Title: Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
Publication Date- 08/20/24
Publisher- Berkley Publishing
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Check out my full thoughts on this book and more here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh_0TdEd1i8G4HOCgnl0FvA">booktube reviews :)</a>

Review: Romance has really not been working for me but man did this hit. I loved both of these main characters so much. One of my favorite things is the believer/ skeptic situation and it was so fun and well written. Mallory Marlowe is going down on my list of autobuy authors for when she publishes her next book. The writing was fun, the pacing was perfect, and I just thoroughly enjoyed my time.

The main characters really get to know each other before any real intimacy occurs. They fully build a trust and caring relationship before anything else and for me, that built a more believable and relatable romance.

I also, am one of the few people who aren’t tired of the podcast/ tv show trope. If you are, and you still want to pick this book up, I don’t think there’s so much of it that you will be annoyed, it felt like a good mix.

If you are an X Files fan, I would say you really need to read this.

Humor is also something I really look for in my books, regardless of genre and I loved it in this one. I found myself either smiling or laughing out loud.

All round, I only have positive things to say about Love and Other Conspiracies, I hope you will pick it up and give it a chance.

Many thanks to Berkley for the digital review copy of Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe, which came out on August 20th.

This book has the most adorably eye-catching cover, and a premise I knew I couldn't pass up on. It tells the story of Hallie Barret, a web producer who is trying to pick up the pieces after an emotionally abusive relationship wrecked her life and her confidence. Her boss gives her the chance to pitch a new show for a competition to save her job - and that's when she discovers conspiracy theorist and cryptid expert Hayden Hargrove.

She convinces him to make a web series version of his popular podcast, but there's just one problem - he struggles in front of the camera. And that's how Hallie finds herself sharing the spotlight in a way she never imagined she could. Their fans ship them for a reason, and soon they're navigating uncovering their feelings for each other right alongside the search for Bigfoot.

This book was a big-time 5-star read for me, so let's dig into why!

What I Liked about Love and Other Conspiracies

Where can I even begin? Let's start with the banter between Hallie and Hayden. Their dynamic is adorable and had me laughing out loud. They're comfortable challenging and teasing each other, but there's a real affection building there that I absolutely loved.

The competing web series, cryptid hunting setup felt fresh and interesting, giving the story a compelling plot that didn't just center on the romance but also brilliantly set the stage for it. It was fun watching them make the show and getting to learn some cryptid facts along the way.

Love and Other Conspiracies also builds tension and tests the central love story without that annoying, poor communication-based third-act breakup. More of this in romance, please and thank you.

Last but very much not least, I also really appreciated how Marlowe writes about the realities of recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. This might seem like a heavy topic in a romance, and I think it can be.

However, as someone who was in that space once upon a time, I felt incredibly seen by the tension Hallie feels between the self who was strong enough to get out and the self that put up with and tolerated the behavior for a long time before that moment. The first relationship after that kind of intentional attack on your self-worth can be incredibly scary and painful, and the book doesn't shy away from that. At times it was a lot for me, but in the best way.

What I Didn't Like About Love and Other Conspiracies

Honestly, as a five star read, I don't really have any big complaints. It did feel like the story slowed down a bit through the middle, but that might've just been me anticipating something bad happening because that's how these things work.

Final Thoughts

I'll be thinking about Love and Other Conspiracies for a while. Under the soothing promise of happily ever after / happy for now, this book tackles the aftermath of a manipulative relationship in a way that felt true to me. It also brings in a fresh and fun premise that made it a truly unique reading experience.

I recommend Love and Other Conspiracies to just about anyone, with the caveat that you'll want to tread lightly if emotional abuse can be triggering for you. Most of it is referenced in the past, but since she's still coworkers and rivals with her ex, there are some tense moments on page to be aware of.

This book is going on my stack of favorites for sure. What a strong debut from Mallory Marlowe, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

This book was so fun to read! From start to finish I enjoyed every bit of it. So much so that I purchased a physical copy also!

This one is for all of the Buzzfeed Unsolved (or whatever it's called now) fans. Hallie is a producer at Buzzfee-I mean Skroll who needs to pitch a new web series after her horrible ex boots her off of his. Hayden is the host of a popular conspiracy theory/cryptid podcast. It's a match made in heaven when the true believer and the nonbeliever team up.

This was delightful. These two characters just genuinely liked each other and were supportive of the other's interests. I loved how all of the conspiracy theory/cryptid stuff was done; listening to these two bicker back and forth was so entertaining, but was never mean-spirited towards Hayden for genuinely believing in in all. We love being supportive of your partner's weird interests!

On a more serious note, Hallie's character arc was really well done; the subplot of her rebuilding her self-esteem while still having to work with said awful ex was very empowering to read.

Also, I never thought I knew much about this stuff, but I knew every conspiracy theory and cryptid that was mentioned so apparently I'm an expert. Who knew.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

This gem of a book is filled with humor, heat, and healing.

Bonus points for glasses + tattoos - yum!

