Though it may take me a while to get around to each book, I will never not read an Ali Hazelwood book. ​Not in Love is both the same and different as her other books. It’s a romance, so it follows many of those same tropes. Plus, typical of Hazelwood, there’s a hint of GrumpyxSunshine, He Falls First, and Tall Guy. But in Not in Love, two rival characters (one a scientist and the other a finance guy trying to buy out the company she works for) decide to use each other just for sex. 

For Rue, at least, sex without emotional intimacy is her maladaptive way of coping with a troubled childhood or food insecurity and constantly feeling like not enough. I appreciated Rue as a character. She wasn’t very likable, but she was different, closed-off and traumatized. Having her perspective really helped to understand her.

And I love Eli. ​I want to be adored by someone the same way he adored Rue. 

The descriptions, as usual with Hazelwood, were good. I could feel myself in a lab (or in the bedroom 👀), yeah, the spicy scenes were 🔥 🔥 🔥 ​And the writing style was easy to read, relatable, but still contained a deep emotional dive. 

The plot with a romance will usually follow the same general lines. However, adding in the drama of the workplace and what might happen to it if it was sold to new buyers, etc. added to the intrigue. While I knew what would happen with the main characters (hello, love 💕), I wasn’t always sure what might happen with the workplace.​

Logically may be where some of this falls apart. I’m not sure that these two characters could legally be involved with the dispute going on. I also don’t know if the villain of this story, per se, could actually have gotten away with half the stuff they did. ​

I’m also slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a bigger plot line with Rue’s aggressive brother. There were two or three scenes with him, and his part of the story did provide a glance deeper into Rue’s character, but it was almost too neatly wrapped up, the brother being swept under the rug.​

Still, the thing that matters most is enjoyment. While the book had a slow start and I initially had my doubts, the last half had me in love and I was head over heels for it.​

So, despite its flaws, I have to give this book four stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

But, though I liked it, this book isn’t for everyone. Check the content warnings: hunger, sex, kink, abandonment, aggression, poverty, and curse words