In this impressive debut novel we meet Sawyer, a romantic fiction author with writer’s block, and Mason, actor in a long-running TV medical drama series who keeps getting his broken heart splashed all over the internet. After a meet-cute in a lift, and a steamy one-night stand, they don’t expect to see each other again. But life very often does not go according to plan.
They decide to help each other overcome their current problems. Sawyer is under contract to write another romance novel, but is stumped for ideas; Mason needs to keep his love life out of the press so as not to jinx his next career move. One trope at a time, they will give Sawyer inspiration for her next book, and cure Mason of his hopeless romanticism. Along the way they have a lot of fun and become friends, but struggle to ignore the strong attraction they feel for each other, despite having rules stipulating no sex and no feelings. Their outings don’t have the intended result, which is not a surprise.
I enjoyed reading the chapter headings outlining which trope they were going to explore, the references to classic 80s rom-com movies, and the set of postcards Mason sends to Sawyer with movie quotes. The story is told from both their points of view which gives the reader a rounded picture, and we get plenty of realistic detail of their respective careers. The main characters are fully rounded and believable, and there is a great supporting cast of family and friends. At times, I found Sawyer’s behaviour irritating, as she seemed to be her own worst enemy – this is particularly apparent in the third act conflict where her reaction seems a bit over the top. Unromance has a cinematic quality and I could imagine it on the big screen. Overall, I enjoyed this unusual debut novel and look forward to reading her next one. Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

This was a fun light-hearted book, with some sweet moments. I read this on a plane ride and it was perfect for that. At times I felt it lacked a little depth, I would have liked to see a deeper dive into the author character’s back story in particular. Overall however an enjoyable read, I’m likely to pick up this author again and I’d like the Bex character’s story! Would give it 3.5

This was the PERFECT romcom read!!! 🥰

I love reading this book to be honest. The romcom tropes introduced in each chapter and then happening in that chapter was perfectly done. I adored the character of Mason, he was the best romcom male lead - caring and romantic but slightly flawed. Sawyer is a frazzled romance author, she’s so witty though and I really enjoyed the banter between the two of them.
For a medium to fast paced story, there was no points where I thought the story lagged, I felt a need to keep reading the novel, I just couldn’t put it down willingly.

A solid 4 ⭐️ read!
Perfect for fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings, fake dating, and swoon-worthy romances! 💞

first of all, thank you so much for this arc!! it was my first of 2025 and made the most amazing start to the year!!

such a fun and quick read for me, after all i am a lover of a rom com!! and the adorable meet cute, their witty banter from the get go was just perfection and i needed MORE

i was obsessed with both sawyer and mason, the fact that sawyer is looking for anything but romance and mason is on the verge of falling in love with the next person he meets in life...we all knew how that was going to end!! and ugh, i just couldn't resist!!

the tropes included in this wonderful read are:

classic rom-com
grumpy x sunshine
meet-cute
fake dating
spicy
happy evert after

what more are you asking for in a romance?????

The chapter openers showcasing different rom-com tropes was a cute little addition and a great way to set the tone!

Things progressed very quickly between Sawyer and Mason, so their connection felt like it was based more on lust than anything actually romantic. It was obvious how into each other they were in that way. Luckily as the story went along, their banter and personalities were shown to also fit really well together.

The plot was very low stakes, with no real jeopardy. Just two people trying to not admit they were into each other (for no apparent reason). This made the third act conflict seem even sillier than it was. Mason was doing something so kind for Sawyer and wasn’t forcing her to do anything that she didn’t want to do. He simply gave her an option. Sawyer's over-the-top reaction was unnecessary, and showed how little she'd grown over the course of the novel. I thought she needed to properly learn from what happened and make up for it, so I felt like the ending was a bit rushed.

OVERALL: With its cute premise and fun banter, this rom-com was an easy read. The plot was very low stakes, which only highlighted how blown out of proportion the third act conflict was.

This book slapped so hard. So fun. So quirky. A totally unique story for me.

I spent a lot of my adolescent years watching rom-coms and fantasising about finding a romance that was screen-worthy, so this book that brought all of the rom-com energy was such a delight to read. The references to specific movies had me going back on a reminiscent journey and I had such a great couple of days with Sawyer and Mason (and my netflix account)

If you are a sucker for a certain trope, this book likely contains it. How? Mason is a hopeless romantic, and Sawyer is a bestselling author who can't write a book. They set themselves the task of two halves; ruining romance for Mason, and inspiring Sawyer to get over her writers block. A list is written and one by one they re-enact a trope, but shocker, they can't help f*ck up their mission and fall in love.

These two were such a joy to read. Erin wrote them with such a fresh approach, yet she was still able to build great character complexity and growth. Not too spice heavy, but a healthy amount fitting of a true tale full of love and honesty and great communication. There hasn't been a day since I finished reading this book, where in those couple of moments before I fall asleep, I've not thought about this book and it's people.

Well done Erin. This is fantastic!

A big thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Erin Connor smashed it out of the park with this incredible debut, UNROMANCE. A contemporary and romantic masterpiece, this pulled me right out of my reading slump!

I adored Sawyer and Mason. They had amazing chemistry from their adorable meet-cute all the way to the final page. Sawyer was complex and a little chaotic but mixed with cinnamon roll Mason, they were the perfect pair.

Fun, steamy and an absolute page-turner, I was hooked from the very first and couldn’t put it down. Unromance was a brilliant premise filled with all of the best romance tropes that we all know and love with witty dialogue and swoonworthy romance.

I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I like the idea for this story, which puts a contemporary and diverse twist on classic romance tropes, often with hilarious results. Sawyer is a successful writer who experiences writer's block. Mason is in a regular show and longs to be more faithful to his artistic roots. I enjoyed the frequent humour and witty dialogue.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

4.5 stars
Unromance is a funny, steamy and absolutely brilliant romance novel. I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading this one, eagerly turning the pages and kicking my feet at how cute Sawyer and Mason were together.

Firstly before I get into the review, I absolutely loved the different tropes/clichés at the beginning of every chapter. I honestly got such a kick out of reading them and loved every single one of them. Secondly, the tights scene, iykyk. I will never be the same.

I really liked Sawyer and Mason and loved their character development. Sawyer is a very chaotic character but you cannot help but love her. She's sassy, fierce and incredibly witty which I love in a main character. Her banter and connection with Mason was just perfect and I loved watching the two grow close and getting to see them both open up to each other. Mason is just the cutest Cinnamon roll that ever was and I adored him from the very beginning. He is such a hopeless romantic and I was absolutely here for it.

Overall an amazing debut romance novel that I really recommend picking up! I cannot wait to see what Erin Connors writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is sure to be a future classic.

Lovingly understands and explores romance tropes, a surefire hit for any fans of the genre.

This book is steamy, sexy and swoony.

So well written with fantastic characterisation. I'm very excited to see what comes next for this author.

I absolutely devoured this book, it loved that i had so many of my favourite tropes, it had me hooked.

The premise of this book was fantastic. I loved each chapter being a trope. The format was delicious!! I began my read hopefully and excited about the characters and their story.

However, it didn't feel like it really went anywhere for me. I struggled to make a connection with Sawyer. I always struggle with characters who are very privileged but can't see it. While I get she has issues she is working through, she's had a huge success at a young age and didn't seem to really acknowledge or be grateful for that, she was more just stuck in her own self-pity about what wasn't going well. Our MMC seemed like a decent guy, but I kind of struggled to see what they saw in each other. I felt they both lacked depth and I just didn't bond with either of them, so lost interest in their story. I felt in part this was also due to the third person narrative. I'm a sucker for dual POV, first person with romance. I always feel like it gets you in their heads and helps you understand the characters so much more easily, breaks down that wall.

Still giving this 2 stars as some of what I didn't like was probably just down to personal preference. I am a 40+ reader and this may be much more enjoyable for new adults, although I usually love YA and NA a lot. This just wasn't it for me.

DNF at 25%.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4!

This was a very sweet and wholesome romcom that I think all lovers of this genre would enjoy. Sawyer and Mason were both solid, funny and charming characters!
Unfortunately I didn’t appreciate how the 3rd act breakup was handled along with a few other small things (nothing bad, they were just different from my usual preference).

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher HQ for a free copy of Unromance. All opinions are my own!

This was a real modern day romance and a really fun read! The MMC was just a little too nice for me, just one sugar too many. A fun read but I would have loved just a little bit more chemistry between them.

Oh, where to begin with Unromance? Frankly, this is a book I shouldn’t have picked up. I should have looked at it, read the synopsis, thought ‘huh’ and moved on. I spent a lot of time complaining how romance nowadays seems saturated by books which are three tropes in a trench coat, so of COURSE I was never going to like a book in which every chapter involves a different trope. It’s so blindingly obvious that a bat could have seen it coming.

Hope springs eternal, as they say.

I started it. I realised I wouldn’t like it after a single chapter. For some unholy reason, I persevered.

About 70% of this rating can be attributed to the writing style. It was clunky and clumsy and did not make reading this book easy at all. However, it also wasn’t the worst writing I’ve come across and, in all honesty, if this had been my only issue, I can see this one being a 2-star rating. The characters were bland and I didn’t feel their connection whatsoever, but this probably ties back to the writing. So, in all, it would have been 2 stars.

This was not the only issue. Nowadays, you never know when you’re going to come across a this-author-has-been-too-much-online-ism. You never know when they’re going to have something like the main character naming her vagina (Coochie Mane, by the by) or naming her vibrator after the love interest and thanking it for giving her an orgasm. Like, girl, that vibrator was in your hands? Perhaps I don’t mean this-author-has-been-too-much-online-ism, more like a this-author-has-been-in-an-echo-chamber-of-likeminded-authors-because-what-the-fuck-was-this-ism. But that’s a bit longer. The moment that Mason found out Sawyer NAMED HER VAGINA, he should have been out of there. It’s not cute! It’s fucking weird! I want to say this could have been a 2-star read still but actually I texted someone about the naming and thanking her vibrator debacle to say that was the bridge too far.

But the absolute kicker was the entirely contrived third act “breakup” which was clearly a case of the author going ‘oh shit I got them together but they’ve talked everything out and I’m still x-thousand words off my word count!’. I have read some stupid third act breakups. In fact, I reminded myself of one of those just the other day. This one takes the fucking biscuit though. It was so bad it’s like a child wrote it. Actually, scratch that, a child might have written a better conflict here. The only saving grace was that Sawyer was the one to apologise (as well she should have been!). I can’t talk about this one without being super spoilery here, but in the vaguest of possible terms: character A gets pissed off at character B for the actions of character B’s friend, despite character B having nothing to do with those actions, even warning the friend that those actions won’t be well received, but none of this is enough to save him from character A’s wrath. Even if the accusation that character A levels at him is valid (it’s not), she’s perfectly capable of saying no herself! Character B is not trying to influence character A’s decision at all. Character B says nothing. Not a single word. He doesn’t tell her about it, nor does he try convince her to go against her original decision. He respects her, basically. But he gets his head bitten off. And thus, the break up.

Apparently I live in another dimension to everyone else when it comes to this book because the 5 stars abound. I cannot possibly fathom what would make someone rate this 5 stars. This was not amazing. This was dogshit. That’s rude, I know, but it’s hardly a book that makes me feel predisposed to kindness.

Firstly a big thank you to HQ for this arc copy of unromance.

I don’t know even know where to begin with this, but I absolutely loved it!

Sawyer and Mason meet when they get stuck in a lift together, Sawyer is done with romance, Mason is a hopeless romantic. They plan to cure Sawyers writing block, whilst riding him of his habit of falling in love with all the wrong people. It’s simple, and all they have to do is not fall in love with each other…what could go wrong??

