Massive thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK for this advance reader copy!

I want to start off this review with saying that I have loved Ali Hazelwood’s books for a while now, ranging from love hypothesis/check and mate/bride. I would like to keep this review completely spoiler free. This book just wasn’t a big hit for me compared to her other reads. It took me a while to get through this book as I felt the writing was a bit off compared to her other books! I was super excited to read it too so I am slightly disappointed.

I actually struggled to bond with both main characters. As the book went on, I started to understand them more but in all honesty, I didn’t love either of the characters. There was some lovely elements to the book and I actually did like the tropes and storyline in it so I think 3 stars is fair. I think this is likely going to be a hit with other readers, it just wasn’t the best match for me!

I only ever read Bride from Ali Hazelwool and enjoyed it, so I did have some hopes for Not in Love I just didn't expect to love it this much!

I do like the female empowerment STEM aspect of it and Rue is unbelievably real, and she stays that way for the whole book. She does not change for anyone or anything, especially not for a man, even though Eli is the most golden retriever boyfriend ever.

I love the character development, even if it takes a while, however as much as I loved Rue's independence and completely understand why she is how she is, I did get a bit annoyed at some points in the book but I loved that there rarely was any miscommunication, Rue and Eli were so honest it was actually scary. I do like how the relationship started, and then seeing how it evolved, it's refreshing to read a different type of relationship to all the other romances I have read.

The friends, the family drama, the dog (Tiny hehe), the intimate scenes (spoiler there are many many), there is everything and more in this book.

I want to thank netgalley and Ali Hazelwood for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This is 100% Ali Hazelwood’s best contemporary romance yet! I have liked some Hazelwood’s book and I have not liked some, but I am a full blow Stan now! After Bride I didn’t think she could top that but I think she has! Easy 5 stars! Highly recommend

Rue and Eli are enemies. She is a passionate scientist, who loves her work and her boss, he is a business man who is trying to buy their company. They didn't know this, though, when they met in a bar from a dating app. Tensions in the office the next day are high as they try to ignore their growing chemistry.

I did enjoy this book. The characters are interesting, and 3 dimensional. Ali always does so well to write interesting STEM narratives that can be understood by non-STEM brains!

I think I'd have liked the writing to delve deeper into the mental health elements in each character, especially as there is an author's note at the beginning to suggest it will be a significant aspect of the story. I also felt that there were too many scenes of intimacy.

But, overall, it was a fun read and I would recommend.

5/5 ⭐️

“Your damn mouth,” he murmured, “is the most obscenely lovely thing I’ve ever had the burden of seeing.”

Okay what!! I went into this expecting something mediocre and I was pleasantly surprised. This is the first romance in a long time where the characters felt flushed out and unique!

Rue:
I loved how she stayed true to her character through the whole novel. She wasn’t just another awkward bumbling female mc, she felt realistic and consistent which I really appreciated. And as usual I loved having a STEM girly at the centre of the story (even if I don’t understand science at all)

Eli:
Omg he was the cutest ever! He was the perfect golden retriever book boyfriend and the way he was obsessed with Rue from the beginning gave me something i’ve been wanting since I discovered Aaron Warner.

Overall everything was so well paced, there were no unbelievable dramatic plot lines and it all flowed seamlessly. It’s been a while since I can say I enjoyed a romance book whilst also finding 0 flaws in it!

If you want swoony romance with a dash of forbiddeness and angst, this one’s for you!

(Thankyou to netgalley and little brown for an ARC)

3⭑

Tropes;
- guy falls first
- rivals to lovers w/benefits?
- reverse grumpy x sunshine
- first/third pov narrative
- dual pov

I have to say Not In Love might be my least favourite Ali Hazelwood book so far. I didn’t quite love it but I didn’t dislike it either.

I just didn’t quite connect with this story or characters as much as I did with Ali’s other books.

One thing I will always praise Ali on is her female friendships in her books. I loved reading about the fmc and her best friend, to the point I wish we got more scenes of them together. Unfortunately the romance in this book had less chemistry than the female friendship.

I will say though, that I like that we finally have a dual pov book from Ali! I’ll always like seeing the man’s perspective in a romance, especially when he is pining hard for them fmc.

However the mix in first pov and third pov narrative was a bit odd and I’m not sure what the reason for this was.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Different in tone from the other STEMinist novels in the Ali Hazlewood universe - definitely a good recommendation for readers looking for something on the steamier side of the Ali Hazlewood canon.

I took the plunge into the world of Ali Hazelwood's books with "Not in Love," and sadly it left me feeling a tad underwhelmed. I was excited to delve into a story with some serious potential for deep connections between the characters. From what I understand this has a much more serious tone than Hazelwood other books, but I found it fell flat for me.

The plot had promise, but it felt like we barely scratched the surface of what could have been. Instead of getting lost in the intricacies of the plot, we were bombarded with steamy scenes left, right, and centre. Spice in novels isn't a bad thing but when it feels like that's all there is, well, let's just say it leaves a bit to be desired. Not every character needs to be a perfectly polished gem, shining bright with depth and complexity. But when you're trying to sell me on a romance, I need a little more than just physical attraction to keep me invested. Unfortunately, that's all I got from our main characters here. It was like they were just going through the motions, ticking off all the boxes for a steamy romance without ever really connecting on a deeper level.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "Not in Love" was a total bust. It had its moments, for sure. But when those moments are few and far between, overshadowed by scenes that leave me feeling more awkward than anything else, well, let's just say it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Another fun read from Ali Hazelwood. Unfortunately all of her books are pretty similar which makes it a little boring sometimes. I am still in love with her writing style. 4 stars

This book was a good romance, however i dont think its the authors best. It still made me smile and giggle though!

This book wasn’t for me.

It was an okay read but nothing gripped me to the point where I was excited to continue reading the story.

If you’re a fan of Ali Hazelwood then I would give it a go but personally I find her books hit or miss.

Ali Hazelwood never fails to deliver! Much darker than her normal novels, we still had all the things she love about her. A couple so drawn to each other they can't stay away, an excellent cast of characters that make you want to have a whole series now, and secrets that threaten to destroy everything.
An absolutely fantastic and fun read, thrilling and exciting!

3.5 stars rounded to 4. I very much liked this one. It's not Ali Hazelwood's best, I have to admit, but Rue's emotional unavailability caught me off guard. I related a little too hard and there were scenes that made feel a bit teary-eyed. However, it was too insta-lovey for my taste, and also a little too smutty. I have enjoyed most of Ali's books before this one, but this takes the cake for the number of open door sex scenes that felt more like filler rather than addition to the plot.

Would I still recommend tho? Yes.

While i did enjoy this book and found the flawed, but also very human characters were written quite well (maybe Rue a little more than Eli, who could at times be a little too creepy in his thought process for my liking), I have to admit that I prefer the style of her previous romance novels to this new one.
I simply did not feel the romantic connection between the characters was as genuine as in her other works and that the lust between the two played a bigger role than the romantic attraction.
Still it was a well written story, with mostly relatable and interesting characters, as well as a fast pace to keep you engaged.
All in all despite it's small flaws it managed to be very entertaining and I look forward to the new books Ali Hazelwood will write in the future.

I’m fairly new to Ali Hazelwood, my first book of hers being Bride, which I really enjoyed. However, I immediately knew she would be an author to keep an eye one and was extremely excited to get the opportunity to read and early copy of Not in Love. Back into the realm of STEM romance we go.

I flew through this book, and really liked the characters and their unique dynamics. This is definitely her most steamy book yet (honestly had me shocked just how much!) Both characters are interesting, and have issues with expressing emotions. However, for spoiler reasons that I will not be sharing they end up with a significant conflicting interest. This does not erase their attraction and natural pull towards one another, leading to a lot of tension and a secret affair leading to an enemies-with-benefits arrangement.

Of course they have to combat their growing feelings, torn between loyalty and their changing relationship and it creates a very interesting dynamic to read about. Loved Eli our mmc, who adores Rue the fmc just the way she is and has top tier golden retriever energy.

First of all can I just say love the cover! Loved the concept of this book and did throughly enjoy just felt like it could have given more. Overall a decent read and would read more from Ali as it was an easy read and enjoyable

DNF at 15%, just really don't enjoy it or the writing.

I really enjoyed Bride which is why I chose to read this one but yikes.... I have never not finished a book before, even if I don't enjoy it I generally finish it anyway but I just can't finish this one...

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I am almost exclusively an SFF reader - but being in STEM myself I have always loved Ali's books and this was no different. I loved Rue as a character so much. It is, as other reviewers have noted, spicier than Ali's previous works. I will say that I had guessed the origin of the main conflict a long time before it was actually revealed but I still really enjoyed it.

This book starts with a warning, a warning for us readers to acknoledge the fact that this book is different from Ali’s previous work, and some content warnings. Is this a woman in STEM romance? Yes, yes it is. But, it’s SO much more. This was so vastly different from the first three books (love hypothesis, love on the brain & love theoretically), in a good way. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of those, but this was just MORE.

Rue, our FMC is a woman working at developing microbial coating for produce (food), with a tragic past that has definitely left it’s marks on her, and I say without a doubt that she’s also on the spectrum. And this is portrayed so realistically, and raw. It’s not trying to make fun of her antics, just letting it be a part of her. Simply beautiful.

Eli, our MMC, also has his issues he has to deal with from past trauma and neglect, and he’s just so incredibly understanding and honest to god, a wonderful man. Another thing miss Hazelwood is known for, is having a REALLY tall mmc and a short, petite fmc, and this fact is brought on a number of occasions throughout the books. I’ve never found that to be irritating, just funny. In ”Not in love” though, we get a TALL QUEEN. Rue is a tall, former figureskater with a body that resembles old movie stars, so think soft and curvy. Yaaaas queen 👑 Oh and speaking of figureskating, Eli is a former hockeyplayer, soooo Ali is absolutely dipping her toes in the hockey romance world 😏🏒

I actually shed a tear at the final sentence, firstly because it was just so beautifully worded, and also a wonderful end scene. But mostly because the book was over 😢

”Maybe people can be happy and sad”

Just when I think Ali Hazelwood can’t get any spicier she goes ahead and writes a new book that makes her last one positively chaste! Phew, this book had it all. Love and lust and spice, spice, spice. I really like Rue. She was tough but unafraid to be vulnerable with Eli. They’ve both been through so much trauma and seeing them work through that together was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. This book is definitely a bit deeper than Ali’s usual stories (it even comes with a heads up from Ali that this book might be triggering for some readers), but I feel like she wrote it delicately and not simply for the shock factor. Its not my favourite Ali Hazelwood book (that honour still goes to the Love Hypothesis) but its a great read and I recommend it. Thanks Netgalley and publisher!