Thank you Berkley for my copy of Not In Love! All thoughts are my own.

I had seen a lot of conversation around Ali Hazelwood’s latest, about how it was “different” and “not to expect a rom com” but I still didn’t really know what to expect or what that meant. And I was unsure! I really liked The Love Hypothesis and also really enjoyed Love, Theoretically. I love that Ali’s books are a little quirky but are quick, engaging romances. Bride was very different, after all! And that book was so much fun to read.

But I was intrigued and excited to try something new. I didn’t connect with these characters as much. There is an edge to this story which is great and important. Sadly, it’s not a new favorite of mine but i know lots of people who loved it!

Synopsis:

“Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

That it was “Different”—I think it’s great when author’s step outside their usual box. While this book didn’t become a new favorite, I still commend the author for writing the story she wanted to write, rather than churn out something to appease the masses.

The STEM World—I have nothing to do with math, science, engineering, etc but I still love these hot nerds Ali dreams up for us.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

A Bit too Edgy for Me—I didn’t connect with the language or writing, which left it hard for me to get invested in the love story.

Pacing—I had to switch to the audio because the pacing didn’t keep me wanting to reach for it!

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

child abuse, death of a parent, emotional abuse, stalking, abandonment

Slept on it and woke up still loving it. Of course, this book is NOT like her past published works. She mentions how it's tonally different and how the connection between the two is used through a physical relationship, more towards an erotic romance. So keep that in mind going in! I don't think this book will be for everyone. Very open door!

With that said, I loved how it was dual POV but Eli's POV was in third person. Eli was down 😭 so bad 😭 for Rue 😭 there's a big physical relationship over romance to start and continue down the path for the story. But the way the story was told, their relationship building, and their personal relationship too. Rue is the main narrator of the story and seeing her need for safety and protection given from Eli was so great. I really appreciated Rue as a character too and love their dynamics and the quirks they loved about each other. Of course, academics were thrown in and I always love seeing that. Research studies and STEM. It was her least STEM book though, I'd say!

I never saw this as insta love or insta lust, but you're seeing how their relationship and story unfolded for them. I loved the storyline and literally being in any moment for them, I am obsessed with Eli. It is by far her steamiest book, maybe too steamy for some, but I thought it was just perfect for them. I was clutching my pearls on the beach and on the way home on the train, people!!!

At last, their love confessions and just how they felt for each other. My heart! I loved how their communication got stronger with each other, and how they communicated with each other. Ali keeps improving as a writer to me! I need to figure out the rankings of her books for me now...brb!

*I received an e-arc via NetGalley as part of a blog tour and thank you to the Libro.FM ALC program for providing an audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Content Warnings from Ali Hazelwood’s Website: a lot more graphic explicit scenes, childhood poverty and food insecurity, anxiety around food, mentions of addiction (secondary characters), social anxiety, parental death (accidents, illness / off page, in the past), parental neglect, power exchange, attempted assault of the FMC by her brother (she is unharmed), pregnancy of a secondary character

I am convinced that Ali Hazelwood can never write a bad book for me. EVERYTHING I have read from her has been an absolute hit for me each time and Not in Love is no exception. While this book isn't all sunshine and rainbows, it still held that signature Ali Hazelwood writing style that I enjoy even while exploring slightly darker topics (see content warnings above).

As I explore more romance books and tropes, I find that I love the he falls first trope and with the added tropes of enemies with benefits, this book HAD ME and the fact that these characters were all over each other even though they were on opposite sides of a company take over!? I loved it.

Now that I have had 6 winners from Ali Hazelwood for me, I feel like I will never have to worry about whether I will like the book or not. She has consistently been an auto-buy author for me and I will continue to go into her books excited and swooning. It’s no surprise that this one is a 5 stars from me and, as always, I look forward to the next book released.

I will be posting a video review after the release date. Once again, thank you to the publisher for inviting me on this blog tour.

