A Forbidden, Secret Affair Proves That All’s Fair In Love And Science

I recently finished reading Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

  Rating: 4/5 stars

"Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive frontman threatens to bring it all crumbling down. 

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through - and he's a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can't stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him. 

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out of the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no strings attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business - one that plays for keeps."

This was such a departure from her previous work in the best way. If you’ve never been a fan or you’ve liked a book or two of hers but found them too formulaic, you definitely won't find that here. Not in Love is her most standout book yet and takes such a far jump from “he’s so big, I'm so small, and we’re in stem together” we’re used to.

These people have capital I Issues. Rue and Eli are solidly her most realistic characters which is always my problem with her MMCs in particular. Eli actually having a personality was one of the most pleasant surprises of this book. Rue is nothing like the oblivious 2014 caricatures Ali has a knack for. It still got some giggles out of me don’t get me wrong, but the tone was much more morose and it feels like her deepest book so far.

To narrow it down to only a smutty book is doing such a disservice. It truly is the only way they can connect: yes it’s her hottest book and yes it’s graphic for us spice girlies, but it’s also realistic. Sometimes the body understands something before your brain catches up and honestly, it felt really well done to me. They try to convince themselves it’s all they need from each other but being in their head when they admit that that’s not the case. Deeply romantic. 

I want this Ali from now on! Now that I'm aware she’s capable of writing a tall FMC with emotional intelligence, and a fashion sense that doesn’t rival Jojo Siwa how will I ever go back?

Check out Not In Love, and discover what happens when you finally open yourself up to falling in love.

Happy Reading :)