A smart, sharp slow burn romance about art, criticism, ambition, and the messy people behind the words.
Release date: October 6, 2026
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Narrators: Katharine Chin and Major Curda
Synopsis:
A sharp and deeply felt debut about art, ambition, and the connections that both inspire and undo us.
Parker Navarro’s debut novel was meant to define his career – until critic Selina Chan’s blistering review made it the flop of the decade. Four years later, his new book is his shot at redemption; for Selina, reviewing him again is a professional risk she can’t refuse. When her second takedown ignites a viral feud, both their fortunes shift overnight. But as the literary world feeds on their public sparring, a quieter dialogue begins – one that challenges everything they thought they knew about success, sincerity, and each other.
Both incisive and tender, Bad Words lays bare the costs of creation – the pull between ambition and integrity, the vulnerability of being seen, and the unexpected closeness that can grow in the space between critique and care.
When words can make or break us, how do you stay true to what matters most?
Review:
Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson is such a smart, sharp read. While this is technically a romance, it felt like so much more than that to me. It’s a very grown up book—not necessarily because its characters always behave like grown ups, because they absolutely do not 😂, but because of the ideas it explores and the way it explores them.
As someone deeply entrenched in the book community, I was fascinated by the author/critic dynamic. Selina’s reviews of Parker’s work open up bigger conversations about criticism, ethics, artistic integrity, ambition, success, and just how subjective our responses to art can be. The role of critical reviews is an ongoing discussion in the book world, so getting to examine it from both sides was endlessly interesting to me. There’s a lot here about what creators owe their audience, what critics owe creators, and what happens when something deeply personal becomes something other people are allowed to publicly judge.
The romance itself is a very slow burn—and I mean slow, slow burn. This is much more about the tension and connection developing between Selina and Parker than physical romance for much of the book. Their back and forth is witty, elevated, and clever, and I loved watching these two messy, flawed, complicated people challenge each other. Nothing about them felt overly polished, which made their relationship and individual struggles feel much more authentic.
I also loved the NYC setting and the glimpse into the interconnected worlds of publishing, authors, critics, and literary culture. I do think readers looking for a romance forward story may find this lighter on actual romance than expected, but I really enjoyed how much else Robinson gave me to think about.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Katharine Chin and Major Curda, and really enjoyed both performances. Chin is always fantastic and captured the many sides of Selina beautifully, while Curda was a new to me narrator who was excellent as Parker. Smart, messy, thoughtful, and incredibly slow burn, Bad Words is the kind of romance that gives you plenty to talk about after the love story is over.
Perfect for readers who love
- Extremely slow burn romance
- Smart, idea driven contemporary fiction
- Messy and deeply flawed characters
- Witty, intelligent banter
- NYC set stories
- Books about books and publishing
- Discussions about criticism, art, and ethics
- Romance that goes well beyond the romance
Overall rating: 4/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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