I have loved Ali Hazelwood's books but this one just didn't do it for me. It felt a little darker maybe then some of her other ones. Eli also totally lost me because of how he reacted to her discomfort around his dog. Heads up dog people, just because you love your dog doesn't mean everyone else has to. If someone seems unconformable or afraid of your dog the correct response is not "You're not scare of them are you" or "he seems to like you". Control your pets and respect other peoples boundaries around them. I was so annoyed with him that I couldn't finish the book.

Rue Siebert is not interested in love. She happily uses a “hook-up” app for a no strings attached night and has a strict “no repeats” rule. Rue meets Eli Killgore one night through that app and, although their night is interpreted, sparks are undeniably flying. That is until Rue reports to the office the next day to find none other than Eli and his business partners looking to acquire the start-up she works at.
Rue hates everything Eli’s company aims to achieve, but they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Can a no-strings-attached agreement satisfy them? Or will workplace loyalty tear them apart?

2.5 stars rounded up. It breaks my heart to rate an Ali Hazelwood book this low! I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it. I’ll admit, the insta-lust trope is a quick nope for me so if that’s your thing this might speak to you more! I didn’t connect with the characters and Rue/Eli’s chemistry feels forced until about 75% of the book, too late for me to fall in love. I wish that Rue’s backstory was expanded on earlier on in the book and that more time was devoted to it in general.

NIL didn’t follow the typical formula of Ali’s other STEM romance novels, which was much appreciated. Ali cranked up the steam in this one which I will never complain about. Keep up God’s work, girl! The supporting characters were great as per the usual, Ali has a way of creating a great support system around her main characters!

Overall, much to my dismay, this was a miss for me. I’m ready and looking forward to whatever the author does next!

Review will be posted to Goodreads on 6/4/24

Not in Love is out June 11, 2024.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ugh, I have a bit of a book hangover with this one. I love, love, loved Eli and Rue! I have adored all of Ali Hazelwood's books, and this is no exception! Special thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Reading Not in Love brought me joy. I'm consumed with that joy as I write this review, so I'm going to give you bullet points of what I loved about this book.

* The writing! This book was steeped in STEM but didn't feel like a carbon copy of Hazelwood's previous romances. I did have to look up a couple of big words I wasn't sure of, but learning new things is cool.
* The plot was a lot of fun. I don't know that I've read a romance with a hostile workplace takeover before. 
* I loved how Rue and Eli met, their unexpected attraction and connection, and the way they got to know each other through the things they shared. Those things were such a cool way to make this book different and fun. 
* Rue was quirky. I don't think it was mentioned that Rue was neurodivergent, but certain characteristics led me to believe she was. She knew the things that made her different could be off-putting to some people. I loved that Eli didn't just see those things but cherished them. 
* I can't 100% confirm this, but the steam level was higher in this book then some of her others. It worked well with the context of the story.
* This is the second book with a character with food insecurity fears that I have read recently, and I like that it is getting a spotlight in romance. 
* Eli has an adorable dog.
* I loved the found families Rue and Eli had with their friends. I would love to see Hark get a book of his own.

If you're looking for a fun, steamy STEM romance, I highly recommend Not in Love. It's my new favorite book by Ali Hazelwood, which is starting to feel redundant to write because she is constantly writing her best book with each new release.

This was Ali's hottest book for sure and also, in my opinion, her best on a line level. The woman just gets better and better. Super spicy, deliciously angsty, and with a hottttttt hero in Eli, this was a total delight. While Ali writes a note at the top that this is a bit thematically different from her romcoms, I felt like her signature humor still played a big role. It's not ha-ha funny as much as, say, Bride was, but her clever wit was very much present, so even though there's heavier topics explored like food insecurity, you don't leave the book feeling weighed down. Ali is an auto-buy author for me and I hope she writes more in this vein!

Like seriously it was so hot I got UPSET because Eli doesn't exist RIP me UGH

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for my digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ali Hazelwood DOES NOT MISS!

In a slight deviation from her previous "steminist" novels, Not In Love does not offer the warm fuzzy rom-com feels we are used to, and takes on a more serious tone. Rue consistently struggles with social situations and trauma from food insecurity and that drives her character throughout the novel. However, the author makes this information known before going in with a short note to readers.