💕NOT IN LOVE by Ali Hazelwood💕

📆PUB DATE: April 23, 2024
➡️Swipe or see below for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook/E-book
Read if you like:
🌶️LOTS of spice
2️⃣Dual POV
🤔”Rivals” with benefits

Thank you @prhaudio and @berkleyromance for the #gifted advanced audio and e-book copy of Not in Love! I switched between the two formats and enjoyed both! I’m going to start off this review by saying that this book is not for everyone. It is way steamier than any of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books, and even Ali herself has stated that it’s a lot different than anything she’s written before.

With that being said, I think you’ll enjoy this if you like very spicy books that also have good plots and characters with emotional depth. I loved both Rue and Eli and the chemistry between them was excellent. I won’t say too much about the plot, but they both have motives for their actions that sometimes contradict each other. Luckily, I could empathize with them and see both sides. Overall, I was sucked in by the plot and the characters of Not in Love and thinks it’s Ali’s best yet! I also loved that Rue was a chemical engineer, because that was my major in college🤓❤️

“Food was what brought the Fuli family together every night, what…parents…made for their kids after a hard practice, what people talked about when they came back from weekends spent in quaint coastal bed-and-breakfasts. Food was collagen, the connective tissue of our society.” #Foodie here so I agree wholeheartedly!

So it seems Ali Hazelwood has a dark side. I see you girl. Me likey. Not In Love is an enemies-to-lovers STEMinst romance that easily weaves intellect with sexuality. And holy hell this book is HOT 🥵.

I am going to give a special shout out to @jasonclarkereads and @callie_dalton for their EXTRAORDINARY narration of this audiobook. It’s told from dual pov, Rue and Eli, and so it has two narrators. Perfect. I love that. But usually, in an audiobook, if you’re listening to the male’s narration then any dialogue in that chapter is done by that male narrator. But for what I think may be time first time ever for me, these two narrators still narrate their respective roles, even in the other character’s chapter. So it’s like a legit dialogue between them. I was utterly absorbed. Sucked in. Oh my I just loved it!

Thank you to @libro.fm for the #gifted #audiobook! Also Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC.

4.25⭐️
One thing about Ali Hazelwood? She knows how to write a man HORRENDOUSLY down bad and I’ll eat it up every single time!!! I had a fun time reading this book! I loved the dynamic between Rue and Eli even though their relationship started out as something just physical and transactional it became more. I loved seeing how that played out between them. The issues that both Rue and Eli faced individually was written so well and it seeing the two of them form a connection that they both longed for in some way was beautiful. All in all I enjoyed this one!!

This book starts with an author’s note that is VERY IMPORTANT TO READ. She notes that this book is not similar to her other books in that it deals with heavier topics and she would classify it as erotic fiction. When I first saw the cover, I instinctually felt like the story might be darker than her usual fare based on the difference in the pictures. But I had no idea until the author’s note that it would be considered erotica.

It was quite explicit, but the story around all the sex was great as per her usual standards. If you like her novels and you are at least tolerant of erotica, you will enjoy this book. If you lean more closed-door, stay far away.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I absolutely love Ali Hazelwood's books for their realness and quickness and how they get serious without getting too serious. However, I think I love her more for a book like this that demonstrates how things are messy, complicated, and while they may have a happy ending, there is so much that can happen to get there.

This book is not a happy one. I wouldn't say that it's sad, though, just a bit heavy and it takes a lot out of your to try and navigate the emotion behind it. But for someone who has written a certain way for the last 4-5 books, this can be an incredibly daunting task, and Hazelwood definitely was up for it. I love her for her rom-coms, but this romance wrapped up in drama was so deeply resonant that I have found a new way to love and appreciate one of my favorite authors.

Absolutely loved this one.

This might be my new favorite from Ali Hazelwood!

Read if you like forbidden romance, enemies-to-lovers, tons of spice, he-falls-first, and tons of pining.

