Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was not Ali's best work -- I think the writing and plot could use some work.

This novella, much like the others in the series, was a quick, enjoyable read. It had fun, flirty banter and I thought the romance was well developed even within its time constraints. I would've loved a full-length novel, but I enjoyed this second chance romance.

Book Review for Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas #2) by Ali Hazelwood

First Impressions: Elementary, My Dear
What’s Your Type? Lovers to Enemies to Lovers, Career Rivals, Miscommunication, Stuck in an Elevator with the Person You Hate
Meet Cute: Only One Croissant
The Lean: Just One Day
Dirty Talk: Consent Matters
We Need to Talk: Quickie
Was it Good For You? Going Up

First Impressions: Elementary, My Dear
While the cover for the first novella in this series has major Merida vibes, this one feels very Sherlock Holmes to me. I’m not entirely sure why, but the blond person definitely looks like John Watson. And perhaps the brunette is a gender-bent Sherlock?

Will every cover in this series remind me of some other IP, specifically an AU fanfic version? Only time will tell!

What’s Your Type?
Lovers to Enemies to Lovers
Career Rivals
Miscommunication
Stuck in an Elevator with the Person You Hate

Dating Profile
Sadie Grantham is a civil engineer who works for a tiny (see: two people) engineering firm with a focus on sustainability. She’s super passionate about her work and the environment and might just be a little superstitious (see: very superstitious).

Erik Nowak is a lawyer at a rival firm, and one that is much, much larger. He’s also probably a Viking who may or may not have stolen some of Sadie’s ideas to poach a potential client.

Meet Cute: Only One Croissant
Sadie’s very particular about her rituals, and one of the most important—other than wearing purple underwear on days she makes pitches to potential clients—is eating a croissant at her favorite local coffee shop before a big presentation. Are the croissants good? No. But Sadie counts on them to make her presentations a success. So when she finds that the last croissant has just been bought by a giant of a Scandinavian man, she panics.

Thankfully, the giant Scandinavian man is actually a really lovely person, and Sadie finds herself spending a lot of time with him over the course of the day. And night. And the following day, when she’s still basking in the glow of their meet cute, she finds out that his company has stolen the client she was relying on that croissant to get. So she ghosts him, avoiding his calls, blocking his number, and purposefully taking the wonky elevator in their building to avoid him. But fate’s a fickle mistress, and Sadie can’t ritual her way out of a power outage trapping her in an elevator with the guy she hates.

The Lean: Just One Day
Where in the first novella in this series, Under One Roof, it took a while for the main characters to warm up to each other, the swoon in Stuck with You is immediate. Sadie and Erik have a first day of knowing each other that every hopeless romantic dreams of (even if work did get in the way for some of it), and they’re both walking around like the literal embodiment of the heart-eyes emoji before 24 hours is even up. It’s especially delightful that Erik voices it, too. Not the L-word, but the idea that the overwhelming feelings they’re both feeling could be “it” for them.

Which makes that much worse when Sadie thinks that Erik used her. The tension in the elevator is palpable because of how much chemistry the two had and the sting of the burst bubble of what could have been.

Dirty Talk: Consent Matters
Sadie and Erik end up at Erik’s place the night they meet. (Bit of a spoiler, sure, but the fact that they sleep together almost immediately isn’t the climax of the book, so you’ll have to deal.) The swoon is smoking, but when Sadie’s head catches up with her lady parts, the swoon comes to a near standstill. And Erik is 100% on board with stopping to make sure that she feels safe and in control of the situation. It’s a record-scratch, “how did I get here” moment, but it’s SO important for people to realize that if they’re not totally comfortable with what they’re doing, their partner shouldn’t be, either.

Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
In addition to being super sexy and highlighting the importance of consent and comfort in a physical relationship, Stuck with You—like all of Hazelwood’s writing—is delightfully nerdy. But what I loved even more about this story, and the series in general, is how it highlights the three main characters’ friendship. Mara, Sadie, and Hannah—the MC of the third and final book in the series, Below Zero (review to come)—found each other in grad school and have been figuratively inseparable since. The conversations they have in this series are great interludes into the romance plots and are generally just friendship goals.

We Need to Talk: Quickie
Much like Under One Roof, Stuck with You is a very quick read. (Only 127 Kindle pages.) But it continues to impress me how much Hazelwood can pack into those few pages. Sadie and Erik became fully formed characters in a matter of paragraphs, and the escalation of the plot never seems rushed. The ending does wrap up a little neatly, but—thankfully—not in a way that makes it seem like Hazelwood was running out of time and just needed to get something on paper. I’d read a whole actual 300+ page book about these characters, but I don’t need to to get the satisfaction I was looking for.

Was it Good For You? Going Up
A person doesn’t always need a night full of passion—sometimes it’s good to have a moment or ten of unbridled fun. This novella wasn’t that world-shaking, but I certainly wouldn’t complain about the time we spent together.

Author Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis was one of my favorite books of 2021, so I was excited to read this novella. Unfortunately, Stuck With You was a bit of a disappointment. The thing is the writing was still wonderful, the characters interesting, and I very much enjoyed this couple but I needed more time with them for this to be an extraordinary book.

This was a super short novella in The StemInist series (I somehow missed the first one) and I enjoyed it but there wasn’t a lot of substance to it. Sadie and Erik meet and in the space of 24 hours they talk, eat, and have a heck of a night but then miscommunication happens and they don’t see one another for 3 weeks. Then they are stuck in an elevator where Erik apologizes for what he thinks is wrong, but turns out it’s something much different. It was a fun, fast, furious read which would have been better with elevator sexy times, but this story should have been flushed out into a full book because these characters were interesting and this book didn’t do them justice.

Dislike Below Zero so much that I refused to subject myself to reading either Stuck on You or Under One Roof

STUCK WITH YOU
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkeley Romance
Pub Date: 7 June 2022

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Review:
This was a short novella that was the perfect book to get through a reading slump. I did find myself a bit bored reading the novella but the story kept me captivated until the end.

This novella was just okay, It was enjoyable because it is Ali Hazelwood, after all, but it wasn't anything special. I liked the idea in theory and Sadie and Erik had chemistry, but it suffered from why I typically don't like novellas...it was too short. Everything moved way too quick for my personal liking. Again, it wasn't bad, just not my personal preference. These characters would be great with full length books though. I really wish that was the case.

Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood is a Steminist novella. Sadie, our heroine, is a scientist, who works for a new firm producing safer products. Within the same building, another firm is very successful, making things harder for Sadie and her boss.

One evening Sadie, met Erik and it turned into a one-night stand, which she learns the following day that he is one of the founders of the other company. Sadie feels that Erik betrayed her, when she finds out they took one of their customers away; now Sadie hates Erik. Three weeks later, both Erik and Sadie get stuck in the elevator, with Erik trying to convince her that he did not betray her, and Sadie slowly begins to feel her attraction to him

What follows is a quick story line, with POV’s switching back and forth from the one-night stand and them trapped in the elevator. I have enjoyed Hazelwood’s previous novel, but not really feeling anything for this story, not to mention I thought Sadie was a bit weird, though I did like Erik. I also wasn’t crazy about the awful croissants that kept being brought up. I will read the next novella in this series, and decide if I want to continue. I did enjoy very much Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis.

Sadie is focused on her career as an engineer. There really isn’t time for any relationship. However, she meets Erik at work when she is trying to make a mad dash for a croissant. The two click and they link up for a one-night stand which is amazing.

Sadie discovers something about Erik and she doesn’t reach out to him anymore. The two paths cross again when they are stuck in an elevator. Erik wants to know what happened. This is where the story takes a turn.

