How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding
on July 1, 2025
Genres: FICTION / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Romance / Workplace
Pages: 352
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
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How Freaking Romantic promises a fiery feminist lead, an enemies-to-lovers arc, and plenty of emotional depth—but for me, it unfortunately missed the mark.
The story follows Beatrice Nilsson, a fierce law student with a lot on her plate: student debt, systemic inequality, and the recent implosion of her best friends’ marriage. Bea is the type who leaps to defend the people she loves—even if it means storming into a lawyer’s office and launching into a verbal assault on her friend’s ex’s legal counsel. That lawyer? Nathan Asher. Cue sparks, tension, and eventually, attraction.
At least, that’s the intention.
I went into this expecting sharp wit, simmering chemistry, and emotional payoff. What I got instead was a main character who felt more like a walking tantrum than a compelling protagonist. Bea is supposed to be strong-willed and sharp-tongued, but she mostly came off as exhausting—whiny, self-important, and so relentlessly negative that I found myself questioning why anyone in her life, let alone the charming and generous Nate, would want to spend time with her.
Granted, I listened to the audiobook, and the narration may have amplified the problem. The narrator delivered Bea’s lines in a tone that sounded like she was perpetually on the verge of tears, which made it even harder to buy into her as this confident, tough-as-nails law student. Instead of sounding empowered, Bea came across as bratty and immature—a “girly-sounding ding-dong,” to be blunt.
Nate, on the other hand, was the book’s saving grace. He’s patient, intelligent, kind, and grounded—everything Bea isn’t. But even his goodness started to strain credibility. I couldn’t quite figure out why he was drawn to someone who met every gesture of kindness with suspicion or snark. Their chemistry never quite sparked for me; the romance felt forced, more like a plot requirement than a natural evolution of their dynamic.
I held out hope that the story would turn around, that Bea would grow or soften, or that their connection would finally click. Sadly, that moment never came. By the time the book reached its resolution, I was more relieved to be done than satisfied with the journey. The main character was full of too many contradictions to make this the slightest bit believable for me.
This was a near DNF for me, but I powered through in hopes of payoff that never arrived. How Freaking Romantic had the bones of a compelling rom-com, but for me, Bea’s personality and the lack of believable chemistry sunk it. Your mileage may vary—but if you’re sensitive to unlikeable narrators (in both voice and character), you might want to proceed with caution.
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