They're rivals on a game show which is, essentially, Jeopardy!, and they're about to face off for the third time. She's the hard scrabble, ADHD, learns from the world around her, and he's the fancy educated professor son of actual British peerage (or close enough). They do NOT hit it off initially. Sure, there's a life changing kiss in a hotel swimming pool, but they still hate each other. And for romance reasons they're about to live together for five weeks to train for the show. What could go wrong?

I had to stop and read things out loud to my husband so many times, the writing is that funny. Maxine has big Natasha Lyonne character energy and I love it. The references in this book hit exactly for me. Teddy is so buttoned up, it's a delight watching him relax. The banter, the teasing, the lust!

And when I tell you this book is hot? Oh my word. There's this one scene in front of a map which... Goodness gracious me. These two can't get enough of each other, even in some questionable situations.

There are some serious themes in the book - Maxine had a difficult childhood with a mother addicted to gambling (now deceased) and Teddy's father's memory is failing. These are present throughout and provide an effective counterpoint to all the fun, wacky banter, without overpowering it.

There's also a bad guy in the book - the number one ranked Not-Jeopardy! player - and I inexplicably and unavoidably picture him as Jeff Goldblum from the Apartment.com commercials.

This book was especially a pleasure for me as I've enjoyed, but haven't adored the two previous books I've read from this author. This one, I adore.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a DNF for me at 12% just couldn't get myself to continue it tried to come back to it a few times just not the book for me I guess. Would not discourage anyone else from reading it just didn't work for me. I want to thank NetGalley and Montlake for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

As a life-long fan of a certain televised trivia show....this book was everything! I loved it so much! The characters were relatable and funny. I am super competitive so this book made me laugh so much. I love the titles of the chapters as well. The chemistry is on point. Highly recommend. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Jen Comfort is our favorite contemporary romance author right now, bar none. She writes truly laugh-out-loud funny romcoms (which, sadly, simply cannot be said for most books labeled "romcom"), adds some suuuuuuuper spicy scenes, but also doesn't make you feel like you're missing out on any depth. They're bonkers in the most perfect way.

What Is Love? is no exception. We've got ourselves two trivia game show champions, chaos demon Maxine and rule follower Teddy. They've been supremely attracted to each other from the moment they met, but they hate each other. He plays the game using the established patterns, doesn't risk too much, and has one of the longest runs in the history of the show. Maxine plays the game the way she lives: she jumps from subject to subject, risks as much as she can whenever she gets the chance, and ALSO has one of the longest runs in the history of the show. When they're invited to participate in a champions' championship, they discover that despite their differences, they have one thing in common: the desire to beat the chump who had the longest unbeaten run back in the '90s. They join forces to train. Teddy will tutor her in geography, and she'll show him that taking risks can be worth it. And this is a romance, so you'd better bet they fall in love along the way.

So this is hilarious, sure, but I'm going to be honest: we were low-key stressed from the very, very beginning about the ending of the book. There's only one of two ways a book about a competition can end, right? Either Teddy wins, or Maxine wins. Somehow Jen Comfort put together an incredible third act that includes one of the hottest stairwell scenes we've ever read, the most bonkers takedown of the big bad, the best final round questions ever and - possibly best of all? - that avoids a third act breakup. Amazing. Loved it. Ready for another Jen Comfort right now please and thank you.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

What a romp! Maxine and Teddy are opposites to be sure but they're both aces at trivia. And now they're competing against each other. Fans of the genre know what's going to happen but Comfort has done a great job building her characters. Loved the game show setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Picked as my stores romance book club pick for April this book was a wonderful delight! I really like both MCs and can't wait to discuss it with the rest of the club!

The book is well written and witty, but the pace was a bit fast for me, and I had trouble connecting to the characters.

Genre: contemporary romance

Theodore Ferguson III (Teddy), a Princeton professor, held the longest winning streak on the trivia game show Answers!, that is until Maxine Hart defeated him and went on to her own streak, raking in over $2 million in winnings herself. Maxine’s nontraditional study methods left her vulnerable for the tournament, though, and Teddy defeated her in equally embarrassing fashion, cementing their Answers! rivalry. Now, though, there’s a special tournament, which means a chance to redeem herself, and Maxine is ready for her next challenge…which means admitting she’s lacking in certain research skills, and leaning on her archrival for help. Maxine knows that she’s a lot for anyone to handle, but probably particularly the starchy professor to whom she is undeniably and inconveniently attracted.