Rue meets Eli on a hookup app, but the night goes south because of her brother and nothing happens… except both of them feel an immediate connection to the other.

The next day, Rue realizes Eli is part of the company that just bought the loan taken out by the company she works for. Eli is part of a hostile takeover, and as such, he’s the enemy.

But he doesn’t want to be her enemy. And the pull between them is too strong for them to stay away from each other, especially in such close proximity to begin with.

I loved this. How hard both of them fight their feelings, how hard Eli falls, and Rue’s process of deciding how she feels about Eli.

As always, this has the author’s trademark STEM angle, which was so enjoyable to read. I loved all of the characters (well, except one) and even felt this could set up for another couple.

Really, this has everything! Tension, drama, the best spice, our MMC caring for the FMC, and the best feminist energy. Not to mention, I really like Ali’s writing style here.

Utterly readable, I can see myself rereading when I want a quick and heartfelt romance. With Tiny the dog thrown in, this was simply irresistible.

All my stars, my highest recommendation— this is a must read!

I’m a massive Ali Hazelwood fan and this did not disappoint! This one is definitely up there in my top 3 Ali Hazelwood titles now and it’s exactly what I’ve wanted from her—it’s a bit heavier and more angsty than her past works. And it’s also dual POV which was a delightful surprise. Ali Hazelwood continues to prove herself as a romance writing powerhouse and I’m so glad to be able to be along for the ride and reading her works.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have become one of those readers who sees that Ali Hazelwood wrote something and that I am going to read it. I have had a somewhat unconventional journey with her books as I started with her Y.A. after winning an ARC and then went from that to her paranormal romance and then finally read her debut earlier this year. However, I think that this helped me enjoy her works more because I'm not sure that I would have continued reading if I had started with her debut, but enough about me.

Not in Love was a quick and fun read. I loved both of the main characters, partially because Eli is like a giant puppy and Rue reminds me of me. I was invested in their romance, but I will say that this has more sex scenes than any of her other works that I have read. I don't know about the ones I haven't yet, but this one is a bit heavy on the sex scenes, probably because of the nature of their relationship from the very beginning. As a side note, because I have seen it asked, when it says that it is a secret affair it is from colleagues, not spouses or significant others. This is not a cheating romance. It is a fun romance, with a few heavier topics dashed in, but not spoken about at such a length as to be a downer on the mood.

Overall, I think fans of Hazelwood's other books will be happy with this installment. If you haven't read any of her other books, read this if you like: women in STEM, golden retriever men (but he can also be a bit domineering), he fell first, and sort of secret work romances.

I would truly read this woman’s grocery list and ask for more. Going into Not in Love I had expected it to be a bit darker than previous stories and I am glad that I was aware of that. It’s not as if it was a horrifying tragic read or anything, but tonally it felt different. I loved Rue and Eli and I loved their relationship, especially in this world we live in their story felt incredibly authentic. I liked watching Rue figure out how she felt and I loved how patient Eli was. The dual POV was god-tier (one of my favourite things in a book). One of the best parts about Rue for me was that she kept her world small and was comfortable in her own skin. I also love the way the story was told. I felt even with Eli’s POV I took me some time to warm up to him and trust his intentions, and I really do love being won over.
Overall this was as good as anything else she’s written, and definitely spicier than usual 🔥

I am a HUGE Ali Hazelwood fan. Almost all of her stories I've given 5 stars and the couple I haven't were close 4 stars. The level of explicit content in this book was a huge disappointment. I usually skip the few spicy scenes, but this book was not a contemporary romance. The plot revolved around erotic connection and was not something I was interested in reading. I look forward to reading her STEM and YA books again instead.

Reading and listening to this book, I was immediately captivated by the protagonist's unwavering determination to pursue his goals, no matter the cost. I found myself engrossed in the author's skillful crafting of adrenaline-pumping action sequences that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

While thoroughly enjoying the audio version of the book, I couldn't help but feel that at times, the steamy elements overshadowed the intricate storyline. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a dash of romance woven into the plot, but there were moments where it threatened to distract from the main narrative thread.

