Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: E-book

3.75🌟 - it was good!

This has probably been my least favorite Ali Hazelwood book to date 🙈. There were some good parts of this one, but it was a little too insta-love for me compared to her other books! This one had a different feel to her other books, so I’m interested to see what’s next for her!

WOW

Ali delivered such a fun extremely steamy contemporary.

I adored everything about this one. I'm obsessed with Rue and Eli

I eat up everything Ali writes, but this one especially felt unique to her others because of the role reversal in terms of personalities. I think many women will read this and feel seen the way I did. Those of us who feel like we're too much, too difficult, for others to love.

Ali Hazelwood is incredibly popular with library patrons. She has written another one that will be a big hit. Her strength is in writing complex and sometimes unlikable heroes/heroines. This one will be a hit with women who have been told they are "difficult".

Whatever Ali Hazelwood puts into her books needs to be studied. It has to be illegal. How is every book a banger?

Didn't looooove some of the way poverty was discussed but over all,. I ate it up.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books [Berkley] for an e-book of "Not in Love" by Ali Hazelwood in exchange for an honest review. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romcoms, spice, and modern references. While this book didn't necessarily hit for me due to personal preferences, I can understand how this is other's cup of tea. It is smut filled, list crazed, includes obsessed men, intimacy, and did I mention STEAM?? I would also consider this book to have the "insta-love" trope.

I’ve only read a few Ali Hazelwood, but I do find her stories very hard to put down. They are so much fun and I absolutely loved the relationship between Rue and Eli. There is a lot of growth over the course of the novel. I would love a short story of Minami just to see how she is as a mother! You could tell right away that there was something off about Florence and I was waiting for the shoe to drop.

I loved this non-traditional romance Ali has highlighted. While it did have her trademark settings and writing style, we got to see a different type of relationship and one where roles were reversed.

DNF but I feel justified to give a fair review. This felt so redundant and honestly, there were too many words that had me cringing. So many of the words in here feel juvenile.

If Ali writes it, I read it. I loved this book. It seemed different than her other ones. When I say I adored these characters and this entire plot, I’m not joking. I want to read it again. Ali seriously has a way to captivate her readers and I want more.

Every time I think I've found my favorite Ali Hazelwood book, I read the next one and I'm proven wrong!

This book was so different from anything she has written before and I absolutely loved it! The chemistry between Rue & Eli was off the charts! and don't even get me started on the spice! It was so hot but what I loved the most about this book was that not only was it very spicy, it dealt with some very real and raw topics. The care that was put into the different depictions of mental health struggles was palpable and I appreciate the representation.

I can't finish this review without mentioning how horrendously down bad Eli was! The man was absolutely FERAL for Rue (as he should be) and it was truly my favorite part of the book!

This book has truly convinced me that I am an Ali Hazelwood girlie.

This is my 3rd or 4th book from the author, and I am hooked. Her writing is so gripping, no matter the topic (vampires, chess, women in STEM). Not in Love was a different story that covered much heavier topics and emotion, but it was written beautifully. The book had romantic tension and strong characters, while also portraying something more raw.

I also love how much Eli was down bad for Rue. I mean, man was OBSESSEDDD.

This was very different than Hazelwood's other books. It was more erotic fiction which isn't for me but did appreciate the trauma discussions

Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood
“You’re enough, Rue. And if you aren’t… I just don’t mind.”
Ali Hazelwood continues to dominate the women in STEM romance novel market in my opinion. This book delivers a strong FMC who knows exactly what she wants in the bedroom and workroom. The MMC proves to be the missing piece in her puzzle and gives her a new perspective on what it means to be intimate with someone.. and she just might fall in love along the way.
“You’re damn mouth,” he murmured, “is the most obscenely lovely thing I’ve ever had the burden of seeing.”
Rue and Eli turn the heat up in a different way than Hazelwood’s other STEM novels. It was a lot of fun to read a different sexual dynamic between the two main characters. They really do bring the heat in this one.
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

DNF @ chapter 8.

While there's an author's note at the beginning about how this book isn't really a rom com (fair enough, I appreciate the management of expectations), I thought it went too far in a different direction. I legitimately could not bring myself to care about Rue or Eli. Major yawn.

This was my first Ali Hazelwood book that I've read and I must say that I really enjoyed it. The characters were dynamic and endearing and fun to read about. The story itself was interesting and exciting, and it held my attention the whole time. My heart really felt for Rue, she was so misunderstood in a way that I think many people can relate to. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC!

Here is the God's honest truth: the letter Ali Hazelwood added to the beginning of this title scared the heck out of me, and it made me almost not read this book. And truly, I don't think it warranted that type of letter at all. To be clear, I really appreciate it when authors leave warnings at the beginnings of their books-- it helps set the tone and bring readers on the journey in a safe way. That being said, Hazelwood's note did not seem to match the tone of the book, so I read the whole thing sort of squinty-eyed, waiting for it to bite me, and it just... never did? This felt like a run-of-the-mill romance to me. And in that sense, that's where the three stars came from.

Huge thank you to @prhaudio @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Audiobooks are my favorite gardening tool, just saying!
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it’s official. My favorite thing about reading Ali Hazelwood is reading them with friends. What Hazelwood has successfully done is created a community that is clamoring over her books when they come out and they are waiting to be discussed! The second this book came out we knew we had to discuss!

I’ll admit that I can be quite critical of Ali Hazelwood’s work. On an individual level, I think all of her books are pleasant, but by the time she released her third STEM rom-com, I was over the formula—a very small woman who is the smartest (but very misunderstood) scientist on Earth falls in love with A BIG BURLY man who is her superior. That’s not to say I don’t find validity in the stories and the characters she’s created, I just wished that her books didn’t all feels like echoes of each other.

Her past three releases have all been fresh and unique, from CHECK AND MATE, her first foray into YA romance to BRIDE, a paranormal education in knotting. With NOT IN LOVE, she returns to the world of STEM, but mixes it up enough to make this perhaps her best romance yet.

Rue Siebert finally feels comfortable: she has a select group of close friends, financial stability, and her dream career. After years of fighting, she’s finally where she’s always wanted to be, until a group of investors decide to institute a hostile takeover of the food science start-up where she works. The issue? She matched (and nearly hooked up) with Eli, one of the business partners just days before. Although they’re on differing sides of this business conflict, Rue and Eli can’t deny their connection.

NOT IN LOVE is her most emotional book yet—both Rue and Eli have trauma that’s unpacked through the novel, and while I think this exploration deserved a little more time, I appreciated her foray into deeper topics. It’s also her spiciest book yet, although there were times when I felt the emotional chemistry between Rue and Eli suffered as they both seemed to use their sexual chemistry as the only means to justify that they’re a great match.

Despite these slight qualms, I had a great time reading this. The business/hostile takeover subplot was fascinating and I liked the way Hazelwood used it to dive into friendship dynamics. I was truly rooting for Rue the entire time.

A welcome addition to Ali’s oeuvre. I gave it 4 ⭐️!

Look at Ali hazelwood over here writing yet another hit! And she keeps getting spicer as her books so on. I loved this one and I am definitely recommending it to all of my friends!