While You Were Seething

by Charlotte Stein

The road to love is bumpy in Charlotte Stein’s WHILE YOU WERE SEETHING— a sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance filled with fake dating hijinks, delicious forced proximity, and top tier banter.

Daisy Emmett has been enemies with famous romance author Caleb Miller since they were in college together, and time hasn’t lessened their mutual loathing. So when she agrees to manoeuvre him through a PR disaster of his own making, she knows it’s not going to be easy. She just doesn’t realise how not easy until they somehow end up trapped in the same truck, on an endless road trip from one book tour stop to another, bantering and butting heads along the way.

Then, even more people appear to be mistaking her for the woman he dedicates all his books to. The love of his life, his adored beloved—the one who doesn’t actually exist. Now they’re trapped into pretending she does and that Daisy is her, each fake kiss and phoney embrace ratcheting up the tension to the point where enemies suddenly seems a lot closer to lovers than either of them would like.

Or so they’re telling themselves.

But sometimes it’s hard to be sure, when seething turns into something so much more…

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fiction, Forced Proximity, Contemporary Romance, Books About Books, Contemporary

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 14, 2026

About the author

Charlotte Stein is the RT and DABWAHA nominated author of over fifty short stories, novellas and novels. When not writing deeply emotional and intensely sexy books, she can be found eating jelly turtles, watching terrible sitcoms and occasionally lusting after hunks. For more on Charlotte, visit: www.charlottestein.net

Reviews

[cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are books that grab you from page one, and then there are books that make you keep checking how much is left. While You Were Seething landed somewhere in between for me. It has so many tropes I usually devour—fake dating, enemies circling each other like feral cats, forced proximity.

Daisy ends up on this book tour because she’s trying to grow her own PR business, and managing a famous author’s image is a chance she can’t really turn down—even if he happens to be the same guy she’s disliked since college. 👀 It’s supposed to be a professional opportunity, a way to build her brand, not some emotional trap she falls face-first into.

But the real chaos starts when readers assume Daisy is the mysterious woman he dedicates all his books to. The muse everyone has theories about. The secret beloved no one has ever seen. 🫣🫣 Suddenly, pretending to be his great love becomes the only way to keep his reputation from imploding, and she’s stuck fake-dating the man who has never been anything but confusing and cold toward her. Except… that fake affection starts blurring lines fast. And those “just for show” moments get heated before either of them seems prepared. (The tent scene felt like an emotional jump scare. Like WHERE DID THAT COME FROM????) 🥲🥲🥲

The tension should’ve been a slow simmer, but instead it leaps from snark to spice so fast it feels like missing chapters. The banter has its charms, but the writing can get unclear enough that I found myself rereading scenes… not because they were deep, but because I genuinely couldn’t tell what just happened. 😭😭 Caleb’s “grumpy” behavior also leans more cruel than broody in a way that’s tiring, even once his reasons are revealed. (There’s a fine line between brooding and just being a jerk, and he tap-dances allll across it 🫩🤚🏼)

Meanwhile, Daisy keeps acting like there’s no possible universe where he might like her, even when he’s basically holding up a neon sign. At first it’s relatable insecurity… then it just becomes irritating. (like someone please hand her a clue. Or glasses. Or a mirror. GOSH🙄)

She’s also described as curvy, which could’ve been beautiful representation if it were actually explored. Instead it’s mentioned and dropped without adding depth, confidence, or anything meaningful to her character. So disappointing 😖😖

Even with all of this, I can’t say the story is boring. It kept me curious enough to finish, there are cute moments, and the premise itself is eye-catching. It just never quite reaches the emotional payoff it promises, and the confusion in the writing kept pulling me out of the story. 😔

Overall? A one-time read. Fun concept, surprising spice, but… messy execution. 🤷🏼‍♀️

-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-favorite quotes-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

"I thought she was the most attractive woman I'd ever laid eyes on. And I say attractive on purpose, because sure, she's beautiful, she's gorgeous, but it was more than that. More than just looking at someone and seeing that everything is pleasing to your eye. I was drawn to her, drawn in by her, in a way I'd never experienced before."

-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-♡-

things to know about the book ↓

📚 enemies→lovers
📚 forced proximity
📚 fake dating
📚 second chance (kinda)
📚 third person POV

A huge thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Charlotte Stein for allowing me to read this arc. These are all my honest opinions in this review.

[ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off slow then picked up enough to get my attention a little more. I wish I could say I loved this but it was hard. There was so much banter that it made me want to stop reading. The premise and concept of the book was good just wished it was presented a bit differently. I must say the spice was spicing and the author didn’t hold back on that.