With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Rue and Eli have such great chemistry and you really feel their struggle to stay away from each other. As stated earlier, without the rom-com feel, this book really read like a very well written smut with depth (an actual plot) and I was not mad about it! The intimate scene did actually serve to move the plot forward as well since the basis of Rue and Eli's relationship is solely physical (at first).

Of course, the science element plays a huge role as well, which is typical for the author and another reason I love reading her books! Rue is working on a patent in food engineering and Eli works for a financial entity that builds up science-based businesses. This of course offers the source of the major conflict in the novel.

Overall, this was a spicy, fast-paced read with all the well-loved elements of a Ali Hazelwood novel (minus the fluff). If you have enjoyed her previous "steminist" type romances, I highly recommend this one as well!

Fabulous book! Not in her usuals rom-com style - which she outlines in her notes to readers, I will be buying this book for my store and hand selling like mad. Ali has a way to pull you into her characters' lives and minds and makes you feel everything! Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

They were in fact, in love.

An Ali Hazelwood classic. You should 100% read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for allowing me to read this book early!

Is this the spiciest Ali Hazelwood book yet? (Maybe?!) It is VERY spicy and fun and leans more romance than stem, but still has a solid stem element for sure.

Follow Rue, a scientist and serial one night stand only woman. Her personality is cold, awkward and stilted to those that don't know her, but she has a few close friends that she can be herself with.

Eli and Rue match on a "dating" app that is purely for hookups..They have a bump in their evening when Rue's verbally abusive brother shows up and crashes their meet up and totally spoils their evening.

The next day, Rue is at work when she hears about a company buying out the loan for her workplace. She works for her good friend and mentor, Florence, and doesn't know what to think but she is worried. When Eli is part of the company that is taking over, she can't believe her luck. Determined to stay away from this irresistible stranger she makes herself very clear. They are enemies and they will not be hooking up.

The chemistry is off the charts between Eli and Rue and I enjoyed their truth bombs and revealing conversations.

If you enjoy romance with well developed characters and.great side characters that you are hoping will get their own books, this is for you!

Thank you to netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC to review.

Like all of Ali Hazelwood's other books, this one did not disappoint. This one was more heavy on the sex than the science that is OK with me. The romance premise is the same as all her other STEM based books: female scientist thinks big, hunky male scientist is out to get her and her work but is proven wrong. This time, however, it was not made immediately clear that Eli Killgore was a scientist out for her work or job. The fact that it starts off with a planned sexual encounter at a hotel with no strings attached kind of set the mood for their relationship. The STEM took more of a backseat in this iteration and let the sex (which was a bit darker than her other romances) take center-stage.

Wow! 4.5 stars. Ali Hazelwood knows how to bring the spicy, and this book is definitely spicier than any of her other novels that I've read. She does admit that this book is a bit more erotica than romance before the novel even begins, in order to warn those that might not care for that. However, this is definitely still a love story and the chemistry between the two main characters kept me engaged throughout.

I loved this story. Eli was a complete sweetheart cinnamon roll love which I adore, and Rue, ugh. I loved her too. As a long time Ali Hazelwood fan, this book will easily bring more to her fan base.

Thank you for the ARC!

I love that the author has strong STEM oriented female characters. This book is not like her other books. It is darker, steamier and explores tough topics. It is still well written and will be a hit.

This was hot, sexy, vulnerable and I LOVED it.

Rue and Eli meet through a dating app. Rue has several rules, one of them being only one night stands, and no follow up meetings. Things take a turn when the next day she finds Eli at her workplace, as he’s planning on taking over the company she works for. Rue wants to be loyal to her boss and company. But she cannot seem to stay away from Eli.

I was instantly hooked since page 1. Rue and Eli are extraordinary. Rue’s sense of humor is so dry, and Eli knows how to read her. They’ve both been through so much, which makes them mesh so well. Their chemistry is off the charts. I love how vulnerable they are with each other every time they share a story.

This is my third Ali Hazelwood book, and it was definitely steamier than the rest. I loved every second of it.

🩷 Enemies to lovers
🩷 Workplace romance
🩷 Grumpy / sunshine - she’s the grumpy one!
🩷 Dual POV

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

Not gonna lie, as much as I love Ali Hazelwood, I went into this with doubts. Eli is in private equity, and that is an immediate red flag. But but but. She does it. Ali Hazelwood makes me love him. He has reasons. And he's not evil (despite the job description of private equity being "be evil"). I won't say anymore cause it's big spoilers.

