By Ali Hazelwood
Book is rated 4 / 5 stars.
The anticipation I had for this book was so high. I had the honor of going to a panel with Ali Hazelwood and received a signed copy of this book - best day ever. Jack Smith? He's my guy, now. Best book boyfriend. I loved the sweetness of this book and it really reminded me of Ali's other books a lot. Maybe a bit, too much. But, Adam and Olives cameo really helped my inner fangirl glow! There are spoilers ahead, so if you haven't read the book, be prepared.
Book Tropes
Enemies to Lovers. Workplace Romance. Fake-Dating. STEM. Sabotage.
Spice Level: 3.5 / 5.
The Plot
I was so excited about this book having just come off of the high from The Love Hypothesis. This is my third Ali Hazelwood book and The Love Hypothesis is my absolute favorite. So, the hint of Adam and Olive's cameo just had me on edge.
This story was wonderful. One of my biggest moments with Ali's books is how intimidated I get when I dive into them. I'm not a woman who knows science beyond the basics. I felt like this book deep dived a little bit more than her other two into the science world which was really cool to see and I did learn some things I didn't think I would. Though, there were parts where I wanted to rush through just to get to Elsie and Jack interactions. Overall, I loved this book but, more importantly, I'm in love with Jack Smith (even if I don't like his name).
I still have no idea what he wants me to be.
Elsie has a side gig which allows her to portray different characters based on what she thinks people want to see in her; that is such a natural notion to want to do, and I really felt connected to that idea. The need to become something else other than yourself just to please people is something I am familiar with. I loved that Jack was so hard to read that Elsie just couldn't be anything but herself around him - which only made him fall harder for her. The more she can't become what he wants, the more it frustrates her. But, we all know that it's because the version of herself that is HER is the one he wants. That entire notion is so sweet and wonderful that it had me absolutely addicted to Jack from the start.
The main female character in Ali's books always seem to just assume the worst, and don't ever actually listen to what the male character says until the very end. The number of times Jack mentioned what he was looking for and wanted throughout the book just seemed to go over her head. It made the end absolutely delicious and wonderful, and I loved how Jack pushed Elsie to stand up to her mentor was incredible. He was the strength she needed to be herself -- which is sweet. But, at the same time, it made me a little miffed that it took a man to guide a woman in STEM to being herself. If that makes sense.
"You could be my entire world. . . if you let me."
I did enjoy this book and definitely read it in a very short sitting. Their interactions were intertwined in a wonderful banter and knowledge - he did so much to really take care of her from the almonds to the learning about her disability and wanting to learn about it. Jack is a really sweet main character who I absolutely adored and Elsie deserved the best.
Ali Hazelwood Does it Again.
A lot of this storyline felt like a call back to The Love Hypothesis. I'm excited to see what Ali does next, but I do adore that her characters are in STEM. I feel like that is such an important thing to really hold onto and it really does inspire me to keep pushing in my own field.
What did you all think? What was your favorite part? Let me know in the comments!
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