When are characters in a romance ever going to learn… you can’t do all of that romantic stuff and not fall for one another!
This book was a fun ride. Our two main characters, jaded Sawyer and hopeless romantic Mason, have a meet cute in an elevator, have an one night stand, and then set out to ruin romance Mason and help bring back Sawyer’s romance writing mojo. What could possibly go wrong?
The chemistry between Sawyer and Mason is undeniable. I enjoyed the time that I spent listening to their story. They were fun together and separate from each other. The reader gets good insight into each of the characters through their own points of view - I am always a sucker for a dual POV romance. I liked the different backgrounds that both of them come from and the integration of both friends and family was seamless.
Where I struggled a little with the story was in Sawyer’s POV. She has this past relationship that practically destroys her and it takes her a third act breakup and most of the book to confront that demon. I feel like it could have happened in a different way than them having to break up. I still enjoyed the conclusion to the story, but that part didn’t well with me.
I will reiterate though, that Sawyer and Mason were clearly endgame from the start. You cannot deny that type of chemistry - the kind that just leaps off of the page right at the reader.
The narrators did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life.
I recommend this book to lovers of romance with some fun shenanigans in the mix.
Many thanks to Hachette Audio (Forever) and NetGalley for an early listening copy of the book.
The opinions expressed are honestly and my own.

Unromance by Erin Connor - 4 stars!

I got an advance listening copy of this book and it had some amazing moments. Sawyer is a romance author who doesn't believe in love anymore and Mason West is an actor who is too much of a hopeless romantic. They make a deal to cure each other by going on tropey dates. I loved watching them build a friendship while falling in love! I really enjoyed their meet cute and the female narrator too.

I did not love the male narrator's voice at first. It was jarring going from a great female narrator to a not so great male narrator between chapters, but I got used to it as book continued. However, Mason's character was swoony! I wish his voice matched.

Pick this one up if you like one night stands, the famous person x normal person trope, pop culture references in books and queer representation.

When a romance novelist and an actor get trapped in an elevator together, the novelist informs the actor they aren’t going to progress through expected romance tropes. She’s cynical and he’s always eager to dive into a relationship, despite the wounds of a recent headline-making breakup. There’s an open-door scene in the beginning when the characters initially hook up, which I thought might indicate this novel was spicier than I anticipated. However, this is followed up with a lot of yearning and time in which the characters try to remain merely hands-off friends. This was an unexpectedly cute story with decent character development for both main characters and it left me with a good sense of resolution. Some romance novels skip over the angsty pining, and this one did not (which is great). The audiobook had two narrators in order to tell the story from both points of view, and both voices worked well.

This book kept me hooked with the clever banter and authentic characters. The book was engaging, lighthearted, and enjoyable. I liked both characters and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author in the future.
The narrators were well-paced and had great delivery.

Why hadn't she packed purse cheese?

Another amazing Aardvark Book Club pick. This book was absolutely adorable. I loved Mason and his easy ability to fall in love, he's such a perfect golden retriever. This book had me giggling left and right and the narration really took it up a notch. The third act break-up was a bit annoying, like come on Sawyer...don't be an idiot. But obviously, I get why the third act break up had to happen, but still poor, sweet Mason.

I loved the copy of the audio I got from NetGalley to accompany my Aardvark book!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harperaudio for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Erin Connor's "Unromance" was a delightful audiobook experience! The dual POV and narrators were fantastic, bringing the story to life. The female narrator's expressive portrayal of the FMC was a highlight. While I initially struggled to match the MMC's voice to my imagined version of him, it clicked after a few chapters.

The "Unromance" concept was brilliant. Watching the characters navigate and deconstruct familiar romance tropes was genuinely hilarious – a real treat for any romance reader. I especially appreciated the flawed FMC's journey of self-discovery and closure. And I loved that she initiated the grand gesture! It's such a refreshing twist on a common trope.

Overall, "Unromance" is a laugh-out-loud rom-com that's spicy and utterly unique. I highly recommend it to all my romance-loving friends!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #harperaudio #netgalley #unromance #erinconnor

Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced proximity
Opposites attract
Fake relationship
Third-act breakup
Third pov, single pov

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. It was loaded with far too many pop culture references and HEAVY on the tropes. The unromance jist was cute at first and then it just fell flat. I really struggled to feel their chemistry. I enjoyed the audio and that's definitely what kept me going.

Thank you for this ALC netgalley and hachette audio.

Funny and witty

The MCs explore all the rom com tropes when an author gets stuck in an elevator with a hot actor.

They chemistry is hot when they meet and as the story progresses it in lives into something more. Both are struggling with the concept of love but will their closeness turn into something more ?

This story made me swoon and laugh and I highly recommend if your looking for a good romcom book

Unromance by Erin Connor was a fun audiobook! It started off strong and it kind of dwindled towards the end but I still enjoyed my time listening to it. The narration was done very well and found that it kept my attention. I enjoyed both the characters and generally enjoyed the story but didn't feel like the 'conflict' was that big of a deal. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Story: 5 stars
Audio: 4.5/5 stars

The narrators did an excellent job bringing this fabulous book to life. Had several laugh out loud moments listening to the story again. My only note is that I am always going to campaign for duet narration even though I know it’s an investment! While both narrators fit who I envisioned for Sawyer and Mason, I find that female narrators always do a better job with male voices than vice versa.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinions!

Original ARC review:

This story is so sparkly and witty and fun that I already know my first book of the year will be one of my favorites. Erin Connor is one of the freshest voices I’ve read in a long time. Her ode to classic rom-coms is utter perfection from the first chapter heading to the final line. The way all the tropes played out was so clever. And I love that she turned the cliches on their head even more by making the romance author the cynic and the famous actor the diehard romantic. Their struggles felt real and true to their characters amid the bubbly fun, avoiding the frustration that sometimes comes with knowing exactly how and why the conflicts come to be. By the third act I knew I could trust that Erin would bring it all to a close in a way that was both gentle and compelling, but I didn’t expect how truly delightful the final grand gesture would be too. Five stars and then some for this debut novel!

Thank you to Forever and Hachette for providing this NetGalley ARC for my honest feedback.

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for the eARC and ALC!

I cannot believe this is a debut! Wow! This has so many classic romance tropes and they are all done SO well. All this is done without sacrificing any of the authenticity or character development. The chemistry is like fireworks and their dynamic had me kicking my feet. I absolutely loved this - every romance reader and romcom lover should read this, I cannot say enough good things.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Netgalley for an advance audiobook copy of Unromance by Erin Connor and narrated by Mia Hutchinson Shaw and Lee Osorio. I absolutely loved this book and the narration really brought this book to life, I could not stop listening to it!

When a best selling romance author, Sawyer, is down with writers block after a breakup she fantasizes a meet cute with an elevator stranger, only to end up having her made up one night stand become a reality. Little does Sawyer know Mason is a well known actor trying to ruin happily ever afters. Making a pact to help each other out, a list of romantic tropes is formed - Mason is hoping to ruin the experience to keep from falling in love while Sawyer's only wish is to find her writing spark once more and produce the novel she's been telling her agent is in the works. With only two rules, 1. no sex and 2. don't fall in love can the two make it to the end of the list with both of their wishes in tow and without breaking any rules?

Unromance has to be one of my new favorite romance books to date! There are so many rom com moments mixed with a little cheesy moments and a few spicy ones thrown in there too. The connection Sawyer and Mason have throughout the novel is so unique and definitely going to the top of my recommendations for this year! I especially loved the narration with both focus characters having their own narrator! It made the book stand out and really bumped it to another level!

3.5 stars. I do not think I enjoyed this one quite as much as others. The first half has been done before and done better in my opinion - the execution was weak and I considered giving up on it. But.....the last part of the book was much stronger (it is almost as if there were different editors involved). I liked the way the plot unfolded and the author was not trying as hard to include all of the tropes. I was not a fan of the chapter titles, and I found they did not add to the story. I would try this author again based on the end of this book, but I would go in with my expectations tempered a bit.

Well first I say if purse cheese is mentioned in the first chapter during an elevator meet cute, five stars for me.

But this book truly is five stars. From the witty banter, to the tropes, to the realness, to the actual characters. It’s all here. I loved it. I binged it. It’s everything.

And now I am going to watch every rom com I have ever loved.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was a nice story idea, I enjoyed the cute dates and the spice. At times, I found it hard to understand the FMC and her reluctance to move on, and to let this new relationship happen.

