What is Love? by Jen Comfort was a fun rom-com that was just totally binge worthy.
Such a lovely story with fantastic characters.
I’ve enjoyed Comfort’s previous title and her newest was no different.

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

After the unhinged diva antics of Comfort's last romance Midnight Duet, I had high hopes for her next romance outing and was not disappointed. What is Love? has fewer divas but the main characters definitely have egos to rival an opera singer and a hair metal band frontman.

Set on and around a TV game show that is a thinly-veiled Jeopardy! our two lovebirds find themselves at loggerheads competing for the ultimate trivia title on the show. But months later when the network wants to do a champions tournament they find they have to team up to beat the biggest nerd of them all: the show's blue-ribbon winner with a massive unbeatable streak some decades ago.

Maxine is a tornado of interesting facts, big hair and strong impulses. She's got ADHD and while it's a big part of her personality, I liked that she is written as someone who doesn't "struggle with" the condition, rather she "lives with" it and knows herself and the way her neurodivergent brain works very well. She has no formal education but that didn't stop her from wiping the floor with her competitors on the show.

At first glance, Teddy is her polar opposite - scion of an old money family, a university professor with a lifelong passion for the pursuit of knowledge and a bucket-load of snobbery about it. But as the two of them crash together again and again, they each learn there is more than meets the eye to each of them. When they give in to their growing attraction, it gets SPICY. Let's just say I don't think I'll ever look at a world map the same again.

There's a wonderful subplot where they uncover some dodgy play on the show, some fantastic shenanigans as Maxine and Teddy help each other train for the champion tournament and heartwarming scenes that will make you go awww. And then you'll blush to the roots of your hair at the sexy times scenes haha. I just had a great time with this book, Jen Comfort is now an auto-read author for me.

In this opposites attract, rivals to lovers romance two competitors on a game show must team up to overcome a formidable adversary. A rivalry isn’t the only thing heated between these two, and as they work together to train for the upcoming tournament tensions run high.

I loved these characters more than I can say. Maxine is peppy, insecure, and always willing to take a bit too far. Teddy is so by the book that he probably wrote the book, and just an absolute sweetheart! I loved the conversation surrounding learning and the education system, and the way that the characters grew to understand and respect one another. I especially loved the conflict outside of the rivalry and the big twists that occurred! And of course, the spice and banter were perfection!

This book is silly and fun. It includes some classic millennial humor and modern references. I mention this because I know some people have an issue with these features in books. I felt it really worked for this story, but just wanted to mention it!

If you're looking for something sweet, silly, fun, and super h*rny this book is for you!

An absolutely adorable new read from Jen Comfort! I do love Jeopardy and I do love grumpy/sunshine where she’s the grump so this was pretty much a match made in heaven for me.

Maxine and Teddy were so sweet together and their chemistry was off the charts. Plus the super fun game show aspect was unique and nerdy in the best possible way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️/5

I didn’t know I needed to read a romance book based on Jeopardy until I picked this one up! What Is Love is a red hot romance read that pits trivia rivals Maxine Hart and Teddy Ferguson against each other for a final battle. When a dark horse in the form of ultimate trivia champion Hercules McKnight enters the competition, the two team up to bring him down.

It’s so hard to review this book without giving away any spoilers, but I’ll try.

Maxine is awesome. She’s a Trivia savant from Brooklyn with ADHD who has already believed she wasn’t good enough because she’s never had a formal education. Her relationships always fizzle out when she becomes “too much”.

Teddy is equally as awesome. He’s super buttoned up, but even though Maxine has thrown his life into chaos, he refuses to give up on her. And who knew uptight Teddy could be so sexy. I may want him to be my new book boyfriend.

If you love trivia (it’s interspersed throughout most of the book), sexy love stories and surprise endings, you need to read this book ASAP.

Thank you to the author Jen Comfort, the publisher Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

🎧 Stay tuned as I’ll be launching my podcast with an in-depth review including an optional spoilers hopefully 🤞🏼 within the next week!

Jen is an amazing new modern voice in the romance genre. I've read her previous books, and this one is just as fantastic as her others. WHAT IS LOVE? is a hilarious enemies to lovers tale with two fantastically intelligent protagonists. Yay!

This was so good! I absolutely loved Maxine and Teddy together—and damn, the spice is SPICY. I'm not sure I'll ever look at a map the same way.
As someone with ADHD I did feel like the ADHD elements felt shoehorned. They also felt a little like the author read the latest clickbait articles on ADHD and used the same verbiage to discuss it. But it didn't detract too much from the great parts of this book which was the trivia (huge Jeopardy! fan here) and the romance.

