Reviews

Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood

morgansbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

readingwithmrleo's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I don't think Ali Hazelwood can write something I won't like. It's just impossible. Loved, loved, loved these stories! All the stories were so fun, swoony and just perfect really! How are they all so amazing? At this point I’m pretty sure even her grocery list must be funny and captivating to read. Anyways... here are my thoughts on every story in this book!

Under One Roof ╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼
Damn this was good. And I can now safely say that I am a fan of novellas (t'was my first). The fact that the book started with present day and then went back in time to slowly get back to the present time was just the best, because damn I was looking forward to getting back to that kitchen.
I feel like every time I read a new book from Ali Hazelwood I get a new book boyfriend. But like, LIAM IS SO FREAKING CUTE. And let me tell you the moment he won my heart completely. Yes, blushing was freaking cute, looking at his feet, a cutie once again, the moment he just grabbed her and put her out of his way? I had butterflies. BUT THE SHOVELING SCENE... DAAAAAAMN I NEED THIS MAN. Surely you have heard me complain about winter and FREAKING SNOW (gosh I hate snow, HAAAAAAATE SNOW) so get me this perfect shoveling God, it's all I ask. It’s honestly the Canadian dream.
If someone ever comes to shovel my entryway after a snowstorm = MARRIAGE, that’s what he’ll get okay! I'm not letting him go away. Anyways, I loved the story, loved the characters and loved the spice (not as much as Leo though, IYKYK).

Stuck With You ╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼
Honestly, Ali Hazelwood could write about my least favourite tropes, one that makes me usually roll my eyes inside my head and I’d still be in love. These novellas are just so damn enjoyable. Fast to read, direct to the point.

I absolutely loved the back and forth between time in this one, I was always looking forward to finding out what had happened and then, what would happen. I know, I know, you’ll say this book was full of miscommunication so I’m not allowed to like it. Well, you are wrong. What I don’t like in miscommunication is when they do talk and actually MIScommunicate. In this one... they in fact did not talk at all. HAHAHA and apparently, I’m good with that so.... SUE ME, I like it when it’s done like that. Sa-tis-fy-ing! Also, it went by so fast and made the interactions in their forced proximity so great, full of tension and all and I loved it.

Unrelated to the story but how are all of Ali’s book covers this gorgeous? I want to frame them. Oh and if you wanted to know, yes, Horny Léo was again all over his love blanket during this read... what can I say... he’s into it.

Below Zero ╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼╼
Ian... oh Ian... you precious human being. Seriously, he's the dream. Hannah has made lots of assumptions about him and I loved discovering how wrong she was. Ian is literally risking everything for her *insert crying emoji here*. Can I get a Ian too?
me waiting for Ian

I do enjoy how the story can be more emotional but still the inner thoughts of our character never fail to make me laugh. And also, despite these being novellas, you always get a great look into the character's life and you can see their evolutions and understand them, which I think is amazing.

P.s. I have to be honest, I freaking loved that dry humping scene, it's living rent free in my head. Thank you. That's all.

stacyhowe13's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

book_worm_04's review against another edition

4.0

I liked these and they were fun to read, but I always felt like the story was very rushed and was not given enough room to develop.

ar3mis's review against another edition

funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bookworm00's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cheyconic's review against another edition

5.0

[b:Loathe to Love You|59054191|Loathe to Love You (The STEMinist Novellas, #1-3)|Ali Hazelwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1672774685l/59054191._SY75_.jpg|93113185]

[a:Ali Hazelwood|21098177|Ali Hazelwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611084228p2/21098177.jpg] is one of the authors who turned me into a romance lover. I love the absolute wittiness and comedy that is her writing style. As far as romance goes, I truly think she is a Jane Austen of our time.

[b:Under One Roof|59651557|Under One Roof (The STEMinist Novellas, #1)|Ali Hazelwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637311353l/59651557._SY75_.jpg|93935907]

Man, even just with the prologue I RESONATED with Mara. I had developed a huge crush on my (now husband) when we were “just friends”. Her internal struggle and frustration with her heart hit a little (very) close to home.

When I look at him, all I can see are the creamer-less cups of coffee I’ve had every day since the day I moved in.

Enemies to lovers is obviously the superior romance trope, second solely to only one bed. Liam and Mara start chipping away at the metaphorical barrier between them, my heart started warming, slowly, gently, magically.

And when he spins me around the room, one single, perfect whirl of pure happiness, that’s when I realize it. How incredibly, utterly gone for this man I am. It’s been there for weeks. Months. Whispering in my ear, creeping at me, hitting me in the face like a train on an iron track.

Once again, Mara’s internal struggles are relatable af. Our girl is out here, living her best life, and suddenly realizes that this person is really truly important to her. Jane Austen would be proud.

And the smut my GOD the smut in this book is *chef’s kiss*. Ali’s books do a fantastic job of quality over quantity. This is what smut should read like– earth shattering. Not distract from the story.

Overall this story had me grinning from ear to ear. I did expect us to find a long lost note from Helena saying she set them up, but it was still perfect without it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[b:Stuck with You|59651555|Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas, #2)|Ali Hazelwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658764223l/59651555._SY75_.jpg|93935905]

It’s 10:45 on a Friday night. And for the third time in less than ten minutes, my world crashes to an end.

forcedproximityforcedproximityforcedproximity
This novella bounces back and forth between the past, the brooding awkward budding relationship between Corporate Thor Erik Nowak and Sadie, superduperstitious Italian green engineer, and the present, where the aforementioned two are trapped on an elevator in a building wide power outage.
I do, truly, earnestly love forced proximity problem solving. And for the sake of forced proximity problem solving, I will allow the miscommunication trope to slide this one, single time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[b:Below Zero|59651553|Below Zero (The STEMinist Novellas, #3)|Ali Hazelwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637311357l/59651553._SY75_.jpg|93935903]

Caring what others think is a lot of work, and – with a handful of exceptions– I’m not a fan of work.

I ardently love Hannah so much. As a fellow RBF queen, I feel this. I’m also in love with the angst set up we have right from the get go– being trapped and your brooding rival comes to save you? ✨bless ✨.
Watching Hannah flirt with the ever clueless Ian is magical. The aftermath is even more so.

Okay. This is no first kiss. This is a fucking masterpiece.

I live for angst. It is my absolute favorite. And this book has it in aces. I loved the mutual infatuation, and the absolute heroism in this book. The epilogue is my favorite of the three.

The following day, our kiss is on the front of the New York Times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bonus Chapter
I absolutely adored this little bonus chapter insight to the boys :™:. It includes all of my favorite things in romance stories and I’m obsessed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

zellapaige's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

I had already read these stories as novellas, but they warmed my heart just as much on the second read-through. These novellas contain all kinds of big profound emotions, but the predominate overarching one is just fluffy fluffy joy, and love, and sex, but mostly joy. 

The bonus chapter/extended series epilogue is fairly short, but a delightful and sweet wrap-up to the book. I loved that the epilogue got us the men's POVs and simultaneously turned them all from the big serious sulking personas their women see them as into the loveable himbos we know they are. I also appreciated how on-brand the epilogue was for each of the characters, it doesn't just go the standard marriage and babies route

Spoiler

(though there is some of that)

the HEA the epilogue explores is tailor-made to everyone across the novellas.

The one negative I have to say is that since these stories all originated as fanfic of the same character pairings, they can feel very same-same and formulaic. It just happens to be a formula that I read love and enjoy reading, so it isn't at all a problem for me, but may be for some readers.

eglozoraitis's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lidias915's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0