Jodi McAlister
@jodimca.bsky.social
Romance author, romance scholar. Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature & Culture at Deakin (Naarm/Melbourne). My newest rom-com, An Academic Affair, is out now.
November 16, LADY'S KNIGHT, Amie Kaufman (🇦🇺) and Meagan Spooner.
If you imprinted on Tamora Pierce's Alanna books, then this sapphic fantasy romance romp is for you.
If you imprinted on Tamora Pierce's Alanna books, then this sapphic fantasy romance romp is for you.
November 16, 2025 at 4:32 AM
November 16, LADY'S KNIGHT, Amie Kaufman (🇦🇺) and Meagan Spooner.
If you imprinted on Tamora Pierce's Alanna books, then this sapphic fantasy romance romp is for you.
If you imprinted on Tamora Pierce's Alanna books, then this sapphic fantasy romance romp is for you.
This one doesn't have the panache of "emotional destruction studies", but I do appreciate being implored to "fully read" their AI-generated email about how they'll bribe people to read my book with "coffee + croissant vibes".
November 14, 2025 at 3:03 AM
This one doesn't have the panache of "emotional destruction studies", but I do appreciate being implored to "fully read" their AI-generated email about how they'll bribe people to read my book with "coffee + croissant vibes".
Some top-notch slop in today's edition of Definitely Real Book Clubs That Definitely Exist. I'm especially fond of the vaguely threatening aura of the last screenshot.
November 12, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Some top-notch slop in today's edition of Definitely Real Book Clubs That Definitely Exist. I'm especially fond of the vaguely threatening aura of the last screenshot.
An Academic Affair is out now in the US and Canada!
I'm really proud of this book - a romantic comedy set in academia, the world I live in - and if you wanted to pick up a copy, that'd make my day. bookshop.org/p/books/an-a...
I'm really proud of this book - a romantic comedy set in academia, the world I live in - and if you wanted to pick up a copy, that'd make my day. bookshop.org/p/books/an-a...
November 11, 2025 at 9:13 PM
An Academic Affair is out now in the US and Canada!
I'm really proud of this book - a romantic comedy set in academia, the world I live in - and if you wanted to pick up a copy, that'd make my day. bookshop.org/p/books/an-a...
I'm really proud of this book - a romantic comedy set in academia, the world I live in - and if you wanted to pick up a copy, that'd make my day. bookshop.org/p/books/an-a...
November 9, READ ME SLOW, Charish Reid.
I'm extremely interested in spicy audio for academic reasons, but it was the chemistry between the characters which truly kept me hooked in this one.
I'm extremely interested in spicy audio for academic reasons, but it was the chemistry between the characters which truly kept me hooked in this one.
November 9, 2025 at 3:20 AM
November 9, READ ME SLOW, Charish Reid.
I'm extremely interested in spicy audio for academic reasons, but it was the chemistry between the characters which truly kept me hooked in this one.
I'm extremely interested in spicy audio for academic reasons, but it was the chemistry between the characters which truly kept me hooked in this one.
November 2, THE PRINCESS AND THE PI, Nikki Payne.
If you like romantic suspense, don't sleep on this - the perfect blend of romance and hard-boiled film noir vibes.
If you like romantic suspense, don't sleep on this - the perfect blend of romance and hard-boiled film noir vibes.
November 2, 2025 at 2:51 AM
November 2, THE PRINCESS AND THE PI, Nikki Payne.
If you like romantic suspense, don't sleep on this - the perfect blend of romance and hard-boiled film noir vibes.
If you like romantic suspense, don't sleep on this - the perfect blend of romance and hard-boiled film noir vibes.
October 26, CINDER HOUSE, Freya Marske (🇦🇺).
It is *astonishing* to me that this Cinderella retelling is a novella, because there is so much in it - it's not so much beautifully sketched as richly drawn.
It is *astonishing* to me that this Cinderella retelling is a novella, because there is so much in it - it's not so much beautifully sketched as richly drawn.
