I enjoyed reading this book, and Christmas was the perfect time to read it! The book covers Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, and I always appreciate reading books like this in the time leading up to Christmas. It was fun to read a book set in Chicago - don't see too many of those! Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

Unromance by Erin Connor is a delightful read that hooks you right from the start. The premise is super cute—Sawyer Greene, a romance author who doesn't believe in love, struggling with writer’s block, and Mason Alvarez/West, a soap opera star with a heart full of romance, trying to move past a public breakup. The book kicks off with a one-night stand, which sets the stage for a fun and engaging story.

I absolutely adored the little touches at the beginning of each chapter, and by 14%, I was already rooting for Sawyer. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, and their banter kept me turning pages.

The only downside for me was the breakup around the 60% mark, followed by another in the third act. It felt a bit repetitive, but I have to say the book was still well-written and kept me invested. I didn’t even realize it was a debut novel until I finished it, which is impressive. The story strikes a perfect balance between spicy and sweet, although I did feel the relationship played out a little long for my taste. Still, it was definitely an enjoyable book, with just the right amount of drama, heart, and heat!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

I really liked this book. It's super refreshing compared to other rom-coms. Both characters were interesting and kept me hooked from the beginning. Also liked the idea of book & the idea of ruining romance just to fall in love. Cute book all around.

Sawyer Greene, a New York Times bestselling romance author, is a actually romance cynic with a major deadline and an even bigger case of writer's block. While dropping off book donations to the bartender at her favorite watering hole, she gets stuck in the elevator with an absolute hunk...who is beginning to have a panic attack??? Mason West, the elevator-phobic star of a hit TV medical drama, is on the way to break things off with his co-star and estranged girlfriend at a local bar...and he cannot believe he is about to melt down in front of the beautiful woman carrying an absurd number of books in the elevator. To his complete surprise, she begins attempting to distract and calm him until it's up and running again. An even bigger surprise, however, is that this woman does not appear to recognize him AT ALL.

When he notices she's sitting at the bar after his "meeting" he decides to approach her...while Sawyer decides that this is the perfect night for a one night stand, and banters herself right into an invitation home with Elevator Guy. Sawyer and Mason absolutely blow their backs out, and assume they'll never see each other again. And they don't. For three entire weeks until they run into each other at the Christkindlemarket.

As a schmoopy serial dater always attempting to romance the hell out of his partners, he decides his best course of action would be some quality single time--and for his optimistic views on love to be completely obliterated. Remembering Sawyer's writer's block, he proposes a brilliant solution to everyone's problems: Sawyer, an expert in romance, can ruin big tropey romantic gestures for him, and along the way possibly maybe find some inspiration for her next book. There are only two rules: A. They will keep their relationship surface level, and B. They will absolutely not sleep with each other again.

First of all, and I am not proud of this, but I become the absolute worst version of myself when I read a book set in Chicago. I was born and raised in the city, and have read a few too many Chicago-based novels with street performers in residential neighborhoods and hot dog carts on every corner and characters who bleed deep dish pizza. When I tell you this is the most accurate version of Chicago that I have read so far down to the IKEA in Schaumburg, I am not even kidding. Absolutely immaculate.

Now on to the feral screaming part--OH MY F*CKING GOD DID I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! The plot? AMAZING! The chemistry between these characters? IMPECCABLE. That scene with the nylons? I NEED A COLD SHOWER. This is yet another debut written by an author who writes like they have been at it for years.

Mason is such a cinnamon roll, and Sawyer is just so spicy. They could not help but throw caution to the wind, because not breaking the rules was an impossibility. Watching their bumpy attempt to balance the fact that he fell fast and hard and that she is terrified of being hurt kept the plot moving right along. I devoured this book in one day because I don't think I could have slept until they figured it all out. Unromance is hysterical, tender, and an absolute joy to read.

An easy 5/5 stars for me!

Unromance is out on January 14th!

Thank you to Forever for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

This book was undeniably charming. What stood out most was its playful take on romance tropes, offering readers a satirical yet heartfelt commentary on the genre we all love.

