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The STEMinist Novellas #2
Stuck with You
3 hours, 23 minutes
Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.
Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…
Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart, you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader—she’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.
Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie’s superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik’s steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can’t help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed….
To read Mara and Hannah’s stories look for the novellas Under One Roof, available now, and Below Zero, coming soon from Berkley!
Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.
Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…
Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart, you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader—she’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.
Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie’s superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik’s steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can’t help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed….
To read Mara and Hannah’s stories look for the novellas Under One Roof, available now, and Below Zero, coming soon from Berkley!
4 pages, Audiobook
First published March 8, 2022
About the author
Ali Hazelwood
14 books123k followersI'm Ali, and I write contemporary romcom novels about women in STEM and academia. I love cats, Nutella, and side ponytails. I'm also currently learning to crochet, so as you can tell I'm a super busy gal with an intense and exciting life!
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,769 reviews
February 4, 2024
in a way, this book is almost impressive.
it's hard to be so short and yet so annoying.
and yet, both this novella and its quirky and small protagonist achieve it with what seems like a natural ease.
you have to hand it to both of them.
i feel like i've been ranting about ali hazelwood a lot lately, probably because she decided to release a bad sophomore novel and a trilogy of significantly worse novellas around the same time, but that's not a bad thing in and of itself.
i love complaining. it's one of life's great and consistent joys. like perfectly toasted bagels, or screaming into the void.
what's annoying is that i'm complaining about the same thing every time.
BECAUSE EVERY ALI HAZELWOOD BOOK IS THE SAME.
two scientists, one huge, boring, grumpy, mean, uninteresting, i mean crime-against-humanity-level dry (except that crimes against humanity would be more fun to read about) love interest dude, one tiny, quirky, very small, not like other girls, silly, jennifer lawrence 2012 tumblr gal.
they have a huge size mismatch, the guy is in love for his entire adult life, the girl doesn't notice until the 75% mark, la di da.
SNOOZE!!!
i hate Big Man Tiny Woman (because i am tall but more importantly because i am an adult, and being a small child in a paternalistic romantic relationship has less than zero hypothetical value to me), and this novella responded to that with 49 mentions of this unholy He Big She Tiny trope.
yes, i counted. and was so pained i had to tweet about it.
at least this book does me the favor of being horrible in new and intriguing ways, in addition to ye olde standards.
like how the central miscommunication is that the love interest thinks he sexually assaulted our protagonist. lol. tres romantic. and how generally so much of this revolves around sex that seems nonconsensual.
and how at one point our main character has forgotten her bra at his apartment and her very charming and normal love interest (whose, uh, package is, i must tell you, so large that finding a means of navigating it near and around our teeny protagonist makes up the closest thing this book has to a plot) says she can't have it back because he's been jacking off into it.
while they weren't speaking because he thought he SA'd her.
IS THAT HOT???
at the very least it seems financially inadvisable. bras are expensive.
bottom line: unbelievably nightmarish. in so many ways.
----------------
currently-reading updates
reading a series out of order makes me feel roughly as daring and uncomfortable as i imagine skydiving would. or skipping dessert
----------------
tbr review
injustice is: the fact that i have 4 ali hazelwood books on my tbr and none of them are out yet
it's hard to be so short and yet so annoying.
and yet, both this novella and its quirky and small protagonist achieve it with what seems like a natural ease.
you have to hand it to both of them.
i feel like i've been ranting about ali hazelwood a lot lately, probably because she decided to release a bad sophomore novel and a trilogy of significantly worse novellas around the same time, but that's not a bad thing in and of itself.
i love complaining. it's one of life's great and consistent joys. like perfectly toasted bagels, or screaming into the void.
what's annoying is that i'm complaining about the same thing every time.
BECAUSE EVERY ALI HAZELWOOD BOOK IS THE SAME.
two scientists, one huge, boring, grumpy, mean, uninteresting, i mean crime-against-humanity-level dry (except that crimes against humanity would be more fun to read about) love interest dude, one tiny, quirky, very small, not like other girls, silly, jennifer lawrence 2012 tumblr gal.
they have a huge size mismatch, the guy is in love for his entire adult life, the girl doesn't notice until the 75% mark, la di da.
SNOOZE!!!
i hate Big Man Tiny Woman (because i am tall but more importantly because i am an adult, and being a small child in a paternalistic romantic relationship has less than zero hypothetical value to me), and this novella responded to that with 49 mentions of this unholy He Big She Tiny trope.
yes, i counted. and was so pained i had to tweet about it.
at least this book does me the favor of being horrible in new and intriguing ways, in addition to ye olde standards.
like how the central miscommunication is that the love interest thinks he sexually assaulted our protagonist. lol. tres romantic. and how generally so much of this revolves around sex that seems nonconsensual.
and how at one point our main character has forgotten her bra at his apartment and her very charming and normal love interest (whose, uh, package is, i must tell you, so large that finding a means of navigating it near and around our teeny protagonist makes up the closest thing this book has to a plot) says she can't have it back because he's been jacking off into it.
while they weren't speaking because he thought he SA'd her.
IS THAT HOT???
at the very least it seems financially inadvisable. bras are expensive.
bottom line: unbelievably nightmarish. in so many ways.
----------------
currently-reading updates
reading a series out of order makes me feel roughly as daring and uncomfortable as i imagine skydiving would. or skipping dessert
----------------
tbr review
injustice is: the fact that i have 4 ali hazelwood books on my tbr and none of them are out yet
February 8, 2023
These novellas are really not doing it for me and I am truly starting to wonder if The Love Hypothesis is going to end up being an anomaly within Ali Hazelwood’s growing list of publications. It seems like she only knows how to write one kind of story, or is at least MARRIED to using the same exact tropes in all her pairings.
I also think that the shorter format here is doing her characters a disservice. Stuck with You gave the initial chemistry in Sadie and Erik’s relationship that I thought was missing from Under One Roof, for sure. But all that was canceled out by the instalove and lightning quick pace of the story. The plot switches back and forth between a 24 hour fling that Sadie and Erik share & another day that was a week? a month? later when they get trapped in an elevator together for…maybe an hour. It was a very transformational hour, but the “boom, I’m in love” revelation that came out of it definitely felt forced.
Rolling back to the initial date that Erik took Sadie on for a sec—it was good. Before the “hate” part of their hate to love got in the way, I was genuinely tickled by their banter and the clear attraction that was there. The fact that we didn’t have to wait until the last chapter for anything *wink wink* to happen was also appreciated (chapter 8 for my fellow whores, you’re welcome in advance).
So, this is where I end up: I’d really love to see something fresh from Ali Hazelwood. Maybe kick things off with a little friends w/ benefits action. Spice it up and throw in a short king who’s not slinging a literal horse cock. Give us some characters who will fucking TALK TO EACH OTHER. You get the idea.
Even though I’ve felt so meh about these two novellas, you know I’m gonna read the third. Like right now. I’m starting it as I type. It’s happening. We’ll discuss when I’m done. Okay bye.
