🖤 hopeless romantic actor mmc
📖 cynical romance author fmc
🖤 forced proximity
📖 ons
🖤 he’s down bad
📖 love letter to romcoms
🖤 queer rep
📖 banter

This is such a delightful debut from Erin Connor! What a stellar way to kick off what this new fan hopes will be a long, novel-filled career!

The story is funny, witty, and heartfelt, the characters feel like real people with electric chemistry, and the prose flows like rain. Erin clearly loves romance and romcoms because she’s crafted the perfect love letter to the genre and manages to make many of the well-trod tropes feel fresh.

We love an FMC who’s lost her faith in love and a hopeless romantic MMC who changes that. You need this book on your 2025 tbr!

She's a romance author who doesn't believe in love after a terrible breakup and is facing a writer's block for her fourth book and he's a famous actor and an incurable romantic who has a reputation as a playboy who wants nothing more than to learn to stop falling in love so easily, yet what started off as a one night stand turns into something more as they keep running into each other and when they agree to help each other... they just might be perfect for each other. Sawyer Greene is a romance author, she's a best selling author but ever since her big breakup with her ex, she's now dealing with a broken heart and writer's block because she just can't think of anything to write about. Mason West is a famous actor who is an incurable romantic but has had a bad reputation from the press as being a playboy, and after his recent breakup he's determined to stop falling for people so easily and find a way to just find "the one". When Sawyer and Mason meet on an elevator and have a one night stand the last thing they expect is to keep running into each other. They come up with a plan: Mason will help Sawyer come up with romance scenarios for her book and let her see through his rose tinted glasses while Sawyer will help Mason temper down his tendencies to fall in love easily and prove to him that love isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Yet the more time they spend together, the more their feelings for each other are beginning to grow... but can they really separate their pact from their feelings and can Sawyer finally get over her fear of opening her heart after what happened with her ex and open herself up to Mason? This was just a sweet and charming read. The romance was cute and Mason was an adorable love interest for Sawyer. I had a fun time reading it and it was definitely a quick and easy book to read. It's cute, it's funny, and the romance is really adorable. I would absolutely recommend it!

Release Date: January 14,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Unromance is the ultimate quirky, emotional, witty love letter to romance novels. Sawyer is a jaded best-selling romance author who doesn't believe in love after her ex-girlfriend shattered her heart, leaving her with writer's block. Mason West is a TV heart-throb whose heart is also a hopeless romantic. He's tired of falling in love and, after an amazing one-night stand, enlists Sawyer to ruin romance for him, one trope at a time. These characters were so authentic and full of raw emotion. This was one of the first times I read a book in which everything felt natural. It didn't feel like the author was trying to force any unnatural scenarios or responses and reactions on the characters to drag the story along. This book should definitely be on any romance readers TBR. My favorite part of the book was the trope descriptions at the beginning of every chapter they had me cracking up. It's hard to believe it's Erin Connor's debut novel, but I'm so excited to see what else she brings to the table.

I am so grateful to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to ARC Review this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a fabulous debut and I definitely recommend it!

Unromance is laugh out loud funny and both characters are witty and interesting. The story also has depth; I enjoyed Sawyer and Mason’s journeys separately and with each other. They felt very real to me and I could relate to both of them. This book reminded me of When Harry Met Sally, it just had that vibe for me. I can't wait to read more of Erin's work!

3.5 Stars Out of 5!

Rounded to 3

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really solid debut and I’m interested to read more from Erin Connor.

The romance and chemistry were cute, it was cringy but not in the way where it really makes me roll my eyes, and it was nice to see characters that were self-aware. Sawyer wasn’t the most relatable character, but I don’t see that as a fault. I personally enjoyed seeing a flawed FMC who had real troubles with intimacy and trust instead of caving in the first time they have sex. She was also very sex positive and knew what she wanted!

I love grand gestures and ending stories there, but do wish I had gotten to see more of them as a couple. Also, it happened after a third act breakup that was pretty unnecessary.

Overall, still an enjoyable read and wish Erin well on her debut book!

I really enjoyed this story! I loved a hopeless romantic MMC and the jaded FMC. I also liked the different romance tropes used throughout the story.

3.5 ⭐️ This was a super cute debut romance novel. I can tell the author has deep rooted feelings for the romcom film and book genre, the ultimate love letter to various romance tropes. This is about Sawyer, a romance writer, unable to write anything since her last big heartbreak a few years earlier. She is closed off to the idea of getting close to others and romance. She has the ultimate meet-cute, getting stuck in an elevator with dreamy Mason West, a hopeless romantic who just wants to find his happily ever after. They proceed to help one another overcome their blocks - him falling for every girl under the sun and Sawyer overcoming her writers block. They plan to ruin romance for one another - this is where it lost me, I didn’t understand the entire premise of what these two were trying to do. It was super cute to read but I genuinely didn’t understand how we are to believe someone would think of this plan and think this was a good idea. Also, it has a bit of miscommunication and a 3rd act breakup (gross). But Mason is the ultimate cinnamon roll, he falls first ray of sunshine to Sawyers very grumpy and childish attitude. Mild spice, open door but pretty tame. Great secondary characters, loved Lily and Luis the best friends. Even though the premise didn’t really hit the mark for me, it was very well done, I loved the chapter headers/one liners, I loved the funny, sexually charged banter and I loved how it knew it was super trope heavy on purpose. I would definitely read more from Erin Connor in the future.

TLDR:
* Fake Dating-ish
* Grumpy x Sunshine
* He falls first
* Homage to romance tropes
* Bi - representation
* Funny banter - loads of sexual tension

This was my 4th book of 2025
Format: Kindle e-galley

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin Connor and Forever Publishing for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

What an amazing debut!! Unromance had me hooked from the get-go, and it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. The banter between Sawyer and Mason is a blast and their inner monologues and jokes had me cracking up between bouts of crying throughout their story.

Unromance is the perfect rom-com for this time of year. I binge-read it on New Year’s Day; little did I know now how befitting that would be to the plot. I had the time of my life laughing and crying through Sawyer and Mason’s story and have not stopped thinking about them since.

The chemistry between our two main characters is evident and electric from the start. Though they’re total opposites when it comes to their feelings about love and romantic relationships, Sawyer and Mason are just two people who have previously given their fragile little hearts to the wrong people and have been badly burned by it </3. While reading their story it’s apparent that they are two humans who genuinely enjoy each other’s company and they just get each other from the start. Sawyer and Mason are perfectly made for each other, truly soulmates if you ask me. I loved every second of following them through their respective journeys of healing their broken hearts, learning how to communicate their needs to each other, and supporting each other through the ups and downs of their dynamic careers.

Unromance YANKED at my heartstrings in ways I did not anticipate. I was sobbing left and right at its tenderness and how raw and real Sawyer and Mason’s characters are. Then three seconds later I’d be laughing out loud at some hilarious innuendo that would soothe my aching heart. It’s a masterclass in perfectly balancing an exciting range of emotional experiences, that makes for a FANTASTIC read.

Truly a MUST READ for rom-com lovers, hopeless romantics, and reluctant romantics, alike. Mason writes a letter to Sawyer near the end of the book that had tears streaming down my face and I love, love, LOVE when our FMC is the one to pull off the grand gesture.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a trophy copy this week on pub day to highlight and tab close to 50% of the book. Thank you Net Galley and Forever for the ARC!

I ADORED this book! It felt like I was in a early 2000's romcom and I ate up every word of it. I loved the grumpy sunshine aspect of their relationship, seeing that push and pull between them at every turn.
This was one book where I think I liked the MMC more than the FMC- Mason was perfect in every way, even his flaws! And I liked that he owned his issues instead of pushing them aside,
Don't count Sawyer out though- girl shows some major growth and I loved watching her shine! She had me cheering for her word count right alongside Mason.
We also get so many great tropes, and I loved the outline of them with the call outs to them at the start of each chapter- the foreshadowing made me that much more excited for each step in their journey!
Definitely add this to your list if you haven't already!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Forever Pub and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much I as I thought I would, it did have some cute moments sprinkled throughout I loved, but not enough to offset the rest.

