Scan barcode
krystalreadsstuff's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
⭐⭐⭐ .25
Okay. Okay. ....Okay.
This book would have been just 3 stars, but I added a .25 because Hazelwood DID warn us it was going to a much different tone compared to her previous work.
This book was decent, I suppose, but I doubt I will return to it for any rereads, which is a first for a Hazelwood book. There were makings of a good store and plot, but it was so drawn out and wedged between an honestly inordinate number of sex scenes. I am definitely not against sex scenes except when it starts to take place of the plot, and that is fully what occurred in this book. Side characters were not fully realized beyond being fully committed to their one allotted personality trait (ex: aloof, chaotic, broody), and the main character arcs were lacking. I also missed the overt STEM/academia settings; instead, the characters' proximity to chemical engineering and working with patents in biotechnology felt a lackluster plot point, poorly detailed, and shoe-horned in to fit the author's niche genre of STEM romance. As a mildly positive point, I found the depiction of a character with implied-but-never-explicitly-stated autism to be well-done.
It genuinely pains me to say it, but this book was a letdown. It was (in my opinion) overly smutty and beyond angsty. Hopefully this is not indicative of all her future publications, and she will continue to warn readers when this it the tone of the book.
Okay. Okay. ....Okay.
This book would have been just 3 stars, but I added a .25 because Hazelwood DID warn us it was going to a much different tone compared to her previous work.
This book was decent, I suppose, but I doubt I will return to it for any rereads, which is a first for a Hazelwood book. There were makings of a good store and plot, but it was so drawn out and wedged between an honestly inordinate number of sex scenes. I am definitely not against sex scenes except when it starts to take place of the plot, and that is fully what occurred in this book. Side characters were not fully realized beyond being fully committed to their one allotted personality trait (ex: aloof, chaotic, broody), and the main character arcs were lacking. I also missed the overt STEM/academia settings; instead, the characters' proximity to chemical engineering and working with patents in biotechnology felt a lackluster plot point, poorly detailed, and shoe-horned in to fit the author's niche genre of STEM romance. As a mildly positive point, I found the depiction of a character with implied-but-never-explicitly-stated autism to be well-done.
It genuinely pains me to say it, but this book was a letdown. It was (in my opinion) overly smutty and beyond angsty. Hopefully this is not indicative of all her future publications, and she will continue to warn readers when this it the tone of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Stalking, Bullying, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Stalking, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Addiction, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
uranaishi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, and Grief
miss_vonnegut's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've read most of Ali Hazelwood's books and this is now in my top 2 of hers, and my top 5 romance novels in general. It's slightly different from some of her others in that it's not set in academia, but rather in scientific industry. I really loved the main character, Rue, and the way that she's unapologetically 100% herself. Also, it's never blatantly stated but it seems like she may neurodivergent, which I love to see. The ending was so lovely and sweet that I was tearing up and, to top it all off, there was so much more spice than I was expecting! Definitely more than her other books up to this point. (Granted, I haven't read Bride yet.) Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending an ARC to Copperfield's Petaluma!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
The child abuse is in the form of neglect/food insecurity.purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
I forgot I was reading this book — twice — so it's fair to say that I didn't find it riveting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Stalking, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Child neglect, food insecuritybooksinherhead's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Since leaving academia, Rue Siebert has poured herself into a biotech startup that allows her to pursue her own research. When she first meets Eli, their chemistry leaves them both breathless. Imagine their horror when 24 hours later they find themselves on opposite sides of a hostile corporate takeover. Their secret affair can't stay a secret forever...With NOT IN LOVE Ali Hazelwood shows her readers how artfully she can write characters with emotional depth. This is sexy, emotional, and quick to read. Hazelwood's best yet!
I think the 'boss is taking advantage of intellectual property and the love interest knows the boss is shady' is kinda an overdone trope, but I think it worked for this book and I DID enjoy seeing it done within the academia/biotech sphere.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Stalking
Major content warnings forgemloukay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Biotech engineer Dr Rue Siebert and Financial Wiz Eli Killgore are on opposite sides of a hostile takeover fight for the company Rue works for. But just before it begins, they meet each other via a sex-forward dating app and sparks fly.
This is a deviation from Hazelwood’s previous books (and the preface warned me as much), being very much a work of erotic fiction of characters with serious trauma in their pasts that still haunts them every day. Most of the light rom-com elements of her previous novels (will they/wont they and off page sex for the most part) are gone and there’s lots of “they most certainly will and they’re going to describe to you their sexual exploration” in its place. That being said, it’s well written smut (this is far beyond “spice”) with characters that share their traumas as they explore each other. Rue is shy, and I would say neurodivergent too, but knows what she wants in the bedroom. She’s empowered in that way and not willing to accept anything else. Eli has his own traumas to battle and from the get-go isn’t your typical alpha male that often appears in erotic fiction. He goes out of his way right to make her feel safe right from their first encounter.
In short, this feels like a much more mature Ali Hazelwood book than say Check & Mate (which is referenced briefly!). Still well-rounded in both plot and characterisation, but with a hell of a lot of consensual sexual exploration!
This is a deviation from Hazelwood’s previous books (and the preface warned me as much), being very much a work of erotic fiction of characters with serious trauma in their pasts that still haunts them every day. Most of the light rom-com elements of her previous novels (will they/wont they and off page sex for the most part) are gone and there’s lots of “they most certainly will and they’re going to describe to you their sexual exploration” in its place. That being said, it’s well written smut (this is far beyond “spice”) with characters that share their traumas as they explore each other. Rue is shy, and I would say neurodivergent too, but knows what she wants in the bedroom. She’s empowered in that way and not willing to accept anything else. Eli has his own traumas to battle and from the get-go isn’t your typical alpha male that often appears in erotic fiction. He goes out of his way right to make her feel safe right from their first encounter.
In short, this feels like a much more mature Ali Hazelwood book than say Check & Mate (which is referenced briefly!). Still well-rounded in both plot and characterisation, but with a hell of a lot of consensual sexual exploration!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
Minor: Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death of parent
More...