I also think that the shorter format here is doing her characters a disservice. Stuck with You gave the initial chemistry in Sadie and Erik’s relationship that I thought was missing from Under One Roof, for sure. But all that was canceled out by the instalove and lightning quick pace of the story. The plot switches back and forth between a 24 hour fling that Sadie and Erik share & another day that was a week? a month? later when they get trapped in an elevator together for…maybe an hour. It was a very transformational hour, but the “boom, I’m in love” revelation that came out of it definitely felt forced.
Rolling back to the initial date that Erik took Sadie on for a sec—it was good. Before the “hate” part of their hate to love got in the way, I was genuinely tickled by their banter and the clear attraction that was there. The fact that we didn’t have to wait until the last chapter for anything *wink wink* to happen was also appreciated (chapter 8 for my fellow whores, you’re welcome in advance).
So, this is where I end up: I’d really love to see something fresh from Ali Hazelwood. Maybe kick things off with a little friends w/ benefits action. Spice it up and throw in a short king who’s not slinging a literal horse cock. Give us some characters who will fucking TALK TO EACH OTHER. You get the idea.
Even though I’ve felt so meh about these two novellas, you know I’m gonna read the third. Like right now. I’m starting it as I type. It’s happening. We’ll discuss when I’m done. Okay bye.
June 17, 2022
seems a damn shame that my 400th shelved contemporary romance was this
i don’t like knowing an author’s sexual preferences. give me variety so your IM- SO- FUCKING- SMOL- HIS- DONG- IS- MASSIVE- IT- WILL CRUSH- MY- POLLY- POCKET- PUSSY kink isn’t so obvious. give me a 6 ft chick with a honey- i- shrunk- the- kids chad.
with peace and love, a size medium
i don’t like knowing an author’s sexual preferences. give me variety so your IM- SO- FUCKING- SMOL- HIS- DONG- IS- MASSIVE- IT- WILL CRUSH- MY- POLLY- POCKET- PUSSY kink isn’t so obvious. give me a 6 ft chick with a honey- i- shrunk- the- kids chad.
with peace and love, a size medium
May 21, 2022
i fucking hate the miscommunication trope but at least this man ate coochie like he was fucking starved 🤩
Read
October 27, 2022I don't think Ms. Hazelwood FULLY understands the power she has over me, I would read her grocery receipts if she ever decides to publish them
February 20, 2024
I acted like a totally irrational, absurd, deranged person.
Yes, Sadie, you really did.
Miscommunication (a.k.a. no communication) isn't my favorite trope in any genre, but it particularly grates on my nerves in romances. Pretty much nothing irritates me more than reading about conflict that comes entirely from things unsaid. So it's no surprise that I didn't love this story nearly as much as Ali Hazelwood's other ones.
Add to that my inability to see myself in Sadie, who blabs work confidential information, jumps to conclusions, and thinks the worst in others, and this was a rather eye-rolling experience. The entire time, I felt so bad for Erik, who deserves so much better.
I do realize without all the miscommunication and misunderstanding, there wouldn't be a story at all. But what can I say—a girl wants what a girl wants. And this just wasn't the story for me.
Still, Ali Hazelwood always delivers a fun read, and the fact that this was a short novella made it a tolerable if not entirely enjoyable read for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
The Love Hypothesis
Love on the Brain
The STEMinist Novellas
Under One Roof
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
June 7, 2022
I no longer believe that tall men deserve rights. If you're over 6 feet, please do not associate with me. 🙄
July 7, 2022
what ive learned today: dont trust anyone whose favorite books are written by ali hazelwood. no offense.
March 10, 2022
I listen to him explain why Neuer is an incredibly overrated goalkeeper and laugh.
I listen to him explain why Neuer is an incredibly overrated goalkeeper
I listen to him explain why Neuer is an
I listen to him
I- I’m sorry but WHAT? that’s where you lost me. the way I had to go back and listen to that part 25 times thinking I might have heard it wrong, but no it was the same outcome every single time. THE BLATANT DISRESPECT. Erik are you talking about the same NEUER who helped my country win the soccer 2014 FIFA World Cup? Who carried that competition? THAT NEUER? And Sadie, you agree with him after watching a match between Denmark vs. Germany?
Now lemme google something real quickly
Huh, interesting isn’t it?
I can forgive a lot of things, namely murder, rape, throwing plastic in organic waste, running elderly people over with a car, putting pineapple on your pizza, the list goes on and on, but insulting my baby Neuer. No bitch don't fuck with me, get that nasty attitude out of my face and check your head on your way out. 😤
-1 star for Eric & Sadie atrocious soccer taste. My respect for them is in hell after the slandering of my countryman, but everything else in this book is alright I guess. 🤷🏽♀️
┍━━━━━━━━»•» «•«━┑
THE STEMINIST NOVELLAS SERIES
#1 Under One Roof – 2.5 stars
#2 Stuck With You – 2.75 stars
#3 Below Zero – tbr
┕━»•» «•«━━━━━━━━┙
I listen to him explain why Neuer is an incredibly overrated goalkeeper
I listen to him explain why Neuer is an
I listen to him
I- I’m sorry but WHAT? that’s where you lost me. the way I had to go back and listen to that part 25 times thinking I might have heard it wrong, but no it was the same outcome every single time. THE BLATANT DISRESPECT. Erik are you talking about the same NEUER who helped my country win the soccer 2014 FIFA World Cup? Who carried that competition? THAT NEUER? And Sadie, you agree with him after watching a match between Denmark vs. Germany?
Now lemme google something real quickly
Huh, interesting isn’t it?
I can forgive a lot of things, namely murder, rape, throwing plastic in organic waste, running elderly people over with a car, putting pineapple on your pizza, the list goes on and on, but insulting my baby Neuer. No bitch don't fuck with me, get that nasty attitude out of my face and check your head on your way out. 😤
-1 star for Eric & Sadie atrocious soccer taste. My respect for them is in hell after the slandering of my countryman, but everything else in this book is alright I guess. 🤷🏽♀️
┍━━━━━━━━»•» «•«━┑
THE STEMINIST NOVELLAS SERIES
#1 Under One Roof – 2.5 stars
#2 Stuck With You – 2.75 stars
#3 Below Zero – tbr
┕━»•» «•«━━━━━━━━┙
June 15, 2022
I don't think I have much to bring to the table since I'm not sure if I'm even focusing half the time. This book began off tediously and it was a battle to not fall asleep at one point. The entire plot revolves around the one day Sadie and Erik first met three weeks ago and the 30 mins of them getting stuck in the elevator. Insta-love at its finest.
Sadie couldn't put an end to Erik's whacking physical and got horny in the minutes she first saw him and it's getting endless as the story goes. There seems to be a very little chasm between the depictions of heroes in Hazelwood romances. I know the muscular descriptions are used to emphasize the virility of the hero but are there other heroic proportion models that we as readers may embrace?
As for this case, it's getting apparent, with all the big muscles, big cocks that all Hazelwood MMCs seem to have and Erik is no exception. We had Olive 2.0 moment here again, when Sadie was freaking out because she didn't expect Erik's to be so big. Well... can't say the smut scene is any less dissatisfying. I kind of get it, but this is also started to get a bit repetitive coming from her.
