I’m going to go ahead and make a prediction that this is the best debut romance of 2025. Genius. Within sentences, I felt like I “got” Erin Connor’s voice, her sense of humor, and who her characters were. This is a book for lovers of all things romance; grand gestures, ‘80s and ‘90s romcoms, flirty banter, a one night stand, just friends…you name it and this story has successfully encapsulated it all. And that’s really not an easy thing to do!

Sawyer Greene writes romance books, writes being the operative word because she hasn’t written one in quite awhile due to her failure to believe in romance since a hurtful break-up. Heartthrob Mason Alvarez West stars in the Chicago-based show Diagnostics, and is an unflinching romantic at heart who falls hard for every woman he dates. Enter the stuck-in-an-elevator meet cute—the exact thing Sawyer would laugh about happening to her characters, but would roll her eyes at in reality. There’s something intriguing enough about Mason that when he hits on her, she takes him up on it, thinking, “why not”? And this begins the humorous tropey journey that is Unromance.

As fate, aka romance rules, aka great writing would require, Sawyer and Mason DON’T just have a one night stand, but attempt to make a pact and solve each other’s problems via “exposure therapy” (she’ll ruin romance for him and he’ll help get her novel off the ground). To do so, they’ll make a list of all the rom-commy things that happen in movies, but not in real life and explore them together with only two rules in place: 1) No falling in love or catching feelings, and 2) No sex. If I could make a face right here in this review I would, because we all know EXACTLY how that will go. But this is the glorious thing about romance: it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And Mason and Sawyer’s journey is so fun, so sexy, so emotional, and so real (or very meta because they’re characters trying not to be romcom characters). Erin Connor expertly navigates each and every trope with deftness, pushing the boundaries of my expectations and making me believe that these two “idiots” could become lovers. I. ATE. IT. UP! To which I will add that if this were a movie (Erin you know you want to give up those movie rights 😉) I would watch it again and again and again. Just do yourself a favor and go read this right now. You’ll be so glad you did. I received an early copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! It was highly anticipated for me because one of the tropes, celebrity x normie romance, is a fave. First things first, you won’t find many MMCs better than Mason Alvarez West. He’s such a sweetheart and a romantic, I couldn’t get enough. The chemistry between he and Sawyer was electric. I loved that this started with a bang (literally) and then backtracked to friends. The tension was always there, but their rules to keep things platonic helped them connect on a deeper level. I think their comfort and vulnerability with one another was made possible by having already crossed that physical line.

There is a lot of growth on the part of both individuals by the end of the book. Sawyer realizes she doesn’t need to keep her heart locked away in order to be a successful writer, in fact, it enriches her writing when she opens herself up to love. And Mason comes to accept his tender heart as a gift rather than a curse. They both had to find the right person to give their heart to, the person that would accept them “flaws” and all.

The one thing that kept this from being a 5 was the miscommunication/third act break-up. I just did not agree with Sawyer’s assertion that Mason had done something wrong.

This was such a fun book! I loved all the romance tropes in this. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves reading romance.

Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 7
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book! Mason and Sawyer were a swoon and stubborn couple. I always enjoy books about authors too. This one made me smile and gave me the warm fuzzies.

Sawyer Greene knows romance -- because she's a bestselling romance author, well she was, until she got dumped by her college girlfriend, and has had a bad case of writer's block ever since. But when she gets stuck in an elevator, with a handsome stranger and they run into each other after a one-night stand, she realizes there's an opportunity to get her writing mojo back and help him stop wearing his heart on his sleeve.


This debut novel is beyond HOT. It's so good, I loved every single page. The chemistry between Sawyer and Mason is off the charts. I'm still thinking about that tights scene and I read this book back in September! If you haven't read this book, you are missing out.

I can't wait to read Erin's next book!

