Book Review: Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Below Zero

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: The STEMinist Novellas (Book #3)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Novella

Pages: 139

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"It will take the frosty terrain of the Arctic to show these rival scientists that their chemistry burns hot.

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...

Hannah's got a bad feeling about him. Not only has NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station- but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival. 

Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams... but he's never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?"

My Rating:  2.5/5

This one was my least favourite out of the three novellas that I read from this author. it just didn't go the way I expected which is fine, but I think this one could have benefited from being a full-length novel. It just didn't have the traction that other pieces of her work had. I liked it, it was fun, but it wasn't all I thought it could be. 

Thanks for reading, 

Sidny

Book Review: Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Stuck with You

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: The STEMinist Novellas (Book #2)

Genre: Romance, Novella, Smut

Pages: 127

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.

Mara, Saide 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...."

My Rating: 4/5

I have really enjoyed these smutty little novellas. The smut is great, the plot is fun and they are a quick little read for on-the-go. I do have a complaint that our heroine is constantly the same archetype. She is so small, awkward, petite and has the same interests stereotypically (we did see a flux with some interest in soccer here). The male lead is also very similar. Tall, muscular and for the first time this one had a bit of a different look. But overall I can't distinguish any of the heroes or heroines written by the author. I would just like to see a bit more of a diverse range of characters. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Under One Roof

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: The STEMinist Novellas (Book #1)

Genre: Romance, Smut, Novella

Pages: 112

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis- it leads to combustion.

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...

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else's food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she's the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt's house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side... but Helena was her mentor and Mara's not about to move out and give her inheritance without a fight. 

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him... and the easier it is to love him."

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is what I expect from a four-hour romance novella audio. This was smut! It was fun, it was a bit of pining but mostly knowing that by the end the people are getting together and it's gonna be fun to read about. If you've read Ali Hazelwood's other work you might want to take a minute in between this and the rest as I'm finding that most of her female main characters are fairly similar. That being said if it isn't broken, don't fix it!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Love on the Brain

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 368

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"Bee Konigwasser 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- 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. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school- archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her. Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas... devouring her with those eyes. 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 Konigswasser do?"

My Rating:4/5

When I was uncertain whether this book would be a hit for me, the author cranked up the heat! I was not ready for these spicy scenes but there were exactly what I didn't know I needed. I enjoyed reading about brains and astronauts, but I extra enjoyed the enemies to lovers. I loved the side characters and the puns. Overall so fun! My only complaint is that Bee and Olive from her other work felt too similar to me. Not because they are women in stem. Because they are both small petite women who have issues with attachment due to their pasts. While it was slightly different it was hard to not recall the first book.  Would recommend!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 356

Publisher: Berkley Books

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"As a third-year Ph.D candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships-- but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen- a young hotshot professor-- and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding.... six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope."

My Rating: 4.5/5

This was once again close to being a perfect read for me. So why wasn't it? What went wrong? I'll answer these really quickly. There is a scene where something happens with a breast and for that reason, I had to dock it .5 stars. It was so jarring and took me out of the moment so much that I needed to acknowledge it. This story is such a fun mix of academia and romance. I loved the nerdiness to it, but also the pining was all there. One of my new favourite contemporary romances for sure. Would recommend but try to skim over some parts of the sex scene (aka the boob scene)

Thanks for reading,

Sidny