Sometimes, The Best Things Are The Most Forbidden

I recently finished reading Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood.

~POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT~

  Rating: 3.75/5 stars

"Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.”

Okay, so Ali Hazelwood really said “let’s make age gaps hot again”—and honestly? She almost had me. This book had me in a chokehold for a second… until it didn’t. But let’s get into it.

First of all: Italian villa? Sicily?? Destination wedding chaos??? SOLD. Like, the setting was actually stunning. It felt like summer vacation in book form—gelato, ocean views, ancient ruins, and every romantic cliché imaginable. Yes please.

And don’t get me wrong, I liked this book way more than I expected. I went in blind, with zero expectations after Deep End. This one was a vibe. It gave bingeable summer escape, and I devoured it. Maya and Conor? Messy, dramatic, intense. But also sweet in a weird, broken kinda way.

The chemistry was THERE. I mean, it’s Ali Hazelwood. She knows how to build tension. Every interaction between them crackled with energy. I ate that up. The little moments?? The subtle glances, the teasing, the banter??? I was blushing—like okay sir, go off

But here’s the thing...

The age gap conversation was SO repetitive. Like. We get it. He’s 38. She’s 23. We know. You’ve said it 50 times. Stop trying to convince us it’s wrong while also writing the smuttiest tension ever. You can’t have both!! At one point, it felt less like a romance and more like a think piece on age dynamics

Also, Conor was kind of... bland? He was giving emotionally constipated sugar daddy with a hot face and one personality trait—being guilty about Maya's age. Meanwhile Maya?? QUEEN. She carried. She was chaotic, bold, emotional, and called him out every damn time. I loved her little rage fits and how she never let him off easy. She gave main character energy, full stop.

And yes, the side characters slapped. Eli was SUCH a good brother (justice for functional sibling dynamics), and the cameos from Not in Love made my heart do a little dance. It felt like revisiting old friends.

BUT. The ending? Rushed. Some of the dialogue? Cringe. And I’m sorry, but if I hear the word “problematic” one more time, I might combust.

Still, I had fun. And I liked that Ali tried something a little different. It wasn’t perfect, but it was sexy & dramatic—in the best way.

If you want an age gap romance with tension, smut, and emotional pining in a gorgeous setting? Go for it. Just maybe don’t take it too seriously.

Was it problematic? Yeah. Did I enjoy it anyway? Absolutely.

Check out Problematic Summer Romance, and discover what happens when the best things are forbidden.