While You Were Seething: A Sizzling Enemies-to-Lovers Bookish Romance

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 maneuver 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 phony 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, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 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.

[Mai ༊*·˚]

alright, contemporary romance enemies to lovers, please don't disappoint me 🫂


______________

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stoic, romance author mmc who dedicates all his books to a secret lost love?!

Plus he’s her enemy from college.

Plus they’re stuck on a road trip.

PLUS now they have to fake date.

Talk about a recipe for success.

I binged this in a single sitting. These two imperfectly perfect idiots will have you screaming “OMG JUST ADMIT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER ALREADY” (complementary)! I loved all the angst and wanting. You know how this ends, and yet you can’t help but lap up every crumb the author offers.

Gosh I love these two idiots.

There is something extra special about a single pov romance with a stoic mmc… You know he’s secretly obsessed, but you don’t know know, and that unknown makes it so delicious!

Whats to love…
- accidental fingering from your mortal enemy
- enemies to lovers
- road trip with your enemy
- only one tent, bed, elevator
- slow burn
- delicious “take what you need” spice
- She’s too much, he’s too much - together they aer just enough
- Beck cameos! 10/10

My only critique…
- I do wish we got just a bit more backstory on each characters personal trauma, the emotional depth was good but it could have been great.

Audiobook: 4/5 | Narrator: Imogen Wilde | Length: 8hrs 33mins |
I thoroughly enjoy this narrator. She’s easy to listen to and delivers impeccable timing/delivery that only enhances the laughs, the angst, and the drama. Her pacing is consistent, though I do think the pausing at each sentence is ever so slightly long — it’s not something that would keep me from listening or recommending. Her American accent for the MMC is enjoyable, although it definitely feels a little humorous vs an accurate depiction. I find it cute, but I could see others not loving this. Overall I loved the audiobook and will listen to more narrated by her in the future.

4.5⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you St Martins Press & Macmillan Audio for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[BookishKB · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨🧡While You Were Seething🧡✨

This was such a cute former friends, now enemies to lovers romance. It leans very character focused and includes dual timelines. If that structure is not your thing, I would probably skip this one. I am not usually a fan of dual timelines either, but I didn’t mind it here.

I really loved how much time was spent on the relationship building. There was a lot of miscommunication from their university days that they had to work through, and it required alot of honesty. I am glad they got there, though Caleb did drive me nuts quite a bit. Lastly, I loved their arguments on fast zombies vs slow zombies 😂

Also, I know this is a smaller detail, but I loved that they were older students in college and also older as main characters in the present timeline. We need more of that in romance.

🚗What to Expect
• Enemies to lovers
• Fake dating
• Forced proximity
• Road trip romance
• PR scandal
• Older MCs
_ _ _

🎧 Narration Style: Solo (Imogen Wilde)
📅 Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

While You Were Seething by Charlotte Stein
Contemporary romance. Fake dating and forced proximity troupes. Multi-timeline.
Daisy Emmett and Caleb Miller have been enemies since college. Years later, being forced to travel together as she fixes his PR issues, the two bicker and banter their way from bookstore to bookstore. She sets up a fake relationship date in hopes it will calm the fans and image problems, but she gets caught in the camera lens mid fight instead. Their passionate argument appears to be a passion induced embrace. Who are they to argue? She can see in the photo they were seconds away from a kiss. Maybe? Were all those years or loathing masking longing instead?

🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Imogen Wilde. The performance is vivid in bringing Daisy to life. The POV is from Daisy, so while there is a separate voice for Caleb, it’s only in response and action with Daisy. The reader can easily hear her frustration, her impatience, and all the other emotions throughout the story.

The story is engaging and captivating as the couple banter throughout the tour and their changing relationship.
Delightful sarcasm, snark, and banter with a bite of steamy spice to go with it.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

[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.

[⊹₊⟡⋆Mandy Darling⊹₊⟡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started While You Were Seething, I was genuinely giddy. Like, kicking-my-feet, grinning-like-a-moron, squealing-over-the-banter levels of giddy. The chemistry and back-and-forth between Daisy and Caleb had me hooked immediately. I was absolutely inhaling this book. I finished it in about two days, and there were multiple moments where I was supposed to be working but instead was mentally counting down until I could sneak in another chapter.

Yes, I figured out the general direction of the plot pretty early on, but honestly? I didn’t care. Watching it all unfold was still an absolute blast. The slow burn enemies-to-lovers combined with the fast-paced, razor-sharp banter was IMMACULATE. Charlotte Stein really knows how to make dialogue sparkle.

That said, there were two things that kept this from being a full 5-star read for me.

