Audiobook Review: A Very Good Bad Idea by Emma Chase

Author: Emma Chase
Narrator: Sean Masters & Brooke Bloomingdale

Title: A Very Good Bad Idea

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom Com
Format: Audiobook

Published: October 13, 2026
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

No loopholes. No backing out. No leaving for four months.

Damon Burke is intense, handsome and vengefully calculating—he's also certain he'll outlast his competitor.

Jade Buchanan is brilliant, ruthless, and absolutely not losing to him.

But the house seems to have a mind of its own. With faulty wiring, a leaking roof, drafty windows and the occasional wild-life infestation, it just might be trying to kill them. And the more Damon and Jade try to oust each other from the property, the more it brings them together.

Sparks fly, tempers clash—but eventually, all their walls come crumbling down.

It's a bad idea to get too close to your enemy. To care about them, need them, want them more than you've ever wanted anything.

But when rivalry becomes something more than they ever expected, Damon and Jade discover love can be a very good bad idea.

Review:

This randomly popped up as a recommendation while I was looking for something to turn on for one part of my road trip. SOOOoooOOoooo why not?

Man, I should've written this right away. EEEE.

Okay...Jade and Damon are enemies. They both want this house for their companies. The previous owner couldn't decide who should get it, so they made a clause in the will.....both need to stay in the house for 4 months. No phones and people bring food and other essentials every couple of weeks. They are alone with their thoughts and...each other. First to leave wins. 

I'll divide and conquer this review:

The Good

- I thought this was funny. I know some people didn't like the pranks, but I thought they were funny until they went to far. 

- The banter was great. 

- The smexy parts were lovely

- The ending was lovely. 

- I loved the side characters. They were adorable

- The narration was great! Both did well. 

The Bad and the Ugly

- I hated our two mains. They were assholes. Sure, it made for entertainment, but they need therapyyyyyyyyyy bad. 

- This felt unrealistic at times. Like...sure people are bad...but how is Jade's Dad NOT in prison?

- Jade forgave Damon for what he said about her mom WAY too quickly. 

Conclusion

This was a mixed bag for me. Loved some parts, hated some. And these two are hard to like. They are rough. Sure, they get better and the rough edges are smoothed down, but I would never want to meet these people in real life. 

I'll give this 3 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #45