**Minor Spoilers Ahead**

I have mixed feelings about this one, however, I enjoyed it a lot more than the last few Ali Hazelwood's so that's definitely something. Eli shaped up to be pretty much the same as all her other love interests, they all read pretty much the same; tall, stoic (though Eli was a little less stoic than others), intelligent, and utterly obsessed with the female lead.

The female lead was a bit more interesting, her background and childhood turned her into quite an emotionally closed-off person and she kinda read as neurodivergent though that wasn't ever confirmed. So despite the male character and general story following the same story arc as her other books, I did appreciate this deviation from her standard female protagonist.

I do think it's a shame that all her stem books follow the same story arc because every time I get invested and every time the big baddie is the same character with virtually the same motives. In this one, it was a particular shame because Rue knowingly continues to betray one of her only friends by getting with Eli but oh well that's fine in the long run because her friend was a bad person...like Rue was still doing a bad thing while they were still friends, she didn't yet know her friends' true character and betrayed her.

I don't mind a few sex scenes in books but this one had wayyyyy too many for me, and I think it honestly got very repetitive and took time away from the story

Thank you to Netgally and Little Brown Book Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a wonderful transition for Ali’s previous work- whilst I adore the rom-com style, this ‘erotic romance’ as she describes it was exquisitely written. The depth of character, the raw emotion and the twisty plot were such a joy to read!

thank you to net galley for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review!

I’m not a big romance girly, but there is something about Ali Hazelwood that just has me in a chokehold, whenever she releases a book i just know that I have to read it. I think it’s the way she manages to talk about such important issues in lighthearted ways that are addictive, for real I find it so hard to put down one of her books whenever I start them. It’s like junk food for the brain and I find them so entertaining.

this book was definitely one of her spiciest ones, but i appreciated the way it was handled. the author spoke about sex in such positive ways, allowing women to take control and enjoy their pleasure without being shamed for it. I also adored how they expressed the fact that kink is something that needs the trust and communication from both partners, because I’ve found that a lot of spicy authors will forget these nuances and misrepresent the BDSM/kink community in harmful ways, so i loved that.

despite the fact that i adored the romance within and thought the smut scenes were handled amazingly, i think the side story line just kind of fell flat for me. I was so absorbed into the relationship and its details that i found it hard to care about Florence or any of the side characters really, leaving the non-romance plot to fall flat and uninteresting. the only reason i continued reading was because i was so absorbed into the romance i had to know if they ended up together.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this copy for my honest review.

Firstly what a gorgeous cover! This was my favourite Ali Hazelwood book so far! Really enjoyed this, a lot steamier than her other books by far. Loved the fact it was dual POV and reverse grumpy sunshine!

If you enjoy a steamy, forbidden workplace romance, this is for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book before its release.

This was a highly anticipated read for me, having had the honour of reading ‘Love Theoretically’ and ‘Check & Mate’ prior to official release. Yet again, Ali Hazelwood does not disappoint!

Rue, our main character, is a successful biotech engineer. When she finds herself entangled in a forbidden affair with one of the very people who are determined to take over her company, she has to confront challenges both in her worklife, her personal life and with her relationships.

Rue resonated deeply with me; her character felt authentic and multidimensional. I recognised aspects of myself within her, and I believe many other readers will too, fostering a profound understanding of her struggles. I loved her self-awareness and refusal to change for anyone. However, I yearned for a deeper exploration of her inner thoughts.

The relationship between Rue and Eli was a highlight for me. Eli’s unwavering support and understanding underscored their connection. His acceptance of Rue, flaws and all, was truly heartwarming.

In essence, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to purchasing a physical copy for my collection upon the release date!

I believe this is one of the spiciest books Ali's written. The chemistry between the two main characters Rue and Eli was great and the development between them and their stories worked well. One slight thing that I found odd was it being multi-POV but Rue's is in first person and Eli's is in third. I'd rather them both be one or the other.

Ali Hazelwood has created a crushing balance of sad and happy, in a never ending circle. Her ability to create these vulnerable moments between Rue and Eli that absolutely shattered me. Eli's obsession with Rue was tender and sweet and created the most adorable romance. Hazelwood can't keep doing it, creating masterpieces of romance that are addictive, wonderful, and the perfect escape.

This is such a complex and rewarding read, with plenty to enjoy as a fan of romance, enemies-to-lovers and all the good things. This is my first Ali Hazlewood book, incredibly, but I very much liked what I read: her writing is vibrant and witty and moreish, and not at all superficial. The story, these characters - they had a distinct identity and life, and I enjoyed spending time with them. As the heroine, Rue is a breath of fresh air - complicated, uncompromising, unabashedly herself; her vulnerability and the chemistry she shared with Eli meant that I was 100% rooting for her to come out of the whole thing with her version of a HEA. Eli was delightfully contradictory, and his self-assuredness and not-so-hidden sweetness were the perfect foil for Rue. I also loved the relationships the pair had with their respective friends, and the exploration of personal loyalty, and the difficult choice between personal interest and doing the right thing.

This is a nuanced, mature romance novel, with the right level of spice for the story - this may be more than readers of Hazlewood's previous work are used to (I'm not in a position to compare), hence the gentle 'heads up' at the beginning of the novel, but for what it's worth these scenes never feel gratuitous or anything other than grounded in character and serving the plot of the story.

Perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy and Tessa Bailey, or anyone wanting a sweet and spicy read with substance and a STEM flavour.

(Note: reviews to be posted at linked sites after 2-week-before-pub-date embargo)

Oh my FUCKING GOD

Ali hazelwood the woman you are

This book was a bit different tonally than I’m used to but the plot was still full of female stem badasses just as I love

Can’t wait till everyone has read this so it can be discussed as it deserves

For NETGALLEY PHR reps: the formatting was very difficult to read once converted to an epub

This was cute! I definitely feel like it had more substance than Ali Hazelwood’s other books and the characters felt more real. In saying that I wasn’t completely obsessed with Eli or Rue and wasn’t that bothered about their relationship. Definitely an enjoyable read though!

Best ali hazelwood to date! Will recommend once is published in our bookstore in switzerland.

Phenomal stem-romance, smut and enemies-to-lovers all in one!

This is my 1st romance of this year,  and it's safe to say the start was good. Just like Ali's style, she started with the protagonists who were professionally.... Ummmm...well, let's go with strong. And of course,  our male protagonist wears glasses and gives Clark freaking Kent vibe. This was helpful for me to imagine an image of Eli, it's Henry Cavill.

Tell one naked truth, take one naked truth! I love that idea! This book makes me want to have "call me if you need me. Call me even if you don't " person.

And apart from Eli and his dynamic with his friends, i didn’t like the other characters much.

5! Not In Love returns to Ali’s STEM romance novels and I was elated to be back! Not In Love follows Eli and Rue in a steamy, vulnerable, and surprisingly emotional forbidden romance while Eli and Rue navigate being on opposing sides of a business deal in the food science realm. I won’t lie when I say I was very unsure about this one from like 20%-60% mark, but by the end I really came to care about both of our main characters.

What I absolutely LOVED:
- ELI! Wow was he the definition of Boy Obsessed! He worships the ground that Rue walks on and is so deeply attentive to her personality and needs. He had the charm I’ve come to love in ALL of Ali Hazelwood’s MMCs with an extra spicy flare in there.
- Rue’s story and development. Rue was such a refreshing FMC, while I didn’t totally relate to her, I found her to be a very deep and beautiful character. Also shoutout to Ali Hazelwood for finally being in her tall girlie era!!🗣️
- The conversation around food insecurity, this isn’t something I have ever seen talked about in a romance novel and I felt that Ali wrote about this in a way that really made me empathize with the characters and the issue at large. This brought me to tears and felt incredibly well done.
- The science! The politics!! I definitely am in the minority when it comes to being a FAN of all the academia talk in books (blame it on being so closely tied to academia in my personal life). But I eat up the academia drama and plot every single time.
- ELI’S POV (3rd person). I need this in every Ali Hazelwood book.

I will say 🫣 the balance of emotional connection to physical connection was something that wasn’t 100% there for me in a lot of the build. I was THERE at the end, which feels like something only Ali Hazelwood could do for me, but I would’ve liked a few more romantic moments earlier on in the build. It was also VERY SPICY, if you are not someone who is comfortable with a lot of spice, I would maybe suggest passing on this one.

Overall, I really ended up loving this one. Love Theoretically still reigns as #1 for me personally but I really enjoyed this. Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC!

I loved how Hazelwood dived deeper into how different we can all be from each other, based on our experiences. I thought the characters were completely realistic in how flawed they were and they were definitely the best part of the book. I think she plays well with perception too, and how we can be completely wrong if we dont have the right information on someone.

All in all, 5 stars. Loved Eli and Rue.

I really like Hazelwood's writing, although I think she is more compelling in romcom mode rather than erotic romance - but I loved the intensity of this, the unusual characterisation, the adult themes, and the holdover of the scientific/adademic setting from her romcoms which I think works better than her last foray into the chess world.

