An Academic Affair (Jodi McAlister, S&S)

Jodi McAlister, who has previously written for young adults, made her adult rom-com debut with the Marry Me, Juliet trilogy. Continuing in this genre, An Academic Affair introduces us to longtime academic nemeses Sadie and Jonah, whose personal and professional lives blur when a dream work opportunity pushes them into an unlikely alliance. While the banter between them doesn’t quite match the sharp humour that romance authors such as Emily Henry or Mhairi McFarlane are known for, McAlister’s characters share a similar emotional depth and endearing self-awareness, making the reader like and care about them immediately. The novel’s exploration of the systemic issues in professional academia and the characters’ precarious careers is just as gripping as the romance narrative and has the authenticity of McAlister’s lived experience as an academic specialising in pop culture. Her protagonists’ expertise in their respective fields – popular fiction and early modern drama – allows for fascinating commentary on the romance genre itself. By the novel’s end, Sadie’s retort to her sister, who can’t stand farfetched romance tropes, is proven correct: realism isn’t ‘the most useful barometer when reading romance’ and when these tropes are done right (as they are here), they are compelling enough that we overlook their improbability. An Academic Affair is a love story from a certified expert in the genre that appeals to the heart and the head.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Megan Koch is an Adelaide-based writer with a background in bookselling and libraries. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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