Also, I'm gonna start to keep in mind that Ali Hazelwood just loves (by love, I mean obsessed) in using miscommunication trope as a plot device, just so I'll be expecting less from her the next time. I would respect this obsession better only if she manages to deliver a good story. Unfortunately, in doing so, Hazelwood always put her heroine in a limelight for being the irrational and stupid one despite having supposed to be the contrary. The present time when Sadie told that Erik had betrayed her, I know I'm not gonna get anything good.
Again, what was the plot here? Exactly. Nada. However, I rated this higher than my initial two stars is because I kind of enjoyed the banter and the dates around 60-70% ish of the book. The talks over football were refreshing too. Undeniably, the romance could be better, and I still go with my stand on how the insta-love is ruining it. But Erik helps made this book more flattering than it should be and the epilogue was adorable. That can’t be helped — credits given when it’s due.
I think, I love the narration better this time too but Sadie is not entirely likable so, that's a shame. And I admit the imitation of the MMC was very indistinctive compared to the previous narrator. Overall, Stuck With You had that small win over the little advantage it had over the first novella. Again, thanks to Erik for keeping me entertained.
Sadie couldn't put an end to Erik's whacking physical and got horny in the minutes she first saw him and it's getting endless as the story goes. There seems to be a very little chasm between the depictions of heroes in Hazelwood romances. I know the muscular descriptions are used to emphasize the virility of the hero but are there other heroic proportion models that we as readers may embrace?
As for this case, it's getting apparent, with all the big muscles, big cocks that all Hazelwood MMCs seem to have and Erik is no exception. We had Olive 2.0 moment here again, when Sadie was freaking out because she didn't expect Erik's to be so big. Well... can't say the smut scene is any less dissatisfying. I kind of get it, but this is also started to get a bit repetitive coming from her.
Also, I'm gonna start to keep in mind that Ali Hazelwood just loves (by love, I mean obsessed) in using miscommunication trope as a plot device, just so I'll be expecting less from her the next time. I would respect this obsession better only if she manages to deliver a good story. Unfortunately, in doing so, Hazelwood always put her heroine in a limelight for being the irrational and stupid one despite having supposed to be the contrary. The present time when Sadie told that Erik had betrayed her, I know I'm not gonna get anything good.
Again, what was the plot here? Exactly. Nada. However, I rated this higher than my initial two stars is because I kind of enjoyed the banter and the dates around 60-70% ish of the book. The talks over football were refreshing too. Undeniably, the romance could be better, and I still go with my stand on how the insta-love is ruining it. But Erik helps made this book more flattering than it should be and the epilogue was adorable. That can’t be helped — credits given when it’s due.
I think, I love the narration better this time too but Sadie is not entirely likable so, that's a shame. And I admit the imitation of the MMC was very indistinctive compared to the previous narrator. Overall, Stuck With You had that small win over the little advantage it had over the first novella. Again, thanks to Erik for keeping me entertained.
July 7, 2024
0★ because this shit sucked
you know, i told myself that 2024 would be the year i start writing reviews on books that i liked.
yeah. look how that turned out.
anyway, WELCOME BACK to "what the actual fuck did i just read" where i read literary abominations so that YOU don't have to.
tonight's contestant is *drum roll please* the most hated novella from *drum roll intensifies* ALI HAZELWOOD (how shocking!)
but first on the agenda, let us begin with my personal history with her books. *nostalgic music plays*
we start our story with the love hypothesis. it was the first of it's kind as a stem romance (don't quote me on that) and i liked it (don't ask too many questions).
was it perfect? no.
was it good? also no.
did i like some of the "cute" moments? fuck no sunscreen is ruined.
did it make me question how anatomically accurate it is foradam driver a male to place a whole boob in his mouth? absolutely.
but was it okay? sure.
so now we reach love on the brain. (no, not the rihanna song)
this book was terrible. *nostalgic music cuts off* i don't want to talk about it.
...
THE ACTION SCENE WHY ALI WHYYYYYYYYYYY
rihanna should think about suing
moving on. *nostalgic music resumes playing*
love theoretically
pretty much sums that shit up.
and now comes the moment you have all been waiting for (well i was waiting for this)
check
and
mate
*relaxing music plays*
*inhales*
...i can do this...
*exhales*
i can't do this.
it was worse than this book.
and that's saying a lot
it was also somehow worse than love on the brain, because after reading it, i no longer had a brain.
AND THE GEN Z REFERENCES WHYYYYYYYYY
but anyway.
we endour my journey (for now) with this novella series. (read. piece of shit)
i am not in the mood to give an in-depth detailed analysis of everything that went wrong.
mainly because i would be typing this out for the next millennia, and (as someone who was not alive for Y2K), i'm still traumatised by the fashion trends of the last one, and don't want to be alive to see the shit that goes on in 3000.
also because i'm still traumatised by the last in-depth review i gave. (lots of trauma going on around here, run while you still can)
but i did say that i would give a rant-review, and so i will deliver.
prepare yourself for the shit-show.
i will begin with a summary of this novella
it's about a small girl and a big man viking. sounds promising doesn't it?
*adds to my "small-girl-big-man-shit shelf"*
we are told multiple times that he is a tallviking™. don't believe me yet?
- "viking"
- "Viking-like. Norse."
- "North Germanic"
- "Blondie the Viking"
- "corporate version of Thor. Like Platinum Ragnarok."
- "Corporate Thor"
WE GOT THE VIBE
- "He’s as towering as a Greenlandic mountain range"
- "I cannot help staring at Corporate Thor’s mouth"
- "Does Corporate Thor tease?"
PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP
- "Erik is a mountain. A giant dome of flesh and muscles"
- "solid, oak-tree big"
NO FUCKING WAY
- "Corporate Thor"
- "Danish-upset, maybe"
when taylor sang "and that made me want to die" i felt that. i really did.
this is not a comprehensive list. there are many more moments where she talks about his height and viking-ness. although there are no large hands quotes that i can recall
just other stuff that i'm to tired to neatly organise into this messy review that sucks ass
"Siri, how many times can I utterly humiliate myself in the span of thirty minutes? Infinite, you say? Thank you, that’s what I figured."
- because she's just so ₛₘₐₗₗ and qUirKy
"the sudden expanse of pale flesh . . ."
yeah, that totally doesn't sound like words you would use to describe a corpse
"he picked me up like I was a four-pound kitten"
"he carries me all the way down the hallway, like I’m no heavier than his cat."
as a cat-owner, i am officially traumatised
there so much miscommunication. for no reason. if you are an author and you want your characters to have the social skills of a five-year-old and refuse to talk to each other about valuable pieces of information that is useful to ... hmm i don't know ... your fucking relationship maybe(?) then at least do it for a good reason. in a book preferably longer than 300 pages. you really begin to wonder why the author bothered when their problem was created and solved in 15 pages
how many times can a 127 page novella mentionpurple lavender underwear? read this and you'll find out. (spoiler: it's too many times. way too many)
_______
the bottom line: my theory is that ali hazelwood was hired by my future therapist because the trauma that she has given me will need to be unpacked by a paid professional
also i will be reading her two new 2024 releases (this includes the vAmPyRe one) (i actually ended up enjoying this one)
yes i hate myself
i will also be rereading the rest of her books this year to see how i feel about them. (more than halfway through the year and i'm yet to start this)
pray for me.
