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.

This book about falling back in love with romance made me fall back in love with romance books. It’s cute and swoony and cleverly loops in all the best tropes without being unrealistic. Honestly, it’s a brilliant debut, lining up the author as one to watch.

It follows cynical, struggling writer Sawyer and romantic, hopeful actor Mason from their ‘meet-cute’ in an elevator to their deal to solve each other’s problems. Sawyer will ruin romance for Mason, protecting him from falling too fast (again) and Mason will inspire Sawyer’s next project, putting an end to writer’s block.

The characters are fully realised, with believable histories and personalities. They put emotions, triggers and the effects of heartbreak into words that strongly resonate with me. And the story’s not all corny fun (though there’s a lot of that). It’s a delightful, unputdownable mixture of intensity and frivolity, delicacy and chaos.

I thought I’d be put off by the fact that the couple meet and hit it off on the very first page, but actually that only allows more time for them to connect with one another and the others in their lives. With a great cast of characters, memorable moments, undeniable chemistry and minimal miscommunication, I thoroughly recommend this quirky story.

I LOVED this! I always love a meta romance and this hit the mark all around. The concept was fresh and fun, I loved both main characters (a jaded, black cat romance author, though? I feel attacked), and the side characters added their own lil' sparkle. The spice spiced in my ideal way – I loved that Sawyer and Mason kept up their #bantz and very much felt like themselves even during the intimate scenes. BIG FAN! And following on from that, perhaps most importantly for a yapper like me, the banter was SO GOOD throughout the book. This book is FUNNY!!! I promise!!!

I had the best time and you should put Unromance on your TBR so that you can also have a delightful time with these horny, charming idiots. I really can't wait to read more from Erin Connor. 🩷

I really enjoyed Sawyer and Mason's love story unfolding and the premise made it interesting and fun and playful in the best way. As a rom-com girlie, it was so great to see the references and I loved the way each chapter explained a rom-com trope. The tone and the voice of the story was easy to read (the formatting of the book did get a little annoying at times though but I think that's just a PDF issue). I just didn't love love it but that for me is a lot about the vibe and while this story was so nice to read and so enjoyable, there was something missing for me and I still cant' put my finger on what that was. I did however, like that we got 3rd person perspective of both MCs. I love when you get an insight into the MMC especially and Mason was so adorable with how much of a romantic he was. All in all, it was a lovely read to end 2024 on!

This book was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

OK, so this is the romance I didn’t know I needed in this post-festive period. Sawyer doesn’t believe she can maintain a serious relationship and pursue her career (liked the juggling balls analogy); Mason is a complete romantic who keeps losing the girl, and has the additional indignity of having to deal with tabloid commentary every time it happens. Their chemistry shines from the outset, and watching them stumble from strangers to friends to so much more (with some timely interventions from friends and family) is deliciously satisfying. I particularly enjoyed the chapter openers, poking gentle fun at the romance tropes they were enacting - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Overall a wonderful debut that I rampaged through in a day.

This was a really fun read. Alternating povs so you really got to dig deep into both Sawyer and Mason and what made them tick. They were both really likable which made it easy to fall for them as individuals and as a potential couple to be. Sawyer and Mason were both nursing the wounds from breakups and were both a little guarded but the chemistry and connection was difficult to resist. I loved the list, their attempts to cure one another from their respective problems and the friendship and relationship that grew as a result. An enjoyable debut and I look forward to more from the author. 4 ⭐️

unromance was the romcom movie infused book of my dreams. it was hilarious and the characters had insane chemistry i was glued too. the funny nature of this book has you flipping the pages with excitement, knowing you can’t get enough of their relationship.
sawyer was passionate and dedicated yet carefree and gentle. her whole personality was carefully crafted into this beautiful character with depth, intelligence, passion, determination and grace. she was a well rounded character who you could see the flaws in but it made her even more honest. her career as a writer was explored heavily throughout and highlighted the difficulties authors have during their lives. she loves mason so openly from the start it was heartwarming to see.
mason is a dreamy man who i would not mind keeping for myself. he was attentive and strong whilst still being playful and respectful. i loved seeing him with his family, especially nephews and it pulled at my heart strings. his whole character was crafted to suit sawyer perfectly.
they are amazingly paired and i was highly upset to end this story as I just wanted to get so much more of their story. i would totally recommend this and it even has some parts of the story set at christmas which is so festive

This was a joy of a romcom - I love a bit of meta, and this was the perfect love letter to the romcom genre, giving a cheeky nod and a wink to the various tropes (both the movie ones and those typical of romance novels) and riffing on them in a really fun, fresh way. The main characters were both engaging and sympathetic, they had great chemistry from the outset, and their banter was excellent. Like all romcoms, you know the general trajectory of the story, and given that the author was having a lot of fun with so many tropes, you'd think this would make the story predictable, but this wasn't the case. Of course, the enjoyment is in the journey as much as the destination - but also, Connor's characterisation gave depth and pathos to the MCs and the hurdles they had to overcome (particularly Sawyer) in order to earn their HEA (or at least their happy-for-now) ending. I'd say the film it reminded me most of is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - one of my all time faves.

I'd happily recommend Unromance to anyone looking for a sparky, pacy romantic comedy with EmHen and Nora Ephron vibes with an irreverent and diverse treatment. I look forward to reading more from Erin Connor in the future!