I really wanted to like it - and so many are raving about it. But I think the writing to the tropes is just getting to me. I put it down and haven’t had the desire to pick it up in over a week. I think it’s just not for me.

This is one of the best romance books that I've read. I can't wait to reread it, and I'm obsessed with both Sawyer and Mason. He is an actor and a hopeless romantic, and she is writer who hates romance. They set out to ruin romance tropes together, but they wind up enjoying them instead.

Each chapter starts with a common romance trope, and it shows how Sawyer and Mason try to ruin it. Their plan backfires, and it brings them closer together. She is grumpy, and he is sunshine. They have a meet cute in the elevator. They have a one night stand, and they even go to cut down a Christmas tree too.

The book gets spicy. My favorite scene is the tights scene! It will live rent free in my mind forever.

I love everything about this book. I love how it shows how powerful romance tropes can be, and the story is sexy and sweet and romantic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book. I can't wait to buy this book!

Erin Connor smashes the rom com with this bright, funny, dynamic debut, I loved everything about it! This felt like a love letter to lovers of rom-com movies and to romance readers alike. The chemistry between Mason and Sawyer is off the charts with delicious tension and witty banter. I could not put it down! I so look forward to what Connor writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the early copy.

5+ stars, 3 Flames for spice

Tropes:
He Falls First
Romcom About Romcoms
Grumpy x Sunshine
One Night Stand
Idiots to Lovers
Cinnamon Roll Hero
Actor x Author

When Mason the hopeless romantic meets Sawyer, the jaded author in the midst of a writing block— the last thing either of them expects is for their one night stand to turn into something more.

When they run into each other again, they decide to make a pact— Sawyer will break Mason of all of his romance tendencies and Mason will inspire Sawyer to come up with her next book.

I truly couldn’t get enough of Mason and Sawyer. @ErinConnorbooks put together an exceptional rom com with the perfect ratio of spice to plot. The chemistry played out at a deliberate, perfectly timed pace. The banter was witty and filled with millennial pop culture references (which I greatly appreciated). I truly believe this would be the perfect script to be made into a movie.

I loved this book so much that I immediately pre-ordered a trophy copy. I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read this one.

Thank you @ReadForeverPub @NetGalley and @ErinConnorbooks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unromance by Erin Connor is so fun and original! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Our MMC, Mason is Hollywood’s golden boy charming, handsome, and completely hopeless when it comes to love. Our FMC, Sawyer, a best-selling author, is staring down a blank page and a looming deadline. When a meet cute in an elevator brings them together, they strike an unusual deal: Sawyer will teach Mason how to keep his romantic tendencies in check, and Mason will give Sawyer the material she needs to finish her next book.

What follows is a whirlwind of witty banter, sizzling tension, and laugh-out-loud moments as they navigate love, life, and the messy in-between. Think How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days meets Friends with Benefits but with a refreshingly honest twist.

“Spending the night or getting a second nightstand might not seem like a big deal, but Mason knew, for Sawyer, it might be the grandest gesture of all. With the right person, the most ordinary moments became grand.”

I loved this book so much!! Like so so much. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen for an FMC as hard as I fell for Sawyer! Erin Connor knows how to write a story that makes you feel like you are completely immersed in the characters lives. I could feel their emotions in the scenes I was reading. The IKEA scene, omg SWOON!

You must read this book even just for the infamous tights scene! Think accidental run in her hose and what he may not may not do with that! Oof Mason is the man, like the bar is set high with this one. He is the cinnamon roll of all cinnamon rolls with the biggest romantic heart you’ll ever read in an MMC. And boy does he know how to throw it down in bed 🌶️🥵

The spicy scenes were written so well in this book. They weren’t like anything I’ve read before, I love the way Erin Connor articulated these scenes, she described them in a way that truly hasn’t been done in any books I’ve read. I didn’t feel like I was reading the same old spicy scenes ya know?!

There is the miscommunication trope in this one which I don’t normally like at all, but guys it’s a real life trope that happens all the time and these characters recognized they were doing it. The author mentions the miscommunication trope which took away the annoyance of this trope and instead makes the reader realize this is a real trope that is unavoidable in someone who hasn’t ever really opened up their emotions to anyone before and needs to learn how to do it.

I love this book and I highly recommend it!

These delightfully loveable idiots!! This book was like if you took a Hallmark movie, set it in Chicago, featured the most willfully ignorant individuals, and made it both hopeful and realistic yet perfectly cynical.

The premise of this made for the perfect moments of self-aware tropeiness, which is lowkey my favorite trope in and of itself. Each chapter began with a trope, defined in a hysterical way by the author, and Mason and Sawyer ran right into that trope in the chapter. It was GENIUS and so much fun (like a game of fictional I-Spy). The book itself leans into the tropes so perfectly, making it feel like that really familiar romance you love to revisit but with a fresh spin that makes it unique and new.

As for the characters, I LOVED their chemistry and banter. This was equal parts 'laugh out loud' hysterical and 'clutch a pillow to your chest' heartwarming. Mason and Sawyer built their relationship on friendship first (my fav element in a romance), and because of that comfortability, they have such an easy, funny, and vulnerable dynamic. The tone is so light and delightful, and the dialogue grounded but quippy in all the right ways! I also really adored that the man is the hopeful romantic and she is the cynic, and the way Erin Connor writes it feels so authentic— not at all contrived or cheesy. Both characters have real motivations and struggles, and both go through their own lovely character arcs (all while falling in love… obviously!).

This fast-paced read will speak to you however you feel about romance— whether you’re a happy love bird like Mason or a relational Grinch like Sawyer, and you’ll walk away grinning ear to ear over these chaotic darlings. Thank you SO much to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC and the chance to fall in love with this story and its characters. I definitely fell in love, myself!

UNROMANCE by Erin Connor is a love letter to rom coms.

After an elevator meet cute, romance author Sawyer and TV heartthrob Mason are teaming up. She's going to cure him of his tendency to fall in love over and over, and their project is going to cure her writer's block.

Each chapter starts with a trope that comes up in the chapter, everything from gray sweatpants to "everyone can see it but them" to the dramatic race across town. It was fun to see how the tropes would be used, whether it was a task on their "mission unromance" list or an event in their relationship.

Does the plan make sense? Of course not! You think you're going to act out classic romance tropes and ruin them instead of catching feelings?? Get real. But that's the fun! We know what's going to happen! The plan is as doomed as "just once to get it out of our system" (which also appears 👀).

There is no content note, but estrangement from homophobic religious parents is a part of the bi character's backstory. It doesn't happen on page, but is a key part of her story, so be mindful of that if that's a sensitive topic for you.

Overall, it was just a lot of fun.

This was possibly my fav romcom of the year? Ever? The writing is easy and thoughtful and incredibly funny. A full 5 stars.

Loved that!! Gorgeous cover and really likable and relatable leading characters in Sawyer and Mason. Sawyer and Mason were both nursing the wounds from breakups and the story takes us through a list of our favourite romantic tropes and their attempts to cure one another from writers block and being a hopeless romantic respectively. Throw in some good supporting characters in Luis and Lily and you have a really enjoyable debut from this author. 4.5🌟

This book is everything I love about the romance genre! Snappy, witty banter, swoony moments, 🔥🔥🔥… I ate up every last bit!

Celebrity and someone that doesn't recognize them, plus one night stand, and then add fake dating to the arrangement? Unromance by Erin Connor was one of my anticipated 2025 debuts, and it didn't disappoint. Absolutely had fun reading this book.

I enjoyed it so much that I went to visit a branch of the restaurant where the two decided to hatch their unromance plan while I was in Chicago.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was so unbelievably cute, the story was so modern and real while taking so much inspiration from the rom com books and movies everyone knows and loves.

I absolutely loved that each chapter was assigned its own stereotypical romance trope and flowed so well throughout the entire book.

Sawyer & Mason’s characters felt so real to me, people who have been hurt time and time again and process that pain so differently. Sawyer has shut herself off from the world and romance while Mason clings to those out of this world romantic gestures to feel something.

The chemistry is great from the start, the spice was top tier, and their banter was next level.

The pop culture references got to be a little much for me at times, but a ton of this story was paying homage to predecessors like how to lose a guy in 10 days, titanic, love actually, etc. but at times when people like Ariana Grande was mentioned 5 times within 3 chapters I had to go touch some grass.

Such a shockingly cute Christmasy book to, could honestly be enjoyed any time of the year and very excited to see what else the author writes in the future.

This book felt like watching your favorite holiday romcom. It was just so wholesome and cozy full of all the Christmas activities. I loved our love interest he was sweet and the biggest hopeless romantic.

This is a debut novel?! It was so so good!!

I absolutely loved how Sawyer and Mason were doing all these romantic cliches and having them fail miserably at not falling for each other. This book was everything I wanted to read in this moment.

There were times I wanted to shake Sawyer a bit but I came to understand why she had such a complex notion of romance.

The spice was a bit spicy with a 3 🌶️ out of 5!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

UNROMANCE by Erin Connor was a true love letter to romantic comedy for cynics and hopeless romantics (and those of us who feel like we might be both) alike. I was completely and utterly charmed by Sawyer and Mason and their story. Watching their friendship blossom into true love felt like the most fun carnival ride--a true balm for a cynic's heart. I loves Sawyer's personal arc and reading as her walls got torn down slowly by a wonderful man was so much fun. And Mason is truly such a treat--a sweet, sometimes naive, but genuine good person who needs Sawyer's connection to the ground to balance him out. Their energy and truthful connection sparkles off the page. Equal parts sweet as it is spicy, I recommend this book to anyone who adores romance and for anyone who thinks it's overrated (but secretly is waiting to be proven wrong).

I absolutely adored this debut from Erin Connor! Truly a romance novel for romance lovers and it was EVERYTHING. I particularly loved the chapter header/intros. Erin knows what she is doing! Not to mention, the COVER IS INSANE. Their outfits and the setting (IYKYK)! I can't wait to have this one in my hands and on my shelf.

Sawyer Greene is a bestselling romance author with writer's block who is still jaded from her own heartbreak and Mason West is an actor, hopeless romantic, and tabloid king. They meet when they get stuck in an elevator together, but one thing leads to another, and then end up having a one-night stand (lol, nice try). Of course, they run into each other again and decide to help each other - Mason wants Sawyer to ruin romance for him, one trope/scenario at a time, and Sawyer hopes their interactions will help inspire her to write her next novel.

Watching these two fumble through to their HEA was a complete joy. Their banter was top notch, and I felt their struggles, fears, and insecurities were really relatable. I thought Mason's move from Chicago to LA would be a bigger plot point/reason for why they can't be together, but I felt the way that Erin handled it was really refreshing and made a lot of sense for Sawyer and Mason.

I also loved that this story took place in Chicago (where I live)! It was fun to watch Sawyer and Mason bop around to various real life locations.

I look forward to more stories from Erin Connor! Definitely a new auto-buy author for me.

Ok I know this isn’t technically a holiday romance and I know this book isn’t even released yet but hear me out.
Among countless specifics I love in my books, here are a few: 1) I love a good celebrity romance 2) I love books that play with structure or break the fourth wall a bit, and 3) I love when a debut just knocks it out of the park. Erin Connor nails this trifecta with Unromance, out 1/14.

Unromance is a love letter to the genre altogether, peppered with tropes and references too self-aware to be cheesy. If your favorite Emily Henry is Beach Read, if you loved How to Fake it in Hollywood, and if you like your romances steamy, pick this up the minute you can (or try to get your hands on an early copy). It’s set over the holidays (and beyond), but isn’t a *holiday romance* and I think will help everyone through the Sunday Scaries of 2025.

Unromance by Erin Conner is a cute debut novel! It was light and fun and I enjoyed how each chapter started with a romance trope featured in the chapter.

Sawyer and Mason get stuck in an elevator and after several run-ins begin to fake date. I loved the Chicago setting. Reading this book around Christmas had me surprised the book took place around Christmas!

Unromance is cute and does the cliche romance well! I can’t wait to pick up what Erin Conner writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an advanced copy of this book!

This book takes every romance trope and puts it under a microscope, asking the question "what happens if we intentionally try to make every trope feel more ridiculous than it already is?" and honestly... it was pretty fun.

Something about the first half had me reading at a sloth's pace. But the second half was full of drama and tension and the whole gamut of emotions.

I did find some of the conflict to be a little tiresome - Sawyer's side of it especially. But I did appreciate the way some of the tropes were included without being overdone, or they were adapted enough to make it still feel like a unique story experience even when the third act conflict felt a little unnecessary.

Overall, I think this is a fun odyssey through popular romance tropes and seeing two characters let their lives weave together ironically through their journeys away from love.

This book was so much fun to read! Unromance is a wonderful mashup of the best rom coms out there. The two main characters had great banter and the perfect amount of tension, with a well paced plot.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel and I’ll definitely be reading more from Erin Connor. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the arc.