October 26, 2025 at 12:25 AM
October 26, CINDER HOUSE, Freya Marske (🇦🇺).
It is *astonishing* to me that this Cinderella retelling is a novella, because there is so much in it - it's not so much beautifully sketched as richly drawn.
It is *astonishing* to me that this Cinderella retelling is a novella, because there is so much in it - it's not so much beautifully sketched as richly drawn.
Okay USA, I know you have plenty of other things going on at the moment, but my new book An Academic Affair will be released in your country in only a few weeks (11 November!!), and if you wanted to pre-order it, I would simply love that.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/An-Aca...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/An-Aca...
October 22, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Okay USA, I know you have plenty of other things going on at the moment, but my new book An Academic Affair will be released in your country in only a few weeks (11 November!!), and if you wanted to pre-order it, I would simply love that.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/An-Aca...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/An-Aca...
October 19, LOVE IS A WAR SONG, Danica Nava.
Cowboy romance isn't usually my subgenre, but I absolutely tore through this one on a flight today.
Cowboy romance isn't usually my subgenre, but I absolutely tore through this one on a flight today.
October 19, 2025 at 6:21 AM
October 19, LOVE IS A WAR SONG, Danica Nava.
Cowboy romance isn't usually my subgenre, but I absolutely tore through this one on a flight today.
Cowboy romance isn't usually my subgenre, but I absolutely tore through this one on a flight today.
October 12, GHOSTED, Amy Hutton (🇦🇺).
If you want a seasonally spooky romance, it's hard to go past this one.
If you want a seasonally spooky romance, it's hard to go past this one.
October 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM
October 12, GHOSTED, Amy Hutton (🇦🇺).
If you want a seasonally spooky romance, it's hard to go past this one.
If you want a seasonally spooky romance, it's hard to go past this one.
October 5, A SMART GIRL'S GUIDE TO SECOND CHANCES, Steph Vizard (🇦🇺).
Love triangles are very difficult to pull off in romance, but this was a masterclass.
Love triangles are very difficult to pull off in romance, but this was a masterclass.
October 5, 2025 at 2:52 AM
October 5, A SMART GIRL'S GUIDE TO SECOND CHANCES, Steph Vizard (🇦🇺).
Love triangles are very difficult to pull off in romance, but this was a masterclass.
Love triangles are very difficult to pull off in romance, but this was a masterclass.
September 28, AFTER THE SIREN, Darcy Green (🇦🇺).
It's hard to imagine a more perfect read for grand final weekend than this absolutely killer AFL romance about two players who do not like each other learning that they might, in fact, do considerably more than that...
It's hard to imagine a more perfect read for grand final weekend than this absolutely killer AFL romance about two players who do not like each other learning that they might, in fact, do considerably more than that...
September 28, 2025 at 4:46 AM
September 28, AFTER THE SIREN, Darcy Green (🇦🇺).
It's hard to imagine a more perfect read for grand final weekend than this absolutely killer AFL romance about two players who do not like each other learning that they might, in fact, do considerably more than that...
It's hard to imagine a more perfect read for grand final weekend than this absolutely killer AFL romance about two players who do not like each other learning that they might, in fact, do considerably more than that...
It's the last few days of this sale! Not Here To Make Friends* is $1.99 in e-book for the month of September only.
*the one about two Machiavellian reality TV masterminds falling in love, and also one of the NYT's Best Romances of 2024 bookshop.org/p/books/not-...
*the one about two Machiavellian reality TV masterminds falling in love, and also one of the NYT's Best Romances of 2024 bookshop.org/p/books/not-...
September 27, 2025 at 11:36 PM
It's the last few days of this sale! Not Here To Make Friends* is $1.99 in e-book for the month of September only.
*the one about two Machiavellian reality TV masterminds falling in love, and also one of the NYT's Best Romances of 2024 bookshop.org/p/books/not-...
