Who knew a one night stand with two people on the opposite side of a belief could be so hot! I enjoyed seeing Rashida and Elliott go back and forth but end up together. I'm sure in a real life situation this would make for one passionate night which was shown in the book. It was a good, quirky read but for a more mature audience.

Honest Review:

I loved this book but there are parts that I find boring. I'm not into business and that's where I find it boring. But I love how it started. And the sexual tension???? OMG 🥴 I went crazy because of the intensity.

This book was definitely not written for my age range. I am in high school, and that was a bit much for me. Also, the ending of the book was objectively bad. It felt disconnected and choppy, and I didn’t register that a lot of time had passed. Overall, I will not be recommending this book to my followers.

AHHHH I absolutely LOVED this book! The sexual tension, the focus on family and loyalty, ELLIOT!! So heartwarming and hot.

I ended up enjoying this more then expected. The main make character made me swoon multiple times I just loved him. The representation in this book was great to see and overall, a very loveable and enjoyable romance book!

It's lust at first sight for Elliot Quinn, when he sees a beautiful, curvy woman breeze past him. He's an exhausted architect working two jobs and taking care of his ailing father. Granted, he's the CEO of his company and heir to his father's struggling conglomerate. He never expects to see his dream woman across from him at a busy bar in the heart of Atlanta. It's fate!

Rashida Howard is fierce, she refuses to give up on Marcus Quinn, who is planning on gentrifying her grandmother's neighborhood for a fancy supermarket and a commercial center that cater to the upper echelon and millennials. There is no way her grandmother and family friends will succeed in a neighborhood that doesn't want them. She's a food critic for a powerful magazine and if critiquing has taught her anything, its to never give up. When she rests her tired feet at a bar booth, she is surprised the person she is sharing a table with is strikingly handsome (and extremely flirty). Rashida accepts his offer to dinner and proceeds to have an unforgettable, passionate night.

Elliot is shocked to find Rashida gone, but he is determined to see her again. He will never forget their lovemaking and easy conversation. He finds her at a town hall meeting disputing the construction of his father's plans. He understands the complications that can arise from the displacement of hundreds of people, but also needs everything to go smoothly. Suddenly he finds himself at odds with the woman he spent an incredible night with. Their random one night stand turns into a frenemies to lovers story.

Rashida wants nothing to do with Elliot, who to her is the only thing that stands between the peace and demolition of her grandmother's home. She had her first kiss there, skinned her knees and played jump rope there, and has countless memories more to make with her grandmother. He is so confident, warm, and trusting though, how could she not want to be with him. She has trouble trusting his motives towards her, but he grovels for forgiveness and regains her trust.

As much as they should not be together, their connection draws them in closer as they learn to compromise and make difficult choices. I loved the happily ever after ending! So adorable. This book had the perfect blend of steam and swoon worthy romance. I wish this book hadn't included so much schmoozing and business talk because some chapters were positively dull and repetitive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Decent rom com with detailed characters and plot of enemies turned lovers. Not my favorite, but I felt it had a strong beginning middle and end

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, similarly, I don't think this book quite knew what it wanted to be. The romance was cute, but there was SO MUCH dialogue about gentrification that just... acted as a plot device rather than real commentary; it felt like it wanted to be impactful, but the refusal for the book to really delve into the topic definitely hindered its enjoyability. Overall a fine read.

Really loved the premise of this! Two people on opposite sides of an issue have a one night stand- incredible. Especially with such a topical issue as gentrification.

I really liked the characters, the romance was believable and fun. Their banter was great. However, I wish the romance had taken a side step, and we focused on the main plot. The book loses momentum during the second half, and I think it’s because the romantic portion was too easy. I wish there was more of a divide over their stances.

Despite that, it’s a fun, intriguing read. Lots of steam. Both leads are great.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rashida, a food critic who is also heavily involved in trying to save her grandmother’s neighbourhood from gentrification unknowingly hooks up with the son of the person responsible for the upcoming changes.

The Hookup Dilemma was a cute and quick read. Rashida was a strong character who was fun to read about (which is great because a lot of the time it’s hard to find a heroine in a romance that’s not annoying). I don’t think there was much to Elliot outside of him wanting to be with Rashida but who am I to complain about a man obsessed? I consider that a plus sometimes. I also wouldn’t call it enemies to lovers because this man was obsessed from the get-go.

I do feel like something was missing. The story ended but I still had questions about some subplots and Rashida’s motives and aims.

