this book was pretty odd. I think this is more suited to an audiobook since this is a book about a podcast. This book has a lot of qualities that appeal to the whole romance genre as a whole right now, but I think it was hard for me to get past a white man on a podcast who fully believes in Bigfoot and Moth Man being… attractive? And not cringe in the slightest? But the other themes in this book really saved it and made it very enjoyable. This wouldn’t be a universal recommended book, but I have readers who would enjoy this.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing Group for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual pov, conspiracy theories, cinnamon roll MC, steamy 🔥

This was so freaking cute. I loved the concept of a conspiracy podcaster and a non-believer producer. It's a great light read. The MMC is so damn sweet. I highly recommend it!

This book is so much fun!! I love how the author really leans into the conspiracy theory/cryptids/legends element without going too far and having the MMC, Hayden, become off-putting and unrealistic. He's a level headed guy who is just fascinated by the 'unknown' and has a curiosity to explore it.
Hallie is a great counterpart to Hayden with her skepticism, but also a healthy dose of optimism that Hayden's passion will appeal to many as they work together to produce a show. They are opposites in many ways, but this works, and they balance each other out. The chemistry between them is fantastic, they challenge each other, respect one another, and care for one another.

A great debut from Mallory Marlowe and I'll definitely read more of her books!

Thanks to Berkley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

So! Much! Fun! I loved everything about this: the romance, the cryptids, the slow growth of excitement for silly conspiracy theories. So fun.

Straight up…. I loved this book. 5 stars for the entertainment factor. It was fun and quirky and engaging and hilarious and cute. One of my favorite books of 2024 because it was just SO fun!

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I love the narrator. Her breathy laugh is perfect for Hayden. And the intro music for the web shows was such a fun touch!

I really liked watching Hallie grow and become her authentic self throughout the story. I was so irritated with her at first because she just talks about drinking and smoking and wallowed in her own misery, but she redeemed herself by the end. I could’ve done without her inner monologues on nip slips, weed, how Hayden’s hands would feel all over her, and that blasted lemon verbena scented shampoo though.

Overall - super fun and worth the read!! Do the audiobook if you can!

Man, I am on the fence on this one, First I just wanna say I love Conspiracy theories and that part of the book was fantastic. BUT, the part that was tough for me was the character's chemistry and just felt weird and not real.
This book is first-person POV (from Hallie's perspective). She was so crazy over this guy and you heard all of the things she was saying in her head. lol In my opinion she was very immature, this was a bit of a struggle for me. We do get a great backstory for her and see she has some things in her past that have messed with her head a bit.
Hayden is a more fun character and loved how much he believed in. We got some of his backstory (mainly when he had dinner at his mom's when there is some drama there) but he def lets himself be more of a mystery. I liked him as a character better.
Loved the paranormal adventures that these characters took us to and was a pretty fun book to read.
I am glad to have read this book, I think most people who read it will enjoy it also.
So do you believe and Conspiracies??? And what ones???? :)

This was such a fun romance book, I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and the story flowed flawlessly.

This was a solid debut from Mallory. Cryptids and conspiracies are so fun and having a romance book with a theorist and a nonbeliever was different than I’ve read before. Hallie and Hayden were adorable and sad and had legit trauma. I loved how they loved and supported each other. It’s an easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

This was a great romance read. I loved it!

Hayden is a paranormal conspiracy theory podcaster who is teaming up with Hallie, a non-believer, to create a new web series. It doesn’t take long to see their on-screen chemistry is electrifying, and they slowly uncover feelings for each other.
This book was so much fun! Starting with the web series itself, all of the discussions of paranormal conspiracy theories were fascinating. I mean, who doesn’t love a bigfoot moment? Hallie and Hayden might be an unlikely couple, but their chemistry and banter were impeccable. They were hilarious together and the chemistry between them was palpable. What made their romance even better was how sweet they were in helping each other heal from their past trauma and losses. This book was so good!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Interesting take but love the more modern vlogging idea that was incorporated. My main grievance is the time it takes her to move on. I get the emotional trauma involved in a relationship like that and how it can easily derail current relationships but I think for this story it didn’t need to be brought up so many times. Absolutely loved the banter between the two main characters though. It made it feel more like a friends to lovers story with how easily they got along and connected.

I think I’m still high on this weekends fan-freaking-tastic time.

To run around town with fellow witch lovers was a dream come true. I never felt so at home 🤣

My partner in crime was on the hunt to meet a warlock to make an honest woman out of her and although we didn’t find any fair enough contenders, we did have a good time hunting.

Love and Other Conspiracies

This book was the perfect book to accompany me this weekend . Equal parts hilarious as it was charming and romantic .

Mallory Marlowe, has hit the ground running with this stunning debut . I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Check out this teaser :

The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.

I was initially interested in this book because it looked a little quirky and would be a guaranteed fun time. And it delivered everything I wanted and more! I absolutely loved it!

If there is one thing I love it's friends to lovers and only one bed (ok, that's two things) and boy do we get those here. The two main characters, Hallie and Hayden, might have been on opposite spectrums of believing in the supernatural, but they let that difference come out with a playful banter and underlining kindness that was so charming. Their care for each other made me feel all sorts of gooey on the inside. I mean, Hayden was a walking green flag and love having representation of the MMC in therapy.

