Thank you to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for the eARC and ALC!

I cannot believe this is a debut! Wow! This has so many classic romance tropes and they are all done SO well. All this is done without sacrificing any of the authenticity or character development. The chemistry is like fireworks and their dynamic had me kicking my feet. I absolutely loved this - every romance reader and romcom lover should read this, I cannot say enough good things.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Netgalley for an advance audiobook copy of Unromance by Erin Connor and narrated by Mia Hutchinson Shaw and Lee Osorio. I absolutely loved this book and the narration really brought this book to life, I could not stop listening to it!

When a best selling romance author, Sawyer, is down with writers block after a breakup she fantasizes a meet cute with an elevator stranger, only to end up having her made up one night stand become a reality. Little does Sawyer know Mason is a well known actor trying to ruin happily ever afters. Making a pact to help each other out, a list of romantic tropes is formed - Mason is hoping to ruin the experience to keep from falling in love while Sawyer's only wish is to find her writing spark once more and produce the novel she's been telling her agent is in the works. With only two rules, 1. no sex and 2. don't fall in love can the two make it to the end of the list with both of their wishes in tow and without breaking any rules?

Unromance has to be one of my new favorite romance books to date! There are so many rom com moments mixed with a little cheesy moments and a few spicy ones thrown in there too. The connection Sawyer and Mason have throughout the novel is so unique and definitely going to the top of my recommendations for this year! I especially loved the narration with both focus characters having their own narrator! It made the book stand out and really bumped it to another level!

3.5 stars. I do not think I enjoyed this one quite as much as others. The first half has been done before and done better in my opinion - the execution was weak and I considered giving up on it. But.....the last part of the book was much stronger (it is almost as if there were different editors involved). I liked the way the plot unfolded and the author was not trying as hard to include all of the tropes. I was not a fan of the chapter titles, and I found they did not add to the story. I would try this author again based on the end of this book, but I would go in with my expectations tempered a bit.

Well first I say if purse cheese is mentioned in the first chapter during an elevator meet cute, five stars for me.

But this book truly is five stars. From the witty banter, to the tropes, to the realness, to the actual characters. It’s all here. I loved it. I binged it. It’s everything.

And now I am going to watch every rom com I have ever loved.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was a nice story idea, I enjoyed the cute dates and the spice. At times, I found it hard to understand the FMC and her reluctance to move on, and to let this new relationship happen.

Unromance follows the unexpected love story between Mason, a charming and enthusiastic actor with a secretly soft heart, and Sawyer, a guarded romance novelist who has stopped believing in love. Their journey begins with a serendipitous meet-cute, only for fate to bring them together again in a crowded city street.

Mason, despite trying to maintain a cynical stance on romance, falls fast and hard—his golden-retriever energy clashing with his attempts at emotional detachment. Meanwhile, Sawyer carries deep emotional wounds from her parents’ rejection and a painful breakup, making her skeptical of love despite making a career out of writing about it. As Mason relentlessly pursues her, her walls remain firmly in place, creating a push-and-pull dynamic where he is determined to break through, while she is equally determined to keep him at arm’s length.

While their chemistry is undeniable, their contrasting outlooks on love and life leave their future uncertain. Though they ultimately end up together, the unresolved issues between them raise doubts about whether their relationship can truly last.
Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

After a meet-cute moment in an elevator that she swears will not lead anywhere, Sawyer is approached by Mason and decides to go home with him for a one-night stand. And, as according to the laws of romcoms, when she runs into him again around Christmas, they decide to try something. Between her writer's block and his constant flitting about from relationship to relationship, they come up with an agreement -- they're going to do as many romance trope/cliches as they can until he's too jaded to want a relationship and she'll use it as help to get over her writer's block. The problem is, just like every romcom: how long can this last before real feelings begin to catch?