*the one about two Machiavellian reality TV masterminds falling in love, and also one of the NYT's Best Romances of 2024 bookshop.org/p/books/not-...
A little bright spot: the student editorial team I supervise launched the landmark fortieth edition of our student-run literary journal last night. It's very good, and I'm extremely proud of them. www.bookpod.com.au/store/p7/Ver...
September 26, 2025 at 12:43 AM
A little bright spot: the student editorial team I supervise launched the landmark fortieth edition of our student-run literary journal last night. It's very good, and I'm extremely proud of them. www.bookpod.com.au/store/p7/Ver...
September 21, KAMILA KNOWS BEST, Farah Heron.
I'm picky about Austen adaptations, but I delighted in this riff on Emma I dug out of the depths of my Kindle.
I'm picky about Austen adaptations, but I delighted in this riff on Emma I dug out of the depths of my Kindle.
September 21, 2025 at 4:17 AM
September 21, KAMILA KNOWS BEST, Farah Heron.
I'm picky about Austen adaptations, but I delighted in this riff on Emma I dug out of the depths of my Kindle.
I'm picky about Austen adaptations, but I delighted in this riff on Emma I dug out of the depths of my Kindle.
September 14, OUT ON A LIMB, Hannah Bonam-Young.
I don't normally rec big TikTok-famous books - they have plenty of fans already - but this one really is worth the hype.
I don't normally rec big TikTok-famous books - they have plenty of fans already - but this one really is worth the hype.
September 14, 2025 at 12:51 AM
September 14, OUT ON A LIMB, Hannah Bonam-Young.
I don't normally rec big TikTok-famous books - they have plenty of fans already - but this one really is worth the hype.
I don't normally rec big TikTok-famous books - they have plenty of fans already - but this one really is worth the hype.
My latest book An Academic Affair is now out in the UK! This is the first of my books to get a proper print release there (exciting!). I hope you enjoy reading about my totally-only-getting-married-on-paper rival academics as much as I did writing them. www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/An-Aca...
September 11, 2025 at 10:00 PM
My latest book An Academic Affair is now out in the UK! This is the first of my books to get a proper print release there (exciting!). I hope you enjoy reading about my totally-only-getting-married-on-paper rival academics as much as I did writing them. www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/An-Aca...
September 7, WHAT DID I MISS? Holly Brunnbauer (🇦🇺).
This is a really fresh take on the "oh no, my one night stand is my new colleague" trope, set among high school teachers.
This is a really fresh take on the "oh no, my one night stand is my new colleague" trope, set among high school teachers.
September 7, 2025 at 3:10 AM
September 7, WHAT DID I MISS? Holly Brunnbauer (🇦🇺).
This is a really fresh take on the "oh no, my one night stand is my new colleague" trope, set among high school teachers.
This is a really fresh take on the "oh no, my one night stand is my new colleague" trope, set among high school teachers.
US pals! An Academic Affair is part of the Barnes & Noble preorder sale. If you're a member, you can use the code PREORDER25 between September 3-5 to get 25% off my little rom-com about two rival scholars who get married for, ahem, strictly professional reasons.
September 3, 2025 at 9:59 PM
US pals! An Academic Affair is part of the Barnes & Noble preorder sale. If you're a member, you can use the code PREORDER25 between September 3-5 to get 25% off my little rom-com about two rival scholars who get married for, ahem, strictly professional reasons.
August 31, IN THE LONG RUN, Emma Mugglestone (🇦🇺).
I love romances about people building something together, and the way the protagonists build their run club alongside their relationship is this book is just lovely.
I love romances about people building something together, and the way the protagonists build their run club alongside their relationship is this book is just lovely.
August 31, 2025 at 2:36 AM
August 31, IN THE LONG RUN, Emma Mugglestone (🇦🇺).
I love romances about people building something together, and the way the protagonists build their run club alongside their relationship is this book is just lovely.
