LOVE AND OTHER CONSPIRACIES is for every single person who ever shipped Mulder and Scully so hard. It is for people who watched Roswell, original and reboot, unironically, and for those who want to believe, not just cryptid theories, but also in love.

Mallory Marlowe crafted a beautiful, aching exploration of what it is to find your way back from a damaging and painful relationship and choose to believe in hope and love again. Hallie is perfection: a nuanced strong showrunner and producer who grapples with sexism in the workplace, the resulting insecurities, and the claws of an abusive ex she works with. She feels so real and relatable that watching her gradually unfold and learn to trust is a fantastic journey, even if there are a few almost-kiss moments that made me a temporarily cross; I SEE YOU PLAYING WITH MY HEART ON THAT PLAYGROUND ROCKETSHIP, MALLORY.

Hayden’s character arc is equally breathtaking, handling grief and misunderstanding from his parents, and proving once and for all that it is possible to be a non-problematic conspiracy theory lover. I absolutely adore him, and on that note I have to go play “David Duchovny Why Won’t You Love Me” by Bree Sharp on repeat and think about Hayden. And Hallie. And how many copies of this book I am going to buy and just throw at everyone I love once it comes out. I don’t just want to believe, I BELIEVE in Love and Other Conspiracies.

Thank you Mallory Marlowe, Berkley Romance, and Netgalley for the eARC!

We've got a FMC who works for an Expy of Buzzfeed and a devout Cryptid and Conspiracy theorist MMC.

Also incredibly biased because this book hits every single one of my favorite tropes. I just can't get enough of gradually growing relationships.

What I can get enough of though is internet humor. Oof. This book gonna date itself in a few years. Memes aren't exactly known for their longevity.

Reccomended Vibes for Enjoying this Book:
-Revisit the Buzzfeed site, do a cryptid related quiz
-Make a drink that's radioactive looking in color. Bonus points if you add an alien related garnish.
- Watch X-Files and/or Inside Job
- Read some Hurt/ Comfort trope Fanfics
- Look at a vintage meme, preferably of the Sad Keanu variety.

Actual rating: 3.75

This was such a fun and cute read. One of the best parts about the book is as the banter between Hayden and Hallie while they were filming. The non-believer/believer bit worked very well with this story. I also really enjoyed the writing. I found it to be engaging. However, I still found myself desiring more from the romance. As unique as this plot was, I hope that going forward that Marlowe can strengthen the romance even more. Overall, I 100% will be recommending this to others.

Loveable characters, an amazing plot, swoon-worthy chemistry, and a captivating writing style, what more could one ask for in a rom-com narrative. Absolutely loved reading this stellar debut.

4.25 stars

I rarely love a romance book, but I freekin love this one. It has all the elements I’m looking for. I’m a sucker for anything involving conspiracies and this was just right for that. This book was light, fun, cute, exciting. I’ll definitely need a physical for my bookshelf when it’s released. I can already see a re-read in my future!

The narration is extremely heavy and I wasn’t personally having fun. I stopped after chapter 1. I think this will be a three star read for most with four for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

I've been following the author on Twitter for awhile and saw this when it was just a pitch. At that time, I desperately wanted to read it. A romcom that involves cryptid hunting?? YES PLEASE!
Then I saw the cover reveal and the vibe was exactly what I hoped it would be and I was even more excited to eventually read the book.
Finally, I saw that it was available on NetGalley. I literally squealed when I got the notification that I'd been accepted to read the book early.
The first sentence of the book was an instant hook and I'd finished reading it within 24 hours. The cryptid hunting aspect was done even better than I could have hoped. I loved Hayden...a sweet and sexy cryptid hunter/conspiracy theorist and Hallie, the non-believer who is nevertheless captivated by Hayden's enthusiasm and kindness.
The voice of the book was spot on. The characters were excellent...minus the villainous Cade, who definitely makes you hate him.
This book was so very fun and it was just a joy to read.
That said, there is a subplot of heavy subject matter with an emotionally abusive ex who has really gotten into Hallie's psyche. But I felt it was a good balance with the unique and quirky cryptid plot line.
The only thing that did start to annoy me by the end was the number of times characters clutched the fabric of the other's shirt. I hope some of those clutches will be culled by the final version of the book, but even if they aren't, it wasn't enough to make me not love the book.
If you want a fun, quirky story with some spice, you've got to read this!

I love anything published by Berkley but I definitely loved this one a lot. It’s super whimsy, but in a playful way- not one that gets weirder lol. I will absolutely be ordering this for my library and a copy for myself at home.

Hallie and Hayden investigate famous conspiracy theories and try to find the truth in infamous folklore behind cryptids. What was so unique about this romcom was the Hollywood spin behind producing a popular web series and podcast. That was so cool and it felt like they were creating a real show. The emotional journey that Hallie goes through with regaining her self-esteem after a mean and degrading relationship was so well done and heart warming to watch Hallie love and trust herself again, while falling for Hayden. The scene on the porch... iykyk... loved it! Mallory Marlowe is an author to watch and I can't wait to see what other stories her brain cooks up!