Rue loves her job as a biotech engineer at a promising start-up company. She has a very supportive group of friends, and she is finally financially stable. In her eyes, things are heading in the right direction until her company announces it is facing a hostile takeover. Rue is a bit distraught, especially since the lead for the job is handsome, which makes it very hard to resist.

Eli is ready to take over the company but must get past his feelings for Rue. She is technically the enemy, off limits, but somehow, he can’t fight his initial attraction to her. They manage to agree to secretly give into their desires, but only until a final decision about the company is made.

I have a love/hate relationship with Ms. Hazelwood’s books. Most of the time, I enjoy them, and then there are other times when I don’t. The one thing I can say is that she knows how to really delve into the STEM world. Seeing all the women in that field and gathering research for it is truly amazing.

Rue and Eli have a lot of passion that spills out on the pages. However, outside of the bedroom and the smoldering conversations, I didn’t get the love part. Rue is very guarded in her career. She never really opens up to him, and Eli seems to only focus on the physical aspect of the relationship. I think they had the promise of being a super couple, but the romantic development is lacking.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and recommend it for fans of STEM romances.

~ Samantha

I have loved all of Ali Hazelwood’s books so far and I loved this one as well. She seems to be leaning into the spicy romance trend with this one, adding even more spicy scenes than in her past books, but still creating a plot featuring Rue and Eli, both of whom had difficult childhoods and don’t believe they will find love. I enjoyed the relationship that Rue and Eli formed by telling each other their secrets. I also enjoyed the side characters, especially Rue’s best friend. I wasn’t sure about how Eli seemed to magically change Rue’s bedroom turn off to a turn on, but they did discuss it and acknowledge it. It fit in well with the rest of the book.

This is a story about entanglements.

Have you ever wanted to read a book about a girl who is not like other girls bc she has poor social skills and hooks up like a dude? Until she meets a hot and tall dude who is not like other dudes? Then they match each-other’s freak? Well- I’ve got the book for you! Unfortunately I’m not totally sure it was the book for me, but I’ll keep reading everything she writes!

Thank you so much Netgalley & Berkley for the eArc & PRHA for the audiocopy!

Thank you to @berkleypub @prhaudio for the gifted copy..

This was my first Ali Hazelwood novel and I enjoyed it. It was spicy and not all what I was expecting from a rom com. I liked Eli and Rue together although Rue was an annoying character. I also appreciated the women in engineering.

I enjoyed the narration!

Unfortunately I will be DNF'ing this book. As someone who skips spicy scenes in books, I feel like I'm skipping the majority of the book from 30% on here. I think that Rue is actually kind of a horrible person and if she was a real person, no one would want to be friends with her...

Meet Rue: She is smarter than everyone else around her and if they don't immediately know what she is talking about, they are idiots. She's so absolutely brilliant that it's below her to have to explain her scientific concepts or participate in any collaboration in general. The side of her head is shaved, but also she doesn't care what anything thinks, and she is not like other girls. Basically, the last person I would want as a coworker.

Meet Eli: He's attracted to Rue because...?? She has a body, so it's cool that he can use that. That's it.

This book is one long series of severely emotionally detached hookups. It could be hot, but all personality or emotion is completely disconnected. The storyline promised in the blurb is basically background and is incredibly predictable. So, Hazelwood finally made a change: reused the same plot but removed any romance or chemistry. I don't think "Not in Love" will have the same broad appeal as other Hazelwood novels.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

I love Ali Hazelwood’s work and I’d say Not in Love is her spiciest and angstiest work. Sometimes the device of the unavailable woman and the too available man becomes too hard to believe, but you can’t stop yourself from routing for these people!

A feel good romance with just the right amount of spice, combined with drama and strife. Really enjoyed the characters in this novel.

This is definitely not my favorite Ali Hazelwood book....but it's still an Ali Hazelwood book! I think my main issue was that it took me awhile to get invested and I had trouble connecting to the FMC. Also just not a huge fan of workplace romances, although they're not really coworkers, it still gives me a bit of an ick.

Rue doesn't want relationships, just an occasional one-night-stand with someone she never has to see again. Unfortunately for her, a promising meeting with Eli doesn't lead to anything more and leaves them both very unsatisfied. And then, Eli shows up at her work as part of a team trying to bring her beloved science start-up down! Now more than ever Rue knows that she shouldn't start anything with him, but will they be able to resist?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Ali Hazelwood does not miss! I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of science and romance! Eli and Rue were just chefs 😘

Thank you so much for this arc!

If you’re looking for a steamy, enemies with benefits romance look no further. This in the newest STEM romance from Ali Hazelwood, and watch out you don’t burn yourself from all the spice this one has in store for you. This one does deal with some heavy topics, in both our main characters past, and adds that much more emotion to the story.

A steamy romance about two troubled souls who meet when he is trying to take over the company she works for. Narrated by Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke, Hazelwood offered an enjoyable listen, but I confess I was more interested in the takeover..

