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A review by brittnybuysbooks
Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I feel like we didn’t really get to know these characters- why Ian was shocked by Hannah’s interest. Why Hannah was so afraid of being deserted. The most I feel like we hear is that her family is disappointed that she is an engineer not a medical practitioner. I just felt like there was a deeper reason not really explored. I felt sort of lost. I was rooting for the relationship because I was simply supposed to, not because I was rooting for the characters.
In some part, that was due to the nature of it being a novella, so there wasn’t much room for character exploration. However, I feel like she could have shortened or even replaced the spicy scenes, and Hannah’s numerous general references to past ‘flings.’ I wish there was more she unpacked about why she doesn’t let people get close. When she chooses to follow through with the relationship, it felt sudden. It felt like a “well, he saved my life so maybe he does like me. I guess I could date him. 🤷🏻♀️”
To be fair I’m also not a fan of spice- I’ll skim over it to catch important dialogue if it’s there, but it’s not something I enjoy reading. Here, it feels unearned. (And it’s pretty freaking spicy 🌶️, at least to me 😕)
Even if I didn’t understand it the way I wanted to, I do appreciate that Hazelwood at least subverted the trope with having Hannah be the one of the pair fighting against the idea of a relationship. That’s real. There are plenty of women who do that too. Hazelwood’s writing style has great pacing!
I enjoyed reading The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, so it is hard to give this rating. I considered even a 2.5. I love that the women in those books are more fully rounded and that there are also subplots of them dealing with sexism in STEM. It makes me care about them more, and having to skim over the spice feel more worth it.
In some part, that was due to the nature of it being a novella, so there wasn’t much room for character exploration. However, I feel like she could have shortened or even replaced the spicy scenes, and Hannah’s numerous general references to past ‘flings.’ I wish there was more she unpacked about why she doesn’t let people get close.
To be fair I’m also not a fan of spice- I’ll skim over it to catch important dialogue if it’s there, but it’s not something I enjoy reading. Here, it feels unearned. (And it’s pretty freaking spicy 🌶️, at least to me 😕)
Even if I didn’t understand it the way I wanted to, I do appreciate that Hazelwood at least subverted the trope with having Hannah be the one of the pair fighting against the idea of a relationship. That’s real. There are plenty of women who do that too. Hazelwood’s writing style has great pacing!
I enjoyed reading The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, so it is hard to give this rating. I considered even a 2.5. I love that the women in those books are more fully rounded and that there are also subplots of them dealing with sexism in STEM. It makes me care about them more, and having to skim over the spice feel more worth it.