First, the initial spicy scene between Daisy and Caleb felt like it went from 0 to 100 out of nowhere. Caleb shifts from controlled, grumpy, tightly wound man to full-on dirty talker in a way that didn’t quite match the emotional pacing or either character’s personality at that point. Don’t get me wrong, it was hot, but it felt like something that should have happened later, after a few more emotional walls had come down.

Second, the big emotional realizations toward the end felt rushed. Daisy’s emotional baggage gets a lot of attention, but Caleb’s is mostly skimmed over. I really wanted more depth there. More unpacking, more insight into his internal world, and a better understanding of how he processed everything that happened. It felt like there was so much potential to explore his story further, and I wish the book had slowed down just a bit to do that.

Even with those issues, I still really loved this book and would absolutely recommend it. It’s a fun, quick read with delicious banter, satisfying slow burn tension, and plenty of steam.

[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.

[suonnahbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Macmillan audio
Release date: April 14th 2026
While you were seething by Charlotte Stein
-love the “hate” you can see the love and feeling underneath his cold demenor , you can feel the undeniable connection
-love the romance book talk + bonding over books
-the back and forth has me cackling
-one bed 🤪
-omg my Sheila I love Caleb he’s so grumpy and awkward but I love him 🥹
-they act like they don’t like each other but know so much small details about each other which actually shows how much they care for each other 🥰
-ate up the road trip gone wrong / forced proximity
-him guiding her iykyk 👀
-this was such a fun read their connection was everything 🤪
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[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.

[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.

[er · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this as an arc!

2 ⭐️

Unfortunately, While you were seething ended up not being for me. I picked it up because I love the academic rivals to lovers trope and I’ve recently discovered I enjoy romances that involve road trips, the summary caught my attention and I sent my request.

First of all, I think the author’s writing style isn’t for me. At times I had trouble following it and understanding what was really going on, there’s passages where the MMC’s books are mentioned and I found it hard to realise whether the FMC was quoting those or the scene was progressing.

Then, the main characters. I could feel the tension between them, but to me it never felt like passion. It always felt like they were uncomfortable, and I understand there was a lot of miscommunication between them and a ton of misunderstandings but even during the explicit scenes there was no passion at all, I had no reason to believe they would be a great couple. I kept asking myself “why are we having an explicit scene when these two seem to have zero attraction for each other?”.

Also, they are supposed to be over 40 (mmc) and over 30 (fmc) but they felt like two teenagers. I wanted to yell GO TO THERAPY!!! to them most of the time.

One positive thing about this is that it flowed nicely, I read this pretty fast even though I was having all the problems I mentioned above.

[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 some of it because of my personal take on things, I think. 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 liked 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.) There is eventual clarity into Caleb's feelings (as there must be in a romance novel), and 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 so be prepared! I just wish they'd had their emotional epiphanies a little sooner. Stein's characters are always chock full of insecurities, in the very 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 14th, 2026. This review is based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.

[Lexa K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Charlotte Stein please don't make this your last rom-com! I loved My big fat fake marriage, and While you were seething had everything I could ask for.

Enemies to lovers AND fake dating in one book? YASSS!!!

The tropes come thick and fast in this one, and the chemistry between Daisy and Caleb was spot on right from the start.

Was it predictable? Absolutely. Was it un-putdownable anyway? 💯

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book via Netgalley.

[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.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

This one had so much potential… and somehow still managed to fall flat for me. The setup is honestly great—enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, fake dating on a chaotic book tour? I was in. Add in the whole “she’s pretending to be the fictional love of his life” angle, and it should have been tension-filled and delicious. But instead, it all felt very surface-level.

I kept waiting for the emotional depth to hit—for the banter to really bite, for the chemistry to build, for the characters to actually evolve—and it just never quite got there. There were moments where I felt myself wanting to skip ahead because nothing felt like it was progressing in a meaningful way.

And the MMC… I really struggled with him. We’re supposed to believe that the way he treated Daisy in college was because he liked her, but I’m sorry—absolutely not. That behavior goes way past “awkward crush” territory and straight into “unacceptable.” And the bigger issue? He never truly grows out of it. There’s no satisfying character development to make me root for him.

Also—and this really bothered me—it felt kind of gross that they hook up and he’s still acting like a complete tool. There’s no emotional shift, no vulnerability, no real change in how he treats her. If anything, it just made the relationship harder to believe in.

Then the ending… Him ghosting her at the last stop of the tour and then suddenly showing up at her flat after how long? It felt like a rushed, last-minute attempt at redemption that just didn’t land. Honestly, it was a too little, too late situation for me. I couldn’t buy into the forgiveness at all. At a certain point I just wanted to shake Daisy like—girl. The red flags are waving. Please step back.

Overall, I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it either. It just felt like a story that never fully delivered on its promise.