The story follows Sawyer, a romance author, and Mason, a TV actor, who meet in classic rom-com fashion: stuck in an elevator. But instead of the typical insta-love, we get a refreshing twist. Sawyer, jaded by the heartbreak love brings, is determined not to fall for anyone. Meanwhile, Mason, who falls too quickly, wants to strip the romance out of relationships altogether.

While the premise was delightful, the execution felt a bit uneven at times. The narrative was clear, and I appreciated the journey each character took, but there were moments that felt rushed or underdeveloped. That said, the individual character arcs were a highlight. Sawyer’s struggles as a romance writer—finding her inspiration again through Mason—felt relatable and authentic. Mason’s gradual acceptance of love, even after experiencing its imperfect side, added emotional depth.

The banter and friendships were another strong point, adding warmth and humor to the story. The progression of the romantic tension, including the spicier moments, felt well-paced and appropriate for their relationship. However, some chapters dragged, making it harder to stay fully engaged throughout.

Overall, this book is a fun, self-aware nod to romance tropes while still delivering an engaging love story. Fans of witty banter and unconventional romantic journeys will find much to enjoy here, even if the execution isn’t entirely seamless.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This truly is a love letter to romcoms (of both the written and cinematic varieties)- from the adorable and funny epigraphs to the references both overt and through actions!!

Sawyer Greene is a romance author that doesn’t like romance in real life, Mason Alvarez-West is a hopeless romantic who falls in love at the drop of a hat. So of course these two are going to find each other, all across the holiday backdrop of Chicago!!

This was quite cute, not especially deep, but still so very enjoyable as a read! Our characters were extra charactery in a fun way, and I loved getting to spend time with them as they navigated what it really means to have ~feelings~

Thank you so much to Erin Connor and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

This was a wild premise - the romance author trying to deter someone from falling in love? One would think they would know more about the forced proximity trope! I really felt for MMC Mason West - a Hollywood legacy who keeps authentically falling in love with his PR-recommended dates? I think there are a few guys in Hollywood who may fall for this as well - there have to be some hopeless romantics in Tinsel Town. This romp through the romance tropes is a fun style of tension building, even if we all know they'll come together in the end.

When this started odd with a nod to Jasmine guillory's the wedding date, I knew I was going to love everything about this story.

After an adorable meet cute that neither was looking for and one night stand, Sawyer and Mason go their separate ways. When they run into each other after few weeks later they form an alliance to help her write her next romance novel, which after a bad breakup is proving to be difficult, and to help him not fall in love at the drop of a hat (if you ask him, he'll be "three pages deep in a zillow search. . .for their dream home" partway through the first meal) by making their way through all the cheesy romcom cliches, realistic or not. And of course, this arrangement shall result in no feelings.

But when the two start checking off cliches and the two build a truly wonderful friendshipand lo and behold, it's only a matter of time before the feelings start to set in.

With references to so many favorite rom com scenes, this was one of those all around heartwarming romances that I couldn't get enough of!!


Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Unromance is the story of Sawyer, a cynical writer of romance novels, and Mason, an actor who falls hard for everyone he dates and ends up with a broken heart. A chance meeting in a stuck elevator puts them in each other's orbit but it isn't until they accidentally run into each other again that they realize they might be able to help each other. Sawyer desperately needs some inspiration to write so she can turn in her latest novel and Mason wants to teach himself not to fall in love constantly. They make a pact to do all the traditional romantic meet-cute things (it's all very How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days) while trying to pretend they aren't insanely attracted to each other.

I loved this book and thought it was incredibly sweet. My only complaint is that it's coming out in January when it takes place primarily leading up to Christmas and has very strong holiday vibes -- definitely should have been a December release!

This one is for the romantics!

This was such a blast. I fell in love with the characters. Mason was such a sweetheart and Sawyer is jaded. Their dynamic was a lot of fun to read. It was definitely opposites attract. The steamy scenes were hot and filled with tension.

This book is also super quotable. Readers are gonna highlight/annotate a lot!

Would highly recommend!

3.5 stars

This book is perfect for those who love insta love, rom coms, and all the cheesy rom com tropes!

I did like how it was opposites that he was the one who loved romance and she was the one who didn’t. Mason was my favorite out of the two of them!

