Book Review: Bad Words
Bad Words Riognach Robinson will be MOST DEFINITELY be one of the major contemporary romances of Fall 2026! Bad Words will be released on Oct 6, 2026 in the United States.
When literary critic Selina Chan and literary novelist Parker Navarro engage in a public feud, they only have bad words for each other until…they get to know each other by text and chance meetings, until they find themselves relating to each other more than they are arguing, and opening up their hearts and minds in big ways they don’t to others in their lives.
I must confess, I fell in love with Bad Words. I loved the writing style, character development, and the delicious pacing with the enemies-to-lovers tension. (And I am picky about enemies-to-lovers; these two had real reasons to be enemies, not just miscommunication). The novel reads quickly and like a contemporary romance, yet it also has another layer; the book deeply and seriously analyzed the power of literature, the meaning and necessity of real, thoughtful literary criticism, and the process of staying true to yourself in your art. The author didn’t apologize for how much Selina Chan cared about her form of writing, literary criticism, or the characters’ passion for books and writing and art.
Overall, I connected to how contemplative the book was. The novel reminded me of how I think, feel and process, in ways that many bookish introverts will likely relate to. If you spend a lot of time telling stories to yourself in your mind and writing your own dialogue and connecting with others through words, by text or sharing quotes from favorite books, Bad Words will resonate with you.
I say this because much of the time that Selina and Parker were falling in love felt like they were imagining each other writing to each other, remembering something another one said or wrote, or how they fell in love with same book. Those feelings are powerful for bookworms and writers! Character interiority is done VERY well in this book. Buy Bad Words for yourself and another copy for your bookish bestie!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
