Unromance was so clever. Each chapter was separated into typical romance tropes, and our story followed them, but often with a little twist. Our main characters have a chance encounter in an elevator, and keep running into eachother. Our FMC, Sawyer, is a jaded romance writer who needs to get her romance groove back to beat the writers blocks she's had since her last break-up. Our MMC, Mason has the opposite problem--he keeps falling in love too easily, and as a TV star, the tabloids are having a field day with his string of failed relationships. The two team up-- Mason to inspire romance for Sawyer and Sawyer to ruin romance for Mason.

This was so so fun! Mason is the epitome of a cinnamon roll, and I love when a jaded character with a hard exterior starts to crack and open up.

4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a gosh darn delight.

5⭐️

No notes.

Thank you to Forever for an eARC! Review opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book because I love a strong fmc but I was so bored. Might try to listen to the audio when it's out to see if I suddenly don't know how to read

This book was a fun twist on the fake dating trope. One of my favorite aspects was how it flipped the expected roles: Sawyer, a romance author who’s sworn off love, contrasts perfectly with Mason, a famous actor you might assume is a player. Instead, he’s a total hopeless romantic, and I adored that about him.

The chapter titles being romance tropes was such a clever nod to Sawyer’s career, and it added a layer of charm to the storytelling. And the chemistry? Off the charts! The spicy scenes were fantastic, but their connection outside of the bedroom was just as electric. Their banter kept me grinning (Sawyer is absolutely hilarious!!) and the tension and pining between them was so good I devoured the whole book in one sitting.

While the premise of them trying romantic activities to ruin Mason’s idea of love was obviously destined to fail (c’mon, it is a romance novel after all!), the journey was still so fun. Both characters had their own personal issues to work through, but the story stayed on the lighter side, making it a feel-good read overall.

My five star romances have a bit more emotional depth than this one but I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a heartwarming, funny, and sexy romance. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book! Sawyer and Mason have excellent chemistry, and Erin Connor’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny. I can’t wait for everyone to read this!

Not what I expected. Unable to get into this book. Had mixed feelings but I was unable to connect with the characters and get enjoyment out of this book

Although I was very excited and the plot sounded so cute I just felt like this book was missing something. Maybe it was banter but I just felt like it took me too long to get through it than most romcoms do .

Well this was a TREAT! What happens when you trap a romance writer who doesn’t believe in love with a TV hearth throb who is a hopeless romantic together in an elevator? And instead of just having a one-night stand they keep running into each other in the most meet-cute of ways? You get a hilarious and heartwarming romance about finding love when you are trying to do the opposite.

Sawyer is having the worst writer’s block after breaking up with her girlfriend and needs inspiration to tell a good story. Mason keeps having his heart broken and is in the tabloids AGAIN after another romance gone wrong. They come up with a plan to help each other by creating romantic scenarios and ruining them, thus curing Mason of his romanticism and giving Sawyer that spark she needs. But the plan to not fall in love? That fails miserably.

I listened to this one on audio and had the BEST time with it. The narrators did such a good job with the characters and kept me so engaged. I loved that the book was set in Chicago and it was so fun to see their hijinks happening all around town! It inspired me to go out and do some of the same!

Mason is such a cinnamon roll and he is SUCH a hopeless romantic. I just wanted to wrap him up he was so cute. And Sawyer is jaded and edgy, just how I like my FMCs. She is unapologetically herself, and we need more of these women in our lives. I loved their banter and tension so much. They were just SO GOOD.

The plot one hundred percent follows the typical path of a romance, with conflict in a third act break up. While I usually don’t enjoy that, it makes sense for this book due to how much it was a caricature of the romcom genre.

Overall it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed myself!

Thank you NetGalley and LibroFM for the copies of this book!

Thank you Forever & NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

I struggled with this one. I found it really hard to connect to the FMC but found the MMC *very* sweet and cute. Their relationship also felt disconnected and perhaps not quite believable? At any rate, the premise is cute, it feels like a fun holiday season read, and I loved the "trope" usage for the chapter titles. Also, the end was super duper sweet!

Definitely worth a read to decide for yourself. Just think it wasn't for me :)

This book was the perfect blend of laugh out loud rom-com and a love letter to romance books.

Sawyer is a romance writer that no longer believes in romance. Mason is a hopeless romantic TV star that keeps getting burned in love. Their two worlds collide thanks to a faulty elevator and they devise a plan to help each other out. Sawyer is going to ruin romance for Mason, and Mason is going to help Sawyer overcome her writers block by taking her on romantic dates.

Erin did such a great way at exploring popular romance book tropes and showing the reader what makes them so great. She highlights how cliché they can be, while also displaying how well they work. The humor and banter was so well done, and it just made me fall in love with these characters. The way there were all of these little romance book Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book just made this such an enjoyable read.

I loved watching Sawyer and Mason grow through the course of this story both in their friendship, but also as individuals.

If you like romance or rom-coms, you need to pick up this book!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced read copy

An elevator meet-cute has never been so passionate! After a technical malfunction, struggling romance writer (and full time cynic) Sawyer ends up in close quarters with hopeless romantic television actor Mason. The two end up having an earth-shattering one-night stand but it’s only when they run into each other again, do they decide to help each other out in a different way. Sawyer needs to untangle her writers block and deliver her editors a swoon worthy new novel, while Mason wants to ruin romance after a public breakup left him questing his romantic pursuits. The two compile a list of classic romance tropes to engage in, in attempts to spark Sawyer’s creativity and swear Mason off foolish love for good. Too bad, their chemistry is electric and their vow to keep things professional gets murkier and murkier with every trope they check off.

I am shocked that this is a debut! In Unromance, Erin Connor deftly displays an understanding of romance tropes while crafting a completely unique and tender story between a hopeless romantic and scorned skeptic. Mason and Sawyer were THE PERFECT leads. Sawyer, my chaotic bi queen, was imbued with charm and wit that endeared her to me instantly. In other hands, Sawyer could have become a caricature of a curmudgeon, but Connor breathes honesty and vulnerability into her character. Mason’s depth is similarly handled and his outlook on love and desire for connection proved that he was more than just a handsome face. These two are pure magic together and you could feel the tension radiating off the page with every shared glance or volley of banter.

The themes of this novel are quite beautiful as well. There is a lot to be said about trusting someone again after intense heartbreak. Watching Sawyer and Mason overcome their past hurts and open themselves up to a different kind of intimacy had me overcome with emotion. They took time to understand the other’s needs and it resulted in a healthy and mature partnership. There are many stunning quotes about love and relationships peppered throughout the writing and I found myself constantly highlighting gorgeous passages that made my heart flutter.

The idea of “ruining romance” made for a delightful premise and I loved how each chapter was headed with a different trope and descriptor. It added such a fun levity to the story and prepared readers for the exciting adventures Sawyer and Mason were going to have. I am so happy I started the year off with such a strong book because Unromance is exactly the type of five-star love story I have been waiting for!

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was such a delight. I loved how the author used common romance novel “tropes” as headers and loose guidelines for each chapter. Mason and Sawyer’s journey from one night stands to friends to lovers was so fun to read, I loved their character development and that Mason was the romantic and Sawyer was the cynic.
It was my second book of 2025 and my first five star!

a solid debut! i was immediately drawn to the premise of unromance — a jaded romance author who teams up with a TV heartthrob for a mutually beneficial friendship and swear to not fall in love? sign me up.

sawyer and mason are sweet together. connor really nails their banter and chemistry and it’s because of the friendship that builds between the two characters throughout the novel. it’s like witnessing two of your best friends who are obviously in love with each other interact and neither of them realize it. the writing is well done (great spice) and mason is the biggest sweetheart who’s obsessed with his sawyer.

it’s a bit of a slow burner at the start, but once i hit the 35% mark, it really started to pick up.

thank you forever pub for the e-ARC!

Recently dumped TV heartthrob Mason West enlists jaded romance novelist Sawyer Greene to ruin romance for him one romcom trope at a time. It's a foolproof plant-until Mason and Sawyer find that once set in motion some plots can't be stopped.

Erin Conner's debut is a love letter to all things romcom. Each title chapter even explains the most common tropes! And, of course, the MCs also find themselves in romcom situations beginning with their meet cute. Mason is an actor playing a hot TV doctor, but Sawyer had no idea who he was-which of course is also a trope! LOL From the beginning, Mason was totally smitten-love that he falls first! Sawyer was also attracted to him but convinced herself that she's not a relationship kind of woman. I enjoyed the romcom cliche situations they were trying to "ruin," but ultimately it had the opposite effect.


>> One night stand
>> Celebrity romance
>> Grumpy x Sunshine
>> Complicated/toxic family

Sawyer Greene is a romance author who has sworn off love, but can't seem to shake her writing slump. Mason West is an actor, and hopeless romantic, who desperately needs to stop believing in love at first sight. After their Hallmark meetcute of getting stuck in an elevator together, the two make a mutually beneficial deal with no feelings or sex involved- because that always works as planned, right?

Unromance was cheesy and cliché, but in the best way! I loved that both the characters and the writing structure played up every common romance trope. It poked fun at the repetitve plot lines and swoon-worthy grand gestures that you see in romance movies, but not in a way that takes away from the genre.

Sawyer was so relatable, and as much as I can't stand certain romance tropes, they were necessary and made Sawyer (and Mason) more real.

The premise is outstanding: one hopeless romantic and one jaded unromantic agree to rub off on each other. Erm, not like that. Well, kind of like that. And did I mention they had an explosive one night stand first? The premise set high expectations that were absolutely met. Sawyer and Mason are dedicated to ruining romance, but they can’t help the sparks that fly every time they’re together. Pretty soon they realize it’s more than just physical chemistry between them, too. I loved the genuine connection and mutual respect that was present between them the entire book. This isn’t instalove; it’s two mature adults working through their baggage and forging a lasting connection. Loved it and can’t wait to read whatever comes next from this author.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This book was such a fun time, especially for someone like me who loves and adores all kinds of romances. Sawyer writes romance novels, and Mason is an actor known far too much for his love life. So he requests her help in not falling in love by "unromancing" all the standard rom-com tropes.

I literally laughed out loud at the start to each chapter with the glossary definitions of romance tropes. And they each foretold what to expect in hilarious ways. Additionally, Sawyer and Mason shared amazing banter that was quick and just as funny. I want to be their friends and join their conversations.

Because of course, Sawyer and Mason are just friends. Of course.

The writing was phenomenal with fabulous metaphors. It's a good thing when I stop to notice just how well written the prose is. And I loved every single reference to romance stories. They ran from 10 Things I Hate About You (the main characters are correct - that is the best ever rom-com) to many of Jane Austen's classics.

The romance was phenomenal with just the right chemistry and pacing. And I also want to should out the beautiful male friendship Mason shares with Luis. I feel like I am regularly saying how much I enjoy the female friendships in romances, and I would love to see more strong male friendships like this. Last but not least, yay for bi rep!

This book was a delight and the perfect read to start my 2025.

This was a fantastic romance. I loved the integration of the tropes and how self-aware the book was and yet the characters can't see what is developing between them. I also think the romance was A+. I will definitely purchase and recommend.

4.5 rounded up to 5 - This was a great debut romance!

I'm a sucker for a cinnamon roll hero and Mason DELIVERED. I also loved the character development of Sawyer - even if I got frustrated with her at times, I feel like Erin Connor did a great job setting things up so it was believable.

I also loved how each chapter was introduced by a typical romance trope - that made it all the more fun to see how that trope would play out in the book.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a wonderful debut from Erin Connor!
The banter was fun. The spice was spicy. The characters were real, even if they did frustrate me sometimes, but that was ultimately part of their charm.
Cinnamon rolls are my favorite of baked goods, so I know a thing or two about them, and Mason was the sweetest of cinnamon rolls. Something about a hopeless romantic man.
Sawyer and her chaotic bi black cat energy was perfect. The balance between our two mains fit really well which made for hilarious and sexy moments. They both had their flaws, but it’s all in how they work through them to get to the end. I loved their love. 🥹

My only downside is the pacing. A few scenes felt unnecessarily long, but it didn’t ruin the want to finish this book.

✨ARC review✨