I can’t wait to see what Mallory Marlowe writes next!

I loved this one so, so much.

5⭐️

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Love and Other Conspiracies is a really fun rom com read. It is the perfect book for anyone who was a fan of the X-Files and a Mulder/Scully shipper back in the day. If you love quirky and fun contemporary romances, then this is a must read.

This was so cute!

I loved the premise.. a romance featuring cryptids and conspiracies? Sign me up!

I thought Hallie and Hayden complemented each other quite well. Hallie was not a believer, but she was drawn to Hayden and found something about him absolutely enticing. I loved this because I also don’t believe in many conspiracies, but I love to watch all sorts of weird documentaries and listen to those experts go on their passionate tangents.

There was so much chemistry and yet both of them remained as professional as possible working and cohosting a show together. I loved that the attraction was there from the first meeting, but it felt like a friends to lovers vibe as they started to truly connect and lean on each other more and more. There was a very small amount of spice in this one.

I almost rated this 5 stars because I genuinely enjoyed the characters and the plot, but I really wished it delved deeper into the actual show topics they were filming. Aside from a few pieces of dialogue, I never did learn about many of the mysteries they were highlighting.

Overall, I definitely recommend the book and I absolutely enjoyed it.

Thank you to Berkley for the free book!

this book is just SO good. All the nerdy love but with plenty of plot. My favorite thing about this is that it has a straight up evil ex/villain of the FMC but you get more compelling plot and romance development from the main relationship. So yes the ex adds drama and certain catalysts to the plot but never to their core relationship. It is low key a pet peeve of mine when an evil ex gets too much on page time and interferes with the relationship and that did NOT happen here.

I'm a mild believer in the MMC's passions of conspiracies, cryptids, ghosts, etc but similar to the skeptic FMC he made me want to believe. Their banter on their developing show felt like something I would love to watch, have watched and read. Just made me love the two of them so much.

I appreciated the FMC's self confidence journey, getting over an awful ex is not always linear, not always solved by finding a great partner. But the work she put in made the actual romance of this book all the much better. I got some faves tabbed.

It was kind of fun to be a Hayden (believer) reading from the perspective of a Hallie (nonbeliever) and OH MY the intensity of their attraction to each other could light up the sky like a UFO. Or UAP.

Hallie is just coming off of an extremely toxic relationship but still has to work with the guy, so all of the terrible things he said and made her believe about herself are never far from her mind. When she's pushed by her boss to produce her own web show, she gets hooked on Hayden's podcast. They take that concept and update it, only Hallie gets pulled in to be onscreen talent because banter is more fun than talking. As Hallie and Hayden go on investigative adventures, they can't fight their feelings. Or the fact that Hayden treats Hallie the way she deserves, recognizes her talent, and has respect for her needs and boundaries.

It's a silly jump through myths and conspiracy theories, and an amazing story about knowing and believing in your worth. Loved it.

This book was a breath of fresh air I didn't know I needed. Being a bit of a cryptid girl myself, I knew I was going to enjoy it overall. But I loved everything about it. Hallie and Hayden's banter was off the carts. Hayden was the perfect cinnamon roll hero and I loved how he nudged Hallie to recognize how awesome she was rather than aggressively push her. She was the one who realized how awesome she was ultimately even though he came through with encouraging words. He was just adorable (or a-dork-able if you will) and they were a great match.

And this author is really talented and humorous. I enjoyed this so much that I read the excerpt from her next book, which I almost never do. Kudos to her on this wonderful debut and I can't wait for the next one.

✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Workplace
✔️ Road Trip(s)
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Hurt/Comfort

I loved the premise/setting - a web producer who needs a hit show and a true believer conspiracy theorist with a successful podcast team up. It's Scully and Mulder in a modern romcom and I inhaled it.

Any read where you have two talented people who take each other to the next level work-wise? Oh man, does that give my Capricorn self heart palpitations! 🤣 Plus, I loved seeing how Hallie and Hayden balanced each other out, supported each other, and clearly saw the other's strengths. I loved seeing their relationship grow from episode to episode (and yes, all the forced proximity was delicious hahah!)

The toxic ex storyline was rough in a good way. It got my emotions high (man, I hated him!!) and it was awful
to read what he put Hallie through. But, seeing her navigate it and find support and strength within herself?? It made the lows totally worth it.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕

This will easily make one of my top fave books of the year list and I can’t believe it’s a debut! It was so cute & funny, and I became obsessed with it almost right from the start. Hayden is a podcaster who does deep dives into conspiracies & is a cryptid expert (think Big Foot, the yeti, Area 51, etc). Hallie is a web producer (and total nonbeliever). Together they go on adventures to film a web show where they’re trying to catch footage of a haunting or one of these cryptids. This was such a fun and unique concept, making this a refreshing read while I was still overcoming a reading slump. Hayden is an adorable nerd with cryptid tattoos, and Hallie is that friend you can’t help but love and support. Their connection was strong, and banter was great. Even better—NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP! There is emotional depth as well, as Hayden is still grieving the death of his father, and Hallie is healing from a previous toxic/emotionally abusive relationship. I absolutely adored this and am low key peer pressuring everyone I know to read it.

I've also shared my review on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles, but it takes a while for those sites to be clear/post.
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This was SO much fun and SUCH a great debut! I loved the premise, the characters, and the adventure. Their tension was so delicious--I loved the chemistry they had right from the beginning. It's so fun seeing mature relationships with good communication and mutual support. The story had the perfect amount of quirkiness for me and the video scripts and social media comments sprinkled throughout had me laughing out loud. The perfect fall romance read!

#LoveAndOtherConspiracies: ❤️🛸👣⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio @berkleyromance for my free copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner ⁣
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“You’re not hard to work with or hard to love. Loving you has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”⁣
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Do you like conspiracies? Do you need a new book boyfriend? I found one in Hayden Hargrove! My goodness this book was a freaking treat! From conspiracy outings, to toxic (holy toxic) exes, to the “who hurt you?!” trope, I ate this book up. I truly could not get enough of Hallie and Hayden. Also, Nora is the best roommate and I adore her. I loved her and Hallie’s relationship. I think we all need that person to remind us of our worth. ⁣
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The audio is amazing. You do have your mixed media and the theme song for “The Out There” is catchy as heck. Every time it played, I would do a little dance. (My husband said it sounded like The X-Files” Alex Finke with the Boston accent?!?! Done for. Seriously one of the best audio productions I’ve heard in a while.⁣
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Obsessed is an understatement. This the perfect segway into spooky season. Out Tuesday, the 20th!

This was the cutest read ever! I absolutely loved Hallie and Hayden the way they both loved their passions and how it brought them together. Their show Web Show The Out There, where they are hunting for the unknown like Bigfoot, the Mothman, aliens and more would totally be something I would watch. And let’s talk about their Chemistry Hayden being the believer and Hallie being the skeptic is electric and energetic. I just had so much fun reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

This book was a wonderful surprise for me.

What do you get when you push together the podcast world's leading cryptid and conspiracy expert and a producer who believes in none of it? A magical love story that is equal parts endearing, emotional, and absolutely bonkers.

I never thought I would find monster-hunting endearing, but here I am eating my words. Hayden is absolutely adorable. He's smart, funny, caring, wholesome, and absolutely the nerdiest nerd on the planet. Hallie is a bunch of skepticism, fear, and anxiety bundled together in a tiny woman-shaped package. These two balance each other out when they work together to create a new web series, bringing Hayden's popular podcast to live.

What starts as two people bantering about ghosts, Bigfoot, Area 51, and Mothman, ends up in one of the more emotional and rewarding books I've had the pleasure of reading. This book hooked me from start to finish, and honestly, by the end of it, I was the one who would be wearing my "I Want to Believe" shirt at Area 51. This book is unputdownable and I absolutely want more from these two. This book was fantastic, absolutely wonderful, no notes.

This is a romcom for all of us that believe that Bigfoot, Aliens, and ghosts are real AND for those in our lives that are skeptics.

This book is sweet, funny, has a web show in production, and goes on location at a few haunted places such as the Winchester House.

It deals with serious components such as loneliness and workplace bullying.

It has a few spicy scenes and I combo listened/read this book in a day!!

This is so freaking cute. Like giggling and kicking my feet cute. Hayden is such a dream boat, perfect book boyfriend. Hallie is so relatable; we all have that horrible ex-boyfriend that just thrives off ruining people's lives right? Right??
It's text book rom-com, definitely the perfect pallet cleanser.

Love and Other Conspiracies was a super sweet and cute read! It was pretty predictable but I really enjoyed the characters banter and their easy romance. I did expect the paranormal hunting to play a bigger role in the plot, but still a fun book. I definitely look forward to more from this author.

"Love and Other Conspiracies" by Mallory Marlowe follows Hallie, a spirited web series producer with one week to save her job by pitching a show idea. She discovers the conspiracy theories podcast "The Out There" hosted by the hot monster hunter Hayden Hargrove. Hallie sees potential, but cryptid expert Hayden is used to working behind the scenes; however, this changes when they become cohosts.

As they team up to investigate conspiracies, ranging from government secrets to Bigfoot sightings, their contrasting personalities clash and complement each other. Along the way, a romance blossoms, but complications arise as they both start to believe in love again.

I am disappointed with this book after having had such high hopes for some conspiracy and getting more on Bigfoot. I started to have a hard time around the 40% mark. At 70% it was like sifting through quicksand. Soooooo slowwwww!!!

The premise of conspiracy theories with Scully and Mulder vibes interested me until it took a turn for therapizing between the main characters - their connection felt forced.

I enjoyed some of the banter and puns. Furthermore, I liked Hayden for his maturity and care.

Tropes:
One-Bed
Forced Proximity
Witty Banter
X-files
Conspiracies
Big Foot

Grateful to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Berkley…you’re making me blush! ☺️ THANK YOUUUU 💕