A few months ago, I read my very first Ali Hazelwood book, Bride. If you’re a fan of Hazelwood, you might wonder what took me so long to finally grab one of her books. After all, her first novel, The Love Hypothesis, became an instant bestseller in 2021 and catapulted her into romance-author stardom. And that right there is why it took me four years to pick up one of her books for myself. I, historically, don’t love the romance genre. I dip my toes in every now and then, sure, but I tend to stay firmly in fantasy land. However, after reading and loving Bride, Ali Hazelwood’s first book in the paranormal romance genre, I embarked on a feverish three-month-long journey to read her entire catalog, culminating with her most recent release, Not in Love.
I’ve loved everything Ali Hazelwood has written—but after reading Not in Love, I have a feeling this book isn’t going to be for everyone (but what book is?). So, should you read Not in Love? Here’s my review and whether I think you should pick it up.
Ali Hazelwood
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.
What is Not in Love about?
Not in Love is Ali Hazelwood’s latest “women in STEM” romance novel, joining The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, Loathe to Love You, and Love, Theoretically in a vaguely connected shared universe (some characters receive blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mentions in other books). In Not in Love, we meet Rue Siebert, a successful biotech engineer working at Kline, a promising food science start-up. The best part of her job? One of her best friends is her boss and she gets free lab access and time to work on her personal project—one that she’s been guaranteed the patent for. It’s a pretty sweet gig… until it isn’t.
When Eli Kilgore and his business partners arrive at Kline, announcing their plans to acquire the company, they threaten to upend Rue’s career. Despite being on opposite sides of the fight for Kline, Eli and Rue can’t stay away from each other and enter a secret, no-strings-attached arrangement that has a clear end date: the day one of their sides prevails in the fight for Kline.
My Review of Not in Love
I loved Ali Hazelwood’s previous books because they were straightforward, light-hearted rom-coms that I could breeze through in a day. For readers looking for more of the same, Not in Love isn’t exactly that. In Hazelwood’s own words, it’s more of an “erotic romance” with “angstier themes.” I’ll be honest, that descriptor gave me pause. When I pick up a Hazelwood romance, I’m looking for a trope-filled good time set against a STEM backdrop—not something that will make me face some harsher realities.
Despite this initial trepidation, I dove headfirst into Not in Love. The tonal shift between Hazelwood’s rom-coms and Not in Love is immediately apparent. Both Rue and Eli struggle with their traumatic childhoods, and Hazelwood doesn’t shy away from detailing their experiences. As adults, Rue and Eli cope in the only way that makes sense to them: through sex. For Rue, this means never being in a long-term relationship and instead exclusively engaging in “just O.K.” one-night stands before she meets Eli, who doesn’t shy away from the darkest parts of her.
While I missed the lightness of Hazelwood’s previous works, Not in Love was thoroughly consuming. Ali Hazelwood also said she felt both insecure and proud of this story, and I understand why. This is very much the most complicated novel in her catalog. In previous stories, the happily-ever-after was a foregone conclusion, and the big conflict was black-and-white. In Not in Love, despite the fact I knew there would be a HEA (and there is, don’t worry), I truly didn’t know how our main characters would get there. And that kept me turning page after page.
Unlike in Hazelwood’s previous works, where it sometimes seems like the conflict takes a backseat to the romance, I was just as invested in the conflict of Not in Love as I was in the love story. Primarily because there was depth and complexity to the situation (despite, in my opinion, there still is a clear right and wrong) that left me feeling sympathy for the party in the “wrong.”
If Ali Hazelwood’s previous books were akin to a 30-minute sitcom that ends with the gang laughing around a shared table, Not in Love is a messy, hour-long drama that takes you on a journey before you get to the happy ending. I love Ali Hazelwood’s books because I’m guaranteed a compelling romance that ends happily in just a few hundred pages. But I love Not in Love for its unabashed portrayal of flawed humans and the reality of being stuck in a conflict where someone will win, but also everyone will lose.
So, should you read Not in Love?
If Not in Love is a little messier and more real than her previous works, where does that leave Hazelwood fans who want a more lighthearted story? Well, first, check the content warnings for Not in Love and make sure you’re comfortable with some of the darker aspects this story touches on. And if you are, I say read on because Not in Love is really a stellar book. Having read all of Hazelwood’s books in such a short period of time, I can see very clearly how much her writing has developed over time. With each book, she gets better and better, and Not in Love is no exception. I loved it, and I’m confident you will, too.
Ali Hazelwood
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.
