Not In Love does describe the way I feel about this book because I am very much in LOVE!
There has never been a Ali Hazelwood book I haven't liked and it's not starting now. While tonally different from her more light hearted rom coms, this book, which has been described as an "erotic romance, is full of angst and spice, a combination Hazelwood mixes together perfect.
With backstories much more harrowing than that of her previous books, these characters are rich with detail and trauma, making an enthralling book.
No one does a man obsessed better than Miss. Ali Hazelwood. And Eli Kilgore is OBSESSED. A truly down bad man who would do anything for the girl who doesn't even know if she likes him at all., he IS the standard.
Not in Love is everything I wanted and more and I wish I could read about Rue and Eli for the rest of time.

Ali Hazelwood’s *Not in Love* presents an engaging blend of romance, corporate intrigue, and personal growth, all set against the backdrop of the competitive biotech industry. The novel revolves around Rue Siebert, a determined biotech engineer whose career at Kline, a rising star in food science, is jeopardized by a hostile takeover led by the charming but relentless Eli Killgore. This conflict sets the stage for a captivating exploration of loyalty and desire, pushing both characters into uncharted emotional territories. Rue is portrayed as a relatable and multi-dimensional protagonist; she embodies the challenges of balancing professional ambition with personal fulfillment. Her life seems meticulously curated, with supportive friends and financial stability that she fought hard to achieve. However, the sudden threat posed by Eli and his team throws her stability into disarray. Rue’s struggle to maintain her career while grappling with her feelings for Eli provides a compelling narrative thread that keeps readers invested in her journey. Eli Killgore, described as offensively attractive, is not simply a handsome foil to Rue’s character. He is a complex figure driven by personal motivations that add depth to the story. His attraction to Rue complicates his ruthless business tactics, creating a tension that resonates throughout the novel. As the story unfolds, readers witness Eli’s transition from a corporate predator to a man torn by genuine feelings for Rue, establishing a romantic tension that is both exciting and fraught with consequences. The secretive nature of Rue and Eli’s relationship introduces an element of suspense, as their no-strings-attached affair unfolds amidst a backdrop of corporate warfare. The ticking clock of a looming deadline—when one company must ultimately prevail—heightens the stakes, making every encounter between Rue and Eli feel charged with urgency. Their chemistry is palpable, and Hazelwood expertly navigates the push and pull of their relationship, showcasing the complexities of love in a high-stakes environment. Hazelwood’s writing shines in its ability to balance romantic tension with the realities of workplace politics. She skillfully weaves in themes of loyalty and ambition, challenging Rue and Eli to confront their priorities and the consequences of their choices. As the narrative unfolds, both characters must grapple with the implications of their relationship, ultimately leading to a poignant exploration of what it means to love and be vulnerable in a world that demands strength and control. In conclusion, *Not in Love* is a captivating read that deftly blends romance and professional ambition. Ali Hazelwood’s sharp prose and well-developed characters invite readers to reflect on the complexities of relationships forged in challenging circumstances. Rue and Eli’s journey is not just about love; it is about the sacrifices and choices that define us in the pursuit of happiness. For anyone looking for a novel that will keep them turning the pages with a mix of suspense, humor, and heartfelt moments, *Not in Love* is a must-read.

2.75 ⭐️!

i give 3 stars to books that weren’t my cup of tea but i’d still recommend & books with 2.5 stars & below are books i wouldn’t recommend & just weren’t good. this one is getting the weird 2.75 rating because although i wouldn’t recommend this to someone, i could see why someone would still want to pick it up.

i want to preface by saying that ali hazelwood is normally an autobuy author for me, & although she said this book was different than the others i don’t think it’s too far off. however, there were just some things i didn’t love this time.

for starters, why the heck was rue’s pov in first person & eli’s pov in third person? i’ve read that in fantasy when they are transitioning from a full book being in first to third, but my goodness. it felt like there wasn’t an editor for this book & it just kept taking me out of the story & building connections with the main characters.

speaking of which, i have lots of vvvvvv strong opinions about rue as a character, but frankly i think y’all need to make your own opinion on her. so i will keep this to myself unless asked.

with all this being said, the spice was spicinggggg. literally, this book felt like 75% spice & 25% plot. which i wasn’t necessarily mad at. in regards to plot, i did like the conflict & how everything resolved, but other than that i feel like nothing except insta lust & insta love took place in this book. it’s vvvvv insta lust/attraction & insta love.

if you want to read this book, go for it! i know some people who say this is their favorite ali hazelwood…it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

3.75 but rounding up to 4

Thanks Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this one because I’m a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood’s other books, but Not in Love didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story itself was fine, and the steamy scenes were definitely a highlight, but I struggled to get into it.

