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I’ve been working my way through Ali Hazelwood’s catalogue over the past couple months, enjoying each of her STEM romance books to varying degrees! With the second book coming out with May 27 new book releases, I wanted to dive into Not in Love, the first installment in the series, before release day.
I’ll admit I was hesitant. Even though I’ve always loved Ali’s work (see me gushing about The Love Hypothesis here), Deep End really didn’t work for me. And I’d heard Not in Love wasn’t exactly a fan favorite.
But plot twist: Not in Love pleasantly surprised me by hitting all the right spots. It’s cute. There’s yearning. The FMC is emotionally unavailable as heck, and the MMC is pathetically down bad from the moment he lays eyes on her. There’s power exchange. And somehow, this book takes everything Deep End tried to do and does it better, effortlessly.
It’s now one of my favorite Ali Hazelwood books of all time. Read on for a full summary, honest review, and spicy chapter breakdown of Not in Love.
Not in Love
Description
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.
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 front man 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 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.
Synopsis
Which Ali Hazelwood books have you read?
Which Ali Hazelwood books have you read?
Dr. Rue Siebert works at a biotech startup company named Kline, focused on food produce research, with her best friend Tisha and her mentor Florence. Rue comes from a family history of child neglect. Her mother, an on-and-off addict, has had lapses in caring for Rue and her brother Vincent, often leaving them without food for days. This led Rue to grow up with food insecurity issues, which inspired her to become a food scientist. Due to her upbringing, Rue is emotionally unavailable and a bit socially awkward, often struggling to connect with others and read social cues. She also has a strained relationship with her brother Vincent, especially after she left for college. They’re currently working through a dispute over their late father’s cabin. Vincent wants to sell it for money, while Rue wants to keep it as a connection to her father’s memory.
Eli Killgore is a PhD program dropout who started a private equity company named Harkness with his two best friends, Minami and Conor “Hark” Harkness. All three were mentored by Florence during their graduate studies. When Florence decided to move into the private sector, she stole Minami’s idea for a biofuel technology and left them behind. Eli and Hark, who were still students at the time, were forced out of the program. Minami managed to finish her PhD, but without university support. Around the same time, Eli’s parents died, his mother from cancer and his father in a car accident, leaving Eli to raise his younger sister Maya at the age of 25. His early relationship with Maya was strained, as Eli was too strict, but now she’s moved back in while attending grad school. Eli also has a giant dog named Tiny.
When Kline defaults on a loan, Harkness moves in to take ownership and reclaim their stolen technology. The night before, Rue and Eli match on a dating app and meet up at a bar. Their planned hookup is interrupted when Vincent shows up to confront Rue about their family cabin. Eli fends Vincent off, drives Rue home, and asks to see her again. Rue, being emotionally unavailable, insists she doesn’t do repeats, and they go their separate ways.
The next day, the Harkness takeover is announced. In the crowd, Rue immediately recognizes Eli. Florence does not acknowledge her history with Harkness or her role in the takeover and brushes off the situation. Rue mainly works on an independent project funded by Florence, and the two of them have a separate contract declaring Rue’s ownership of her work.
Eli recognizes Rue again later that day, and their attraction is still intense. Rue tries to push Eli away, unaware of Florence’s betrayal, but they keep getting pulled back together. At a retirement party, they hook up.
Thinking one night would be enough, Rue tries to distance herself again, but Eli keeps pursuing her. When they run into each other at an ice rink (Eli played hockey and Rue figure skated), sparks fly and they hook up again. Despite Rue’s resistance, they begin getting closer. Eli realizes he’s falling in love with Rue but keeps it to himself, afraid she’ll run.
Rue finds a document in Eli’s car revealing Florence is now leading Harkness. Eli is devastated to be the one who exposes Florence’s deception. Rue ends things and walks away. When Vincent shows up again at her apartment, she panics and calls Eli. He shows up, deescalates the situation, and comforts Rue as she breaks down about her past. He stays the night.
The next morning, Rue confronts Florence, who tells a different version of events, claiming she took the project to protect herself.
Eli discovers that Florence is planning to buy out her loan by selling off Kline’s assets, including Rue’s project. Realizing Florence is about to do to Rue what she did to them, Eli convinces Minami and Harkness to cut a deal.
Rue consults Tisha’s sister, Nyota, a lawyer, and learns her contract with Florence was never certified. As she’s heading to confront Florence, she finds Eli in her office. He pulls her aside and asks her to trust him. When Rue questions him, Eli confesses that he’s in love with her. Rue doesn’t respond, and Eli leaves, heartbroken.
Harkness offers Florence a deal. She keeps her CEO title and controlling interest, but Rue’s project is returned. The lawyers also help resolve Rue’s dispute with Vincent.
