If you exist anywhere in the reading community, especially the romance section, you’ve most likely seen the name Ali Hazelwood before. Hazelwood exploded onto the scene in 2021 with her steamy rom-com “The Love Hypothesis.” A major contender in the romance genre, she is best known for writing heartthrob love interests, women in STEM protagonists and passionate romantic chemistry.
“Not in Love” is different. It is a story about vulnerability, the terrifying ordeal of being known and taking that leap of faith anyway.
The plot surrounds Dr. Rue Siebert, a biotechnological engineer working at a startup called Kline. While she comes off as cold and uncaring to others, in reality, she’s socially awkward.
As things start to look up for Rue, a company called Harkness begins a battle of wits and acquisition with the CEO of Kline.
What’s even worse is Siebert’s fatal attraction to one of Harkness’s top brass — Eli Kilgore. Kilgore is just as attracted to her as she is to him. The two agree to enter into a physical relationship only, lasting until either Kline or Harkness wins the corporate battle. Of course, as this is a romance novel, the relationship begins to develop into something more.
Siebert is a truly admirable protagonist. She is unapologetically herself despite her own insecurities. She never does anything she doesn’t want to do and is fiercely loyal to the people she loves. She also doesn’t dance around issues and gets straight to the point — in everything but romance that is.
As a love interest, Kilgore checks all the right boxes — patient, gentle, someone who genuinely cares about Rue’s well-being, and, not to mention, a total heartthrob. While a lot of time is spent on Kilgore’s point of view, he is slightly less compelling than Siebert.
Siebert and Kilgore’s dynamic isn’t the best when compared to the chemistry of couples in other stories, but what they have is incredibly sweet. They both have a mutual understanding of each other unmatched by any other character, helping both heal from the scars of their pasts. Despite being on opposite sides, both characters develop a bond that makes them question the decisions they’ve made in life.
For those who prefer a more enemies-to-lovers type of story, this is not quite that. While the two are on separate sides of a conflict, little hostility arises between them. The main source of conflict in their relationship comes from the uncertainty of the outcome of this corporate battle they are wrapped up in, as well as their own insecurities preventing them from being truly vulnerable with one another.
Siebert’s low self-esteem is her worst enemy. An incredibly competent scientist, she tends to run from her own emotions and believes herself incapable of forming meaningful relationships. However, with patience and encouragement from Kilgore and her own self-reflection, she begins to warm up to the idea of actually being happy.
Despite this, “Not in Love” doesn’t present a relationship as the end-all solution to insecurities and trauma. While Siebert and Kilgore begin to heal through their relationship, they also do the work themselves to unpack the things that shaped who they are.
What stands out about this book is also its supporting cast. Siebert’s childhood best friend Tisha is a passionate, loving friend who provides comedic relief and loyalty. Instead of being an obstacle in the way of the main relationship, Tisha actively encourages Siebert to seek out what she wants throughout the story.
There’s also Kilgore’s friends and Harkness coworkers — Hark, Minami and Sul. Out of these three, Minami definitely shone the brightest. Despite being with Harkness, she shows no ill will towards Siebert. There’s no petty female rivalry in this story, which feels refreshing. Through Minami, the narrative also touches upon — albeit very briefly — the intersectionality of being a woman of color in STEM.
This book would not be as good as it is without the supporting cast. Each side character feels like their own person, not just there to help push the plot along.
The plot does have suspense to it as well, with the ongoing battle between Kline and Harkness, as well as Siebert and Kilgore’s own personal struggles. Some characters also have their own secrets, which slowly become unraveled as the plot approaches its climax.
Like most romance novels, “Not in Love” is more character-focused than plot-focused. There’s no goal to save the world or a dastardly villain to be defeated, just genuine people with emotional baggage they need to sort through.
This book can hit hard for anyone who has wondered if they are enough, if they have made the right choices in life or are afraid of being their true selves.
While this book is not Hazelwood’s most popular novel — only coming up to a total score of 3.64 on Goodreads — it supplies a genuine relationship and a depiction of intimacy that is worth the read.