There is literally nothing I didn't love about this book. From the high stakes to risk taking Maxine and her ADHD and anxiety to stalwart and starchy Teddy, to the drama, and to the incendiary sex scenes, I loved every moment. I find often that the more Comfort leans in on the bananas direction of her plots, the more she’s able to give us realistic and messy characters. While I don’t personally know anyone who has the same experiences as Teddy and Maxine, I do know people who react to circumstances and interpersonal relationships exactly the way they do.

I've said this before about Jen Comfort's writing, but I've never felt more seen on page with her ADHD characters, and that holds particularly true with Maxine. Sometimes, it's a comfort to know that you're not alone in your neurodiversity, and I loved loved loved seeing Maxine truly fully herself. It’s extremely gratifying to see women with ADHD on page, since we present symptoms differently than men.

Be prepared for some very spicy scenes, all with well-timed humor, but also meaningful character development. Honestly, I’d be interested in brushing up on some geography myself. But in between hot kisses in stairwells and skydiving and intense competition, there’s self reflection and caretaking and love.

What is Love? is officially out 4/1/24 (a PERFECT April Fools release!) but available NOW through Prime Reads if you have Amazon Prime. I cannot recommend this book enough to everyone, but it’s a must-read for Millennial women with ADHD.

I really liked the premise. However, from the moment these 2 sauntered onto page, I was annoyed. He is the typical extremely uptight smart guy with no give. She is not like other girls because free spirit but smart.
I was entertained by their training choices but overall this book was not for me.

This book is absolutely delicious.

Rival trivia nerds competing on Jeopardy deny the sparks between them. When asked to compete in an ultimate champions tournament, they team up to try to beat the number one player.

You will not be able to put this one down. Maxine and Teddy are the epitome of opposites attract. The line between flirting and fighting might as well not exist as the banter is SO good. The heat between them will have you sweating! The trivia facts were also a fun inclusion and there is some really great ADHD representation that highlights how everyone learns differently.

This is one of my new favorites of 2024 and I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. I highly recommend you pick this one up. Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

A buttoned-up professor and a high school dropout prove opposites do attract in this latest delight from Jen Comfort.

Teddy is all about lists and order. Maxine’s trivia intake is fueled by wherever her ADHD “superpowers” lead her. When her “Max Heart” strategy ends Teddy’s record-setting run on Answers!, a trivia show similar to Jeopardy!, she doesn’t expect to see him again, but Answers! isn’t quite done with this pairing yet.

A chance to defeat all-time undefeated Answers! champion Hercules McKnight in an Answers! tournament against the other biggest Answers! winners brings the two rivals together again. They agree to help each other prepare in order to take down McKnight.

THE BANTER. THE CHEMISTRY. THE PROXIMITY. I could not get enough, y’all. So, so good.

And HE FALLS FIRST!!! (I just love it when he falls first.)

Also, I know I already mentioned THE CHEMISTRY—yes, the all caps there is intended—but it bears repeating. *Stops to fan self*

On a more serious note, I adored the neurodivergence rep here and sincerely appreciate how Comfort captures the experience of having a brain that works differently from what’s considered to be neurotypical.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an advance copy of the book from Montlake and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This is both a love story and a love letter to trivia and game shows, and I absolutely adored it. Two rivals who hate their attraction to each other slowly discovering that surface impressions are not the be-all and end-all? Check. A deliciously-paced plot that builds to a perfect conclusion? Check. Sharp, flirtatious banter? Oh good grief, check. I definitely appreciate this author's sense of humour and the way she portrays Teddy and Maxine with such detail and depth, and I suspect this will remain one of my favourite books of the year.

I really loved this rom-com, Jeopardy inspired, rivals to lovers story. Jen Comfort does an amazing job with characters that may be unlikable in the beginning, then she shows us how amazingly complex people can be and how sometimes the toughest exteriors hide and protect the softest hearts.

Maxine is brash and bold, brilliant with a huge chip on her shoulder. Teddy is quiet, brilliant, cautions and a little nerdy, but gives off some serious SBD energy (or “early 2000’s book-cover viscount behind a pair of glasses”). And I loved how he completely fell head over bow-tie for Maxine from the beginning. Maxine has to learn to trust, and Teddy has to learn to take a risk and it was so much fun seeing these two grow throughout the story.

Maxine has ADHD (as does the Author related in the Author’s note). I really loved how much care was used to convey how ADHD is just a different way that brains work and learn. Showing some of its amazing strengths and how traditional learning is not well suited to brains that are neurodivergent.

There were a few moments in here that I picked up some Ursula from Little mermaid quips around greed and wealth that made me grin (It wouldn’t cost much, a trifle really, poor unfortunate soul.)

All of this is set against the backdrop of the game show. All of the training and game strategy was so fascinating to read. There is so much more to it than I realized.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars for me!

This book was hilarious, so much fun, and ridiculously cute. I really loved Max and thought that her character provided humor in a way to create comedic moments throughout the book but also show the depth of her character as she used humor as a way to deflect. Max has always had to take care of herself and her sister because her mother had a gambling problem. So trust and emotions are something that doesn't come easy for her to share. I also really loved Teddy. He was such a straight arrow and did everything by the book, it was kind of funny. Bringing him and Max together created the perfect recipe for disaster. Now add in the sexual tension and the feelings they have for each other and it was chefs kiss. This book was the perfect mix of swoony and entertainment. I was swept away by the love story and reading about Max and Teddy, but the plot and the game show aspect was so much fun. I haven't read a romance book like this in awhile, and i really loved it.

Jen Comfort has now become an auto-buy author for me! This book was such unique story and pulled me with the fun characters that are a little weird but so lovable.

Read this for:
- Rivals/Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Forced Proximity
- Neurodivergent Rep
- Opposites Attract
- Roommates

This story is one of two rival game show contestants competing on a Jeopardy like show who instantly have a connection and fall for one another. I loved the creative spin in this book because I haven't read anything like it before.

I got sucked in to this one and was captivated by Maxine and Teddy's verbal sparing and chemistry. The nerd speak is big in this one with all the knowledge the two of them had and it was glorious to see them banter back and forth and drop all of their intelligent quips.

The ADHD rep in this book is phenomenal. You really get inside of Maxine's head and understand the challenges she faces and the strategies that do help her. I loved that Teddy didn't make her feel bad about that in her personality and only tried to help support her and her learning.

The way they each were able to help one another grow was really lovely. Also the chemistry between them was palpable, and there were some scenes that really heated up the page. The map learning.. #iykyk

I really enjoyed how the whole game show played out and the ending. I don't want to give an spoilers but I found it perfection!

If Jen Comfort writes I will read it! This one gets ALL THE STARS!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of her book. All opinions are my own.

WIL is possibly the best book Jen has written to date and her two previous books are BEYOND amazing so like, what is there to say?! Jen is known for having unlikable, over the top heroines; characters struggling with their own internal demons. We've met an astronaut and an actor, a former Broadway diva and the lead singer of a German glam rock band. But in WIL, Jen brings it down a notch, giving us a college professor and a woman with a very diverse job history, trying to deal with her ADHD, who some would say is drifting through life. Maxine would disagree and so do I. Oh and they also happen to have won massive amounts of money from a trivia quiz show.

From the moment Teddy meets Maxine, he is GONE. She is massively attracted to him but they are competing on a game show and since both of them cannot win, some feelings get hurt. Brought together ​a​ year later by the trivia game gods, the two agree to train together for their own separate reasons when they realize they must defeat the "big bad." As they train together, they slowly let their guards down. Maxine is carrying a lot of pain from her past hurts and often offers up her "weaknesses" right away so others cannot use them against her first. She also makes some assumptions about our sweet but stodgy Teddy and his life, not realizing that there is so much more to him. Teddy has his own secrets and pain and when it's revealed. Oof. My heart. I ugly cried. Like U-G-L-Y I had no alibi​. But Jen writes these scenes in such a ​careful, comforting, beautiful way that just shows you what a talented​ writer she is. She has a way of writing her characters to be completely relatable and in this book there's an extra level of understanding because they are in fact just like us, with the same struggles and insecurities.

So to pun the title "What Is Love?" Love is what Jen poured into this book. Love is seeing yourself through the eyes of someone you love and discovering that you are, in fact, wonderful just the way you are. Love is finding someone who never says that you're too much/not enough--but just right. Love is this GIFT of a book from JCo to Romancelandia.

What is Love is a fun tale that shows how an unlikely duo can help one another shine, see the good in each other, and of course beat the bad guy. The unique premise set expectations early - this would not be a boring story. It was zany with characters that at times felt cartoonish, but the dual point of view let us see the reasoning behind such over the top behavior - be it stuffy or immature. Both of the main characters possessed good hearts underneath their masks, and you can’t help but root for them and their burgeoning love. The plot and side characters were enjoyable and anchored the main characters as the story evolved.