The writing had me completely hooked and the flow of the book was brilliant. The dual POV always sucks me in, but I got this book read in 2 days!

The premise was brilliant and I loved the 2 main characters exploring all the different tropes of romance books.

I usually have issues with at least one of the characters 🤣 but I fell in love with both Sawyer and Mason. I found them likeable and relatable.

Just an absolute joy for rom com lovers (with some 🌶️ in there too!)

When I read the synopsis for this it was right up my street. The banter was witty and both the FMC and MMC were likeable.

Sawyer being a romance author but not believing in true romance which is usually depicted in books and Mason being a hopeless romantic who falls in love too easy! Their Pact - Mason to inspire Sawyer with romance so help her writers block. Sawyer to ruin the usual clichés that would normally make Mason fall so easily for someone. I would have loved the cliché romance scenarios to have a bit more disaster in them to add a bit more to Sawyers plan of ruining these clichés, they were too seamless and didn't really have much factors in them to 'ruin' them for Mason.

There wasn't much i could say wasn't good apart from the cliché romance moments being too seamless and I wasn't a huge fan of the third act break up but i get the necessity of it.

I loved the nod to some of the classic rom coms.

Overall I enjoyed this story

What a really enjoyable romance that covers every trope you can think of and some that you can't.
Sawyer is anti romance, she is in a massive writers slump and is pretty grumpy about it. She gets stuck in a lift with Mason, the full on romantic, in a brilliant meet-cute. Can Sawyer break Mason out of his overzealous romance bubble or will Mason make Sawyer fall in love with love again?
I loved how this was set out, each chapter being a romance trope and how they set out to break the romance from each. The dual POV helped see both characters to the full and I enjoyed how they interacted with each other and the secondary characters.

Whilst the idea of this book was great, and I really loved the way it played on romance tropes (especially the hilarious chapter headers), it ultimately felt like just a lot of talking and not much else to drive the plot forward. I think there needed to be more mishaps in the 'dates' because it wasn't super clear exactly how the FMC was supposed to be ruining those romance tropes for the MMC. I don't necessarily think anything was ruined, which I guess is kind of the point in a romance, but there definitely should've been a lot more mishaps because it would've helped bring levity and diversity to the story.

|Netgalley| Published Jan 16th

Sawyer Greene is a cynical, burnt out romance author with writer's block.
Mason West is a TV star who keeps pushing women away by falling too hard, too fast.

When the two meet again after a one-night-stand, they realise that each could help the other out - Sawyer could use Mason's love of romance as inspiration for her book, and Mason could learn that tired, overdone tropes aren't the way to a cynical woman's heart.... are they?

I'm always a little nervous when a couple get down & dirty early on in a novel - will that take away the tension, the longing, the slow burn? Well, in this case, it definitely did not. If anything, it heightened it. I loved the chemistry these two had - this is only the second book I've read this year and they're already one of my favourite romance couples.

I loved the nods to Sawyer's bisexuality and celebration of her queerness. I also loved the side characters, and how the book promoted inclusivity by just letting people be who they were without giving them a cause or something to overcome. I loved how sex positive it was, and how consent and safety were made clear.

I loved the nods to various romance tropes, and the sprinkle of pop culture references. There were just enough to add another layer of personality, without dating the story. I think my favourite thing about the book was that I really LIKED both of them - they were just really nice people. I understood where they were coming from, what motivated them, how they came to be the way they were, and why they behaved the way they did (even when it annoyed me).

I didn't love some of the tropes included, but I loved how the author weaved so many of them in to the story. I thought it was really clever, and a real tribute to romance across all genres. There really is a trope in here for everyone. Your favourite rom-com's favourite rom-com? Maybe!

Thank you so much to @hqstories for granting me Netgalley approval for this. I'll be buying a hard copy when it's released. I devoured it yesterday and I'd like to go back and read it again, just to take my time with it and enjoy it.

Gorgeous.

And Jessica Joyce was right about the tights.