. Otherwise, this was an entertaining rom-com type of read.

2.5 stars rounded down. Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As someone with many book boyfriends, I think this book is a must-read.

Jennifer sublimates reality by diving into her favorite book series, even going to a festival devoted entirely to the series. Her work nemesis also ends up in the same place with a different motivation.

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka deftly create a fantasy world and dive into why some people lose themselves in these worlds. On the flip side they also adeptly look into some of the ways that becomes a crutch to avoid reality.

It's a slippery slope of fandom and realism that leads to our main characters learning more about themselves and the reader taking a deeper look at themselves.

Another win from this writing duo.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of BOOK BOYFRIEND by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe holiday season!

3.5 stars

This cozy, fluffy read about a work adversaries who collide and eventually connect at a conference centered around the (invented) popular romantasy series Elytheum Courts has a lot of charm. Jennifer is thrilled that her best friend and fellow series fan Amelia has been hired by the author to put on what is essentially a week-long immersive LARP focused on the series, with panels, skill-building workshops, and other events, transforming part of College of Hollisboro’s lovely campus into the Elytheum Experience.

Told in their trademark alternating chapters, Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka take on the voices of fangirl Jennifer and her nemesis Scott as they first compete, then join forces to solve a themed scavenger hunt to win the prize of a date with an actor cosplaying the romantic lead of the series: Lord Valance. Newly single–Scott witnessed the embarrasing dumping in the lobby of the publishing house they both work for–Jennifer desperately wants to win the date, but Scott is on another mission: to take self-improvement notes to become someone worthy of inspirating the love and devotion fans have for made up characters (book boyfriends).

The snarky humor is as much of a delight as the obvious love for reading in general (allusions, especially to Pride and Prejudice, are numerous), romantasy overall, and A Court of Thornes and Roses specifically. The dialogue is bantery, but even the description of work (remodeled into “cozy” wood and glass”) cracked me up. Descripions of scrumptions food, elaborate costuming, and a very well-thought out gamification make the writing top-notch. Subplots abound: another attendee, Erik, shows up to compete for the (already assigned role) of Lord Valance to gain the author’s attention and favor. Amelia’s burnout and her possible attraction to Val adds another layer, as does Jennifer’s processing of her recent breakup, new friendships, and a thorough examination of what she really wants and needs in a partner. The characters are sometimes immature and sometimes stereotypical (muscled airhead Erik is endearing, but not deep), making this feel a bit like a young adult book, except for the innendo and an explicit sex scene. The pivot from enemies to lovers feels a bit too abrupt and gave me whiplash, especially given Scott’s attitude about romance from the beginning. Still, this sweet literary read with it’s homage to the Dewey Decimal system and romantsy will find it’s readers; nothing tops The Roughest Draft for me.

I received a free, advance reader’s copy of #BookBoyfriend via #NetGalley courtesy of #Berkley. This review will post to HLBB on 2/26/2025.

Thank you for the chance to read this e-arc early! I really enjoyed this. Of course, since I am a big romantasy reader I could relate very much to the idea of book boyfriends, fantasy lives. The idea of spending time at a place designed to be similar to my favorite fantasy book series- that seems like the ultimate dream. I loved the characters. Jennifer was very relatable and of course I had to love Scott. This book was very fast paced and I read it very quickly. Jennifer at her worst could be juvenile but it didn't bother me because- can't we all? I felt the characters were nuanced and had a lot of growth individually and together as the story progressed. Overall, this book was a love letter to fandom and was fun. Was it perfect? No. there were moments of cringe but all in good fun. Definitely recommend to anyone that thinks the concept is fun and want a quick, lighthearted read.

This was a cute quick read! All the ACOTAR and book lover references were fun… definitely a vibe read so go in with an open mind of just having a fun read!

These authors wrote The Break-Up Tour, which can make any Taylor Swift-loving heart happy. This novel is for the Rhysand fans and for anyone who has read a book about some otherworldly man and enjoyed a blissful escape. The main character adores a book series reminiscent of a popular romantasy series, and decides to go to a week-long immersive experience after a break up. When she gets there, she spots her work rival and cannot figure out why a man who scoffed at her fandom interests has learned how to raise his eyebrow the way most book boyfriends can. This story was a cute read. It did a good job of showing how books are so personal to so many people and highlighted how much we can learn from romance.

