REVIEW: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

In Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese, Pediatrician Jamie Westenberg isn’t the type of guy who relishes costume parties or crowds of any kind. Yet he somehow gets talked into attending his close friend’s soiree with an itchy mask on his face. What’s worse? Jamie has a run in not once, but twice, with a beautiful but irritating woman who manages to spill her drink on him both times. Bea should have annoyed him enough that he could easily dismiss her from memory. Unfortunately that’s not possible. Because not only does she appear in his dreams, but Jamie is set up with her for a blind date by their friends. Once he and Bea realize they’ve been pushed together–even though they don’t get along–he wholeheartedly goes all in with her intent to get back at them.

“That woman is a tattooed tornado of flying cocktails and unsolicited astrological commentary. We could not be more different or unsuited.” And I almost kissed her. God, what was I thinking?

Beatrice “Bea” Wilmot loves her twin sister Jules and their group of friends dearly. But boy is she ticked off at them. Not only did she step way outside of her comfort zone going to a party where she met the most annoying–and annoyingly attractive–man, but Bea has now been rooked into a date with Jamie. She’s been in a relationship before with a guy who was all wrong for her. And she doesn’t want a repeat. However, her plan for revenge means she’ll have to get up close and personal with the handsome doctor. Something that Bea hates to admit isn’t *really* a trial. Somehow, as she and Jamie go on fake dates to make their fauxmance seem real, they find themselves falling more and more for each other to the point where neither is sure where they truly stand.

“My fake boyfriend isn’t supposed to ruin me for everyone else,” I whisper.
Jamie’s eyes fall shut as he drops his forehead to mine. “Sometimes, Beatrice, I *want* to ruin you for everyone else.”

Chloe Liese brought Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing straight into the 21st century with her new book Two Wrongs Make a Right. Quirky yet charming characters, a good dose of comedy, and a revenge plot that goes awry, how could I not fall in love with this classic lit retelling?

‘We started as a lie, and now we’re the truest thing I’ve ever known.’

Content Warning: View Spoiler »Toxic relationships including gaslighting and emotional abuse. « Hide Spoiler

Oh, am I a Chloe Liese fan after reading Two Wrongs Make a Right. With the comedic timing of my fave Christina Lauren romances and the classic revenge setup from one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, I simply couldn’t get enough of Bea, Jamie, and the rest of their crew. And I have to hand it to Liese, how she modernized the story without losing those familiar elements from the original. If anything, I thought the addition of non-traditional couples and a neurodivergent heroine created depth in what is typically viewed as a lighthearted storyline. There were other factors added in–how several of the characters had been previously mistreated by significant others–that also pushed the relationships in directions I didn’t expect at first. But it certainly made for some heartfelt moments.

Everything about Bea and Jamie worked for me. They seemed like opposites: she was an (erotic) artist with colorful tattoos who was a tad klutzy but super cute, whereas he was a stoic workaholic pediatrician who seemed to look down his nose at her. But looks can be deceiving, as Jamie and Bea *both* found out. I won’t spoil their hidden secrets (plural) but let’s just say that after their meet-disasters and becoming co-conspirators in a fauxmance to get revenge, they learned that they were made for each other. Liese was very gracious in how delicately she handled some of Bea and Jamie’s quirks. And the way it came across–to this reader, at least–was so very loving and inclusive, proving that everyone…every single person…deserves respect and love–and their very own version of what Jamie and Bea found together.

QOTD: Have you ever picked up a modern retelling of a classic story to see if it would work just as well in today’s world?

Book Info:

Publication: November 22nd 2022 | Berkley |

Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.

Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash their hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.

To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder, what if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?