First of all... thank you so much to Berkley publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book. Ali Hazelwood stands to be one of my favorite and instant buy romance authors. I truly loved all her STEM romances, her YA debut Check and Mate, and her Omegaverse book Bride. I think ever since Check and Mate has come out (along with Bride after), it really gives me a glimpse of what a dynamic author Ali is. She crafts her characters in a way that is so endearing, lovable, and relatable; and still allowing them to have their own flaws and imperfections. Not In Love was definitely unexpected but so wonderful to read. This is definitely a different take than her usual format of STEM romances that have a sprinkle of rom-com in them. This one had my heart tugging and burning for these characters! I would say this book takes a more serious tone but not overly serious? Just less playful than her past STEM romances, yet still has all the elements to a classic Ali Hazelwood book that we know and love. Rue and Eli's journey to love was something so beautiful, I seriously could not put this down! Cheers to Ali for not being afraid to step out of her comfort zone in her writing! I look forward to more of her releases in the future! 5 STARS!!

BROCOLLI BROCOLLI BROCOLLI.

I've been a longtime Ali-stan and I truly don't know how she does it, every single book gets better and better. She's been branching out into other genres / sub genres - Young Adult Chess Romance, Paranormal Vampire / Werewolf romance, and NONE OF IT MISSES. However this….THIS. THIS IS IT PEOPLE.

This is my favorite Ali romance ever, by a mile and then some. It's deliciously angsty. It's surprisingly tender and intimate. It had me on a roller coast of emotions, I was tom cruise couch screaming-esque giddy at some scenes, then the sad hamster from the tiktok memes at others. The spice was SERVING, which I always love, but what caught me so off guard was the unexpected emotional depth of the story. I truly could not stop thinking about both characters and how different and specific, how very complete they each felt.

"Do you think that maybe there's another version of us, somewhere in another timeline? Where we're not just a messed-up lump of scar tissue, and we're whole enough to be capable of loving others the way they want to be loved?

Rue has many of the similar hallmarks we come to expect from Ali's FMCs, but she's also very different. She's complicated, her honesty is refreshing yet also unwittingly sharp and often times almost a bit unsettling and uncomfortable -- and this is by design. I found it fascinating honestly that I could relate to Rue in some moments and behaviors but also felt like I could also be one of those people that also writes her off as icy and standoffish. Ali could have set herself up to fail here with a FMC that could have run the course of being too bitchy and unlikeable for readers to take, but she manages to pull it off well and give us a character that feels really layered, albeit certainly flawed. Rue is of course a brilliant scientist, as is expected in a STEMinist romance from Ali, but where Ali's other FMCs still felt relatable form a social perspective -- they're quirky and cute, funny without trying, almost effortless, Rue feels like a very sharp contrast.

"If I were able to love someone, I would choose you. In that timeline, I want it to be you."

There's a sneaking vulnerability with Rue that really captured me, and the moments we're inside her head feel like a precious intimacy and peek behind the curtain that felt really special. Her wounds run deep and they've manifested in ways that have ultimately helped her succeed in some aspects, so it's difficult to break out of them. Relatable.

"But it was nice, having told someone. Taking this stinging pain inside me and putting it outside of my body for a little."

She's not the quintiesstial 'cool girl' or the 'not like other girls', this isn't some She's All That makeover where the nerd is actually secretly hot when you take off the glasses. No, Rue IS hot & she knows it, she's not afraid to ask for EXACTLY what she wants when it comes to sex, she knows what she wants to do with her science and time, BUT, everything else, everyday life in social situations… nothing about that is effortless, and often times they represent landmines of anxiety, self-recrimination, and judgement for Rue. She struggles with difficult family relationships and trauma. Despite her complete candor, she lacks communication skills. Where in previous books all the FMCs had some wounds and behaviors to address and come to terms with, Rue's run deep, and there's a level of acceptance that not all of these things can be addressed, should be, or will ever change for Rue. Removing this aspect of 'fixing' Rue or having her overcome some things helped make this feel grounded and real, something tangible and inexplicably human, instead of a simpler, easier HEA. It's this messiness that makes Rue so exciting, so interesting.

"You don't understand what you do to me. Because I don’t understand what you do to me."

Now for Eli….whew. He's entering my pantheon of book boyfriends. He's also so uniquely fascinating. In true Ali fashion of course he falls first. We know this is coming from Ali, we love it, BUT, the ways in which Eli falls, the lengths he goes to, is what really hooked me. Sure he's patient with Rue, he's got all the green flags we expect, but his banter and dialogue with Rue was something else. It wasn't just flirty, it felt like it immediately sliced through so many layers and got to the very marrow of them both. These are two people who both feel that they lack the ability to love in the 'expected' way. They don't believe that happy endings are accessible for them or that they deserve them. Yet what's interesting is how Eli recognizes this and begins to adapt his mentality. Having his POV feature heavily worked really well to show us the depth Ali built with him. His relationships and interactions outside of Rue were engaging and really helped flesh out his motivations and backstory. We love to see an introspective king, truly. And the way Eli both sees Rue for who she is and what she struggles with, but also knows there are facets of her still unknown made me swoon. It's so clear from the beginning that he's her person, he's her safe space, and seeing him fight to make sure Rue knows it gave me alllllll the feels.

"If her heart has to be broken, I'd rather it be me. That way I can help her pick up the pieces."

Their banter and moments were so full of exposure, all the lines about someone 'seeing right through you' I literally FELT as Eli and Rue find their paths crossing again and again. The chemistry and intimacy between these two was off the charts while also not feeling like some forced and unlikely insta-love. From their very first moment, you feel that they've each left an indelible mark on the other, they haunt each other's thoughts and waking moments. There's a distinct 'before' and 'after' for each of them after they meet that you as a reader feel to. What I loved most about their story is that while this is definitely sex forward (yay!), and Rue and Eli use sex as a means of communicating while their feelings catch up, the intimacy and development actually comes from so many of their quieter moments, many that come even before physical intimacy comes into play at all. Where most romances have sex be part of the overall feelings and intimacy journey, here it's something that comes almost as an afterthought in their development. Which is a nice twist. The sex is definitely steamy and well done, but its rare when I feel that the sex isn't even needed because the character connection and intimacy is already there and so strong on its own.

I could keep rambling but honestly, I can't wait for this book to come out and for more people to experience this. Whatever Ali is cooking up next, in whatever genre, I'm excited. And while she has said this was in her 'angsty' era, I do hope she hasn't closed the door on that era because I need more of these types of romances and characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Hallmark movie formula? And writing spicy without making it a crime. Count me in!

Ali Hazelwood uses a formula like Hallmark movies do. That makes a lot of sense when you remember she’s a scientist herself:)

To start off, I am very shocked I got this arc. I made a NetGalley account on a whim and for my first arc ever I get the pleasure to read this! Wow! Crazy! So even though I’m preparing for exams (I’ve barely studied and instead dropped everything to read this. No, I am not disappointed with that decision but I might feel differently when final grades are posted. To me, that sounds like a then problem.) I dropped everything to read this.

There’s so much good in this book that it’s hard to pinpoint every little thing. Which is why I’m just going to list aspects I liked and write headings to organize my thoughts without giving away any spoilers.

Before I officially start, this book had much more sex in it compared to other Ali Hazelwood books. Don’t get me wrong, it
was still stem/academia but compared to Ali’s other books this was dialled up. (Probably because the relationship started off that way.) I’m not complaining because the synopsis/ note in the start essentially said just that. Just note that this isn’t a closed door romance and the sex is pretty graphic.

Dr. Rue Seibert
To me, Rue was the star. She felt relatable and I truly admired how ‘take it or leave it’ she is. I think women are conditioned to be ‘easy going’ and ‘chill’ and as someone who’s never been either of those things it’s nice to read about a main character who also isn’t. Especially, one who gets a passionate romance with a good guy! I should preface that, there’s nothing wrong with characters who are ‘chill’, cutesy’ and ‘bubbly’ but in my opinion it’s overdone and they seem to have a pattern of often letting their partner get away with poor behaviour. Or characters who are, ‘not like other girls’ [barf.] (I’m looking at you Bella from Twilight, and Tessa from After.)
Even better, Rue didn’t change for Eli! Shocking I know! None of that, ‘he made her better’ aka the author completely changes the character’s original personality to make it look like character growth.
However, Eli definitely comforted Rue and knew when to push and not to.

Kink/Eli Killgore (I actually laughed out loud when Rue was making fun of his name.)
For someone who says more than once she doesn’t have a personality, she’s sure funny.
Kink was explored in this novel and Eli really exemplifies how someone should be dominant in the bedroom. I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance novel that openly talks about consent in such a clear cut way. ESPECIALLY with kink. There was no blushing virgin, shame/ embarrassment, slang for body parts and refusal to ask for what you want. Eli made sure to verbally say what he was wanted to do and made sure to tell her that if she ever wanted to stop for any reason that would be the end of it. Now, that I’m thinking about it that’s pretty much the bare minimum but for some reason you don’t see really see actual consent given in romance novels. It’s usually something like ‘I didn’t want him to but deep down he knew that I did.’ [Insert second barf]. I think in some cases, the dominant/submissive thing and ‘dark romance’ has glorified r*ape and this was like ‘step aside, let me show you how to write spicy without making it a crime.’


