REVIEW: Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

OUR REVIEW:

Listen, I get it. Some people couldn't get over the issue Conor had with the age gap between him and Maya. I didn't have a problem with it, per se....I mean it was annoying that he was so weird about it and yet, it wasn't a deal breaker for me. I suppose that's because Ali Hazelwood has a way of drawing me and holding my interest. She writes smart (but sometimes stupid) characters who seem relatable. I enjoy the tension she creates between her characters, the conundrums they find themselves in, and the humor she often employs to take the edge off any of the high emotion that you feel. For me it works. In this novel, I appreciated the history Maya and Conor had. The way he clearly cared for her. The way she persisted, despite all of the road blocks he put in her way. The way that they were drawn to each other, no matter what. So yeah, maybe for some this would be a problematic summer romance, but for me, it was a great escape from all that the end of summer brought. 

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SYNOPSIS:

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.

 

REVIEW: Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

 OUR REVIEW:

Without scrolling very far at all, I can see that Deep End has generated some FEELINGS of dislike or discontent and while that's a thing that happens, I can't imagine why. But then again, I didn't care to read the reviews for fear of spoiling, so I closed out as soon as I saw low stars and all caps. 

I've enjoyed Ali Hazelwood's novels and wanted to see if I'd enjoy this one. Turns out, I did. I don't know much about the world of diving, so living through the ups and downs of Scarlett's season was interesting. That plus the secret kinky relationship she starts with Lukas + both of them applying to medical school while also competing in various championships had me hooked. I haven't been the fasted reader lately and I found myself flying through this. I think it was the combination of being in a new world, the spicy nature of their romance, the wondering if they'd get caught, the delight of the inevitability of them falling in love, and that they were funny and fun to read had me flying through the pages. I suppose if you're into clean romcoms or not a fan of anything medical or smart you may not like this novel. But I liked the spice. I liked the diving. I liked the use of therapy, of Lukas's dad being super evolved, as were his brothers, that Lukas was really cool, and that Scarlett was a really good friend to someone who could've been a difficult friend to be with? Solid choices that made for a really happy reader. I wish I hadn't read all of Ali Hazelwood's novels because I can see how I'd immediately dive into her backlist if I could. 

Definitely a fun read.

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SYNOPSIS:

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...

REVIEW: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

 

OUR REVIEW:

Ali Hazelwood's seem to always be a good time so when I saw Check & Mate on my library's Libby app (I highly recommend using this app, by the way), I immediately requested it. Because I was so quick to request it, I didn't have to wait long to get it and then I immediately consumed it in the matter of 24 hours. I'm sure the person next in line to get it was happy to see it was ready to read and will probably also read it quickly. You really can't help it; the characters of Nolan and Mallory and the conflicts they find themselves in are so dang readable. I don't think I've ever been as interested in chess as I was watching The Queen's Gambit and this novel came along and reignited my admiration for those who play it. Playing chess is way beyond my attention span and ability to think so far ahead about my moves and someone else's. 

Anyway. 

Mallory and Nolan make an interesting pair. She's in full denial and he's in full acceptance of ...well, so many things. Mallory is so busy taking care of her family and trying to make amends for something she feels personally responsible for that she's forsaken everything that makes her happy and who she is. Nolan seems to have come to terms about the uncomfortable truths in his life and is now living a life that makes him happy. So polar opposite, right? Right. But as they get to know each other, spend time with each other, and fall for each other, his knowing himself so well, ends up sparking an evolution in Mallory, even if that wasn't his intention or her desire. 

While this is listed as a YA novel, it seems more NA to me? But no matter how it's categorized, it's a fun, sweet, sexy, and interesting romance that will be hard to put down until you get to the end. As a matter of fact, I'm still thinking about these two and wondering how they're doing, hours after I finished their love story.  Definitely an enjoyable read.

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SYNOPSIS:

n this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

REVIEW: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

 

OUR REVIEW:

Love on the Brain is currently my new fave. It's one of those novels that haunts you when you put it down because you just have to know what's going on with these characters and what will happen next. In the case of Bee and Levi, these enemies turn into the best lovers. 

It all starts with a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, misreadings, and frankly, some lies thrown in and all of those things fester for years until the best/worst thing happens: Bee and Levi working on a huge, important project. As work has now thrown them together, truths are revealed, feelings are explored, and denial is not just a river in Egypt. I enjoyed watching how all of this played out--how Bee had to basically twist herself into a pretzel in order to force herself to believe the ideas she had about Levi and how patient and accepting Levi was of her process. I also enjoyed the idea of the project they were working on and all of the intelligent little bits and pieces that were woven into their dialogue and plot. Additional, the twitter subplot and the funny things Bee would say or do (along with her hilarious assistant) created a nice balance between the smart, more serious scenes. 

Love on the Brain hits so many of my sweet spots: smart characters, funny characters, interesting, well paced plot, and a happily ever after that is completely satisfying.

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BLURB:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
 
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
 
Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?