I love this! The author skewing modern day authors and the Current controversy about using AI to write their novels like cowards. Absolutely loved it and the message Lori was sending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Romantic Friction was a mix of different genres and ideas coming together, giving the reader a mystery to work through but also posing questions about authors and AI in writing as well as tearing down the publishing industry as much as possible. It’s unlike any other book I’ve read recently and I found it both fascinating and like I was eavesdropping on a savage gossip session.

Sofie Wilde is our guide through the story, a bestselling romantasy author of a highly popular series, she’s about to reach some career milestones with the release of her last book in a series and is eager to start crossing into other genres. All that is shot when a newcomer author, Hartley West, is given a platform inadvertently by Sofie herself, claiming her novel which is eerily similar to Sofie’s series was written by AI. I’d like to think in the ‘real world’ this would be summarily torn down, but in this fictional one Hartley is disproving that readers would care all that much about an AI takeover. That means Sofie, her frenemies, and indeed all other authors have a lot to worry about if Hartley continues her rise to the top - at their expense. Initially this is how the story starts but we have plenty of twists, with kidnapping and maybe even murder on the horizon, eccentric characters and alien worms, and plenty of behind the scene savage takes on the publishing industry as a whole - and the state of AI.

I enjoyed this for its differences and for the questions it posed as well as the frankly fun adventure it was all wrapped up in. If you’re a bookworm and are curious about an inside take on the book world, I think you’d find this endlessly fascinating. And if you’re not especially but like unique stories, this should be a good time.

The premise is compelling and thought provoking! A bestselling author feels her livelihood is threatened by a new self-published author whose writing feels eerily similar to her own.

Ultimately, I found this to be a bit too frantic and found the romantic subplot to be confusing and potentially detracting from the interesting central storyline and face-off between two authors. Still, I appreciated the conversations the story raises about the evolving technology, artificial intelligence, and future of publishing.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This was such an interesting concept and I think it was executed really well as well! Definitely brought up some interesting conversation starters as it relates to AI and would make a really good pick for a book club! I really enjoyed the writing, story and characters! Bravo! Will definitely be reading more by this author in the future!

Ohhh, loved this book about writers and the challenges that AI brings to them in the publishing world. The author is very insightful and the book entertained me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This story follows an author who used AI to write a book in the style of another author (and the backlash of that).

As an artist and human being with basic human decency, I am incredibly anti-AI. This book is a massive discussion on AI, the ethics of it and what it means to the creative fields to use AI. If that interests you at all, I would recommend you check this book out.

I did wish that the characters gave me a bit more, they weren't that interesting or engaging to me.

And this definitely reads very literary fiction, so keep that in mind if that's not a tone you particularly enjoy.

I can definitely see there being a big audience for this book, even if it's not exactly my thing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Dnf 51% in. This was a really fascinating concept but about 40% in the story goes in a direction I just found so silly.

Also, this is a story of a debut author using AI to write a book and readers seem ok with it and from being in the book community, I know for a fact most if not all readers are just ok with it. A book site like Goodreads just got roasted and toasted for using AI and it was all collectively looked upon as bad.

One of many quotes I highlighted while reading Romantic Friction says, “Readers are ravenous and loyal. If they like you, they’ll tear through everything you’ve ever written down to your grocery list. Especially romance readers.” This could not be more true. Lori Gold, you’ve got yourself a loyal reader. Where’s that grocery list?

This book is everything that I love. Snarky, sassy, the perfect amount of unhinged… but also emotional, informative, and thought provoking. I spent the majority of the story cracking up thanks to the witty writing style, but there were also plenty of gasps and goosebumps. Maybe by the end my eyes even welled up once or twice, who’s to say?

In the acknowledgements, Lori Gold says Romantic Friction is “an open love letter” to the publishing industry, and I really felt that while reading. I loved all of the behind the scenes anecdotes and information about the publishing world and all of the incredible work (and teamwork) that goes into making it as an author. It was interesting, because even though some of Sophie and the other characters’ stories about the insane lengths they went to to get to where they were seemed discouraging or even downright impossible, the book still leaves the reader with a feeling of love, respect and admiration for the art of writing and publishing.

Special shout out to Queen Lake. I loved every second of her. I wish I could read her books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this arc!

This book is an absolute firecracker of satire and suspense, taking on the literary world with biting wit and a plot that’s as bold as its protagonist. It’s sharp, irreverent, and packed with tension, but also sneaks in some poignant truths about the fragility of creativity and the desperation to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry. A must-read for anyone who loves books, authors, and a little chaos.

ROMANTIC FRICTION invites you into the world of a bestselling author Sofie Wilde; she's at the epitome of her career, releasing the final book in her long awaited romantasy series, scheduled to deliver the keynote address at a romance writers convention; when suddenly she's thrust into scandal when it is revealed at her launch event that new buzzy debut author she's in conversation with has used AI to create her book in the voice of Sofie... and the chaos DOES NOT stop there my friends, that's just the setup.

Full of fascinating insight into not only the art of AI, but the publishing world as a whole; and honey, I mean the tea is *piping hot* in this novel... The author drops in so many little fun nuggets in the story line and dialogue that those familiar to the ins and outs of publishing are going to have a field day with...

I really have a *thing* for books written with writers as the main characters and this pushed all the right buttons for me; I was unable to put it down, I blew through it in a day!

ROMANTIC FRICTION will leave your head spinning as you wonder just how close AI could be to running our lives and taking over our beloved book industry. Come for the fascinating plot; stay for the juicy insights to the world of writing you know and love...

4.5 ⭐️

“Romantic Friction,” by Lori Gold, asks an interesting question - if an author uses AI to write books in another author’s style, is the first author actually writing? I found that question to be a fascinating (and timely) one and I wondered how Ms. Gold was going to tackle it. In some cases, I think Ms. Gold addressed the question in a thoughtful manner. What’s important in the publishing world - readers or sales? Is churning out more books more important that fine crafting? How important are editors? Is correcting AI generated text really work? I also found the stories about the publishing world (and fans and conventions) to be well researched and explained. But I cannot say that I really liked this book. There were a number of characters and I kept getting some of them confused. The kidnapping (forceful abduction?) started off as an “okay, odd but I can go with it” (and mentioning filing a police report was appreciated, as I kept wondering if it was going to be mentioned) but somewhere along the way it morphed into just this side of ridiculous. The whole Brad-Cooper bit I found a bit difficult to swallow - interesting character, but I’m not sure what his purpose was in the long run. I can understand why some readers would enjoy this book, but since I was more interested in the main AI question, the resolution (and discovery by the main character toward the end) I felt wasn’t satisfying.

This book was a very chaotic ride. It doesn’t just poke fun at the publishing industry, it’s a dagger through its heart. Fierce, funny, and unapologetically chaotic, it’s a must-read for anyone who loves drama, dark humor, and the kind of suspense that keeps you hooked until the very last page.

interesting book about being a writer and and going to cons and a new writer that is using ai . There is some romance and there is a kidnapping of a writer.