Sparring lawyers in a romance novel sounded like so much fun! But in How Freaking Romantic, the new enemies-to-lovers novel from Emily Harding, only one side seems to win the case. Read below for more about How Freaking Romantic!
What’s How Freaking Romantic About?
How Freaking Romantic is the combustible story of a divorce lawyer and a law student who end up teaching a law class together and see if they can find common ground.
Here’s an official description:
Beatrice Nilsson is what some might call “feisty” (those who love her) and others “combative” (those who don’t). But no matter what you call her, she’s a good lawyer and an even better friend. So when the marriage of her two closest pals ends in divorce, Bea picks a side and storms the office of attorney Nathan Asher to tell him exactly what he can do with his alimony petition. Unfortunately, what should end with a few choice words soon spirals into uncharted territory when Nate shows up at her NYU Law office a few days later as a newly-minted adjunct professor—and her new colleague.
Bea still hates Nathan, of course. But between weekly meetings and networking events, walks around Washington Square Park and late-night pizza, that hate begins to feel a lot like something else. And as uncomfortable truths emerge about the divorce that started it all, she might have to choose between her friends’ happily ever after and her own for the very first time.
Just the Facts on How Freaking Romantic
Pages: 352 pages
Genre: This is a debut romantic comedy
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, opposites attract, just one bed, adulting is hard
Setting: New York City
Spice level: This book is open door, but it’s not overly spicy.
My Review of How Freaking Romantic
3 out of 5 stars
While I was hoping for a kind of modern day Adam’s Rib here, my issues with How Freaking Romantic started almost immediately. The biggest hurdle is the main character, Bea. The story starts out with the meet cute between Bea and Nathan when Bea barges into his office and accuses him of being a huge asshole. Nathan is the divorce attorney representing her friend’s soon to be ex husband, who is also a former friend of Bea’s. Bea stalks out of Nathan’s office only to learn a few days later that Nathan is going to be filling in for the law professor Bea TA’s for in her last semester of law school.
Bea uses her anger like a shield, covering up for the fact that she feels insecure about her friend group falling apart (one couple in it is divorcing, another is getting engaged and moving upstate), she’s living in a building that’s literally collapsing, law school debt is accruing and Bea doesn’t have a job lined up, she has to pass the bar, and she has residual anger about the fact that her mother has been married 6 times. All of these things are totally understandable and a lot, but Bea’s reaction and her level of anger is so hot, it’s hard to envision how Nathan would see past it or even put up with it at all. That opening scene sort of says it all here–Bea is obnoxious toward Nathan, and she’s not involved in this divorce proceeding at all, while Nathan just kind of takes it. Nathan, rather than calling security, seems to think she’s cute. I was immediately put off by her and just never really came around.
Nathan, on the other hand, is nothing but nice. He’s described as a great lawyer, a fact that Bea doesn’t ever seem to understand–I mean, Bea is studying to be a lawyer and never once does she acknowledge that Nathan is out there doing a job. And not just any job, but the same job she’s training to do. He’s patient with Bea, he helps her when she’s in crisis because of her building, and he even helps her make the connections she will need to land a job after law school. This isn’t so much an enemies-to-lovers story because Nathan never dislikes Bea besides being given every reason to. He’s a really sweet guy, and I thought he was a real catch.
Once Bea and Nathan are talking, I did enjoy their dynamic together, for the most part. They have the kind of lobby and serve dynamic I had imagined would be so fun here. But I had to really get past Bea’s abrasiveness to see the potential of their dynamic. A third act miscommunication between them didn’t really work for me, but they have a sweet reconciliation.
I think if you go in knowing how strongly the author leans into the idea of Bea using anger to cover her own insecurities, you may be able to enjoy this one more than I did. I still like the general idea of a modern day Adam’s Rib, but unfortunately Bea was no Katharine Hepburn for me.
Romance Recipe Pairing
I’m going to suggest my Autumn Spritz with Aperol and Rosemary with How Freaking Romantic. I’m thinking a good strong drink may help mellow out Bea a bit 🙂
Buy How Freaking Romantic for Kindle here, and let me know what you think!
