This book manages to be a kick-your-feet rom-com while also sustaining a substantial dose of science and drama, all coming together for a heck of a book.

Unfortunately, I too, was Not in Love with this book.

If you enjoy Ali's spicy scenes you'd probably enjoy this. He basically has a magical peen that cures her apathy? distaste? for penetrative sex and that's basically the whole novel. He's down bad from page one and she's falls in love slowly after some pretty impressive wand work. The rest of the book is pretty much background noise. Her back story really did not make any sense at all and I wasn't quite satisfied with the conclusion plot-wise of the book.

Nonetheless I will continue to read every single thing Ali writes. Til the next one!

Rue Siebert's stable world is upended by a hostile takeover led by the alluring yet off-limits Eli Killgore, starting a secret and temporary romance with an expiration date tied to their competing companies. Rue and Eli navigate the challenges of the collide of their professional and personal worlds.

Not in Love is unlike any of Ali Hazelwood's previous books. I absolutely loved the dual POV, which worked exceptionally well. The angst and forbidden romance added a thrilling dynamic, and the pining between Rue and Eli was captivating. Despite their differences, it made perfect sense for them to be together. I appreciated the mystery surrounding Eli's role and the unpredictable ending. Both the romance and the plot kept me engaged throughout the story. This is definitely Ali's steamiest book yet and truly deserves all the stars!

I'm so glad there was an author's note on this one because it's definitely not what I would think of as an Ali book! That being said, I think this is one of her best written books and I really enjoyed the read, even if it was heavier than I was anticipating. Eli and Rue both had such rich backstories and histories and their HEA felt really earned. This is a standout!

This book had a little bit different tone than Ali’s usual books, but that does not mean it was bad. I enjoyed the story. It kept me engaged throughout and I flew through this read in two days. There were some moments in the book I could not believe that this would be published through Berkeley! All of this to say is that this is probably my second least favorite Ali book. That however, does not mean that this book is bad! Ali has masterpieces and this is just adding to her list.

Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood
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Rue is a scientist working at a company with her friends. Eli is a finance guy who’s group wants to takeover the company Rue works at. They are meant to be enemies and yet they wind up as secret lovers.
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What I liked:
-Both Rue and Eli had a lot of back story that helped explain what was motivating their choices. I loved gradually learning each of their stories.
-I loved Eli and his sister and the way they interacted. I also loved how Eli’s friend group was a found family.
-Rue and her bestie getting roasted by the lawyer little sister was hilarious. 😂
-This was a four star book for me all the way through until the last 15% of the book where things got very emotional and all the most meaningful conversations happened. Then I had to give it 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
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I will say that this isn’t my favorite Hazelwood book to date. That would be either Love Hypothesis, Check and Mate or Bride.

I received a complimentary advanced copy of NOT IN LOVE by Ali Hazelwood. Thank you to PRH Audio for the chance to provide an honest review.

NOT IN LOVE follows Rue and Eli. Rue is a biotech engineer working for a woman she admires along with her best friend. She is happy with her life as it is and isn't looking for a relationship. She prefers an occasional hook-up with a man she will never see again. Eli is one of these men, but their evening is interrupted. She still figures she'll never see him again until it turns out he is one of the business partners looking to take over the company where she works. Eli has reasons for targeting this particular business, but with Rue caught in the crossfire, things get complicated.

I think this book felt very different from the Ali Hazelwood books that I have previously read. It felt like there was a lot more sex and a lot less science compared to her previous women in STEM stories. The book does start off with the main characters connected through a desire for a sexual relationship, so that does wind up understandably taking up much of the page time. That said, I did enjoy the business maneuverings and the way things got complicated on that end.

I did really enjoy the friendships in here and the way people supported their found family. There were some twists to that which were somewhat expected, but for the most part I think it showed healthy friendships and people willing to open and change their minds.

I’m not sure how I want to rate this. On one hand I appreciate that Ali Hazelwood dipped her toes into a bit more new adult instead of formulaic rom-com. On the other hand this was my least favorite of her books. My biggest problem with the book was the character building & relationship building. When NA authors write characters who are flawed from past trauma their characters behaviors, words, actions etc, usually seem to flow and connect back to that trauma and makes the reader feel something for the characters. These characters, Rue & Eli, their backstories and trauma didn’t connect to the majority of their characterizations. There seemed to be a lack of connection & depth between who the characters were and why, if that makes sense. And because of that I think it was hard for me to feel any connection to these characters or the story, and so where the “spicy” scenes were supposed to be a plot device to move the characters forward, they were just eh, there. I do love the cover of this and the writing itself was wonderfully classic Ali Hazelwood.

