Jodi McAlister is an author and academic from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales. Her PhD was awarded by Macquarie University in 2015, and she is currently a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University in Melbourne. Her academic work focuses on the history of love, sex, women and girls, popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching The Bachelor is technically work for her. You can find Jodi on Twitter at @JodiMcA or on Instagram and TikTok at @jodimcalister, where she posts regularly about her research, her writing, cool things she finds interesting, her hero worship of Kate Bush, and her slightly-too-intense passion for The Bold and the Beautiful. She is the author Here for the Right Reasons, Can I Steal You For a Second? and Not Here to Make Friends, as well as young adult novels Valentine, Ironheart, Misrule and Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending.
‘A full-on villain romance, with all the lying, scheming and blazingly tumultuous sex you could hope for.’ * <b><i>New York Times</i></b> * ‘I'd been waiting impatiently for the third installment in this series, and it was even more amazing than I'd hoped. Ruthless schemers! Romantic pairings who are equal parts soulmates and partners in crime! Lily and Murray's story was utterly perfect for me, specifically, and I suspect plenty of readers will agree. Smart, scorching and emotionally resonant, this was hands-down my favourite romance of the year.’ -- <B>Freya Marske, author of <I>A Marvellous Light</I></B> 'If you've devoured the first two books of the bingeworthy Marry Me, Juliet series then you will love this last installment focusing on Lily and Murray - two perfectly imperfect characters and the tension that sizzles when they are together. This is a great friends to lovers read for all rom-com (and reality TV) lovers!' -- <B>Saman Shad, author of <I>The Matchmaker</I></B> 'Not Here To Make Friends is a prose ceremony – at which I was glad to accept every page. A superb third episode in a journey with drama more vivid and romance more compelling than anything you’ll see on TV.' -- <B>Xavier Rubetzki Noonan, <I>Bachelor of Hearts</I> Podcast</B> ‘Not Here To Make Friends is a second chance romance between two formidably matched evil masterminds, a clash of fierce intellects that results in fierce tension and fierce love. The chemistry is sizzling, the banter is blazing and even if you think you know where this story's going, the climax is combustible. But lest you think this romance is all head and no heart, it's undershot with themes of loyalty, friendship and grief.’ -- <B>Clare Fletcher, author of <I>Five Bush Weddings</I></B> ‘Not Here to Make Friends is wonderfully funny, deeply moving, and whip-smart. Lily and Murray’s sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious love story is so irresistible it will have you turning the page faster than a reality TV romance breaks up in real life. Rich with diversity and characters you genuinely care about, Not Here to Make Friends is a satisfying, pitch-perfect cherry on top of a perfect series.’ -- <B>Amy Hutton, author of <I>Sit, Stay, Love</I></B> ‘The best friends to lovers book I've read in a long while, maybe ever. Lily Fireball and Murray's complex dynamic is so addictive. The book doesn't shy away from serious issues either and effortlessly explores racial inequality via a fun plot. A perfect finale to the bingeworthy Marry Me, Juliet series. This one is my favourite of all three books. Swoon-worthy, clever and a must-read. I can't wait to see what McAlister writes next!’ -- <B>Karina May, author of <I>Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast</I></B>