This is one of Ali Hazelwood's best books yet!

Even though they almost had a one night stand and are almost sure they would never see one another again, their jobs lead to them crossing paths the next day. Given that Eli's company Harkness is trying to take over Kline, the company where Rue works, they should do everything except become close. At last, one of Rue's best friend is the founder and owner of the company and Harkness seemingly wants to do everything in their power to ruin Kline. Yet, Rue and Eli's sexual chemistry is undeniable and it makes it difficult to stay away from one another - especially when they keep on meeting on accident and unintentionally.

Albeit this is Hazelwood's spiciest book so far, it is also one of the funniest. It was truly entertaining and reading this book was very enjoyable. The dual POV, which also switched narratives, was really fun and also made so much sense for the characters, I would not have wanted it any other way! Additionally, the characters really did have an undeniable chemistry. The way they interacted with each other was weirdly refreshing, their communication was on point.
Loved this book a lot more than expected!

not my favourite Ali Hazelwood work to date - it was still a really enjoyable read, however I felt all the steamy scenes took away from the enjoyment of learning more about the separate characters. I wasn't a fan of either of their character development arcs. I did enjoy the STEM aspects of her novel as always, and I found the parts about intellectual property interesting and increasingly relevant. Overall a cute romance!

I absolutely loved Not in Love. I read it in a single day. It's definitely more erotic and mature than Hazelwood's previous work. There isn't an adorable meet-cute or satisfyingly slow burn. For example, the book opens with our two main characters, Rue and Eli, meeting up for no-strings-attached sex after communicating and sharing their kinks via a dating app.

The sexual chemistry is undeniable and very much at the forefront of their relationship/arrangement. The romance element along with any vulnerability or true intimacy slowly develops throughout as their secret affair unravels abd becomes more and more complicated.

I think Rue is possibly my favourite FMC that Hazelwood has ever written. She's socially awkward, possibly neurodivergent, intelligent, brutally honest and fiercely loyal. Both characters have a lot of past truma that effects their ability to commit to one another and I found that Rue's difficulties around food and her inability to invest in relationships was really thoughtfully written and handled beautifully. There's a lot to unpack with Rue and I appreciated the depth Hazelwood went into in terms if her past and what motivates her professionally.

On a side note, I personally appreciated that Rue wasn't the petite and small breasted heroine I've come to expect from romance books. Her body is described as soft, curvy with a rounded stomach and hips with little imperfections that Eli counts enthusiastically and worships. I loved how this book is both body and sex positive throughout. This is my favourite romance book of the year so far.

Biotech engineer Dr Rue Siebert and Financial Wiz Eli Killgore are on opposite sides of a hostile takeover fight for the company Rue works for. But just before it begins, they meet each other via a sex-forward dating app and sparks fly.

This is a deviation from Hazelwood’s previous books (and the preface warned me as much), being very much a work of erotic fiction of characters with serious trauma in their pasts that still haunts them every day. Most of the light rom-com elements of her previous novels (will they/wont they and off page sex for the most part) are gone and there’s lots of “they most certainly will and they’re going to describe to you their sexual exploration” in its place. That being said, it’s well written smut (this is far beyond “spice”) with characters that share their traumas as they explore each other. Rue is shy, and I would say neurodivergent too, but knows what she wants in the bedroom. She’s empowered in that way and not willing to accept anything else. Eli has his own traumas to battle and from the get-go isn’t your typical alpha male that often appears in erotic fiction. He goes out of his way right to make her feel safe right from their first encounter.

In short, this feels like a much more mature Ali Hazelwood book than say Check & Mate (which is referenced briefly!). Still well-rounded in both plot and characterisation, but with a hell of a lot of consensual sexual exploration!

I normally LOVE Ali Hazelwood’s book but this one didn’t hit the same spot as it usually does. However, I know that this book was not written for me as Ali Hazelwood states at the beginning of the book that this isn’t her usual style. That it’s more of an erotica rather than a romance. BUT that’s what I love about Hazelwood’s books! The building romantic potential between the two characters and their adoration for one another. Whereas this was definitely missing from this book.

I felt like the characters lacked chemistry and it was too focused on their sexual acts rather than anything else. It was a confused mix between them wanting to pursue a relationship but also having little interest in one another. I think I would have preferred it if it stayed as an agreement that solely focused on lust.

Also, the friendships in the book felt a lot more lack lustre, in comparison to her other books.

I’m sure people will still love this book, but sadly it just not for me.