✨ T r o p e s + T r i g g e r s ✨
Enemies to Lovers
Contemporary Romance | Second Chance
Fake Dating
Forced Proximity
Too Much Banter
Heavy Spice
Road Trip | One Tent
Slow Burn

Book Cover ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Would I recommend this book to you? Yes

Expected Release Date: 04/14/2026

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Author Charlotte Stein for the arc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was personally attacked and highly turned on by this book. It was so so good and hurt all my feelings. It also made me laugh. It was thoroughly delightful and scratched all of my itches.

[T Rojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW! (Thanks NETGALLEY!)

Eh book was fine, but it me, it was basically When Grumpy met Sunshine again just kind of watered down. There was a bunch of flashback chapters that didn’t really add much to the story. I wish Charlotte Stein would go back to her unconventional borderline creepy MMCs, these guys just seem like asexual weirdos.

[Harleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 40%

The plot sounded promising, but I couldn't get past the writing. At times, I had to keep rereading a section because it was unclear or awkwardly phrased. Also, I love a grumpy mmc, but Caleb didn’t do it for me 🥲

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the arc. All opinions are my own.

[Jnj_turning_pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

While You Were Seething is a romcom full of all the best tropes. You like second chances, it's got it. Love grumpy/sunshine, it's got one of the grumpiest. Oh, you love only one bed... How about only one tent? The witty banter and spicy tension will keep you turning pages and asking "will they or won't they?"

Caleb, famous romance writer, must save his reputation after his less than flattering, and very public, comments about love. Enter Daisy, PA and celebrity handler, to save the day. However, Caleb and Daisy have history. They attended the same college and were "enemies". Daisy must navigate his eccentricity and get him back in the fans good graces, but it backfires when the fans believe it is her that he is dating and not the actor they hired.

I really loved the literary banter and strong opinions of both characters. And let's talk about the naughty mouth on Caleb. It's hard to believe a man that talks like that doesn't believe in love. The plot was great and really cute. The speed was a bit wonky at times, with some things being sped through and others slowly progressing. Even with that, I loved this book. Solid 4 stars.

Thank you to charlotte.stein, st. martins press, and netgalley for the opportunity.

[Lisi Bee (Beth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daisy is a people pleaser and a fixer who has channeled her innate helpfulness into owning and running her own. celebrity assistance firm. She's hired to help Caleb, a capital-G grumpy author who is skittish about going on a media junket for the release of his latest book. Caleb also happens to be an acquaintance from college, where they had a mostly-adversarial relationship. Will Daisy and Caleb make it through the press tour without killing each other? I love this author and I enjoyed the book overall, but I struggled with it at times. Cheerful but practical Daisy has spent her adult life toning herself down, and curmudgeonly Caleb has seemingly always been grumpy (think Ron Swanson being forced to deal with other humans when he'd prefer to be holed up in his cabin in the middle of the woods). I did like the opposites-attract dynamic, as well as their banter. And without giving away specific details of Daisy and Caleb's relationship, I think it's fair to say that their dynamic relies heavily on the miscommunication/misunderstanding trope. It's not a trope I typically enjoy, which is maybe why I felt some disconnect with their evolving relationship during the press junket. I also think some of the disconnect was due to the story being told from only Daisy's perspective. While it helped to convey her general cluelessness into Caleb's thought processes, it also left the reader a little high-and-dry to them as well. (And Caleb is most definitely a walled-off mountain of a man.) And although there is some eventual clarity into Caleb's feelings (as there must be in a romance novel), they come later in the story. The author really made them work for their HEA, holy cow. It was a little frustrating to read at times as clearly they're both tormented by their own repressed emotions and their misconceptions (as well as their dysfunctional emotional history which is repeating itself in the present day). I did like this book overall, but their relationship asks for a *lot* of patience from the reader. I just wish they'd had their emotional epiphanies a little sooner. I will say that Stein's characters are always chock full of insecurities, in the best way possible. They all just want someone to make them feel seen, even if they don't know that's what they want, and they always find it in their romantic partner. It's very relatable and makes her characters incredibly endearing, and it's one of the reasons I keep coming back to her books. That, and her keen sense of the absurd, I truly love it and it makes reading her books so much fun! I think readers who are in mood for an opposites-attract, slow-burn, GRUMPY-sunshine (yes it's capitalized on purpose, Caleb was practically shouting his grumpiness for the bulk of the book), fake-dating, open-door romance will enjoy this book. Publishes April 11th, 2026. This review is based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.

[Lyndzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review, thank you NetGalley and Charlotte Stein for the opportunity to read this!

I love a good enemies to lovers story, but oftentimes the enemy part doesn't come easily and it feels forced -- this book, though? Absolutely not. Caleb is a true-blue Grump throughout this novel (and I love him for that). The animosity between Daisy and Caleb felt very real, the tension was thick, and their hatred was palpable. Their bickering was hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud as many times as I found myself grimacing by their jabs.
This novel is a definitely a slow burn, but once you get to the fire -OH WOW- is it hot! 🥵 Sometimes slow burns can feel a little tedious, but the chemistry between these two was electrifying from the get go. When it finally got to the spice, the build up to that level of hotness was like a dam bursting. I'm giving this book personal, mental bonus star (on top of the 5) for those sex scenes. ⭐
The main characters are both delightfully weird and eternally flawed, in ways that contrast and compliment one another so well. I strongly relate to Daisy and her struggle to understand a complicated --and silent-- man (they're the worst, why do we love them? 😅) I don't want to spoil what makes me love Caleb so much, but let's just say it's what turns him on. His "kinks" are one of the best things about him, IYKYK. 🥴
The narrative switches back and forth from the past to the present, which can be a bit confusing at times, referencing things in the past that we, the reader, have not discovered yet, but all gets explained eventually, and it has a very satisfying conclusion. I had never read this author before, and now I'm going to go read everything else she has written.

[Sky DeBoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a minute to get into but once we hit 50% of the way in I was LOCKED IN. WOW. The number of times daisy said something and didn’t think it through is sooooo me. Girls when they don’t understand the concept of thinking before you speak. Guys who barely speak and then say positively filthy things. YUP!!! So much yearning but also much more serious emotions from both of them that just hit home

Thank you to Charlotte Stein, St. Martin’s Press, and Net Galley for the arc!!! Baby’s first!!

[Katlyn Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review: While You Were Seething by Charlotte Stein ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Charlotte Stein delivers yet another laugh-out-loud, steamy, and heartfelt enemies-to-lovers romance. Daisy and Caleb’s road trip gone wrong has everything you didn’t know you needed! Fake dating, public scandal, sharp banter, and emotional tension that builds beautifully.

The fake dating + road trip combo? Perfection. It’s got the “we can’t stand each other” energy, the emotional gut punches, and just enough spice to make you blush while grinning like an idiot.

If you love slow-burn tension, forced proximity, and messy but magnetic characters, While You Were Seething is a must-read!!!

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

While You Were Seething took a little while to get going for me the opening felt slow, and the early pacing had me wondering if this one just wasn’t going to land. But once it finds its rhythm, Charlotte Stein’s trademark wit, intimacy, and emotional sharpness kick in and absolutely pull you back in.

As a sucker for rivals to lovers and a good fake-dating setup, I held on, and I’m glad I did. The chemistry between the leads builds with that uniquely Stein blend: messy, charged, and unexpectedly vulnerable. When the banter finally starts firing, it really fires.

The time jumps, while we’re warned about them, still felt a bit abrupt and sometimes cut into the flow. Even so, they add a kind of quirky, off kilter momentum that matches the chaos of the characters themselves.

What really elevates the book are the small things Stein always nails:
✨ Dialogues that feel raw and real
✨ A heroine who is both prickly and soft in the best ways
✨ A hero who’s quietly magnetic beneath the grump
✨ Emotional beats that sneak up on you by the end

It may not be my top Stein, but it’s still clever, spicy in her signature unconventional way, and filled with moments that remind you why she has such a devoted fan base. If you can ride out the slower opening, there’s a surprising amount of heart, and heat, waiting on the other side.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Macy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was POETRY. If you enjoy some of the old classics where the characters are living so internally you wonder how they don’t accidentally just walk straight off a cliff, then you’ll love this.

Daisy and Caleb hated each other in college, fast forward a decade and now they’re thrown into fake-dating hijinks. YEARNING ENSUES. 😭

Daisy is easily one of my favorite FMCs I’ve read this year. She’s smart, hilarious, and completely, vulnerably, *almost* unapologetically herself.

When I tell you Caleb is more emotionally tortured than these FANTASY DUDES, who literally never get a break. 💀 He’s everything. In his ratty henley and his bigass boots, I could literally fix him. He’s been writing romance novels for years, but doesn’t believe he deserves anything gentle or genuine for himself. Enter Daisy 🥹🌼

Honestly, my favorite part about this book - beyond the epic love story - was the way it unfolds in Daisy’s mind. She’s so painfully observant it makes you wonder if you’ve ever truly, deliberately looked at another person before. The way love is described is poetry, the way their shortcomings are described is poetry, the dedications at the beginning of Caleb’s books??? POETRY.