I’m a mood reader, so it might just be that I wasn’t in the right headspace for this book. However, Rue is such a badass STEM woman that I couldn’t help but admire her. Despite not loving this one as much as her previous works, I still appreciate Ali Hazelwood’s writing and happily added this book to my shelf. Not a bad read at all—just didn’t resonate with me as much this time around!

It's a little difficult for me to know if this is objectively good because I read it so quickly. For about twelve hours counting an annoying break for sleeping in the middle, I became so invested in Rue and Eli. (It's a little PWP-y if we're being honest? And the actual plot is patent law?) It's a little angsty, sure, but not nearly as much as I was expecting because the main characters are such darn sweet and hurt little babies.

If there’s one thing about me it’s that I always have the innate urge to rate all Ali Hazelwood books immediately 5 stars and this is no exception. HOWEVER. I need to also note that this is 100% deserving and my favorite Ali book so far.

Rue and Eli felt like two of her most raw and real characters to date. With REAL issues and REAL ways of dealing with them. Like these are two deeply flawed individuals and watching them find each other and lean on eachother and TRUST eachother so deeply in ways they’ve never been able to before did something to my heart. You just can’t help but root for these two. This is BY FAR her steamiest book yet, and while is was almost too much, it still felt integral to their character development??? And I think was still the basis for why their emotional connection was able to form so deeply.

I also just found the general STEM related plot to be the most interesting and nuanced of all her novels like idk man I was just mad on everyone’s behalf constantly

ANYWAYS I loved this book I will sing it’s praises forever, in Ali we trust 💪

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

*Not In Love* was unlike any Ali Hazelwood book I’ve read before, and I’ve read almost all of her work.

The difference wasn’t just in the content of the novel itself — obviously, this was much more reliant on the erotic side of the characters’ relationship — but the characters *themselves* were so drastically different than the “stencil” Ali often uses. What I mean by stencil is that, in her previous works (i.e *The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain,* and *Love Theoretically*) her MMCs are grumpy and keep to themselves, with the FMCs being a bit brighter and colorful. Rue and Eli, though? The roles were reversed for these two. And it was so *refreshing.*

Yes, I did enjoy the different stance Ali took when writing this story, making it a bit more of an erotica than a rom-com (while still having those beloved rom-com elements, of course) but I appreciated that she twisted things around a bit. This book definitely felt more serious that the other titles I’ve read by her and, again, I found it refreshing. I’ll be completely honest, I had a hard time recognizing Ali’s writing in this book given how different the main characters were to her other characters. I think I just got so used to each set of characters being similar to each other (which I didn’t particularly mind! I always enjoy her books and she’s an insta-buy author of mine) that meeting Rue and Eli caught me off guard. There wasn’t anything like the galaxy leggings from *Love on the Brain*, or anything that might’ve been deemed “quirky” by the reader community.

All in all, *Not in Love* (in my opinion) is definitely a stand-out novel on Ali’s list. I loved the characters, I loved the tension between Rue and Eli (and gosh, their CHEMISTRY!!!) I loved how whipped Eli was for Rue from the very beginning, I loved the bit of intrigue and betrayal as I kept reading, and I loved the ending. It was just the perfect summer read, and I ate it up in less than three days, so I absolutely had a great time reading it.

Thank you so much to Sabrina at PRH for sending me the e-galley of Ali’s new release. I genuinely had such a wonderful time!

Another hit in the STEMinist genre for Ali Hazelwood. This is in her wheelhouse and hits all the right notes.

Ali Hazelwood is always an automatic purchase for me. Not In Love is another hit! Women in STEM is always a favorite as a protagonist trope from Ali, and her characters are really awesome!

This is the latest in Hazelwoods STEM-centric novels. In Not in Love, Rue is an engineer working at a biotech lab. Her pet project is a coating to prolong the life of produce. She is awkward and avoids relationships, relegating intimacy to one night stands through a hook up app. Eli was her latest date, which due to unforeseen circumstances ends in a connection and no sex. Shortly after, Rue's employing labs funding loan is bought by Eli and his business partners. Her hook up and potential more quickly becomes enemy number one.

