I really need to stop doubting Ali Hazelwood.

I originally planned on reading Not in Love and wasn’t even going to bother with Problematic Summer Romance because I wasn’t particularly sure how I felt about the age gap. Not age gaps in general, specifically their ages. I remember seeing that Maya is 23 and thinking, “Well… 23 is pretty young.”

And then I had to laugh at myself because…

I’m 23.

If I found myself in this exact situation, I would absolutely not be complaining. 😭

For some reason, though, I decided to pick this up anyway.

As you can see by the rating, I have zero regrets.

I stayed up all night reading this.

Then I stayed up for half the day.

Sleep was simply not important anymore.

I never should’ve doubted my girl Ali.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the yearning. Everyone knows I love a slow burn, and the slower the better as far as I’m concerned. I want to be miserable. I want to be screaming at the characters to just kiss already. I want hundreds of pages of tension and longing before anyone finally admits what’s happening.

This book is fucking AGONIZING.

Thank you, Ali.

I did, however, have one complaint: after making me wait that long, I wanted a little more time with Maya and Conor actually being a couple! The buildup was fantastic, but by the time they finally got there, I was desperate to see them enjoy the relationship I’d spent the entire book waiting for.

Give me the payoff, girl!

I earned it!

The flashbacks were another thing that absolutely destroyed me.

Because what do you MEAN he called her just because he wanted to “listen to her exist”???

OH MY GODDDDD.

HELLO???

That is precisely the kind of ridiculous romantic shit that makes me incapable of functioning.

I LOVE A MAN WHO YEARNS. I will never stop saying it.

Grumpy x sunshine and forced proximity remain two of my favorite romance tropes, so this book was basically engineered in a lab specifically to make me happy. Conor’s grumpiness paired with Maya’s particular brand of chaos worked incredibly well, and their dynamic kept me entertained even when I wanted to shake both of them.

Because Maya…

I LOVE MAYA.

She’s obnoxious.

She’s loud.

She’s probably exhausting.

She’s exactly the kind of person I would somehow become best friends with.

You know those people who are just a lot, but in such a way that you can’t help but love them? That’s Maya. She has so much personality, and I really enjoyed having her as the center of the story.

Conor was great too! He functions well in their dynamic and I want to fuck that old man... 🙂‍↕️.

But I genuinely have no idea what he does for a living.

Something in finance.

That’s all I’ve got.

And honestly?

I don’t care.

Finance has never once made a fictional man more interesting to me. He could’ve been the CEO of Wall Street itself and I’d still be sitting there like, “Okay, but when are you going to kiss Maya?”

I did spend a decent portion of the book convinced Paul was going to be the villain, so I was honestly surprised when things didn’t go in that direction.

But then again, Conor was doing an excellent job sabotaging himself and his relationship with Maya all by himself.

We didn’t really need an outside villain.

This man was his own worst enemy.

And somehow that created more than enough tension.

One of the things that makes me love Ali Hazelwood’s books so much is how interconnected her universe has become. I LOVE getting little appearances and references to characters from other books. It makes the whole thing feel like this giant little ecosystem where everyone knows everyone.

And seeing Scarlett and Lukas from Deep End play a role in this whole mess???

I LOVED IT.

Of course those two would somehow end up involved in the chaos.

And then, naturally…

Jack Smith-Turner got a mention.

The love of my life.

Five books into my Ali Hazelwood journey, I’ve officially given up on trying to choose a favorite book boyfriend. They’re all wonderful. They’re all perfect. I can’t do this anymore.

Although…

I’ll probably always be slightly partial to Jack.

He was my first introduction to this bizarre little multiverse of Ali Hazelwood men, so he has a special place in my heart.

Nobody can take that away from him.

I also really hope Avery eventually gets the love she deserves. I adore that woman. She’s so sweet, and every time she showed up I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

And yes, I know this book is technically part of a series, but I do wish I’d started with Not in Love. I think I would’ve gotten a little more out of some of the connections and characters if I’d read them in order.

The characters seem really interesting, though, so I’ll absolutely be picking it up eventually.

Overall, Problematic Summer Romance was such a pleasant surprise. I went into this unsure about the premise, unsure about the age gap, and honestly not even planning to read it.

Instead, I stayed up until the sun came up because I couldn’t put it down.

That’s a pretty damn good endorsement.

The romance had everything I wanted: agonizing slow burn, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, yearning, emotional tension, and a man who was clearly gone for this woman long before he was willing to admit it.

My only real complaint is that I wanted more of Maya and Conor after they finally got together.

But considering I was so desperate for that payoff in the first place, I think that’s a pretty good problem to have.

Ali Hazelwood, I am sorry for ever doubting you.

You have yet again created two fictional people who have ruined real men for me.

And at this point, I’m just accepting that this is my life now.