Personally, I adored this book and there are some sentences I know I’ll come back to again and again. ❤️

Excuse me while I go read every other book Charlotte Stein has ever written.

[monica • · Rating 3 out of 5]

the writing style needs to be changed I think. I love charlotte and the heart of her books. they always have so much emotion but I just think the writing style prevents a good plot and reduces the depth of the story.

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I didn’t feel any sort of way towards it. I didn’t connect with the characters or their story. Additionally, the flashback chapters didn’t really add anything to the story, in my opinion.

[Anastasia ｼ]

This sounds fun!
Thank you for the ARC, St. Martin's Press!

[Amanda Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Loved this enemies to lovers contemporary romance. The characters and writing were in top form. Very witty and sharp! And the fake dating trope is one of my favorites. This book worked for me on all fronts.. Highly recommend it! *Thanks to Charlotte Stein and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like the author was trying so hard to have witty banter but it just came out kind of stilted and strange in a lot of places? The mmc almost reads like Sheldon from the Big Bang theory if he also had ocd, I don’t know how I’m supposed to find him sexy? He also definitely thinks of himself as some sort of unworthy bad guy and the self hating angsty type isn’t for me, oh she’s sunshine and I’m just black and white I could never deserve her, it’s just a little cringe to me? He felt so 2 dimensional. And Daisy felt like she was supposed to be a rip off of a Gilmore girl but missed the mark. It wasn’t bad, just a lot of the first half wasn’t for me. There’s also pages and pages of description for each little action that got so annoying, this was just a problem with the writing style I guess but why are we describing this man taking off his boots for 2.5 whole pages as if it’s the sexiest thing on gods earth, HES REMOVING BOOTS. I started skimming because you’re genuinely getting paragraphs over analyzing every touch I think it’s supposed to build angst but it was just mind numbing nobody analyzes a shoulder touch that much bud. It just ended up being incredibly cringey not sexy to me.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review!
The main characters have a lot of really good back-and-forth banter, along with some in-depth read in between the lines type of conversations. I love a grumpy x sunshine trope. The female main character was a chaotic girl who just loves life in. The main male character seems to have a lot of unresolved trauma that I wish was looked into a little bit further. He gives off very subtle touch her and die vibes which I love!

-forced proximity
-one bed (tent)
-grumpy x sunshine
-fake dating

[Madalyn Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Charlotte Stein for an advanced reader copy of While You Were Seething in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the last 75% of While You Were Seething so much so that I REALLY wanted to give it 5 stars, but the first 25% of the book was a little difficult to get into for some reason— hence, the 4 stars.

The beginning of the book just felt a little slow, and I honestly found myself confused at times. There are a lot of vague references all throughout the book to past experiences and past feelings, but the vagueness of these memories lends to some confusing moments. I know the nods to the past (with no details) was done with the intent of keeping us in suspense until the moments in question are finally revealed to us, but to me it felt less mysterious and simply more confusing.

I also found myself confused by the writing style at times. This is going to be hard to describe, but sometimes the sentences didn’t make a lot of sense— almost like the characters were referencing previous conversations that we had never seen, and so without context some verbal exchanges were really confusing to me. It happened at least half a dozen times, where I’d find myself rereading dialogue multiple times to try to understand what the characters were really saying.
The book isn’t released for another 5 months, though, so this could be a glitch that gets ironed out before publication!

Aside from those small hurdles, though (which could easily be resolved before official publication), I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Like, really loved it.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers because it was really fun to watch this story evolve, but I really enjoyed the main relationship and the main characters. The main male character, Caleb Miller, is really grumpy, really awkward, and definitely a little neurotic at times, but he’s also really likable (in his own prickly, socially awkward way). The main female character is Daisy Emmett, and I found her to be super delightful and fun to get to know. There are deep aspects of this story where we experience the characters being afraid of being “too much” and making themselves smaller to make other people happy, and I truly loved watching Daisy overcome this deep insecurity.
This is something I have also struggled with my whole life (the “laughing too loud” part really hit home), and it made me feel a lot of big emotions to see her get stronger and to see her fall in love with herself.
There are a lot of deep emotions throughout this book, and towards the end, when they’re both pushed out of their comfort zones and being forced to grow, I felt the emotions and the struggles in a really visceral way. As odd as it sounds, I love when books can make me feel strong, negative emotions and push me out of my own comfort zone— and While You Were Seething did this for me, especially the more we get to know Miller. There’s of course positive resolution, but I really loved the difficult journey to get there.
They both grow a lot as individuals throughout the book, but I also love the way their relationship evolves. This is a very tension-filled enemies-to-lovers story, with several other fun tropes sprinkled throughout.

