When Ali Hazelwood burst onto the scene, readers ate up her debut: The Love Hypothesis which was previously based on Reylo fanfiction. At first, it seemed like Hazelwood would give us more of the same with each release.
While that's not a bad thing, it doesn't tend to bring in new readers. Given how popular Ali Hazelwood is, though, it wouldn't have been a hardship for her yet she didn't let that define her. If anything, her early success opened the door to much more.
Heading into 2024, it felt like Hazelwood would give us more of the same yet things quickly switched up for her. Most notably, she released Bride in February 2024, which felt completely different for her. It was a paranormal romance between a werewolf and a vampire which is something I never imagined reading from her.
She stayed booked and busy in 2024 by releasing even more titles including Not in Love which did feature some scientific moments but it was mostly about the two characters hooking up and being vulnerable with each other. Two Can Play felt like another classic Ali Hazelwood title but that's probably due to it being a novella.
Ali Hazelwood's recent releases are shifting the conversation.
So far in 2025, Ali Hazelwood has released Deep End, her new adult sports romance, and what a treat it was. This book felt like something completely new for the romance author but not in a bad way. If anything, Deep End continues the trend of her doing something unexpected but it always ends up, working.
Rather than focus on the "Reylo" aspect of her books or the scientific side, Hazelwood is diving headfirst into the connection. While we're getting glimpses of science and learning more about these characters, the story truly feels like a romance at its core because of just how connected the characters are to each other.
Not only that, but Hazelwood is using her steamy scenes to showcase their connection even more which is a great tool. While not everyone has to read them, it's clear their connection is solidified once they're together in that way. Even though she's featured those scenes in her other books, her last three releases have shown it in a more concrete way which seems like the natural progression of her as a romance novelist.
While the romances are good in her books, the way she crafts these characters is excellent as they have nuance. They might not always be likable but she gives us the reasons why they behave a certain way or why a certain scene was described as such. As someone who didn't love Ali Hazelwood's debut release, this new wave of titles from her is proving that she's much more than The Love Hypothesis and its initial hype.
If anything, this new chapter for Ali Hazelwood and her books feels like a party we've all just been invited to. Sometimes it does take an author a few books to hit their stride and that's exactly what I'm seeing with Ali Hazelwood. Hopefully, we will see even more of the same as she continues with her publishing career.