Here are my top observations and notes about UNROMANCE:
-romance tropes galore
-romance author who doesn't believe in love + hopeless romantic actor
-rom-com tributes
-decently spicy
-dual POV
-Christmas setting
-lovable characters galore
-I had a really fun time with this one! Perfect to read on a snowy day with my holiday decorations still up. I loved all the goofy rom-com tropes, the mutual pining, and the journey our characters took to their HEA.

Erin has a beautiful (writing) voice. I could hear it through her characters and what an incredible job in developing Mason as our MMC...there's a vulnerability to him that was so endearing. Sawyer was hit or miss for me at times (probably because it hit close to home - totally on me). I enjoyed this a lot, looking forward to more from Erin.

The formula in Unromance is pretty standard but the journey is unique. What was supposed to be a one night stand leads the MCs to make a pact to unblock writers block and prove romance is dead.

All of the characters, even the secondary characters, are fun to read. I usually don’t go for the miscommunication trope but I felt it worked here and created the right amount of conflict.

I know this book was a hit for so many, but unfortunately it just wasn't 'it' for me. My rating is 3.5 stars.

I really did want to like this one given the super fun premise- a romance writer who doesn't actually believe in romance helping an actor who easily falls in love overcome his head-over-heelness. Where it lost me was 1) the forced rationale of them acting out all the romance cliches that we know and love so lover boy would be adverse to them (hunh) and 2) this all occurred after a one night stand so they've basically made a pact to be in each others' lives for months as complete strangers (double hunh)? Oh and 3) that the hopeless romantic still fell head over heels pretty much right away despite the romantic exposure therapy. You mean to tell me that doing cutesy swoon-worthy things with a person you are attracted to doesn't in fact ruin romance?! Shocker.

I also didn't really feel the chemistry between Sawyer (romance author with a stone heart) and Mason (physical embodiment of the heart eye emoji) after the elevator meet cute (which I will say was pretty cute actually). I wasn't invested in them and therefore I had no stake as to whether they ended up together or not. I also didn't love being in Sawyer's head- she jumped to conclusions way too much and as a literal writer of romance novels seemed to have very little insight into romance period. Mason was pretty much green flags all around except he tries to convince readers that Sawyer wearing a turtleneck is the sexiest piece of clothing he has ever seen and if anyone has ever seen a turtleneck they would describe as sexy, please let me know.

This was such a fun read! I loved Sawyer and Mason's characters! Their chemistry and banter was off the charts! Both are coming off of hard break ups and ends having a one night stand hoping to never see each other again but what do you know they do! The journey through this book was top notch. I def will be picking up a copy for my shelf!

Thank you to NetGalley and forever publishing for the gifted ebook!

Chemistry and heartfelt fun in Unromance!

If you loved How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days---Unromance is your next must-read! With minimal drama yet plenty of heartstring-tugging moments, this story delivers all the feels.

The platonic agreement between Sawyer and Mason only heightens the simmering chemistry that leaps off the pages, making their connection irresistible. The side characters add depth without stealing focus, ensuring my attention stayed glued to their journey.

A laugh out loud and steamy romance read in THIS locale?! Sign ya girl up

Sawyer is a successful romance writer who doesn’t believe in romance after a brutal breakup. So no one is more surprised than she is when has a one night stand with a very handsome stranger who walks into her usual bar. But when she keeps running into him and they realize they share totally opposite views about love, she feels an idea taking form - he will help get her writing back on track while she attempts to ruin every trope for him…
This was SO fun - what a gift you gave us with your debut, @erinconnorbooks!! I couldn’t put it down and it was just so fun. These characters were excellent, easy to invest in and root for and I was only sad when it ended.

The biggest thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for this arc! And shoutout @thecozybookgal whose review made me push this up my TBR list - so glad I did! This one just came out on last Tuesday - a must read!

Really loved this one. It had all the tropes. I am normally not a fan of celebrity romances but this was the best one I’ve read. I loved all the characters and the *BIG ROMANTIC GESTURE*

Unromance by Erin Connor was such a fun read, and I know it will delight all lovers of the romance genre. It takes all of the tropes and turns them on their heads, as Sawyer Greene and Mason West vow not to fall in love. You know what they say about the best made plans, however...

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sawyer Greene is a bestselling romance author and has even had one of her books turned into a major motion picture. However, she's run into a bit of a writer's block after her girlfriend left her heartbroken. When she gets stuck in an elevator with a charming man, they decide to have a one night stand... except they keep running into each other. Mason West is a famous actor, but when Sawyer doesn't recognize him, he enjoys the anonymity for the night. He comes clean about his job when they run into each other again...and about how the tabloids are all over him for continuing to fall for his costars and subsequently get dumped. They both decide to help each other out. Mason and Sawyer will do all the cheesy rom-com-my activities to help cure Sawyer's writer's block and help ruin cutesy "love" for Mason.

I loved this book. Mason and Sawyer trying to ruin all the tropes in typical romance books was hilarious and adorable. They joked and bantered throughout the book and became friends first, which I loved. Mason was probably my favorite character -- he treated Sawyer so well and I love a guy who is not afraid of his emotions. I always love a good side character, too, and both Mason and Sawyer's best friends were great! Supportive and hilarious -- my favorite combo! This book is actually set over the holidays, but it was subtle, so definitely don't hesitate to pick it up after the holidays are over. In fact, I think it would be an excellent winter romance read!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Forever Pub for the gifted copy of UNROMANCE.

I ADORED this story and loved the unique and entertaining premise — a hopeless romantic and a relationship cynic make a pact to help each other escape their respective extremes.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of what I loved about it:
- Set a book in Chicago, and it automatically gets an extra half-star from me. I love books set in the Windy City, especially when the city life itself becomes part of the story—and the author does a fantastic job of incorporating that unique mix of midwestern and urban charm that is Chicago
- The FMC has my exact sense of humor, so I smiled, chuckled, and stayed thoroughly entertained throughout the book.
- I don’t always love dual POVs — sometimes the male portions just don’t feel authentic — but it’s executed so brilliantly here. Seeing where they’re each coming from adds depth to their interactions.
- The writing and scene setting is fantastic. I lost myself completely in the story, in a way I usually associate with Abby Jimenez books. The NYE party and diner scenes come in mind in particular — the author so perfectly captures the enchantment of that magical night that I find myself feeling nostalgic for it. I wish I could live in those chapters!
- I enjoyed the clever, fourth-wall-breaking asides at the start of each chapter. These 1-2 sentence commentaries on how each chapter fits into the “traditional” romance formula were funny and insightful.

The only thing I didn’t love about this book was the pact itself. It didn’t entirely make sense to me how it came about or how it would be helpful to them. But since the rest of the story was so delightful, I chose to roll with it.

AHH, this book was so swoon worthy. Take tv's favorite doctor boyfriend, make him the irl perfect boyfriend, but he can't keep a relationship. Enter jaded romance writer who's sworn off love: What could possibly transpire? The clichés, the roms, the coms, all the feelings. This book was un-put-downable. I absolutely adored it. A great fuzzy feel-good read!

This was just so much FUN. Erin Connor, was able to manipulate all the tried and true romance tropes while also reminding the reader why they love them so much.

This was genuinely very funny and swoony!! I had such a fun time reading this and loved both characters so much by the end. Can't recommend this one enough.

(I didn't include a rating on goodreads)

DNF'd at 20 percent. I just wasn't down for the premise and the character chemistry seemed off (which is hard when given the premise).

A love story to romance books! I absolutely loved this story so much!
This book starts with a fun meet cute and just spirals into the cutest love story. It is the perfect rom-com for all rom-com lovers, it is filled with sweet moments, funny moments, witty banter. I loved watching our main characters, Sawyer and Mason go from strangers to friends to lovers throughout this story. The best slow burn and as we got to know the characters as they were starting to fall in love with one another.

One thing I really loved was each chapter started with a romance trope and that trope being a focus of that chapter. It was so uniquely woven into the story.