4 ⭐️ I liked this! It is probably my least favorite of the Ali Hazelwood books I have read, but it was still enjoyable with an attention-grabbing plot and wonderful, quirky characters. I think it lacked a bit of Ali's usual deep longing and angst, which may be why it was a bit less hooking for me. Still worth a read, and I'm very intrigued by the potential of a side character spinoff romance!!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t mine to love. I dive into all Ali Hazelwood novels with a certain suspended belief & a tolerance for slight aggravation, but this one was tough.

There was a lot here that could’ve been really good, but instead felt very meh to me. I think that a lot of it can just be my own personal non-relatability to either of these characters, but hey, I still felt it. Rue is a STEM ice queen, & in just knowing that I feel I should love her! Should be saying, “slay girlboss queen,” at every sentence. But instead I was just a little underwhelmed? Her story was very sad, but she felt very 2D as a character. & Eli had moments of getting me, but then again I also just think it was cause I imagined him like Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days? The actual background plot I found pretty interesting, though! I liked the side characters a lot & the aspect of company dealings & what not. Their relationship was just a bit overly gratuitous for my personal tastes.

2.5 stars for me, but rounding up cause I feel it deserves some generosity. Thanks so much to NetGalley & Berkley for this e-arc!!

I’m a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood and this book did not disappoint. I liked Rue and Eli’s relationship, their banter, and the overall plot. I thought the character development was great!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.25 stars
I'm always going to enjoy an Ali Hazelwood book and the STEM rep, as a woman in STEM myself. For the most part, the plot was interesting, but I just didn't love how things played out for Rue. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy of this title.

Another STEM romance hit from Hazelwood. A bit different than her others but not too much. Very satisfying.

This was my first Ali Hazelwood book, and I think it fell a bit flat for me, unfortunately. I just couldn't connect with the story or characters.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

As a big fan of Ali Hazelwood’s work, I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Not in Love. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit short for me. While Hazelwood’s wit and engaging writing style were still present, I struggled to connect with the characters. Their instant connection felt forced rather than organic, making it hard to fully invest in their relationship. Surprisingly, I also found the spice level to be a bit overwhelming—something I don’t usually mind. While I’ll always look forward to Hazelwood’s books, this one just wasn’t my favorite.

Not in Love is my 3rd ever Ali Hazelwood (yes, I am late to the hype) Her writing is hypnotic and exciting and had me effortlessly immersed and dedicated to these two.
I adore the characters. The conflict was so believable and real and raw. I couldn't put it down. Five star read.

Unfortunately, this Ali Hazelwood book was a miss for me. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters in this book and everyone felt superficial to me. The plot dragged for most of the book and then suddenly sped up at the end just to come to the finale.

His company is planning to purchase her company. What could go wrong?

It's Ali so we have a dumb smartie heroine and strong female friendships! We're talking about tough family dynamics and food insecurity in these United States of America and I am HERE for it. This title featured a bit more dram and less com than a typical Hazelwood and if this couple is a Star Wars ship, I cannot figure out which one. Ultimately, Ali Hazelwood is, obviously, the queen of my heart and if she writes it, I'll read it.

3⭐️

the spice.. is SPICING!!! ali’s disclaimer turned out to be 1000% true — this is pure erotica! if you’re into smut, this is for you. aside from that, this book was a lot different than her other novels. the themes were a little more complex, focusing on food and job insecurity. it wasn’t silly or funny like her other books. this was enjoyable, i was intrigued by the plot. it didn’t change my brain chemistry which is why i rated it 3⭐️but id still recommend if you’re into smut.

This was much spicier than her other books but I still enjoyed it! It was similar to other books that I had recently read so wasn't my favorite but made for an easy beach read.

Ali Hazelwood… need I say more?

This author needs no introduction as she has easily become a household name . There is not a single book I have read by the author that could rate under a 5 and Not In Love breaks the scale .

I’m obsessed!

This book is exceeds all expectations and will leave you with a massive book hangover!

A forbidden secret affair?!?!? Umm, yes please ! The steam was ever present and I devoured it all (ugh, do I sound like a creepy horny granny?)

Rue and Eli are everything.

You do not want to miss this one

Check out this teaser

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

Big thank you to Ali Hazelwood, Berkley and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review early!

I think this is my favorite Ali Hazelwood book so far. The tension in this book was great and I enjoyed how the more physical aspects of their relationship worked in service of the actual romantic development. A very enjoyable read!

Ali Hazelwood what was this?
I wanted more plot, and less smut in this. I love smut but this was just ... excessive. I felt like there was no plot to keep me invested. I would have loved to see more hockey / figure skating, more about Rue's food technology, or even more about the backstabbing that went on at the end. Overall, a miss for me, but they could never make me hate you Ali Hazelwood - I trust you will redeem yourself with Deep End.

Another solid 4-star read from Hazelwood.

I may be in the minority here, but "Not in Love" has to be my favorite published work from the author yet. It was a decided change of pace, a little more intense (emotionally), but all the while being just as cozy and fun as all her other works have been. For me, the characters were a little less "quirky" and jokish, and made feeling the story between Rue and Eli more intimate. And seriously, I LOVED the honest and blunt communication between the two even when everyone (and the plot) were against them. That right there, the communication alone, was what cemented it as a favorite for me.

To explain a bit better- on paper, this might be a book where less (plot wise) happens, but we just get two people navigating a stick situation. It becomes Rue and Eli versus their circumstances, not versus each other. Compared to other Hazelwood plots, I guess this one fell rather flat- but the change of pace worked excellently for me. I feel like I just got to relish in the characters development with each other, rather than biting my nails in worry as to how the break-up/miscommunication is going to pan out.

It's also good to note that I primarily listened to this in one go via audiobook on a *very* long roadtrip. It made for a very enjoyable 10 hours. Also huge shoutout to Callie Dalton for being the best narrator ever, and Jason Clarke with a perfect performance of Eli and Rue.

Hazelwood is an author where I will blindly read anything she publishes, but I just want to give an extra big shoutout to this work. I'll happily be the outlier in my opinions, because I really do just love this book. Might be a favorite read of 2024.

This is my first Ali Hazelwood book. She has been on my TBR list for a while now, and I've been excited to dive into one of her books, especially since Kayleigh is always raving about previous books. I have mixed feelings about Not in Love. I liked it at times, and at other times, I found myself drifting into LaLa land. This is a STEM romance, and all the characters in this book are brilliant. Seeing so many smart and strong women excel in science and engineering was great. My problem is that I am not a math, science, and engineering kind of person, and yes, I know, this is a STEM romance, and therefore, there is fossil ( aka work) talk in those fields. I don't mind STEM talk to a certain degree and have enjoyed other STEM romances, but this one has A LOT of STEM fossil talk in it, which meant that my mind tuned out what I was reading. I just wasn't interested in any of the work aspects of this book; therefore, I ended up skimming those parts of the book. But as I always say, not every book is meant for every reader, and this one probably isn't meant for me. If you are a bookworm who likes a romance with a heavier work/science focus, then you will probably enjoy this book.

I wasn't super fond of Rue's character. Not because there was anything wrong with her pre-say; I just didn't connect with her. Rue is that prickly, smart, not gonna show my feelings kind of heroine. Her passion is her work and everything and everyone else she keeps at arm's length. She has some childhood trauma that is probably the reason why she is so distant from everyone. Eli is the more outgoing of the two. I didn't mind him as the book's hero, but nothing really stood out for me to make him or her memorable. They just felt a little flat for me. Maybe it's because they have this more reserved way of keeping those emotions in check in their personalities.

The romance in this book is pretty good. It's very spicy, and if you are a fan of forbidden work romances, you will enjoy Eli and Rue's budding romance. I was a little confused about what was going on when they first met. It took me a hot minute to realize that they had been talking online and were meeting in person for the first time to hook up. Things didn't go as planned, and no hook-up was to be had. The next day, Rue finds out Eli is part of the company planning to take over the company for which she works, which means that Rue now views Eli as the enemy. The chemistry between these two was ok. Once again, because they both keep their emotions in check so much, it felt more rigid and lacking those big emotions I really enjoy in a romance. Now, Ali is known for her spice, which she delivers in this book. Things heat up between Eli and Rue, and they spend a lot of time learning each other's kinks in the bedroom and other places.

Not in Love is a decent STEM romance that Ali Hazelwood fans will surely enjoy.

LOVED this one! Definitely the absolute spiciest book of Hazelwood's that I've read, & I loved it all the same. I really appreciated Ali's disclaimer in the beginning of the book. She was clear on how this book is different and what this book is about. It's way more erotic romance in nature, so their physical connection came first. But don't worry, that emotional and mental connection do show up eventually ;)
The story was a bit darker and different than anything else she's put out there and I really enjoyed that. I'm getting a little tired of the same romance stories over and over, so it was refreshing to have something new in the genre.
I always love the academic/scientific background of Hazelwood's books and this one was no different. The main conflict was interesting and kept me reading to find out what would happen. It was almost a forbidden romance with their roles in the workplace which is so fun to me. The side characters were fleshed out and enjoyable, but Rue and Eli were the real stars.
Their chemistry was insane. The spice scenes were even MORE insane. They were quirky, smart, and extremely interesting. I loved all the darker mental health issues that were brought to light throughout. It made everything that much deeper.
Would recommend this to anyone looking for a little spice accompanied by a story with substance!

This might just be my new favorite Ali book yet! This book is so beautifully written and I am fully obsessed! I can't wait to read more from her!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood!