My summary:

Rue Siebert has a chemical engineering PhD and works with her best friend, Tisha. Rue loves her job and the company she works for, Kline. The woman who founded it, Florence, has always been a friend and a mentor to her. Not one for relationships, Rue depends on a hookup app and meets Eli through it, and although instantly attracted to each other, their night is waylaid by an interruption. The next day, an announcement is made at Rue’s company that Harkness, a private equity firm, has acquired the company’s loan. Rue is shocked to find Eli there, as he is an owner of Harkness. As the hostile takeover begins, Rue and Eli are pitted against each other on opposite sides but their attraction is too much to resist. 

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book and the longer I sit and reflect on it, the more I like it. Not in Love is NOT a typical Ali Hazelwood STEM romcom. At all. There is a strong STEM female main character, and there is romance, but this is the darker and grittier sister to the otherwise lighthearted and flirtier preceding books of hers. I found it to be tragically beautiful. 

I suggest everyone read the author’s note at the beginning before reading, or better yet, before purchasing. Especially if you’re expecting Ali’s typical lighthearted rom-com. It’s a very accurate summation of the plot. I’ve already seen a handful of other reviews that DNF or disliked it. And one didn’t even start it because of the author’s note and the themes in the book. This is a book best enjoyed if you know what you’re diving into. 

I liked this book right off the bat. It’s witty but you have to work a bit to really absorb it all. Her humor reminds me of a masterful stand-up comedian whose best jokes and stories circle back to phrasing or references from earlier. 

And apparently a smutty yet still science-y Ali Hazelwood is exactly what I need in my life. I knew before it was released that this book would be a lot spicier than her other books. And it is, but I’d call it smut with a brain (Intelligent smut?). It didn’t feel like the main focus to me. The smut isn’t THE plot, the smut is a tool used to advance the plot (plus, to entertain. I mean, it’s still smut in a romance book).

Overall, I was really invested in how everything would play out for Eli and Rue. I love Eli’s patience with Rue. I enjoyed the descriptions of Rue’s thoughts as she grappled with her feelings. I really enjoyed Eli’s friends and Tisha (and even Nyota) for Rue. 

I love the little details in this book, especially the chapters having titles. I’m not sure why books seemed to get away from this but it always feels like a little treat when they are included. 

This book is witty, but it’s definitely not a rom-com. It’s spicy, but it’s not pure smut and there IS a plot. It’s a romance, but it’s just as much a recovery from past traumas and healing enough to love. 

I love that Ali’s last few books have been so different. YA, paranormal, and now a darker sister of STEM. (I loved the Mallory Greenleaf reference!) I enjoy Ali’s writing and I like to see her branching out. Although I love all of her STEM romcoms, if you’ve read one then you’ve read them all. I love seeing her writing showcased differently now. 

Also, Ali Hazelwood has a STEM background. Her bio says she pursued a PhD in neuroscience. This story really makes me wonder if she got screwed in academia and, then, instead went on to be a writer. I’m wondering if there’s any of her truth in here. It feels pretty raw. I’m also sure that this exploitation of grad students and their intellectual property is likely a real and life-changing issue in the world of academia. Either way, this book really hit it out of the park for me.