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.

When the company Rue works for is being bought out, she's determined to help the CEO (her close friend and mentor) figure out a way to stop the buyout. But when one of the auditors ends up being the one night stand, she can't stop thinking about, Rue must figure out how to balance what her heart wants and what her brain says she should want.

My annual Ali Hazelwood romance! I don't care what anyone says, I love her mixture of brainy women and romance. It's *chefs kiss*. It's not a secret that I adore her books. As a woman in tech myself, I love getting to read about intelligent women living their lives and killing it in their careers. Rue is a typical Hazelwood FMC and while she's less quirky than others, I think she's one of my favorites. Shy and closed off around people she doesn't know, Rue is probably one of Hazelwood's most realistic leads. I loved her introverted self and how fiercely she loved her 'people'. On the opposite spectrum Eli, was great too and I just loved them together.

Compared to her other books a few things stood out to me the most. 1. Not in Love has a more serious vibe to it and dives deeper into character's difficulties than some of her previous stories, which gave the characters a bit more depth. 2. Love, Theoretically at times was bogged down by the sheer number of scientific terms, which detracted from the romance aspect. We don't have that problem with Not in Love, and I actually found that it didn't focus on the science aspect much at all. 3. This is the spiciest of Hazelwood's books so by far! Be prepared for plenty of open-door romance.

Perfect for fans of the Forbidden Romance trope, Not in Love will be a great vacation read all summer long! Can't wait to get my hands on the next Ali Hazelwood book!

Not in Love comes out June 11, 2024. Thank you to Berkley for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting:
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Spoiler free ARC review

I have never been more excited to sit down to type a review. Truly, I couldn’t sleep this morning because I was far too excited to wake up and get to typing this. Not in Love is simply unputdownable. It’s very different from Ali’s previous work, and that’s what I love about it. I’m a die hard Ali stan who honestly listens to at least one of her novellas at minimum once a week, and she is my most reread author of all time. Her books are a part of me in ways I cannot describe, and that’s because every book finds a way to make me feel seen, less alone, and like it might just not be me out here struggling as a neurospicy girl in an ever darkening world. Not in Love takes that feeling one step further in my humble opinion, and in the best way.

Before I dig deep (spoiler free of course) I must say please read her letter to readers in the beginning of the book before reading it, and read the trigger warnings. There is an overall theme of honesty around mental health as usual with her books of course. But, most importantly please be aware of the topics of food insecurity, grief, and child neglect that are large themes throughout. This book explores how they affect us in a lifelong myriad of ways even when we no longer are in a place of food insecurity/grief/neglect. It’s raw, honest, and open. As someone who this spoke to, I’m glad I knew what to expect going into it, and I felt that her letter to the reader was equally as honest, and set my expectations accordingly (especially about how this book differs from her normal rom com).

Now to the book! What did I love? What didn’t I love honestly, that’s the real question. This book feels like a love letter to every neurospicy reader alive. It spoke to me personally LOUDLY, and lovingly. I am of the belief that it is in the messy parts of life, and in ourselves, that we find our most secret authentic selves tucked away. It’s about nurturing those people within us that we can often not show to others. To me, Not in Love is about truly being found smack dab in the thick of the mess, and being loved for exactly who we are, jagged edges and all. It’s about being seen, and seeing, it’s about those secret selves that truly need the light of love shone on them most of all being blasted with sunlight. It’s beautiful, full of hope, and a reminder that we all deserve to be loved for our many facets, even if they aren’t perfect, even if they often aren’t.

In this dual POV we have Dr Rue Siebert, a black cat disguised as a Biotech/Biofuels engineer. I don’t want to give too much away about her character because it’s unfolding is flawlessly paced and because I’m keeping it spoiler free. But I will say her character is unlike any Ali has given us before, and I think it will speak to a larger reader group who isn’t your stereotypical sunshine FMC. She’s complex, quiet, introspective and serious. She’s not quite sure where she fits in socially, has experienced a lot in her life, and is incredibly determined to make the world a better place even if she doesn’t realize it. She driven, and real, and feels tangible in her complexity. For me she was instantly root-for-able, and relatable even though I’d fall in the golden retriever personality category. When Rue meets our MMC Eli, it changes the course of both of their lives entirely, and that’s an understatement.

Our MMC Eli is equally root-for-able, and very different from our typical MMCs from Ali. I absolutely LOVE that we get equal parts of his POV because it ended up being my favorite of the two. His POV gives SO much insight, depth and tension to the plot, and to the overall arc of both characters. And the tension? THE TENSION you guys, it is MUSCLE SNAPPING. Were you irrevocably changed by that hand flexing scene in Pride and Prejudice? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU BESTIE. In fact the tension of it all was one of my favorite parts. There was the perfect amount of build up, and of plot progression to learn the characters deeply. I felt like we were able to dig deep into them and have them feel fully realized. I read non stop for 12 hours, my eyes felt like they might bleed, but there was no way in hell I was stopping because it would have been physically impossible for me to not know what awaited me on the next page. It was thrilling!

