Ali Hazelwood is one of those authors that people either love or hate. I am the former; I can always rely on Ali Hazelwood’s books to pull me out of a reading slump. I went through a string of books that I ended up DNFing, so I immediately pulled Not In Love off my shelf to read. If, for whatever reason, I didn’t like this book, it wouldn’t matter because I would quickly read through it anyway. I was correct, and Not In Love captivated me from start to finish. This wasn’t my favorite Ali Hazelwood book I have read, but it did the job of putting me back on track with reading regularly.

Rue Siebert is a biotech engineer working her dream job. She finds out from Florence, her boss, that their company’s loan was bought out by Harkness. Rue meets Eli Killgore, one of the employees at Harkness, by accident. She doesn’t realize who he was originally, but finds that she has amazing chemistry with him. Eli is entranced by Rue from the get-go. Can they move past this, or will their professional entanglements be a barrier for them to their continuing their relationship?

Not In Love was no exception to other Ali Hazelwood books I have read. I liked reading about Rue and her research. Every character in Ali’s books seems to have a personal connection to the science they are studying, and Rue fits into that. I liked Rue’s friendship with Tisha and Nyota. It was easy to become invested in Rue’s life. Eli had that instant Golden Retriever / insta puppy love, and I loved it. Eli was the better half of their relationship by far.

What do I mean by Eli being the better half of their relationship? Rue was probably my least favorite Ali Hazelwood character to date. While I understand that she had a rough upbringing, her demeanor was difficult for me to like. For one, she said she doesn’t like animals, and that was a turn-off for me. The second, she had a difficult time communicating her feelings to Eli, and it was hard to read. Eli adored her and never pushed her, but even I was rooting for him to leave if Rue couldn’t get her shit together. While Eli and Rue are a great couple at the end of the book, Rue struggled to say that she loved him and I get that it was hard for her, but c’mon. If you love him, just say that.

Before the story began, Ali writes that this book is different than other books she has written in the past. Now that I have finished Not In Love, I can attest to this. This book was smuttier than her previous books. Do I dare say that I felt it was too much? This book reminded me of reading a Tessa Bailey book, which is fine, but there needs to be a genuine romance building besides them sleeping together all the time. There were moments where Rue initiated sex with Eli, and I felt she wasn’t mentally in a good place at the time, so it took away from the scene itself. I wouldn’t say that I disliked this change from Ali’s books, but knowing what I know now, I know that this upcoming series will be what it is.

Not In Love was a much-needed breather for me, considering the other books I had DNFed a few weeks ago. Ali Hazelwood is a go-to author for me, and her books always keep me engaged. I rated Not In Love four stars on Goodreads.