I enjoyed the little moments with the side characters. It was predictable but not in a bad way, just as in this is how every rom com is. Sometimes I felt like there was just a bit over sexualization but that could be a me issues not an issues for everyone!

Overall it was a decent read! I did have a hard time figuring out whose POV I was in when I got to a new chapter. I liked the chapter titles but it did pretty much state what was going to happen in that chapter.

Sawyer Greene knows romance. She’s a bestselling author of the genre—or she was, until her college girlfriend left her with nothing but writer’s block and bitterness. So when Sawyer gets stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger, she sees it for what it is: not a meet-cute but a chance encounter with a charming man whom she will sleep with exactly once and go on her way. Easy enough...until she runs into him again at a Christmas market straight out of a Hallmark holiday movie.

Loved it. Will recommend to others

A little stuck on my star rating, but I think this is falling somewhere between a 3 and a 4!!

A rule I have is that if Jessica Joyce recommends it, I'm going to read it and that, along with the premise, is what drew me in: two people stuck in a pattern that need to get out of it. One being a romance writer unable to write her next manuscript and a television star who falls in love too fast trying to become less attached to the people he dates. I really enjoyed the entire concept and thought it was executed well. I think where it fell a bit flat for me was that I never felt a true connection to either of the MCs, which was shocking to me honestly. This isn't even a matter of them not being fully developed characters (because they were!!) and more of maybe reading this at the wrong time??

I think the side characters, specifically Kara, are where this book really shines. I really enjoyed how she cared so deeply for Mason and was able to put their history aside and be there for him. I would eat up a whole book from her POV, and Erin kind of sets that up so perfectly that I would be shocked if it didn't happen.

All in all this was a very enjoyable read and I could totally see people being obsessed with it, but unfortunately it wasn't that for me :(

✨ARC Review✨

The more I think about Unromance the more I love it.

Sawyer and Mason have a textbook meet-cute in a broken elevator. Sawyer even references it while it’s happening before they go their separate ways only to see each other again and continue the flirtation that began in the elevator, leading to a glorious one night stand. Sawyer is romance-averse after a bitter breakup with her ex-girlfriend, so she loves him and leaves him pretty quickly.

Too bad she runs into him again at the Christmas market. Chicago. Such a small town. He asks her to meet him for a drink and she agrees. Mason is a fairly well-known actor who has just been broken up with by his co-star. The tabloids are making a meal out of his supposed ladykiller ways. He needs to stay under-the-radar and not date for a while. Who better to school him on anti-romance than the romance writer who doesn’t want romance? While having their drinks, he proposes she ruin romance for him.

She agrees and we’re off to the races with a list of romantic, couple-y things to ruin. Dearest gentle reader, will these things be ruined? Ice skating, Christmas tree farm-ing, red flannel shirts, New Year’s Eve kisses? Oh, I know you know.

Y’all. The banter in this one is so genuine and funny, sexy and flirtatious. And Mason “gets” her. It’s fun and sweet and hot. I think I want to re-read this when the audiobook is available. Highly recommend!

I received this eARC via #netgalley and @readforeverpub. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romancebooks #contemporaryromance #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #unromance #erinconnor

🦇 Unromance Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite rom-com adaptation, & did you prefer the book or movie?

