Someone on the Buffering discord mentioned this novel because one of the characters has a “Smash the Demon Lizard Patriarchy” sticker and then also clarified that it was also a good romance/book. I’m sure I am not the only bookish person in these parts that loved college – the courses, the reading, learning, the discussions and the professors’ approval – and may have even glamorized or wished for a job in academia before realizing that being a good student probably isn’t the same thing as being qualified to teach and also, that the career is actually really difficult because there aren’t enough jobs and there is a lot of exploitation (I had a career already set out for me after undergrad so academia would have always required me to go back to school rather than simply continuing on from undergrad to a PhD program). I follow enough people in publishing and academia to see how both of those career fields have only gotten worse (like so many things under capitalism). The Ending Writes Itself is a recent release that takes aim at the publishing industry while this novel uses the harsh realities of academia as a career field as the setting for a romance.
Jonah Fisher and Sadie Shaw have been arguing with each other ever since one of the first first college courses, and have attempted to develop a truce unsuccessfully 6 times across the 15 years they have been in each other’s orbits. They have even lived together in a house share situation for the past 8 years because no one in academia can actually afford to live without multiple roommates. Just as they have agreed to a new truce, a rare full time position comes on the market, and the requirement includes both of their specialties.
When one of them gets the job, it turns out that for some reason the hiring team forgot to exclude a partner hire clause from the contract. And well, given the job market and that Jonah and Sadie are both strong supporters of the union, why not take advantage with a marriage of convenience that gets them both a rare academic job? Because when it comes down to it, as much as they both love their work and disagree, they also can’t imagine the academic field without each other. Their intense rivalry made them both push themselves further and refine their arguments better.
Jonah and Sadie both bring their own baggage and complex family relationships into the mix. Sadie has abandonment issues while Jonah has daddy issues. Jonah looks like the golden boy, following in his professor father’s footsteps but his father is horrible and also no understanding of the job market. Additionally both are trying to navigate relationships with siblings and better understand how their parents may have impacted them. This was a dual POV romance which I really appreciated. Jonah especially was such an enjoyable character and love interest who has been hiding his attraction behind arguments.
Also, I mentioned this to Rochelle already but condom use is mentioned and acknowledged but what I didn’t share with her is that there is a fun nod to the visually impaired among us with Jonah going back and forth between his glasses being in the way and not being able to see during the first romantic scene.