Criticism
Have I read this before?
I would say this book is a combination of Love Theoretically and From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata. With LT it had the same ‘plot twist’ (not a spoiler because it’s so apparent and in your face from the start) and with FLWL figure skating was obviously there but even the back story with Rue felt very similar to what Zapata writes. This isn’t necessarily a fault is because I love both those books but it felt like I’ve already read this before. The problem is, both are so great, in my opinion this wasn’t at the same level. However, I think if you haven’t read both or even one of them this will probably feel very organic and fresh to you.

Predictable.
The biggest problem was how predictable this was. All of Ali Hazelwoods ‘villains’ are the same in EVERY SINGLE BOOK. It’s gotten to the point that you would think someone, her publisher, editor, friend, etc would comment on it. I would be lying if I said it didn’t take away from the overall experience of reading her books and the actual story. FYI, I don’t think this counts as a spoiler because it’s extremely obvious from the start of the novel who the ‘ villain’ is.

Hallmark movies
I do think certain parts of Hazelwood’s stories are repetitive but hear me out… maybe that’s okay? To me, it’s like watching a Hallmark movie, it makes me happy and is enjoyable. Sure, it’s predictable and there are many shared tropes between different Hallmark movies but so? Who cares? I do think it’s important to note that there was an effort to differentiate this but I personally think it failed. Rue was different from Ali’s other heroines but that was pretty much it. Eli felt warmer which is interesting because he was much more demanding in the bedroom but still managed to give off total golden retriever vibes which Adam could never do. I also think if I hadn’t read Bride I would feel a larger difference between the characters because Eli really reminded me of Lowe. Come to think of it, Rue definitely had some Misery in her. Even Trish felt like all the other best friends in Hazelwood books.

Ending
The ending was cutesy and made my black heart expand. I appreciated that it wasn’t an ultimatum and more importantly that Rue was still the same person; just happier.

Overall thoughts.
This was enjoyable and is a great escape. However, it’s not an original story and not extremely memorable. I believe if you’re newer to romance and haven’t read much of Ali Hazelwood you will enjoy this much more. Four stars feels right, right now but I am aware that could be too high. Maybe a 3.5 is more accurate to some people but I really appreciate Rue’s character, the way sex was talked about in this book and the escape it gave me at this time in my life.

Ali Hazelwood's books are one of a kind. She skillfully combines romance with science in a way that is both steamy and captivating. This story dives deeper into the STEM world than her other books. The romance is darker and more intense, yet equally addictive to read. I appreciated how Rue and Eli met under normal circumstances and instantly connected. Their bond grows stronger as their lives become more intertwined. I also liked that there wasn't a grumpy vs. sunshine dynamic in this book since sometimes that troupe is overdone. Eli knew what he wanted from the start and showed Rue how much he cared for her through small but meaningful actions. It was also refreshing to see both characters being emotionally vulnerable and willing to put everything on the line. This book might be my new favorite by Hazelwood!

Thank you to NetGallery and to Harequin Publishling for giving me a copy of the book.

A MILLION STARS! A huge huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for granting me access to this book for an honest review.

Ali Hazelwood is truly a unicorn..a magical unicorn..she can do and write NO WRONG! Whether it’s a rom-com, paranormal romance or even a romance with a blend of erotica (aka Not in Love)…she is magic!

I read this book in less than 12 hours and loved every minute of it! Rue and Eli are everything and this book is perfect for any reader who loves: forbidden romance, enemies with benefits, past trauma and slow-delicious burn.

Officially official, Ali Hazelwood has cemented herself as an auto-buy for me! Please run, don’t walk to read this book!

4stars!!!
I absolutely adore Ali's writing every single time! Her books always make me focus and pay attention to every single detail. This book was so cute and I was absolutely OBSESSED with how they met, this plot stayed having me turn the page!!

I really loved how Eli had such amazing communication and wasn't like majority of her MMC who are grumpy. He was obsessed with Rue from the second they met and I adored him every step of the way!!
Rue has a soft place in my heart, I really related to he majority of the time. I think she was SO adorable when she saw him again and realized where she knew him from. ALSO THE BEGINNING OF HIM STANDING UP FOR HER SAY LESS. I ate it up!!!

This was such a fun, fast paced read that also had me sweatin, I mean how sexy are they. Their chemistry is truly incredible and I could feel it through every single page. He loved her for her and didn't feel the need to fix or change her and that's what true love is to me, loving a person for just them.

