I can see what this book was *trying* to do but it just missed the. mark on execution. The parts I liked the most about this book have more to do with fandom and finding a community of people with a shared love of one very specific thing and bonding over that. Unfortunately, due to this being a romance, the actual romance between Jennifer and Scott was vastly underwhelming and I didn't really like either of the MCs that much, especially when they were in each other's orbit. It's funny but Jennifer seemed much more interesting to me when she was in the dorm, hanging out with her friends. But whenever she was with Scott, that's when things got messy and not a good kind of messy, more like an immature kind of relationship that felt really underdeveloped for the most part.

I think this book would have worked better as a YA novel. It read as immature to me, like characters who lack life experience (such as young adults). I was also bummed to discover that the book is told from a singular POV. I’d grown accustomed to dual POVs from the authors, and I think it would have better served the story, especially Scott. Without knowing his inner dialogue, he was very difficult to get to know/sympathize with. That said, it was an easy read - not at all a struggle to get through. Thanks to Berkley for the ARC.

Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a delightful ode to fandoms, fantasy, and unexpected romance. Jennifer Worth, a devoted fan of the romantasy series Elytheum Courts, finds herself begrudgingly spending time with her work nemesis, Scott Daniels, at an immersive fan event. As Scott attempts to transform into the ideal "book boyfriend," their playful banter evolves into undeniable chemistry. The novel cleverly intertwines the allure of fictional worlds with the messy, heartfelt connections of real life, delivering swoonworthy moments and plenty of laughs. This charming enemies-to-lovers tale is perfect for readers who believe in the magic of books—and love stories.

Far from immune to a cute cover or a book about books, I obviously had to read this story. Full of belly laughs and both fantasy and contemporary romance references, this is my favorite story by this married author duo to date. Add it to your 2025 TBR list if you enjoy light, entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance stories.

This romcom romantasy features a fun storyline that has a light, fun vibe to it. It packs some fun banter, some spice and enjoyable characters. I think the pacing was a little off in places and I find that happen with duo authors, but it didn't really pull me out of the story.

A cozy workplace nemesis to lovers with the backdrop of a fun interactive fantasy experience? She’s trying to learn how to be a book boyfriend and turns all his moves on her? They grown together? Yes please and thank you. This was a great one.

Thank you for the free book, @berkleyromance #Berkleypartner #berkleybookstagram #berkley

In this rom com geared toward lovers of the romantasy genre, Jennifer is broken up with by her boyfriend publicly. Her colleague, Scott, hears the entire thing, much to her humiliation since she was once rejected by him. In order to move on and give herself much needed time for self-discovery, she goes to a book event that brings her favorite romantasy series to life. It promises a contest in the form of a scavenger hunt where the prize is a date with her dream book boyfriend. However, when she arrives, she finds that Scott is also attending the event. Will they put their animosity aside and take the risk of a new relationship?

I really enjoy this author duo and this book has a fun and unique concept. It reads like a love letter to fans of romance and romantasy. Because of this, it’s a bit of a niche book and may appeal more to fans of those genres. Because I only read romantasy occasionally, I didn’t relate to the main character quite as much as avid fans might, but I could certainly relate to her love of books. The supporting characters were funny and charismatic and helped bring levity to the story. Overall, I think this one will really appeal to fans of romantasy, comic con- type of events, and those who enjoy solving clues or puzzles.

Jennifer Worth is having a bad week. Her boyfriend broke up with her and of course her workplace rival, Scott Daniels, was there to witness it in all her embarrassing glory. But, lucky for Jennifer she has something to escape to, her all time favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts. This time she gets to experience it in real life as her bff whisks her away to a week long Elytheum Courts live experience. She is swept away as her fantasy world is brought to life. However Jennifer is forced to face a harsh fact, that the fantasy world she has run to for solace and comfort is just that, a fantasy. Can she embrace her reality and fight to make it just as magical? Or will she run away and escape to the series she knows and loves?


This book is an ode to the ACOTAR girlies. It captures beautifully the balance between using fantasy books as an escape from reality, and a crutch to avoid dealing with reality. It's a slow burn with a ton of great banter. I wouldn't totally call it enemies to lovers although technically it is? I don't think however that is the main plot line here. Overall it was a cute easy read with some great tension and 1-2 spicy scenes that were pretty tame! The thing that really kept it from 3 stars for me was the pacing. The book builds really slowly and then feels a bit rushed at the end. I did love that a lot of the side characters were more fleshed out and had backstories to them which is a little atypical for a standard romance and really added some depth to the book!

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily #berkley #berkleypartner

This was... likely my least favorite from this duo. It read a lot like the Well Met series from Jen DeLuca sprinkled in with moments of The Hating Game, but I've already read the whole series as well as The Hating Game and am not a huge fan of the Renaissance theme.

After being dumped by the man she was about to dump (whose name I've already forgotten? Maybe that's the point though), Jennifer decides to go to an immersive camp based off her favorite fantasy series. There she meets her work nemesis. After a massive scavenger hunt is announced where the prize is... a date with an actor playing the male lead of the book? Or you get to date someone? I don't know. Details were murky.. Jessica sort of teams up with different people to try and solve the hunt.

Of course one of those partners is Scott, and she realizes there's more to him. He convinces her she might want to pursue her MFA, but then they kiss and she freaks out and... Decides she doesn't want her MFA? Which pisses off Scott? I don't know.

Like I said, love EW & ASB, but it's definitely their weakest book for me.

Thanks, NetGalley!

This book is truly written for the fans of romantasy, anyone who escapes into books, has book boyfriends, or just in general enjoys fandoms.