__________________
STEMinist Novellas Reviews
1.5★ under one roof review here
1.5★ below zero review here
__________________
YA Novel Review
1.5★ check and mate review here
-
pre-review:
this is one of those books that makes me glad that i have a shelf called "bin it burn it this is bullshit"
because that's exactly what you should do with this.
because ali hazelwood WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS.
full rant review to come
-
tbr review:
so apparently you either love it or hate it.
my money is on hate. (hi, it's me from the future, well bitch you hated it)
you know, i told myself that 2024 would be the year i start writing reviews on books that i liked.
yeah. look how that turned out.
anyway, WELCOME BACK to "what the actual fuck did i just read" where i read literary abominations so that YOU don't have to.
tonight's contestant is *drum roll please* the most hated novella from *drum roll intensifies* ALI HAZELWOOD (how shocking!)
but first on the agenda, let us begin with my personal history with her books. *nostalgic music plays*
we start our story with the love hypothesis. it was the first of it's kind as a stem romance (don't quote me on that) and i liked it (don't ask too many questions).
was it perfect? no.
was it good? also no.
did i like some of the "cute" moments? fuck no sunscreen is ruined.
did it make me question how anatomically accurate it is for
but was it okay? sure.
so now we reach love on the brain. (no, not the rihanna song)
this book was terrible. *nostalgic music cuts off* i don't want to talk about it.
...
THE ACTION SCENE WHY ALI WHYYYYYYYYYYY
rihanna should think about suing
moving on. *nostalgic music resumes playing*
love theoretically
pretty much sums that shit up.
and now comes the moment you have all been waiting for (well i was waiting for this)
check
and
mate
*relaxing music plays*
*inhales*
...i can do this...
*exhales*
i can't do this.
it was worse than this book.
and that's saying a lot
it was also somehow worse than love on the brain, because after reading it, i no longer had a brain.
AND THE GEN Z REFERENCES WHYYYYYYYYY
but anyway.
we end
i am not in the mood to give an in-depth detailed analysis of everything that went wrong.
mainly because i would be typing this out for the next millennia, and (as someone who was not alive for Y2K), i'm still traumatised by the fashion trends of the last one, and don't want to be alive to see the shit that goes on in 3000.
also because i'm still traumatised by the last in-depth review i gave. (lots of trauma going on around here, run while you still can)
but i did say that i would give a rant-review, and so i will deliver.
prepare yourself for the shit-show.
i will begin with a summary of this novella
it's about a small girl and a big man viking. sounds promising doesn't it?
*adds to my "small-girl-big-man-shit shelf"*
we are told multiple times that he is a tallviking™. don't believe me yet?
- "viking"
- "Viking-like. Norse."
- "North Germanic"
- "Blondie the Viking"
- "corporate version of Thor. Like Platinum Ragnarok."
- "Corporate Thor"
WE GOT THE VIBE
- "He’s as towering as a Greenlandic mountain range"
- "I cannot help staring at Corporate Thor’s mouth"
- "Does Corporate Thor tease?"
PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP
- "Erik is a mountain. A giant dome of flesh and muscles"
- "solid, oak-tree big"
NO FUCKING WAY
- "Corporate Thor"
- "Danish-upset, maybe"
when taylor sang "and that made me want to die" i felt that. i really did.
this is not a comprehensive list. there are many more moments where she talks about his height and viking-ness. although there are no large hands quotes that i can recall
just other stuff that i'm to tired to neatly organise into this messy review that sucks ass
"Siri, how many times can I utterly humiliate myself in the span of thirty minutes? Infinite, you say? Thank you, that’s what I figured."
- because she's just so ₛₘₐₗₗ and qUirKy
"the sudden expanse of pale flesh . . ."
yeah, that totally doesn't sound like words you would use to describe a corpse
"he picked me up like I was a four-pound kitten"
"he carries me all the way down the hallway, like I’m no heavier than his cat."
as a cat-owner, i am officially traumatised
there so much miscommunication. for no reason. if you are an author and you want your characters to have the social skills of a five-year-old and refuse to talk to each other about valuable pieces of information that is useful to ... hmm i don't know ... your fucking relationship maybe(?) then at least do it for a good reason. in a book preferably longer than 300 pages. you really begin to wonder why the author bothered when their problem was created and solved in 15 pages
how many times can a 127 page novella mention
_______
the bottom line: my theory is that ali hazelwood was hired by my future therapist because the trauma that she has given me will need to be unpacked by a paid professional
also i will be reading her two new 2024 releases (this includes the vAmPyRe one) (i actually ended up enjoying this one)
yes i hate myself
i will also be rereading the rest of her books this year to see how i feel about them. (more than halfway through the year and i'm yet to start this)
pray for me.
__________________
STEMinist Novellas Reviews
1.5★ under one roof review here
1.5★ below zero review here
__________________
YA Novel Review
1.5★ check and mate review here
-
pre-review:
this is one of those books that makes me glad that i have a shelf called "bin it burn it this is bullshit"
because that's exactly what you should do with this.
because ali hazelwood WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS.
full rant review to come
-
tbr review:
so apparently you either love it or hate it.
my money is on hate. (hi, it's me from the future, well bitch you hated it)
June 18, 2022
What in the fuckity fuck did I read? I'm really really pissed right now so please forgive me for whatever the fuck I'm writing. I don't believe this book was written by the same author who wrote The Love Hypothesis. For fuck's sake man I'm tired of insta love tropes. So you're telling me they met each other, talked about underwears and what not, had a dinner date, fucked each other the first day they met and then all of a sudden this bitch is crying over him for betraying her trust. LIKE COME ON!!! How dramatic can you get?
Istg this girl (I don't even remember her name) is a big Bella Swan wannabe. I’m smiling. He’s . . . not smiling, but close, and it makes me smile even more. This felt like it was cut, copy pasted from Nightlight. Pls if you haven't read Nightlight then you are missing out on a lot of fun, especially if you hate Twilight.
The way Erik's physical appearance was described in this book gave me a mountainous headache. My brain was flooded with emotions that were more harmful than Vegas frying Pete's balls. All I needed was a drain I can push the girl into. Oh and for God's sake the obsession she seemed to have on Nordic people. With Erik Nowak, the broodiest of Scandinavian mountains? ; Scandinavian, maybe. Viking-like. Norse. Like his ancestors frolicked below the aurora borealis on their way to funding Ikea. He is as big as a yeti, with clear blue eyes and short, pale-blond hair. It really annoyed the hell out of me.
