This was 100% a character driven novel, which normally works really well for me. Indeed I enjoyed reading about the two main characters, and especially liked exploring the relationship between them which I thought was well paced and satisfied everything I’d want from an academic rivals to lovers. I also really liked the writing style; there were a lot of lines I read over a couple of times to fully appreciate. However it really did feel like everything else was put on a back burner for the sake of the romance; the characters needed to be in one setting so something happened seemingly at random to get them there. The main villain felt underdeveloped and I didn’t understand her motivations or even really why she was necessary. The plot felt oddly paced too, because the main plot wasn’t really the point of the story it felt like the author tried to get it over and done with to focus on the romance. Again, I really liked the romance, so did enjoy this book overall (even if it felt like they were slightly trying to make things difficult for themselves by the end). I’d definitely recommend this for someone looking for a good academic rivals to lovers, but maybe not if you’re also looking for a great plot.  
PS after reading other reviews I get why I liked the romance so much — they’re Howl and Sophie coded, of course I was obsessed.