I love a messy love story and Situationship was just what I needed.

Teagan and Heath have always been members of the same friend group. They have a mysterious past with each other and are not always on the same page. With a friend's wedding coming up, they are forced into each other’s presence a lot more frequently. So they decide to make the most of it with pre-scheduled hookups as stress relievers. But it is hard to keep things surface level when the history runs deep.

I love the concept of a situationship to lovers story, and I think the add-on of second-chance makes this novel even more interesting. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the MCs calling out their friends for inappropriate comments. I think having these conversations made them feel more relatable and just made me trust them more as people. This was a great debut from E.M. Wilson!

Thank you Wattpad and Netgalley for the eARC!

A frenemies to lovers rom-com. This book is very spicy. The first 50% was mostly spice with a little bit of plot or even real conversation between the two main characters. I didn’t hate the banter between the two but I also didn’t love it. I felt that the “enemy” portion was a little overdone and repetitive.

This book did dabble into deeper topics such as racism, sexuality and sexual orientation and even mental health. Which, in my opinion, gave it a little more life and was one of the reasons that I didn’t dnf.

It was a very quick read because of the writing style. I think this book had the potential to be so good but it really fell a little flat for me.

I really liked the premise of the Situationship, but the execution wasn’t for me. Uber rich, friends with benefits sounds like the perfect setting – but unfortunately, I wasn’t getting any of the chemistry that I would expect going into this, and the characters felt unrealistic. It wasn’t for me - DNF.

Thanks so much to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC. The premise sounds fun, a classic summer fling second chance romance. However, I have to say that this book (especially the first half) was smut > plot. The second half redeems itself but I could’ve done with less “not so little man” type of descriptions. The last few chapters were truly sweet and it wrapped up the story nicely.

This was a fun and breezy romance - it is definitely heavy on the erotica in comparison to plot, but it honestly does make sense given that the book is about a... situationship!

Teagan and Heath's attraction to each other is palpable from the get-go despite being work arch-enemies. They come to an agreement because neither is looking for a messy commitment, but want to capitalize on their attraction to each other with no-strings attached hookups. So, there's not really much buildup at all - they jump in headfirst pretty quickly. I wish there had been more tension earlier on, because their relationship fell into a repetitive pattern so quickly.

Another issue for me is that I just didn't connect to the writing and the narrative style. Both of the characters often acted immaturely to the point where it verged on being cringey / unrealistic (Heath especially) but I also do see how that was instrumental in contributing to his character's growth by the end. He could've been a liiittle less of a jerk. I just wish there was more substance in general, especially in terms of character development.

While it wasn't quite the book for me, I think Situationship does a good job of tackling the difficult relationship dynamic and will undoubtedly be a fun read for romance lovers!

“It’s hard to see you being amazing on your own when I had my heart set on you being amazing with me.”
~~~
This is book scared me on how accurate the beginning was- in correlation to MY FIRST MARRIAGE! And then it’s almost accurate to how my current relationship was/turned into.
The emotions in this book were exciting, and all over, but at the perfect times. I really got drawn into this book.
It was a great read and absolutely going to tell ya’ll. 4/49/25…y’all better have this preordered.

Thank you @netgalley @emwilsonauthor and @fpxwpbooks for allowing me a eARC of this book.

4.5 ⭐️Perfect read to get me out of a slump! Was expected the typical FWBs but this book took me by surprise. I loved Teagan so much! Her attitude and no bullshit vibes were everything! Heath I expected to be a total fuckboy but ended up being so much deeper than that. The raw emotions at the end had me gripping my chest too. Truly loved every second of this read!

Situationship mixes steam with substance, though it leans more toward erotica than traditional romance. Teagan and Heath, frenemies who agree to a fake dating arrangement, quickly find themselves tangled in emotions.

Beyond the spice, the book explores themes like racism and transnational adoption, adding depth to the story. These themes were thoughtfully integrated and gave the characters’ struggles with identity and belonging real emotional weight.

However, the first half was a bit hard to get into. I struggled to connect with Teagan and Heath until I learned more about their backstories, which came too late in the book. Heath’s casual misogyny and dismissiveness toward Teagan were frustrating at times, though I understand this was part of his character arc.

Teagan was a strong, relatable character with a compelling struggle, especially with the pressure placed on her as a Black woman adopted by wealthy white parents.

The second half of the book was where everything clicked. The characters grew, and the emotional payoff made it all worth it.
Overall, Situationship is a steamy and emotional romance that offers both heat and depth. Worth picking up for those who like their romance with a bit of bite.

I dnf’d this at about 40%. Just felt REALLY boring and predictable. The tropes are not done super well, the characters feel really flat, and I just really didn’t enjoy this one

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Situationship was not a win for me. Even though I read lots of rom-coms, I found this one extremely cringy. The characters were flat and not particularly likable. It was just sex scene after sex scene without much meat to the story.

This is such a fantastic debut novel!! Once I began the book, I couldn’t put it down and read it in a day. E.M. Wilson did a wonderful job of making me feel this story. I laughed, I cried, and I was cheering for the ending. Teagan and Heath have so much history and I loved how their story unraveled. I’m so excited to see what this author writes next!

Thank you Net galley for the arc!
Unfortunately this is gonna be a DNF for me @10%. I hate to write bad reviews about anything because I believe all authors deserve flowers for writing a book in the first place, but I just couldn't get done with this. It felt extremely immature and cringy. It was basically just two rich people having sex. So basically I'll have to pass.

This was a cute story. The banter and spice was great! It did fall a bit flat for me tempo wise. I did enjoy the story and the MCS.

While the premise of this story was great, and it had the potential to be a steamy summer romance, it unfortunately fell flat for me. The characters felt as if they had no real personality and were very one dimensional. The story also moved very quickly without much growth or background on either character. The book also felt very repetitive when it came to the characters and how they interacted with each other, and how the spice was approached in this book.
I understand the characters in this book were meant to be written as slightly stereotypical, but while this book had the opportunity to subvert the trope and give each character growth, not much of that was present in the book.

There is so much potential for this book and author, and I would be curious to pick up their next work. This book just ultimately missed the mark for me.

This was cute! Definitely a little cheesy and predictable at times but very cute. I liked the drama and the characters were enjoyable!

It had a very slow start though. Almost gave up before I was even halfway through but it was SUPER cute! I liked that it had an interracial romance as well. I feel those aren't frequently added to books.

I really enjoyed this book!

✨ Frenemies to lovers
✨ Interracial couple
✨ Second chance romance
✨ Spice
✨ Banter
✨ Career Focused

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

When a friends with benefits storyline turns into a were they ever really friends only to expose, they were the best of friends!

4.5/5 stars
3.5/5 spice

This had a whirlwind of emotions. At first...I actually didn't like either MCs but honestly they he on me really quick. The character development was spot on and subtle. I didn't realize I was going to go on this emotional roller coaster with these two, but by the end I was rooting for them and crying with them. Highly recommend for fans of hate to love, frenemies to lovers, forced proximity, and college romances.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Situationship delivers on both steam and story, though it does lean a bit more into erotica than a traditional romance because of the arrangement between Teagan and Heath, the main characters. These two hyper-independent frenemies agree to a fake dating/scheduled sex setup (what could possibly go wrong?), only to find themselves caught up in feelings and complications. There’s forced proximity, frenemies-to-lovers tension, and a black cat/golden retriever dynamic, all of which kept me hooked. If you enjoyed Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, this should be on your list.

Beyond the spice, the book weaves in themes of racism and transnational adoption, adding depth that sets it apart from typical erotic romances. These themes weren’t just thrown in for the sake of it—they were fully integrated into the characters’ experiences and backstory in a way that felt intentional and honest. I really appreciated how the book explored how these issues shape people’s identities and relationships, and these topics were handled with care and nuance. The characters’ struggles with belonging, self-perception, and the way others define them felt deeply real. This added an emotional layer that set the story apart from a standard high-heat romance.

That said, the first half didn’t totally work for me. I struggled to really like either one of these characters up until the halfway point. I truly wish we had a little more of Teagan and Heath's backstory up front so I could feel their heartache and understand their reservations with each other, vs. feeling like they were just two assholes who kind of knew each other in the past.

Another issue I had was how much of Heath's POV contained casual misogyny and general dismissiveness toward women (especially toward our girl Teagan)... it was hard for me to overlook. I get that it was part of his character arc, but it made it tough to connect with him early on. His hyper-independence and womanizing read less like “emotionally unavailable but charming” or "wounded animal who will never love again", and more like “just kind of an ass.” I found myself groaning at his internal dialogue more often than not, especially in the first few chapters.

Teagan was a well-developed character with people-pleasing habits and a strong drive to succeed. Her struggle with the unrealistic expectations being placed on her by her parents was incredibly relatable. I also appreciated how this book touched on the struggle of being a Black woman adopted by rich white parents, and how expectations even among privileged nepo-babies is still riddled with racism and sexism.

The second half, though? That’s where the book finally found its groove. Both main characters went through real, on-page growth, and I loved watching them slowly drop their armor and get vulnerable with each other. We got to learn their backstory and feel their hearts break for and with each other, and THAT was what I needed in the first half. The emotional payoff was so satisfying, and the author’s fresh, witty writing made the journey worth it. Her humor jumped off the page, balancing the heavier themes really well.

While I didn’t love the first half, the strong character arcs, layered themes, and sharp writing have me excited to see what this author does next. If you’re looking for a steamy, emotional romance with bite, this one’s absolutely worth picking up!