Read If You Like:
- Enemies-to-lovers romance
- Fandom culture and book conventions
- Workplace rivalry
- Slow-burn relationships
- Witty banter and forced proximity

Jennifer is a superfan of the popular romantasy series *Elytheum Courts*,and attends an immersive convention dedicated to the series, only to find her work rival, Scott Daniels, there as well. Their unlikely encounter forces them to interact outside the office, blurring the lines between professional antagonism and something far more personal.

The novel shines in its depiction of fandom culture, celebrating the passion readers have for fictional worlds and the friendships that form around them. The convention setting adds a unique backdrop, allowing Jennifer and Scott’s relationship to develop in an environment where reality and fantasy intertwine. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry undeniable, and their gradual shift from rivals to something more is deeply satisfying.

Beyond the romance, this book also explores themes of self-discovery and personal ambition. Jennifer’s journey is not just about love but also about learning to trust herself and embrace the things that bring her joy. Fans of slow-burn romances and bookish love stories will find plenty to adore in this charming, heartfelt read.

Thank you so much Berkley for my gifted copy!!!

Very grateful to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for the free book, opinions are my own #BerkleyPartner

I was really excited for this book, but it didn’t fully work for me. The concept—an immersive fan event mixed with a workplace enemies-to-lovers romance—sounded fun, but I struggled to connect with the characters. Jennifer and Scott’s dynamic felt more forced than natural, and I didn’t find their romance very compelling.
That said, I did enjoy the bookish setting and the fandom elements. The scavenger hunt and cosplay aspects were fun, and the banter between Jennifer and Scott had its moments.
If you enjoy fandom-centered rom-coms, forced proximity, and workplace rivals-to-lovers tropes, this might be a great read for you. It just wasn’t my favorite from these authors.

“Brit was right… fantasy doesn’t have to be an escape, but sometimes escapes are what help us get through the darkest days.”

Jennifer Worth works a desk job by day, but at night she relishes the ability to escape into the pages of her favorite fictional fantasy. In Elytheum Courts, she can immerse herself in a world full of captivating characters and chivalrous men. But she knows many people don’t get her obsession with the series, or fandoms in general. It’s also something that people like her work nemesis, Scott Daniels, have made abundantly clear time and time again.

Then Jennifer gets the once in a lifetime opportunity to “live” inside her favorite book world through the ultimate fan experience. Upon her arrival, Jennifer is immediately in awe of seeing the places and people she’s read about come to life in such vivid detail. But imagine Jennifer’s surprise when she finds her co worker, Scott, is also there in the flesh.

Confused but more-so, put off by his presence, Jennifer can’t figure out why Scott would want to take part in a simulation of the very scenario he’s mocked so much. But as Jennifer and Scott begin to get to know each other outside their workplace environment, it’s slowly revealed that the equally unlucky in love Scott sees Elytheum as a crash course into being the perfect real life version of a book boyfriend. Although Jennifer remains skeptical, will these two enemies ultimately come together to write a new chapter?

Book Boyfrend is the latest romance from real life couple and writing duo, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. While a few of their books, namely The Roughest Draft and The Breakup Tour, have been on past “best of” lists of mine, in comparison this title falls short. As someone who is admittedly not a fantasy fan though, as a book written as a love letter to fantasy readers, I might not be the target audience.

While the idea of living in a favorite fictional setting is largely appealing, Book Boyfriend is one romance that I, unfortunately, just wasn’t on the same page with.

I thought the blurb sounded interesting, but the story missed the mark for me. I had to force myself to finish. I was just not a fan of either character and I found myself not really caring whether they ended up together or not.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i don’t think this book is for me :( i personally did not enjoy the acotar inspired fandom and the mmc’s mission to become rhysand incarnate but i would recommend this to those who are more into fan-base centered romcoms. while it wasn’t my cup of tea, i still love this duo and will continue to read their new releases!

DNF - @28%

I want to start off by saying that the premise of this book was SO promising. A romantasy girly, Jennifer, who just experienced a breakup spontaneously decides to visit an weeklong experience themed to her favorite book series? Hell yeah, sign me up.
But then it kinda just went downhill for me. Sort of off the bat, I was not a fan of Scott, the mmc. He frankly seemed like an asshole. And maybe that was the point?

He seemed meant to be a workplace rival who made fun of Jennifer's favorite series from the beginning, and I didn't like that. The twist on Jennifer's time at the weeklong Elethyeum experience is that Scott, who again hates this book series, is there too!
As the book progressed, I felt more like there was an obsession with Scott in Jennifer's mind. She couldn't escape real life to immerse herself in the experience which is totally valid. But then everything started to feel like it was centered around Scott. And as I kept reading, I realized that the book, to me, read as if it was *telling* me about how everything was happening as it happened rather than *showing* me if things were happening and I just didn't like that.
There were some good parts from what I read but not enough to make me want to continue reading.

So I DNFed it.

2.5 stars

While the concept of this book was intriguing, the execution of it was lacking for me. As a fan of fantasy books, I loved the idea of a romance taking place in a week long immersive fantasy themed event based on the MC’s favorite fantasy book series. However, since the book is not real, it was lost on me how to connect to these moments and characters that was mentioned in snippets throughout the book. You essentially are fed the entire plot of this made up fantasy series of this fake book so much that I was honestly left more confused than trying to read a fantasy book without a map or character pronunciations. The court of that? The lord of who? Demons? I just could not connect at all to these parts of the story despite the authors constant attempts.

As for the romance aspect of the book, our MC has recently been dumped by her boyfriend after 6 months of dating and honestly didn’t feel much for him at all but is deeply hurt by it. She’s on a quest for a love like the one she reads in fantasy books (aren’t we all?) but cannot disconnect reality with fiction. Rather than an immersive experience I think she needed actual therapy. This is not something a real person holds on to so tightly. Alas, the MC ( i already forgot her name honestly) has a work nemesis, Scott, who she tried to befriend one night and is rejected by him. This then makes him her work nemesis and they are petty to one another over the course of a year. He sees her after her breakup and overhears her ex say something about how “fun she is in the bedroom.” First, weird thing to mention to someone, but this happens twice as apparently when he first rejected her friendship he overheard her talking to a friend about being dumped by someone else after she performed oral sex on him. It was really creepy that the authors picked these moments to reflect the character and made this guy Scott seem like a real creep for eavesdropping in on this moments.

Anywho, Scott, who she hates, ends up being at the same immersive week event as her and they have to find some clues to win a date with this actor dressed up as the male main character of this made up fantasy series. Weird choice but okay. The guest are suppose to look for clues around this college campus where the event is taking place and the MC and Scott compete against one another using the details of the made up fantasy book to figure out the clues. I was tired by this because again we are being told the story of this made up world and just along for the ride.

Scott is trying to become more like a book boyfriend and as an adult man, taking notes on eyebrow lifting, growling, and leaning on walls to impress women. Seems like he needs to get out more? The MC harbors a little crush on him and of course by the end they are finally hooking up ( 4 times in one night apparently) but of course our MC cannot get over reality mirroring the fictional love she reads about and has a panic attack about it all and Scott leaves. She goes after him and somehow knows exactly where he lives back in NYC despite being work nemesis’? Okie dokie. They make up, dive back to the event 8 hours away just to make it to the last minutes of the grand ball at the end. The end. WOW.

What I did like about this book was the MC (still cannot recall her name) finding friends at the event who share her love of the fandom and opening up more to the big wide world of long distance friendships. Weird that she wouldn’t consider branching out and finding her people prior to this event, no? I also enjoyed the best friend character, Amelia, who put on the immersive event. She had a crush on the actor playing the fantasy books male MC and I honestly would have preferred a book about her struggles to manage her work life balance and finding love in an unexpected place. Alas, this was just trying too much and made me feel icky. OH! After they hooked up, Scott starts calling the MC baby after literally hating each other for a year and I wanted to gag.

The end.

The book started off really well but about halfway through I was just pushing to finish it. The banter between Jennifer and Scott was so good, and the plot was really fun. I even loved the side characters and their own stories. But I was getting frustrated by the third act. The plot of the book does span over a week, where at the beginning, they dislike each other and by the end, they love each other? It just felt super quick. And their sudden interest for each other, after a year of an unnecessary feud, seemed a bit off. I do really like getting both sides of the story, so to speak, when it comes to romance. And I think I might have liked it better if I could have gotten a stronger sense of who the hero was outside of Jennifer's observations. The ending was really rushed as well and I am still unsure why it ended like that. I did, however, still enjoy the premise of the book and liked the characters a lot, but I just hoping for more at the end.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I found the first third and several parts after to be SUPER cringe.

Jennifer Worth is eager to immerse herself in Elytheum Courts, her favorite romantasy series, at a fan convention—only to run into her work nemesis, Scott Daniels. But the standoffish editor she knows is suddenly flirtatious, determined to embody the perfect book boyfriend. As convention magic pulls them closer, could their enemies-to-lovers arc turn real?