I love romances about people building something together, and the way the protagonists build their run club alongside their relationship is this book is just lovely.
August 24, THE UNDERCUTTING OF ROSIE AND ADAM, Megan Bannen.
I've loved every book in this fantasy romance trilogy, and this final instalment is no exception.
I've loved every book in this fantasy romance trilogy, and this final instalment is no exception.
August 24, 2025 at 3:47 AM
August 24, THE UNDERCUTTING OF ROSIE AND ADAM, Megan Bannen.
I've loved every book in this fantasy romance trilogy, and this final instalment is no exception.
I've loved every book in this fantasy romance trilogy, and this final instalment is no exception.
August 17, LIGHTS, CAMERA, LOVE, Natalie Murray (🇦🇺).
I love a fresh, conflict-generating approach to a trope, so this one - where the heroine falls for the manager of the guy she's pretending to date - really scratched an itch.
I love a fresh, conflict-generating approach to a trope, so this one - where the heroine falls for the manager of the guy she's pretending to date - really scratched an itch.
August 17, 2025 at 8:33 AM
August 17, LIGHTS, CAMERA, LOVE, Natalie Murray (🇦🇺).
I love a fresh, conflict-generating approach to a trope, so this one - where the heroine falls for the manager of the guy she's pretending to date - really scratched an itch.
I love a fresh, conflict-generating approach to a trope, so this one - where the heroine falls for the manager of the guy she's pretending to date - really scratched an itch.
August 10, IN SPITE OF YOU, Patrick Lenton (🇦🇺).
This book really puts the comedy in romantic comedy, but it doesn't sacrifice the romance at the altar of jokes: it's both achingly romantic and side-splittingly funny.
This book really puts the comedy in romantic comedy, but it doesn't sacrifice the romance at the altar of jokes: it's both achingly romantic and side-splittingly funny.
August 10, 2025 at 2:58 AM
August 10, IN SPITE OF YOU, Patrick Lenton (🇦🇺).
This book really puts the comedy in romantic comedy, but it doesn't sacrifice the romance at the altar of jokes: it's both achingly romantic and side-splittingly funny.
This book really puts the comedy in romantic comedy, but it doesn't sacrifice the romance at the altar of jokes: it's both achingly romantic and side-splittingly funny.
August 3, THORNFRUIT, Felicia Davin.
One of the challenges of fantasy romance is making the romance feel human where the stakes are so high, but the gentle way the relationship develops between the two heroines in this book is *chef's kiss*.
One of the challenges of fantasy romance is making the romance feel human where the stakes are so high, but the gentle way the relationship develops between the two heroines in this book is *chef's kiss*.
August 3, 2025 at 3:58 AM
August 3, THORNFRUIT, Felicia Davin.
One of the challenges of fantasy romance is making the romance feel human where the stakes are so high, but the gentle way the relationship develops between the two heroines in this book is *chef's kiss*.
One of the challenges of fantasy romance is making the romance feel human where the stakes are so high, but the gentle way the relationship develops between the two heroines in this book is *chef's kiss*.
UK pals - An Academic Affair* is part of Waterstones' summer pre-order sale! If you pre-order between July 28-31 with the code SUMMER25, you'll get 25% off.
*the one about two academics who DEFINITELY aren't in love, don't let the fact they're married fool you
www.waterstones.com/book/an-acad...
*the one about two academics who DEFINITELY aren't in love, don't let the fact they're married fool you
www.waterstones.com/book/an-acad...
July 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
UK pals - An Academic Affair* is part of Waterstones' summer pre-order sale! If you pre-order between July 28-31 with the code SUMMER25, you'll get 25% off.
*the one about two academics who DEFINITELY aren't in love, don't let the fact they're married fool you
www.waterstones.com/book/an-acad...
*the one about two academics who DEFINITELY aren't in love, don't let the fact they're married fool you
www.waterstones.com/book/an-acad...