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Not In Love written by Ali Hazelwood was absolutely STUNNING and PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!! This is my second book I've read by Ali Hazelwood, and let me just say it's my FAVORITE. When I saw that beautiful cover, I knew I had to get my hands on this book quickly, and I'm so happy that I did because I loved every single minute of it. If I could give this book a billion gazillion stars, I totally would because it was just that good. I know Ali is known for her STEM romances, but this book was more than just STEM, romance, and smut, it's about growth, forgiveness, finding love in the most unexpected places, and learning about yourself and what you are capable of. Not In Love is completely spicy, so if you are uncomfortable with that, then this book is NOT for you. I will say that the smut didn't overpower the plot, there was both smut and plot and both were done so well. I absolutely loved every single minute of this book from beginning to end. The emotional vulnerability was so freaking beautiful, yet utterly heart breaking. I can't recommend this book enough, if you haven't done so already, on June 11th, 2024 go grab yourself a copy of this book immediately. Ali has stolen my heart and soul, is anyone willing to go to therapy with me after this book?

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

"💅You need to stop bothering women who ask you to simply fuck off.💅"

"😈You mean, you don't want to go upstairs and fuck a man you don't know minutes after a man you do know verbally assaulted you?😈"

"💔Maybe some people are too broken. Maybe.....maybe things have happened in their lives, in their past, that have damaged them so bad, they are never going to get happy endings with the loves of their lives. Maybe some people are meant to be tragedies.💔"

"😭When my sister was born, my parents kept saying how perfect she was, and I was so resentful, I refused to even look at her for weeks.😭"

"🌺He stared at me like I was a beautiful, exotic flower that had the power to kill him with a pollen drop.🌺"

Dr. Rue Siebert might NOT have it all, but she has enough, a few friends she can count on including her boss, maybe? the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career. Dr. Rue Siebert is a biotech engineer at Kline, which is one of the most promising start ups in the food industry. Rue Siebert and Tisha Fuli are the very best of best friends, they work at Kline together, but they also share gossip together, Tisha is like Rue's right hand wingman, but also the person that Rue can confide in when she's doubting herself. Eli Killgore works for Harkness, which is a private equity firm that is trying to crumble the walls of Kline, but for personal reasons alone. For certain reasons, Eli wants to take down Kline to save Rue because the same thing that happened to Eli is happening to Rue right now. Rue and Eli met on an app for hookups, so they decide to have a no strings attached hookup, but soon after spending time together, Eli and Rue are finding themselves falling for one another. When Rue finds out that Eli wants to take down Kline, she's completely speechless, but as they spend time together, Eli starts opening up and sharing his personal reasons for demolishing Kline. The secret no strings attached hookup between Rue and Eli has a deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail.

Not In Love taught me a personal life lesson, don't ALWAYS put your trust in those closest to you because they can back stab you in a heart beat. I absolutely adored Rue and Tisha's friendship, they were like two peas in a pod. For your information, yes, Rue is TALL. I absolutely loved the growth Rue had throughout this book, she went from never speaking what was on her mind, to believing in herself when hard times rolled around the corner. The emotional baggage the Rue and Eli both shared was so heart breaking, but I am so proud of each of them for sharing personal stories and overcoming their damage as a team. Rue was always so hesitant to put one foot in front of the other, but Eli was so patient with her and it made me swoon for him even more. No matter what life throws at you, you are always going to need that one specific person to hold your hand as you navigate life's obstacles, and I truly loved watching Eli be that person for Rue. Rue had a very dry sense of humor, so the banter between Eli and Rue was always hilarious and Rue's dry humor made it a million times better because you just had no clue what was going to come spewing out of her mouth when she was having a conversation with Eli. I just wanted to reach into my kindle and hug both Eli and Rue as they were unpacking their personal life stories full of emotional damage.