Rue has everything she needs: a steady job, a best friend, and a mentor. Shes not the kind of person who wants much – or allows herself to want much – and on the rare occasion she does, she turns to the apps for a one night stand so she can scratch the itch. On one such evening she meets Eli. Nothing much happens, but there’s a definite attraction – an attraction that is palpable when she arrives at work to find that her company is being taken over by Eli’s company. Getting together is a bad idea, especially when Eli and his best friends/business partners have personal reasons for wanting the company. But they’re not in love so it’s not a problem, right?
These characters are driven and complicated and it’s cathartic to watch them crack open. Rue and Eli have both experienced hardship or trauma in adolescence/young adulthood that directly impacted how they act as adults. This book does a great job at fleshing out how these two would likely behave. Whether it is closing off emotionally or assuming the role of ultimate caretaker, their response felt real and not at all outsized. Ali Hazelwood isn’t an autobuy author like, say, Emily Henry…yet. I think that’s largely because I’m just now getting into romance and the genre as a whole is not “auto” for me. But Hazelwood writes good banter, powerful women with autonomy who own their sexuality, characters who value intelligence, anxieties, and exciting and realistic spice, so she’s turning into a top romcom author for me.
3.75 out of 5 stars.
Pair with: White lady (gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white)
Peaches to Apples 