The Hookup Dilemma is my first book by Constance Gillam. I will admit that my first interest in the book was due to the cover. I like seeing an interracial couple featured on the cover and in a story.

Elliot is an architect and Rashida is a food critic. They meet in a crowded bar and have instant chemistry. They end up hooking up in a hotel room. The dilemma is that Rashida leaves first thing in the morning (despite how much they both enjoyed themselves) before Elliot wakes up, only to run into him later on. Turns out that his fathers company (which Elliot is currently running) is trying to develop a piece of land in her grandmother’s neighborhood and she is fighting to stop it and the inevitable gentrification of the area.

Overall, this was a great read. I loved the characters and that really helped me enjoy the story! I loved the community feel to it and it is definitely a great book to help put a smile on your face!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well rounded and the story flowed really well. I've never read the author before and would definitely look for more books By them now.

“No more being on opposite sides. He wanted her on his side. Always.”

Thank you Entangled Publishing and NetGalley an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
It was kind of both an insta love and enemies to lovers at the same time. The main characters meet and have this connection but when they find out who they each are, they have to take a step back and not cross that line, even though that pull from that first hook up keeps drawing them closer.
One of my favourite moments in this book was the dramatic display of honesty. I think it’s such a beautiful thing when someone goes out of their way to show another the truth, and not in a grovelling sort of way but because they know the other person well enough to know that words won’t just cut it, they’ve been burnt before and that needs to be accommodated for.
This book gave me very similar vibes to The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory so if you enjoyed that book, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!!

Started out really promising, but it kept dragging. I felt like there were too many secondary characters and the inner dialogue was to much. It would have been nice to get more of their relationship than the community.

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review..  


The Hookup Dilemma was a fun 3 star read this is my first time reading this author I'm looking forward to reading her other books

3 🌟🌟🌟


Happy Reading Lisa 📚

Book review - The Hookup Dilemma, Constance Gillam.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yes I absolutely requested this book based on the gorgeous cover however I did end up enjoying this nice, little easy read. The characters were amazing and I loved every single one of them. Elliot though 😍 add him to my list of fictional boyfriends. Love, sex, business deals and a crazy granny. What more could you want right?

Rashida and Elliott met at a bar and had a one night stand. No exchanging of numbers and only first names were given. Typical right? Except it was the best one night stand they’ve both ever had. They hope to run into each other again but definitely didn’t expect their run in to be at a conference, on opposing sides of a business deal in which Elliott’s father is trying to destroy the houses where Rashida’s grammie lives. Turns out they are going to have to be enemies from now on. But can they put their feelings of desire aside to fight for what they want?

There honestly wasn’t a whole to it other than what I’ve described but if you love a steamy love story you will certainly love this! I found myself rooting for Rashida and Elliott and loved the journey they took. It’s certainly more of an easy read than an intense story line with twists - typical lovers to enemies(if you could call them that) to ultimate lovers story line. I do love it when romance books show both perspectives though so that was a huge tick ✅ for me.

My only critique, the love between them seemed only sexual. I loved the steamy parts, don’t get me wrong, but I would’ve also liked a little more internal monologue based around more than just sexual fantasies and desires. I wanted them to be completely besotted with each other in ways other than orgasms.

Overall, a great read. I loved the characters and that really helped me enjoy the story! I loved the community feel to it and it is definitely a great book to help put a smile on your face! Not a whole lot to it but enjoyable nonetheless.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 Stars

A cute and steamy own voices romance about two people on opposite sides of a community issue

Did I request this book purely on that gorgeous cover, which drew me in like a moth to a flame? Why yes I did 🤣 Did the story live up to the cover? Not for me unfortunately!

Told from both Rashida's and Elliot's POVs, I thought that the The Hookup Dilemma would be a lovers to enemies to lovers story, but that wasn't really the case. The characters never really had that enemies thing going, and Elliot in particular was just such a nice guy! It was more of a couple wants to be together but think they can't because of a conflict of interest and trust issues type of tale!

Whilst Rashida and Elliot had tons of chemistry, and trust me it was electric, I felt the romance part of the plot came secondary to the Gentrification part. If you're from Atlanta or Georgia in general, or are interested in the social and economic issues linked to the Gentrification of neighbourhoods, then you might enjoy this more than I did. For me, this part of the plot was quite boring, and slowed the pace of the story down a lot. It took me eight days to read this, and I kept putting aside every couple of chapters. I really didn't want to be reading about rezoning and community meetings or mediation. It was also quite predictable!