Jennifer just got dumped by her boyfriend, but she finds it was always a matter of time. She's always wishing for a romance worthy of a love story. So she picks up her stuff and then goes to a bookish experience made after her favorite fantasy series.

It's her surprise when her work nemesis, Scott is there as well. While Scott is there to learn how to be the "book boyfriend" that is always idolized in this series.

I absolutely loved the world and romanticizing not only love but the book community that it surrounds. Parts of this book genuinely feel like a warm hug and a bookworms oasis.

Parts of this did feel like so much world building for the book series they experience which felt hard to follow at times. I also feel like the romance was more show then tell, I didn't fully feel their passion or Scott's purpose in being there.

But overall this was a cute read and for the vibes!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am a huge fan of Emily and Austin's adult romances, but within the first 50 pages of this book, I knew it wasn't for me. The prose was lacking, the MC felt juvenile, and the heavy-handed focus on fandoms quickly became too much.

That said, this book has a lot of what is working in the market right now and could be a hit for those who are searching for a quick and fun romance read to enjoy in one sitting.

This book is described as a “love letter to readers” and the only way that description could be more accurate would be for it to say “love letter to romantasy readers” because this novel is absolutely geared toward fans of ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, and other popular fantasy romance books. The fan service in this book is immaculate. Chef’s kiss. 🤌

The fan service is also the perfect framing device for the authors to address the evergreen (translation: trite and tired) discourse that goes “romance novels give women unrealistic expectations about men” and “romance novels are smutty, escapist fantasies that have no significance/aren’t ‘real art'” which they do with capability and a level of sophistication critics of the romance genre and romantasy, in particular, might not expect. In the interests of full disclosure, I very rarely give five star ratings to any book and readers can learn more about my reviews here: About the Reviews

I typically only give five stars to books I believe have the power to change lives in some way, and this one is on that short list. In this novel, Jennifer Worth finds both the sort of community and friendship that she’s been lacking as well as the courage to become the main character of her own life. On the other side of the equation, Scott Daniels learns that his disdain for Jennifer’s beloved romance novels is misplaced. Scott learns to appreciate the optimism and hopefulness with which long-time romance fans are familiar. I gave this book one of my rare 5-star reviews because I think people who don’t normally understand the allure of romance novels or who don’t understand why the fandoms of these books are so appealing, will find some answers to those questions in this novel. Fans of the genre will also find a gentle reminder to have fun in their favorite fantasy realms but make sure they stay grounded in reality at the same time. All of this is wrapped up in witty, occasionally sarcastic banter between the MCs.

This book is perfect for both fans of romantasy and contemporary romance. I will also say it got me out of a post-election reading slump, so if you’re nursing a book hangover and need a little pick-me-up, give this book a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Some banter, some heat,
some absurd plot points. Mostly,
light, cute, amusing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️



I write haiku reviews but am happy to provide more feedback.

Great witty banter and I liked the connection between the characters. Fun story. The pacing was a little off for me and I wish there was an epilogue. I will recommend for a quick light read though.

I had really high hopes for this book and I loved the premise going in. Jennifer has just been dumped and her work nemesis has witnessed it. Her day can't get much worse, but she isn't one to dwell. She picks herself up and calls her friend who is running a cosplay experience in the world of her favorite book series. She wishes all boyfriends could be like her book boyfriend Val. He is perfect, even if he is make believe.
When she gets there she immediately sees Scott, her work nemesis, is here for the week too. She doesn't want the drama of her real life getting in the way of this week, so she tries to make the best of things. Scott isn't there to compete for the grand prize, but he is there to try to figure out how he can be a better boyfriend. With her talking all the time about her perfect man, Scott thinks he can learn a thing or two about romance.
Real life isn't the same as fantasy and Jannifer knows that deep down, but she does still want to find her perfect match.
The first 75% of the book I was completely invested and I loved the tension and the back and forth. I even loved the side characters and their own stories so much, but the romance started veering off track later in the book. I think that it would have been great to have Scott's POV because it was hard to understand what was happening in his mind when you just had Jennifer's POV and the things he said at the end didn't match up with what he said/did in the beginning. The conflict was confusing and didn't feel like that big of a deal at all if the two would have just talked one more sentence each. The ending was really rushed as well and I am not sure why things were done the way that they were, but it felt really weird.
All in all I did enjoy the premise of the book and liked the characters a lot, but I really was hoping for more at the end.
Thanks to Berkley, Emily and Austin and Netgalley for an early copy.

This is the perfect book for romantasy lovers, especially for fans of the ACOTAR series. I personally am not a huge fan of the fantasy genre so I had a hard time connecting with the main character. This follows Jennifer who is a huge fan of Elytheum. She goes to a week long retreat that is all things Elytheum. All the food, activities, and wardrobe have to do with her favorite series and she gets to meet other people who love the series just as much as her. She has always dreamed of her prefect book boyfriend in real life and what better place to find that person than a huge convention for that fandom. There’s only one problem… her work enemy who supposedly hates that series is also at this retreat.

Such a whimsical idea! The descriptions made me feel like I was there in the fantasy. The characters were fun and witty. Very on trend.

This book was fun and not at all what I was expecting. Some of the points were a little too cheesy for my taste, but it was a quick read and definitely a unique story.

The romance built a little too slow to convince me they really liked each other by the end, the plot was full of book related chaos that was overwhelming at times with the corny aspects.

I have never read anything by this author before, but I really enjoyed reading this book. The pacing was good and the character's were developed very well.

This was a fun read! I really liked the setting and the concept of the experience. I know I would jump at the chance to immerse myself in the world of my favourite book! Jennifer was an interesting main character and I enjoyed the growth she had over the course of the book. Her chemistry with Scott was great and I loved how this was a story of love, friendship, and the power of a great book to bring people together