💜 SA-WOON! Take every iconic rom-com that's ever stolen your heart, roll your eyes at the silly cliches (that somehow still never get old) and fall in love anyway. THAT'S what you get with Erin Connor's Unromance; a stunning, heart-warming, smirk-worthy debut that's filled with vulnerability, heart, and hope. Erin Connor, thank you SO MUCH for this book. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters: Even if you're not a rom-com writer or TV heartthrob who looks YUM in scrubs, you can easily connect with Sawyer and Mason. Sawyer is coming out of a heartbreak, unable to rejoice over love, while Mason is a heart-eyed romantic who can't take off his rose-colored glasses. Their contrasting mentalities make them the perfect pair. Everything about them is well-balanced, and not only from the romantic side of things. Mason is surrounded by friends and family but works in a cut-throat industry where it's difficult to trust and easy to get hurt, but he still keeps his heart open. Sawyer has isolated herself but longs for that connection, even though she holds herself back. They want and need different things, not only from each other, but in their lives. You root for them at every turn as they grow into people who not only need, but deserve each other.
✨ Plot and Pacing: Most rom-com stories have at LEAST a little slow burn to them, and that's often excruciating, causing the pacing to drag. Unromance defies this problem by having the characters sleep together from the start, THEN initiating a fun, sexy slow burn as they deny their feelings for one another. The plot is a fun twist on rom-com cliches, too. Instead of feeling like a carbon copy of the romances before it, this book takes what we know and love with a refreshing twist. There wasn't a single time I had to put this book down due to bad pacing.
✨ Romance: I MEAN. Where do I even start with the CHEMISTRY between these two? About 80% of my love for this book is dedicated to the wit, the sass, the BANTER. It's fun, even sometimes unexpected, and honestly one of the first books to make me laugh aloud all year. As expected, Mason falls first, and HARD, and it's SO freaking cute. You will gasp, you will giggle, you will grin and kick your feet. Mason says that reading Sawyer's book is like watching a rom-com come to life, scenes playing vividly in his head. That's EXACTLY how I felt reading this book. As you can see from the list below, there are a LOT of romance micro-tropes thrown in. It never feels exhausting or superfluous. Even with the intentional list the characters create in an effort to defy romance cliches, a few unexpected ones pop in between them. I will say, however, that the smut at the start of the book is a bit...eh. The word choice made it obvious that this book is a debut (though the rest of the book does NOT in its flawless execution), but the writing grows stronger with every page. AND, AND, AND. The third act big gesture? UGH. To paraphrase Mason, this book has ruined romance for me in all the best ways.
✨ Mystery/Suspense: I was concerned with how Mason would reveal his little secret, because it screamed third act break-up potential. The execution worked well, though, and the third act surprisingly did NOT make me want to toss my Kindle across the room.
✨ Tone/Prose: The writing is fun, engaging, captivating...but I do wish there was a bit more show, don't tell. There are a few scenes that would have benefited from more descriptive language, but again: every scene plays out like it would in a movie. I LOVED the "juggling glass" analogy for choosing which responsibilities matter, though, and annotated such well-penned PARAGRAPHS of this book far more than I normally do for a debut. Erin Connor, I can't WAIT to see what you write next!

🦇 This may very well be my favorite contemporary romance of the year. Recommended for fans of Will They or Won't They, You Again, You've Got Mail, Plot Twist, Emily Henry romances, or Tessa Bailey romances.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🎞 Writer/Actor
❤ Contemporary Romance
🎞 Friends to Lovers
❤ Dual POV
🎞 Holiday Romance
❤ Fun Banter
🎞 Debut Novel
❤ Elevator Meet-Cute
🎞 One-Night Stand to Friends
❤ Bisexual/Queer Rep
🎞 Grumpy/Sunshine
❤ Romance Tropes/Grand Gestures

🦇 Major thanks to the author @erinsterlingbooks and publisher @readforeverpub for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #Unromance

💬 Quotes
❝ "Happy endings are my favorite brand of fantasy.” ❞
❝ “Do not keep making sex jokes, or I will fall in love with you.” ❞
❝ “I’m gonna woo you so fucking hard, you’ll be writing a trilogy before you know what hit you.” ❞
❝ “Why be pragmatic when you can be romantic?” ❞
❝ Everyone had layers, like an onion, but Sawyer was like the coconuts she always smelled of. You had to be fucking determined if you wanted to get to the heart of her. ❞
❝ In the Venn diagram of “knowing Sawyer” and “loving Sawyer,” for Mason, it was a circle. ❞
❝ For someone who wrote thousands of words for a living, she was not very good at them in real life. With books, she had multiple chances to get it right, to reword it, to express it all wrong, and then edit it until what was left accurately conveyed what was in her head and in her heart. It didn’t work like that with people. You weren’t guaranteed a do-over, and they were already on their second chance. ❞
❝ "I think you might be my favorite person." ❞
❝ With the right person, the most ordinary moments became grand. ❞
❝ I get it now, why our mission was always doomed to fail. All those big movie moments, they would all fall flat if the person didn’t mean it. If they hadn’t fought to get there. It’s not about racing across town to find each other on New Year’s, or interrupting a wedding, it’s the vulnerability— not the act itself. It’s about showing up and risking it all with no guarantee you’ll get what you want. It’s about trying. ❞

Rating / Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Yes

My Thoughts:
This was such a great read and well done. The characters genuinely made me smile and be frustrated at them at the same time! So many good moments. Their banter was so funny. I love how slightly unhinged they are together. It was a super easy binge read which I’ve been needing. This is her debut novel and I think she did so great.

