“𝙃𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”

Siri , play So High School. 📚🎶

I feel like Not In Love is the embodiment of this song. The instant infatuation and physical chemistry in this book is electric, while still taking the reader on a journey to the deepest depths of the characters’ core.

Full thoughts in the video here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8K7DYpvkT3/?igsh=MWkwMG04aDR0NDlwMw==

I recorded this while 9 months pregnant so please forgive the heavy breathing and scattered thoughts, but all you need to know is that I couldn’t put this book down — it was such a fun change of pace.

What to expect:
- dual pov
- forbidden romance
- enemies with benefits
- trauma/healing
- angst
- STEM setting

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘈𝘭𝘪 𝘏𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘭𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Review:
Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood is another one of her wonderful standalone romance novels. We meet Rue Siebert, our heroine, who is happy in her job, as a successful biotech engineer at Kline; well-known in the field of food science. Rue has two best friends, her childhood friend, Trish (they work closely together); and her loyal boss, Florence. Rue had a rough childhood, and is determined to keep her heart closed, not comfortable in any kind of relationship, only allowing some one-night stands. She is content in her life, until she learns that a hostile takeover threatens her calm and confident world.
Eli Kilgore, our hero, is part of the Harkness group doing the hostile takeover. Eli and his business partners plan to takeover Kline, for various past reasons. To his shock, he sees Rue, whom he met the night before, during a wild sexy evening. Despite Rue ignoring him, Eli finds himself drawn to her, as he can’t stop thinking about the night before. Eli goes out of his way to visit or interview Rue, as their feelings for each other escalates, with the chemistry between them becomes sizzling.
They do begin a secret no-strings attached affair, with Rue making sure that Florence doesn’t find out. Rue will learn from Eli, what happened 10 years ago with Florence, and why they are determined to fix what she did to them. She has every intention to team up with her boss Florence, only to learn more about the past truths, and the lies of her boss.
Eli was perfect for Rue, helping her through her emotional past, revealing little pieces of herself which she hid away for years. Rue could not resist her feelings for Eli, who was hot, charming and very sexy. They made a great couple, very steamy together. I will say that this book had so much sex, it was very different then previous Hazelwood stories. I did like Trish, Rue’s best friend, who was totally loyal to her and a terrific bff. Rue will learn that though she thought she was close to Florence, she will discover secrets that could cause Rue to lose her job.
As we get closer to the end, with the hostile takeover, it will be Eli, who will do everything he can to protect Rue; as he knows he has fallen in love with her. Rue is entangled in a secret affair, that though she too has fallen for Eli, it does challenge the foundations of her past. Can she find a way to act on her feelings and desires?

Not in Love is wonderful love story, very steamy, as well as emotional. I really like the end and epilogue, which was great. Though, I do say there were too many sex scenes. Not in Love was very well written by Ali Hazelwood.

I found this to be a completely un put down-able read. I love that we get a quirky, aloof, socially, awkward, woman in stem as our main female lead. Rue Is really interesting and pretty believable as a messy main character. Eli was cute but But unforgettable. His sweetness was shocking, and I loved how this book explored themes of food and security, childhood trauma, and intimacy issues. There was a lot of steamy scenes in this book. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting and I think it could put off a few readers. That being said, I grew to love it and thought it was so much fun. Normally, we have an emotional relationship building that Come in a physical interaction, traditional romances. And this book we can see that they have an insanely compatible physical connection. They are struggling to know each other emotionally and it’s actually really beautiful to see the struggle in this and I love how messy and real it feels. I did feel like there were some unnecessary characters/side stories that weren’t really fleshed out. And for that reason, I think some of the side stories could’ve been cut, therefore making the book shorter. If you liked closed door romances, then I don’t think this is for you. I had a lot of fun with it and don’t necessarily read steamy romances, but I really enjoyed this one.

I love Ali’s stories and her nerdy characters, so far I think I’ve read all, and this is the steamiest. This one is fun and easy to read like all the other’s but I’m not sure it was my favorite, but overall enjoyed it.

4.75 stars

I’ve been trying to write this review for days and for some reason I just cannot find the right words. I haven’t been Ali Hazelwoods biggest fan in the past (not personally, her books just never hit for me), but this book changed that completely. This was Ali’s most realistic book yet and I loved it so so so much!!

Everything about this book was raw and realistic. Rue and Eli’s emotional damage, the pacing, and the way Florence’s plot line was concluded. A lot of people were complaining about how the plot with Florence ended, but personally I liked it, I liked that it wasn’t perfect and unrealistically satisfying. It was exactly how things would have ended in real life. Don’t get me wrong, I love a super happy HEA, but I really appreciate raw and realistic HEAs as well.

One of my favorite parts of Eli and Rue’s relationship was the tradition of sharing things that they were ashamed of. Everyone wants to be loved so unconditionally that they can share even their darkest secrets—be seen fully, and still be loved.

This was Ali’s deepest book yet. I would definitely recommend checking TWs before starting. Rue’s past really hit me and I just loved her so much. I normally don’t resonate with Ali’s FMCs, but Rue was so different than any FMC Ali has ever written in the past. There was a lot more maturity; emotionally, personality wise, etc. Rue was such a beautifully broken character. There’s nothing is better than when an author writes “perfectly imperfect” characters.

The reason I rated it .75 instead of a full five stars was Eli’s POV. I really enjoyed seeing a male POV in one of Ali’s books, but unfortunately Eli’s POV felt slightly repetitive for me. I understand that sex plays a large role in their relationship due to their traumas, but I still wished his POVs had a bit more depth and a little less repetition surrounding his sexual desires.

Aside from his POV, I really enjoyed the spice. Although, to say this book is just smutt is such an understatement. Sometimes trauma is so deep and emotions are so hard to come to terms with that all that’s left is silent proclamations. And them thinking they could be satisfied with only a sexual relationship and realizing that they desperately wanted more???? Beautiful. Rue and Eli deserve the entire world.

On a side note, I really hope Ali continues this as a series. I really loved the side characters. Minami and Tisha were my favorites. That’s another thing that made this book for me—I love well rounded side characters! I absolutely recommend this book! <33

4.5/5 stars

I have read every single book that Ali Hazelwood has written. Not in Love was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of Summer 2024. Ali herself has said that this book is a bit different than her others. She called it erotic romance. And I think that is an accurate description. This is definitely not a romantic comedy like many of her others. However it is still a STEM romance. It's just very spicy.

I love reading about women in STEM. The heroine Rue (in her late 20s) is an engineer in the food science industry. She is such a unique female character. She is socially a bit awkward, yet prefers one night stands to relationships. She suffered some trauma in her childhood, which affects a lot of her behavior. But overall she is just such an interesting heroine.

This book features dual POVs. Eli (the male narrator) and his business partners want Kline (the company that Rue works for). This part of the story was complex and fascinating. And I really enjoyed it. Eli was definitely not one dimensional (I liked seeing him with his family and friends). However I would have liked him to be less obsessed with Rue and sex.

I was very intrigued by the forbidden aspect of the romance. And I was extremely curious how the mysterious elements of the story would unfold. This book has a lot of steamy scenes. Much of it works well with the story (since the couple met on a dating app). But I do feel like the middle of the book went too far (too many sexy scenes one after another). Also, I am not a fan of sexy scenes in the epilogue.

Overall this was a really interesting different type of Ali Hazelwood book. I love that the book deals with serious issues. And I love seeing women in STEM. I definitely did not mind that this wasn't a romcom and have loved seeing the author try different genres (including paranormal romance and YA). I just don't know that the book needed quite so much spice.

OKAYYYY - Ali says this one of hers gears more toward erotica and while I’m not sure I 100% agree I DO think its insanely hot (much more than her previous) and it definitely tied with my love for Love Hypothesis (or just a scooch behind.. I love Olive and Adam so much)

Rue, a brilliant but emotionally guarded biotech engineer, is all about keeping things casual in the love department. Enter Eli, a charming businessman with a secret mission to, well, not exactly steal her heart, but maybe her entire company? Sparks fly when their paths collide on a dating app, leading to a secret romance that's as forbidden as it is fiery. But beneath the sizzling chemistry lies a ton of emotional baggage – Rue's got trust issues, and Eli's got his own mysterious past to grapple with. As their professional lives inevitably intertwine, they're forced to confront their true feelings. Will love conquer all, or will their divided loyalties tear them apart?

Rue was so vulnerable and incredibly strong and Eli supported her through it all. The found family throughout made me jump with joy as well. It was simply perfection in a pinky cute (hot) book. LOVED THE AUDIO TOO. its rare that I can loooove a smutty book on audio but something about these narrators… i hope they weren’t in the room together bc DAMN that was hot

I'm a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood and will read and recommend any book she writes but I have to admit that I just didn't connect with this one. I love a spicy book but this was just too sex-focused; the characters did not have any chemistry or emotional connection so by the end of the book when they were "in love" it just came across as fake. My library has definitely bought this title and I'm sure other fans of Ali's books may like this more than I did, but it was my least favorite book of hers. Fans of Tessa Bailey will probably love this book because it felt more like her style than Ali's. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Ali Hazelwood's STEM-Romance novels. The characters are intelligent, relatable, and human, The formula of the books is predictable but comforting (and isn't that why most of us read these books?). Rue is food scientist who works for a company run by her mentor. Eli wants to own the company. As per Hazelwood's formula, Eli and Rue navigate a world of complications to build trust and strong connection. Plus some steamy sex scenes. Highly recommend.

Thanks Netgalley and Berkely for allowing me the opportunity to read this pre-published galley.

Sadly, this was bust for me. Rue was just a pretty boring character. She wasn’t quirky, she just didn’t have much of a personality. Eli was whooped from the get-go. Their shared stories felt like a forced connection that would support the insta-love. And what a coinkydink, they also have a shared history with skating.

The story just didn’t jive for me which was such a bummer because I loved her previous book, Bride. I’m hoping her next one will knock it out of the park for me.

I have decided if Ali writes it I’ll follow. This might be my favorite by her yet (and I looooooooved bride). Honestly from the first chapter I knew this was for me. And I loved the spice. It felt like a different type of book from her and I am here for it. I love the stem, and that be was obsesssssed with her. 4.5 stars !!!

THIS BOOK WAS SOOOO AMAZING!!!
Our queen Ali is at her finest with this one! And I have to say I'm totally in love in Not in Love.

Dr. Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough, including a few friends she can always count on. She works as a biotech engineer in the field of food science. And let me tell you, Rue is one heck of a character! She's smart, sassy, and totally relatable. I mean, who wouldn't want to be besties with her, right?

Enter Eli and his business partners, who want Kline, Rue’s company, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. But here's the kicker—Eli can't seem to get Rue out of his head, no matter how hard he tries. Their chemistry?

Torn between loyalty and undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out of the window for a no-strings attached steamy relationship. And let me tell you, folks, it's 🔥🔥🔥!

Ali Hazelwood truly knows how to write interesting, fun, and lovable characters. Rue was such an incredibly unique character that I immediately found myself attached, relating, and empathizing with. Meanwhile, Eli was the definition of golden retriever energy and I was living for it. Their love story was vulnerable, emotional, and raw.

But it's not just about the romance! Hazelwood tackles some serious stuff in this book, like unresolved trauma and intellectual property theft issues. It's like a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat!

I found myself not only attached to the main characters but the world that Ali built around them. The plot was truly unique, engaging, and original alongside the romance. I love reading a book that leaves me feeling giddy and filled with joy, and this book did just that.

So, if you're looking for a book that'll make your heart race, your cheeks flush, and your soul sing, look no further than "Not in Love" by Ali Hazelwood! Trust me, you won't be able to put it down! 5 stars? More like 500 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yup, yup, yup. Ok Ali Hazelwood I see you. Not in Love is Hazelwood’s newest STEM romance, and if you are thinking, “why would I read this if I’ve read her other three already,” well let me answer your question.
1. DUAL POV!!! FINALLY!!!! (with a slight disclaimer, see first paragraph) (thank you Ali for listening to us)
2. This book felt a lot more …mature than her previous books
3. There isn’t a BIG miscommunication trope (finally!)

So yeah, the disclaimer about my first reason to read this book is that, although it is dual pov, Ms. Hazelwood decided to put the MMC’s pov in third person and put the FMC’s pov in first person??? I don’t know if that was some sort of stylistic choice she made or if she thought it would suit the plot better or something. Genuinely when we swapped povs for the first time, I was so taken aback. I don’t like how she did this because it made the story feel very disorganized and disjointed. Also, just why??? Someone please give me the answer to this because I still don’t understand.

Moving on to my second point. In her content warnings, Ali literally spells it out: “I know genre definitions can be a bit blurry, but I consider Not in Love to be an erotic romance, so… lots of sex scenes, explicit and graphic. More than usual.” So…. yeah. See here’s the thing. I don’t mind sex scenes, they’re fine. But this book had wayyyy too many. At one point, they were hooking up in every chapter, so much so that the PLOT (one of the most important parts of a book!!!) fell to the wayside. Maybe she went overboard with the sex scenes to makeup for the lack thereof in her previous books.

Don’t get me wrong though, this book is still quintessential Ali Hazelwood. There are still a lot of repeating tropes, so if you are a fan of her previous books, don’t worry, you will still get your Ali Hazelwood romance.

I know that a lot of the things I’ve said so far makes it seem like I disliked the book, but I just want to make it very clear that I didn’t dislike the book. I mean I gave it a 3 star, which is pretty good for a romance. See, when I read books like this, I turn off the logical side of my brain because I read these for entertainment purposes only. And after turning off all logic and critical thinking, I enjoyed this book! It wasn’t terribly written and I found myself thoroughly entertained by the diverse cast of characters. Basically, the book was solid. Not revolutionary in any way, but not awful either.

I wouldn't say this was a love story per se. It reminded me a lot of Icebreaker with an overabundance of sex schemes with a mediocre plot.

Okay, this was amazing. I am nearly speechless with how hot this was. Eli and Rue, the tension. UGH. Loved the cold girl representation. Loved the we might be horrible people but we can be horrible together vibes (they are not horrible, just normal people).

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First, I love Ali Hazelwood and have enjoyed reading her past work. I didn't love Not in Love. I thought the beginning of the book was tough to get through. I never really felt a connection with Rue and Eli, especially because their intimate scenes were happening WAY too often to even delve into their connection to each other. I just found it cringe more than deepening their emotional connection. The ending was better. I think the plot twist was done well, even though it is predictable.

Overall, not super memorable, however, Ali Hazelwood is still a queen in my eyes and I am excited to see her future work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5

Not in Love is certainly Ali’s spiciest romance to date!

Enemies to lovers will always be a favorite trope of mine. When the two characters get together despite what their conscience might be telling them... UGH! The tension is just SO GOOD!

There came a point in this story though that I started to feel like the spice was a bit much. It became super repetitive in my eyes. I honestly never thought I’d say I wanted less spice, but I feel like many scenes were added to just make the story seem more provocative, which wasn’t a plus in my book. I wanted the two characters to get a little deeper into their past relationships to show why perhaps they were the way they were, but maybe this is just me.

I really love how the majority of Ali’s novels revolve around characters within the scientific community. I love how she brings to light the different types of injustices that women experience in the STEM space, and Not in Love is no different. I don’t want to give too much away, but the drama in this story had me STRESSING!

Overall, this was definitely a fun and spicy read! Eli was a total SIMP for Rue and I couldn’t get enough. We love a man with golden retriever energy who falls HARD for his girl!

Thank you to Berkley Romance (@berkleyromance @berkleypub) for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ali Hazelwood never misses, and this is no exception. This book is different from her others. A bit more serious, a lot more sexy. The characters are so special, their tension palpable, but with Hazelwood's humor at the forefront. I will never not adore an Ali Hazelwood book.

Gosh golly I was not expecting this one. 5⭐️ easy.
Ali Hazelwood definitely stepped outside of her comfort zone writing Not In Love, and it paid off. The start of the book was slow but I was completely hooked about 40% of the way in and couldn’t put it down. The unspoken autism rep through Rue’s character was unexpected and sooo appreciated, I felt so seen with Rue and how she navigated life. The way Eli was so disgustingly obsessed with her from the moment they met was my favorite part of all, and I normally hate insta love, but Rue’s pushback made it exciting.
The little mystery of Harkness vs Kline was well thought out and executed.
Rue and Eli are quickly becoming one of my favorite couples and I’m secretly yearning for both of them.

Guys, this book was everything. That’s it. That’s the review. Not really, but also, it could be.
.
Not In Love follows Rue and Elizabeth as they try and navigate the world of tech and science and life and love. Rue is so incredibly guarded. She has a few friends, her apartment, her plants, her science. Eli, on the other hand, is big and loud and demanding of what he wants. I love him for his very forward and dominant personality. These two are such polar opposites while also being exactly the same.

Rue and Eli meet through a dating app, intending on having just one night, but life has other plans. While never intending to be the villain in the story, Rue is forced to face that Eli and his investment firm are trying to buy out the tech startup where Rue works. All the while, drama from Rue’s past is rearing its head in the ugliest of ways. In her almost one night stand turned hostile takeover turned secret situationship, Rue is forced to face that her life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and who you should trust isn’t always clear cut,

As expected the chemistry between the leads is burning off the page. Eli is tall, broody, DEMANDING, and Rue is so sure of what she needs. Watching them figure out relationships together was just the most beautiful and sexy time. The back drop of a tech startup and the world of finance, while something I know exactly nothing about, was so interesting. Watching the two completely different worlds collide was so fascinating to watch.

In typical Ali fashion, this book was such a celebration of smart humans being so so stupid. Ali herself has said that this book is incredibly different from her others, and I couldn’t agree more. This book was super steamy and super sexy-driven. I LOVED THAT. These two didn’t fall in love in a traditional sense. This book wasn’t a typical Ali read. I adored these characters and their story and watching it unfold. Another 5⭐️ STEMinist read. Also, Tiny the dog deserves all of the pets and scritches. He can do no wrong.