**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
Book: Love, Off the Record by Samantha Markum
Release Date: June 11, 2024
My Rating: 4 stars
Rep: fat protagonist, Black side character
CW: mentions of drug use
Summary: The Hating Game meets Alex, Approximately in this smart, chemistry-filled teen rom-com about two rival journalism students competing for the same position on their university newspaper.
Wyn is going to beat Three even if it kills her—or, preferably, him. Being freshmen staffers on the university newspaper puts them at the bottom of the pecking order—until a rare reporter spot opens up. Wyn and Three are both determined to get the position, starting a game of sabotage that pushes them to do their worst, from stealing each other’s ideas to playing twisted mind games. No road is too low when it comes to winning.
As Wyn’s search for the perfect story leads her to an anonymous, campus-wide dating app, she hits it off with a mystery man she thinks might be the cute RA from her dorm. But Wyn is all too familiar with being rejected because of her weight, and she’s hesitant to reveal her identity, even as she grows closer with someone who might be the guy of her dreams.
When Three breaks a story that’s closer to home than he or Wyn expects, the two must put aside their differences to expose the truth—and face their real feelings for each other, which threaten everything Wyn has built with her anonymous match.
Read my reviews of other books by the same author:
For Wyn, college is going…okay so far. That’s why she’s so determined to beat out Three, her fellow newspaper grunt and rival, for the open reporter role on their college’s paper. The two of them push each other too far, but ultimately have to work together when Three starts writing a story on something close to Wyn. Meanwhile, she’s met someone on campus’s hottest new anonymous app, so her freshman year is finally starting to take off.
I loved Samantha Markum’s last novel, and I was so excited to read her next one! I actually didn’t know going in that this book has a character from her debut novel, This May End Badly, just because it’s been so long since I’ve read it. You don’t have to read that book going into this one, but you may miss a few Easter eggs if you haven’t.
Wyn is a little lost at college, if only because she’s so lonely and finds it hard to meet people. Her roommate makes it clear they aren’t friends, and her suitemates have their own things going on. Over time, she has to realize that you can, in fact, be friends with people who have other groups of friends. I liked reading about her getting closer to her suitemates and forming friendships.
I also loved her dynamic with Three! They’re rivals, competing for the reporter role that recently opened up. As much as Wyn loves writing and coming up with stories, it’s hard to compete with Three and his constant work ethic. When she begrudgingly agrees to investigate his new story with him, they’re forced to spend even more time with each other, and worse, to trust each other. I liked their banter, both when they hate each other and when they begin to like each other.
This book does have a bit of a You’ve Got Mail-thing going on, which I usually dislike, but I think it worked in this book. Maybe because the conversations actually felt like real ones you’d have on an anonymous app, like talking to an Internet friend. Obviously I won’t spoil anything, but I’m sure you’ll have an inkling on who the other person is when you read the book.
Overall, Love, Off the Record was a fun college-set book about finding your footing in a new environment. I loved the characters and the romance; this book has really cemented Samantha Markum as an auto-read author. If you’re a fan of rivals-to-lovers and/or hate-to-love relationships, you should definitely pick up Love, Off the Record!
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About the Author: Samantha Markum is the author of This May End Badly, You Wouldn’t Dare, and Love, Off the Record. She was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where she got her great literary start writing Newsies fan fiction in middle school. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing cozy video games, attempting to revive her half-dead house plants, and getting in bed before sunset. When she is writing, you can find her staring at the wall in search of inspiration.
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