The combination of smart and filthy in this book is a whole new level. I enjoyed every second and never knew what was next on (but in the best way). Both Teddy and Maxine are not the typical romcom stars, but they were everything I wanted romcom stars to be.

This book somehow crammed in ADHD rep, the best banter, trivia facts, emotional depth and growth, a Jeopardy like quiz show, a beautiful romance, and a great secondary plot and side characters into this book without it feeling like there is too much. While there is something to the predictability of romance, this book had a bit of everything and I never guessed where the plot would go. There is a balance of vulnerability and lightness that has this book lingering with me long after I finished it (in a day).

Pretty much I loved everything about this and I need more Jen Comfort books asap please.

This first chapter of this book was pretty cringeworthy for me. I pushed myself to continue because I wanted to give it a fair shot and I’m glad that I did.

While the story was fun, and as a lover of the game show that inspired this book, I found the characters incredibly one-dimensional. They felt like stereotypes.

I appreciated the ADHD representation and the care that was taken to explaining Maxine’s mother and upbringing as well as Teddy’s family and his father’s illness. All of this was well done

In the end, this was just fine. I will probably forget about it in a few days

Absolutely brilliant, witty and sexy, Jen Comfort's Jeopardy inspired "What is Love?" hooked me from the first line. Comfort's books always deliver a delightfully queer, tender and emotional romance. Maxine and Teddy's rivals-to-lovers story is a breath of fresh air in the genre. It is fun and upbeat, while also packing a massive emotional punch. Teddy truly embodies everything I love most dearly about the "he falls first" trope, and Max's antagonism towards him just increases his love - truly perfect! I could not recommend this book more!

Maxine Hart credits her ADHD with giving her a prowess for trivia. Beating the 76-time Answer’s! champion, Teddy Ferguson, was supposed to be the end of her illustrious quiz show career until the producers decided to put together a show of all-stars. Teddy enlists Maxine’s help to beat Hercules KcKnight, the show’s undefeated champion. Maxine’s professional enemy is about to become her greatest ally.

Do you enjoy trivia game shows and spicy romance? Do I have a book for you! While it might sound like a bit of an unusual combination, trust me. It works. What is Love? is an open-door, contemporary romance. This stand-alone has just the right mix of swoony scenes and sassy banter.

Both of the MCs have relatable qualities. They balance each other well and bring out the best (sometimes worst) in each other. Their perceived flaws make them all the more likeable.

This is the first book that I have read by Jen Comfort but after listening to her speak at a book event, I knew that I needed to pick up a copy. Her sense of humor pours from every page. I am delighted to say that this is one of my favorite books so far this year and I can’t wait to read more of her work soon.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author, Montlake, and Netgalley!

I enjoyed reading What is Love? by Jen Comfort. You will fall in love with all the characters. Happy reading! I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.

Who knew a book about a Jeopardy like trivia quiz show could be so HOT?? Definitely not me but this rivals to lovers, dual POV romance with excellent #ownvoices ADHD rep was certainly steamy, with amazing chemistry between the two leads and had me utterly captivated from start to finish. Great on audio and HIGHLY recommended!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This just may be my new favorite Jen Comfort book!!

What is Love was a cute, high-energy romance that is 100% aimed at nerds. And I say that with all the love in my heart, because this is a competitive-trivia based romance - and I won't lie to you, I found basically every trivia fact in this so interesting, so I really feel like I was the target audience.
I felt like I cared a lot about our two MCs, and although the ending was maybe too cheesy even for me, it was very sweet and I was really rooting for them. There's a lovely set up of dynamics that were reminiscent of some of Chloe Liese's books: with an uptight, organised male MC and a joyful, outspoken female MC.
Glad to have picked this up as such a cheerful Spring read!

This is a steam and delightful and also fun rivals to lovers book set in a trivia competition. I love trivia game shows, and I adore rivals to lovers so this is my catnip. This book did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. I loved it from start to finish. I cannot shout enough about how much I love complicated heroines, and Maxine is the definition of a complicated heroine. I loved her so much. I also adored Teddy because it was fascinating to see the development of his feelings for Maxine. Supply itself flows from start to finish. The characters as I’ve already spoken about our delightful. The chemistry jumps off the pages and the flow of the relationship is wonderful. This is a book that will entertain you from start to finish.

There are few things that bring me more joy than a spicy book about nerds falling in love, and Jen Comfort has very quickly become a go-to author for this very specific category for me.

Which is to say that her newest book, What Is Love?, delighted me in all the best ways.

The premise is that uptight, Oxford-educated academic Teddy loses his trivia game show winning streak to Maxine, a high school drop-out with ADHD. Then she loses to him in a champions game. And then they have a third opportunity to play each other during another champions round with higher stakes – but because of the players they’re up against, they decide to suck up their rivalry and all the delicious tension that accompanies it to help each other prepare.

And yeah, I completely adored this. The banter is amazing, Teddy is so swoony in the nerdiest ways, and there is scene involving maps that is SCORCHING HOT.

Here’s what else you can expect:

💋rivals to lovers
✨opposite attract
😎characters in their 30s
🏡forced proximity
✏️professor x student vibes
🧠neurodivergent rep

This is genuinely such a fun read, but there’s a ton of character growth and emotional depth here, too. It’s a great balance of game-show hijinks, simmering tension, and all the seriousness life can throw at you, culminating in a love story that is deeply satisfying on every level.

4.5🌟
3🌶️

Full disclosure: I am not only an adult who was only recently diagnosed
with ADHD, but I was also a former contestant on Jeopardy. All that to say
this book GETS it. What is Love? is fun and sexy but it is also quite
possibly the most seen a book has ever made me feel. I’ve never been great
at explaining how or why I’m good at trivia, but my process is exactly like
Maxine’s. Seeing the way she and Teddy made their very different learning
styles work for both of them was perfection.

I’ve been a fan of Jen Comfort since I read her Phantom of the Opera retelling, Midnight Duet. It was bonkers in the best way and so funny. When I found out she was writing a Jeopardy inspired romance, I just HAD to read it.

Teddy and Maxine are rivals. They’re both former champions of the tv game show, “Answers!” Teddy has the longest winning streak and Maxine has won the most money. They’ve just been invited to a Tournament of Champions type show where they can, once and for all, prove who is the best.

I absolutely LOVED this book. My Jeopardy loving heart is FULL. This was a PERFECT book for me. It has all the trivia you could want, all the banter, sexy geography lessons, even a cute ginger cat. It’s funny, steamy, and had a twist or two I was not expecting. It also may have one of my favorite romance endings. Just saying.

How much am I betting this will be in my top ten this year? Max heart.

Thank you to Jen and NetGalley! I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Ughhhhh this book was so good and now I want to make it my whole personality! Seriously, no notes. Five stars and then some, but alas, I have to write a review because not everyone will take this at face value.
First, let me say that I am a trivia nerd so a game show based off Jeopardy! and the idea of this book already appealed to me regardless of the plot, but HOLY COW can Jen Comfort write! It’s clear from the start that she did her research and it’s evident in the way she’s modeled her characters. I simultaneously think she must have some ridiculously high IQ and yet can also hang with the bros next door, because she nailed this rom-com. Teddy is the stuffy, prestigious control freak to Maxine’s unbound chaos risk-taking heroine, creating the perfect equation for a rivals to lovers set up. Add in a competitive streak for both of them plus a hell of a lot of flirting and pent up sexual chemistry with tons of button pushing (literally and figuratively) and you have a knock out of a game show romance. The meet cute instantly lets the reader know who these two are and solidifies a) Teddy’s hit-in-the-face-who-are-you? attraction for Maxine along with b) Maxine’s desire to immediately get under Teddy (and his skin). With tension this rife, I instantly knew I was in for the ride of the century with these two and Comfort DELIVERED. Maxine’s ADHD felt so realistic not just from an action standpoint but from how her brain worked and how she processed learning. And Teddy is exactly the type she needed to push her intellectually while also loving every single aspect of her.
I swooned so much for this book; the game show set up, the chapter headers as answers/questions, the love of trivia, the over the top horniness, and the most lovable MCs and side characters to boot. I can tell you right now that Jen Comfort just became an autobuy author for me. I can’t wait to dive into her backlog. Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

My second read from Comfort, and it was enjoyable enough, but just not as good as Midnight Duet (that was one of my top reads of 2023!). Sadly I have to rate this one a 3.5, rounded up to 4, only because the surprise detail at the ending made it a bit more interesting…

I found my attention straying several times and having to go back and read pages over again because it felt rather technical about the show and trivia preparation (Answers!, a take on Jeopardy!)… not an enjoyable romance at (many) times. Other times it was sort of enjoyable and flowed better with interesting dialogue.

It didn’t feel like a third novel release (more like a debut)… which I was sad about because I loved her second book so very much! And I was anticipating this one and the premise a lot (and was hoping it was better than the other one with the orange cover that was basically the same book that I read in October... Sadly, neither was great).

I’m sure this one, Maxine and Teddy’s show rivals to lovers story, will find an audience who loves it, because there are game show and Jeopardy enthusiasts looking for romances… but it fell very short for me.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Montlake, and this is my honest feedback.