Nevertheless, the sheer audacity of the protagonist's actions and the riveting plot twists more than made up for any minor shortcomings. Overall, this book is a thrilling read that left me pondering the lengths one will go to in pursuit of their desires.

Tropes;
- guy falls first
- rivals to lovers w/benefits?
- reverse grumpy x sunshine
- first/third pov narrative
- dual pov

I have to say Not In Love might be my least favourite Ali Hazelwood book so far. I didn’t quite love it but I didn’t dislike it either.

I just didn’t quite connect with this story or characters as much as I did with Ali’s other books.

It saddens me to report that Not in Love was not my favorite read 🙁 The biggest issue I had with this book were the main characters. I found it hard to relate with Rue. She was a little too prickly for me. I found myself getting frustrated with her, especially when she was developing feelings for Eli. As for Eli, I found him a little lacking...especially compared to Hazelwood's other book boyfriends. Over time, Eli's POV chapters didn't really add much to the storyline....they were basically just him simping over Rue. The instalove was a little too much for me. I did find some inconsistencies with the story. For example, in one scene, Eli drops Rue's hand....but moments later, he was still holding her hand. There also was a chapter where the weather was described differently within a few pages of each other. I hope these scenes get tightened up before the release date. I did like the plot of the story! Hazelwood's STEM world was just as strong as ever. I was a little disappointed with the ending. I wanted more justice for everyone. I thought Rue and Eli's secret sharing was cute. I also found the callback to Nolan and Mallory from Check & Mate fun! I was surprised by how smutty this book was. I think this story borders the line of heavy romance and erotica. I always enjoy Hazelwood's steamy scenes; however, this book was a lot. Although I didn't click with this book, I will still be eagerly awaiting Hazelwood's next novel. Thank you to Berkley for the ARC.

another ali hazelwood miss for me 😭😭😭 I’m either all in or all out for her novels, and for this one, it left me with a feeling of “oh that’s it?” 🫠

before the story even starts, ali does point out that it’s more of a hate sex erotica rather than a romance, which is not usually my groove, but her characters are so quirky and lovable I was in for it anyway! however, there was absolutely nothing lovable about rue and mr. killgore I’m sad to say

I’m just not a fan of the trope where the characters pretend not to care for each other because it’s “easier” or “they don’t do relationships” - and maybe this is touching on my own personal relationship trauma a bit 😅 BUT I’m all for honesty in relationships and when you’re holding something back, it’s just unfair to both parties involved

and other than good spicy scenes, I didn’t see the connection between rue and eli at all 🙃 and while the majority of that blame is on rue being introverted and anti-social solely based on the fact that she hates people, it still takes two to tango!!! and rue was a limp noodle dance partner!!!!

in romance, I do crave that solid foundation between the two MCs while creating a likable storyline surrounding the side characters and environment - and this one threw all of that out the window 😅 if you’re in it for the science and spice, I’d say it’s worth it - but otherwise, pick up another one of ali’s books instead…

thank you to berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: columbia valley chardonnay

This one definitely had a different feel than Ali’s other books. It had a more serious tone to it, but still captured some of the dry humor. I found the setting of science/business really intriguing, and i enjoyed their relationship development!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

"Out of all the people I've met, the things I've wanted, the places I've been, none has ever felt as necessary as you do. Because I love you."

I'm so sad to say that this is my first Ali Hazelwood disappointment. It had potential but I just wasn't feeling the execution. But I still love her writing, so I'm still pretty invested in the story and the characters, for the most part, so I'm not gonna let this put me off her books when I've really loved all the others.

There were two pretty big storylines, one personal and one professional, and for these characters, I thought it was too much. It would have been better to focus more on one of these storylines and really flush it out.