One critique I had was that Maxine’s ADHD dominated her character. Almost every internal motivation was rooted in her ADHD, and her behavior was at times too over the top to be explained by it. Having read the author’s note where Jen Comfort shared that she has ADHD, I can see Maxine as an exploration of things that feel out of one's control, and a chance to look at it in a forgiving light without blame or shame. But also having ADHD and not feeling so defined by it, I felt it took up too much of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to friends.

Oh mylanta! If you are even questioning a teeny bit if this is a book for you, the answer is YES. I can’t imagine a world where this book doesn’t tickle a fancy. Enemies to lovers. Banter. Grumpy-Sunshine. Neurodivineness.

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
A lovable and entertaining cast of characters, even beyond the MCs. Maxine is an ADHD goddess and I loved every moment in her POV. Teddy is the most squishable, squashmallow of sexiness. And all the other crazies joining in this trivia contest bring their own quirks and I l delighted in it all.

Holy Brilliant Banter Batman. Witty, neurodiverse, hot, nerdy banter. Like, take your normal zingers and add a crap ton of humor and TRIVIA. I learned things!

Good girl. Do I need to say more? These words were sexy as hell and were also in the name of behavioral science.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Don’t be alarmed. It’s a completely natural mineral, often used in sunscreen.” (For Teddy, the relaying of trivia was flirting.)”

“Definitely not the public school system, which, as far as Maxine was concerned, was designed to suck children’s souls out to make space for robot parts.”

“No. And don’t call my instructors McDaddies. That’s weird and gross and super outdated.”

“Her irises reminded him of a murky, wooded pond being illuminated by a perfectly angled ray of sunlight, revealing the lush, hidden biome flourishing below the surface.”

“Liquor smarter, not harder! Teddy, do you want one?” “I would rather have every word on my gravestone misspelled.”

“Repeat it,” he instructed. “Caspian Sea.” Her voice trembled. Her nipples were aching points. “Largest lake in the world.” “Good girl.”

If it’s not already obvious, this is a 100000% recommend from me. I don’t re-read often, but this is for sure a future comfort read. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this as an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one is for the nerds who love it piping hot. And for the Jeopardy or trivia lovers. The premise sparkles with such a unique approach to the link between MCs, and I luxuriated in all the blatant nerdery. I had the absolute JOY of hearing Jen Comfort speak at a recent festival, and she talked about gender-swapping her characters as a means of refreshing a story. The way she writes Maxine with typically masculine position in their relationship is so inventive (she’s pulling him out of his shell, she’s almost a “bad boy” in her past) and attractive! I’ve read many a book with neurodivergent (ADHD, autistic) characters, and the way Jen portrays Maxine feels both authentic and whole. Too often ADHD characters are written as just constantly hamstrung by their “challenges” or really self critical about their “failures,” but Maxine’s ADHD literally created her trivia success and she shows up as her true self throughout the story. The spice is *CHEF’S KISS* AND the details of how the scenes go down are SO UNEXPECTED and fresh. I could not love this book more, and the HEA was perfectly sappy, a perfect contrast to their spicy back and forth.

So, not only did this feel a little like YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER with the sharp-edged one-upmanship between these two rivals, it also felt like what you'd get if YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER and BEACH READ had a baby. And maybe that won't make sense until you read it but.. I hope it does, actually, make sense. Because I couldn't shake that feeling. Which isn't to say this isn't very much it's own thing. So maybe it's not a baby but some generational ancestor down the line. I'm overthinking this. Let's move on.

I find I can easily be moved to feel emotion even if I'm not enjoying a book. Why? Because, all evidence to the contrary, I'm an ooey gooey marshmallow. But what is a lot harder is for me to be genuinely entertained and moved to laughter. And yet that's what happened here.. a lot.

This might also be one of the few romances that had multiple zesty romance scenes that I didn't feel inclined to skip over. Oh, and yes, fitting for a rivals match-up with high stakes, things get hot and intense and heavy allll the way through. Enjoy. And you're welcome.

But okay, let's try and make this a real review, shall we? If you're looking something that has heart, heat, and humour, you can't go wrong here. The trivia and game show setting was very entertaining and educational, the opposites attract element made the rivalry even more engaging, and also I might never think of bodies of water the same way.

My one complaint might be that I wish we'd maybe spent a little less time rehashing Maxine's backstory and neurodivergence because it felt a little overplayed by the end but other than that? This was exactly what I needed to break up a few thrillers and, maybe, also, in general.

If you like your romcoms to have bite and a side helping of flirting and fighting and f-- (I'll leave that last f to your imagination), plus trivia!, I would definitely recommend.

** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **