Much Ado About Hating You is an enemies to lovers set in a university. Micah is a financial auditor sent to an English department in desperate need of financial improvement. Aidan is one of the professor’s here. Although he is a serious academic sharing his knowledge with his students, he also secretly writes fanfiction inspired by Shakespeare’s stories. When Micah and Aidan meet, they instantly butt heads.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story. The descriptions of Aidan’s attraction felt sleazy rather than romantic. Unfortunately this tainted the rest of the story and I could not connect with the characters or the plot. I’m glad others enjoyed it, but for me it was a miss.
Thank you for the eARC

This is an excellent enemies to lovers work based romance. Sexy mmc with the full gorgeous nerd vibe going on and the feisty stunning fmc with fire. What could go wrong?
The whole hate concept was based on misunderstandings which is described well as this is a dual point of view book.
There is an entire section of instances where the reader knows more then the characters which is really exciting to read and I honestly feel the reveal of this was a bit of an anticlimax considering the fights they had had.
The spice scenes were very intense and detailed and so heavy on the foreplay it was actually such a nice change to read. They were also placed at the right times and propelled the story along.
Genuinely just would have preferred a bit more drama towards the end as after the enemies to lovers at the first half of the book that was full of desire and fire it kind of turned into a generic happy ending love story which is fine but not dramatic. It didn’t stop me reading this in 2 evenings.
I would definitely read from this author again and I’d read more based on this couple.

Two secret fanfic writers, Micah and Aidan, clash in a classic battle of wills. Micah’s a financial auditor, Aidan’s a literature professor, and they absolutely can’t stand each other… or so it seems. He’s convinced she wants him out, and she thinks he’s utterly appalling. Turns out, they’re both a bit off the mark.

I did find Micah a bit quick to find fault with everything Aidan did—it got to the point where I actually said “come on” out loud! I was also hoping for a bit more of the angsty tension that I adore in enemies-to-lovers stories, but this one didn’t quite hit that note for me.

What I did enjoy were the Shakespearean nods throughout and the snippets of erotic fanfic sprinkled in—they added a fun, clever twist that kept me hooked. Overall, a decent read if you like a light, witty romance with a literary edge.

This book was awful. It reads like a teenage fanfic. The writing is bad and it's one ridiculous situation after another to force sexual contact between the two main characters.

Both characters suck and their whole enemies thing feels fake and forced.

Clits don't jump, yet this expression was used multiple times throughout the story. The author also constantly used the phrase "her jaw dropped open," literally anytime something surprising is done or said. The character must spend the majority of her time with her jaw dragging along the floor.

The revenge act of putting hot sauce on a sandwich after he looked at her tits was absolutely ridiculous - who does that?? And for something that was essentially the fault of the FMC for leaning over with her blouse undone but she fixates on it and uses it to fuel her hatred of the MMC.

I only finished this book because I was stuck on a 12hr flight with no escape.

Thanks to NetGalley and Afterglow Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Much Ado About Hating You delivers heat and cheeky fan‑fic flair in a compact package. If you're after fiery tension, spicy banter, and a dash of Shakespeare-inspired secrecy, it's a blast—just don’t expect polished prose or a nuanced slow-burn romance. However, if you prefer mature characters, slower development, or seamless editing, this one might leave you wanting more.

This was fun, flirty and a fanfic lovers dream..and who doesn’t love a Shakespearean moment!

This was definitely an enemies to lovers, it was instant attraction but also instant hate since their meet cute…a great read, especially to get you out of a slump!

I loved this as a standalone mills & books do the best books!

An enemies-to-lovers romance set in a university department. Unfortunately I found the story a bit lackluster and didn’t particularly like either protagonist - a surprise for me as I normally love this author’s writing.

The sex scenes were plentiful, both between the characters themselves and in their fanfiction writing, and well written. I felt like these had the most effort put into them and this book would have been better if it was written as romantic erotica rather than erotic romance.

This was a cute low stake cozy romance but didn’t feel like the story was entirely original. Almost as if I read this before somewhere.

Oh this was not good
2 stars

DNF at 44%

This sounded like a super cute read and I’m a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope - so everything started from a place of positivity. In fact, in starting to read the book, everything was still good; the writing was decent and I was quickly into the story. And then it went wrong.

From their first meeting English Professor, Aidan Scott, and Auditor Micah Mila are at odds. In fact, for the majority of the book that I read, Aidan and Micah are arguing. And not in a cute way. There is absolutely no interaction that gives them a chance to get to know one another. Then bam - they’re at it in the university conference room. It felt…icky.

Aidan is an English Professor in a university - but I’ve met actual students that have more smarts than he did. The way he confronted Micah, complained about her to his boss, made fun of her name, tried to get her fired, continually stared at her chest - we’re not reading about a full-grown man.

