Not in Love - Ali Hazelwood

I have only a few automatic buy authors, and Ali Hazelwood is one of them. I will admit I was late to her fan club, only discovering her books in July 2023, but I've been hooked ever since. Her unique way of combining women in STEM with swoon worthy MMCs is unlike anything else on the shelves, and I can't get enough. So of course, I bought her latest the moment it hit shelves. And while I enjoyed it, it didn't live up to the rest.
One of the things I love about Hazelwood's books is the women in STEM....infusing science heavily into the plots, with the romance happening around it. Her FMCs are relatable (even if they're a million times smarter than me) and the science gives an original twist. But this book felt too light on the science, too heavy on the smut. And while I do enjoy smut (I read SJM, after all) it felt almost 50 Shades-esque and at times detracted from the true development of the story. 
Rue was flat and hard to relate to, while Eli was a bit of a simp...and not even in the endearing way. He fell too hard too fast with no understanding why, since Rue was so unlikable. I enjoyed the BFF character Tisha and the sassy sister more than I did the actual main character.
Overall, it was okay. Not her best, but not terrible either.

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