This was a super cute book that was a love letter to books and fandoms. I would have loved this book if the contest hadn’t gotten in the way. I did not enjoy that aspect. But I liked Jennifer & Scott.

this entire book was such a fun concept and was really unique in my eyes. i loved every single minute of it

Wow!! The tension between these two characters was so fun to read. I was dying for them to talk more! The steam was amazing! Way more detail than I remember in previous titles. The storyline was fun and perfect for anyone that has been obsessed with a series. A true love letter to fandom!

Can’t wait to see this on shelves!

This book has an interesting plot concept. FMC is obsessed with a series similar to ACOTAR, and goes to a week-long full immersion experience for the fantasy world. after breaking up with her boyfriend for being too romantic but not realistic. But little does she know her work enemy is also there learning how to become a book boyfriend. That was an interesting idea, but the execution wasn't something I really enjoyed. Anyways. I will dramatically tell my friends the plot so we can LOL about it, but I will not recommend that they read it.

What happens when your worst work enemy crashes your fantasy dream world?!

Jennifer Worth is obsessed with the Elytheum Courts series, where the guys are brave, chivalrous, and, oh yeah, winged. Freshly single and needing a break, she heads to an immersive fan convention to dive headfirst into her favorite fantasy world. But guess who shows up? Her work nemesis, Scott Daniels.

What follows is an epic enemies-to-lovers romance with all the best stuff—snarky banter, undeniable chemistry, and some serious sparks flying as their shared love for Elytheum starts to blur the lines between fiction and reality.

If you’ve ever dreamed of finding love through a fandom, this book is for you. It’s a perfect pick for all the Romantasy girls!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this free gifted ARC.

”i would risk everything for a chance with you.” ₊ ⊹

my thoughts┊this was alright! not my favorite from this author duo, but also not my least favorite.

i actually didn’t read the synopsis before picking this up, so i was kind of surprised by the storyline. it was a fun, unique setting that i think a lot of people will be able to enjoy, especially fellow book lovers. the message and discussion in this story is really important, and i appreciated the way it was done! it’s so easy to get lost in fantasy worlds, but it’s important to remember that you can make your reality better too.

overall, i enjoyed this book. i did think the romantic aspect kind of took a 180- there wasn’t enough character relationship development for me to be totally convinced. also, i understand the aspect of the fictional book series that is mentioned in this, but the amount of mentions was getting repetitive and slightly annoying. it felt like i read the word “elytheum” on every single page. a lot of the internal conversation with jennifer seemed really repetitive as well.

though i did have some irks, i still had a good time reading this. definitely a good message, and i loved the found family/friend aspect. this would be such a good spring or summertime romance to pick up!

(4.5 stars) I loved this book so much! I knew I would from the very first chapter, which was hilarious! The FMC's personality and snarky wit was perfection. This book was fun, and romantic at the same time. The romantasy readers are going to really relate to this book, for sure.

There were only a few minor things that stopped me from giving this book the full 5 stars, and besides that it would have been utter perfection. There were two parts in the book where the FMC just did not react the way I would have reacted in that situation, at all. And maybe that's just a personal thing, but I just couldn't connect to the main character when to me, she was behaving so oddly and almost backwards to what I personally would have done. Secondly, in the last part of the book, the FMC was acting pretty juvenile for her age. Besides those things though, absolute perfection, I loved it so much!!

The FMC, Jennifer, was funny, relatable, a little bit immature but that also could have come just from being insecure and vulnerable also.

The MMC, Scott, was perfection. For some reason I kept picturing him as this nerdy guy with glasses (even though it NEVER says he has glasses!), so I kept trying to alter my mental image of him. I loved his personality though, it almost gave me autism vibes in the way he was so kept-together, and logical, and how he took notes and things. (The book also never says anything about autism.) I absolutely loved it, because he was so different from Jennifer, but he was her rock, and he was SO smart and insightful!!

