This was so cute!

I loved the premise.. a romance featuring cryptids and conspiracies? Sign me up!

I thought Hallie and Hayden complemented each other quite well. Hallie was not a believer, but she was drawn to Hayden and found something about him absolutely enticing. I loved this because I also don’t believe in many conspiracies, but I love to watch all sorts of weird documentaries and listen to those experts go on their passionate tangents.

There was so much chemistry and yet both of them remained as professional as possible working and cohosting a show together. I loved that the attraction was there from the first meeting, but it felt like a friends to lovers vibe as they started to truly connect and lean on each other more and more. There was a very small amount of spice in this one.

I almost rated this 5 stars because I genuinely enjoyed the characters and the plot, but I really wished it delved deeper into the actual show topics they were filming. Aside from a few pieces of dialogue, I never did learn about many of the mysteries they were highlighting.

Overall, I definitely recommend the book and I absolutely enjoyed it.

Thank you to Berkley for the free book!

this book is just SO good. All the nerdy love but with plenty of plot. My favorite thing about this is that it has a straight up evil ex/villain of the FMC but you get more compelling plot and romance development from the main relationship. So yes the ex adds drama and certain catalysts to the plot but never to their core relationship. It is low key a pet peeve of mine when an evil ex gets too much on page time and interferes with the relationship and that did NOT happen here.

I'm a mild believer in the MMC's passions of conspiracies, cryptids, ghosts, etc but similar to the skeptic FMC he made me want to believe. Their banter on their developing show felt like something I would love to watch, have watched and read. Just made me love the two of them so much.

I appreciated the FMC's self confidence journey, getting over an awful ex is not always linear, not always solved by finding a great partner. But the work she put in made the actual romance of this book all the much better. I got some faves tabbed.

It was kind of fun to be a Hayden (believer) reading from the perspective of a Hallie (nonbeliever) and OH MY the intensity of their attraction to each other could light up the sky like a UFO. Or UAP.

Hallie is just coming off of an extremely toxic relationship but still has to work with the guy, so all of the terrible things he said and made her believe about herself are never far from her mind. When she's pushed by her boss to produce her own web show, she gets hooked on Hayden's podcast. They take that concept and update it, only Hallie gets pulled in to be onscreen talent because banter is more fun than talking. As Hallie and Hayden go on investigative adventures, they can't fight their feelings. Or the fact that Hayden treats Hallie the way she deserves, recognizes her talent, and has respect for her needs and boundaries.

It's a silly jump through myths and conspiracy theories, and an amazing story about knowing and believing in your worth. Loved it.

This book was a breath of fresh air I didn't know I needed. Being a bit of a cryptid girl myself, I knew I was going to enjoy it overall. But I loved everything about it. Hallie and Hayden's banter was off the carts. Hayden was the perfect cinnamon roll hero and I loved how he nudged Hallie to recognize how awesome she was rather than aggressively push her. She was the one who realized how awesome she was ultimately even though he came through with encouraging words. He was just adorable (or a-dork-able if you will) and they were a great match.

And this author is really talented and humorous. I enjoyed this so much that I read the excerpt from her next book, which I almost never do. Kudos to her on this wonderful debut and I can't wait for the next one.

✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Workplace
✔️ Road Trip(s)
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Hurt/Comfort

I loved the premise/setting - a web producer who needs a hit show and a true believer conspiracy theorist with a successful podcast team up. It's Scully and Mulder in a modern romcom and I inhaled it.

Any read where you have two talented people who take each other to the next level work-wise? Oh man, does that give my Capricorn self heart palpitations! 🤣 Plus, I loved seeing how Hallie and Hayden balanced each other out, supported each other, and clearly saw the other's strengths. I loved seeing their relationship grow from episode to episode (and yes, all the forced proximity was delicious hahah!)

The toxic ex storyline was rough in a good way. It got my emotions high (man, I hated him!!) and it was awful
to read what he put Hallie through. But, seeing her navigate it and find support and strength within herself?? It made the lows totally worth it.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕

This will easily make one of my top fave books of the year list and I can’t believe it’s a debut! It was so cute & funny, and I became obsessed with it almost right from the start. Hayden is a podcaster who does deep dives into conspiracies & is a cryptid expert (think Big Foot, the yeti, Area 51, etc). Hallie is a web producer (and total nonbeliever). Together they go on adventures to film a web show where they’re trying to catch footage of a haunting or one of these cryptids. This was such a fun and unique concept, making this a refreshing read while I was still overcoming a reading slump. Hayden is an adorable nerd with cryptid tattoos, and Hallie is that friend you can’t help but love and support. Their connection was strong, and banter was great. Even better—NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP! There is emotional depth as well, as Hayden is still grieving the death of his father, and Hallie is healing from a previous toxic/emotionally abusive relationship. I absolutely adored this and am low key peer pressuring everyone I know to read it.

I've also shared my review on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles, but it takes a while for those sites to be clear/post.
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This was SO much fun and SUCH a great debut! I loved the premise, the characters, and the adventure. Their tension was so delicious--I loved the chemistry they had right from the beginning. It's so fun seeing mature relationships with good communication and mutual support. The story had the perfect amount of quirkiness for me and the video scripts and social media comments sprinkled throughout had me laughing out loud. The perfect fall romance read!

#LoveAndOtherConspiracies: ❤️🛸👣⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio @berkleyromance for my free copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner ⁣
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“You’re not hard to work with or hard to love. Loving you has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”⁣
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Do you like conspiracies? Do you need a new book boyfriend? I found one in Hayden Hargrove! My goodness this book was a freaking treat! From conspiracy outings, to toxic (holy toxic) exes, to the “who hurt you?!” trope, I ate this book up. I truly could not get enough of Hallie and Hayden. Also, Nora is the best roommate and I adore her. I loved her and Hallie’s relationship. I think we all need that person to remind us of our worth. ⁣
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The audio is amazing. You do have your mixed media and the theme song for “The Out There” is catchy as heck. Every time it played, I would do a little dance. (My husband said it sounded like The X-Files” Alex Finke with the Boston accent?!?! Done for. Seriously one of the best audio productions I’ve heard in a while.⁣
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Obsessed is an understatement. This the perfect segway into spooky season. Out Tuesday, the 20th!

This was the cutest read ever! I absolutely loved Hallie and Hayden the way they both loved their passions and how it brought them together. Their show Web Show The Out There, where they are hunting for the unknown like Bigfoot, the Mothman, aliens and more would totally be something I would watch. And let’s talk about their Chemistry Hayden being the believer and Hallie being the skeptic is electric and energetic. I just had so much fun reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

This book was a wonderful surprise for me.

What do you get when you push together the podcast world's leading cryptid and conspiracy expert and a producer who believes in none of it? A magical love story that is equal parts endearing, emotional, and absolutely bonkers.

I never thought I would find monster-hunting endearing, but here I am eating my words. Hayden is absolutely adorable. He's smart, funny, caring, wholesome, and absolutely the nerdiest nerd on the planet. Hallie is a bunch of skepticism, fear, and anxiety bundled together in a tiny woman-shaped package. These two balance each other out when they work together to create a new web series, bringing Hayden's popular podcast to live.

What starts as two people bantering about ghosts, Bigfoot, Area 51, and Mothman, ends up in one of the more emotional and rewarding books I've had the pleasure of reading. This book hooked me from start to finish, and honestly, by the end of it, I was the one who would be wearing my "I Want to Believe" shirt at Area 51. This book is unputdownable and I absolutely want more from these two. This book was fantastic, absolutely wonderful, no notes.

This is a romcom for all of us that believe that Bigfoot, Aliens, and ghosts are real AND for those in our lives that are skeptics.

This book is sweet, funny, has a web show in production, and goes on location at a few haunted places such as the Winchester House.

It deals with serious components such as loneliness and workplace bullying.

It has a few spicy scenes and I combo listened/read this book in a day!!

This is so freaking cute. Like giggling and kicking my feet cute. Hayden is such a dream boat, perfect book boyfriend. Hallie is so relatable; we all have that horrible ex-boyfriend that just thrives off ruining people's lives right? Right??
It's text book rom-com, definitely the perfect pallet cleanser.

Love and Other Conspiracies was a super sweet and cute read! It was pretty predictable but I really enjoyed the characters banter and their easy romance. I did expect the paranormal hunting to play a bigger role in the plot, but still a fun book. I definitely look forward to more from this author.

"Love and Other Conspiracies" by Mallory Marlowe follows Hallie, a spirited web series producer with one week to save her job by pitching a show idea. She discovers the conspiracy theories podcast "The Out There" hosted by the hot monster hunter Hayden Hargrove. Hallie sees potential, but cryptid expert Hayden is used to working behind the scenes; however, this changes when they become cohosts.

