An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (Nov 11, 2025) Thank you, @simon.audio for the #gifted listening copy! #simonaudioinfluencer
Sadie and Jonah have been academic rivals for 15 years. First as students and then competing for the very small number of literary studies faculty positions available at Australian universities. They’ve also been reluctant roommates for almost 8 years. When they are both up for an incredible teaching opportunity that they both desperately want, Sadie discovers a loophole where they might both be able to get it – a “partner hire” – but that would require these two rivals who have made a lifestyle out of getting under each other’s skin, to get married. And that is going to get messy.
Oh, my heart. Sadie and Jonah are adorably quirky and deal with a lot of complex family issues that help each other see the other in a new light as they begin to open up. Jonah is going to be added to your list of favorite book boyfriends because that poor guy is climbing out of his skin with his down-bad love for Sadie while she is deeply oblivious – and how he uses food as a love language is is charming. I also really enjoyed the whole marriage of convenience trope as it is applied here. In some cases it feels like the trope is fun but outlandish. In this case, it really works and feels authentic.
McAlister’s writing is beautiful. I flagged so many quotes that it was almost impossible to choose my favorites. Many simply took my breath away.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: David Berry and Marny Kennedy are deeply mesmerizing in their performances. Particularly in the emotional scene where Jonah lays his cards on the table. My first audiobook by either and I really enjoyed it. The Australian accents are thick and I slowed the speed from my normal 2.0 to 1.6 to make sure I caught everything. There also seemed to be something about the production that make the voices feel further away at a couple of points.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 