Quick Synopsis

Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.
 
Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash everyone’s hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.
 
To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder: What if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?

Book Review

Have I ever read Much Ado About Nothing? No. Did that impact my enjoyment of my first Chloe Liese novel? Also, no.

Two Wrongs Make a Right is an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, opposites attract romance novel featuring lots of representation. It was a joyful read that was lovingly affirming and feel-good.

I really appreciated Chloe Liese’s characters and their diversity. Bea, the female protagonist, is an artsy, autistic pansexual twin. Jamie, the male protagonist, is an anxious, uptight pediatrician. And once they get together, they have a refreshingly healthy relationship, although it does take them awhile to learn to communicate well with each other. I thought Liese’s depiction of neurodivergence and mental health issues was well-done. She also created queer characters done in a way I appreciate the most – where it is simply a fact of the character’s identity and not their entire identity or existence. The sex scenes were semi-closed door but still spicy, and again, refreshingly healthy.

I often struggle with romance novels, because many of them equate sexual attraction with romantic feelings. Consequently, the romance fails to be there for me or it is instant love. Liese did an excellent job distinguishing the two in Two Wrongs Make a Right. While the characters were attracted to each other initially, they did not actually like each other. Liese gave them room to get to know one another and romantic feelings to build. This made for a more realistic story that allowed me to understand the appeal and become emotionally invested.

There are a couple things that I thought could have been better in Two Wrongs Make a Right. I did not love the third act conflict. While it served its purpose and I could understand where the characters were coming from, it seemed a bit unnecessary and out-of-character. My other criticism is that this book is very focused on the romantic relationship and there is not much else going on. I realize this is completely a preferential thing. I like the characters to have whole lives outside of the relationship, and I feel like that was a little lacking.

Overall, I really enjoyed Two Wrongs Make a Right and recommend it. I will be picking up more books by Chloe Liese in the future.

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