If you love romcoms, funny banter, spice, and a HEA ending… this is for you!

If you hate the miscommunication trope, you may not like this, but it’s still such a good read!

Content Warning: Multiple open-door scenes. Adult language and innuendos.

Oh my gosh, this book was every iconic romcom wrapped up in the perfect package with the cutest bow on top and I ate.it.up. I was a little worried about the sheer number of tropes jam packed into one story, but Erin made it work, really really well.

I absolutely loved that Sawyer and Mason’s roles were flip flopped from what we normally see and expect in a stereotypical romcom. Sawyer is a romance author who absolutely LOATHES romance in real life. She’s also a fucking riot - she’s witty, quirky, can pull innuendos out of you know where, and just lets her personality shine. Mason, on the other hand, is the hopeless romantic, swoon worthy TV doctor who’s super in touch with his emotions (green flags all around, honestly 💚). Give them an elevator meet-cute and the rest is history.

Unromance is filled with humor, vulnerability, love, friendship, and hope. When it releases on January 14, get your paws on this baby as fast as you can. I promise it will warm your romance-loving heart 💕

This is going to be one of the best books of the year I can just feel it. I absolutely loved everything about this. This is one of those books where I am in awe of every part and I wish I could just the way I feel into words but I’ll never be really be able too. Mason and Sawyer are two people who want and need different things out of love and romance. They themselves are opposites in many ways, and they find themselves falling in love along the way even though desperately wanted to do anything but. Mason and Sawyer are absolutely everything good in a romance book and I LOVED watching them fall in love.

Both Mason and Sawyer were so complex. Where Mason was so open and loose with his feelings and his love, Sawyer was so guarded and scared. They both just wanted someone to see them for who they were though. And watching them realize that they really could be that for each other and get that from each other was so beautiful.

I loved all the cutesy romance movie/book things they did together. They really were the perfect one night stand to friends to lovers where he falls so hard and first, and she is the jaded romance writer who doesn’t believe in love anymore. They were so soft and sweet and it was all the little things inbetween their Unromance list that really made their relationship feel so special.

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

dnf @ 18%

i'm disappointed that i just wasn't feeling the "romance" between the two mc's! it didn't even feel like they had any physical chemistry, let alone emotional chemistry. i wanted so badly to love this because we have a chaotic bisexual woman jaded by love as the lead character, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way. her cynicism mixed with his hopeless romanticism felt super played up. the premise was a little strange, like "ruin romance for me by doing all of these romantic things with me but dw it's definitely not romantic" lol. i'm sure lots of people will eat this up but it unfortunately wasn't for me!

thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

Sawyer Greene and Mason West meet when they’re briefly stuck in an elevator. Their attraction is immediate, but for different reasons, both are wary of love and relationships. They are, however, willing to take a chance on a one-night stand, fully expecting to never see each other again.

When they unexpectedly run into one another at a Christmas market, Mason believes it’s meant to be. He is an actor, and a hopeless romantic whose relationships always end in heartbreak and headlines splashed all over the tabloids. Sawyer on the other hand may be a romance writer, but she is also a certified romance skeptic.

They agree that romance is not in the cards for them, but decide that they can instead help “cure” each other. Mason will help Sawyer with her writer’s block and in return Sawyer will help Mason avoid all the trapping of love. The rules are simple: no (more) sex and absolutely not falling in love.

The rules they are determined to follow soon start to become blurry as they grow closer. Mason is having a difficult time keeping his feelings platonic and Sawyer is stubbornly refusing to believe she feels anything other than crazy physical attraction. I can’t say their behavior did not frustrate me at times, but they were both so charming that I never lost hope and cheered for them the entire time.

Unromance was a great debut by Erin Connor and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.