Also, their intimate scenes are PERFECT. This is the first book I’ve read by Charlotte Stein, and the spice in this book was exceptional. The spice, the details, the lust, the originality— it was all *chef’s kiss*.
Literally the spicy scenes alone make me want to go read another Charlotte Stein book immediately!

To wrap up, I devoured this book in two days (the last 80% of it in one day), and I will absolutely be recommending it to my fellow romance girlies!

[The Romantic Rush Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

While You Were Seething is one of those books that doesn’t fully hook you right away, but still keeps you curious enough to turn the pages with curiosiosity. It’s packed with tropes I usually love like fake dating, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and grumpy sunshine, so I hung with it... yet the execution felt a little uneven at times. The spice though? spicing.

Daisy is a people pleaser through and through, someone who has turned her need to help into a career by running her own PR business. When she’s hired to manage a press tour for a famous and notoriously grumpy author, she can’t afford to say no, even though that author is Caleb Miller, a former college rival she never quite understood. What starts as a professional arrangement quickly spirals when fans assume Daisy is the mystery woman Caleb dedicates his books to, forcing them into a fake relationship to protect his reputation.

That setup is genuinely fun, and when the chemistry hits, it really hits. The banter is HEAVY...but it can be sharp and entertaining at it's best, and the intimate scenes are intense, surprising, and incredibly well written...and delicious. Charlotte Stein absolutely knows how to write spice, especially when it sneaks up on characters who are emotionally guarded or uncomfortable with vulnerability. Caleb may be prickly and socially awkward, but once he finally lets his walls down, the payoff is worth the wait. He just took a long time for me to want to fully invest in. But we GET there...

That said, the road to get there can be frustrating. The tension jumps from sarcastic sniping to full heat so fast it sometimes feels like emotional steps were skipped. The story is told only from Daisy’s perspective, which makes Caleb feel distant (and unlikable) for a long stretch, and his grumpiness occasionally crosses into cruelty before his motivations become clear. There are also moments where the writing feels vague or confusing, with references to past events that are teased without enough grounding or context, making some scenes harder to follow than they should be. At times I felt like I was missing stuff, when it just wasnt on page. (the story kind of drops you into it too)

Daisy’s insecurity is relatable at first, especially her fear of being too much, but it eventually becomes repetitive. Her body is described as curvy, which could have added meaningful depth, but it never fully connects to her confidence or growth in a satisfying way. Still, watching her slowly stop shrinking herself and begin to believe she deserves love is one of the story’s strongest emotional threads. And again, there were some good parts between them.

Once the book hits its midpoint, everything tightened up and the last part of the book was the strongest. The emotional stakes deepen, the yearning becomes deliciously unbearable, and the characters are forced to confront their baggage head on. The growth, both individually and as a couple, is messy but honest, and the final stretch delivers the emotional weight the story promises but took a bit too long to get to.

Overall, While You Were Seething is a mixed but memorable read. The concept is strong, the chemistry is undeniable, and the spice is worth the read. While the pacing and clarity stumble early on, the heart of the story shines through in the second half. So all in all, this one is worth the ride, even if it asks for a little patience along the way.

[Randee Newberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

✨”Enemies” to lovers ✨Grumpy/Sunshine ✨Forced Proximity ✨Fake Dating ✨Nicknames ✨”It was always you “ ✨Interconnected Standalone

👉🏻Let me start by saying that the parts I loved were SO good. It started slow though, which is a hard thing for my adhd brain. And there were just random things that weren’t doing it for me. I liked it a lot, buuuuut it just wasn’t quite “it”.

“All those dedications at the start of his books were just bunk, as far as she was concerned. Lemony Snicket-style nonsense.”

“Nudging things had always been his favorite past time.”

“He had volunteered to take her heart in his fist and crush it. And true, he hadn’t entirely known that he could.”

”If he had loved someone from afar somehow, there was no way that person even knew.”

”He was staring at her. And she was staring back at him. And it was going in for a very, very long time.”

”He hadn’t hated her laugh, he had hated being laughed at. And his reaction wasn’t intended to hurt. It was intended to cover up his own.”

”He would never be good for anyone, let alone someone like her.”

”She did something from the heart, something sincere and joyful. And he had scoffed and rolled his eyes and tried to stop it somehow.”

