I love Ali Hazelwood, so it was a no-brainer that I would leap at the chance to read an early copy through NetGalley.

This book was a stem-romance with a healthy touch of mystery and intrigue. Turns out, I like a little mystery with my romance! Rue's backstory with poverty and food insecurity gave her character depth from her scientific drive to her "quirky" habits, which makes it even more upsetting when Eli's business partners want to take over the company she works for. To make it even more uncomfortable, the night before Rue and Eli had a one night stand through a dating app, and now they have to see each other all the time.

You've got forbidden romance, enemies to lovers. LOTS of spice, science, mystery, and tons of dry humor (omg Rue is the best!). I wholeheartedly recommend.

What was supposed to be a one-night stand—but appears to have the potential for more—turns into an unexpected workplace romance in Ali Hazelwood’s Not in Love.

Rue Siebert is dedicated to her biotech engineering job and to her mentor, the the head of Kline, her employer. It may not be the fullest life, but she has her science, a few friends, and her plants. And whenever she feels the need for additional outlets, she uses apps to seek out one-time only hookups.

And that’s just fine—really, it is—until one of the men with whom she matches shows up at her work as one of the business partners at a firm that wants to take over Kline and to dethrone Rue’s beloved mentor.

Eli wants Kline and its tech, but he also wants Rue. He feels a connection with her, and he wants more. He’s not just attracted to her; he likes her and wants to get to know her.

At a glance:
- Dual POV
- Women in STEM
- Found/chosen family
- Forbidden romance
- Higher heat / more open-door love scenes than previous Hazelwood novels
- Building a physical connection before opening up to more of an emotional one
- Both MCs with baggage they need to work through

My enjoyment of the book grew as Rue and Eli spent more and more time together. I especially loved the last third of the book.

Fair warning: this feels emotionally heavier than Hazelwood’s previous works. I highlighted multiple passages of dialogue and snippets of the characters’ internal monologues that ripped my heart wide open.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I’ve definitely griped about this before, but it really gets me when a book cover and description do not match up to the story content inside. I’ve enjoyed Ali H books in the past - they’ve all been romance or ya romance and overall have had a romcom type vibe. The description of this one and cover art? Very much in line with her others. The actual content? Not so much.

I get a sinking feeling as soon as I saw the authors note just before chapter one, but by that point it’s too late. I’d already committed to the book. Don’t get me wrong I very much appreciate and encourage authors notes and content warnings. However, I would have appreciated that the cover and blurb gave me an inkling to so I’d have known this one was not for me.

In case it wasn’t clear, this story was not one for me. Not my cup of tea at all. I had some issue with some of the content warning items that existed in the story. I’m not one for insta-lust and honestly this one had too much spice and not enough plot. I was disappointed.

Again while not my cup of tea, I’ve heard from many that they really liked it or loved it. So for fans of the author, those who prefer a bit more spice and/or darker tones to their romance this might be the book for you.

loved this book! Hazelwood's foray into the supernatural aside, I've been pretty middling on her contemporary romances. This one verges more into erotica, as her author's note says, and I'm excited about her growth and change over these last few years. I think this is a strong story and represents a slight change in direction for her work.

I do think that complaints of no plot in Hazelwood's books are exaggerated, she does write plot. I think criticism of her heroines as being all Mary Sue-ish orphans is valid, but I think this book and her more recent work is a good response to that. Hazelwood's books are profoundly about trauma, abandonment, and growing trust. I think a lot of the criticism re: the plots is that they can be a bit predictable, but I think it doesn't effect the quality of the reading experience. I don't need everything to be a twist, I want to be able to try to follow along and get the picture, especially if I'm invested in the characters.

Rue is maybe my favorite FMC she's written so far, and Eli my favorite MMC. They're both profoundly emotionally damaged, with similar tragic stories, but they have both built lives for themselves. I thought their journey together was very reflective of where they both are, and I really liked the dual POV.

In general, this worked very well for me. I think the prevailing desire to hate popular things might prevent some readers from picking this book up, but I do think it's her best yet.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. Sometimes with authors, I find myself saying "the first book was my favorite" much like I love the first albums of my favorite bands best. Ali is an exception; Love, Theoretically dethroned The Love Hypothesis as my number 1. Then Check & Mate pushed LT out of the way. Then Bride knocked my socks off. Well, meet my new new favorite Not in Love.

✔️ One Night Stand (almost)
✔️ Insta Lust
✔️ Workplace
✔️ Black Cat/Golden Retriever

If you are an Ali fan, there are still lots of her hallmarks here. The banter is still hilarious; the themes of found family and loyalty and trust are on point and on full display; the steam and spice and dirty talk were perfection.

However, this is also a pretty different book in that we know the MMC's POV! And it's not written in first person! There were also lots of pretty serious trauma that the FMC went through and is dealing with so this felt like the most emotionally heavy of Ali's books.

The emotional journey was tremendous and I loved the slow burn woo and watching Eli work so hard to win Rue over and how he clearly prioritized her comfort and happiness from the start. He is kind of the embodiment of why I gravitate towards cinnamon rolls - he takes care of her with such care (I know that is a weird sentence but it is true!!).

I loved it, am still thinking about, and kind of want to read it all over again. 5⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

Not In Love is a very different vibe of book from Ali Hazelwood’s previous works. While she did an amazing job with it, it was missing a little bit of the signature Ali ~sparkle~ for me.

Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed the book! I think this was one of the strongest plots that she’s written so far. What I think struck me as a bit odd was the shift in the writing between Rue’s POV chapters and Eli’s POV chapters. Rue was written in first person, while Eli was written in third. It made for a bit of a weird reading experience, and also made the transition between POVs a little clunky. Now of course I read an ARC, not the finished copy, so there’s no guarantee that this stayed true to the end of the publication journey, but it seems unlikely that so much of the book would change between ARC distribution and final pass pages.

Now onto the things I did enjoy! I loved Rue and Eli’s sense of humor. Their banter was great, especially once Rue gets more comfortable. I also appreciate how Eli accepted Rue’s (imo autistic coded) personality for exactly who she is. She was one of the most distinct FMCs that Ali has written, and I really enjoyed reading her inner thoughts and watching her process things.

While this isn’t my favorite AH book, it still hit the spot. 4 stars.

I will post my review on Instagram and Amazon on publication day.

I did not enjoy this book it had so many open door sex scenes and it didn't feel like anything else was going on in the book besides using so many "F" bombs.

I had read all her other books and enjoyed them. This one was just not for me and it is erotica romance and I prefer closed door.

If there’s one thing I adore about Ali Hazelwood’s books, it’s her main characters and Rue is truly one of a kind. Let’s fast-forward for a second though as the book starts with Rue meeting up with a guy and the hookup doesn’t happen. Of course, we find out the next day that her hookup aka Eli is planning to take over the company she’s working for along with his associate.

Given how close Rue is with her boss, she’s determined to stay away from him but the attraction between them is undeniable. Let me just start by saying that this book truly lives up to its title as it’s a lot of these two hooking up without many feelings involved and it’s a huge departure from the previous works of Ali Hazelwood’s.

Even so, Not in Love feels like something fresh for this author and I don’t know how I can go back to having anything else. Aside from the romance, Rue is working on something to help combat food insecurity which is something that’s very personal to her. In addition, Eli was tasked with raising his sister at a young age and he has a bit of trauma there. Honestly, these two are flawed but it just works.

Sometimes, it can feel like romances are a little too cinematic but Not in Love felt grounded completely in reality. It was nice to see these two having their romance while also dealing with challenges in their personal and professional lives. While it was a fun and sometimes spicy read, it doesn’t shy away from Eli and Rue’s baggage. Either way, that’s what made me love this book so much and it quickly became one of my favorites from Ali Hazelwood.

