CBR17Bingo – “Favorite” because Ali Hazelwood is a favorite author of mine, and I read all of her books.
I have read all of Ali Hazelwood’s women-in-STEM romance novels. I tend to read them very quickly because they’re well written, interesting, and fun to read. Occasionally the characters or plot have me shaking my head a little bit, but the books are so enjoyable I don’t mind.
Problematic Summer Romance (2025) is Hazelwood’s latest novel, and it has all the trademarks of her brand. The book was easy and fun to read, and the characters have intense, amazing chemistry and are suitable for no one else.
Maya Killgore is 23 years old and a graduate student in England. She is the much younger sister of Eli Killgore, the main character in Not in Love. Eli’s best friend and co-owner of their very successful biotech firm is Conor Harkness, and he is 38 years old. Conor never paid any attention to Maya until he unexpectedly comes to her rescue when he happens to be nearby in Europe. The two have immediate attraction, but Conor does not want to be romantically involved in the much younger sister of his best friend. However, they become very close friends and talk all the time. One night, they both pretty much lose control, and Conor guiltily breaks off contact with Maya. Maya is devastated.
It is months later that Maya’s brother Eli and his bride, Rue, are getting married in Taormina, Italy. It’s a beautiful week-long, destination wedding. And, of course, both Maya and Conor are attending. It is during this week that Maya and Conor are forced into close enough proximity that Conor’s aloofness is truly tested.
This book had everything that Hazelwood’s romances usually have, and it was well written. However, I could not enjoy it as much as her previous books. I had a hard time getting over the age difference. Hazelwood went out of her way to say that Conor was not even aware of Maya until she was in her 20’s, so there was definitely no grooming going on. But it still felt a little gross to me. I’m not necessarily against big age gaps, but early twenties and not out of school feels very young. Also, I had some relationships with older men when I was in my twenties, and they were not a good fit. This book brought me back to those uncomfortable times that were certainly not romance-novel worthy. I sometimes wished she would just end up with someone else.
In addition, Maya spent a lot of time trying to convince Conor to be with her, which is not my favorite dynamic. If I’m living vicariously through this romance, I don’t want the heroine to be constantly rejected. In short, even though this book was well written and entertaining, it was probably my least favorite of the Hazelwood books I’ve read.
You can find all my reviews on my blog.