REVIEW: How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding

How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding: Bea is used to fighting other people’s battles, and if there is one person that she will always go to war for it is her bestie Kit, whose messy divorce has Bea ready to burn it all down including the annoyingly charming lawyer Nathan, who is representing her besties soon to be ex husband. So when Bea finds herself working alongside Nathan, she’s determined to keep things strictly professional. Or at least try and pretend to. Nathan is the last person she should trust… and the first person who sees through her carefully crafted defences. As late night research sessions turn into long walks and almost-kisses, Bea begins to wonder, is it still protecting Kit if it means denying herself something real in the process?

How Freaking Romantic was just that so freaking romantic and cute! I absolutely love a good enemies to lovers romance and this more than delivers in this regard, I just ate up all the slow burn angsty build up between Bea and Nathan! Harding delivers just the right blend of witty banter, slow growing angst and a bit of drama–making this romance a total page turner.

I have to say that I really liked Bea, while she might have come of as a bit of a strong personality at first, the more we got to know her the more I found myself liking her character. She is definitely the kind of friend any girl would want to have in their corner, loyal to a fault and ready to throw hands if needed, well in her case throw some strong words. Though beneath all the though bravado is actually a woman terrified of vulnerability and getting hurt. She uses her quick wit and smart words to defend herself and those she loves but also ever ready to push away someone who tries to get to close to her bubble. This really made me love getting to see her grow to open up and all herself to be vulnerable as the book progressed and as Nathan made her face her own fears. Now for our hero, well let me just say that I loved Nathan Asher to bits. He is patient, kind, thoughtful and a man that is not afraid of expressing his emotions. I really liked the fact that while Nathan had substance he wasn’t one of these damaged heroes that needed fixing or a drastic character arc, he was simply a good guy that was emotionally mature.

I am such a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope and this book gave us some really delicious banter and sassy interactions. What begins as professional tension between opposing legal minds gradually evolves into something far more intimate and intense, as Nathan’s quiet steadiness meets Bea’s guarded intensity. While I don’t think the book needed the third act drama, I will say that it did add an extra bit of zing to the overall story. That I really liked about this couple was the fact that they saw each other beyond the superficial images everyone sees, their love story wasn’t about fixing each other but allowing each other to grow and in a safe protected space.

All in all I have to say that I really enjoyed reading How Freaking Romantic, if you are looking for a cute, slow burn, enemies to lovers romance then this is definitely a book to check out!
 

Book Info:

Publication: July 1, 2025 | Gallery Books |

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.