However, I did admire Rashida's will to try and preserve her Grandma's community, and enjoyed reading about the fictional town of Millhouse, looking back through her happy childhood memories. I also liked seeing it in the present day, where we visited the ice-cream parlour, the church, and a few of the residents houses.
I enjoyed the theme of family and loyalty throughout the book. Both Rashida and Elliot were fiercely loyal to their families, Elliot to his sick father and his business, and Rashida to her mother, sister and Grandmother. AND I loved all the strong women in this! Rashida's grandmother and her friends provided some comedy and humour, which I liked, although none of those women should be behind the wheel of a car!

As I mentioned above, Rashida and Elliot had strong chemistry and attraction, with a fair few spicy scenes, which started from the first few pages, but I didn't really feel the romance was fleshed out enough. I wasn't really invested enough in their relationship, something was missing for me between the scorchio sex scenes and the declarations of love. I wanted to actually feel them fall in love more?

If you want a light, read with a HEA, then give this one a go though, other early readers have rated it highly! 🏡🏡🏡

I received an ARC of The Hookup Dilemma by Constance Gillam from NetGalley. I loved this book for so many reasons. Being a native Georgian, it is always a plus when a book features my home state! I was even more ecstatic when the main characters took a trip to Savannah, my hometown. The Hookup Dilemma is a complex story dealing with the issue of Gentrification. Elliott Quinn is holding down the fort for his ailing father, developer Marcus Quinn. Marcus has purchased land in the Millhouse district in Atlanta with plans to rezone and build a commercial building. Rashida Howard is trying to connect with Marcus and convince him of the error of his thinking. Millhouse is the neighborhood where she spent her formation years and where her grandmother still lives. She is aware of what his plans will mean for the elderly and/or financially distressed families living in that area. Unable to meet with Marcus, Rashida goes into a nearby bar to relax and runs into Elliott. The pair connect and hookup, unaware that they are unfortunately on the opposite sides of a polarizing issue. Ms. Gillam has created two very well fleshed out main characters, good people with good intentions but forced by circumstances to look for opposing solutions. Elliott was one of the nicest book boyfriends I have ever had (😊)….Rashida had trust issues and eventually came to believe that Elliott was not worthy of her trust. It is a good thing that Rashida’s world is full of people with good advice! I enjoyed the secondary characters just as much as I did our main characters (in particular, Reverend Clemmons was a beacon of hope and common sense). I totally enjoyed this story, and the epilogue gave us sweet closure.

I really enjoyed this book very much. The rhythm and fluidity of the conversations were the first hook towards this story full of flavors and family ties
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Rashida is a culinary critic who is willing to do everything possible to save the united community of her grandmother's neighborhood where she grew up and lived the best years of her life, ready to stand in front of the construction company that plans to modify the neighborhood.
Elliot is an architect with ​​very different values from those of his father and with a great love for the history of each building that he recovers, but with his father's health hanging by a thread, he decides to take a step forward and take care of business until he gets better.
This turns them on the opposite side after having spent a unforgettable night together without knowing the other's last name.
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the steamy scenes and the dialogues are very good, Rashida's love for her family and friends is as palpable as the flavors of each dish she tries but my conflict is with the time that passes and how it is suddenly resolved without changing her attitude. Elliot is an incredible character and he surprised me a lot, in this troop of different social classes, enemies to lovers, the hero is always the one who stumbles often, but not in this story and I don't get the change in Rashida. Just it conflict me
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Thanks to Entagled Publishing LLC and Contance Gillam for give me this great book in exchange for my honest opinion

*ARC provided by NetGalley* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Okay so when i read the blurb I was really excited however i think i went in with a different set of expectations and therefore i ended up a bit dissapointed. Do not take me wrong, this book is fun, light and a cute romance so i was entertained throughtout the whole book, so if you want that definitely go read it. My main problem was that i was expecting the "enemies" part a bit more deep and it felt like most of the time was one sided and from the beginning Elliot's feelings were too much instalove for my taste. Reason why i couln't get attached to the characters and the main "developments" in the relationship did not feel as eventful as i wished.
I like the topic of the neighborhood being in danger and people coming together for a common goal, also seeing Rashida's family are all strong women with their fair share of back luck in love however they kept going and stay together which i love.
Overall, this is a book i think i love of people will love and it's a shame it didn't work for me as much as i hope.