The spice is SPICING y’all, Ali herself states that this falls more onto the “less of a rom com more an erotic romance” category and I couldn’t agree more. Don’t get me wrong it’s still got that Ali wit, charm and comedic timing we love so much, but she’s also giving us a lot of on page spice. I loved the overall tone switch here, and I would love to see more books from her that are in this genre because her magic blend of characters truly getting to know each other mixed with spicy spice just hits for me. She also gives us more sexuality/sexual preference rep we haven’t seen in her books before, and I know it will speak to people who identify with these specific sexualities/sexual preferences. I love that each book from her gives us a different perspective in that regard. We get to really understand each main character in many intimate ways, and it really informs their relationship progression. Again, here is where the dual POV was fantastic because it gave so much gravity to the overall plot, and the emotional and physical intimacy throughout. Let me make it clear we aren’t getting all spice no plot here, it’s a perfect balance of both, and I think the two really inform each other well. It’s multifaceted and rich, and I could go on forever.

I truly have no idea how to sum it up other than say with my full chest that this is her best work to date. It’s honest, it’s full of heart, it’s about healing and hope when you need it most. It’s flawlessly paced and plotted and feels realistic, and relatable. She also as usual gives us deeper insight into STEM dynamics, and the difficult experiences students and STEM professionals can have. As a former STEM student that plot paired with the books intrinsic humanity made it reach right into my chest and make its home there. I feel absolutely honored to have been able to ARC read it because it will truly live in my heart tucked away and loved forevermore. I absolutely cannot wait to reread this with audio, which I see also has dual narration. All the stars, ALL OF THEM to Ali, thank you so much for another book that reminds me why I am a reader.

Thank you so much Berkley, PRH and Ali Hazelwood for yet another ARC I feel unworthy of. You all deserve free puppies for this

Ali Hazelwood is an auto-author for me. Her books make me happy with ooey-gooey heart-eye feelings. NOT IN LOVE was Hazelwood's naughty, rebellious sister and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I preferred this moody, complex and serious story over her others! One main reason why I keep going back to Ali's stories is the attention on individual narratives with a side of love and NOT IN LOVE took that a step further. This is not an ooey-gooey love story, in fact, I would be so bold as to say that it's not about love at all. Rather, it's a complicated "I knew you were trouble when you walked in" sticky web of feelings with a healthy amount of spice, spice, spice. I appreciated the focus on strong, i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t women in science engineering, and would have been happy if that was the whole story!

Overall, a really enjoyable story with complex, but relatable characters, funny laugh out loud moments that balanced out the serious ones, and plenty of heat to satisfy.

For those who read the special edition of The Love Hypothesis or Loathe to Love You and wondered why Ali Hazelwood doesn’t write in dual POV more often, your prayers have been answered. Her latest, Not In Love, is classic Ali Hazelwood - sweet cinnamon roll MMC, women in STEM, corporate and academia hijinks - but now in glorious dual POV.

I love a dual POV, if you couldn’t tell.

The story follows Rue Siebert, a food scientist working for a biotech firm that is at risk of being bought out by a venture capitalist firm run by four business partners, one of whom is Eli Killgore, the man she met on a dating app and very nearly hooked up with. Despite being on opposite sides of the acquisition, Rue and Eli feel so drawn to each other that they start having an affair in secret.

This means that yes, Not In Love is by far the steamiest of Hazelwood’s books so far, with the spicier moments full of the kind of intimate partner communication that I love to see in my romance novels, and which have always stood out to me about her writing.

As for the rest of the plot, I always enjoy a good corporate/academia drama, and romance aside, this sort of drama is Hazelwood’s bread and butter, touching on a niche reality of life that I don’t see in this genre too often. Even if the beats feel a bit familiar, they’re no less interesting, as romance to me is always about the why and the how, and less about the what. In that case, Not In Love satisfies on those fronts. Of all of Hazelwood’s work, despite the STEM setting (and all the steam) this one, to me, felt the most like her Young Adult debut Check & Mate in the way it combined rivalry, romance, and heavier topics surrounding the leads home lives.

All this to say, Not In Love is a perfect next addition to the Ali-verse: just different enough to feel fresh, while remaining familiar enough to feel cozy.

Not In Love hits shelves on June 11. Special thank you to Berkley for the advance copy for review purposes.

I love Ali Hazelwood - this one was not my favorite of hers but it was still very good! If you're new to Ali Hazelwood start with the STEMinist novellas!!