Look I am really interested about reading the women in STEM rep and everything they face but if I read something like I have a Ph.D. in engineering: if I can build sophisticated machinery, I can figure out how to put on a damn condom. the sorry I can't take the book seriously at all. This book is a part of the STEMinist novellas series but idk....the plot didn't match the title at all. It actually felt like an insult to women working in that field. The amount of unprofessionalism the girl showed by ignoring Erik just because she thought that her client rejected her because of him. Like girl have you never been rejected by a client before???? Couldn't it be that the client didn't really like what you proposed?? Since I'm no expert in that industry so I'll stop here but please the miscommunication trope over here sucked.
____________
What's funnier than a dad joke is apparently not the existence of this book/novella😕
Istg this girl (I don't even remember her name) is a big Bella Swan wannabe. I’m smiling. He’s . . . not smiling, but close, and it makes me smile even more. This felt like it was cut, copy pasted from Nightlight. Pls if you haven't read Nightlight then you are missing out on a lot of fun, especially if you hate Twilight.
The way Erik's physical appearance was described in this book gave me a mountainous headache. My brain was flooded with emotions that were more harmful than Vegas frying Pete's balls. All I needed was a drain I can push the girl into. Oh and for God's sake the obsession she seemed to have on Nordic people. With Erik Nowak, the broodiest of Scandinavian mountains? ; Scandinavian, maybe. Viking-like. Norse. Like his ancestors frolicked below the aurora borealis on their way to funding Ikea. He is as big as a yeti, with clear blue eyes and short, pale-blond hair. It really annoyed the hell out of me.
Look I am really interested about reading the women in STEM rep and everything they face but if I read something like I have a Ph.D. in engineering: if I can build sophisticated machinery, I can figure out how to put on a damn condom. the sorry I can't take the book seriously at all. This book is a part of the STEMinist novellas series but idk....the plot didn't match the title at all. It actually felt like an insult to women working in that field. The amount of unprofessionalism the girl showed by ignoring Erik just because she thought that her client rejected her because of him. Like girl have you never been rejected by a client before???? Couldn't it be that the client didn't really like what you proposed?? Since I'm no expert in that industry so I'll stop here but please the miscommunication trope over here sucked.
____________
What's funnier than a dad joke is apparently not the existence of this book/novella😕
April 22, 2022
Stuck with You is a cute and addictive novella that actually made me enjoy a conversation about sports. That says a lot.
Sadie and Erik's relationship was so entertaining to read about, I loved Sadie as a main character (even though she does have some communication issues, but at least she knows it), and Erik is a fantastic love interest. This book does play into some tropes that Ali Hazelwood loves to write: grumpy/sunshine, Very Tall hero and So Small heroine, etc. That said, she manages to make every book feel distinct and unique. I can imagine if you're not a fan of those tropes, you might get tired of it, but I didn't mind them.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC to read and review
Sadie and Erik's relationship was so entertaining to read about, I loved Sadie as a main character (even though she does have some communication issues, but at least she knows it), and Erik is a fantastic love interest. This book does play into some tropes that Ali Hazelwood loves to write: grumpy/sunshine, Very Tall hero and So Small heroine, etc. That said, she manages to make every book feel distinct and unique. I can imagine if you're not a fan of those tropes, you might get tired of it, but I didn't mind them.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC to read and review
June 20, 2022
you know, this book could have been half the length it was and it would have been a lot better.
Like, I don't care how many flavours of gelato you ate after she broke up with her ex boyfriend or how ashamed she was to eat a mango one.
Neither, do i care about the fact that her ex did not care a single bit about her. Or the half a page of very wattpady facts on worse things then being stuck on an elevator.
This book.........was okay, it was a book i will probably forget within the next three days.
It really pissed me off when Sadie kept going on about how BIG and NORSE Eric was. I counted about 8ish times she called him Corporate Thor. What kinda fucking name is that? I was so sick of that name AND how he was so NORSE GODLIKE and TALL and BIG he is like ugh stfu we get it.
Now, normally I would hate the miscommunication trope but for once in my life this book was okay. I would also fall to that conclusion if I were Sadie so you know what its all goods, ill let this one slide.
While this is also better than the first book, i would not be surprised to find this book to find this book written on wattpad by a 15 year old lonar who has no social life
ill continue reading Ali Hazelwoods books because i love tlh and i want another book like that. However, my expectations will be on the ground.
{previous review}
istfg if this is anything like the first book i will cry, i dont think i could manage it again, im still in a slump from the first one
I love love love that we are writting more and more about women in STEM
Like, I don't care how many flavours of gelato you ate after she broke up with her ex boyfriend or how ashamed she was to eat a mango one.
Neither, do i care about the fact that her ex did not care a single bit about her. Or the half a page of very wattpady facts on worse things then being stuck on an elevator.
This book.........was okay, it was a book i will probably forget within the next three days.
It really pissed me off when Sadie kept going on about how BIG and NORSE Eric was. I counted about 8ish times she called him Corporate Thor. What kinda fucking name is that? I was so sick of that name AND how he was so NORSE GODLIKE and TALL and BIG he is like ugh stfu we get it.
Now, normally I would hate the miscommunication trope but for once in my life this book was okay. I would also fall to that conclusion if I were Sadie so you know what its all goods, ill let this one slide.
While this is also better than the first book, i would not be surprised to find this book to find this book written on wattpad by a 15 year old lonar who has no social life
ill continue reading Ali Hazelwoods books because i love tlh and i want another book like that. However, my expectations will be on the ground.
{previous review}
istfg if this is anything like the first book i will cry, i dont think i could manage it again, im still in a slump from the first one
I love love love that we are writting more and more about women in STEM
July 27, 2022
to quote this novella: "i think i want to die. i want this to be over."
May 13, 2022
*cries in single*
March 21, 2022
THE STAR WARS REFERENCES WERE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!! Like ‘Under One Roof’ this was a super cute & fluffy novella. Eric & Sadie were adorable, and I loved seeing Liam & Mara! Cant wait for Hannah’s book.
“Eric tastes like himself in a late spring night in New York.” <3
“Eric tastes like himself in a late spring night in New York.” <3
March 28, 2022
Cute and steamy novella!🔥💖
Insta-love (not my favorite kind) but it was enjoyable and it's a novella. Sadie and Erik hit it off immediately but after a work-related conflict/rivalry issue they were on hiatus terms or was it a one-night stand? When both are stuck in the elevator, they are forced to communicate. The story begins in the present and goes back three weeks prior. Sorta eh at the beginning but a strong finish! 3.5⭐
Meg Sylvan's narration was awesome! 3hr 22m.
Insta-love (not my favorite kind) but it was enjoyable and it's a novella. Sadie and Erik hit it off immediately but after a work-related conflict/rivalry issue they were on hiatus terms or was it a one-night stand? When both are stuck in the elevator, they are forced to communicate. The story begins in the present and goes back three weeks prior. Sorta eh at the beginning but a strong finish! 3.5⭐
Meg Sylvan's narration was awesome! 3hr 22m.
October 1, 2023
Ali Hazelwood’s writing may have some flaws, be cringy or just bad, but there's one thing she gets right every time: her men.
Stereotypical and without the ability to communicate - they love to just stare at you as if you can see what they’re thinking -, they are the perfect example of what women want in men: someone who cares, who listens, who does things for that goddess of their girlfriend; tored apart by the thought of not being with her, they give all of themselves.
