I enjoyed this book very much, all the fun cliches had me laughing. I can't wait to get our copies in.

Unromance is about a romance writer named Sawyer Greene who doesn't believe in love anymore and Mason West, a famous actor and hopeless romantic. Sawyer and Mason meet in an elevator and end up having a one night stand. A one night stand turns into a friendship when the two decide to teach each other their philosophies about love and relationships. Sawyer will teach Mason to have fun without getting attached and Mason will give Sawyer inspiration for the romance book she was supposed to have finished writing a while ago.

Something about Unromance called to me. I thought I was going to absolutely love it, but it ended up just being an okay read. The book is a homage to the rom com genre and its tropes, which I can totally get behind.

I struggled with the writing and the characters in this book. The writing was really good and funny at times, but some of the dialogue felt strange and unnatural. The character work seemed so great and deep at first, but as the story went on, I found their motivations to be weak and their decisions to be kind of annoying. An example of this was Sawyer's belief that no one could love her because of her job. This does get resolved, but while Mason cheers her on and gives her space to write her book, Sawyer still believes he's going to get upset with her for going quiet will she writes. It was small things like this that disconnected me from the story because it didn't totally make sense to me. I also thought the pacing of this book was a little off. This book felt SO long. Towards the end of the book, the author references that the two characters have only known each other and I was astonished that it had only been around two months.

I don't want to be too negative because I did not in any way hate this book. I loved the Chicago setting. I also usually dislike reading about ~famous~ characters, but I felt like the author was so successful at establishing Mason as a famous actor without going over the top and being annoying trying to prove his fame in this story. I also really loved the inclusion of so many different holidays and celebrations. Mason's family and friends were so fun to read about.

I would recommend this if:
-you love the rom com genre
-you like reading about writers
-you like holiday romance

The perfect read to kick off the month of love: Unromance.

Sawyer is a bestselling romance author but after her ex left she’s been stuck in a season of writers block. However, when dropping off books to a friend, she gets stuck in an elevator with Mason. She takes the opportunity not as a meet cute but for a fun one night stand. But Sawyer keeps running into Mason. Mason sees these run ins as a chance to cure one another from him being a hopeless romantic and to help her writers block by unromancing romance cliches- the Christmas tree farm date, ice skating, etc. they just have two rules - no more sex and no falling in love.

This was such a fun read and while trying to break down romance cliches it also appreciated all the fun parts of romance books and films. I did find it seems to move quickly for the first two thirds of the book and then we encountered a lot of the two MCs having conflict. Overall though I loved seeing mason and Sawyer navigate IKEA dates and family dinners trying not to catch feelings.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the ALC and ARC as I enjoyed moving back and forth between the audio and digital copies.

#books #bookreview #earc #netgalley #netgalleyreview #novelsandneedlework #netgalleyarc #romancebooks #romancereader

Unromance is a contemporary novel that attempts to subvert traditional romantic tropes, offering a more nuanced take on relationships and personal growth. While the book had some engaging moments, it ultimately felt just okay for me due to issues with character development and pacing.

What I Liked
The concept of Unromance is intriguing. The author does a good job of challenging conventional romantic storytelling, providing a fresh perspective on love and human connection. The writing style is accessible and fluid, making it an easy read. Additionally, the book’s themes of self-discovery and independence were well-handled and added some depth to the narrative.
There were moments of sharp, witty dialogue that stood out, and some of the interactions between characters felt genuinely heartfelt. The protagonist's journey had potential, and there were flashes of strong character insight throughout the book.

What I Didn’t Like
Despite its strengths, Unromance didn’t fully resonate with me. The pacing felt uneven, with certain sections dragging on while others rushed through key emotional beats. The story lacked a strong central conflict, making it difficult to stay invested at times.
Additionally, while the book aims to deconstruct romance, some of the character relationships felt underdeveloped. Certain side characters blended together, and their interactions with the protagonist often felt superficial rather than meaningful. The emotional impact of the book could have been stronger with more depth and nuance in these relationships.

Recommendations for Improvement
To make Unromance a more compelling read, I would suggest:
1. Tightening the pacing – Balancing the narrative flow so that key moments don’t feel rushed or drawn out.
2. Deepening character relationships – Providing more emotional depth and complexity to the supporting cast.
3. Strengthening the central conflict – Ensuring that the story has a more defined arc to maintain reader engagement.

Conclusion
Unromance has an interesting premise and moments of sharp writing, but it didn’t fully deliver on its potential. While readers looking for a non-traditional take on romance may appreciate its themes, the uneven pacing and underdeveloped characters kept it from being a standout for me. With some refinement, it could be a much stronger and more engaging novel.

Okay why was this so cute. I really enjoyed all the tropes and the cuteness. The chemistry was also off the charts and I really enjoyed this one from Erin Connor. can’t wait to read more from her

5/5

A trope filled journey that pays homage to the romance genre and its readers, Erin Connor's, Unromance deserves its spot on all the romance TBR's. A plan to ruin romance for a beloved actor you had a one night stand with while finding inspiration for the massive writers block currently plaguing you? That’s just the chaotic setup I live for. Erin Connor takes all my favorite components about romance into a blender and what emerges is a fascinating study on the genre, its tropes, and a love story for the ages. Connor delivers that classic romance meet cute but flips the script with two leads focused on anything but falling in love. Tale as old as time, as Sawyer and Mason adhere to their pact (rather loosely) while slowly opening up to trust and communication and falling for one another. Unromance is about two people that have made their careers around romance, through writing and acting, rediscovering its power in their own lives. Erin Connor moves through the tropes and genre conventions as fluidly as water, employing them in a beautiful love story intimately connected in friendship and understanding. In a setup seeming to flip the tropes, Connor instead recognizes their force for good within the overarching narrative. Unromance has humor in spades, shaken cynicism, and enough romantic moments —equal parts hot and sweet — to be your next favorite.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one. Erin knocked it out of the park with this and I truly loved it!

This was a fun ride - I loved the format of having each chapter be dedicated to a trope. Overall, it was a fun story. I do think it was a touch too long and some of the time jumps were jarring

Unromance was a fun premise - a romance author, Sawyer, with writer's block has a meet-cute with an actor, Mason, who falls too easily. It was fun to have Sawyer and Mason going through popular romance tropes in a fresh way. I enjoyed the well done bisexual representation. The dual POV was great so that we could get a picture of how both characters were dealing with the challenges in their lives. I wished for a bit more tension between the main characters and that the fake dating was played up a bit more, but overall this was an enjoyable rom-com binge.
Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the copy through NetGalley!

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*

This was such a fun story! I loved the dynamic between the two main characters, the easy-to-follow and get-lost-into story. I think this was a great way to see both points of view from two people with different results in love and how trying to help each other out, they just found the right person to receive and give their love <3

A perfect blend of feelings, fun, banter, and spice!

Oh this one is SO FUN! I enjoyed reading Sawyer and Mason’s attempt at not falling for each other — then totally falling for each other. I loved the novel writer dates famous actor vibe, the Chicago setting (as a Chicagoan, it was spot on), and the fun way this book took the classic cliches and spun them into something new. I think it’s so sweet when a romcom has the MMC fall first, and I also appreciated the bisexual rep- it wasn’t something just thrown in, it was realistic and woven in perfectly to who Sawyer was as a FMC.

Sawyer is quirky and funny and I can totally picture her eclectic apartment in Chicago with her mug collection and her bent over her laptop at 3am (been there). Mason is, no surprise, a total hottie with a heart of gold, motivated, kind, and just wants to love and be loved while also doing what he loves for a living. These two, when they finally came together, were magic. Also, shout out to that tights scene!!

It was a less than 24 hours read for me and I enjoyed every second! Thank you to Forever pub and NetGalley for this eARC!

Unromance was the book I needed. Sawyer is the romance novelist who doesn't believe in love, setting out to ruin romance for serial-monogamist and tv hunk Mason, by having a series of tropey, but unromantic, holiday moments. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

I love that this starts as a one night stand, I love the intentional tropey-ness of this book. It's mostly light, fun, bantery romance that my heart wants.

If you need to escape for a few hours, this is a great option.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

first impressions- This book is very cute and has a very adorable Book Lovers by Emily Henry/Hallmark Christmas movie vibe. However, I didn't know it was a Christmas book (that came out in February??) so I am putting it down for now and will pick it back up during the Holiday season. I got about 25% of the way through and loved what I read thus far.

I wish there was a rating higher than five stars because this book felt like so much more. It has easily become one of my all time forever favorites.

It felt like a love letter to my soul.

I was hooked immediately from chapter one and I’m honestly so sad it’s over.

The writing was beautiful and the characters were so witty and had immaculate banter. Both main characters were multilayered and had relatable flaws, I easily felt an emotional connection to them and their stories.

Also, the scene in the car after christmas dinner will play in an endless loop in my head forever.

I absolutely recommend this book with my entire heart and soul. Erin Connor has magic in her words and I can’t wait to read whatever she comes up with next.

A massive thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC and introducing me to my new favorite book and author!!

Loved. The fact that every chapter was a different trope and they were trying to break down every Ron com trope to try not to fall in love with each other is amazing. Their relationship was pure and they truly just wanted to help each other out of their ruts

Erin Connor really said, “Let’s take every romance trope and flip it on its head." Sawyer is basically the queen of cynicism—she writes romance but doesn’t believe in it (anymore - cue the writers block). Then she gets stuck in an elevator with Mason, a golden retriever of a man who fully believes in true love. What starts as a one-night stand (fav trope) turns into a whole experiment where they try to ruin every rom-com moment... except, oops, feelings.

The banter? 10/10. The chemistry? Through the roof. Watching them hit all the classic romance beats—forced proximity, fake dating, only-one-bed—while trying to prove love is fake?? ICONIC. And Mason?? The man is a cinnamon roll with a backbone, and I need him in my life immediately.

If you love a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, trope-y goodness, and characters who are completely unprepared for the way love sneaks up on them, this one’s for you. I was giggling, kicking my feet, and rolling my eyes (lovingly) the whole way through. Absolutely obsessed.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I picked up Unromance after reading the description. As someone who reads a significant amount of romance the premise was intriguing. It took me a bit to get into the story and connect with the characters. Sawyer comes off as crass tp be shocking and their chemistry takes some pages to build. After a cliche meet cute and one night only one night stand Sawyer and Mason intentionally work through common romance genre troupes. Sawyer is trying to break Mason's habit of instalove and Mason is trying to help Sawyer through her writers block and believe in love after a really rough break up.

Read this if you like-
🌷 Ode to the romance genre
🌷Bi representation
🌷 He falls first and he falls harder
🌷Strong FMC
Wish it was better-
🥀 took a bit to get used to third person POV
🥀Characters take time to build with the reader and chemistry between the each other

Overall a decent read especially if you like the romance genre.
3.5 rounded up to 4

Unromance was unexpected for me, to say the least. I was absolutely interested based on the synopsis, but I was not anticipating everything that this book was.

In one fell swoop, Erin Connor takes all the tried and true romance tropes and puts them to the test with Swayer and Mason on a mission to ruin them.
Sawyer and Mason themselves were fantastic and I loved their wit and charm. Their banter was so fun and being along with them as they realized their plan was epically failing was such a ride.
By the end I was just as much in love with them as they were with each other, as well as the amazing supporting characters we met. Just as they were anxiously approaching the end date to their arrangement, I was anxiously approaching the end of this book, not wanting to leave its pages behind.

Unromance is one of the best romance books I’ve read this year, and there has been… an abundance. I truly hope everyone picks this one up, it was such a wonderful debut novel and I loved every moment of it. I’ve recommended it countless times!

Solid writing and use of tropes with excellent banter, but I think the characters just fell a little flat for me.

Appreciate the bisexual FMC representation.

Jaded romance writer & hopeless romantic actor have a meet cute in an elevator, which leads to a ONS. They encounter each other again a month later & decided to help “cure” each other: the FMC with her writer’s block & the MMC with his tabloid spectacles. What could possibly go wrong?

This was fine, the fake dating thing is just way overdone & predictable for me and I didn’t find the banter that enticing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.