About the Book
-
Author:
- Ali Hazelwood
- Voices:
- Cis Boy
- Cis Girl
- Straight
- White (Non-Specified)
First Impressions: Don’t Forget the Science
What’s Your Type? Grumpy/Sunshine, Aquaintences With Benefits, No Strings Attached, One Night Stand Turns Into Something More
Meet Cute: I Never Thought I’d See You Again
The Lean: Slow Burn, Emotionally
Dirty Talk: Straight Up
We Need to Talk: Science as an Afterthought
Was it Good For You? Not the Best, But Not the Worst
First Impressions: Don’t Forget the Science
I used to really like the sciency aspect of Hazelwood’s covers; they were unique and quirky among the many other illustrated covers out there. But this one’s just lazy. Those test tubes look like a total afterthought, and it’s hard to tell that the thing in front is an experiment of some sort.
What’s Your Type?
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Acquaintances With Benefits
- No Strings Attached
- One Night Stand Turns Into Something More
Dating Profile
Dr. Rue Siebert doesn’t really do people. But when she’s feeling a certain need, she reaches out to men via an app, they both benefit, and then they go their separate ways. No repeats, no strings attached. Nothing to detract her from her true love: working on a new chemical coating for fruits and veggies to keep them fresher, longer.
Eli Killgore isn’t looking for a relationship; he’s been there, done that. He’s too busy with his private equity firm and their interest in Kline, a promising startup in the biofuel industry. But he, too, occasionally needs to scratch an itch, and also turns to an app for quick and easy company.
Meet Cute: I Never Thought I’d See You Again
Rue contacts Eli through an app and expects a night of good fun. Instead, they get to deal with her aggressive brother and end up going home without going home, if you know what I mean. Both feel an immediate and powerful attraction to each other, however, and so consider doing what they don’t usually do: meet up a second time. Until they realize who each other are: Rue being a scientist at Kline and Eli being one of the people (allegedly) trying to take it over.
The Lean: Slow Burn, Emotionally
Rue doesn’t want to like Eli, especially when she thinks he’s trying to ruin everything she and her friend Florence, the founder and CEO of Kline, have worked so hard for. But she can’t resist the chemistry. Eli feels much the same way, if not more so, so the two fall into the spice from a pretty early point. It’s the emotional connection that comes later, through sharing difficult stories about their childhoods to learning the quirks of each other.
Dirty Talk: Straight Up
Rue and Eli are refreshingly honest and open about their likes and dislikes while getting to know each other’s sexual preferences. Rue, for example, doesn’t like penetrative sex (not because of any residual trauma, but because she’s never really enjoyed it) while Eli likes to take control. It’s nice to see two romance novel adults being so clear and explicit in their wants and consents.
“I enjoy … calling the shots.”
She was silent for a beat. “I think I already knew that.” He wasn’t surprised, not after their conversation in one of Kline’s labs. “You’re good at stopping yourself, but sometimes I can tell that you’d rather be …”
He waited for her to finish. When she didn’t, he said, “In charge?”
She nodded again, and he smiled at her reassuringly.
Ed. note: This quote was pulled from a pre-release edition of the book. The final text might be different.
Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
Being able to read Eli’s POV in this book is an interesting experience; he clearly falls for Rue long before she even gives the idea a subconscious thought. The poor guy is like a teenager again, constantly hard and reaching his climax nearly immediately. I feel bad for how uncomfortable he had to have been the entire book.
Eli was suddenly, intensely, pleasurably aware of the warmth of his own blood. He was alive, very much so. Because Rue Siebert was walking toward him with the air of someone who’d rather be anywhere else.
Her existence, apparently, did a lot for him. More than an elaborately staged erotic show.Ed. note: Same as above.
We Need to Talk: Science as an Afterthought
Hazelwood made a name for herself with her STEM-heavy romance novels but has slowly been moving away from the actual science. This latest book is the lightest on the science yet (aside from Bride, which is outside her norm), and although I’m not a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, I really liked how different the science aspects of her books made them seem. It makes me a bit sad that the science in Not in Love could have been replaced by any sort of other job, and it wouldn’t have changed the plot much at all.
Was it Good For You?
Although Not in Love is a spice-heavy book, I was more interested in the emotional relationship between Rue and Eli. The way they trusted each other with their darkest secrets was powerful, and their explicit and clear conversations about their preferences was a breath of fresh air. Kudos to Hazelwood for those aspects. (And the spice isn’t all that bad, either.)
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Berkley, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Not in Love is available now.