Unromance follows the unexpected love story between Mason, a charming and enthusiastic actor with a secretly soft heart, and Sawyer, a guarded romance novelist who has stopped believing in love. Their journey begins with a serendipitous meet-cute, only for fate to bring them together again in a crowded city street.

Mason, despite trying to maintain a cynical stance on romance, falls fast and hard—his golden-retriever energy clashing with his attempts at emotional detachment. Meanwhile, Sawyer carries deep emotional wounds from her parents’ rejection and a painful breakup, making her skeptical of love despite making a career out of writing about it. As Mason relentlessly pursues her, her walls remain firmly in place, creating a push-and-pull dynamic where he is determined to break through, while she is equally determined to keep him at arm’s length.

While their chemistry is undeniable, their contrasting outlooks on love and life leave their future uncertain. Though they ultimately end up together, the unresolved issues between them raise doubts about whether their relationship can truly last.
Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

After a meet-cute moment in an elevator that she swears will not lead anywhere, Sawyer is approached by Mason and decides to go home with him for a one-night stand. And, as according to the laws of romcoms, when she runs into him again around Christmas, they decide to try something. Between her writer's block and his constant flitting about from relationship to relationship, they come up with an agreement -- they're going to do as many romance trope/cliches as they can until he's too jaded to want a relationship and she'll use it as help to get over her writer's block. The problem is, just like every romcom: how long can this last before real feelings begin to catch?

I loved this! I really enjoyed the premise of the list and all the cheesy Hallmarky moments. Sawyer is just so over love after her last failed relationship that it really hinders her in so many ways -- from relationships to writer's block. And poor Mason, dealing with all his nonsense just to get tangled up in the chaotic mess that is Sawyer. Mason deserved the moon and stars after that first time we got a glimpse into his head and I was so upset at Sawyer for how she treated him. I loved watching their relationship develop into something more, but the ending left me a little upset.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

This was a fun listen. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the male narrators voice, I prefer a deeper male voice but that’s just personal preference. The production and quality of the audiobook was really good and they brought the characters to life.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but it certainly wasn’t the funniest, feel good rom com of the year. Why is everyone not talking about this book ?! If you are a fan of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Katherine Center, you will LOVE this book. With this debut novel, Erin Connor became an auto buy author for me.

Thank you Net Galley for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review. I am indebted to you for bringing Unromance into my life.

Has the unrelenting nature of 2025 gotten you to a point where you need to dissociate from reality and maybe a rom-com will fix you? Well do I have the book for you.

Unromance follows Sawyer Green, a romance author with the worse case of writer's block, and Mason Alvarez, a deeply attractive actor who has gotten his heart broken too many times and needs to take a break from dating. Sawyer and Mason meet after getting stuck in an elevator together and have a one night stand so ridiculously excellent that they both can't get each other out of their heads. When they bump into each other at the Christkindlmarket in Chicago, they reconnect and agree to help each other with their respective problems. Sawyer is going to break every single rom-com trope in an effort to de-romanticize Mason, while Mason will do his best to help Sawyer rekindle her writing mojo through the trope parade. The list of tropes the book runs through is just a delight and runs from cutting down your own Christmas tree to a trip to the Schaumburg IKEA (love the geographical accuracy by the way) a la 100 Days of Summer.

Mason and Sawyer are wonderful characters, but they're also backed up by an excellent supporting cast including Luis, Mason's brother in law and personal trainer and Lily, Sawyer's best friend who calls her out on all her bullshit. The writing is fantastic and the characters feel absolutely real and work through all of their own issues throughout the novel. I also have to say I LOVE a horny FMC and Sawyer delivers on that - naming her suite of vibrators Mason? Adore.

While I don't want to spoil too much of the book - I will just leave you with one of the lines that I think gives a great sense of the ride you're in for: “You don’t need to sell me, I’ve been sold since the very first accidental innuendo”

I also listened to Unromance as an audiobook, which was duet narration as each chapter is from either Sawyer or Mason's perspective. Again, love this to be able to get in both of their heads. The narration was great from both Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Lee Osario - they give the characters distinct voices and REALLY know how to turn it on when they're going through their feels (of all different kinds).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Hachette Audio for the advanced copy.