I found Hazelwood’s STEM romances enjoyable and appreciated the corporate takeover element in the plot. The romance in this book is hotter than her previous ones, and I’m all for it. The problem was that there was very little time to focus on building relationships. While I enjoyed the confessions, I don’t think I’ll remember their story in three months.

The takeover stems from revenge, and the storyline was intriguing. We are left in the dark in the beginning and slowly learn the whys. I confess I was concerned for Rue and her current project.

I loved the banter and secondary characters who added to the story. Both Rue and Eli’s backstories were interesting and enough that I felt like I knew where they were coming from. The romance while sizzling lacked a genuineness I felt previously from this author.

Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke narrated in duet. They did well voicing the characters. I preferred the parts read by Dalton and liked both her male and female voices.

While not my favorite Hazelwood novel, I enjoyed the banter, takeover story, and characters.

I love Ali Hazelwood and this book didn’t feel fully like Ali until the end. I love how her novels explore the spectrum of Demi-sexuality and are slower burns. The heavy focus on the physical relationship with little plot until the end left me feeling detached from these characters and missing my favorite part of Ali’s books - the romance and STEM.

this is easily Ali Hazelwood's horniest novel yet, and that's saying something. such a sexy, dark yet tender novel with an intriguing subplot. highly rec!!!!

I am so grateful for Not in Love—it was such a juicy, steamy, delicious upgrade from Ali Hazelwood's typical. I absolutely ate this up—I simply could not get enough.

I’m always excited for a new Ali Hazelwood book! Not in Love did not disappoint for me. I think it’s very important to read her authors note in the beginning because this definitely has a much different vibe than her other books. It’s not really a romcom and more just a romance.
Still really liked it and would recommend!

Enemies to Lovers STEM, He Falls First Dual POV Romance

Meet Eli & Rue - these two meet via an app and the attraction is instant but their rendezvous is interrupted, leaving them both angsty only to find themselves at odds over his company's takeover of the start-up where she works.

I know Ali writes about women in STEM but this book is all about the STEAM friends. These two lust after each other soooo bad and we get it in dual POV so we have no doubts about how they feel. I loved the secret stories they shared only with each other. There is just something about bearing the most secret, terrible parts of yourself with someone that is so beautiful.

I'm an Ali Hazelwood fan and Not in Love did not disappoint. Definitely recommend this for your summer reading.

forbidden, angsty, boy who is obsessed with the FMC and it's enemies with benefits. Obviously this was a 5/5 stars.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance, Netgalley, and PRH Audio for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I knew from the moment I read this that this wasn't going to work for a lot of diehard Ali Hazelwood fans. And that definitely seems to be the case. This is vastly different from her previous books and personally I was consumed by it.

This is far heavier on the physical romance than emotional romance, which is a departure from her more slow burn, high chemistry, will-they-won't-they stem romances.

This follows 2 scientists with heavy baggage, who work through a lot of their issues through a physical relationship. Including their dislike for each other. It's insta-attraction, lots of on page sex, with a more slow burn emotional side.

Which is the opposite setup from her previous books (lots of tension, chemistry, slow getting to know each other, ending in a big physical moment).

This also has a bit of a more melancholy feel to it. The characters have some pretty heavy pasts that affect how they see and interact with the world (and each other). And because of that, some of their interactions could definitely be seen as frustrating due to their lack of (healthy) communication.

It also might seem impossible to get on board with the hero at first. But trust me when I say, it's worth it in the end.

“You’re enough, Rue. And if you aren’t… I just don’t mind.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the folks at Berkley Publishing for an eARC of this highly anticipated release!

Not in Love thrusts us back into Ali’s Steminist world, but with a twist. She describes this book as less of a romcom and more of an erotic romance, and that tracks! This book is a bit heavier and grittier, but still has Ali’s signature banter and characters that are fun to get to know. And the DUAL POV WAS 🤌🏻 I need the MMC POV in all her books now (especially Dr. Levi Ward’s because that man was down so bad and I need to read that perspective like I need air 😭)

While I did enjoy this book, it ended up being my least favorite of Ali’s works. I personally don’t love insta-lust, and this is the set up from the get go. I really appreciated Ali writing a FMC that wasn’t bubbly and outgoing and sweet. Rue had a more subdued character, which was interesting for her to explore. I know so many people are going to identify with Rue, and I absolutely love that! However, I personally felt a slow burn would’ve worked better with this type of character to establish a connection between the FMC and MMC. Despite Rue showing very little personality, there is an instant connection between her an the MMC, Eli. I would have loved to see that build more organically, because for me I don’t understand how you can have an instant undeniable crazy attraction you have never felt your entire life based off what seems outwardly as nothing. I also prefer emotional build up before the spice, which is why this one also falls a little flat for me as it is just too spice forward. I enjoy a spicy book! but this one just had it a bit too often for me, and I felt myself wanting to get back to the plot and the conflict.

I fully own that many of my critiques are more-so personal preferences and so I will be in the minority on this one, and I am totally okay with that! I love all the 5 star reviews I have seen for this one so far, and I am so glad this book has worked for so many.

I gave it about 3 stars, but make no mistake! I have no regrets reading it, I had a fun time!