What a solid debut from Erin Conner!!! Unromance is witty, cute and even got a little steamy. It is the absolute perfect rom-com that had me laughing out loud all while having a very heartfelt and real feel to it. Sawyer and Mason felt extremely relatable to me and I had the best time reading this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mason is the perfect book boyfriend. No notes. I loved everything about this book - cute, fun, little steamy, some laugh out loud moments but also moments with more/emotional moments.

Recommended!

Unromance by Erin Connor
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What do you get when a romance writer (Sawyer) and an actor (Mason) make a pact to each other”fix” the other? All of the romance tropes, unintentionally.
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What I liked:
-I loved the “meet cute” and how from the very first sight of each other they were bantering.
-I adored Mason.
-I loved when they really talked and got to know each other.
-I could tell I really got into the book when that third act break up made me so mad.
-There was a surprising amount of emotion in this book because it kept making me cry!
-It was really interesting reading about Sawyer’s writing process and how it really consumed her when inspiration hit.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sawyer is an author with writer's block, until she gets stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger. She and Mason agree to go on movie-inspired romantic dates to help cure Sawyer's writer's block and break Mason's hopeless romantic streak.

If you're a romcom fan, this is the book for you! It's chock full of banter and fun moments as they try to ruin all the romance tropes. There's a lot of tension and a bit of steam as our leads try not to catch feelings, and Mason is a swoony celebrity lead with a soft heart.

It's a fun read and I recommend picking it up!

Thanks Forever and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Unromance was so much fun! This book was a love letter to every rom com you've ever read or watched and I thought that the chemistry between Sawyer and Mason absolutely sizzled from the jump. I loved the journeys they had to go on individually to come together successfully and in a mature way that felt as true to life as falling in love with a tv star you get stuck in an elevator with ever does. The humor was sharp and the sense of place - Chicago in holiday winter was palpable. I also appreciated the very casual and well-integrated representation of Sawyer as bi or pan, having an ex-partner who is a woman, and other queer couples showing up in the world, which added to the verisimilitude! A perfect read to start the year!

Sawyer Greene should know a lot about romance. Being a best-selling author with a movie adaptation under your belt kinda makes you an authority. However, Sawyer lost the romance faith when her last relationship failed. She has been unable to write since and the deadlines have long passed. When she has the perfect meet-cute of getting stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger, she's less impressed and more irritated. Turns out the handsome stranger is none other than famous actor Mason West.

Mason has lived in Chicago for the past few years while filming a successful television show where he plays a sexy doctor. With life somewhat imitating art, Mason and his costar begin dating in real life, much to the delight of fans everywhere. But just like Mason's previous relationships, it ends, and now the press cannot help remarking on his long list of failed relationships, which has the potential to upend an upcoming new career venture for Mason. Besides that, Mason just doesn't understand why he cannot find love he's always been the romantic. Regardless, Mason decides to keep a low profile for the next few months, hopefully pulling the tabloids off his scent.

When Mason and Sawyer run into each other again, They decide to have a low-stakes one night stand. Then, as fate would have it, they continue to run into each other. Instead of lean into their attraction for one another, they decide to help each other out. Sawyer, for her part, will ruin romance for Mason. Hoping this will curb his overtly romantic tendencies. In doing so the goal is for Sawyer to get some much-needed inspiration to finish her book. Of course nothing goes to plan, and they both have to decide if sticking to their goals is important enough to give up the connection between them.

The premise really hooked me with the idea of trying to subvert the various standard rom-com tropes. Although the premise, while cute, was never really going to work, but I'm wondering if that was more of a conscious choice as opposed to weak plotting. Honestly, it's because while Sawyer may be gun-shy of giving her heart to someone again, I don't believe for a second that she doesn't want love.

Erin Connor did a spectacular job in building up Sawyer and Mason's relationship. There is a spark each and every time they're on page together and throughout the inevitable ups and downs, the downs are deftly felt when they are apart.

I also appreciated the role reversal in making Mason the hopeless romantic. Typically, these types of story have the male protagonist being the one who just doesn't believe in love then the female swoops in and changes his perspective. I love how much Mason holds on to his love of romance and his belief in soulmates and how he looks at each relationship with an almost wide-eyed naiveté. In holding onto that belief, Mason can be the one to swoop in and help Sawyer move out of the comfort zone she's created in order to protect her heart.

This has been one of the best romances I've read lately. I feel like it's often difficult to move outside of the already setup romance tropes in this genre because, well, they're tried and true for one reason or another. Trying to "ruin" or subvert these tropes only causes Sawyer and Mason to lean more into said tropes which was delightful. I think this is a wonderful debut for Erin Connor and I'm excited to see where she goes next.

Unromance by Erin Connor is a spicy romcom that will make you feel like you're watching a movie.
The story follows Sawyer, a writer who has hit the wall and is desperate to write a book and Mason, an actor on a popular medical soap who wants more from his life, especially because the set is toxic, his ex (who just broke up with him) is also his costar.

And one elevator meet-cute is destined to change it all.

I really enjoyed this book. It explains the characters and their backgrounds, sets up the story and wastes no time diving right into it.

I really enjoyed the build up of Sawyer and Mason after their one night stand. It didn't feel rushed or like an insta love. Characters stand on their own, have their own "thing" and make sense without each other. But they also are a really good team, which makes this book work perfectly. It was nice to see two people who develop a real friendship and then feelings beyond lust.

What i really enjoyed is Sawyer and her relationship with her books, with the movie adaptation. I was thinking a lot why she hates it and the revelation made so much sense.
Speaking of Sawyer, I was imagining Sabrina Carpenter while reading the book which made it even more fun. I think you'd benefit from listening to Fruitcake while reading this book, it's a perfect soundtrack.

I found some of the dialogue/text to be a little cringe but cringe is life.

Overall, this is a really great story and I would recommend this book if you:
- love characters who have goals
- "we need to do stuff on a list to reach a goal" trope
- enjoy spice 🌶
- writer x actor
- love 3D characters
- want to find a new book boyfriend aka Mason

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🖤 hopeless romantic actor mmc
📖 cynical romance author fmc
🖤 forced proximity
📖 ons
🖤 he’s down bad
📖 love letter to romcoms
🖤 queer rep
📖 banter

This is such a delightful debut from Erin Connor! What a stellar way to kick off what this new fan hopes will be a long, novel-filled career!

The story is funny, witty, and heartfelt, the characters feel like real people with electric chemistry, and the prose flows like rain. Erin clearly loves romance and romcoms because she’s crafted the perfect love letter to the genre and manages to make many of the well-trod tropes feel fresh.

We love an FMC who’s lost her faith in love and a hopeless romantic MMC who changes that. You need this book on your 2025 tbr!

She's a romance author who doesn't believe in love after a terrible breakup and is facing a writer's block for her fourth book and he's a famous actor and an incurable romantic who has a reputation as a playboy who wants nothing more than to learn to stop falling in love so easily, yet what started off as a one night stand turns into something more as they keep running into each other and when they agree to help each other... they just might be perfect for each other. Sawyer Greene is a romance author, she's a best selling author but ever since her big breakup with her ex, she's now dealing with a broken heart and writer's block because she just can't think of anything to write about. Mason West is a famous actor who is an incurable romantic but has had a bad reputation from the press as being a playboy, and after his recent breakup he's determined to stop falling for people so easily and find a way to just find "the one". When Sawyer and Mason meet on an elevator and have a one night stand the last thing they expect is to keep running into each other. They come up with a plan: Mason will help Sawyer come up with romance scenarios for her book and let her see through his rose tinted glasses while Sawyer will help Mason temper down his tendencies to fall in love easily and prove to him that love isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Yet the more time they spend together, the more their feelings for each other are beginning to grow... but can they really separate their pact from their feelings and can Sawyer finally get over her fear of opening her heart after what happened with her ex and open herself up to Mason? This was just a sweet and charming read. The romance was cute and Mason was an adorable love interest for Sawyer. I had a fun time reading it and it was definitely a quick and easy book to read. It's cute, it's funny, and the romance is really adorable. I would absolutely recommend it!

Release Date: January 14,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Unromance is the ultimate quirky, emotional, witty love letter to romance novels. Sawyer is a jaded best-selling romance author who doesn't believe in love after her ex-girlfriend shattered her heart, leaving her with writer's block. Mason West is a TV heart-throb whose heart is also a hopeless romantic. He's tired of falling in love and, after an amazing one-night stand, enlists Sawyer to ruin romance for him, one trope at a time. These characters were so authentic and full of raw emotion. This was one of the first times I read a book in which everything felt natural. It didn't feel like the author was trying to force any unnatural scenarios or responses and reactions on the characters to drag the story along. This book should definitely be on any romance readers TBR. My favorite part of the book was the trope descriptions at the beginning of every chapter they had me cracking up. It's hard to believe it's Erin Connor's debut novel, but I'm so excited to see what else she brings to the table.

I am so grateful to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to ARC Review this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a fabulous debut and I definitely recommend it!

Unromance is laugh out loud funny and both characters are witty and interesting. The story also has depth; I enjoyed Sawyer and Mason’s journeys separately and with each other. They felt very real to me and I could relate to both of them. This book reminded me of When Harry Met Sally, it just had that vibe for me. I can't wait to read more of Erin's work!

3.5 Stars Out of 5!

Rounded to 3

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really solid debut and I’m interested to read more from Erin Connor.

The romance and chemistry were cute, it was cringy but not in the way where it really makes me roll my eyes, and it was nice to see characters that were self-aware. Sawyer wasn’t the most relatable character, but I don’t see that as a fault. I personally enjoyed seeing a flawed FMC who had real troubles with intimacy and trust instead of caving in the first time they have sex. She was also very sex positive and knew what she wanted!

I love grand gestures and ending stories there, but do wish I had gotten to see more of them as a couple. Also, it happened after a third act breakup that was pretty unnecessary.

Overall, still an enjoyable read and wish Erin well on her debut book!

I really enjoyed this story! I loved a hopeless romantic MMC and the jaded FMC. I also liked the different romance tropes used throughout the story.

3.5 ⭐️ This was a super cute debut romance novel. I can tell the author has deep rooted feelings for the romcom film and book genre, the ultimate love letter to various romance tropes. This is about Sawyer, a romance writer, unable to write anything since her last big heartbreak a few years earlier. She is closed off to the idea of getting close to others and romance. She has the ultimate meet-cute, getting stuck in an elevator with dreamy Mason West, a hopeless romantic who just wants to find his happily ever after. They proceed to help one another overcome their blocks - him falling for every girl under the sun and Sawyer overcoming her writers block. They plan to ruin romance for one another - this is where it lost me, I didn’t understand the entire premise of what these two were trying to do. It was super cute to read but I genuinely didn’t understand how we are to believe someone would think of this plan and think this was a good idea. Also, it has a bit of miscommunication and a 3rd act breakup (gross). But Mason is the ultimate cinnamon roll, he falls first ray of sunshine to Sawyers very grumpy and childish attitude. Mild spice, open door but pretty tame. Great secondary characters, loved Lily and Luis the best friends. Even though the premise didn’t really hit the mark for me, it was very well done, I loved the chapter headers/one liners, I loved the funny, sexually charged banter and I loved how it knew it was super trope heavy on purpose. I would definitely read more from Erin Connor in the future.

TLDR:
* Fake Dating-ish
* Grumpy x Sunshine
* He falls first
* Homage to romance tropes
* Bi - representation
* Funny banter - loads of sexual tension

This was my 4th book of 2025
Format: Kindle e-galley

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin Connor and Forever Publishing for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

What an amazing debut!! Unromance had me hooked from the get-go, and it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. The banter between Sawyer and Mason is a blast and their inner monologues and jokes had me cracking up between bouts of crying throughout their story.

Unromance is the perfect rom-com for this time of year. I binge-read it on New Year’s Day; little did I know now how befitting that would be to the plot. I had the time of my life laughing and crying through Sawyer and Mason’s story and have not stopped thinking about them since.

The chemistry between our two main characters is evident and electric from the start. Though they’re total opposites when it comes to their feelings about love and romantic relationships, Sawyer and Mason are just two people who have previously given their fragile little hearts to the wrong people and have been badly burned by it </3. While reading their story it’s apparent that they are two humans who genuinely enjoy each other’s company and they just get each other from the start. Sawyer and Mason are perfectly made for each other, truly soulmates if you ask me. I loved every second of following them through their respective journeys of healing their broken hearts, learning how to communicate their needs to each other, and supporting each other through the ups and downs of their dynamic careers.

Unromance YANKED at my heartstrings in ways I did not anticipate. I was sobbing left and right at its tenderness and how raw and real Sawyer and Mason’s characters are. Then three seconds later I’d be laughing out loud at some hilarious innuendo that would soothe my aching heart. It’s a masterclass in perfectly balancing an exciting range of emotional experiences, that makes for a FANTASTIC read.

Truly a MUST READ for rom-com lovers, hopeless romantics, and reluctant romantics, alike. Mason writes a letter to Sawyer near the end of the book that had tears streaming down my face and I love, love, LOVE when our FMC is the one to pull off the grand gesture.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a trophy copy this week on pub day to highlight and tab close to 50% of the book. Thank you Net Galley and Forever for the ARC!

I ADORED this book! It felt like I was in a early 2000's romcom and I ate up every word of it. I loved the grumpy sunshine aspect of their relationship, seeing that push and pull between them at every turn.
This was one book where I think I liked the MMC more than the FMC- Mason was perfect in every way, even his flaws! And I liked that he owned his issues instead of pushing them aside,
Don't count Sawyer out though- girl shows some major growth and I loved watching her shine! She had me cheering for her word count right alongside Mason.
We also get so many great tropes, and I loved the outline of them with the call outs to them at the start of each chapter- the foreshadowing made me that much more excited for each step in their journey!
Definitely add this to your list if you haven't already!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Forever Pub and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much I as I thought I would, it did have some cute moments sprinkled throughout I loved, but not enough to offset the rest.

It was supposedly Christmas-y, though other than picking out/decorating a tree it wasn't full of Christmas cheer at all.

I didn't really connect with the characters, but the story was interesting enough that I wanted to finish the book.

It was cute, but not overly memorable for me.

What happens when a hopeless romantic actor and a jaded romance author experience the most adorable stuck-in-an-elevator meet cute and proceed to have a one-night stand? Naturally, they make a list to dismantle every other popular romance trope, and in the process, they fall madly in love. It’s a rom-com about rom-coms!

Ohhh, this was everything my romance-loving-heart needed and more! If it’s not currently on your TBR, it definitely should be. With a sassy, independent FMC who thinks she doesn’t need a guy (or girl!) to take care of her and a totally hopeless romantic guy who wants to do just that… Swoon 😍 Sawyer and Mason had undeniable chemistry, and their banter was witty, cute, and so fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is an absolute rom-com lover's must-read! But if you still need convincing, read this amazing book if you enjoy:
♥️ Reverse grumpy x sunshine
♥️ Cinnamon roll MC
♥️ One night stand
♥️ “Just get it out of our systems”
♥️ He falls first
♥️ Opposites attract

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

4 Stars Such a fun concept for a romance! An actor and an author working through different romance tropes and clichés to help him not love love as much and inspire her to get past her writer's block.

Sawyer Greene is a bestselling romance author, but ever since her girlfriend broke up with her, she's struggled to write anything resembling romance. What could've been a meet-cute with a handsome stranger in an elevator instead turns into a one night stand. Actor Mason West just had another relationship end and the hopeless romantic can't help but see the possibilities in his every interaction with Sawyer. So the two hatch a plan: they'll complete various romantic clichés and tropes to cure his romanticism and her writer's block. No matter what, they can't sleep together again and they absolutely can't fall in love. Simple, right?

Such a fun read! I adored Mason's hopeless romanticism and understood Sawyer's cynicism. The tropes and clichés were perfect for the two of them and created the perfect setting for them to fall in love, aka the opposite of what they set out to do lol If you are looking for a fun new romance, I definitely recommend Unromance!

Thank you Forever and Erin Connor for the ARC!

Oh. This book.

I truly loved it.

Sawyer and Mason have a meet cute they reject in favor of cynicism and a one-night stand. Fate has other ideas, and they run into each other again, and then a deal is met.

She'll ruin romance for him so he stops falling for the wrong people, and he'll inspire her to write her next romance novel. Nothing could go wrong, right?

Erin Connor weaves a meta look at tropes in romance and life within some heartwarming and frustrating characters.

The reader sees Mason and Sawyer through missteps and growth. Can they figure out what they want/need/should do?

Through the journey, their banter is hilarious, their revelations emotional, and the spice is spicing.

Highly recommend.