The two main characters weren't the best for me. For Eli, it seemed he was only about their physical relationship for quite a long time, so the inevitable declaration just felt out of place and too soon considering they never did anything together but fuck. For real. From the moment they met, I don't think he had one interaction with her where he wasn't pining to fuck her, and it just gave me the ick.

And Rue was very robotic. I like the type of character Ali was going for but I don't think it translated on the screen as well as it could have. She didn't show a lot of emotion, even in her POV chapters, so that also lead to the relationship just feeling very weird.

So definitely disappointed, but I'll forever belong to the Ali Hazelwood club.

I don’t think there will ever be a book that Ali Hazelwood writes that I won’t read. Even when she deviates from the STEM-focused, enemies to lovers books she’s known for because she will captivate me each and every time.

Considering her last three romance book releases were 5+ stars for me, I had super high expectations for this book, (which is why it was one of my most anticipated romance books of 2024) especially when she shared a note to readers saying that this was a book different from any other she’d written, must more steamy and an erotic romance at that.

Um…if that little tidbit was supposed to be a warning, it only made me want to snatch this book up that much faster.

While I agree that Not in Love is a bit different from her other books, I still found myself consumed and enjoying it while at the same time thinking that all of her fans might not but isn’t that what a great author does? Push their writing, push their readers and give us unique and amazing stories?

For those who don’t like spicy books, buckle up because when you first meet Rue and Eli, they have connected via a dating app and agreed to meet up for some f-cking. Plain and simple. A mere transaction where both bodies are shared for each other’s pleasure. Nothing more.
And yet their simple meeting doesn’t go as plan, setting up not only this intense and immediate attraction that becomes unfulfilled, but also a storyline that exposes two people dealing with some shit and I LIKED that so much.

So yes, this is an erotic romance in that Rue and Eli, though on opposite sides of a corporate takeover, cannot deny their attraction and end up getting together to f-ck on multiple occasions. And it’s these continued physical encounters that are the basis of their eventual emotional connection and relationship.

But I think describing this book as an erotic romance might give a wrong impression. Yes, it fits the definition of this type of romance and yet how Hazelwood approached and described their meetups made it less about tantalizing f-cking and more about two “regular” people who like the act versus two people who have any unusual kinks or other taboo interests that would make this book more spicy than it really is.

It's more about exploring how Rue felt most comfortable keeping it a simple body transaction versus actually exposing her true self. And yet at the same time, while they would hookup they also started this habit of sharing the most personal, “horrible” as they described them stories about themselves that laid them bare to the other person. This was my absolute favorite part of this book.

This personal sharing is what set the foundation of their trust, acceptance, and love for each other when regular dating was completely skipped over. Brilliant.

Usually it is Hazelwood’s heroines that captivate me but Eli stole the show in this one. Oh, how I loved this man and probably did so because this book was told from dual POV so it was easy to get in his head and really see how special this man truly was.

He saw this woman, social awkwardness and all, and had no interest in changing her. He was a man who fell first and HARD and just worked his way into her heart, slowly but surely, as he knew he was dealing with a woman who could easily bolt.

Rue was definitely a unique heroine, possibly neurodivergent (not that she needs a label) with a unique backstory. Though I found it hard to connect with her, I loved the moments when she would push past her hesitations.

This is truly a story about how these two strangers fall hard and fast despite the unfortunate work situation they are in. Their friends are involved but they paled in the background for me. Though Rue’s work is STEM-focused, it wasn’t a huge part of the story but did give an interesting angle to the company and storyline that connected them.

So while this book didn’t blow me away like Bride or Check & Mate (though I loved the quick nod to this book), two other books that also deviate from her signature, STEM and female-focused romance books, I enjoyed it all the same and highly recommend it.

Hazelwood is just one of those authors that is an auto-read because her craft just keeps getting better and better. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!

P.S. Can we also just sit in amazement of this cover. Stunning!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.