”I can pretend I like you. I can pretend you never bother me. I can pretend it pains me to suddenly learn I’ve hurt you, that things I do can actually hurt you, and want to make it up to you, even if I’m no good at it.”

”He guarded his every touch like a dragon, over a hoard of impossibly rare gold. And now one small piece of it was hers.”

”She had always known he was handsome, of course. But it had never really mattered to her. She had never let it matter.”

”Even though you feel nothing for me, and you think I feel nothing for you, there’s nothing wrong with finding something hot if it’s the kind of thing you’re into.”

”In real life, people had choices other than her. And they chose the others.”

”Nothing wrong with being into a little care and consideration.”

”I’m starting to suspect that I may really like my mortal enemy, Caleb Miller, in a way he definitely doesn’t like me.”

”There is nothing about you that would justify judgement at all. Nothing that shouldn’t be accepted by anybody even halfway decent. There is nothing wrong with you. Do you understand me?”

”I thought you just hated me, I thought you hated love, and you were just looking for a way into it the whole time.”

”I could see you, I can see how you are exactly. But I couldn’t see myself through your eyes.”

”They were all you. It was always you, every line, every word.”

”Never let anyone think it’s silly to be passionate, to be soft, to say you adore something with everything in you.”

”I want to know myself, I want to know you. And honestly, just be there for you. If you reach out for a lifeline, I don’t want you to come up empty.”

[°˖✧˚lindsay˚✧˖° · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning is slow, like other reviewers have said, but there’s such intimacy in their reluctant knowledge of each other, that I found I didn’t mind as much.
And her irreverent exasperation is entertaining, at least.

Their initial banter was often reminiscent of a theater production that I inadvertently stumbled upon – I’m sure it makes sense to the audience who bought the tickets, but a good amount of the humor was often lost on me in their unrealistic responses during their extended dialogues.

I almost feel like the latter ‘Then’ portions of the chapters should actually be at the beginning.
They give us a greater image of these characters that would make their reuniting more interesting and enlightening in a satisfying chronological way until we’re fully introduced to their present selves.

But I could see the ensuing story becoming a movie on Netflix or something.
Henry Cavill as the lead, because he fits the description, and I also just want to look at him.

Their antagonistic chemistry had me laughing, as well as their insistent mutual refusal of its existence.

I felt and ignored the stupid smile on my face the closer they became.

And wow! are they hot together.
The encouragement to be themselves with each other transcends everyday situations.
The granted freedom, where they’d separately been repressed before, was so refreshing.

I didn’t love the third act, where he seemed to blame her for not seeing something that even he is just now recognizing, but it’s not like he’d been a gem until then anyway.

I read her speech multiple times.
Not a clue what she meant beyond a string of sporadic platitudes.
Tried reading it in a British accent, to no avail.
Even her audience seemed as confused as I was, so that was a relief.

The ending was so rom com that I can’t wait to see Henry attempting it after my mental dress rehearsal went so well.

I’ve read many similar premises, but never anything like this. I’m glad to have remedied that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this book.

[FabledFernReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this book!

While You Were Seething follows two former college rivals who are brought together again years later, when their work reunites them (albeit very reluctantly from both sides!). What starts as sharp banter and unresolved tension slowly morphs into a reluctant ally-ship, and then- gasp- something much deeper.

Daisy was such a sweet FMC, who was so relatable and easy to like. She's a people pleaser through and through, and spends a lot of mental energy trying to make herself as palatable as possible. But she has a big and charming personality, and we can see her struggle with her self image and feeling like she can be too much. Miller, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care what people think in the slightest. If he could lock himself away in his house without human contact for the rest of his life he'd be just fine- or at least that's how it seems to Daisy. Now admittedly, it was harder for me to like Miller. But then, that's the whole point isn't it? He's supposed to be this crotchety, repressed, brooding man who struggles with people. His resistance to his feelings for Daisy made sense, but at some point it felt like maybe he was struggling against it too much. He was in his own way for a while, which happens to the best of us, but when it started affecting Daisy, that's when I was starting to feel really exasperated. Still, his tortured energy is the whole point, and when the tension snaps, boyyy does it snap.

Listen. When I tell you... the scene in the tent? Oh. My. God. If you know, you know. It wreaked havoc on my blood pressure.

The chemistry between them was sharp and addictive. I really did enjoy watching their dynamic unfold (even if at times I was screaming at them to get on with it already).