As they team up to investigate conspiracies, ranging from government secrets to Bigfoot sightings, their contrasting personalities clash and complement each other. Along the way, a romance blossoms, but complications arise as they both start to believe in love again.

I am disappointed with this book after having had such high hopes for some conspiracy and getting more on Bigfoot. I started to have a hard time around the 40% mark. At 70% it was like sifting through quicksand. Soooooo slowwwww!!!

The premise of conspiracy theories with Scully and Mulder vibes interested me until it took a turn for therapizing between the main characters - their connection felt forced.

I enjoyed some of the banter and puns. Furthermore, I liked Hayden for his maturity and care.

Tropes:
One-Bed
Forced Proximity
Witty Banter
X-files
Conspiracies
Big Foot

Grateful to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Berkley…you’re making me blush! ☺️ THANK YOUUUU 💕

I paused this book multiple times because I didn’t want it to be over it was so freaking cute and I liked it so much. Hallie works for a company called Skroll that does web series (gives me the vibe of Buzzfeed’s YouTube channel but TikTok era) and has the opportunity to produce her own show. She ends up collaborating with Hayden, a cryptid + conspiracy theory podcaster to make the show after seeing him as a guest on one of those TV shows that are on when you’re still awake at 3am.

Their adventures together filming the show are so fun. They are so cute together and their banter is so funny. The pairing of them of the believer and non-believer is great. I loved it so much. One of my fave romances I’ve read all year. Absolutely would recommend.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book so much! The unique premise, the humor and the characters were all great!

Read this book if you enjoy:
> Co-workers to lovers
> Monster hunting
> Podcasts/web-tv
> Witty banter between MCs
> Opposites attract

I don't quite know where to start with how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was such a breath of fresh air and fun. I loved the irreverent and quirky way that the two MCs went after the conspiracies and monster hunting to make their show - it totally sounds like a show that I'd watch in real life. The different theories that they addressed and the sub plots around each of them were so entertaining to listen to.

And then the interactions between the MCs themselves was pure gold. The banter and the way that the author leaned into their differences to show how well they still worked together was really well done. And the side characters were purposeful while adding the right dynamic with the roles that they filled. I appreciated the way that the story highlighted some of what females can encounter in the workplace, especially in a creative/production field. And I loved that we got to see Hallie in more than a producer role. The way that the two of them together made the show what it was felt authentic and true to the characters themselves.

I can't believe this is a debut book - this author is on my list of ones to watch now - I'm definitely looking forward to what she comes up with next. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC of this book.

This book was a cute and light read, perfect for when you’re in the mood for something easy and fun. I enjoyed the banter between Hallie and Hayden—their playful exchanges brought a smile to my face and added a lot of charm to the story. The connection between the characters felt genuine, and their chemistry was evident, especially as they navigated the quirky world of cryptids together.

However, while the premise is intriguing and the characters are likable, the story sometimes felt a bit predictable. The plot didn’t quite delve as deeply as I would have liked into the characters' emotional journeys, leaving some aspects feeling a bit superficial. Despite that, it was still an enjoyable read, with enough humor and heart to keep me turning the pages.

Overall, if you’re looking for a light romance with a touch of the fantastical, this book is worth picking up. It may not leave a lasting impact, but it’s a fun escape with charming characters and plenty of witty banter.

I absolutely loved this book! As a fan of conspiracy theories, it was perfect for me. There are so many things I could praise, but I'll start with Hallie’s determination to start fresh and rid her life of negativity. I also really enjoyed seeing the friendship between Hallie and Hayden evolve into something deeper. Lastly, the writing style was fantastic. Overall, it was a witty, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable read!

Hallie Barrett is going through a difficult time. Her boyfriend just dumped her, which was a good thing as she’s much better off without him. But they worked together too. She was the producer of his web show, and now she’s hanging out at the Skroll headquarters ready to jump in and help anyone who needs a hand so they don’t realize she doesn’t have any work of her own. And then her boss calls her in to her office.

Hallie is told that she has a chance to come up with a new show. They’re just a couple of weeks away from their pilot season for new web shows, so she needs to find an idea and put together a first episode right away. Skroll puts all the pilots on the web, and the viewers get to vote on a winner. The winner gets an entire season of shows, so if Hallie can put together a winning idea, she gets to keep her job. If her show doesn’t win, Skroll may not have a place for her. She needs to find the perfect idea.

Hayden Hargrove is the son of a famous horror writer, but he’s made a name for himself with his podcast about cryptids and conspiracy theories, The Out There. He’s also been on the show Cosmic Conspiracies, which is where Hallie stumbled onto him late one night talking about Bigfoot. She doesn’t believe in Bigfoot or aliens or that the CIA killed JFK, but she does believe in Hayden. He is smart, well-spoken, and easy on the eyes. She listens to several episodes of his podcast and emails him to see if he would be interested in getting together to talk about a mutually beneficial opportunity.

Hallie decides to take Hayden on a tour of haunted Hollywood for their first get-together, to see if he might be interested in the web show. And when he goes one-on-one with tour guide Gary about all the facts Gary is getting wrong, Hallie is charmed. This show would be a hit. And after taking a couple of days to think about it, Hayden decides he’s in.

For the pilot, Halie and her crew create a set that feels like a conspiracy theorist’s lair, and Haden looks right at home. They get ready to make magic, and Hayden is ready with his script all about the aliens landing in Roswell, New Mexico. Everything is perfect. Except for one thing. Hayden is not good on camera. He can talk about aliens all day and be perfectly comfortable, but he’s not good at talking to the camera. Hallie fixes it the only way she can. She sits down with him and gives him a cohost to chat with. With her blue hair, she looks like she fits right in on the set, but she’s perfectly willing to call him out on things that sound too crazy or unbelievable. And it works. Hayden comes to life having someone to talk to, and Hallie offers some humor along with her skepticism.

The show is an instant hit, and Hayden and Hallie have to come up with an entire season of shows. They go ghost hunting in the most haunted hotel in Los Angeles, The Roosevelt, where Marilyn Monroe’s ghost is rumored to still hang out. There is a show on the conspiracies around the death of JFK. Hayden even gets Hallie to go camping to look for Bigfoot. And each week, their numbers go up. The Out There is getting increasingly popular, which means Hallie has found a winner. And her ex-boyfriend Cade, who is on Skroll’s other most popular show, gets competitive.

As Hallie and Hayden spend more time together, the chemistry between them grows. Their fans can see it, and the two hosts definitely feel it. But Cade, Hallie’s toxic ex and her competition at Skroll, decides to take her down a peg. He publicly calls her out for getting romantically involved with the men she’s working with, and the online trolls come out in force. Hallie’s self-esteem takes a hit and she’s not sure she can go forward with the last episode of the show, where they were going to film at Area 51 in New Mexico. Can Hallie figure out how to get her voice back in time to be there for Hayden and their series, or will she give up everything she’s worked so hard for because of a bully?

Love and Other Conspiracies is an adorable rom com filled with heart and humor and Chupacabras. Anyone who ever shipped Muldar and Scully, or wrote fan fiction about them (like Hayden admits to), will adore this charming, funny, sweet romance between a believer and a nonbeliever. These characters are so likable, the dialogue is sharp and witty, and there is plenty of steam. If you believe in the Men in Black or think the Loch Ness Monster is nothing more than a way to draw in tourists, you will be utterly besotted with this story.

Love and Other Conspiracies is a debut novel from Mallory Marlowe. I want to make sure to say her name, because you will want to remember it. I am already waiting for her next novel to come out (there is a teaser at the end of this one). The story here is so well written, the characters so well rounded, that I am struggling to believe this is her first published book. Aside from the intelligent storytelling and hilarious scenes, there are also so many fun surprises throughout, like a bearded dragon named Lizzie (Lizard) Borden, a cat named Cthulhu, Mothman pizza, and some random shade thrown to Zak Bagans. This may turn out to be my favorite book of the year. Loved, loved, loved it.

Egalleys for Love and Other Conspiracies were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

For a debut novel, I have to say that this one was quite good! I was entertained from start to finish and the paranormal aspect really spoke to my more curious side without being a full-on paranormal romance. I am a millennial, so all the little nods to millenialisms make me giggle and relate to Hallie. Speaking of Hallie, I thought she was very cute and creative and I liked her confidence in her projects. She didn't let the evil man keep her down! Then Hayden was there, being exactly the kind of hipster I found attractive at 16. I liked his passion for the cryptids, but sometimes it made him seem a bit immature. Overall, I really liked this book and I think you will too if you want a cute and quirky quick read.