Final thoughts: Great concept, underwhelming execution, and a romance I couldn’t quite believe in. Was going to rate 2 stars, but gave the extra .5 for the idea alone.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

[Raven (_birdiesbookclub_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC copy. This one is out now!

I'd say this was cute and charming, but it never really fully grabbed my attention. There’s some good tension and the characters are awkward, so it made it feel more realistic but I just couldn't focus on engaging with them. I liked the premise and there were moments where the banter and slow burn vibe worked, but then it fizzled out and I felt meh. I found myself wanting either a bit more emotional depth or a tighter storyline to really pull it all together.

Big props to the audiobook though. The narration added a lot of personality and made the characters feel more alive, which honestly helped me stay engaged (as much as possible) when the story lagged a bit.

Overall I'd say this was enjoyable in parts, but not one I’m rushing to revisit.

[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.

[Lindsey Domokur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers with a broody hero that you just know is in love with the heroine.. check. That is what I want to read.
Caleb and Daisy have a long history and now Daisy has to travel with Caleb on a book tour, to basically babysit him. She loathes him and seemingly can't stand being around her. As the time goes on and they are thrown together for the tour, Daisy is realizing things aren't what they seem.
I do love a grumpy hero and I liked that he was very into her even if she didn't realize it till much later. The issue I had with the book is that it was really hard to read for me. I understand that the author isn't from the US, and I had trouble with another book that I had read by her, but I thought I could overcome it. Unfortunately, I couldn't. It was really hard to understand and things just didn't flow in a way that made me engrossed at any point in time. I thought the bones of this story were well done, but the execution of their relationship progressing was awkward at the best of times.
If you are familiar with this author and the writing style, I feel that you will enjoy it much more than I did.

[Samantha✨ [reads everythinggggg] · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5⭐️ I received While You Were Seething by Charlotte Stein through a Goodreads giveaway, and I want to thank the author and publisher for the chance the read a genre I don’t typically reach for, romance!

I really enjoyed this book, especially because it hits all the notes I wnjoys when k do read romance: enemies-to-lovers, witty banter, and playful humor. The back-and-forth between the main characters was clever and fun, though at times the banter felt a little overdone, which made the beginning feel slow.

Once I got past the halfway point, the pacing picked up, and it became much harder to put down. The story shifts into more romantic tension and spice, which was enjoyable and added energy to the plot. There’s plenty of heat, but balanced with humor and charm.

The characters are likable and engaging, and while the plot is somewhat predictable, the journey from rivalry to genuine attraction was satisfying.

Overall, While You Were Seething is a fun, cute, and entertaining romance with clever banter, enemies-to-lovers tension, and plenty of spice. Even with a slow start, it was a delightful ride from start to finish.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte Stein’s writing is very unique for most romance novels I’ve read and I enjoy it. I felt like I was actually in Daisy’s head and experiencing what she was experiencing because all of what she thought and experienced is written with so much detail. Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Daisy and Caleb’s love story is a wonderful example of it being done well. These two were very attracted to each other and it was so beautiful when their true feelings started surfacing and you find out there was yearning, pining and love there on both sides all along. Thank you to Charlotte Stein and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this early!

[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.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very very unique in its treatment in the beginning and that probably just made me have a bit of unique expectations, so I was a bit bummed at things progressing in a typical way, its still the good and right way but gosh it's first act was so good that i had a bit too much expectations 😂🩷

[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!!!

[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.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte Stein’s While You Were Seething is the kind of romance that doesn’t politely knock on the door of your emotions, it kicks it in, tracks mud across the carpet, and then dares you to complain.
Published by St. Martin’s Press, thank you to the publisher for the gifted book.

I went into this book expecting witty banter, forced proximity, and maybe a little fake-dating chaos. What I did not expect was to feel personally attacked by how accurately this story captures insecurity, longing, self-sabotage, and the exhausting act of pretending you don’t want what you very obviously want. This is not a neat romance. It’s prickly, messy, and emotionally loud in the quietest possible ways.

Daisy Emmett is a PR fixer who has made a career out of smoothing over other people’s disasters while quietly minimizing herself in the process. Caleb Miller is a wildly successful romance author who publicly implodes his own career by announcing he doesn’t believe in love. Naturally, these two have history, unresolved tension, and a shared talent for misunderstanding each other at Olympic levels. When Daisy is hired to manage Caleb’s book tour, the forced proximity feels less like a trope and more like an endurance test. Put them in a truck together, stretch the road endlessly ahead of them, and let the resentment simmer until it curdles into something far more dangerous.

Charlotte Stein writes interiority like a weapon. Being inside Daisy’s head is funny, frustrating, and painfully intimate. She overthinks everything, narrates her own emotional downfall in real time, and is both hyper-observant and willfully blind when it comes to Caleb. I’ve seen complaints that this is exhausting, and honestly? That’s the point. This is what it feels like to be someone who has been told their feelings are too big and their presence takes up too much space.

