“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!

Might be my second favorite Ali book? (Bride you will always be THAT girl.) I really enjoyed this one!

Rue & Eli have both been through very traumatizing events in their lives that shape who they have become as adults. Their vulnerability and they way they slowly opened up to each other because of how instantly comfortable they felt in each other's company was beautiful to read. Yes they had chemistry from the get go and it was a little insta lusty and lovey, BUT you get WHY both of them are this way and why it is hard for them, specially for Rue, to see past something physical.

While I could not really connect with Rue for the most part, I did find her social anxiety relatable and her fear of trusting people hit close to home. I get why it was so hard for her to let her guard down and the weight and guilt that she carries as an older sister was very loud! Too close to home!

ELI! Oh he is a man OBSESSED! And so utterly HOT! His patience with Rue was incredible and I love how truly SOLID he was for her. How he showed her over and over again, not just told her. And his POV? Truly a highlight for me.

I also found that Ali addressed the topic of food insecurity extremely well and with a lot of care. As someone who had never read about something like this before, I felt that Ali wrote it in such a way that you truly felt it alongside Rue. I was in tears and very choked up when she finally opened up and told Eli her story.

This felt so different than Ali's previous STEM romances, and different in a great way. I usually find Ali's books to be a bit more light hearted, a bit more goofy, while still having depth. This one I found to be a little bit more serious and definitely more profound. While I do wish the plot moved a tiny bit faster, I find that overall this is one of Ali's strongest works yet.

DO MIND — this is for sure Ali's spiciest book. I mean those two were HORNY for each other oh my lordddd. She turned it up for this one and it was great, I have zero complaints. But if spice heavy books aren't really your cup of tea, you might want to consider skipping this one.

Oh Ali Hazelwood the woman that you are! I will always love you and your big hunky simps of MMCs!

THANK YOU SO MUCH BERKLEY FOR THE ARC!!

This was super spicy—Hazelwood you make me blush! I enjoyed the mysterious corporate takeover aspect to it as well.

I was SO pleasantly surprised by this book. I was able to do a dual read with the eArc and the ALC (thanks to librofm). The audio was DELIGHTFUL.

I loved how this book was sweet and hot all at once! Rue had so many layers and Eli was more than willing to find her in between them.

Ali wrote this with less science in mind (although still prominent) but that’s what made it so different for me. It was more focused on character development and their struggles in and outside of their relationship.

I don’t know if I’d classify this as a romcom because it felt deeper than that? I laughed at some parts but it also made me think deeply.

Eli had a third POV which was interesting. It kept me in Rue’s shoes (she had a first POV).

Loved and I can’t wait to read more Ali!!

Dr. Rue Siebert is a talented biotech engineer who is passionate about her work but who has no interest in a relationship. Rue uses an app when she wants a one night stand and this is how she meets Eli Kilgore. Rue and Eli have amazing chemistry, but Rue makes it very clear that regardless of their chemistry, this will be one night and one night only. Imagine Rue’s surprise when she goes to work to find that her company is in the midst of a hostile takeover, and Eli is one of the business partners responsible for it. Once they are forced to start spending more time together, even though they are on opposite sides of this takeover, Rue and Eli cannot fight their attraction any longer and begin a forbidden relationship.

I loved both Rue and Eli. Rue is smart, quick-witted, and very determined, but she’s also very guarded when it comes to her emotions. It’s a challenge to figure out how she really feels and I found that fascinating. Eli finds it equally fascinating and after their initial encounter, he cannot stop thinking about Rue. I’m a sucker for a “he fell first” story and this one is just so well done. I also really enjoyed the way their relationship evolves, both on an emotional and physical level, especially as it becomes clear that both characters are more vulnerable than they seem at first. I will also say this book is a bit spicier than Hazelwood’s other books as sex plays a big part in Rue and Eli’s relationship as they slowly learn to trust one another.

Lastly, I will say that even though Not in Love doesn’t have the rom-com vibes of Hazelwood’s other books, it still has plenty of witty banter to balance out the more dramatic and angsty moments. I found it a very entertaining read from start to finish & I especially enjoyed the audiobook which I read in tandem with the ebook. Callie Dalton & Jason Clarke narrate and they both do such a tremendous job of capturing the complexities & vulnerability of each character.