Eventually, Rue finds the courage to tell Eli she loves him. They reconcile. One year later, Rue and Eli are staying at her father’s cabin with Tiny. Eli proposes while they’re out walking the dog, and Rue says yes.
Review
What's your favorite Ali Hazelwood book?
What's your favorite Ali Hazelwood book?
Overall Impressions 😊
I’m baffled to hear Not in Love is not a fan favorite, especially when people love reading a lot of spice these days. This book did everything Deep End tried to do, but it did it better and without forcing it. If anything, this book feels like a first and better draft of Deep End. We have an emotionally unavailable FMC, Rue (who could very well be Scarlett), and an MMC who is down bad from the moment he sets eyes on her, Eli (aka Lukas).
He spends the whole book chasing her while she sorts through her trauma and feelings. There’s an obvious power exchange, which is all Deep End was about, but here it feels organic and earned. And none of the icks or inauthentic relationship dynamics.
This book was exactly what I want from a contemporary romance. It was short, sweet, full of pining, had great banter, and kept my attention the entire time. It exceeded my expectations by a lot, but mostly because I’m still pretty annoyed about how Deep End went. Honestly, the community misled me on this one, because this is basically a better Deep End.
So… I don’t quite get why this book isn’t just as popular as Deep End when it has all of the ups and none of the downs.
Characters 👥
Everything in this book has something to do. I liked Rue. As a former “emotionally unavailable” girlie, I really felt her hesitance to connect. I liked her motivations and background. This book follows the romcom blueprint well, a pretty FMC with a dash of trauma that makes her unattainable. I like that she’s smart, focused, and I love a reverse grumpy-sunshine dynamic, which Rue does perfectly as the black cat FMC.
Eli was great. I felt like Lukas from Deep End had the personality of a brick wall, but Eli has a lot more depth thanks to his relationship with his sister. He’s also scoring points just by being a dog lover.
Florence was a predictable antagonist, but let’s face it, I’m not looking for groundbreaking plot twists in books like this. I’m just here for the feels. I was ready to be disappointed in her, and I was just the right amount.
I liked the setup of Maya and Hark, especially with the second book coming out this Tuesday. I do love me an age gap romance.
Plot 🗺️
What we have here is a romcom that follows the genre blueprint pretty well. We get the meet-cute, the initial reason why they can’t be together, a brief window where they do connect, the third-act conflict, a soft breakup (even though it’s more emotional distance than an actual split), the love confession, the separation, and then the happily ever after.
I honestly don’t look for a well-rounded plot in books like this. The moments of yearning or groveling are top of mind. And I was fully here for Eli being pathetically down bad for Rue the entire time. I was rewarded, and I loved it.
No notes in terms of plot. For me, that’s not a criticism. This book does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and it does it really well.
Writing Style and Narration ✍️
Ali Hazelwood does what Ali Hazelwood does best in this book. There’s something really satisfying about a smart author writing a smart woman. Rue’s inner monologue is relatable, and the banter is there. There’s no overly heavy prose like you might get at the beginning of a fantasy novel. It just works right.
Closing Thoughts 🧃
I waited on Not in Love for a long while because I was told “it doesn’t hold up.” I wholeheartedly disagree. If you liked the idea of Deep End but were giga icked by… well, everything that happened in it, you should give this a go. It does everything Deep End does, but so much better. If you also like tropes like he falls first, reverse grumpy sunshine, and enjoy reading a healthy (superfluous) dose of yearning, this one is absolutely for you.
Where does it fall in my Ali Hazelwood rankings, you ask? I’m so glad you did. It’s not my favorite Ali book, the shrine devoted to Bride in my house still burns strong in its place of honor. Nothing will ever be Bride. (Does anyone know where I can get a lobotomy so I can read Bride again for the first time?)
Coming in close behind is Love, Theoretically, with consent daddy Jack holding firm in the second spot. But Not in Love? It might just be my third favorite Ali Hazelwood book, if that gives you any inclination on whether or not you should read it.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood Spicy Chapters
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 33
- Epilogue
If you love a man who’s pathetically down bad this one’s for you.
Not in Love restored my faith in Ali Hazelwood after Deep End shook my confidence in her. It’s charming, short, full of pining, great spice, and has all the components I enjoy in a contemporary romance. I can’t wait to dive into the second book this upcoming Tuesday.
I’ve only got Check & Mate, Loathe to Love You, and Two Can Play left on my Ali Hazelwood bench, which means I’m almost ready to drop my all-time Hazelwood rankings. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when it goes live!
Did you like Not in Love? What did and didn’t work for you? Let me know in the comments!
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