Narrated by Michael Crouch

You’d think that a book with a title like Love, Hate & Clickbait and a cutesy cartoon cover would be an equally cutesy rom-com – but you’d be wrong. Personally speaking, I’m glad it didn’t turn out to be a cutesy rom-com; I’ve had quite enough of those TYVM, most of them neither comedic nor romantic. Love, Hate & Clickbait is an antagonists-to-lovers workplace romance set in the office of a governor looking to make a presidential run, so these characters are not immediately likeable, the humour is fairly dark and the sarcasm is biting – and I was Here For It.

Political consultant Thom Morgan is brilliant, driven and completely ruthless. He’s in his element working in the office of the governor of California – he thrives on the wheeling and dealing (and double-dealing) and is looking forward to running the governor’s presidential campaign. The one blot on the otherwise perfect landscape is having to deal with the team’s data analyst Clay Parker, who might be a technical whizz but acts and dresses like he’s still in college and is infuriatingly smug with a chip on his shoulder to boot. When Clay inadvertently disrupts the entire office’s internet connection at a really crucial moment, Thom snaps and loses his temper, pushing Clay against the wall in a threatening manner and insulting him – then heads off to work out a strategy for dealing with their boss’ latest gaffe – a homophobic remark made when she didn’t realise she could be overheard.

The meeting is grim. Thom knows an apology won’t cut it and as the staff is throwing around ideas, Thom picks up notification of a post on Twitter that is a photo of him and Clay in the corridor just minutes earlier, Thom pressing into him, his hand clutching Clay’s shirt – they look like they’re seconds away from kissing and ripping each other’s clothers off, not in the middle of a screaming match. And the Tweet itself reads:

Maybe @GovWestwood has some gays on her staff after all.

Thom and Clay are horrified, but the governor is delighted – having a same-sex couple – albeit a fake one – on staff is exactly what they need to divert attention from her screw-up, and she’s already getting requests for comments from the media. It’s perfect. Thom and Clay are far less enthusiastic (and not entirely sure they’ll be able to convince anyone they’re a couple) but they don’t really have a choice if they want to keep their jobs, and with the promise of title bumps and a raise, the deal is struck.

So we all know where this is going, but it’s the ‘how’ that’s the fun part. Thom and Clay really do dislike each other, although to be fair, it seems it’s mostly Thom doing the disliking while Clay is a nice guy who compensates for social awkwardness by being a bit too cocky; Thom really is an arsehole to him at times and often with no reason, so it does feel a bit one-sided.

But as their public ‘relationship’ continues (and I have no idea how plausible it is that two staffers would be generating so much social media coverage), so their private one starts to undergo some subtle changes. Thom – who has only ever dated women – is surprised to realise he’s attracted to Clay, and honestly, at first he’s more concerned about it being Clay than he is about it being another man! Which is to say that here’s no big freak-out or crisis about being bisexual; Thom thinks about it, decides it’s something new to explore, accepts it and moves on.

The slow-burn romance between Thom and Clay is nicely done, their growing friendship and affection shown through quiet moments of intimacy where they drop their guard a bit around each other. Thom just kind of gravitates to Clay’s apartment at weekends even though they’re not in public and don’t need to put on a show for anyone. Of course he tells himself otherwise, but really, he just likes Clay’s company and wants to spend time with him – although he’d probably rather die than admit it. Clay looks forward to Thom’s visits – which progress from Thom coming over to work, to working and staying for takeout, to working, takeout and gaming or watching movies – although he, too, tells himself it’s for an entirely different reason than that Thom likes being with him. I liked that they fall for each other without either of them having a personality transplant; Thom is the same arseholic, cunning poilitical operator at the end of the book as at the beginning, although he’s learned some humility and compassion, and Clay is the same brilliant but messy doofus, but he’s gained some self-respect and self-awareness. And because they remain essentially ‘them’ it’s easy to believe that they’re still dedicated, obsessive and ambitious while being kinda sweet together and good for each other. My one real criticism is that the HEA hangs in the balance until the very last minute – but it’s ridiculously cute, so all’s well that ends well.

The handful of secondary characters are superbly drawn, in the sense that they’re perfect political operators, often crass and completely oblivious or indifferent to the feelings or beliefs of others, willing to throw whoever they need to under the bus and always on the look-out for whatever will portray them and their boss in the best light. They’re not nice – but then they’re not supposed to be.

Michael Crouch is a very experienced narrator who has over three hundred titles to his credit at Audible – but not many of them are romances, so I haven’t listened to him before. His performance is well-paced, appropriately characterised and effectively differentiated throughout; the cast isn’t large but there are quite a few group scenes and it’s easy to tell who is speaking during conversations. His portrayals of Thom and Clay are really good; there’s a slight difference in pitch between them and Thom’s speech is often clipped with an element of abrasiveness or impatience, while Clay’s is more laid-back and bro-ish. Both these edges soften as their emotional connection develops and their hidden vulnerabilities and insecurities begin to show; it’s an expressive and skilful performance that definitely adds something to the overall listening experience..

Love, Hate & Clickbait is one of those books that wasn’t what I expected in the best of ways. Instead of a cheesy rom-com, I got political nerdery and backstabbing and characters who were not always likeable and made questionable decisions. Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed it!