Beautifully written and unlike her other books. A broody, stoic, intense TALL FMC with an MMC who would do anything for her. This book explores building intimacy in spite of s€x. So well done

I don't think it's possible for me to dislike any of Hazelwood's books. I keep warning myself that this new one might not be as good, but they are always as good! Not in Love was another winner for me and I expect will check out like crazy.

Ali Hazelwood did it again!! This was so different than her other STEMinist novels, but I loved it all the same. The emotions were more raw and their emotional wounds cut much deeper than the other books. Let me tell you, I LOVED ELI KILLGORE.

Wow. This book surprised me in the best way. In the Dedication, Ali said that this book would be different from all the other books she’s put out, and it was. Quite different, actually. Like I said, it took me a little by surprise and I absolutely loved it.

I love that while this is her steamiest book yet, it’s also the most emotionally vulnerable. I love that we get to see our MCs really, truly getting to know each other on a personal level; it made the romance something to root for. We see so much growth from our MCs, and the journey made my heart smile.

Both Rue and Eli had been through so much–in their personal and professional lives. There were some heavy topics that were discussed (CW below) and I feel like that was handled carefully. I loved that it was such an integral part of the story, their story.

Overall, this was more nuanced than anything I’ve read by Ali (I’ve read them all) and I absolutely loved it. If you’re an AH fan, fret n0t because this is still very her. If you felt like you’ve never connected to any of her past books, I urge you to give this one a try! And did I mention this was DUAL POV?! Yup.

CW: child neglect, starvation+food insecurity, parental death, grief

Thank you so much for the ARC, Berkley.

I utterly adored this book! I love her writing, and this latest book was so entertaining, I loved the set up, and I couldn't wait to see how they were going to deal with their competing interesting but growing attraction. It was just so good and I couldn't get enough!

These two and the connection were pretty steamy! That they were on opposing sides, but still had that connection, I just loved it! And their conversations where they offered up hard little truths about themselves and their past, just deepened their bond, and I loved that!

The one thing that I really wanted to know, was what happened between Eli and his group, and Florence. It kept being alluded to, that Rue didn't know the truth about what Florence was like. So it had to be something. And oh, the truth hurt when it came out!

That ending was pretty satisfying! I loved how it wrapped up the story, with her relationship with Eli and with Florence, and that they both went through it, but that they were happy with what the future held. It was just so much like a nice warm hug and I loved it!

This book was another fantastic read and I can't wait to read more by Ali Hazelwood!

I really enjoyed this latest from Ali Hazelwood--sharp, fun, sensitive. Characters felt fully realized and I was rooting for both of them. Definitely more intense than her STEM rom-coms!

Not in Love
Rating: 5/5⭐️
Recommended: Yes!

Review: While this wasn’t my favorite Ali Hazelwood book, I still absolutely loved it! This book was definitely spicier than Ali Hazelwood’s other books, but it still felt like a slow burn which I loved. I highly recommend checking this one out if you love rivals to lovers and Steminist novels.

It wasn’t a bad book, there was just something missing. It’s a lot more spicy than her other books which is surprising, and once again I love the inclusion of her knowledge in stem. But there’s something about this book that wasn’t right. Maybe it was the love interest Eli? Like he was cute and he never forced the fmc to do anything yet for some reason I still felt like he was pushy. He rubbed me off the wrong way. That being said it is ALOT different than her other works so you can save yourself from saying it’s copy and paste😂

I still enjoyed it, like it was good, but I guess it just wasn’t my cup of tea especially after reading Bride and love theoretically which were automatic 5 stars for me.

Another winner from Queen Ali Hazelwood - I’ve yet to read one of Hazelwood’s books that I don’t absolutely love. Rue and Eli are the latest STEM couple to steal my heart - but this book sets itself apart from Hazelwood’s other STEM romances - the characters are raw and different and for that reason, I won’t soon forget this one!

4.5 stars

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I always have a great time whenever I read a Ali Hazelwood novel and it is definitely no different with Not in Love. I read this while traveling and honestly, I was kind of happy that I had a full day of traveling ahead of me so I would be able to enjoy the book without any interruptions. Rue Siebert and Eli Killgore are two of the sweetest characters written by Hazelwood and I wanted nothing but the best for them. I thought their chemistry was well done and the side characters also felt very real. I will say that this was not my favorite of Hazelwood's novels but it's still good, none the less. Overall, I think this book will be enjoyed by everyone who picks it up especially those who already know the joy of Ali Hazelwood.

More than any other work it feels like Ali has found her voice as a writer. Both filthily and tenderly imaginative with complex main characters who believed navigating a path to the state of happy was incomprehensible and impossible.
Rue and Eli have a love story that resonated with me as a reader.
It’s a story of fragile hope because hoping has always felt like free falling or being chased by a horde of killer bees.
It’s a story of reluctant healing because confronting the scars that have defined your decisions is like having your heart plucked from your chest with a pair of rusty tweezers.
It’s a story of shelter because sometimes home is a person more than a place and they were just out there waiting until the stars aligned.

just like every ali hazelwood story, this was fun! it was spicy and engaging, but it definitely is not my favorite in terms of emotional connection between the love interests.

rue and eli had insane chemistry!! while I still think bride gave us ali’s hottest couple, not in love gave us ali’s most sex-forward, sex-positive story. their physical connection provided rue and eli with a confined environment within which they could adjacently deal with their feelings while being close in the only way they truly know how. it was hot, but the emotional connection was just too understated for me.

eli was hot, though. the definition of down bad.

Everyone that knows me knows that Queen Ali is my #1 gal (or is it that I am her’s?!)! If she writes it, I am going to read it!! I may or may not have cried tears of joy when an early copy of this book landed in my inbox. The biggest thank you to Berkley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Not in Love Ali’s first non-rom-com venture in her body of work. Tonally it is a bit of deviation from her past novels in that the themes are a bit heavier, the humor while still there, and true to form in what readers know and love in an Ali novel, is a bit lighter, and the spice? It’s cranked up tenfold. While still set in STEM like her original STEMinist novels, Not in Love is not set in academia, but in industry where our FMC Rue, a biotech engineer, works at a start-up focused on food science. Enter our MMC Eli and his business partners who have bought the loan of Rue’s employer and are out to seize control of the company… *cue ominous music and hostile take over* Rue and Eli simply cannot have ~relations~ while on opposing sides can they?! Noooo that would be EXTREMELY ill advised and irresponsible!! But what if they cannot stay away from one another?? Perhaps they will have to be enemies (or are they?) with benefits?? OH SHUCKS!! What a shame! Oh and did I mention, this is Ali’s first dual POV!! *screams incoherently*

Whereas Ali’s early novels follow a typical tried and true rom-com formula (which has worked for me (and many readers!) but has been a critique from others), Not in Love completely flips that formula on its head. What do I mean?? The spice of course! It’s not something we’re slow-burning waiting for, it is present throughout and frequently. Making this, yes, Ali’s spiciest book yet!

When I start a new Ali book I just know I’m going to have a good time!! And of course Not in Love was no exception. I loved it your honor!! Did you except me to say anything else?! Who do you think I am?!? Not in Love showed up in my inbox at just the right time because I’ve been struggling recently to find a book that I love. But then *enter new Ali book to save the day*!

I absolutely loved reading a dual POV Ali novel! Because her men?? You KNOW they are pining but GOOD GOD to get to be able to be in Mr. Eli Killgore’s head and witness it first hand?!? *yeah.gif* *nods emphatically* *furiously signs petition for more dual POVs*!! And Rue, my babygirl, I just want to protect her from the world (as does Eli!)! Neither of these babies have had an easy life, and I think Ali did a great job of handling the heavier themes such as food insecurity, grief, and child neglect with care. There is something so special about characters that Just Get Each Other™ and that is Rue and Eli from the start. The two of them have this thing where they tell each other stories from their past, or thoughts that they have, that aren’t shiny or pretty or good. And the unflinching honesty and non-judgmental way in which they are able to bear witness and see each other through them?? *sobs* both of them needed that so much and I will just weep right now for them both having found each other!

Despite heavier themes, and despite not truly being a rom-com, in true Ali (me) reads Ali (Hazelwood) fashion I found myself frequently laughing out loud. I somehow think it might be impossible for Ali to write something that isn’t funny and that I don’t find funny?? Her humor still shines through in her characters, in their thought processes, and the way in which they joke with each other. Ali also always writes lovable side characters (and pets!) and Not in Love is no exception on that front. I particularly loved Eli’s sister Maya and Eli’s dog Tiny (and Eli’s love for him)! I also really loved the storylines with Rue and Eli’s previous coaches. *whispers* is this low key Ali’s hockey player/ice skater romance era??? I was not anticipating this before starting the book, but we absolutely loved to see it! And lastly, such a small small thing, but I LOVE a name drop of characters from previous works! I may or may not have screamed outloud! Ali, please never ever stop the name drops!

Man oh man I am so sorry! A new Ali book always always ALWAYS brings out the wordiest of reviews from me! I just LOVE HER SM WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO?! TL;DR of it all? It’s a yes from me!! I laughed, I cried, I had a bang-up good time! And as always, I am eagerly awaiting whatever my girl pens next!

Not in love has the Hazelwood effect we all love but it’s a distinct departure from what we’ve come to expect from Ali - the story has deeper elements that add a lot of depth to the characters while still maintaining the quirkiness we’ve learned to expect and love in her writing

Both Rue and Eli have experienced trauma in their pasts and the story works to show how that’s effected them in their adult lives and how together they can overcome it

I loved these characters wholeheartedly and while there were a lot of things they weren’t saying to each other they still communicated effectively when necessary. Eli’s patience and understanding of Rue makes him a top tier MMC in my opinion, truly the man is an actual angel.

Rue is admittedly and understandably not quick to trust (putting it lightly) but she immediately feels an undeniable connection to Eli that she can’t explain and while she tries to fight it she fails at miserably.

This story is less STEM focused and more character focused and is definitely Hazelwood spiciest book yet. While the spice is great it is also a huge part of Rues healing journey and gives us an amazing glimpse into how supportive and understanding Eli is while displaying how much he truly cares for Rue.

Even though this book is different it still has the Hazelwood charm so there is great banter and sexual tension and moments of comic relief.

I can’t wait to see what Hazelwood writes next!

Thank you for early access to this title! I found Not in Love to be smart and at times very spicy! We get to know Rue and Eli - both smart and successful- with traumatic stories from their childhood and teen years. I enjoyed the honesty between these two and the theme of kindness and decency towards each other, and from the people in their lives who helped them during tough times. And did I mention the chemistry between Rue and Eli?!

Today I’m reviewing Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood. In this contemporary romance, we follow Rue, a biotech engineer at a food science start-up, and Eli, who works at the private equity firm, whose plan is to take over the company Rue works for. The stakes are high for both Rue and Eli, both have reasons to hate each other, but there’s an undeniable chemistry that these two can’t resist exploring.

Hazelwood penned an authors note to her readers about how this book is a bit different from her other STEM romance novels. With themes and content that can be emotional and deeper in scope. And Rue in particular is a very different character from the three other ladies who star in Hazelwood’s novels. At first glance she seems aloof, frosty, and blunt. Even though she’s the grumpy to Eli’s sunshine, Rue is a complex character who readers will find a soft spot.

Fans of Hazelwood’s STEM romance novels will love her hallmark humor, witty banter and dialogue, plus the emotional struggle of choosing between a shot at being in love or fighting the work takeover by the man Rue might fall for.

A conundrum you’ll want to find out for yourself. 😉

This one was a bit different from what Ali Hazelwood usually writes. I usually know what I am expecting from her romance books: grumpy sunshine characters, rivals to lovers trope, slow burn romance, and endless banter between characters. And this one, we get more of insta love trope, bit of enemies to lovers trope, dry humor vibes, deeper issues between characters, and dual povs. 
I am not hating this book. I just needed to readjust what I typically expect from her. And it’s still a good romance read. Not my particular fave from her, but still enjoyable read. 
I truly appreciate the dual povs! I literally love how obsessed the male love interest was. He literally will do anything for her. Like seriously! And I love an obsessed male interest. She needs to keep

🌟🌟🌟🌟/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Not In Love is by far Ali Hazelwood's spiciest book. Rue and Eli use sex as a coping mechanism to avoid the complexity of their relationship and how what they are doing could impact the people in their lives. True to Ali Hazelwood, our FMC is a women in STEM but instead of her typical college setting, it’s in a tech start up.

It was fun to see Ali deviate from her norm (outside of Bride of course) and have her classic STEM romance in a professional setting. At times I did struggle with the amount of spice, although done well, it felt like it was being used to drive the plot forward.

Overall, I really enjoyed Not in Love and absolutely recommend to anyone who loves romance, women in STEM, and an MMC who is down BAD.

This was a weird one for me. I love all of Ali Hazelwood's books, and don't get me wrong this is still a really good book, but it might be one of the ones I have liked the least by her. Still a solid 4 stars but it doesn't get to the higher rankings that her previous books had for me. What I liked, I actually was into the business side of this, her science takes are always cool but this time it had the business intrigue and an M&A side that totally targeted me and I liked it. I kind of like the business side more than the romance side, because although I was all over the relationship by the end I did not necessarily love the way there as I do in many others. However I did appreciate how much thought was put in character development (and especially of Eli) to actually understand their motivations (and some of the dumb decisions they make) Definitely a book you should pick up for the summer, a perfect beach read it is.

Sexy, steamy stem! This book has so much the characters have so much depth. I love the way that they talk to each other, The story itself was great. It was just overshadowed by ALL OF THE SEX. There was so much sex, that I felt it overshadowed how great this book could have been.