I will highly recommend this book to all my friends and Ali lovers!!

I have been an Ali Hazelwood trouper since her debut The Love Hypothesis and with each book I see her grow and get better and better with her craft.
With this new book she sperimented a little bit more with open door sex scenes, she really dived into it and she did a great job! She also gave us a dual pov this time and it was an absolute blast to read it.

I love her charcaters, the dry humor and yes well she may deliver almost always the same formula with the charcaters, but it also always hits the spot and I never get tired of it.

Uhhh, I loved this. Full stop. Eli is an amazing book boyfriend. Rue is a fascinating MC and I very much enjoyed her voice. The relationship between the two developed beautifully—Eli’s tenderness and Rue’s vulnerability were my favorite parts. The spice is there, of course, but their feelings for one another were perfection. I haven’t been a big fan of Hazelwood’s contemporaries in the past, but I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Not in Love. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 5/5 from me! I devoured this in a day and will be recommending it to all romance readers.

This is without a doubt Ali Hazelwoods spiciest book yet! So don’t let me yuck your yum, because while you’ll see this might not have been a hit for me, it very well could be for you.
Not In Love follows our FMC Rue, a food scientist developing a patent technology for fruit and vegetable coating at a friends company. Rue doesn’t date. Rue also doesn’t sleep with the same guy twice (it’s a rule of hers). Yet this one man, Eli, keeps popping up in her life everywhere from on the apps, to at her job. Eli works for an investment company of scientists looking to potentially aquire the company Rue works at. Natural born enemies right? Yet they keep getting pulled together.
Now why this didn’t hit for me? My no-contact dad works in food science and I kept getting the ick! This was just not a sexy or romantic setting for me and it was hard to get by! This was also very different from Ali’s books that I know and love. It was insta-lust and more focused on the physical side of things. I really appreciate connections building and intellectual banter in her books, and this was just a different direction than that for me. I love how it touched on family troubles, and generational trauma like food insecurity though! Overall I enjoyed this, just might take a reread to set the vibe right in my head.
* Thank you Berkley Publishing group via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Berkley for letting me read this one early!!

This was honestly so much different than I was expecting but not necessarily in a bad way!! The spice was SPICINGGGG but I wish we would’ve spent a bit more time on emotional connections between our two MCs. At points it felt a little disjointed to me, but I still had TONS of fun. Will def recommend.

Perfectly cheesy and sappy. This is great for lovers of a lighter romance with dual perspectives. There is some of that Ali Hazelwood charm with the "he's so big and strong" and "she's so small and fragile", but the characters are developed sufficiently for a romance. I will recommend this to fans of Tessa Bailey and Elle Kennedy!

3.5 stars, Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this ARC!

This book is very different than Ali's previous STEM romance books. The STEM aspect doesn't play as big of a role as her other books. For me, that was a bit of a let down since it is what I loved so much about her other books. This is a classic work place romance. Ali really did raise the bar on her spice!!! Her spiciest to date.
I also really enjoyed how we got dual POV in this book! Eli was just so obsessed with Rue.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ali Hazelwood & Berkley for a digital ARC of Not in Love in exchange for an honest review.

I say it every time I write a review for Ali – she can do no wrong! I will forever read absolutely anything that she writes.

As always, Not in Love was spectacular and exactly what I hoped it to be & more!

In a nutshell, Rue is a biotech engineer at Kline, a promising start-up specializing in food science. Eli is the ringleader for the hostile takeover of Kline. This is a classic enemies-to-lovers romance in true Ali fashion.

The pacing was quick, the dialogue & characters were perfectly written, the plot was engaging and the spice was oh so nice!

Another 5/5 Stars for me! I will be highly recommending this title to my IG followers!

Well, I had other books to read first but it’s Ali Hazelwood… so, of course I jumped on reading her latest when I got an early ecopy.

Is the heroine actually tall in this one? Yes! Is the hero still tall, taller, tallest? Also yes. Listen, I’m beyond caring that AH has a general formula she tends to follow. The stories and characters are just that well written. I’m obsessed with her brand of “the hero falls first”, letting the leading lady have the greater and wider multi-faceted emotional journey. Though, it’s still balanced, with both Rue and Eli baring their souls in turn, exploring depths and connecting in special ways that does illustrate how unique and well paired they’ve been created. It’s a beautiful new romance.

Brilliantly STEM forward, as always, but I think we get a greater focus on the character’s personalities, backstories, and an increase in kinky steamy scenarios. And while we do get another (fantastic) smart and vulnerable scientist in Rue, the overall professional story arc, for both leads, was easily seen and didn’t captivate me much. I was all in for Rue and Eli’s emotional journeys instead. The crushing quirks of character and fate had me aching for them to find any bits of happiness.