In a complete coincidence, I read Not in Love right after reading a recent release, A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene. In many ways, these books are complete opposites. A Feather So Black is a high fantasy based on Celtic mythology, featuring the fae, changelings, and court intrigue. Not in Love is a contemporary romance with a heavy science bend. And yet. These two books are like mirrors to each other. Reading them back to back felt like the best possible reading experience, even if no one would expect it. They utilize some similar storytelling techniques, namely, how the characters exchange stories as a way of becoming closer while also pushing the plot and character development. Rue and Fia also felt similar in many ways and I just found it all very interesting.

Okay, has anyone else noticed that Ali Hazelwood keeps making autistic heroines, but not saying they're autistic? I highlighted a whole bunch of passages in the book that illustrate this, but obviously can't share them yet. Rue is textbook. Has trouble reading social cues, people mistake her for for being icy or thinking she's better than them when she's really just socially anxious and doesn't know how to interact, issues with food (a lot of this related to food insecurity as a child, but how it presents definitely reads as having an autism component). She has a single friend that is bubbly and outgoing that she made as a child and any social interaction comes via her, but the friends of her friend tend not to like her. Like, it's a little ridiculous. I felt the same thing about Elsie from Love, Theoretically, but Rue is even more obvious. With so few autistic heroines in the book world, I would love to see autism named in the text.

Okay, what you're actually here for: the romance. This book is SCORCHING! While it doesn't have the supernatural elements from Bride, I would argue Not in Love is Hazelwood's spiciest book yet. She even notes this in an author's note in the beginning that this book is less of a rom-com and more of an erotic romance.

Relatedly, do not go into this book expecting a light, fluffy read. Eli and Rue (her especially) both have some trauma they are overcoming. They work through that together, often in the bedroom. While it has the science aspect of her earlier books, it's not a comedy by any means. Both characters have deceased parents and that weighs heavily on the plot at times. I know some folks had cancer surprises in The Love Hypothesis, so wanted to share that while one of the parental deaths is cancer related, it isn't super present in the book. The book deals with the reality of childhood poverty and food insecurity, and the lasting effects is leaves on adults, even when they become financially secure.

All together, Not In Love is a spectacular romance novel. It balances the hard stuff with the spicy with the dramatic (there is, after all, a hostile takeover of a business happening). Characters feel realistic and three dimensional. There are several characters that could get spin-off romances if Hazelwood chose to do so. I personally loved Eli's younger sister Maya. Also, slightly hilariously given its current popularity, even though this is nowhere near a hockey romance, we do get a slight hockey/figure skating sub-plot. I highly recommend it, but folks will want to check out trigger warnings closer to release date so they can go in emotionally prepared.

I think Hazelwood might have heard us when we said that her last few offerings felt like a rinse and repeat of her first big hit. Not in Love still had all the scientific elements to it but the characters felt much more flawed and raw than previous ones. And they felt like they were standing more on equal footing in some ways than the man asserting all the power. Now - don’t get me wrong, there is still some savior complex damsel in distress action but the female MC Rue is very unique and finds her voice.

The sex scenes are spicy AF and there are a lot of them - but we are still relying on the “he’s almost too big to fit” line and idk about you guys but that’s definitely the exception not the rule IRL. But whatever - let’s escape into Giant Cock Land and lean in to the fantasy.

4.5 rounded up!

I'm a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood and knew I was going to love this. It's different than her other books for two main reasons: it's dual POV and spicier than any novel she's written so far. Safe to say that these are NOT negatives and I enjoyed these aspects very much!

I loved Rue. I related to her on a deep level. Her feelings of not being lovable, being "too fucked up" to ever be loved wholly by another person with all of the mistakes she's made. I related to the way she was in social situations (to a degree) and her lack of reading cues, basically being socially inept unlike other people. I always admired how Ali Hazelwood would write FMC's with completely different personalities than fmc's in other books. Kind of adverse to sex, social interactions, love, etc. on a level that isn't just "I'm too scared" to love, but fundamental differences between her and others. It's always done so flawlessly that I always love. I can see myself in so many of them, too, and feel so seen.