4 1/2 stars

Look, is every Ali Hazelwood romance *kind of* the same? Yes. Do I enjoy them regardless as a fun little treat? Also yes! Sometimes it's nice to know exactly what you're getting, and in Not in Love we got another closed off woman in science who is oblivious to the feelings of the man she's made fall head over heels for her. And I loved every second of it.

Eli Killgore.

That's it.

That's the review.

JK, but that man hit the "I'll take care of you" trope right on the nose, and I adored it.

I love Ali's voice in all of her books. This book also felt the least quirky out of all of the ones I've read. The characters to me felt really developed, and I desperately loved how much Eli needed Rue. His attraction to her was so raw. This was amazing and such a fun read.

I can't wait for the next one!

While I was intrigued to read Ali's newest book, I found myself not enjoying it as much as her previous work. I have to say, I'm all for authors trying new things, In fact, BRIDE is my favorite Ali book despite the fact that it's entirely different than her first few pieces of work. Although I was aware that NOT IN LOVE would be her smuttiest book yet, I wasn't prepared for the plot to not just take a back seat but to actually be completely left behind. I struggled connecting to the characters and therefore didn't feel invested in their love story. I was honestly a little bit bored but I think it's simply because I was so disinterested. I finished it but honestly could not tell you much about the book as the plot was entirely overshadowed.

𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙩. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙄’𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚. 𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠, 𝙍𝙪𝙚. 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩? 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙?”
OMG. I came into this year having read nothing by Ali Hazelwood and now I've finished book #4. I'm officially an Ali Hazelwood stan. This book was SO GOOD. Like had me gripped tight from the moment I started it to the moment I finished it. I loved Rue and her complicated, stoic ways. I loved seeing Eli from her perspective and then getting his thoughts and realizing that he has been all in from the get go. These two just made me feel everything. Given the reserved nature of these characters I loved that they told each other their personal stories without shame. There was a vulnerability to them and the fact that they were always so accepting of the others story made me get teary-eyed multiple times. This one does have more spice than other Ali Hazelwood books, but I really enjoyed that aspect. It felt true to the characters.
So if you love STEMinist romance with a side of enemies to lovers then this ones for you! Shout out to Berkley publishing for an ARC copy!

This is one of Ali Hazelwood's best books so far! I appreciated that these characters were actually smart and didn't make dumb decisions in order to advance the plot (except our FMC taking five years to ask what the heck happened with her boss). This could actually be her best-written book, though my love for Love, Theoretically prevents me from saying that definitively. Spicy scenes were good (they used condoms! Alert the presses: Ali Hazelwood characters use condoms!), and so was character development, though side characters were left a little flat.

I absolutely loved this book! Rue and Eli are both successful in their careers but also broken for different reasons. For me, this works so well because it makes the characters easier to relate to. The science and finance plot focus is unique and refreshing but doesn’t confuse the reader with too many technical terms. The way the main characters communicate is so refreshing and real. I love their connection!

This is my second Ali Hazelwood novel (Bride was my first) and my buddy readers have said this one is much spicier than her other STEM novels. I was fine with the level of spice because it worked with these characters, their insta-attraction, and their sexual peculiarities. Also, the narrators voices are *chef’s kiss*. Generally, audiobook spice can make me a tad embarrassed but these two are well-seasoned professionals and I wasn’t at all uncomfortable.

Grab your headphones and give this one a listen if you’re a fan of:

- Strong independent FMCs
- A MMC with a tough exterior but a mushy center.
- Spicy spice
- Family trauma
- Touch her and d!e vibes
- Insta-attraction but NOT insta-love (hence the title)
- Women in science
- Duet narration

This was a fun book about an engineer for a biotech company that is subject to a hostile takeover by a debt fund run by her almost Tinder date. Worlds colliding, enemies to lovers, women in STEM and over the top sex scenes. I loved the storyline and actually wished less 🔥 and more interactions about the work situation (the finance geek in me was really into it) and more info about both of their tumultuous childhoods. Such likable, intelligent and accomplished characters, characters who were not afraid to be raw and honest and address their worst moments, trying to move forward. So much interesting and gripping information to digest in one book. But also so much 🔥🔥🔥. So make sure you aren’t in public when you listen

sadly not for me. im not a third person girly and this has third person in it! was so excited for this too

Perfect for those wishing Ali Hazelwood would turn up the heat. This one is quite smutty. The characters are endearing and this is one of those books that you wish that there would be more to come. Super interesting careers and friends.
Please, please work this into a series!! So many possibilities and this can’t be the last time we see this perfect couple!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for an earc and thank you to libro and prha for the audiobook. I recommend reading with both your ears and eyes.