If you’re looking for something different yet with that trademark style Ali Hazelwood has, I think you’ll love this one. I also feel like it might bring in an entirely new group of fans to her work. We can only hope but Not in Love was an utter delight and a book I know I’ll be revisiting.

Ali Hazelwood's are always a fun read and I enjoyed Not in Love as well but it was not one of my favorites. I liked the hero and heroine, Eli and Rue, but I didn't connect with them as much as I have with her other books. Will still recommend to patrons interested in this genre

I’m beginning to think that Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong in my head. I have liked all of her books to some varying degree but never disliked any of them. I love that she has basically sold her soul to whoever started the Enemies to Lovers trope and now dominates it in her own right. The comedic, quirky, passionate writing always seals me in and I can never escape! This is most definitely your next read, immediately. It hits just as good! Rue is the cutest. AND feistiest.

ARC review: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood. Thank you to Berkley Romance for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Not in Love comes out on June 11th and if you're an Ali fan, you definitely want to check this out!

I'm not sure I knew that Ali had the range to write this gritty, emotional book, but boy did she! This is probably my favorite contemporary romance from her (Bride is still number 1 overall)

I'll be honest, despite this being my favorite of her contemporaries, the book got off to a little bit of a rough start for me. I'm not sure exactly what it was - it was a little messy and I was getting a little frustrated by Rue's behavior. I do also think I had some unrealistic expectations about this book based on Ali's foreword that calls this book "erotica"...it just isn't. It's an emotional romance, certainly not a romcom. I think I would have liked the beginning a bit more if I didn't have the expectation that this was going to be erotica.

But then! The last 30-40% of this book got me and it got me good! I really loved how everything came together and how both Rue and Eli worked through their history to learn to trust each other. I also loved how much Eli understood Rue and was able to anticipate her reactions. And I thought her grand gesture at the end was super sweet. And I really loved the spice and light kink - I really do think this is some of Ali's best work and look forward to seeing more of her range!

Read this for:
- Almost one night stand to enemies to lovers
- Difficult family relationships
- Spice!!
- Women in STEM
- Angst
- Dual POV
- Forbidden romance

I've read many (most?) of Ali Hazelwood's books.and thought I knew what to expect when I started reading this one. Scientists? Check. Excellent pacing? Check. Snappy diaolg? Check. Steam? Boy howdy. The spicy bits were much more intense than I'd come to expect - not that I object - which drew me.out of the story occasionally. But it was also refreshing to have a not-so-paint-by-numbers relationship. Thanks for sharing this book with me. (Hat tip for the blink.and you miss it reference to Check & Mate.)

This one is a little different than what I think the average person expects from Ali. It feels more personal, more intimate. I think it's really lovely. I look forward to Ali's inclusion of neurodivergent characters, and I love that this hero adores how the heroine's brain works. The work drama and coworkers are interesting. I'd love to spend more time with them...perhaps a companion book featuring a very cool young lady and her older brother's grumpy best friend...anyway, I will continue snatching up whatever Hazelwood puts out. No one does steamy STEM like her.

Ali Hazelwood does it again! This is definitely her steamiest book yet, and I’m here for it. I loved the chemistry between Rue and Eli, as well as both of their back stories. Because of the way they were raised, I felt they complimented each other perfectly and are a book couple that feel like a real life couple. Made me laugh, made me cry, all the things! Can’t wait to continue to read every book Ali ever writes.

Finally an Ali Hazelwood book that didn't cause second-hand embarrassment because of the cringe of the FMC. She has finally stepped into a dual POV book (hers in first, his in third person), and to what benefit. These characters felt much more whole than her previous ones, and the humor and dialogue much more realistic.

Not in Love is workplace romance that begins with an intended anonymous hookup, but the characters find themselves on opposing sides of a corporate takeover. Eventually the two establish a casual relationship that they keep hidden for the sake of the merger but can't resist developing feelings.