Caleb, meanwhile, is grumpy in a way that feels earned, not cute. He is socially awkward, emotionally guarded, and deeply convinced that wanting love is a personal failing. Stein slowly peels him open, not with grand gestures, but with small, devastating moments of vulnerability. The chemistry between these two crackles in silences as much as it does in dialogue, and when the spice arrives, it’s intense, intimate, and deeply character-driven.

One of my favorite things about this book is how it lets desire and resentment exist at the same time. Love doesn’t fix them instantly. Communication doesn’t magically become easy. Growth happens sideways, in fits and starts, and sometimes only after everything has gone wrong. That made the emotional payoff feel real rather than rehearsed.

There’s also quiet but meaningful body representation here. Daisy is plus size or mid-size, and the story doesn’t turn that into a lesson or a spectacle. It simply allows her to be wanted, desired, and loved without apology. That mattered to me more than I expected it to.

My favorite quote, and one that perfectly sums up the heart of this story, is this:
“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.”

This isn’t a romance for readers who want clean arcs and tidy emotions. It’s for readers who like their love stories sharp-edged, emotionally intense, and a little feral. While You Were Seething trusts its readers to sit in discomfort and rewards them with something honest, sexy, and surprisingly tender.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

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[Punkin’ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5🚗

Here we go, something really important to remember when writing these enemies lovers contemporary Romance books; is that the MMC can often come off or read as a very mean asshole instead of a brooding and closed off grump. Caleb reads to me more often as a jerk than someone who is a tough lover. The way that Daisy chases him around the entire book with the attitude “I can fix him and maybe I’m just too much” is wild to me.

Contemporary romance authors, especially my feminist leaning contemporary romance writers, we should not be writing a entire romance novel about a woman trying to undo and fix a man’s problems in order for them to love you. This truly did not land for me because he was straight up mean to her at times and she was giggling and saying “oh well maybe I’m just crazy then he gets it” 🤪 and things adjacent to that.

Example: I mean, we are 85% into this book and daisy goes onto to say that he storms out, she’s essentially playing catch-up with him the entire time they’re walking out of the room, he won’t slow down for her, he won’t look at her, he won’t talk to her, “he gets a coffee for himself, but not her” (direct quote) and then Daisy explains that it’s her fault that he’s upset and she needs to fix it. Her problem was having feelings, the cute kind for Caleb. The fact that we have had multiple sex scenes and he is still treating her that way???? Absolutely not.

Another reviewer on here mentioned the sex scenes being out of left field. I don’t think any of the spicy scenes surprise me; what absolutely threw me for a loop was that our MMC, Caleb, is essentially a completely different character during spice scenes. He’s just a filthy mouthed hot, sexy, caring man in the sheets but an absolute unfeeling asshole to Daisy outside of sex. Since when do we as a romance readers find that romantic? I don’t.

₊˚⊹⋆˙⟡Thank you to Macmillan audio & NetGalley for an advance copy! My opinions on this read and this review are my own!₊˚⊹⋆˙⟡

[Verity W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisy and Caleb were at college together and they've been enemies ever since. These days Daisy is a crisis PR specialist and her latest assignment is to try and dig Caleb out of a PR disaster: he's a romance author who has just told the world he doesn't believe in romance or happy endings. She knows it's not going to be easy to persuade him to do the book tour they've got planned, but she hadn't quite realised how hard it would be. Soon Daisy's on a road trip with him to each stop of the tour which is hard enough, but more than that people at the events are starting to think that Daisy is the mysterious woman that he dedicates all his books too - the love of his life. Soon they're going along with the idea and now they're also trapped in a fake relationship. Except the chemistry is starting to feel much more real than it ought to considering how much they hate each other. Because they do hate each other, don't they?

This is the third fake relationship romance in an interconnected series from Charlotte Stein which started with When Grumpy Met Sunshine. Now my main issue (if it can be considered an issue) with that book was that it was pretty clear to you as a reader that the hero was into the heroine and it was hard to see how she didn't see it. Now in this one it is much easier to understand why Daisy doesn't think that Caleb is into her - she's so beaten down by always been seen as too much that you can see how she would misinterpret or not see the signs. And as a reader it's really quite delicious as they get stuck in these increasingly ridiculous situations being forced into ever closer proximity. And it's so much fun - I read it in less than 24 hours and actively resented having to go to work and not carry on reading it!

In the afterward Stein says that this is the last of her rom coms - and I really hope that's not as final as it sounds because I have really, really enjoyed reading them and I hope that she writes something similar soon. She has a small town paranormal romance series that I have my eye on for if/when prices drop because at the moment the kindle prices are too rich for my blood considering how big the to-read pile is!

***Copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.****

[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.