Ali Hazelwood’s books (and novellas) are my guilty pleasure. Not that I think there's anything wrong with her stories, but it's impossible for me to be blind in front of the bland writing and basically non-existent plot.
Still, always remember your imagination is your most powerful tool. And there's nothing wrong with being helped daydreaming sometimes.
↠ 3 stars
Stereotypical and without the ability to communicate - they love to just stare at you as if you can see what they’re thinking -, they are the perfect example of what women want in men: someone who cares, who listens, who does things for that goddess of their girlfriend; tored apart by the thought of not being with her, they give all of themselves.
Ali Hazelwood’s books (and novellas) are my guilty pleasure. Not that I think there's anything wrong with her stories, but it's impossible for me to be blind in front of the bland writing and basically non-existent plot.
Still, always remember your imagination is your most powerful tool. And there's nothing wrong with being helped daydreaming sometimes.
↠ 3 stars
June 16, 2022
I love Ali Hazelwood and her writing is absolute magic, but I have to say this novella was my least favorite out of the stuff she's put out so far.
In this story, Sadie is a very superstitious engineer who's been feeling pressured to perform well at her job and bring in clients. Her good luck charms for pitch meetings are the awful croissants from this bakery near her workplace – don't ask me to elaborate on this 😂 – and it's trying to procure one of these that she meets Erik, also an engineer, who is aptly described as "Corporate Thor".
They hit it off immediately after he lets her have his crappy croissant, since the bakery is out of them (how, if they're so horrible?), and they end up going on a date and having a one night stand.
After Sadie is made aware of Something Mysterious About Erik the next morning, she ghosts him, but is forced to face him again when they end up trapped in an elevator together 3 weeks later.
The problem here is that the story leaned heavily on two tropes that I don't love: instalove and miscommunication.
That whole 24-hour period of interaction they had before she ghosted him was very emotionally intense and made me cringe a little bit. When Sadie wakes up the next morning and joins him in the bathroom – so, maybe hour 20 since they first met – he lets out a comment about how she could join his health insurance plan in the future, and a part of me did die of second-hand embarrassment.
The miscommunication thing was annoying but I have to say it was also somewhat justified: if you had literally just met someone and a trustworthy friend told you some crap about them that kind of checked out, maybe you wouldn’t necessarily go after them to hear their side of the story (even if you were invested in them enough that you were discussing marriage 2 hours earlier).
All in all, this novella was funny and steamy and had all that trademark Ali Hazelwood charm that we all love; it’s just not my number one.
In this story, Sadie is a very superstitious engineer who's been feeling pressured to perform well at her job and bring in clients. Her good luck charms for pitch meetings are the awful croissants from this bakery near her workplace – don't ask me to elaborate on this 😂 – and it's trying to procure one of these that she meets Erik, also an engineer, who is aptly described as "Corporate Thor".
They hit it off immediately after he lets her have his crappy croissant, since the bakery is out of them (how, if they're so horrible?), and they end up going on a date and having a one night stand.
After Sadie is made aware of Something Mysterious About Erik the next morning, she ghosts him, but is forced to face him again when they end up trapped in an elevator together 3 weeks later.
The problem here is that the story leaned heavily on two tropes that I don't love: instalove and miscommunication.
That whole 24-hour period of interaction they had before she ghosted him was very emotionally intense and made me cringe a little bit. When Sadie wakes up the next morning and joins him in the bathroom – so, maybe hour 20 since they first met – he lets out a comment about how she could join his health insurance plan in the future, and a part of me did die of second-hand embarrassment.
The miscommunication thing was annoying but I have to say it was also somewhat justified: if you had literally just met someone and a trustworthy friend told you some crap about them that kind of checked out, maybe you wouldn’t necessarily go after them to hear their side of the story (even if you were invested in them enough that you were discussing marriage 2 hours earlier).
All in all, this novella was funny and steamy and had all that trademark Ali Hazelwood charm that we all love; it’s just not my number one.
March 13, 2022
there is so much i could say about this but i really should not have put my trust in the artistic abilities of someone who actively chooses to name her book STEMinist
September 12, 2024
third read
It pulled me out of a slump last time, it’s a very short read so won’t hurt to try. I still love Erik 🥰
second read
I desperately needed a five star read so I came back here and now I’m good 😌
first read
So I thought it was nearly impossible to develop characters in a novella enough for me to fall for them. And then comes Ali Hazelwood and says “hold my beer”. 🥰😍🥰
This story was cute and simple and just the right amount of angsty. I loved Erik and I loved Sadie and their story was totally believable and perfect. The chemistry - another thing that novellas usually lack - off the charts!
Highly recommended!
It pulled me out of a slump last time, it’s a very short read so won’t hurt to try. I still love Erik 🥰
second read
I desperately needed a five star read so I came back here and now I’m good 😌
first read
So I thought it was nearly impossible to develop characters in a novella enough for me to fall for them. And then comes Ali Hazelwood and says “hold my beer”. 🥰😍🥰
This story was cute and simple and just the right amount of angsty. I loved Erik and I loved Sadie and their story was totally believable and perfect. The chemistry - another thing that novellas usually lack - off the charts!
Highly recommended!
September 25, 2024
this feels like it was written by a man
his blond, massive, Viking-like glory.
with his massive, colossal presence.
he is as big as a yeti
the span of his shoulders could easily platue in eurasia
hes as towering as a greenlandic mountain range
erik is a mountain. a giant dome of flesh and muscles—not GQ-cut, ridiculously defined ones, but solid, oak tree big
his blond, massive, Viking-like glory.
with his massive, colossal presence.
he is as big as a yeti
the span of his shoulders could easily platue in eurasia
hes as towering as a greenlandic mountain range
erik is a mountain. a giant dome of flesh and muscles—not GQ-cut, ridiculously defined ones, but solid, oak tree big
August 3, 2022
2.25 out of 5 stars.
One of the worst feelings when it comes to books is when you hype yourself up for a certain book and it ends up not giving you that content feeling that you were looking for.
This is my fourth Ali Hazelwood work that I read and ended up being a 2-something star for me, but I guess I'm not meant to love them, which is very disappointing because I was constantly willing to give her books a chance.
This was the novella I was looking the most forward to because I thought the cover was too cute and not reading it would be a crime.
What I'm going to confess may not be agreeable for everyone but I think the author is trying a little too hard with her stories and is make her characters quirky to the limit where one would find it a bit too cringe worthy.
One of the not many things I liked about this book is that the main character and her love interest bonded over a sport(football) and it wasn't just the case where a cute petite woman sees a handsome rugged giant mountain of a man and decide tobang hang immediately. But let's face it, that was almost exactly the case.
Overall, I think this proves that unfortunately Ali Hazelwood's books aren't my cup of tea.
One of the worst feelings when it comes to books is when you hype yourself up for a certain book and it ends up not giving you that content feeling that you were looking for.
This is my fourth Ali Hazelwood work that I read and ended up being a 2-something star for me, but I guess I'm not meant to love them, which is very disappointing because I was constantly willing to give her books a chance.