Micah, surprisingly, was worse. She’s in a difficult financial situation due to a bad break-up - which seemed mostly due to her own decisions rather than being taken advantage of by her ex. She has a good job and isn’t paying rent - why is she not in a fantastic position and also able to pay back her parents? I was still rooting for her - right up until the point that she put hot sauce on Aidan’s sandwich. She knew nothing about this man and he really hadn’t done anything to her - and she touches and doctors his food? Beyond juvenile and also hugely dangerous. I was actively rooting against her after that.

The tension between our couple is non-existent. We’re told that their angry arguments are hiding lust - but honestly, I didn’t see it. Enemies to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and I love to see sparring and banter that’s obviously hiding a whole lot more. This book missed the mark on that front, sadly.

After they’d been bickering, being juvenile and petty then suddenly were having sex in the conference room - I was out. There’s definitely a difference between something being hot and something being gross and tacky. And I’m usually here for the sex. So all in all - this was a bust for me. I may have stopped this book mid-way through but I honestly don’t think I’ll give it another thought - and I have zero interest in even skipping to the end to see what happens with our pair. 2 stars and only because the writing wasn’t terrible enough to give it 1 star.

I absolutely loved this, it was a fun and fiery enemies-to-lovers romance with a Shakespearean twist. The characters had great chemistry and tension that built up through the book.

<b><i>”But it didn’t take me long to figure out that sexy romance is looked down upon in my field. Pretty messed up when you think about it actually. My fellow professionals have no issue championing violent and depressing literature, but the second they read something with a sex scene or a happily-ever-after, they’re ready to rip it apart. God, it’s all so pretentious as hell sometimes.”</i></b>

In <i>Much Ado About Hating You</i> we meet Micah who arrives at an university which Aidan works at. All would be well if Micah's reason for being there wasn't to conduct an audit. Posing a potential threat to Aidan's job doesn't bode well for them having to work together, if not more.

I really wish I could love this one more than I did. This book has a lot of what I would usually love - forbidden romance in an academic setting and modern spin on a literary classic. As someone who enjoys romance of all genres and doesn't understand people looking down on it, I especially appreciated the sentiment portrayed in the quote above. It was visible throughout what I've read, but in the end I decided to DNF it at around 23%. The story unfortunately felt a bit flat to me, and the writing style didn't keep my attention.

<i>Thank you to Sarah Echavarre Smith, Mills & Boon and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. [book:Much Ado About Hating You|215534076] will be out on Thursday 22nd of May!</i>

On paper, this ticked every box for me. Enemies to lovers, he's harbouring a secret special interest that she can't get enough of, and that forced proximity trope that I love. But it wasn't executed in a way that made me love it.

The writing style wasn't enjoyable to me. If I hadn't been aware that I was reading adult fiction, I wouldn't have been surprised to be told that it was in fact a YA book. I also just don't think that there were any fresh takes on the tropes, really. The secret fanfiction writing has been done before, and honestly I feel like it was better done by Olivia Dade.

That being said, it was a quick and easy read, I got through it in an afternoon. Definitely something to give a read to if you just want to spend an afternoon reading without forming deep emotional bonds with characters.

This was a very quick and easy book to read - I managed it in just over a day (oooh if it wasn't for those pesky kids). There was good tension and chemistry between the lead characters, which definitely made it easy to lean into the spicy nature of their romance. Unfortunately, I think the spice, at times, overwhelmed the plot and it felt like it was all about the sex.

I really enjoyed the Shakespearean references in the story, but for a book with a title like this, I think the author could have gotten away with utilising them more than she did. I also struggled with the speed of the story's resolution - there was a lot of tension building and drawn-out conflict across the course of the book, only for it all to be dealt with in a matter of pages right at the end.

It was a decent read, but nothing made it really stand out for me and I had a few elements that I struggled with while reading.

I honestly was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. It was very fast paced, tension filled and enjoyable.

Micah and Aiden’s journey was nothing short of turbulent from the start. Pure hatred and hostility, quickly turning to tension, angst and eventual steeeeamy moments. And those spicy moments were indeed something to behold too 🌶️🥵
As their relationship grew, it was nice to see the softer side of them together and their more vulnerable moments. I enjoyed the fanfiction usage throughout the story, especially the use of their fanfics throughout pivotal moments of their relationship.

Whilst I did like the characters, there were definitely a few moments where they had me frustrated, particularly Aiden. Firstly, whilst I understood his upset with Micah being at his work to complete an audit which could result in him losing the job he deeply loves, I did grow frustrated with his frequent unprompted outbursts over Micah throughout the first half of the story and I felt it definitely bordered on unprofessional. My girl Micah handled it like a champ though; I definitely let out an audible cackle when she offered to call her boss for Aiden. Later when their relationship grew, I found it frustrating that Aiden continued to hold Micah’s job role over her head. Like buddy, she’s opened up to you about her shitty ex and the financial hell she went through, cut her some slack, she needed a secure and stable income!!

