It's hard to believe that Ali Hazelwood released her debut novel in 2021. Since then, she has taken the romance world by storm.
Hazelwood is putting out books faster than most of us can imagine even writing one. Either way, she's been making it her mission to write up some unique and fun romances for readers of all kinds.
Additionally, she's also branched out into novellas including her most recent release: Two Can Play which is an audio novella. In honor of Two Can Play being released on October 1st, we're ranking all of Ali's full-length novels.
The novels we're going to be ranking are The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, Love, Theoretically, Check & Mate, Bride, and Not in Love. We'll be ranking her novella bind-up in a different post along with Two Can Play so be on the lookout for that.
Let's rank all of Ali Hazelwood's full-length titles!
6. The Love Hypothesis
Coming in at the #6 spot is Ali Hazelwood's debut novel: The Love Hypothesis. While others might rank this one higher, I personally didn't enjoy how this book was written. In a way, this romance just felt a little too convenient. It might have been due to the fact that this was Hazelwood's debut but I just didn't love this story. With that being said, I'm happy that this was so many people's intro to the romance genre.
5. Love on the Brain
Coming in at #5 spot is Love on the Brain. This is Ali Hazelwood's sophomore novel and I won't get into too much detail about this one. I recently did a full review of my thoughts on it as it was the last book of hers I had left to read. With that being said, the last 25% of this book lost me which is why it ended up in this spot.
4. Love, Theoretically
At the #4 spot on the list is Love, Theoretically. This book follows Elsie who is a theoretical physicist who fake-dates guys on the weekends. Even though it's supposed to be a one-time gig, she ends up becoming friends with one of the guys and meets his brother. The only issue? His brother, Jack is a staff member where she's applying for a job and basically made her mentor look like an absolute hack.
This book broke the mold of what Ali Hazelwood had done previously with her characters which was a major complaint with her previous titles. The only thing I didn't love was how much science was involved which might sound silly but it felt like we just needed a bit more romance. Regardless, it's still a solid read.
3. Bride
Moving on to the next title, the third-place spot goes to Bride. This was Ali Hazelwood's foray into paranormal romance and it was so much fun. In a romance between a vampire and a werewolf, we're following Misery who is trying to figure out the mystery of her missing best friend and go along with her father's plan to marry Lowe. In this world, the Vampyres and Weres are looking to finally form an alliance and their marriage is set to be the bond.
As someone who isn't a huge paranormal romance reader, I adored this book. It felt like a great intro to this world and a possible series at some point. Additionally, there was just enough steam and character development to keep me interested. Honestly, I thought this was such a fun one and one I know I'll revisit in the future.
2. Check & Mate
Hear me out before you come for me with this pick. If you haven't read Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood, you're truly missing out. This is a romance between two chess players who met as kids and then meet again as she's embarking on her professional career. While it seems unlikely, Mallory and Nolan are such a great match that you can't help but keep watching them shuffle around each other.
Mallory and Nolan feel like such real people with major stakes if they don't achieve what they've set out to do. By the end, you'll be rooting for both and that's the marker of a solid romance. If you haven't picked up Check & Mate yet, then you are truly missing out on one of Hazelwood's best.
1. Not in Love
Coming in at #1 spot on the list is Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood. This is Hazelwood's most recent full-length release and is easily her best. Following a romance between Rue and Eli, the two meet under some unlikely circumstances and then can't seem to stop meeting. While it seems like they're going to hate each other, their attraction is too much to deny and the two start a friends-with-benefits situation.
With plenty of steamy scenes, great character development, and a storyline pulled from TV, this is truly the best Ali Hazelwood has ever done. I've gushed about it on Culturess but if you're waiting to read Not in Love, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You won't regret it!
How would you rank Ali Hazelwood's full-length novels? Any titles you would shift on our list? Be sure to share your rankings!