I enjoy a good STEM meet-cute novel. This time we meet a food scientist, Rue, who is living a content life until a hostile takeover of the company she works for. Of course, one of the evil partners in the takeover is caught under Rue's spell making things more difficult. Can we say forbidden love theme? I was all in- Ali Hazelwood always puts out a fun read.

Rue works at Kline with her friends, Tisha and Florence, who is also her boss. Then, Harkness walks in to take the company over. And with them, Eli, the handsome man she met for a hookup that never happened last night... He's the enemy, but she can't seem to keep away from him despite feeling ashamed that she is betraying her friend... and he is completely head over heels for her.
This is a STEM, enemies to lovers, he falls first romance. Eli was OK. I found it disappointing that it seemed that most of what he wanted from her was sex. Rue, I found a bit annoying, but not enough to dislike her. Were they cute together? Sadly, I didn't feel the connection. Despite all of the spicy scenes (many of them, and lengthy ones), I just couldn't feel the tension between the two MMCs. I couldn't feel the emotional attachment. This romance fell a bit short for me. It was more of an emotional read the her other romances, packed up with childhood trauma. I didn't dislike it, but jt was not as amazing as we are used to from her. Maybe take a little more time writing the next one? I don't mind waiting. It was still an entertaining read, and it was a bit different than what she usually does (for once, the MMC is not a giant and the FMC is not tiny).
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I mean it’s Ali Hazelwood so I knew I would love it! This book is a lot spicier and angsty than any of her previous books, but as always we have two damaged and flawed characters with incredible chemistry navigating the world of STEM.
Although I have not lived the experiences these characters went through, they felt very real and dealt with the care they deserve.
I love Ali and I would read her grocery list, and this book wasn’t an exception.

🔬𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 • 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘🔬

𝚀𝙾𝚃𝙳 : 𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗-𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍-𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚜?

☆ ☆ ☆ .75

Let me start by saying that on the very first page oh this book, there is a warning to let us know that this might be more of an erotica novel than a romance like we’re used to see from Ali Hazelwood. I was particularly glad to have this warning, as I adapted my expectations, allowing me to give a better review than I would have originally. As you may know, I am not an avid smut reader. Going into the book with a warning and an open mind allowed me to really enjoy the plot line.

The story follows Rue, an engineer who works in a lab developing technologies, and Eli, one of the business parters who recently purchased her company’s loan. The two of them meet through a dating app for casual sex with the intention of never seeing each other again. The very next day, they are forced to figure out who they are to one another, making them professional rivals. They both are going through coping mechanisms and trauma responses, as they are navigating their undeniable chemistry and attraction to one another.

I genuinely enjoyed the plot of this book, as well as how deep the characters dived into their personal issues, sharing among themselves and with the readers stories about their pasts. The smut seemed to serve a purpose to the story and explain the characters’ behaviours and patterns. There might have been a bit too much smut for me, but that would not stop me from recommending this book. I loved the character development side of it, and I adored Ali Hazelwood’s side characters such as Eli’s sister and friends. This book had me hooked from the start and I couldn’t put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the business side of the plot, untangling the secrets of Kline as I read. I was extremely curious to see how Rue would get ou of this mess. To me, this is a solid 3.75 stars book, as it’s not my favourite by Ali Hazelwood, but it’s definitely a fun read.

I was thrilled to read Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood. I'm such a fan of hers and I truly love most of her books. I liked this one, but I was waiting to fall in love with it. And that never happened. I not only found it hard to connect to the characters, but I didn't feel a connection that wasn't sexual with them until the end of the book. I did like the grand gesture from the hero and this could very much be a 'me' thing, but this one was just okay for me.

4.5 stars

I’m normally not a fan of instalust/love, but oddly it worked for me in Not in Love. I mainly think that was because our MMC Eli was absolutely feral for our FMC Rue right from the start and wanted alllllll the strings and more with her. The sexual tension was off the charts and I’m pretty sure this is Ali Hazelwood’s steamiest book to date! Yes, I wanted our characters to be more honest about their feelings with each other, but I could understand why Rue found it more comfortable to hide behind sex and Eli was willing to go along. The push and pull between them was angsty, but not as bad as I was expecting. Ali Hazelwood’s trademark banter and humor balanced the more serious moments well (please see CW’s) and I laughed out loud several times while I listened. The “villain” reveal wasn’t a big surprise and it felt a bit anticlimactic after so much build up. I also thought that plot point wrapped up very quickly and too conveniently, leaving me not fully satisfied with that aspect of the story. The ending was so perfect for our characters though and had me smiling ear to ear when I finished.

I mainly listened to this one on audio and I could not have asked for a better narrating duo. Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke are two of my absolute favorites and they were perfectly cast as Rue and Eli. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rue was always voiced by Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke was always Eli. So while the book isn’t fully a duet narration, it comes pretty darn close! Jason Clarke was especially delicious *bites fist* Do not miss this one on audio!!

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5+++ stars
Story 4.5 stars

CW: death of parents (past), parental abandonment (past), complicated relationship with siblings, food insecurity (past) and food anxiety, intellectual property theft

*I voluntarily listened to and read an advance review copy of this book*

3.5 stars - Same writing/voice I love, but not my favorite trope combo. I'm pretty over any contemporary where it's "sex into more" because I just think it's kind of overdone. I did enjoy getting a MMC POV, though not sure I loved these 2 characters together. Overall, not my fav from this author, but still enjoyable & I think many folks will appreciate her mixing things up

Not in Love is a grittier, more erotic Ali Hazelwood story that I absolutely loved. Not only were the characters more nuanced, but they had backstories that were messier than her lighthearted romcoms—and I welcome the change. Rue and Eli had a magnetism that electrified me as a reader. Rue’s adherence to her personal boundaries proved to be a challenge for Eli but his steadfastness was worth it in the end. I loved the workplace mystery. The way both their stories were woven together and the idea that trust in your partner can be the biggest challenge of all.

Hazelwood has done it again. This is one of her best, I appreciated the communication between the two main characters, and the book was bingeworthy. Can't get enough of this woman's work - she puts narcotics into all of her books.

Many thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the gifted digital and audiobook copies of Ali’s boundary-pushing new book. Below is my honest review.

Rue's life and identity are tied up in her job as a food science engineer at Kline, a startup biotech firm. Her research is her passion; her best friend works at Kline, and its founder, Francis, is her mentor. She has never felt the pull toward romantic relationships. Hookups only and never for more than one night. There's an app for that. When her app-based hookup with a stranger named Eli is interrupted, Rue has difficulty putting him out of her head - particularly when he shows up at Kline the next day as part of a private equity firm intent on taking over the company. Eli gets what he wants, and his reasons for wanting Kline run deep. Eli and Rue are intense rivals on opposite sides of a hostile takeover, but they can't deny an electric chemistry to which they ultimately surrender. Sex only. No strings. The liberty they find in their non-relationship allows them to share long-hidden truths, and they struggle with their firmly-held beliefs about life, love, and friendship.

I love that Ali has been pushing boundaries and genres in her writing. Before jumping into this one, please read the author's note, as it is NOT a rom-com. It is a story about two complex, driven people who have been hurt by those who were supposed to support them, have deep-seated trust issues, and struggle with emotional intimacy - all within the backdrop of corporate drama. I truly loved Rue & Eli and the found family they surrounded themselves with. They are messy, raw characters. If you are firmly in the closed-door/PG-13 reading space, this may not be for you, but if you've been thinking, "I've been looking for patent law and intellectual property erotica," this is the ticket!

There is a compelling storyline about Rue’s food preservation research and how her passion for it was driven by food insecurity when she was growing up. I found this a compelling part of the story that gave depth to her character and made many of the ways she operated in life, career, and relationships make sense. Similarly, Eli’s early adult trauma and financial insecurities gave readers a deeper understanding of his feelings of betrayal and drive for success & revenge. I loved that Ali took the time to provide these characters with complex back stories that made their unique behaviors believable.

The audiobook version of this novel is a duet, featuring the expert narration of Callie Dalton (The Love Hypothesis) and Jason Clarke (Hopeless). Their performances are truly mesmerizing, elevating the book to a whole new level.

Listen the only thing I ever needed to know about Eli is that he played college hockey in Minnesota!!!

But really this was fantastic! The vibe is different than Ali’s other books, it is SPICY, she herself has said while her other books are at least romcom adjacent this is more erotic romance with lots angst and BOY WAS SHE RIGHT. And I loved every single second because while it was so much spice, but it was also so emotionally vulnerable and written so well.

Both Eli and Rue have trauma and while their childhoods were similar they still grew up and ended up differently. And so much of this was them sharing that, finally feeling seen by someone who just might get it, ignoring so many things, and honestly just doing it all of the time because of LUST. But the two of them together WERE SO SOFT. You have to look a little deeper than surface level!! And I did love them so so much!! Eli was borderline *obsessed* with Rue, but it was also so gentle and caring with her and she needed that. And she had a hard time in social situations and new people but there was something about Eli that felt so safe for her.

And the whole story with Florence and the company and Eli’s company coming in and doing what they were doing - it was SO MESSY. And it was honestly a wild ride! Ali wrote it SO WELL and I was honestly surprised by it the entire time!

Thank you to Berkley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

When Ali mentioned that this book would lean more erotica than her previous books, she wasn’t playing around. But for these characters, it worked and made sense. Ali managed to write a 4-5🌶️ romance with a fantastic story and incredible depth. I laughed out loud, and teared up throughout this book. While it’s probably not my favorite of hers, it was still fantastic.