I loved this! I really enjoyed the premise of the list and all the cheesy Hallmarky moments. Sawyer is just so over love after her last failed relationship that it really hinders her in so many ways -- from relationships to writer's block. And poor Mason, dealing with all his nonsense just to get tangled up in the chaotic mess that is Sawyer. Mason deserved the moon and stars after that first time we got a glimpse into his head and I was so upset at Sawyer for how she treated him. I loved watching their relationship develop into something more, but the ending left me a little upset.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

This was a fun listen. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the male narrators voice, I prefer a deeper male voice but that’s just personal preference. The production and quality of the audiobook was really good and they brought the characters to life.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but it certainly wasn’t the funniest, feel good rom com of the year. Why is everyone not talking about this book ?! If you are a fan of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Katherine Center, you will LOVE this book. With this debut novel, Erin Connor became an auto buy author for me.

Thank you Net Galley for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review. I am indebted to you for bringing Unromance into my life.

Has the unrelenting nature of 2025 gotten you to a point where you need to dissociate from reality and maybe a rom-com will fix you? Well do I have the book for you.

Unromance follows Sawyer Green, a romance author with the worse case of writer's block, and Mason Alvarez, a deeply attractive actor who has gotten his heart broken too many times and needs to take a break from dating. Sawyer and Mason meet after getting stuck in an elevator together and have a one night stand so ridiculously excellent that they both can't get each other out of their heads. When they bump into each other at the Christkindlmarket in Chicago, they reconnect and agree to help each other with their respective problems. Sawyer is going to break every single rom-com trope in an effort to de-romanticize Mason, while Mason will do his best to help Sawyer rekindle her writing mojo through the trope parade. The list of tropes the book runs through is just a delight and runs from cutting down your own Christmas tree to a trip to the Schaumburg IKEA (love the geographical accuracy by the way) a la 100 Days of Summer.

Mason and Sawyer are wonderful characters, but they're also backed up by an excellent supporting cast including Luis, Mason's brother in law and personal trainer and Lily, Sawyer's best friend who calls her out on all her bullshit. The writing is fantastic and the characters feel absolutely real and work through all of their own issues throughout the novel. I also have to say I LOVE a horny FMC and Sawyer delivers on that - naming her suite of vibrators Mason? Adore.

While I don't want to spoil too much of the book - I will just leave you with one of the lines that I think gives a great sense of the ride you're in for: “You don’t need to sell me, I’ve been sold since the very first accidental innuendo”

I also listened to Unromance as an audiobook, which was duet narration as each chapter is from either Sawyer or Mason's perspective. Again, love this to be able to get in both of their heads. The narration was great from both Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Lee Osario - they give the characters distinct voices and REALLY know how to turn it on when they're going through their feels (of all different kinds).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Hachette Audio for the advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley & Erin Conner for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this after the synopsis and all the stellar reviews! While the story was okay—pretty typical in terms of storyline and ending—I absolutely loved the banter between Sawyer and Mason. Their chemistry felt natural, and fake dating is always a fun trope.

However, I struggled with Sawyer’s character. She could be bubbly and fun, but at times, she would shift into either a moody raincloud or act immaturely, which pulled me out of the story. Mason, on the other hand, was great! While this book didn’t completely work for me, I think a lot of readers will really enjoy it

Thank you Net Galley for giving me this ARC/ALC, in exchange for my honest review!!

I received this as I really enjoyed this book! It was as predictable as most romance novels are... but it was a fun and entertaining ride to that ending! Seriously in LOVE with the MMC!! He's just the absolute sweetest guy!! The narration was really good in this one too!
Some solid troping happening in this one!
-Grumpy x Sunshine (she's the grump)
- Forced proximity 
- Celebrity romance
- Fake relationship
- Sprinkles of Christmas
- lots of classic romance gestures

Thank you to Hachette Audio & NetGalley for an ALC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the dual POV, and narrators were so fun! The FMC was so expressive, I really enjoyed her chapters. I will say in the beginning I had a hard time matching the MMC voice to how I pictured him in my head, but a couple chapters in it started working for me!

I loved the entire idea of an “Unromance” and how they were working through all the different romance tropes and scenarios. Like I was actually LOLing listening to all the tropes play out, as a romance reader it was too funny. I also really enjoyed seeing such a flawed FMC work through her issues, and get closure. I also love that she was the one who did the grand gesture! That’s so rare in romance books, so I loved seeing this done!

Overall, this was a laugh out loud, Rom Com, that was so sweet, spicy, and completely unique to anything I’ve ever read before. My romance girlies will love this one!

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

Unromance was such a delightful surprise! Listening to this book was enjoyable (and not to mention very spicy!) I loved both characters and both narrators. This was such a hopeful story and I can't wait to read more by Ern Connor!

Thank you again for the ARC!

5 stars!

What a debut! I cannot wait to see more from this author because this was absolutely fantastic. I've read a few romances that are full of all the tropes or reference a ton of romcom movies but I think this is the best one I have seen. What I found best was each trope was the typical but also not? It was fake dating but not? And dating lessons but almost opposite? All without making fun of the tropes too which is impressive. Mason being such a romantic was precious and you could tell Sawyer was too and just trying to hide it. Calling it now, best debut romance of 2025!

The narrators were fantastic. Mia's acting in particular was amazing!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ALC!!

“I think begging Sawyer might be my favourite.”… “I think Mason in charge might be my new favourite.”

This book finished really strong for me. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I was all in. I think this may just be a me thing, but I would have enjoyed this book a lot more had I read it vs done the audio. I usually don’t mind third person point of view, but I didn’t connect as well with the MCs on audio. Also, this is entirely a personal opinion, but I didn’t love the male narrator for Mason, his voice just didn’t do it for me and that for me is a big part of it.

That being said, the book did really win me over. I love how Mason was the hopeless romantic and Sawyer was more jaded. Love how they did things backwards and started with very steamy one night stand. The yearning between them, the tension. All the friends and side characters were also great. Made you wish we got their stories too.

I actually cannot believe this is a debut. For sure looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and the author Erin Connor for the advanced listening copy, all my opinions are my own.

3.75
This has nice narration (I actually did like the female voice more than the man though). It started pretty messy and really throws in a whole lot of romance tropes (maybe one too many?) but I got more invested as it went on and the characters grew on me. There is a few sexy scenes, a real fun one with tights (yes, tights!) and some overall sweet romance. I got frustrated with the characters a few times, but they seemed pretty realistic, which I like.

Unromance is such a fun read! It starts with Sawyer, a romance writer with writer's block, and Mason, an actor who is a hopeless romantic, get stuck in an elevator together. Even though Sawyer claims this is not a meet-cute, it does help her write so they decide to live out every romantic meet-cute to cure each other. Does it work? The characters are both realistically flawed and lovable so it most definitely worked for me.
Mia Hutchinson Shaw and Lee Osorio were fantastic narrators in the audiobook, they really brought both characters to life.

Unromance is absolutely an adult romance novel that's worth the hype. I've seen this book talked about a lot on social media so I was excited to be gifted an ARC by NetGalley to review and I was definitely not disappointed. I enjoyed the premace of a romance lover and a romance hater being thrown together by the universe and then working together to try to solve their problems--writer's block and falling in love too fast. Connor's execution of this idea was beyond my expectations. I loved that each chapter set up a trope or cliche of romance novels and movies and how that played into the plot of each chapter. It was like a fun foreshadowing that built the anticipation of how things would unfold for these two characters. The characters themselves were endearing. We could see how both of them struggled and, as all good romance authors do, Connor not only developed them as a couple but showed great development for them as individuals as well. I loved that while there was great LGBTQIA rep it was not the main part of the story--Connor balanced Sawyer's identity in an authentic way. While Sawyer was a frustrating character at times and Mason was certainly easier to fall for, it was her character arc that really drew me into the story because it was largely a redemption arc for her and about her renewed faith in love and herself. I think in a time that is so full of tumult and conflict for all of us this is the perfect reminder of our resilience in a way that will touch all of our hearts. If you like the romance genre, grab this one today!

Unromance by Erin Conner is a refreshing and unconventional take on love, featuring Sawyer Green and Mason West. Sawyer, a fiercely independent woman, isn’t looking for romance, while Mason, charming yet complicated, challenges her views on relationships. Their dynamic is filled with witty banter, undeniable chemistry, and emotional depth that keeps readers hooked.
Conner crafts a story that defies traditional romance tropes, making it a compelling read for those who enjoy slow-burn connections and realistic character development. With heartfelt moments and humor woven throughout, Unromance is a captivating exploration of love that doesn’t always follow the rules.

Received a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review

#Unromance #NetGalley