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readwithria's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not In Love is a very different vibe of book from Ali Hazelwood’s previous works. While she did an amazing job with it, it was missing a little bit of the signature Ali ~sparkle~ for me.
Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed the book! I think this was one of the strongest plots that she’s written so far. What I think struck me as a bit odd was the shift in the writing between Rue’s POV chapters and Eli’s POV chapters. Rue was written in first person, while Eli was written in third. It made for a bit of a weird reading experience, and also made the transition between POVs a little clunky. Now of course I read an ARC, not the finished copy, so there’s no guarantee that this stayed true to the end of the publication journey, but it seems unlikely that so much of the book would change between ARC distribution and final pass pages.
Now onto the things I did enjoy! I loved Rue and Eli’s sense of humor. Their banter was great, especially once Rue gets more comfortable. I also appreciate how Eli accepted Rue’s (imo autistic coded) personality for exactly who she is. She was one of the most distinct FMCs that Ali has written, and I really enjoyed reading her inner thoughts and watching her process things.
While this isn’t my favorite AH book, it still hit the spot. 4 stars.
Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed the book! I think this was one of the strongest plots that she’s written so far. What I think struck me as a bit odd was the shift in the writing between Rue’s POV chapters and Eli’s POV chapters. Rue was written in first person, while Eli was written in third. It made for a bit of a weird reading experience, and also made the transition between POVs a little clunky. Now of course I read an ARC, not the finished copy, so there’s no guarantee that this stayed true to the end of the publication journey, but it seems unlikely that so much of the book would change between ARC distribution and final pass pages.
Now onto the things I did enjoy! I loved Rue and Eli’s sense of humor. Their banter was great, especially once Rue gets more comfortable. I also appreciate how Eli accepted Rue’s (imo autistic coded) personality for exactly who she is. She was one of the most distinct FMCs that Ali has written, and I really enjoyed reading her inner thoughts and watching her process things.
While this isn’t my favorite AH book, it still hit the spot. 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol
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