Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Enemies to Lovers, and Fiction
Synopsis: Beatrice Nilsson has a lot to be angry about. The wage gap, the pink tax, the repayment schedule on all those student loans…the list goes on. But that anger is also what makes her such a good friend—the perennial sidekick who fights for her loved ones’ happily ever after, even while conveniently neglecting her own. So when the marriage of her two best friends falls apart—and the divorce proceedings get ugly—Bea is ready to step in and help pick up the pieces.
First on her to-do list? Storm the office of Nathan Asher, her friend’s ex-husband’s lawyer, and tell him exactly what he can do with his divorce petition. But what should end with a few choice words and a slam of the door soon spirals into uncharted territory when Nathan shows up at her NYU Law office a few days later. As a newly-minted adjunct professor––and her new colleague––he proves to be annoyingly intelligent, relentlessly patient, and unfairly attractive. Bea still hates him, of course, but it’s not long before that hate begins to feel a lot like something else.
There’s just one when you’ve spent your life focusing on everyone else’s love story, it’s not easy to take the starring role in your own. And as uncomfortable truths emerge about the divorce that started it all, Bea must choose whose happily ever after to everyone else’s or her own.
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD
How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding is a bit of a mixed bag.
Beatrice “Bea” Nilsson is a hard main character to like and even harder to find empathy for. She’s angry at everyone and everything and is a true smellfungus (if you don’t know what that means, look it up) and even when people do something nice for her, she finds a reason to be upset. (Seriously, woman?) Yet, Bea is also funny, feels deeply, loves fiercely, and—importantly—has reasons for her anger.
When Bea’s friends, Jillian and Josh, begin going through a divorce, Josh has his lawyer petition for alimony, the dog he didn’t even want, and anything else he can get his hands on. Bea takes it upon herself to visit his lawyer and “nail his balls to the side of the building.”
That’s how we meet Nathan Asher—the man who seemingly has everything. He’s handsome, one of the top divorce lawyers in the field, and has the patience of a saint (especially when it comes to dealing with Bea).
When Bea storms into his office, he doesn’t shout back, mock her, or call for security (as many of us might). In fact, he doesn’t really get the chance to do much of anything before she’s storming back out. Later, when he encounters her again—this time as her new colleague and adjunct-professor—he doesn’t take the opportunity to tear into her, even though in my opinion, he would have been justified in doing so. I mean… you can’t walk into a strangers office, start berating them, and not expect something nasty in return.
This is where it starts getting a little complicated for me. How Freaking Romantic is marketed as an enemies to lovers story, but I never truly felt that Nathan disliked Bea. In fact, he admits that he’s loved her ever since she stormed into his office the first time—yes, she does it more than once. Ultimately, it felt more like Bea was her own enemy. She needed to learn that it was okay to not be angry all the time. It was okay to do something for herself. It was okay to let others help her. And it was okay not to carry the weight of everyone around her—her mother, her friends, the students she works with as a TA.
Nathan is the one who helps her realize these things.
Throughout the novel, Nathan does have moments where his own armor goes up, especially after Bea’s confrontational entrance into his office. However, at every turn, he was as kind as he could be. He gives Bea a ride when she needs one, offers her his scarf and coat when she’s freezing, helps Bea get her foot in the door with a firm she wants to work for, and comes to Bea’s rescue when her apartment building is condemned due to it being unsafe. That man was never her enemy and no one can convince me otherwise.
Of course, no romance is complete without conflict. Just when things seem to be going well between Bea and Nathan, he finds her wearing nothing but a towel in Josh’s apartment. Immediately, his armor snaps back into place—and Bea’s does as well. To her credit, she does attempt to explain the situation, but Nathan refuses to listen in the moment.
In the end, Nathan and Bea find their way back to each other. Bea passes the bar, helps Jillian and Josh reach a more civil place in their divorce, and celebrates the marriage of two
other friends. Things are looking up and perhaps, just maybe, she has fewer reasons to be angry.
In addition to how unrelatable Bea is with her never-ending negative attitude and complaining, there was too much cursing for me. Bea continuously refers to Nathan as a donkey and there are more than a few F bombs dropped. It just seemed unnecessary after a certain point. Luckily, Nathan was a saving grace.
Star Rating: 3.75/5