5 big beautiful stars
Ali Hazelwood + SPICE = Me, feral

I loved every single line of this book. In my excitement, I somehow forgot it was going to be dual pov & when it started switching to Eli’s POV - I audibly screeched.

He’s a GOOD MAN, Savannah!!!!!

I love him. No one writes a man down bad like Ali & Eli was next level delicious. Did he just snag the top spot in my ranking of Hazelwood men?? Possibly.

This is me begging on my hands and knees for more super spicy books from Ali.

This pains me to say, but this was my least favorite Ali Hazelwood book she's written to date. I cringed at 95% of this book, between the gross thoughts the characters had of one another, the heavy amount of physical intimacy involved and lack of emotional growth until maybe the last 50 pages, and just the overall plot of this book. Ali is my STEM author queen, and I was sad to see this have little to no science incorporated into the plot. I'm so worried for her next book, Deep End, because I'm concerned we're growing more into a SMUT author and not STEM author. 😖

I’ve read and loved all of Ali Hazelwood’s books, but this one wasn’t for me. It was different than what she normally writes, which is awesome, but I found it didn’t work for me. I found myself not connecting to the characters or the story. I did love the STEM representation in this book though! I know others loved this book, so I do recommend checking it out! I think it just wasn’t for me.

This one was a little different than the others. It seemed to be her most steamy, which is why I’m surprised it’s not my favorite of her books lol This had too much that didn’t add up. I know this is a romance book, but there’s only so much you can overlook.

So the first thing was her background. I hated what she went through, but I loved that she made something so other kids wouldn’t go through what her and her brother did. But I definitely didn’t love that she was so F capitalism but then at the end the thing happens and all the problems like go away. It literally made no sense. But I guess it was real. Everyone has their limits. I didn’t love it, but I guess we all knew she would be ok with it. And as one of my friends, Sarah, brought up, how are you affording ice skating at the competition level when you can barely afford food? I get for fun, but like at that level is something serious.

The other thing I didn’t care for was the male narrator. He was either too close to the mic or the two narrators were in two different places and one of them had equipment that was way more expensive than the other. Because he sounded like Batman and it took away from the story for me. The female narrator did an excellent job to combat that and keep me interested in the story.

The romance was ok. Kind of weird way to meet up if you ask me lol But eh. And the chemistry was there, but barely. It seemed like it was mostly lust and not real chemistry if that makes sense. Even after the first time. Idk it felt forced, not genuine like her others.

The plot was what kept me stuck to the pages tho. I live for academic dishonesty in Ali’s books. Because all of these people in these academic settings can’t be all good. Something has to go wrong. And go wrong it does. When the shit hits the fan in this one, it REALLY hits the fan. Sadly though, it was a bit predictable. But I didn’t know how DEEP it was going to go. And let me tell you, that damn person is an asshole and I HATE that they got anything out of that deal. They deserved prison time and an ass beating. I was so mad I was yelling at the book. I had to message Sarah as I read it because I was livid.

This one isn’t my favorite book by her, which is weird because it’s her most steamy lol But it’s I still enjoyed it a bit. I’m glad I read it, but I think this one was the most mid of her books so far. Things just didn’t really add up for me.

Wow Ali Hazelwood is in her bag and I am just obsessed with Not In Love. As someone who has struggled with Ali's earlier books, and really loved Bride, it has been great to see her come into her own. She is writing what she wants. She is having fun. She is writing erotica with high tension and big conflict. The characters are messy, they are filled with so much trauma, and they love to f*ck. It's actually perfect in such a fun and sticky way.

If you like dual POV, if you struggled with Ali's early books where you have a BIG HULKING MAN and a small tiny woman, if you like characters that dive into their trauma and really peel apart why it is holding them back. This is for you.

If you love Hozier? This. Is. For. You.

I'd love to see Connor and Maya but also wouldn't want to because #agegap lol.

her hORNIEST book yet and i LOVED it immensely vulnerable and profound i love u ali hazelwood for forever i will read whatever ur pen touches