The focus of the book is the romance. It's front and center from the very beginning. Readers get glimpses into Rue's history and follow the story to discover Eli's past and his company's true motives. I adored the development of the story. Eli and Rue have plenty of heat. I learned as much from the characters through their interactions both casual and romantic. There is plenty of spice so if you like the heat, it's there. The scenes also have a lot of intimacy. While the plot with the biotech company is a bit predictable, I didn't think it dampened my enjoyment of the book. I also really liked the side characters and would love to see some of them get their own story. Compared to Hazlewood's other novels, I felt that this took a more direct romantic approach and development. The story was all about Eli and Rue from the beginning. While there is a story outside of their romance, it isn't the priority. I would also avoid calling Not in Love a rom-com. It's more of a pure romantic drama. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to adding it to my library.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥🔥
 
Quick Breakdown:
 
Workplace Adversaries
Black Cat x Golden Retriever
Bed First, Feelings Later
He Falls First
STEM Setting
Dual POV
Open Door – Explicit Detail

Thank you @berkleyromance for the gifted eARC & finished copy & @prhaudio for the gifted ALC #berkleypartner
 
Rue & Eli first meet after matching on a *winky face* hook up app, but their attempt goes askew after Rue’s estranged brother sets her on edge. Sparks fly & chemistry is palpable as he escorts her home for safety. She even considers breaking her one & done rule. The next day at work, she couldn’t be more shocked to find out he’s one of the partners from Harkness, the group that just is attempting to take over the biotech firm her mentor started.

Ali Hazelwood had a brand of romance & I am here for it. STEM romances, obsessed heroes, slightly oblivious heroines you can’t help but love. I loved Rue’s character arc & the slow burn realization that Eli was not who she thought he was.
 
The spice was ON POINT. I love a dominating hero as much as I love it when a strong-willed FMC inevitably realizes she enjoys relinquishing control. Pair all that with a hero who is fluffing GONE for the heroine. Rue’s & Eli’s relationship was heavily related to their sexual chemistry which may or may not be people’s cup of tea. Although here it fits the story, IMO, since Rue is very anti-commitment & Eli is such a simp for her. He’ll take anything he can get while he attempts to wear her down & show her how good it could be. There is a level of underlying trust & vulnerability needed with the amount of spice this one brings & for me, it laid the foundation for their relationship feeling like it could last.
 
I struggled a bit to get into the story & part of me is concerned it was from reading via audio. I am usually a HUGE Callie Dalton fan & Idk if she was trying to properly portray Rue’s personality or not, but her performance felt a bit robotic. It ended up taking me over a week to finish this, & while I definitely didn’t hate it, I didn’t end up my favorite either.

Rue has a successful career at a food science start up as a biotech engineer. But that career feels threatened when Eli Kilgore and his business partners arrive to take over the company. There’s an instant and undeniable chemistry between Rue and Eli, and as much as they want to fight it, they ultimately give in to the attraction and begin a secret, no-strings-attached affair. Even though they both claim this relationship is short-term, the heart wants what it wants.

Any fan of Ali’s signature women in STEM romances will definitely love this book. There are a few things that set this book apart from her previous work. First, there is the dual POV. I loved getting Eli’s perspective and knowing what was going on in his head. Then, this book is also far steamier than her earlier books. Do not recommend listening to this audiobook in public haha. Aside from these differences, there are a lot of the signature Ali Hazlewood touches that any fan will know and love: strong, smart female characters, incredible chemistry and banter, and a story that you fly through and can’t put down. This is another Ali win!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Not the best Ali Hazelwood book but this one definitely bring a whole lot of emotions compared to the author's previous works

Thank you to PRH Audio & Berkeley Romance for the review copy!

Ali Hazelwood is the author that made me a romance reader, and I just love her brand of romantic tension. Not in Love was a little steamier and a little more melancholy than her past books have felt. I loved how she portrayed the complicated sibling dynamics created by living through childhood trauma. <spoiler> I really appreciated that she didn't have Rue's relationship with her brother solved neatly at the end of the book, while still creating an ending for that plotline. </spoiler>

🎧 LOVED the duet narration. Both narrators fit their characters so well. My one complaint was that they both spoke SO SLOWLY? I’m usually a 1.5-1.75x listener, but I had this book cranked up to 2x just to sound normal.

This is my first read by the author and it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting a rom com and while this is a romance, it is a little weightier and a lot steamier than I expected. It was missing the com. Not totally bad, but threw me for a loop.

Pluses - the spice level is off the charts. There are many spicy scenes and they might make you blush if reading in public. Rue is a strong woman that knows what she wants. She’s had unconventional relationships and unconventional sex. Forbidden romance. I think this trope is growing on me.

Minuses - I am a fan of the comedic moments to break up a romance. But my biggest minus was I thought this one worked so hard (smile) at the spice, I know it is labeled an erotica romance, that the couple was lacking in those tender moments that along with sex, make up the relationship. Maybe that is just a preference of mine, but that usually sells me on the couple.

Overall, it took me a little while to connect to the romance, but I did end up liking and rooting for them to get their act together.

Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke narrated the story and did a good job with all that steam. I thought Callie sounded a little young compared to Jason’s voice, but I adapted quickly and listened to this one in just over a day. This might be my first time listening to a spicy romance and I might be won over.

I’ll have to check out her other more romcomy books, but I’ll definitely pick up her next one.

While I still did like this book, I didn’t rate it as high as some of the other Ali Hazelwood books I’ve read. I think that after reading Bride and being SO surprised by it, anything in her academic/science range will be hard to live up to it. I will say that I loved the way Eli talked about his feelings for Rue. Him saying that he “forgets to look at other things” when Rue is around was so heartwarming and I love those littler tender moments between book couples. The backstory and plot twists that we find out towards the end of the book make the book so messy and drama filled but not really in a way I enjoyed. Overall I gave it a 3/5 because I enjoyed the love story but I felt like the drama was almost too messy to tie up nicely in the end.

Rue is smart, and her academic skills far outweigh her social ones. She has exactly two friends; Tisha and her boss, Florence. She doesn’t do romantic relationships, only hook ups that she meets online. All that seems to change when she meets Eli. He “saves” her and they don’t even hook up and then she thinks she will never see him again. Not only does she see him again, but he shows up with the group that is trying to take over the company she works for. While things get complicated fast, Rue has to explore her own feelings and figure out that not everyone is trustworthy.

I love Hazelwood’s books. I enjoy the smart, quirky female leads. This one was different in that it was far more sexual than any of her previous books. She does give you a heads up in the pages before you start it. It’s is definitely 🌶️!

Rue thought she had her life figured out. She was making progress on an important patent at work, she had supportive friendships at work, her sex life was adequate. But when her latest planned hook up turns out to be the very same person involved in a financial takeover of the lab she works for, things get complicated. As her blind faith in her friends is tested and her relationship with Eli starts to mean more, Rue realizes she’s not in love: not in love with being kept in the dark, not in love with everyone keeping secrets, and not in love with the path she once thought was right for her.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that Rue and Eli’s romance was not going to be your typical enemies-to-lovers story. For one, Rue is far from the main female characters I’m used to reading, especially from the big publishers. While Hazelwood doesn’t put a label on Rue in any way in terms of her sexuality, Rue could easily identify as a demiromantic, making her quite different from Hazelwood’s usual female main characters. This sort of sex-positive, romance-averse character type is definitely more common among male characters, so it was wholly refreshing to see Rue be unapologetically herself - no matter how hard Eli tried throughout the book.

I thought Hazelwood gave this story a good balance between what was happening between Rue and Eli as well as what was happening in the larger plot. A lot of changes happened to Rue during the course of this story, most of them the uncomfortable kind of change. But Hazelwood crafted a character who needed more than a page or two to rebound, giving us one of her most realistic FMCs yet. Eli, likewise, couldn’t just cruise in the background to his happily ever after. I loved that Hazelwood gave both main characters dilemmas involving both romantic and platonic love; while, fundamentally, both Eli and Rue had to make some similar decisions, each character was affected in entirely different ways.

The overall plot wasn’t anything super unique: office rivals-to-lovers, with Hazelwood’s typical women-in-STEM spin. But where Not in Love shines is Rue’s diverse sexual and romantic preferences and Eli’s beautiful ability to meet every single one of Rue’s needs. Not in Love gave us a wonderful FMC with diverse romantic and sexual preferences, and a MMC who was more than capable of meeting her needs.

Not In Love is my favorite book by Ali Hazelwood! I love how she was absolutely fearless in exploring the sexual relationship between two hurt people Rue and Eli. Their connection to each other grows through sexual intimacy but it blooms through trust and loyalty.

This book was so sexy yet intimate. I loved seeing the relationship between Eli and Rue evolve into love as they grow closer. Rue opens up to Eli in a way that she doesn't with anyone else and it changes something inside of her incrementally.

Trust and betrayal are big themes in this book, and Rue struggles with these. Eli becomes both hero and victim to her struggle, and I loved how he restored her faith.

Overall, Not In Love is a wonderful, intense, emotional and sexy read and I hope that Ali Hazelwood writes more of her books with such bravery and sexiness.

Personal compatibility: 4.5 ⭐️
for it's written purpose: 5 ⭐️

Overall: 4.75 ⭐️

okayyyyy Ali, I see you with the angst and the sexual tension 😮‍💨

This was definitely the most "adult" book so far from Ali & aside from Check and Mate, the one with the most character depth

When I say I devoured this, you don't understand— I picked this book up and didn't set it back down unless it was for a necessary bodily function (sleep is NOT necessary!!)

Eli and Rue were an entirely new take on Hazelwood's usual smarty-pants love interests. I loved that Rue was a taller girl, a bigger girl, a girl who is awkward and intense and intimidating— because girls like that rarely get their story told and I'm so happy that she did

Not In Love does speak to a lot of more intense topics (please read the CWs 🫶🏻) but it added to the realism and the dynamic

I remain faithful in my covenant to read anything Ali writes 🫡