I thought I was going to read a quick and quirky short romance but the plot completely failed. I don’t know if it is the fact that this is a novella or the fact that the author didn’t draw the connection for me. I just could not understand how Sadie didn’t communicate effectively with Erik. For someone to be so smart, there was a miscommunication that didn’t need to occur. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in storylines.

The character development is lacking because the only thing I can tell you is that Sadie is very immature. She doesn’t grow at all from the first page. She holds onto her hostility towards Erik until the very end. So why should I believe they belong together?

Overall, this novella did little to get me excited. I’m not sure if I want to continue with the next book in the series.

~ Samantha

𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵!

Another fantastic read by Ali Hazelwood, so far I loved everything I read by her and these novellas are adorable. Loved the characters, loved the banter, loved their chemistry and I can’t wait to read the next book.

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for this complimentary audiobook.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood, book two in the STEMinist novellas series, is a wonderful story featuring Sadie and Erik, who are perfect together. The story begins in the present and alternately goes back three weeks, prior to when Sadie and Erik met. From the moment they met, there was a connection between Sadie and Erik; strong magnetic attraction and sizzling chemistry. So much so that Sadie goes home with Erik after their dinner together; being a definite instant-love situation. The next day Sadie is made aware of something mysterious about Erik causing her to question everything he told her. When his rival company gets a contract job Sadie was positive she had wrapped up, she sees red and feels used; ghosting him. When Sadie and Erik are stuck together in an elevator, they are forced to communicate and clear up the misunderstandings.

Ms. Hazelwood wrote a wonderful insta-love story that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, superstitions, magnetic attraction, sizzling chemistry, wonderful and humorous conversations, and endearing characters giving Sadie and Erik a chance for a forever love. I highly recommend Stuck with You to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

3.5 Stars

Sadie spent a day with Erik, and they had an immediate connection that ended in a steamy, lust filled night that she thought would lead into something profound and lasting. However, the next day Sadie hears things about Erik and her heart crashes. Fast forward three weeks and it’s her worst nightmare: she’s stuck in the elevator with him.

I was a little disappointed with the way Sadie jumped to conclusions after hearing what her boss said and didn’t even check with Erik to get his side of the story. A lot of heartache could’ve been avoided! I did love their initial meetup and the immediate, intense attraction between them! This is a romance, so I knew they’d eventually get everything sorted.

I’ve enjoyed all three of the STEMinist novellas and I thought for the short number of pages the characters were well developed and I was invested in each of their HEAs!

Sadie Grantham is a female civil engineer and works for GreenFrame, a company that values things like sustainability, environmental protection, economic viability and efficiency. Sadie also is very superstitious and when she goes to the local coffee shop to get her croissant before her big pitch, they are all gone. It just so happens that the guy that Sadie calls Corporate Thor just got the last one. He also works for a rival company. When "Thor" gives Sadie his croissant, she is very thankful and they end up sitting and talking for a while. Surprisingly, Erik "Thor" Nowak and Sadie have many things in common and soon start dating. When Sadie loses her big pitch job, she quickly realizes that Erik is to blame so she ends up ghosting him. Imagine her surprise when a few weeks later she gets stuck in an elevator, late at night, with Erik. Erik has no idea what caused Sadie to flee but he tries to find out. Over the course of time they are stuck, Erik and Sadie start to realize what had actually happened. They finally give in to their feelings and find their sweet happy ending.

Am I the only one who didn't love this book? Novella's are such a hard sell for me and unfortunately this one didn't work. It felt repetitive for such a short book, which was frustrating. The main character was unbearable. I felt like the conflict was very much forced to be interesting. It was way too insta-love to insta-hate for me, I felt like I'd gotten whiplash going back and forth that quick. This one was not a hit for me, as much as it pains me to say

The only problem with this novella is that it made me want more Ali Hazelwood. I just love anything she writes - the humor and quirkiness of her characters overrides any overdone tropes that may occur.

