Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood is her hottest and most vulnerable book

If I’m wrong, I will admit it and one thing I’ll happily admit is that I misjudged Ali Hazelwood. I didn’t love her debut but since then, every book has gotten better including Not In Love.

While most of her books follow a formula, none is exactly the same as the other. Given that Hazelwood has branched out recently, things feel even more different than they have in the past.

Going into Not in Love though, this book truly seemed like something different and that started with the cover. The pose was my first clue and then her little show of skin, I knew this one was bound to be something different.

Thankfully, Berkley was kind enough to send me an ARC so I could read this one early, and what a time I had with it.

Not in Love is Ali Hazelwood at her hottest and most vulnerable.

If there’s one thing I adore about Ali Hazelwood’s books, it’s her main characters and Rue is truly one of a kind. Let’s fast-forward for a second though as the book starts with Rue meeting up with a guy and the hookup doesn’t happen. Of course, we find out the next day that her hookup aka Eli is planning to take over the company she’s working for along with his associate.

Given how close Rue is with her boss, she’s determined to stay away from him but the attraction between them is undeniable. Let me just start by saying that this book truly lives up to its title as it’s a lot of these two hooking up without many feelings involved and it’s a huge departure from the previous works of Ali Hazelwood’s.

Even so, Not in Love feels like something fresh for this author and I don’t know how I can go back to having anything else. Aside from the romance, Rue is working on something to help combat food insecurity which is something that’s very personal to her. In addition, Eli was tasked with raising his sister at a young age and he has a bit of trauma there. Honestly, these two are flawed but it just works.

Sometimes, it can feel like romances are a little too cinematic but Not in Love felt grounded completely in reality. It was nice to see these two having their romance while also dealing with challenges in their personal and professional lives. While it was a fun and sometimes spicy read, it doesn’t shy away from Eli and Rue’s baggage. Either way, that’s what made me love this book so much and it quickly became one of my favorites from Ali Hazelwood.

If you’re looking for something different yet with that trademark style Ali Hazelwood has, I think you’ll love this one. I also feel like it might bring in an entirely new group of fans to her work. We can only hope but Not in Love was an utter delight and a book I know I’ll be revisiting.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood is out now where books are sold.