I think my issue with this book is more of a me thing than a story thing. About halfway through, I realized I could name three similar books I didn’t love either—so maybe this just isn’t my trope 😅

This one’s for the girlies who have a beloved fantasy romance series and love contemporary stories where the MC gets to live elements of their favorite world (in this case, a cosplay convention). Add in an enemies-to-lovers arc with a man who—of course—doesn’t like romance novels, and you’ve got the setup. But as you know, I’m not a die-hard romantasy fan, so I had a hard time connecting with Jennifer’s tone.

Because of the competition vibe, Jen’s comment about how incredible it would be to train with an Elythean, and her love of romance novels, I was hoping for (okay, maybe expecting) more Nesta vibes (A Court of Silver Flames). Instead, this felt closer to a TLC romantasy cosplay competition.

What did work for me? Helen Laser’s impeccable narration. She brought the sass and emotion to life, and honestly, I don’t think I would have rated this three stars without her.

Why I read: The cover is cute, I love the narrator, Helen Laser, and workplace enemies/rivals is usually a hit! I was also curious about romantasy obsessed characters in a contemporary romance—I was hoping for a more resonating FMC.

Perfect for you if you like:
Romance-averse MMC
Immersive fandom events
The joy (and chaos) of being a passionate book fan
Contemporary stories where characters get to experience their favorite book

Similar to:
Not in My Book by Katie Holt
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

⛔️chapter 31 contains explicit romance scene (open door)
⚠️explicit language

This book was amazing from start to finish- and as stated in the book- the ultimate enemies to lovers. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be immersed into a world like one of your books? Have you ever felt you needed to get away from the "real world"? Jennifer finds herself in need of a break after her boyfriend breaks up with her... in front of her work enemy, Scott. Lucky for Jennifer, her best friend has created a weeklong event highlighting their favorite romantasy world and characters. Jennifer is excited, but quickly surprised when she arrives to find none other than Scott. Instant rivals they begin to find clues for the scavenger hunt that will guarantee a dinner with the famous (and hot) mmc of the books. At every turn Jennifer finds herself against Scott, to the point that he's the only thing she can think of. And the lines of enemy begin to blur the more Scott shares and immerses himself in her favorite romantasy (the one he always tears to shreds at their workplace). Jennifer has to decide- is reality finally better than fantasy? And has she read Scott completely wrong? This book has some *smoldering* banter that had me kicking my feet. And the main characters were to DIE for- both quirky and fun in their own ways. I highly recommend this for any reader who ever wanted to join a fantasy world they've only ever read about. #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARC

Thank you @BerkleyRomance for the free book and thank you @PRHAudio for the #gifted listening copy of Book Boyfriend! #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #berkleyromance #BookBoyfriend #emilywibberley
#austinsiegemundbroka

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐝-𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐚
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

3★

Jennifer is newly single and attending an immersive fan experience celebrating her favorite book series, Elytheum Courts. She’s in her happy place, except she see’s the last person she is expecting: Scott Daniels. Scott is not just her co-worker, but her work nemesis. But the Scott who is attending the book event is unlike anything she’s experienced before. For starters, he’s in a cosplay outfit. But he’s also flirty, and confident nothing like the Scott from their publishing job. Scott is determined to make himself into the perfect book boyfriend. As the convention continues, various immersive activities force Jennifer and Scott to work together as this real life enemies to lovers trope plays out in real life.

I will be the first to admin that I love this real life writing duo. Every one of their books has worked for before this one. While I really enjoyed parts of the book, I had a hard time staying connected to the plot at times. I just did not connect much with Scott’s character, and did not find that the connection between Scott and Jennifer felt very authentic. I also thought parts of the book felt a little drawn out to me. Again, I love this writing duo, and will read whatever they write, but this one was a little more difficult for me to connect with.

🩷Enemies to Lovers
🩷Co-Workers
🩷Grumpy x Sunshine
🩷Book About Book Lovers
🩷Great Banter

Posted on Goodreads on February 19, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 20, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 25, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Jennifer attends a week long immersive experience for her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts. After a recent breakup, she needs to be swept up in a world where the men are swoony and brave. Unlike the men she's dated in the past. What she doesn't expect is to see Scott there, her work nemesis.

I liked the concept of being immersed in the setting and meeting the characters of your favorite series. Jennifer's passion for reading and the escape it provided her is something I appreciated. There was some good banter between Jennifer and Scott as enemies. I enjoyed the parts when Scott started acting flirty and throwing Jennifer off course. The lines started to get blurred as she questioned what was fantasy and what was reality?

I wish I felt more between Jennifer and Scott. The chemistry wasn't really there for me. There were times when I struggled with the storyline and wasn't as invested as I had hoped.

Ever imagined going to a camp as an adult that centers around your favorite romantasy series? This book is for you!

Jennifer was recently broken up with and runs away to a immersive fan experience for her favorite romantasy book series Elytheum Courts. When she arrives she realizes her nemesis from work Scott is also in attendance, despite his claims to hate the series.

This book was so cute, if a bit cheesy at times. The fantasy element of going to an immersive event like the one in this book is what made it for me. It gave me so many good vibes of adults coming together to celebrate and enjoy a series they truly love. Jennifer and Scott's rivalry is a bit trite but I found myself rooting for them anyway. I absolutely loved the found family Jennifer found in this book and is the main reason I rated it so high.

Tropes
* Workplace rivals to lovers
* Camp setting (sort of)
* Book loving MCs
* Found Family
* Scavenger Hunt
* Forced Proximity
* Fantasy Cosplay

4.5 stars

Book Boyfriend follows Jennifer, a huge fan of the romantasy series Elytheum and a hopeless romantic. After a breakup, she decides to escape reality by attending the Elytheum experience. The only catch? Her coworker, Scott, who supposedly hates the series (and the entire genre), is there too, throwing a wrench in her week of fantasy immersion.

This book truly felt like a love letter to fandom and romantasy, celebrating the way massive series like ACOTAR and Empyrean have built such passionate communities. I loved that aspect—it was fun, and full of little nods that any romantasy reader would appreciate. However, I felt that the main plot and romance got a bit lost in all of that.

I was hooked at the beginning and really enjoyed Jennifer as a character. But once we got to the Elytheum experience and Scott entered the picture, my engagement started to wane. I struggled to connect with him and didn’t fully understand his motivations. He claims he came to the experience because he was tired of superficial relationships and wanted to learn how to be a "book boyfriend," which didn’t quite make sense to me. I initially expected that he was secretly there because of Jennifer—to find a way to make her see him differently—but as the story unfolded, it became clear that neither of them truly liked (or even respected) each other before the experience. That made it a little harder to root for their romance. Maybe if this had been a dual POV, it would have been more engaging—I think getting inside Scott’s head could have helped clarify his character and make the romance feel more natural.

That said, I still really enjoy the prose and atmosphere that this author duo creates. Even in their books that don’t fully work for me, I usually find myself rooting for the romance. In this one, though, the beautifully crafted world of the Elytheum fandom felt like it overshadowed the central love story.

Oh, oh yes. This book snatched my attention from the blurb...and it was exactly as detailed. Jennifer, a massive fan of the popular romantasy series Elytheum Courts, goes to the immersive experience after a public breakup. Instead of finding handsome, rugged, winged men like you would find in Elytheum, she finds her work nemesis, Scott.

This book felt like a love letter to book lovers everywhere. Jennifer who yearns for a swoon worth romance like I'm sure we all do! I found myself relating to her in almost every sense of the word. I just loved the way she made me laugh and the way she genuinely cared about making friends and immersing herself in the bookish experience! It was so fun to read about her :)

On the other hand, Scott, was another story! I thought Scott was quite mean at times and honestly...it hurt my feelings *cue me closing my kindle for a moment of self reflection* It was truly something. I did love the part where he did ~the lean~ you could tell mans was committed! I enjoyed his character more at the end then at any other part.

The supporting characters MADE this book. Erik and Fred...you both have my whole heart. I won't go spoiling everything but that one scene...UGHHHHHHH I love it I love it I love it. Every single one of the supporting characters was completely unique and I loved hearing about them and their stories. It made me feel like I was right beside them celebrating Elytheum.

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars! I thought the plot was so darling and it truly felt like a hug. I tore through this book- finding time to read it whenever I could.

Thank you Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a three at best. The premise was amazing and could have been done so well, but fell flat. Our main characters felt super immature and lacked chemistry. I had trouble remembering they weren't teenagers but adults. Just not it.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group.

Jennifer Worth lives to escape into the world of her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts, where the romance is sweeping and the men are brave, chivalrous and winged. Newly single and craving connection, she travels to an immersive fan experience celebrating all things Elytheum, only to see the last face she expected—Scott Daniels, her work nemesis, whose disinterest in Jennifer’s favorite series and standoffishness have made their publishing jobs feel like a feuding fae court.

Except the Scott she encounters at the Elytheum Experience, in his secondhand cosplay outfit, is different. Swaggering, flirtatious, confident. Unlucky in romance himself and inspired by Jennifer’s love for the swoonworthy men of Elytheum, Scott is determined to remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend.

Jennifer has no interest in helping the man who vexes her every workday and dismisses her fictional fantasies, but as the immersive convention activities force them together, they are surprised to discover magic like none Jennifer has ever read about. But is enemies-to-lovers romance only for books, or can Jennifer and Scott bring the trope to life?

The book started off really well but about halfway through I was just pushing to finish it. The banter between Jennifer and Scott was so good, and the plot was really fun. I even loved the side characters and their own stories. But I was getting frustrated by the third act. The plot of the book does span over a week, where at the beginning, they dislike each other and by the end, they love each other? It just felt super quick. And their sudden interest for each other, after a year of an unnecessary feud, seemed a bit off. I do really like getting both sides of the story, so to speak, when it comes to romance. And I think I might have liked it better if I could have gotten a stronger sense of who the hero was outside of Jennifer's observations. The ending was really rushed as well and I am still unsure why it ended like that. I did, however, still enjoy the premise of the book and liked the characters a lot, but I just hoping for more at the end.

Book Boyfriend is the latest adult romance novel from these two married co-authors. I'd picked it up solely for the authors and that title without actually knowing anything about the plot, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a bookworm heroine who was living out a week at a fantastical event inspired by her all-time favorite fantasy series and her clashes with her self-proclaimed work nemesis who happens to be there as well. Sounds like a fun premise, especially if you're a bookworm with similar reading inclinations, don't you think?

This book didn't quite pack the emotional punch that other titles I've read from these authors have (I still think about how The Roughest Draft and The Breakup Tour both made me cry to this day whenever I see them on my shelf), but it did keep me entertained! I enjoyed getting to live vicariously through the main character's experience of seeing her favorite fantasy series come to life with the setting, activities, details of the weeklong event she attended - it seriously made me wish that I had that opportunity too. There were also plenty of banter-filled conversations and rom-com level shenanigans involving her work nemesis that made me chuckle or swoon or raise my eyebrows, depending on the context they were in. I found that seeing the interplay between the fantasy of the event itself and the reality of life in the real world interesting to witness, especially as that formed the crux of the conflict for the couple.

There are a few things that didn't work well for me in this book. For starters, there are a lot of cheesy lines and passages that tie back into reading, fantasy, etc; while I'm not opposed to these (and even ended up earmarking some of them to keep track of), it felt more heavy-handed than I'd like and would pull me out of the narrative. (I believe this is also true of The Breakup Tour, but I didn't notice it there quite as much.) I also didn't love that we only get our heroine's point of view; I've found in general that I like getting both sides of the story, so to speak, when it comes to romance. I'm pretty sure the decision to use only one perspective was made for specific narrative reasons, but I think I might have liked it better if I could have gotten a stronger sense of who the hero was outside of the heroine's observations. And lastly, for the purposes of this list, I just didn't end up feeling personally invested in our main couple. I didn't feel like I knew the hero as well as I wanted, and as for the heroine, she just wasn't a personality I jived with (despite the fact that we both love books wholeheartedly).

I did end up finishing this book much faster than I expected to, thanks to the easy to read writing style employed. But while there were parts of this tale that did elicit that warm, syrupy feeling of joy and contentment, or a bright flare of amusement, this book unfortunately was pretty average when compared to the body of work these authors have produced.

Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

“There’s nowhere I would rather be, nowhere. No magical world, no favorite pages. Just here.”

Thank you to @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook. Thanks also to @berkleyromance for the gifted e-arc #berkleypartner #berkley All opinions are my own.

Book Boyfriend is such a sweet and entertaining read. It is a love letter to romantasy fandoms and showcases how book communities often come together to celebrate their favorite stories. I had such a fun time reading this one and would definitely recommend it to those who like books about books.

Jennifer, a devoted fangirl and avid reader of the romantasy series Elytheum Courts, is newly single and excited to be traveling to an immersive fan experience celebrating all things Elytheum. But when she gets there she realizes that her work nemesis, Scott, is attending the event as well which annoys her mostly because he is standoffish and has feigned disinterest in the Elytheum series for years. Scott, who is also unlucky in love, has decided to use the event as an opportunity to try and remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend. When they are forced together during convention activities however, they quickly discover that enemies-to-lovers is a popular romance trope for a reason.

The writing is very well done and the audio version, read by Helen Laser, is perfection! I really enjoyed the versatility of her narration and found myself so engaged in the story. I was lucky enough to be gifted both an audio and e-arc copy of this book allowing me to go back and forth between the two formats which is my favorite way to read lately!

If you have been looking for a sweet and swoon-worthy enemies to lovers story to add to your bookshelf then you should definitely add this one to your list!

Read if you like:

Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy Sunshine
Character growth
Books about books
Some Spice