This was the novella I was looking the most forward to because I thought the cover was too cute and not reading it would be a crime.
What I'm going to confess may not be agreeable for everyone but I think the author is trying a little too hard with her stories and is make her characters quirky to the limit where one would find it a bit too cringe worthy.
One of the not many things I liked about this book is that the main character and her love interest bonded over a sport(football) and it wasn't just the case where a cute petite woman sees a handsome rugged giant mountain of a man and decide to
Overall, I think this proves that unfortunately Ali Hazelwood's books aren't my cup of tea.
March 14, 2022
Ahh this was even better than book one and I was so obsessed with this story. This is told in flashbacks and we know that our couple stuck in the elevator had a one night stand three weeks ago and haven't spoken to each other since. I really loved watching Sadie and Eric click immediately and fall so hard and fast during their one night stand. I loved the little things they had in common, especially soccer! As a huge women's soccer game myself, I loved the names they dropped and how much they fangirled over soccer! Of course now, though, you know something broke them apart. While it could have easily been fixed if they had communicated with one another, I understood why neither one of them wanted to reach out to the other after it was revealed what had actually happened. While this was a novella, so much was packed into this story and I really believed this couple fell in love and felt betrayed by one another and had to confront what happened. I can't wait to read the third book in this series!
July 6, 2022
3 stars 🥐
pros:
– the pitiful amount of praise kink that I'm desperately holding on to
– the writing was much more tolerable than book 1, less millennial
– best smut ali hazelwood has written between the love hypothesis and under one roof
cons:
– Sadie is a Real Madrid CF fan 🤢
– Erik thinks Manuel Neuer is an overrated goalkeeper 🤮
– insta-love to the fucking max. Erik and Sadie probably spend a total of 24 hours together between 2 days, with a 3 week hiatus between, yet they're half in love
– SO. MUCH. MISCOMMUNICATION
Sadie gets mad at Erik and blocks him because she thought he stole her pitch which lost her a client. In reality, Erik loved how smart Sadie was and emailed her thesis to his entire workforce. Her thesis basically outlined her entire pitch because she wants people to use her ideas. This doesn't stop her from getting mad and accusing Erik of corporate espionage.
Erik thought she blocked him because he scared her during their one night stand. She refused to talk to him despite his efforts so Erik sort of gave up. This continued for 3 weeks until they were stuck in an elevator together during a power outage and realized they were both mistaken.
When they finally get out of the elevator, Erik tells Sadie to wait for him so they can talk about what happened. What does she do? SHE RUNS AWAY. This girl assumed the absolute worst about him and doesn't even give him the courtesy of explaining himself. Then, when he does explain that he never told anyone about her pitch...she doesn't believe him.
EVEN THEN, you know he works for your company's "enemy" yet you spill all your ideas to him on the first date??? Even if he told his employees about her pitch, it's her fault for telling a guy she doesn't know all her ideas
the STEMinist novellas
↠#1 under one roof — 1.75 stars
↠#2 stuck with you — 3 stars
↠#3 below zero — 1 star
pros:
– the pitiful amount of praise kink that I'm desperately holding on to
– the writing was much more tolerable than book 1, less millennial
– best smut ali hazelwood has written between the love hypothesis and under one roof
cons:
– Sadie is a Real Madrid CF fan 🤢
– Erik thinks Manuel Neuer is an overrated goalkeeper 🤮
– insta-love to the fucking max. Erik and Sadie probably spend a total of 24 hours together between 2 days, with a 3 week hiatus between, yet they're half in love
– SO. MUCH. MISCOMMUNICATION
Sadie gets mad at Erik and blocks him because she thought he stole her pitch which lost her a client. In reality, Erik loved how smart Sadie was and emailed her thesis to his entire workforce. Her thesis basically outlined her entire pitch because she wants people to use her ideas. This doesn't stop her from getting mad and accusing Erik of corporate espionage.
Erik thought she blocked him because he scared her during their one night stand. She refused to talk to him despite his efforts so Erik sort of gave up. This continued for 3 weeks until they were stuck in an elevator together during a power outage and realized they were both mistaken.
When they finally get out of the elevator, Erik tells Sadie to wait for him so they can talk about what happened. What does she do? SHE RUNS AWAY. This girl assumed the absolute worst about him and doesn't even give him the courtesy of explaining himself. Then, when he does explain that he never told anyone about her pitch...she doesn't believe him.
EVEN THEN, you know he works for your company's "enemy" yet you spill all your ideas to him on the first date??? Even if he told his employees about her pitch, it's her fault for telling a guy she doesn't know all her ideas
the STEMinist novellas
↠#1 under one roof — 1.75 stars
↠#2 stuck with you — 3 stars
↠#3 below zero — 1 star
May 10, 2022
5 stars!
I have discovered something about myself with this novella: I am absolute trash for the miscommunication trope. I love it, I want more of it, I love my angst and I want my conflict. Not to mention that human beings in general don’t communicate well with each other, so it’s realistic to me. When readers complain about it online, I secretly pray authors and publishers won’t listen to them because I WANT MORE.
Stuck With You is the perfect novella, with two characters being trapped in an elevator at work three weeks after they met and fell for each other. But something kept the two them apart, and being stuck together in a small space may be having them work it all out…
Ali Hazelwood is such a delight to read. I was skeptical about reading her collection of novellas because I typically don’t like shortened books (not enough time to develop/everything gets rushed) but this one worked just perfectly. I would also be happy with a longer version of this story, but it totally worked. I thought the chemistry between the two main characters was fantastic and I loved seeing the buildup of their romance. Fantastically done!
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley. This did not impact my thoughts or feelings when reading this book/writing this review
I have discovered something about myself with this novella: I am absolute trash for the miscommunication trope. I love it, I want more of it, I love my angst and I want my conflict. Not to mention that human beings in general don’t communicate well with each other, so it’s realistic to me. When readers complain about it online, I secretly pray authors and publishers won’t listen to them because I WANT MORE.
Stuck With You is the perfect novella, with two characters being trapped in an elevator at work three weeks after they met and fell for each other. But something kept the two them apart, and being stuck together in a small space may be having them work it all out…
Ali Hazelwood is such a delight to read. I was skeptical about reading her collection of novellas because I typically don’t like shortened books (not enough time to develop/everything gets rushed) but this one worked just perfectly. I would also be happy with a longer version of this story, but it totally worked. I thought the chemistry between the two main characters was fantastic and I loved seeing the buildup of their romance. Fantastically done!
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley. This did not impact my thoughts or feelings when reading this book/writing this review
June 27, 2024
|| 2.0 stars ||
Oh my god. This was just too much. Too ridiculous, too nonsensical, and too cringy.
I swear, the heroine was so insanely QuiRKy that it genuinely made my head explode. She was very much giving “I’m not like other girls” and it made me roll my eyes non-stop.