I’ve said it before and I will happily say it again: Ali Hazelwood does it like no other. This was, unsurprisingly, an absolute delight. Sadie and Erik’s chemistry leapt off the page and even though this was just a novella, I fully believed in their feelings for one another and I desperately need more. Another thing that bears repeating? Ali Hazelwood can write the hell out of a sex scene. HAVE MERCY.

I'm not the biggest fans of novellas. I love those epilogue ones, where we get to see our beloved characters again - but these short rom-coms? Yeah - I like them but I'm not the biggest fan. It's just all way too short. I want to know more about my characters! I want a full story!!!
But this one was really cute. It was fast and funny and sexy.
We get the now moments in the elevator and we get the three weeks ago moments when they met and did whatever they did that day!
I liked reading it.
Can't wait to see what the last of the three ladies has to tell us next!

STUCK WITH YOU was a funny + adorable little Rom-Com novella.
Run to your nearest amazon for your own Erik - he'll be sold out in no time!

Stuck with You starts off with Sadie being stuck on an elevator during a power outage. What’s worse than that? She is stuck with the person she hates more than anyone else- Erik Novak. Erik and Sadie had one perfect, steamy night together three weeks prior. But then Sadie finds out that he betrayed her in the worst possible way. Will being stuck together in the elevator help them speak for the first time in weeks, or does it just twist the knife further in Sadie’s back?

If you loved The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, you absolutely need to read Stuck With You. Hazelwood writes the most incredible STEM romance novella in Stuck With You. Between the extremely hot sex scene between Erik and Sadie and the character growth experienced in such a short amount of space, this novella was fantastic. This book alternates between the present – being stuck in the elevator – and three weeks ago, up until the present.

Both Sadie and Erik are very loveable characters. They are both engineers who have a love for football (soccer). As a woman in STEM who loves sports, I really connected with Sadie. She does have communication issues (that she recognizes wholeheartedly), but she is really loveable. Erik is described as a Viking, which just made him even more dreamy.

I’m not usually a fan of insta-love, but Hazelwood made me LOVE it in this case. I think because it flip flopped between points in time the trope was less noticeable and more well done. Hazelwood’s writing is very witty, funny, and cute. It feels like her characters are people from real life, which I absolutely love.

If you are not a fan of the miscommunication trope and insta-love, I would recommend skipping this one. If you’re somewhere in the middle where you don’t love or hate it, give this one a try. Hazelwood does it differently than most, and I thought it really paid off in the end.

This book is perfect for fans of STEM romance: The Love Hypothesis, The Kiss Quotient, The Heart Principle, and The Soulmate Equation. I would absolutely read another of Hazelwood’s books, and her novellas.

5 stars!

I have discovered something about myself with this novella: I am absolute trash for the miscommunication trope. I love it, I want more of it, I love my angst and I want my conflict. Not to mention that human beings in general don’t communicate well with each other, so it’s realistic to me. When readers complain about it online, I secretly pray authors and publishers won’t listen to them because I WANT MORE.

Stuck With You is the perfect novella, with two characters being trapped in an elevator at work three weeks after they met and fell for each other. But something kept the two them apart, and being stuck together in a small space may be having them work it all out…

Ali Hazelwood is such a delight to read. I was skeptical about reading her collection of novellas because I typically don’t like shortened books (not enough time to develop/everything gets rushed) but this one worked just perfectly. I would also be happy with a longer version of this story, but it totally worked. I thought the chemistry between the two main characters was fantastic and I loved seeing the buildup of their romance. Fantastically done!

This novella reallllly hit the spot. I was in need of a light, short romcom with a little spice and Ali delivered.

Stuck with You is a 3 hr long audiobook and just released a couple weeks ago (and will be released on kindle soon!)

This is a friends to enemies to lovers kinda deal and I found myself hooked from the start. The narration is great and if you are looking for a little romance pick me up this book is for you!

Between this and The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood has become an auto buy author for me 😍

My overall rating is 4.5 stars.