Overall, this was a fun, steamy, emotional read and I recommend it if you enjoy slow-burns, forced proximity, fake dating, or enemies to lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC and the opportunity to read this story!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

No lie, Charlotte Stein gives good grumpy heroes. Men who are growly and scowly on the surface, but who hide a decidedly softer side once a someone works their way past their scowls. Caleb Miller fits that bill to a T. The guy could give a master class in grumping. And yet under it all, he's gentle and considerate and he'd burn down the world to protect someone who needed him.

Which brings us to Daisy. She and Caleb have a bit of a past. Not a romantic one, either. More like, there was a vague potential for romance that fell apart before it ever got off the ground. But they both remember the other. Unfortunately, Daisy doesn't remember Caleb quite as fondly as he remembers her. However, when Beck (sweetly awkward Beck!) asks her to rehab Caleb's image after a BIG PR snafu, she agrees. After all, this is what she does. Fixing Caleb will (probably) be no different any one of the other PR disasters she's smoothed over in the past.

HA. Yeah. That's not accurate. It doesn't take long before Daisy is mistaken for Caleb's lost love and they're sharing cars and rooms and YEAH NOT THE SAME AT ALL.

On the plus side, Caleb isn't nearly the jerk Daisy thought he was. He's really just a guy navigating life the only way he knows how. He's a little awkward and a lot frustrated by all the lacks he sees in himself. And once these two start really talking? Things get laid out. In a good way.

A road trip that opens everyone's eyes (but which I mean Caleb and Daisy's), a kiss that rocks Caleb's world, several encounters that leave lasting impressions (in a good way), a man who is doing his best to be a different (better) person, and a lady who knows a good man when she meets him. Sure, she needs to get over her perception of him first, but THINGS HAPPEN in the best way!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Nicole Duron · Rating 3 out of 5]

In While You Were Seething, we met Caleb Miller and Daisy Emmett. Two college rivals who find themselves reconnecting due to Miller isolating his romance fan base and Emmett coming in to do damage control.

This was my first time reading anything by Charlotte Stein and I can't say I loved the writing style. I found myself rereading whole sections to make sure I understood things. It took me clear past the 30% mark to actually get into the story. There is a heavy reliance on assumptions and misunderstanding throughout the book to create tension, but for me, it just created a bunch of frustration. All I wanted was for them to have an actual conversation and to see growth and accountability from both of them, rather than these stilted realizations every chapter. I was a little disappointed in the reason for his self loathing. It felt a bit extreme and self sacrificing.

I thought the spicy scenes were done really well. They were sexy and fun even if it felt wildly out of character for Miller to say half of any of the things he did.

Overall, this book had a lot of tropes I enjoy. You can give me an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating scenario any day of the week and I'm there for it. Even though I definitely had to push myself to make it past the 30% mark, I found myself interested in seeing where and how they'd find their way to one another.

I think if you are already familiar with Charlotte's writing style, I think this is an easy yes. For everyone else, if it sounds like something you could get into, I'd say to give it a try.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dominique Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC gifted in exchange for review*

Charlotte writes some of my favorite men hands down. That being said though, I really wasn’t into Caleb until about 50ish% into the book. This story felt a bit like you were dropped in the middle when it started and it was a little hard to get into at first honestly. However, once I did get into it…I was really into it. One of my favorite things about Caleb is that he is so gruff and awkward so you don’t really expect much of anything from him in the spice department and then he surprises the hell out of you and Daisy, and gives you some of the hottest scenes that left me both blushing and fanning myself. The two characters are two sides of the same coin and at times, I genuinely wanted to knock their heads together. One of the things I love the most about Charlotte’s writing is how she broaches the subject of people who have been at some point shamed for their very natural sexual desires and how grace is given to that individual while their partner helps them to own that part of themselves. The deeper message of this story really hit home for me, and it’s that we all deserve love as we are. You don’t need to shrink yourself or be less you, or take up less space to deserve love and we should hold out for the love that embraces every part of you, the terrible singing, the messy eating, high pitched cackle of it all. My favorite quote is from one of the last chapters, when Daisy says “And never forget, no matter what, that you do deserve to be loved. Even if you make mistakes. Even if you are too much or not enough. Don’t lose things because you cannot imagine better for yourself. Reality is harsh enough without you believing that.“

[Lily Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I hit the halfway mark? I was locked in. Charlotte Stein absolutely nailed the enemies-to-lovers tension here — the chemistry, the longing, the banter, and yes… the spice are all perfection. Daisy and Caleb are forced together on a chaotic road trip that turns into fake dating, public scandal, and a deep emotional reckoning. Ten years ago, they couldn’t stand each other. Now, he’s a best-selling romance author who doesn’t believe in love, and she’s the PR specialist hired to fix his image. Cue the tension.

Daisy is impulsive and hilarious — the number of times she says something without thinking first? Relatable. Caleb barely speaks, but when he does… whew. Let’s just say, it lands. Their dynamic is pure gold — sharp banter, slow-burning yearning, and so much emotional depth underneath the teasing. The story’s heavier and moodier than I expected, but that’s what made it so satisfying. It’s not just fake dating — it’s two people confronting who they were and who they’ve become. The past/present timeline took a second to adjust to, but once it clicked, I couldn’t stop reading.
Funny, steamy, and surprisingly heartfelt — While You Were Seething is the perfect slow-burn road trip romance with fake dating, emotional gut punches, and enough heat to make you blush.

Read if you like:
- Slow burn
- Enemies to lovers
- Only one bed
- Dual timeline

[Truusje · Rating 3 out of 5]

While You Were Seething is the third of Charlotte Stein’s series of fake dating romcoms. It’s set in the same world as the previous books but this time the two MCs knew each other years ago and hated each other. Or did they? My criticism of the first two books was that it was so obvious the MMC was crazy about the FMC and it made it a little hard to believe she thought he didn’t. This book also has an MMC head over heels with the FMC but it was easier to accept that she just didn’t see it. The way she saw herself, and the way she thought other people saw her, were clearly the result of being told over and over again that she was too much.

For me this book didn’t work as well as the previous book in this series. I don’t think the funny bits really landed with me, but that may be because the book as a whole felt a little clunky to me. There were these jumps in place and time that puzzled me at times. There were also flashbacks to when they first knew each other, but often I didn’t realise we had gone back in time until I was truly confused. To be fair, those chapters are labelled ‘then’ but to me that looked the same as the chapter numbers. I also thought there were some inconsistencies. What’s more, I feel we needed some more backstory, especially for Caleb; I don’t think I ever got to know him.

Of course the sexy bits were very sexy and I enjoyed the last part of the book, but overall, I’m a bit disappointed: 3 stars.

*** I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

[☆Laura☆]

Daisy Emmett jamás pensó que tendría que volver a ver a Caleb Miller, el escritor de romance más gruñón, arrogante y… su eterno enemigo desde la universidad. Ahora, por culpa de un contrato y un error de cálculo, Daisy es la encargada de salvar su reputación tras un escándalo que ha puesto en peligro su carrera.

Lo que empieza como un viaje de promoción lleno de discusiones, sarcasmo y recuerdos incómodos, pronto se convierte en un duelo de voluntades. Daisy se propone mostrarle al mundo una faceta amable de Miller, mientras él parece empeñado en demostrar lo contrario. Pero entre peleas, secretos a medias y la inevitable cercanía, ambos descubrirán que el odio nunca estuvo tan cerca del deseo.


___



El libro tiene muchísimo potencial, sin embargo, l se desaprovechó. La historia gira en torno a Miller, pero apenas se nos da información real sobre él. Detalles como lo de su padre y su hermana se mencionan de forma apresurada y superficial, sin el desarrollo necesario. Al final, no se siente que haya un verdadero crecimiento en él, lo cual resulta decepcionante para el tipo de historia que se plantea.

Otro punto flojo es que todo está narrado desde la perspectiva de Daisy, lo que limita la profundidad de un personaje tan central como Miller. Era la oportunidad perfecta para que él mostrara su evolución, pero se queda en la sombra.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Brittany Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured While You Were Seething — and I’m still grinning about it. Charlotte Stein has this magical ability to make a story feel equal parts swoony, steamy, and sharp, and this book delivered all three in spades. But let me be clear: the real reason I fell head over heels for it is because it features one of my absolute favorite tropes — a man who yearns. And oh, does he yearn.

This isn’t just a guy who likes the heroine. This is a man who practically aches for her, who has probably memorized the way she tucks her hair behind her ear and would absolutely help her bury a body without asking questions. (And honestly? We love that for him.) Watching that slow, delicious unraveling — the tension, the longing, the oh no, I might actually be in love with you moments — had me kicking my feet and squealing like I was the main character.

Stein’s writing is as witty and addictive as ever. One minute I was laughing out loud (and alarming the people around me), the next I was clutching the book to my chest like a Victorian maiden with a scandalous secret. It’s emotional without being heavy, sexy without being shallow, and just the perfect kind of romantic chaos I want in my life.

If you’re like me and have a soft spot for emotionally wrecked men pining away for the one woman they can’t stop thinking about, While You Were Seething will absolutely ruin you — in the best possible way. 10/10, would let this man yearn forever.