I also loved how over the course of the book, all the characters really changed and developed. Not just the main characters but ALL of them, even the side characters!

When this book is released on February 25, 2025, I am absolutely buying myself a physical copy for my shelves. (Or a "Book Trophy", as my husband calls them, haha.) Actually, I'll pre-order it. This one is a keeper!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and authors Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka for the ARC!

Now excuse me while I go read the entire backlist from this writing duo ;)

Let me start by saying contemporary romance is not exactly my jam. I read it sparingly and it usually has an element of fantasy, dark humor or something to do with books or people who work with books going on. So perhaps, my 3 star review is closer to a 4 or even 5 star review if the reader is particularly into romance reads.
Book Boyfriend caught my attention as I am in a reread of A Court of Thorns & Roses series via dramatized audiobook and Elytheum is clearly a parodied reference to ACOTAR. That being said I genuinely enjoyed Book Boyfriend. There were moments that I found romantic and sweet and also funny enough to make me literally laugh out loud several times. It was a fun read and gave me a reprieve before reading something a little more intense/engaging. Ultimately, I feel this was a good reminder to take chances on your dreams as the reality of them has the potential to be better than your fantasies. There was also a validating message of books being so much more than just words on a page and that it’s okay to embrace your passions shamelessly. I loved the real connection between Scott and Jennifer. There was something so lovely and real about their intimacy and vulnerability. I will add bonus points for the Pride & Prejudice (2005) references because really, what’s more romantic than Darcy and Elizabeth in the rain? Speaking of Darcy-I think people who enjoyed the movie Austenland would love this book! I would also recommend if you like The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, you would also probably like this book. I would love to see a movie adaptation of this book as well! I kept thinking this would make such a good romcom as I was reading.

I have loved everything I've read by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka and this one still holds true! This was steamy and sexy and angsty in the best way. I loved every minute of this book.

Jennifer is devoted to the romantasy world of Elytheum. She begins to ask herself if she is living too far in the made-up literary world when her boyfriend breaks up with her in a public way. Instead of wallowing, she joins an Elytheum immersive fan experience, escaping for a week to live in the series of novels that have gotten her through the hardest moments of her life. When she realizes that her enemy coworker shows up at the same romantasy event, she is forced to face reality in a made-up world.

This romance novel is a great idea but poorly executed. While I enjoy the immersive fan experience and it sounds like a dream, I felt like the characters, both main characters, were flimsy. The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites, but Scott was not likable and she seemed a little too obsessed with the books - although I know that was one of the points - the way she was drawn was not engaging. The sideline plot with the best friend also threw me; I was not entirely sure what the intent of this side quest was. It seemed superfluous. I do think that the writing was compelling in parts, and I liked the world itself to keep reading, I was not altogether sold. What I DID like was the competing “Vals.” Those two were fun if a bit cliche. All in all, about a 3 out of 5 for me: could use some editing and recharacterization.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

i cant even begin to explain just how fun this book was to read, i felt like it truly is a love letter in a sense to all the romance readers, all the enemies to lovers fans and to all fandoms. it showed a really beautiful story of just how amazing the book community can be.

i loved how this centered around a beloved fantasy world in a week long experience as i see these experiences happening IRL and they look so fun and like everyone has the time of their lives there, the book truly helped me with my fomo on missing out on these experiences 😂🩵

the enemies to lovers in this book was SO insanely good, i was kicking my feet and giggling every single time scott and jennifer interacted with one another bc of their pettiness and just not being able to help being flirty at the same time. however there were some times where it felt like scott was just being plain old mean 🥲 maybe that was just the way i read it, idk but what i do know is jennifer is better than me because some of the things he said would have made me cry my eyes out 😂

also the side characters forever have my heart, all of them were so so sweet and funny

this entire book was such a fun concept and was really unique in my eyes, i loved every single minute of it and sort of have my fingers crossed we will get a bit more insight into amelia’s HEA one day 🥹

some tropes:
enemies to lovers
grumpy/sunshine
coworker
found family