Not in Love

I will continue to be an Ali Hazelwood fan and will auto-buy all of her books!

Not in Love, is a wonderful addition to the Hazelverse and it's uniqueness is what allows it to stay with you even when life inevitably pulls you away. Still mostly steeped in the science/STEM world with the primary focus being from the female perspective, this story focused on the people behind the science and their lives beyond the lab with a more focused lens.

Rue and Eli are intellectuals with difficult and painful pasts that make dating and relationships...well hard. Built upon a crazy cosmic connection leading to seemingly unending horniness and frequently eyebrow raising (but in a very good way) sexual encounters, these two grow as people and also handle some pretty appalling, professional, ultimate betrayal-level bullsh*t. Despite the spotlight being more on sex and the people of science having lives outside of their work, and not so much on the people in science dealing with science society issues while also having personal/intimacy baggage, the novel creates wonderful moments of love, friendship and self acceptance beyond the science/academia environment. The science is always present but it takes the role of passenger rather being in the driver's seat. I had moments where I laughed, where I felt a strong loving found family bond and moments where I felt so seen especially when each of the main characters squared off with some deep seeded family trauma and is able to recognizes the lasting impact that injury left but find a way to move forward.

Hazelwood may have stepped a toe beyond her usual formula (in a different way than just genre like with Bride) but in my opinion she still found success. I wanted to keep reading, so I look forward to potential spinoff books giving the amazing groundwork laid for the UT/Harkness/Former Kline gang.

An exceptional summer read and an even better addition to my collection!

How did she do it again?? How did she leave me wanting more??? This was Ali Hazelwood's SPICIEST and darkest novel, and I was 100% here for it.

Rue loves her job as a chemical engineer working on a project that was inspired by the challenges she faced in childhood. However, the company she works for is about to be bought out, leaving hundreds of jobs in jeopardy. The culprit? A company called Harkness, and one of the founders just so happens to be Rue's extremely hot almost-one-night-stand, Eli. Their attraction for each other grows despite the fact that one of Rue's closest friends could lose her company. What could happen next?

THE PLOT Ali has a little author's note at the beginning of the book that tells readers there are some darker themes introduced in Not in Love. Both the main characters struggled with traumatic childhoods, but the beautiful thing is that they're able to help each other grow through it by giving each other a safe space.

Honestly, I was kept guessing till the very end. This was one of those plots that had my brain running in circles wondering how the issues presented would get resolved. In my opinion, this was Hazelwood's strongest plot. In her past books (which I loved), the miscommunication tropes didn't quite work for me. Here, I could connect dots to see why each character feels a certain way. Maybe the dual perspectives helps.

THE CHARACTERS I think Hazelwood did a great job portraying Rue who truly doesn't believe she can ever be in love after the circumstances in her past. She's let them define her, but Eli swoops in with his own share of challenges, and together they get to come out better.

Rue is one of Hazelwood's signature sassy STEMinists that we've come to know and love. She's not afraid to speak her mind and will do anything she can to help those she loves. There's a bit more depth to Rue than some of the other STEMinists, and one of those aspects is that she enjoys being a body because she doesn't want to think of commitment. She wants commitment, but she doesn't think she can ever attain it.

Eli is so patient. He's also a little bossy (but in a hot kind of way that makes me blush). I think he's a great contrast to Rue because he's more outgoing and likes to hang out with a big group of friends. He's the golden retriever to Rue's black cat, and it's such a fun dynamic.

The side characters are all great. I do wish you get to see a little bit more of Hark because I think he's got something he's hiding. I'm very suspicious. Tisha and her sister were great, and I was glad they were part of Rue's "found family". Let us not forget Tiny, whose name does not reflect his furry self (it's a dog).

FINAL THOUGHTS I think this is my second favorite Hazelwood novel. The Love Hypothesis is the OG, so that's hard to beat, but I felt like this novel had more character development than previous ones. I also think the miscommunication trope worked the best here. Maybe I just also like Eli's style wink.

If you're considering picking this one up, just do it. I don't think you'll regret it!

When you read 5 books or more a week, you tend to find the same characters over and over, but Ali Hazelwood has created a unique duo in a corporate setting, but she takes it beyond the typical office romance. This is more than a romance, too. Hazelwood takes you into the mindsets of people who are damaged, but just trying to be better. The characters are smart, the prose is smart, the plot has some light mystery, and expects the reader to be smart enough to follow the science and financial shenanigans. However, it is fun to read, too. Hazelwood is good at writing quirky and cute scenes, and though the book deals with sad subjects and seems heavier than other books by her, there is plenty of dog drool and best friend banter to make it fun to read.

Oh...and sweaty times, too. Ali is burning up the pages in this one. She doesn't write a sex scene like a how-to manual. The reader is drawn in to the feelings of it; the desperation to connect is visceral. If you relate to a nerdy girl not looking for love, I highly recommend connecting with Not in Love.