We all know Ali Hazelwood as a prominent author with STEM-centric romance novellas, her heroines being as feisty as cool and relatable. What makes Not In Love different from any other Ali Hazelwood book, though? Well, it is more of an erotic romance, with deeper trauma bonding than the usual Hazelwood contemporary romance. It is still a love story with a happy ending, a hot MMC, and even a nomination for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Romance in 2024.
Check out our synopsis of Love On the Brain to experience the pure enemies-to-lovers rom-com Ali is all about—with a fair amount of spice. Or you can take a look at Emily Henry’s Funny Story summary and fall in love like we did.
In case you are here for romantasy… we suggest you go through Ali’s first experiment with fantasy romance and check out our Bride summary.
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Now, let’s dive into the story of Eli and Rue, and discover how a hook-up turns into something that is definitely not love. Spoilers ahead!
Rue Siebert had a tough childhood. Raised by an irresponsible mother, she and her younger brother were often starved and hopeless. Then, Rue went to college, hoping her past won’t chase after her. Unfortunately, Vince, her brother, did not have the same luck. Maladjusted, he dropped out of school, and joined the wrong circles, with Rue bailing him out of jail all the time.
She enables him because she feels deeply guilty of his situation. She ran away, leaving him alone with their mother after all.
She specializes in food engineering—a tragic irony considering her earlier life conditions. Currently working under Kline, a start-up run by Florence Kline, a biotech engineer, and Rue’s close friend, Rue has a stable life; work, hookups, and her best friend, Tisha.
Meeting Eli Killgore seems just like any other one-night stand fished out of a dating app. However, Rue’s brother shows up, and the atmosphere tenses. Eli acts like a gentleman; he throws Vince out of the hotel lobby, and comforts Rue. Obviously, any plans with each other go south—but the sizzling attraction is there.
That very night, they develop an intimate game with each other; exchanging terrible stories from their life that they feel most embarrassed about. Talking to a stranger with no prospects of meeting up again is quiteliberating Eli drives her home, and Rue kisses him, his gallantry, humor, and shocking appearance having intrigued her. Lips are on fire, but nothing more happens…
Until they meet again, only to discover that their fates are more deeply intertwined than they thought. Yeah, as if any romance novel would skip that part.
Eli works for Harkness, a company that seeks to buy off small start-ups and elevate them in the market. Presently, Harkness bought a loan from Kline, threatening to steal away everything Florence has worked for all her life; her biofuel tech. Rue immediately takes a defensive stance against Eli, even if her attraction to him is undeniable.
And what usually happens next in romance books? The typical let’s-get-it-out-of-our-system idea. Rue and Eli will have sex one time, and one time only. Any emotional connection is off-limits. Eli and his business partners are the enemy, and Rue must fight them off Kline, not inviting them into her bed!
A very steamy night, that will become the first of many follows—and who can blame them? The chemistry is out of this world. One time is definitely not enough. However, as they spend more time together, things get complicated. Eli becomes more straightforward about his needs, while Rue is reluctant. Her deepest fear of not being enough settles in, and it will take a huge effort from Eli to convince her that her food insecurity just makes him want to cook for her more.
Rue’s indecisiveness when it comes to Eli makes her feel terribly guilty towards Florence. She is confused when she discovers that Eli and his buddies are familiar with bioengineering, but Eli keeps that part of himself a mystery. They may have shared a lot of shameful stories with each other, but he sure has more to hide. Surely, taking over Kline starts to feel more of a personal vendetta than anything else.
Soon enough, Rue finds out that Florence is lying to her. She has been denying any prior connection to Harkness people, while in reality, she used to be their supervisor back at UT. To her dread, Rue discovers a more dreadful truth, and her career is in jeopardy.
Her world shatters when she hears her lifework is on sale, and her brother presses her to give her consent to sell their father’s cabin. It is the only thing they have from him, and Rue is strangely attached to it. Rue has to fight the world, depending only on her wits.
Apart from Tisha, the only other stable thing in her life right now is Eli—funnily enough.
Rue is resilient, devoted to her work, and her special project on food preservation. She has never invested in human relationships, except for Tisha, and Florence, as she was betrayed by the one that mattered the most; the one with her parents. She is cold, cynical, and intimidates people to keep them at a distance. She feels safe having control and sets her boundaries very clearly. She is passionate about a few things; her friends, and her work. She is fine with no-strings-attached involvements and she is confident with her sexuality. Eli challenges everything she has convinced herself she does not need; love, care, and someone dependable.