Overall, this was a great read and I would definitely recommend it to any romance lovers looking for a fun steamy read.

Thank you to Mills & Boon and netgalley for the digital arc. This review is entirely my own.

*Is the line between love and hate just one sonnet away?* That’s the premise of *Much Ado About Hating You*, a spicy academic hate-to-love romance that pits an uptight literature professor against a no-nonsense financial auditor — with a shared secret passion for Shakespearean fanfiction.

Micah Mila is tasked with auditing the university’s English department, and Professor Aidan Scott instantly becomes her most difficult challenge. Their confrontations are heated, but neither expects that their anonymous online connection — where she reads and he writes sexy Shakespeare-inspired fanfic — might be the very thing tying them together. When identities are revealed, tension boils over into physical chemistry, forcing both characters to confront their desires, their pasts, and what it really means to separate fantasy from reality.

Sarah Echavarre Smith sets up an intriguing blend of sharp academic tension and playful literary passion. The setup is fresh, and the book’s enthusiasm for smut-positive storytelling is commendable. Micah and Aidan’s anonymous flirtation through a writing platform is especially charming, flirtatious, and emotionally resonant in ways their face-to-face interactions often lack.

That said, the execution doesn't always meet the strength of the premise. The book frequently leans on familiar tropes — from overheard insults to a rushed ‘forced proximity’ reconciliation — and emotional arcs are often told rather than shown. Aidan and Micah’s chemistry is intense but inconsistent, with many of their in-person interactions dominated by snark, misunderstandings, or fast-moving physical encounters that don’t leave enough time for emotional development. While the spicy scenes are plentiful, they can feel formulaic and overly explained, sometimes undercutting the tension rather than heightening it.

The pacing is another challenge. The hate-to-love arc lingers long enough to feel repetitive, while the transition into romance happens abruptly and doesn’t always feel earned. There are moments of real insight — particularly Aidan’s modern-day take on *Romeo and Juliet* — but the novel tends to brush over opportunities for deeper emotional or thematic exploration. Much of the story remains on the surface, including side plots like family conflict or career struggles, which feel more like devices than fully developed arcs.

Still, there’s an undeniable entertainment factor. Fans of spicy, trope-filled romance with a literary twist will likely enjoy the banter, the fanfic framing device, and the slow (if uneven) reveal of hidden identities. It’s a book about book lovers, for readers who like their romance hot, their heroes brooding, and their heroines unafraid to call them out.

*Much Ado About Hating You* isn’t a perfect read, but it’s a fun one. For readers who appreciate hate to love stories that don’t shy away from steam and want something with a clever, bookish premise, this will scratch that itch, even if it occasionally leaves you wishing for just a bit more depth beneath the heat.

i really enjoyed this book. it was short sharp and to the enemies to lovers point in sparky, spiky an riveting ways. i do love the premise of the book. they both work together and do not get on. they both seem to be getting in each others way of the other doing their job. so tension and bickering are the agenda of the day. but both find rest in the times they have outside of work. she reads her fave fanfic. he writes fan fic. turns out hes writing the ones she is reading. what happens next is an adventure in two people suddenly seeing a new side. a better side. a sweeter side but also a hot side!
i was wondering at the end just how this could turn out ok. i didnt want this all to go horribly wrong for the pair. because how could one come out ok when the jobs were so opposing? but the author gave me just what i needed and im so glad for it.

Micah meets Aiden when she is auditing his workplace, not knowing they have already met online. I liked how it was told from both points of view, and also using the messages too. Fab read.

DNF

I wanted to love this I really did but the writing style just wasn't for me, it felt immature and repetitive and the characters were more like school kids than adults.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t read anything from this author before but I’m definitely considering it after reading this one. It was sweet, easy to read, and almost a mild version of enemies to lovers if that makes sense. We followed Micah and Aidan. One of them is a financial auditor who has had a difficult time recently due to an ex-partner. The other is an English professor at a university, who also writes Shakespeare fanfics in their spare time. It is pretty fast-paced, but it doesn’t feel overly fast while reading. Also, the bonus epilogue that you’ll find at the end of the book is so very sweet.

✍🏻I received an ARC of this book and am leaving an honest review voluntarily✍🏻

This book! One of the most perfect haters-to-lovers I've read. God they hated each other SO MUCH at the beginning. And their first kiss? Ugghhhh so hooottttt

Their relationship was a bit fast paced once they started but they're also so cute, and so hot together!! The spice... got me blushing... just damn...

Also so proud of Micha in the end, like yes you go girl! I loved that epilogue, it was such a good glimpse into their lives and where they're heading. Just so cute!