Really Loved this book!
Contemporary Romance/ open door
Published 2024 by Berkley
Soundtrack: Bad Idea Right – Olivia Rodrigio
You guys, this book! I was nervous going in, but honestly, it blew me away.
My third Ali Hazelwood book this year, ππ°π΅ πͺπ― ππ°π·π¦, with its intimate, entertaining, and unique premise, might be my favorite. I used a mix of audio and ebook here, and both were excellent.
The stylistic editing here is extraordinary: the inner thoughts, the texts, the conversations, the meaningful chapter titles. I think I am swooning over typography.
I initially put on the audio for a long drive at chapter 11, βWe work it out of our system, and never think about it againβ (IYKYK). I could not get over how perfectly Clarkeβs (warm and gravelly) and Daltonβs (sharp and aloof) voices matched the characters I had already developed in my head. The duet style was perfect, and I could easily distinguish inner monologue, emotions, and characters!
“I might be like that, too.”
Ali Hazelwood, Not in Love
“Like what?”
“Incapable of loving
people the way they deserve.”
I know other readers had difficulty with the amount of physical intimacy in this book, but I thought the context surrounding it, including the use of consent (throughout the encounters) and the level of trust between them to try something new, was stunning. Yes, they avoided putting their feelings into words, but they certainly were communicating in bed.
Additionally, we got a lot of bare vulnerability in their conversations. I loved that Rue and Eli were trying to find a reason they were incapable of raw, intimate love by confessing their most private secrets. The message is that not everyone can open with everyone, which is okay!
Maybe people can be happy and sad. Maybe stories are messy and complicated Maybe endings don’t always include solutions that tie everything together in a bow. But that
Ali Hazelwood, Not in Love
doesn’t mean that they have to be tragedies
{slight content spoiler ahead}
Ali is incredibly talented. With the profundity of the content covered (college sports, complicated sibling relationships, found family, corporate financials, patents, and the struggle of grad students), there was a possibility it would feel disjointed. Then, the deeper layers of food insecurity, the death of a parent, and trust issuesβshe covered a lot of depth. Ali nailed it, and it came together wondrously.
If you enjoy spicy comedies with complex characters working through their flaws similar to What is Love and Butcher and Blackbird, I am sure you will love Not in Love.
I already was a massive Ali Hazelwood fan, but after experiencing her incredible stylistic range, and her tenderness towards dark (yet essential topics) she reigns as one of my top authors, hands down.