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doggonebookaddict 's review for:
Not in Love
by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one didn’t hit for me the way Ali’s other books have so far, but I can still certainly see the appeal. The second half I liked a lot more than the first half though!
Honestly, a lot of this book felt more sex heavy than plot heavy at times, and like okay sure you get yours and whatnot, but sometimes I just wanted some plot that didn’t end in another sex scene ya know?
While Florence ended up being pretty shitty (I won’t say more because spoilers), I was still put off by Rue constantly thinking about how she was screwing the guy that was going after her friend’s company or whatever and just…looking the other way. Idk that just didn’t sit right with me.
All that said though, one thing I really liked about this book was how consensual all of the sex was. Eli and Rue were both very careful to respect each other’s boundaries and talk about it often, and it was just refreshing to see so much of that in a book. I also loved how they were able to share very personal stories with each other without the fear of being judged.
All in all, if you’re a fan of Ali I’d give this a go, but it’s not exactly like her other books thus far, and I don’t think I’d pick this as your first Ali book, either.
TW: grief, death of parent (past not present), strained family dynamics
Honestly, a lot of this book felt more sex heavy than plot heavy at times, and like okay sure you get yours and whatnot, but sometimes I just wanted some plot that didn’t end in another sex scene ya know?
While Florence ended up being pretty shitty (I won’t say more because spoilers), I was still put off by Rue constantly thinking about how she was screwing the guy that was going after her friend’s company or whatever and just…looking the other way. Idk that just didn’t sit right with me.
All that said though, one thing I really liked about this book was how consensual all of the sex was. Eli and Rue were both very careful to respect each other’s boundaries and talk about it often, and it was just refreshing to see so much of that in a book. I also loved how they were able to share very personal stories with each other without the fear of being judged.
All in all, if you’re a fan of Ali I’d give this a go, but it’s not exactly like her other books thus far, and I don’t think I’d pick this as your first Ali book, either.
TW: grief, death of parent (past not present), strained family dynamics
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent