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bookishelflife 's review for:
Not in Love
by Ali Hazelwood
It hurts that I quite disliked this book, probably my first Ali’s book that I *really* struggled with , I lugged myself to finish it . I will have to do an articulate review later on but yah cue the sad trombone..there were some good parts so the stars you see
Review:
2.5
Thank you to the wonderful people at Berkley for letting me read the ARC of Not In Love
So I was really excited to pick up Not In Love because I not only enjoy Ms.Hazelwood's quirky humor but I love how she brings a mix of STEM and awkward human beings into spotlight because everyone deserves to be a main character of their lives. The excitement I felt when I first realized this is her first dual POV was no joke, However it hurts my being that this is by far my least favorite full length book to the day from her(yup I'd place her novellas on top of this one) it also has the least STEM factor to it focussing a lot on corporate/finance which was fine but one might get lost in the corporate/finance jargon while trying to understand the conflict
While I admit that lust to love/ let us get it out of the system doesn't always work for me, I thought the beginning of the story was promising. A one night stand gone wrong or right(?) when the hero had to become her knight in the shining armor than her amour (see what I did there?) but things get even awkward when Eli the supposed knight shows up next day at Rue's work place with a possibility of him becoming her boss. While there is a potential for forbidden romance, I felt like it was wasted, I didn't know half the time what their intentions were towards each other. It is quite lust driven and the intimacy part lacked any emotional depth to me personally, it was just an intense immediate attraction that cannot be satiated for either of them beyond the fact that they turn to be each other allies because they can appreciate each other even with their flaws
I get that the FMC is supposed to be reserved, closed off, emotionally unavailable human but every time there needs to be a communication as one would expect, Rue chooses sex instead because it is too much of an emotion to put into words for her.After a few times it felt redundant and that didn't make me root for Eli or Rue because I felt like MMC had nothing to add to the story rather than being Rue's comfort cushion whenever she needed a backing? His POV is the most underutilized and easily forgettable. There is also secondary plot happening on the side but I was equally confused with it and how it played out, the conflict that arises is something you could see from afar but I honestly didn't feel the friction from any side because Rue and Eli were technically not co-workers nor will their situationship is going to cause any damage to their respective careers.
There is also a tiny incident with Rue's brother and I honestly don't even know what to gather from it? it seems like Rue gets to mess up and be tragic about it and Eli would understand and support, I really had hard time understanding both Eli and Rue's characterizations other than the fact they might not be acceptable per society norms but are perfect for each other. This honestly felt like its written in haste, the writing was very different from her previous books. Overall I really struggled but I am sure many people will enjoy it, sadly it isn't for me.
Review:
2.5
Thank you to the wonderful people at Berkley for letting me read the ARC of Not In Love
So I was really excited to pick up Not In Love because I not only enjoy Ms.Hazelwood's quirky humor but I love how she brings a mix of STEM and awkward human beings into spotlight because everyone deserves to be a main character of their lives. The excitement I felt when I first realized this is her first dual POV was no joke, However it hurts my being that this is by far my least favorite full length book to the day from her(yup I'd place her novellas on top of this one) it also has the least STEM factor to it focussing a lot on corporate/finance which was fine but one might get lost in the corporate/finance jargon while trying to understand the conflict
While I admit that lust to love/ let us get it out of the system doesn't always work for me, I thought the beginning of the story was promising. A one night stand gone wrong or right(?) when the hero had to become her knight in the shining armor than her amour (see what I did there?) but things get even awkward when Eli the supposed knight shows up next day at Rue's work place with a possibility of him becoming her boss. While there is a potential for forbidden romance, I felt like it was wasted, I didn't know half the time what their intentions were towards each other. It is quite lust driven and the intimacy part lacked any emotional depth to me personally, it was just an intense immediate attraction that cannot be satiated for either of them beyond the fact that they turn to be each other allies because they can appreciate each other even with their flaws
I get that the FMC is supposed to be reserved, closed off, emotionally unavailable human but every time there needs to be a communication as one would expect, Rue chooses sex instead because it is too much of an emotion to put into words for her.After a few times it felt redundant and that didn't make me root for Eli or Rue because I felt like MMC had nothing to add to the story rather than being Rue's comfort cushion whenever she needed a backing? His POV is the most underutilized and easily forgettable. There is also secondary plot happening on the side but I was equally confused with it and how it played out, the conflict that arises is something you could see from afar but I honestly didn't feel the friction from any side because Rue and Eli were technically not co-workers nor will their situationship is going to cause any damage to their respective careers.
There is also a tiny incident with Rue's brother and I honestly don't even know what to gather from it? it seems like Rue gets to mess up and be tragic about it and Eli would understand and support, I really had hard time understanding both Eli and Rue's characterizations other than the fact they might not be acceptable per society norms but are perfect for each other. This honestly felt like its written in haste, the writing was very different from her previous books. Overall I really struggled but I am sure many people will enjoy it, sadly it isn't for me.