Mostly though, I adore AH’s ability to create passionate and intense love stories while still maintaining high levels of respect for body and persons. No one ever crosses a line physically or emotionally, no pressure, no guilt. It feels so subtle, the willingness to wait or let go. I love it. A must read.

this was shaping up to be my favorite ali hazelwood book yet, but somewhere along the way, it lost me. i want to preface this by saying i tend to prefer closed door romances; leave out the sex scenes and instead show me the characters’ emotional connection — convince me they like each other beyond the physical (not that you can’t have both, but it seems to be mostly one or the other in my opinion).

this book sort of fell in between — copious amounts of sex (which i will say is not ms. hazelwood’s strong suit) and a tender emotional bond between our main characters, rue (incredibly relatable, emotionally unavailable girlie) and eli (kind of forgettable finance bro). it’s refreshing to read a book that centers on a woman who is shy and socially anxious but comes off as aloof and distant. she’s me! i’m not cold, i just don’t want to talk to people because (i don’t like them) i’m not particularly good at talking to people — and seeing that in rue was so reassuring. eli, i was less fond of but he was incredibly sweet to her and completely, utterly obsessed (just how i like my men)! rue and eli were both so vulnerable with each other, revealing little pieces of themselves they had hidden away or repressed for years because of the shame and guilt associated with those thoughts. what must it be like to be with someone who doesn’t judge you or criticize you but instead just listens? i certainly don’t know, but i loved reading about it. as great as all of this was, it was, much to my dismay, overshadowed by the sex and the physical attraction between the characters. the number of times eli thought about rue as a “fantastic lay” (or mentioned it to her face) is appalling. it just seemed so reductive, especially as their relationship grew and they began to like each other for more than just their bodies. it felt like all he really wanted her for, at least for the first 50-75% of the book, was sex. it was especially disappointing considering how much i was enjoying the story and the characters at first. i do think this is partially a me problem, as i am incredibly picky with romance. but if you like cutesy stem romances, relatable fmcs, obsessed mmcs, and a whole lot of smut, this is for you.

I have enjoyed previous books by this author which is why I requested this book, but this book really fell flat for me as a whole. The characters did not grow throughout the story, it felt like the book was rushed and didn't get the time it needed to be a better story. I did not connect with any of the characters well, and sometimes I get a little weary of everyone being perfect yet flawed but no growth throughout the book. The storyline had potential but it just didn't keep my interest, and this was just a lackluster read for me. It was a frustrating read, and usually this author has a story that keeps you invested and this time this book just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Love the forbidden romance vibes. The insta-love was well done in my opinion. Or insta-lust I suppose. I could somewhat see part of the plot twist coming, but parts were still a surprise to me. I liked that their was a little mystery thrown in and it was about the person’s past, but in a different way than it typically is done in books.

ATTENTION: I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE ALI HAZELWOOD BOOK 🗣️

Not only is this Ali’s horniest (and spiciest) book yet, but it’s so full of heart and growth and an MMC who is ✨obsessed✨ with her. Oh and did I mention it’s dual POV? CAUSE IT IS. Rue is deeply relatable and I felt very seen by her 🥹


I personally just vibe really well with Ali’s writing, but I’m telling you, this one might be a top fav. It’s currently tied with Bride lmao. Ali made me cry over these two idiots twice, which automatically makes this a great book in my eyes. But the way Eli was so patient, and consistent with Rue, just made me swoon. I love them.


**Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion

I love a good Ali Hazelwood novel, and this was no different. Her books always warm my heart even if they are a little cheesy sometimes. I can't wait to see what she does next

Rue and Eli are on the opposite sides of a battle for the company Rue works at. A relationship is off the table for them because of their roles in the companies and because of Rue's emotional unavailability. They form a no strings attached relationship while slowly realizing that there were always strings, they just didn't see them.

This is definitely Ali Hazelwood's least science based book. The plot of it is rooted in the relationship between Rue and Eli and the politics of Eli's company buying Rue's over the science of it. It made me realize that I do really love the science aspects of her books, but it didn't dampen my joy while reading this book.

Eli. Oh Eli. I love Ali Hazelwood's male love interests. I love how they're calm and balance out the female characters. She writes beautiful character relationships.
Rue. Initially, I was annoyed by her. Her constant "I'm so unlovable and don't understand human emotions and am not capable of love" gets really old. Unfortunately, all of her female characters seem to be written this way, but it makes for good character development so I guess there's that.

This joins the rest of my Ali Hazelwood books as a 5 star read. No one is surprised about this.