The plot at times felt a little laggy and honestly could have been probably 50 pages shorter. Especially the conflict felt a little convoluted and rushed toward the end, which is a common theme of Hazelwood's books: pacing. However, a generally a very enjoyable step towards a slightly more angsty story from Ali Hazelwood.

I've taken some time to sort my feelings out on this newest addition to Hazelwood's oeuvre, but there's something decidedly lacking. It has all the mechanisms and formulas of a great romance, but the characters, the chemistry, and the storyline fizzle out halfway through the book. There's almost a sense of going through the motions and while it all works, it didn't capture my attention as usual. Both characters were borderline forgettable and the soft enemies to lovers made it feel flat rather than tense and thrilling.

Now, it could have been down to my mood, but I read two other romance books after this and I thoroughly enjoyed those so unfortunately, this one did not click with me. It's still worth the read!

I absolutely adored this book! We have ourselves a little forbidden love story between Rue, a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science, and Eli the man trying to steal the tech behind her friend's company. Talk about a scandal! They meet by chance through a dating app only to find themselves tangled in a secret workplace romance. Rue was bristly and stubborn yet I still related to her so hard. Eli, oh boy, he knew what he wanted and didn't let anything get in the way! I loved him so much as the romantic hero. I loved that they both had this traumatic family upbringing that gave them scars from the past. While the difficulties with their families were very different, it still gave them something to bond over and made them feel more like real people and not perfect storybook characters This was definitely one of Ali Hazelwood's steamiest books yet. the spice was so good and felt it was all relatable to the story and not just spice for spice's sake. But besides the steam and the romance, I loved that this really questioned the perspective on who the good and bad guys were throughout the book. Read if you like, enemies to lovers, dual POV and STEM-focused roles.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/11

this book is definitely more romance-y & less stem/science-y than ali’s books and i adored that. i had a really hard time connecting to these characters because of how fast the smut came without the emotional connection.

this book is SPICCCCYYYY. like probably too spicy for me (and i don’t mind smut at all) so if you are into that you will love this book LOL

if you are into spicy AF books, forbidden love, workplace romances, texas, stem, or law - i think you will love this book! the excessive spice was just not it for me.

It hurts me to write this review.
Ali Hazelwood has always been a favorite. When Bride was released, I was so excited to read a different genre and LOVED how she seamlessly moved into the fantasy realm. While I love when authors flex their writing chops by expanding on their published "norm," Not in Love's expansion into erotica was not for me. I know there is a vast audience for the crude language and sexual openness - but I am not a fan. I had to DNF this book at 33% when the main characters were discussing their sexual preferences while naked in a hotel room. Not my jam.
I don't post negative reviews on my page, and I am not planning to include this recap in my Goodreads because I didn't finish the book and can't speak to the story's entirety. But this is my honest review. Thank you for allowing me to preview the book.

Super smart and emotionally unavailable Rue and handsome former hockey player Eli meet on an app where they arrange a one night stand that is interrupted by Rue’s complicated past. Rue and Eli meet again when Eli shows up to Rue’s job as one of the financiers trying to overthrow the company Rue works for and is owned by her female mentor, based on Eli’s own complicated past. Rue is forced to decide where her allegiances lie in this emotionally deep, but very steamy romance.

I think the Love Hypothesis will always be my fave of Ali’s, followed by Love on the Brain. But I did enjoy this more than last year’s Love Theoretically.

What I enjoyed about this one was the complex backstories both characters had that led them to where they were mentally and emotionally when they met one another, damaged and unavailable looking for one night stands. I personally enjoy a little past emotional trauma and raw, complicated plot lines in my romance, which is why I’m an avid Abby Jimenez fan. Life is more messy like that.. less like instalove unless you’re just lucky. It was really fun getting to know Rue and Eli and see how they morphed into something beautiful together that they never thought possible. I also loved Rue as a character. Ali has a knack for writing hilarious, witty, sarcastic, and incredibly intelligent FMCs and I am totally here for all of it!!

Thank you so much to Ali, Berkley, and NetGalley for the e-galley!