—His name was Erik, by the way. Because apparently this brilliant scientist struggles to spell basic names like that. But oh well, isn’t that just absolutely adorable?? She can’t spell his name so she gives him a silly nickname. Aww. She’s just so quirky and perfect! *insert eyeroll right here*
Anyway, the insta-love?? It was insane. They met for one single day and fell madly in love. Then, they had a HUGE falling out but they’re still quietly obsessed with each other. So, about a month later, they have a quick chat with each other (the first one obviously, because of course they didn’t think to talk it out in all that time) that makes it clear there was actually NO problem at all, and so, they’re madly in love again. The end.
I will give them this, though: They had some chemistry. Their interactions could be quite cute and they were obviously well-suited. If their relationship had been better developed and not had this crazy insta-love, then I think I could have actually liked it!
Lastly, I don’t even want to go into that one sex scene we were forced to endure in this book, but I feel like I must. Because it genuinely made me want to gauge my own eyes out. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m also not a smut fan when it’s actually good, but this one really was horrendously bad.
I just want to know: Why was there so much goddamn TALKING during the sex? They did not need to narrate everything and make everything so freaking awkward. They were constantly being like “oh should I do this” and “oh are you sure” and “oh I could also do this”. JUST STOP. PLEASE.
Also, she was very scared of his penis. Because it was so big. No, I’m not joking. This was seriously a situation that happened and which they talked about at length. Just… NO.
Oh, and do you know that the hero ends up thinking that he SA’d her during all of this, and that that’s the reason she’s angry at him? It wasn’t SA and the sex was not why she was angry, but still, in what world is it romantic that he thinks this…? It’s just creepy.
The 'STEMinist' Novellas:
1. Under One Roof - 3.0 stars
2. Stuck with You - 2.0 stars
Oh my god. This was just too much. Too ridiculous, too nonsensical, and too cringy.
I swear, the heroine was so insanely QuiRKy that it genuinely made my head explode. She was very much giving “I’m not like other girls” and it made me roll my eyes non-stop.
“You are a brilliant engineer who knows the Premiere League stats of the past three decades off the top of your head. Physically, you are the uncanny combination of every singe feature I’ve ever found attractive—no, I will not expand on that. And you saved me on your phone as Corporate Thor, even after I gave you my full name.”
“I wasn’t sure about the spelling and—you saw that?”
—His name was Erik, by the way. Because apparently this brilliant scientist struggles to spell basic names like that. But oh well, isn’t that just absolutely adorable?? She can’t spell his name so she gives him a silly nickname. Aww. She’s just so quirky and perfect! *insert eyeroll right here*
Anyway, the insta-love?? It was insane. They met for one single day and fell madly in love. Then, they had a HUGE falling out but they’re still quietly obsessed with each other. So, about a month later, they have a quick chat with each other (the first one obviously, because of course they didn’t think to talk it out in all that time) that makes it clear there was actually NO problem at all, and so, they’re madly in love again. The end.
I will give them this, though: They had some chemistry. Their interactions could be quite cute and they were obviously well-suited. If their relationship had been better developed and not had this crazy insta-love, then I think I could have actually liked it!
Lastly, I don’t even want to go into that one sex scene we were forced to endure in this book, but I feel like I must. Because it genuinely made me want to gauge my own eyes out. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m also not a smut fan when it’s actually good, but this one really was horrendously bad.
I just want to know: Why was there so much goddamn TALKING during the sex? They did not need to narrate everything and make everything so freaking awkward. They were constantly being like “oh should I do this” and “oh are you sure” and “oh I could also do this”. JUST STOP. PLEASE.
Also, she was very scared of his penis. Because it was so big. No, I’m not joking. This was seriously a situation that happened and which they talked about at length. Just… NO.
Oh, and do you know that the hero ends up thinking that he SA’d her during all of this, and that that’s the reason she’s angry at him? It wasn’t SA and the sex was not why she was angry, but still, in what world is it romantic that he thinks this…? It’s just creepy.
The 'STEMinist' Novellas:
1. Under One Roof - 3.0 stars
2. Stuck with You - 2.0 stars
June 1, 2022
I’ve said it before and I will happily say it again: Ali Hazelwood does it like no other. This was, unsurprisingly, an absolute delight. Sadie and Erik’s chemistry leapt off the page and even though this was just a novella, I fully believed in their feelings for one another and I desperately need more. Another thing that bears repeating? Ali Hazelwood can write the hell out of a sex scene. HAVE MERCY.
April 9, 2023
1.5 stars
It doesn’t matter if she’s not replying to your texts and you don’t know exactly why, because last time she forgot her bra and you can do things to it—cause that’s totally normal.
This time I have no way of defending Ali Hazelwood's work, it was that bad. A recipe for unsuccess, you have it right here. A back-and-forth narrative with a grating main character + a depraved love interest and any excuse is good enough to have sex/think about having sex only. The author managed to put my most hated tropes all in a single 100 page novella, and didn't even do the 'stuck in the elevator with the guy I hate' justice. I don't think we should even talk about the fact that she hit a world record for how many times she mentioned that he's huge, big, immense, broad... because we've all had enough at this point. Please give us something else, anything else other than these huge masculine men who crush the heroine under their body weight. You know what, since I'm already here I'm begging this author to also stop with the dirty talk, that is repetitive at best or so cringe it makes me want to shrivel up and die at worst. Miss Hazelwood has an amazing voice when it comes to banter and fun breezy writing, but as I read more and more of her work I'm looking for some kind of improvement here.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't mind the miscommunication between these two. It worked. Not that it changes things dramatically as I still hated these characters and their absent chemistry. I'm finding myself craving for a full length novel again (maybe not with these characters though, just the stuck-in-the-elevator formula is enough please) because it obviously needed more space to develop and it needed to be worked on more. While the first novella hit a note, this second one, on top of being short, was instalovey and full of long detailed sex scenes–to the detriment of having a real rounded plot– and it didn't do it at all.
It doesn’t matter if she’s not replying to your texts and you don’t know exactly why, because last time she forgot her bra and you can do things to it—cause that’s totally normal.
This time I have no way of defending Ali Hazelwood's work, it was that bad. A recipe for unsuccess, you have it right here. A back-and-forth narrative with a grating main character + a depraved love interest and any excuse is good enough to have sex/think about having sex only. The author managed to put my most hated tropes all in a single 100 page novella, and didn't even do the 'stuck in the elevator with the guy I hate' justice. I don't think we should even talk about the fact that she hit a world record for how many times she mentioned that he's huge, big, immense, broad... because we've all had enough at this point. Please give us something else, anything else other than these huge masculine men who crush the heroine under their body weight. You know what, since I'm already here I'm begging this author to also stop with the dirty talk, that is repetitive at best or so cringe it makes me want to shrivel up and die at worst. Miss Hazelwood has an amazing voice when it comes to banter and fun breezy writing, but as I read more and more of her work I'm looking for some kind of improvement here.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't mind the miscommunication between these two. It worked. Not that it changes things dramatically as I still hated these characters and their absent chemistry. I'm finding myself craving for a full length novel again (maybe not with these characters though, just the stuck-in-the-elevator formula is enough please) because it obviously needed more space to develop and it needed to be worked on more. While the first novella hit a note, this second one, on top of being short, was instalovey and full of long detailed sex scenes–to the detriment of having a real rounded plot– and it didn't do it at all.
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