Rating: 5 stars
Rue Siebert has never wanted a relationship, she's finds men to hook up with on dating apps and has a strict rule about one night only. When her latest date is interrupted by her drunken brother and the night doesn't end the way she expected, she breaks her rule and gives the guy her phone number. Nevertheless, she doesn't expect to see him again.
Unexpectedly, she sees him again as soon as the next morning, when he is part of the venture capitalist firm, which may be taking over Kline, the food science start-up where Rue and her best friend work. Rue's boss and mentor, who she really looks up to, claim that the company will be fine, but Rue is worried. She grew up with a lot of instability and uncertainty and has finally achieved financial stability and has a career she enjoys. This possible takeover is threatening all of that.
Eli Killgore and his business partners have very specific reasons for wanting to take over Kline and have worked for nearly a decade to get where they are now. What he was not expecting was seeing Rue, the mystery woman he hasn't been able to forget after their brief, interrupted date. With the power dynamics so drastically altered, Eli should put Rue out of his mind. Rue, on the other hand, keeps being warned by her mentor to stay away from all of the venture capital people, but every interaction she has with them is pleasant and all of them seem to have science backgrounds and be genuinely interested in the work that's taking place at Kline. They don't just seem like heartless capitalists, only worried about money and the bottom line.
Even though they should stay away from each other, Eli and Rue can't seem to avoid ending up close together, and even after allowing herself one night with Eli, Rue no longer seems able to stick to her 'one night only' rule, because she is as addicted to Eli's company and attention as he seems to be to hers. Whether they have any sort of long-term future together is another issue - Rue doesn't do relationships, Eli is part of a group who seems determined to destroy her boss' career.
I may have to give up on my hopes of Hazelwood ever writing a short, dumpy hero, but at least in this book, the heroine is also tall. In another break from her earlier books, the hero hasn't been broodingly pining for the heroine for years, which I also appreciate. Here we get a heroine who is used to having to fend for herself and is unused to and to begin with, incapable of being taken care of, and that is a trope that always seems to melt my heart. The hypercompetent people who do so much to stay in control and take care of everything and everyone around them (although in Rue's case, she's a rather stand-offish, introverted, and most likely neuro-divergent grump, so there aren't that many people in her life for her to take care of), and then find that special someone who only wants to be there for them and care for them.
Eli is good at caring, he has been taking care of his younger sister since their parents died when he was a teenager and she was much younger. His life has taken a lot of unexpected turns, and he has had to work hard to get where he is now. While he and his friends are now venture capitalists, they tend to buy up failing businesses, not to destroy and gut them, but to help the business do scientifically or technologically useful things. There is a personal aspect to their interest in Kline, the company Rue works for, but it's also nice to see a nuanced portrayal of wealthy money people, instead of the usual uncaring suits who only want results, or to destroy people's livelihoods for profit.
It tends to be much easier for me to review a book I didn't much like than one I loved. I have also not made it easier for myself by waiting nearly two months after finishing this one to review it. I don't remember all the reasons I loved this book (and the main reason I haven't re-read it is that I like doing that via audiobook, and I really disliked the narrators of this one), but I'm going to try. There are some great supporting characters in this, like Eli's younger sister, Rue's best friend, Eli's business partners who are also his friends and seem close enough to be a found family for him. There's a very good dog. There's the couple cooking together (I also love this) and because Rue and Eli both seem rather overwhelmed by the attraction between them, they have this thing where they share something really negative about themselves, like the worst things they've ever done or thought, seemingly hoping they will scare the other one away. Of course, a lot of these things just expose how vulnerable they are and how difficult their lives have been up to the point where they met each other, and it was a really nice touch.
By now it's clear that no matter what Ali Hazelwood writes, I will pre-order it and probably love it. I understand why her books are not for everyone, but for me, this worked on every level and I think it may be her strongest novel yet. If you have tried Hazelwood before and disliked her writing style, I can't promise that this will change your mind, but she's clearly evolved a lot as a writer since publishing The Love Hypothesis (her weakest book, in my opinion). I will be impatiently awaiting her next book, whether it be paranormal or regular contemporary romance.
Judging a book by its cover: Hazelwood is lucky enough to get cover artists who actually seem to depict the characters the way they are actually described in the book (certainly not a given) and they're usually portrayed in a loving embrace of some kind. I think the artist here has managed to show how besotted Eli is with Rue, while she seems a bit more restrained. In case you didn't know that Hazelwood sets most of her books in a STEM environment, the artist has also helpfully thrown in some test tubes with mysterious liquid there on the side of the couple - science! There were apparently several special editions published of this book, with various extra art and bonus features. If you go to Hazelwood's Instagram account, there are pictures of the other images, all of which are very good.
Crossposted on Cannonball Read
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