It was supposedly Christmas-y, though other than picking out/decorating a tree it wasn't full of Christmas cheer at all.

I didn't really connect with the characters, but the story was interesting enough that I wanted to finish the book.

It was cute, but not overly memorable for me.

What happens when a hopeless romantic actor and a jaded romance author experience the most adorable stuck-in-an-elevator meet cute and proceed to have a one-night stand? Naturally, they make a list to dismantle every other popular romance trope, and in the process, they fall madly in love. It’s a rom-com about rom-coms!

Ohhh, this was everything my romance-loving-heart needed and more! If it’s not currently on your TBR, it definitely should be. With a sassy, independent FMC who thinks she doesn’t need a guy (or girl!) to take care of her and a totally hopeless romantic guy who wants to do just that… Swoon 😍 Sawyer and Mason had undeniable chemistry, and their banter was witty, cute, and so fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is an absolute rom-com lover's must-read! But if you still need convincing, read this amazing book if you enjoy:
♥️ Reverse grumpy x sunshine
♥️ Cinnamon roll MC
♥️ One night stand
♥️ “Just get it out of our systems”
♥️ He falls first
♥️ Opposites attract

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

4 Stars Such a fun concept for a romance! An actor and an author working through different romance tropes and clichés to help him not love love as much and inspire her to get past her writer's block.

Sawyer Greene is a bestselling romance author, but ever since her girlfriend broke up with her, she's struggled to write anything resembling romance. What could've been a meet-cute with a handsome stranger in an elevator instead turns into a one night stand. Actor Mason West just had another relationship end and the hopeless romantic can't help but see the possibilities in his every interaction with Sawyer. So the two hatch a plan: they'll complete various romantic clichés and tropes to cure his romanticism and her writer's block. No matter what, they can't sleep together again and they absolutely can't fall in love. Simple, right?

Such a fun read! I adored Mason's hopeless romanticism and understood Sawyer's cynicism. The tropes and clichés were perfect for the two of them and created the perfect setting for them to fall in love, aka the opposite of what they set out to do lol If you are looking for a fun new romance, I definitely recommend Unromance!

Thank you Forever and Erin Connor for the ARC!

Oh. This book.

I truly loved it.

Sawyer and Mason have a meet cute they reject in favor of cynicism and a one-night stand. Fate has other ideas, and they run into each other again, and then a deal is met.

She'll ruin romance for him so he stops falling for the wrong people, and he'll inspire her to write her next romance novel. Nothing could go wrong, right?

Erin Connor weaves a meta look at tropes in romance and life within some heartwarming and frustrating characters.

The reader sees Mason and Sawyer through missteps and growth. Can they figure out what they want/need/should do?

Through the journey, their banter is hilarious, their revelations emotional, and the spice is spicing.

Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

"𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩-𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚-𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙚.

This book was something else, man. 🥹

The cover was the first thing that sold me (Amelia and Andrew Garfield vibes) and I KNEW I had to read it. When I read the blurb, I was even more sold and when I saw it up on Netgalley, you bet your ass I ran to request it. This was one of my most anticipated for the year and it didn't disappoint AT ALL.

"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙎𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧."

You would think that a book featuring nearly all the tropes would be corny, and it was, but in the best way. Their (Un)romance list was something that was so cute and obviously would lead to the inevitable. We all knew where it was heading and I will still surprised along the way.

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙛 "𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧" 𝙖𝙣𝙙 "𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧," 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙚.

Every trope that was in this book was perfect for the story and only made me fall more and more in love with Sawyer and Mason. Sawyer, the romance author who was so against romance and love because of her own past, and Mason, the hopeless romantic actor who couldn't keep his partners were the perfect couple for this story!

"𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣."

I'm honestly ready to re-read this book already. The amount of highlighted quotes I have is laughable and I will be thinking about that parking lot scene for a loooooooong time (iykyk) 🥵

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧.

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC of this book and making my year!! 🫶🏼

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦💦
💗Something I Loved: When it comes to any kind of relationship I live by the belief that “if we aren’t giggling, what are we even doing?” And in a world that’s often fairly depressing, the joy of finding someone who truly gets your sense of humor is unmatched. In UnRomance, that’s exactly who Mason and Saywer are for each other. Yes, there is undeniable chemistry and steamy tension, but overall what I ended up loving most about them was how laughter was the foundation of their relationship. They instantly seemed to just get each other and have so much fun together and I found myself smiling and/or laughing out loud through a good portion of this book right along with the main characters. I have to applaud Erin and her own sense of humor for this because it’s not something I’ve found in many other romances (I truly may never get over that “Teeth” reference).
🫤Something I Would Have Changed:
No notes.
No notes?
No notes!
(If you don’t get this, well… I guess you can keep reading but afterwards please be better and go watch #NewGirl).
🥰Favorite Moment: Honestly I adored everything about this book but either NYE or the grand gesture have to be my favorite. You’ll see for yourself when you read it… which you will if you know what’s good for you. 🤣
🌶️Spiciest Scene: The Christmas/parking lot/tights scene (ch. 15) was definitely the spiciest (cue me frothing at the mouth 🥵) but an honorable mention goes to the New Years scene (ch. 29) for being sweet and steamy and reminding us all (mainly Sawyer) that the reward for patience can be extremely… orgasmic😏. I actually love how Erin wrote the intimate scenes between Sawyer and Mason and have to say that this style (graphic without being overly explicit) is actually one of my favorite kinds of spice.
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone (I think but also I’d definitely read a book about any or all of the side characters).
📖Would I Recommend: OMG yes!!! I can’t recall many books that have made me laugh so hard (and so much). It actually felt like Erin was inside my brain at times with how much her sense of humor matched mine (👋🏻hello multiple Titanic jokes) and I couldn’t get enough of the chapter headings and rom-com references. I also loved and appreciated how easy the queerness felt… it just existed without explanation in the same way heterosexuality does in books and was a part of Sawyer without being the cause of excessive drama. Bravo! This book would be an amazing work of art regardless but I’m even more astonished that it’s Erin’s debut novel. It was wonderfully executed, perfectly bingeable, and just an overall amazing romance.
💬Tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine, He Falls First, One Night Stand to Strangers to Friends to Lovers to Idiots to Lovers 🥰
✍🏼Blurb: An idiots-to-lovers rom-com in which a heartbroken, hopeless romantic actor enlists a jaded romance novelist to ruin romance for him—one romcom trope at a time—only to find themselves on the verge of an unlikely HEA.

Thank you to Erin Connor, @netgalley, and @readforeverpub for this ARC!

I read this before the holidays and I'm still not over it!! It was the perfect winter read. ❤️Unromance raised the bar for, well, Romance books and idk 2025, you better step up your game!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to discover my new obsession early. 🥰

I already posted my review on bookstagram, but here's the longer version-

Meet your new Romance obsession! And every romance reader's new personality, we will live this book this winter and I am 👏 all 👏 for 👏it.

You know that feeling when you read a book that speaks to you on such a personal fundamental level it feels it was written just for you?? This is the feeling I got while reading this.

And as far as I'm concerned, that is what makes a good writing. When you connect with it and the main character and can't stop reading, wanting to see where it leads to next.

Perfect winter read, it has such a charming uplifting energy! Winter in Chicago, elevator meet cutes (or are they?) Christmas markets, a romance writer who only believes in romance well...on paper, as a "fantasy" and an incurable romantic actor always looking for signs and love and romance and the next grand gesture. 🤭🤭🤭

They make a pact to cure each other. Her, of the writing block, him, of always jumping heart first into any relationship. Nothing goes as planned. We can see where this is going but the road there is so fun and delicious! I'm kicking my feet just thinking about it.

This is a love note to romantics. To romance lovers. To the Grinches of romance *clears throat*. To the hopeful romantics. To the romcom movie lovers an romcom movies dislikers. It has classic romcom references, meet-cutes going differently and the most charming "idiots to lovers" trope.

*Now that I think about it would make a good movie (only if they don't ruin it so pls don't opt for it unless you know you will make it justice pls and thank you. Also, the author should have a say. IYKYK).

It is fun, sexy, spicy, daring and emotional. I will need a personalized copy because my brain decided this was written for me (jk) so international market work your magic pls. 🥹

Read if you like: Lynn Painter, Jessica Joice, Clare Gilmore

what a fun time! this felt like a love letter to rom-coms and all things bookish, and i loved it. the rom-com references were fun to read about and the chapter headings with different romance cliches were a nice touch. I really enjoyed sawyer’s personality. she was the perfect amount of quirky and unique, and i found that she and mason blended well together. (i also want to point out that sawyer is bisexual, and i think her representation was done well!) learning about sawyer’s struggles with writers block was one of my favorite parts of the book, i almost preferred her inner conflict with writing more than the actual conflict AHAHA mason, the man that you are! he’s such a cinnamon roll MMC and i loved every second with him! he’s such a hopeless romantic, and i enjoyed seeing that in a male main character.

note: sawyer and mason’s relationship starts off with a one-night stand so there is decent amount of spice in this novel, if that’s your thing. (if it is, prepare for the tights scene 🤭)

unfortunately for me, I found that the overall plot felt kind of forced in order to have a reason for the story to continue. the concept of sawyer ruining romance for mason sounds solid but when they go on their activities from the list, sawyer isn’t actually ruining any of them, their just doing them together. while i enjoyed reading about the characters interacting, I couldn’t help but wonder what the point was if they weren’t actually doing what they set out to do? this lack of driving force made me feel a bit uninterested (but i did find it picked up more around 70%) i also felt like the ending conflict was blown way out of proportion just for the sake of a third act conflict. regardless, I did enjoy the resolution and thought the ending was super cute.

this was a solid debut novel, and I’m interested to see what else this author comes out with! i would recommend this if you’re looking for something cute and cheesy (bonus points if you’re a rom-com lover). also, I think this would be a fun holiday read because most of this takes place around christmas - new years time.

thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC!

Unromance was a charming read that embodied all the classic romcom tropes – truly just a great debut from this author.

It’s dual POVs of the main characters: Sawyer, a romance writer who doesn’t believe in love and Mason, an actor who’s a hopeless romantic.

The premise was enjoyable and well paced. I absolutely loved that this was basically a romcom about romcoms, as both characters agreed to help each other out by covering all the classic romance tropes. Their dates led to some amusing, heartfelt and steamy moments.

One of the downsides of this book for me though, was that it’s written in 3rd person, which did make it a bit difficult to connect with the characters at times.

The heroine’s character development wasn’t the strongest in my opinion as well. I would have liked just a bit more growth, as she was stuck in her head until almost the very end.

The romance was really great though. I loved all the banter and tension. The hero was a total hopeless romantic, which I related to so much. Their connection and romantic development was written perfectly as well. All the tropes that were covered were also incorporated so well.

Overall, just an enjoyable debut! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3,5 Stars
While I wasn’t a fan of then initial one night stand scene and some of the wording/verbiage had me cringing, the middle of the book really pulled me in. The author did an amazing job creating tension between the characters and I really loved learning more about Sawyer and Mason’s backstories. I live that they had a HEA. I wish the ending packed a stronger punch, but overall this was a cute read

3.5 stars.

This was genuinely cute. And a really fun debut from Erin Connors. I look forward to more from her!

Sawyer and Mason have an impossible meet cute in an elevator, followed by a one night stand, and then both agree to take on each romance trope at a time to ruin them for him and help inspire her to write. Overall, the romance tropes were fun. Like just a great ode to rom coms everywhere. Mason and Sawyer weren’t too insta-lovey a one night stand either.

There were just some elements that kept me from rating this higher. In particular, the argument at the end. It just felt a bit over the top (but the makeup grand gesture was pretty cute). I’ve also learned when someone just “doesn’t do” relationships or believe in love, I feel like it’s hard for me to buy in their narrative a bit. So that’s probably a personal turn off for me from a book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.