Eli has a golden retriever energy. Funny thing is, he is the father of a huge dog, named Tiny. At times, it is difficult to tell them apart! He is a sunshine, genuinely optimistic, but not without his dark days. When his parents passed away, and he was thrown out of the labs, he had to do three different jobs to raise his younger sister. At twenty-five, he had to deal with a difficult teenager. Fortunately, Harkness took shape, grew successfully, and he could provide for his sister’s tuition. He almost got married, but his betrothed called it off, thinking he was not as smitten with her as she was. They remained good friends, that is. No hard feelings, Eli Killgore, everybody. Kinks: if negotiated.
Rue’s ride-or-die friend, she and Tisha have been very close since childhood. Tisha was well-off, raised in a family where the meals were an excuse to gather together and not a constant anxious fight-or-flight situation. Tisha supports Rue every step of the way, even if she is not sure about her relationship with Eli. She advises her to work it out; if he is another hookup, then it is not worth it. But if she feels something more…
Another woman in STEM, Florence, has gone through difficult years working in academics and having a toxic husband. After she left the university, she sought out a young scientist in need of funds. That is how she met Rue, and became her mentor. She managed to run Kline for a few successful years, but then she had to deal with debt, and the board’s pressure. Later in the story, Rue will come across some hard truths about Florence’s ways of acquiring Kline, and Rue’s own project.
Florence’s former team at UT includes three undergraduate students: Conor, Minami, and Eli. Those three came together after Florence’s betrayal, and with Conor’s dad’s money, they formed a finance company: Harkness. Their initial goal was to take Kline from Florence, but on the way, they discovered how fulfilling it was working on the field.
They are enemies that swoon over each other. It is not only their work ethics that stand in their way, but deep emotional unavailability. Rue has established a non-dating rule, being perfectly satisfied with having one-night stands. Eli is the guy who wants to steal Kline from Rue’s close friend. He is unethical, cruel, but trustworthy, funny, and incredulously hot. Who said that the enemies cannot have chemistry?
Well, if you did not get the whole enemies thingy, then we need to tell you that Eli is a forbidden fruit for Rue. Not only because he aims at taking Florence’s biofuel tech, but also because he catches feelings for her—and he is a freaking green flag! Rue is afraid she will not be enough, and Eli will soon think she is too much to handle, and leave her. Being with him is a risk, and a betrayal.
Not In Love has some trigger warnings, the most profound being Rue’s starvation as a child, and traumatic response to food, and then her aggressive brother who has been stalking her. After years of therapy, Rue manages to control her guilt and keep her distance from Vince. She stops enabling him, and when he pressures her to give up their father’s cabin, she does not give in. Rather, she finds a way to buy his share and keep the cabin to herself. The only property in her name, and one she cherishes.
Then there is Eli, who had a problematic relationship with his parents, and then with his baby sister, as he became responsible for her after their parents passed. Good for them that they have worked it out in the end. Together with Rue, they overcome obstacles, and explore new areas, with the final destination being… love.
Not In Love is a compelling read, with its dual-POV chapters and smart writing, that will have you engrossed on every page. When the hookup storyline turns into a deep emotional connection, and the nerd MMC takes control, we all end up giggling and kicking our feet. Especially listening to the audiobooks…
Log into your Amazon, Goodreads, or any other alternative, and check out Ali Hazelwood's arc, from her first book The Love Hypothesis, to Check & Mate, and Loathe to Love You. This author focuses on the fun part of being in love, and the hard part of being a woman in STEM.
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Yes, Not In Love is spicier than any other Ali Hazelwood book. It is characterized as an erotic romance novel that does not fail to explore deeper connections and overcome trauma to reach the biggest climax—love.
The main themes explored in Not In Love are trauma and self-growth, forbidden romance, and corporate intrigue. When Kline’s biofuel tech is threatened to be bought off by a finance company called Harkness, Rue must fight to keep things as they were. However, catching feelings for the enemy is not going to help, neither her nor her job.
Most contemporary romances follow the happy-ending cliché, and Not In Love is no different. Rue Siebert and Eli Killgore do end up together, but it is a hell of a crazy ride, with lots of back and forth, betrayal, and steamy encounters.
Nikki Sheryee insists that she’s “up to no good” whenever she’s in the company of books. Armed with a degree in English Language and Literature, she wields the power of words like a mischievous wizard. Her lifelong dream? To be the editor who sprinkles magic dust on manuscripts! To Nikki, a book is more alive than a caffeinated squirrel on roller skates. Readers nurture it, cuddle it, scold it, and occasionally challenge it to a duel! But in the end, a book does its own thing, pulling at our heartstrings and revealing our inner human-ness. Nikki’s favorite pastime? Well, it’s none other than the noble art of daydreaming! And she wears her daydreamer’s badge with pride, sharing this delightful delusion with the crème de la crème of her friends.