The journey to find cryptids was lacking full-on encounters, but it did have me looking up to find more of the lore on one's I wasn't familiar with. Maybe this will inspire me to go on my own California cryptid exploration. lol The cryptids and conspiracies were woven into their working relationship of creating a show and I enjoyed that workplace relationship turning into real friendship and more dynamic.

All-in-all, I loved their banter and the cozy feel of this book. It gave me exactly what I was looking for and gave me all the good feels. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I really love the idea of a X-files type of paranormal romance that delves into various conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, Love and Other Conspiracies didn't quite deliver on that promise. I was hoping for more exploration of conspiracy theories and paranormal activities. Instead, the book leaned heavily on family drama, an annoying ex-boyfriend, and insta-lust with cringey spice scene after cringey spice scene. Sadly, I felt like there was no real chemistry between the two main characters.

Hallie was difficult to relate to. Her constant insecurity manifested as incessant complaining and jumping to conclusions, making her pretty unlikable. Hayden, on the other hand, was a nice guy who wasn't afraid to show his emotions, but there was nothing particularly memorable about him.

The podcast episodes were a bore, and the family drama was just annoying. This one just missed the mark for me. It’s a shame because the premise had so much potential.

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley, and Mallory Marlowe.

Love and Other Conspiracies is out now.

5 Stars

I am absolutely obsessed and loved this book. After a not so favorite volume of Unsolved Mysteries being released because it centered all around the paranormal, this book made me rethink everything and now want to explore all of the cryptids. If only Hayden were real!

Genuinely cannot express how much I loved every single moment of this book and how much I adore this couple!! All that could make this better would be for their podcast and show to be real and then my life would be complete. The audio was also incredible!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

At first I admit I wasn't sure about a mmc who actually believes all those alien conspiracy theories, but the author made him so wonderfully charming that I couldn't help but love him. I also really loved how the fmc needed and wanted to show she was good at her job, and not just using her relationships to climb the ladder. Her ex's behavior had me raging a lot.

Overall this was a fun read, and can't wait for more from the author.

📣 big foot might not be real but love is 🥁

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 do you believe in Loch Ness?

Love & Other Conspiracies lived up to the hype. This book does swoonworthy well—so much banter & connection & steam & I was a willing believer in it all.

Hallie is more sceptical, at least when it comes to hunting cryptids. But I loved that neither she nor Hayden get upset or frustrated about their lack of agreement—instead, their disagreements fuel their show & their partnership & it’s something they can both appreciate about the other.

Hallie & Hayden are both so special & watching them realize how much they have in common at their cores is truly wonderful. There’s one scene with Hayden’s parents that really got to me too. Honestly, there is so much magic to be found in books!

This book is packed full of possible conspiracies, but Big Foot & Mothman are just the start of what can hold your interest. Read this book by Mallory Marlowe if you want a full experience, of love, acceptance, & self-belief.

5 ⭐️, out now.

CWs: toxic ex, harassment from toxic ex, grief.

[ID: the ebook is on a white sheet & surrounded by a pink & orange tulip & a purple iris.]

4.5/5 stars!!

Oh my goodness, there is so much to love!! And as a fan of weird conspiracies and ghosts, this was right up my alley! The banter and the chemistry (the chemistry!!!!) was incredible, and I was rooting for Hallie and Hayden the entire time.

I highly recommend, especially if you love:
🔥 slow burn romance
👻 cryptids, ghosts, and other unexplained weirdness
🧲 opposites attract

This debut adult RomCom follows a spunky, blue-haired web producer and a hunky, bespectacled paranormal conspiracy theorist as they work together to create a hit web series wherein they hunt for ghosts, aliens, and even Bigfoot.

I thought this was a fun read and the kind of story that makes you think about all of the Mysteries of the Universe (if you don’t already!) I also really liked that our two love interests were balancing each other out and that their compatibility really jumped off the page.

I’ll be honest: I was a little worried about the male love interest at first. When I read the phrase “conspiracy theorist”, my Ick Senses started tingling. But cryptid-obsessed Hayden is a horse of a different color. (Or maybe a Not Deer of a different color). I mean, he’s really done his research, he’s the male version of Velma from Scooby Doo, and he’ll wash your hair for you when you’re deathly ill? Gold stars for Hayden Hargrove.

I will say the internal monologue wasn’t always executed flawlessly. Some of those moments of narration felt really repetitive. But overall this is an excellent debut and I expect more cute romances (with a dash of the paranormal) from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my review.

I’ll be completely honest I pushed this book off a little, just because I wanted to wait for the holiday season to roll in a little before I decided to read.!! But I think that was best for me and this book, I truthfully loved the vibe it gave off, going into this book I was in a major slump and the fun fall light-heartedness of a journalist essentially looking for a new story line and man who is a hard core conspiracy theorist trying to work together but also the concept of just including aliens and Bigfoot is wild to me . I loved the forced proximity trope and the one bed trope so I was already on board ..