Eli was... WOW. Just wow. I'd say one of the most dynamic of all of Ali's MMC's, for sure. His past was just as gritty and ugly as Rue's which was what drew them together (aside from their insane sexual attraction, of course). I loved his resilience and his acknowledgement as to the mistakes he's made. I loved how he tries his very best to atone for those mistakes, specifically with Maya, and tries his best to prevent Rue from going through what he did. Not to mention the MOUTH on this man? Holy. Shit. If Ali stops writing spice like this I will cry because this was e v e r y t h i n g I needed from her. He was head over heels in love. There are fewer chapters of Eli's where he's talking about himself or his life and more chapters where he's completely OBSESSING over Rue. Literally saying that she unhinged him, that she controlled him (in a sexy way, of course), that she was the center of his entire world. And literally before they even had sex! Like if you want a MALE OBSESSEDmmc then this book is for you. He tops all of Ali's other mmc's in terms of obsessed. He brought it to a whole new level. The way he showed up for her every single time, (call me if you need me, call me even if you don't), with Vincent especially, with EVERYTHING. Idk the way this man was written I can just see him perfectly in my mind and I want my own Eli !!!!

The two of them together were electric. I loved the relationship they built and the connection that fused between them. The way they'd tell each other snippets of their own terrible stories, because they were terrible people, and they accepted each other despite it, or maybe because of it, and showed each other that love could grow even in the darkest, coldest conditions. Eli was patient with Rue, didn't rush her, didn't force words in her mouth when she wasn't being sociable. I loved that. I loved how he accepted her for every single part of who she was and never tried to change him. Their sexual relationship was the least of their worries. I loved to hear him call her baby, sweetheart, love. I feel like pet names are grossly underused when it comes to Hazelwood's books (with just reason) and there was a total dump of them in this book? I was shook. Absolutely shook.

The drama surrounding Kline and Harkness was engaging. Of course, there had to be a villain and of course it was the person that Rue had entrusted her life with. I really did love the parallels between Rue's current situation and Eli's past situation with Florence (and I was screaming when I realized about the patent before they even mentioned it!!!)

The only reason this isn't a five star read (which if I reread it, it probably would be) is because 1) they mentioned a lot of kinks and barely any of the aforementioned kinks were implemented as much as I thought they'd be); 2) I'm not going to lie, I was confused for the first few chapters which is probably (definitely) a me problem, but it was a little flip-floppy to have her POV in first person and his in third person. It was jarring and took me a little bit to get used to especially since Ali never did dual pov before.

thank you so much for the arc!

The company that Rue Siebert, a biotech engineer, works for has been bought via a seemingly hostile takeover by a finance company. What’s worse? Heading the company is a man that Rue /almost/ had a ‘casual meet up’ with the night before.

There’s an undeniable attraction between Eli and Rue, however, and secrets unfold that truly tell that the takeover is more than what it seems.

Hazelwood has outshone herself in this novel. She’s branched out within her genre and is truly putting her all into her characters. I love seeing something different from her and can’t wait to see what she does next.

Hmmmmm. I finished it and I said “huh” out loud. Because I don’t think I have ever contemplated giving an Ali Hazelwood book anything other than ALL the stars. And I considered what to do for a time with this one. And the overriding reason for the four is not the writing style or the characterizations or the setting or the story line or any of the things that it would normally be. And when I say that it was about the sex, please know that I am not a prude and I actually enjoyed that element in all of her previous books…and even, to a lesser degree, in this one. What I found difficult about the sex in this title was my inability to relate to that drive. I mean, this book was all about the sex in a way that her other books were not. It didn’t end up being all about the sex, but for a good 75% of the book, it really was. And I have no way to relate to that life, that reality, that level of gettin’ after it. I don’t judge it, nor do I crave it for me. I just can’t say that I understand it even a little. So that took something away for me.

However, still a delightful, funny, sad (more than any of her others), real, STEM-sational read! I dug it. 💜📚

5/5

I am a huge Ali Hazelwood fan, so I had high hopes for this book. I was NOT disappointed. This is another women-in-stem romance, but it is definitely a different vibe than her other books. Less of a fluffy romance and more of a real life romance. This book is more than just a romance, it includes friendships, betrayal, loss, grief and so much more. I grew so attached to Rue and Eli; their relationship had me giddy. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Company for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.