Loathe to Love You

Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood is a standalone collection of three connected novellas, originally released separately through 2022 before being bundled together in January 2023 with an exclusive bonus chapter. It's a lighter, quicker companion to her full-length novels - three short STEM romances built around the same trio of scientist friends, Mara, Sadie, and Hannah, each getting her own turn at the genre's most reliable Forced Proximity setups.

In Under One Roof, environmental engineer Mara inherits half a Washington, D.C. house from her late mentor - only to discover the other half belongs to Helena's nephew, Liam, a corporate lawyer she's instantly at odds with over everything from the thermostat to each other's entire worldview. It's classic Enemies to Lovers territory, built on genuine personality friction rather than convenient misunderstanding, and the close-quarters cohabitation gives the slow thaw between them plenty of room to build.

Stuck with You turns up the Rivals to Lovers dial considerably: civil engineer Sadie finds herself trapped in a New York elevator during a power outage with Erik, the man whose history with her involves rather more than professional rivalry. The Second Chances at the heart of this one carry real weight - Sadie and Erik aren't strangers working through dislike, they're two people who already know exactly how much they could hurt each other, given the chance.

The final novella, Below Zero, sends NASA aerospace engineer Hannah to a remote Arctic research station, where an injury during fieldwork leaves her stranded - and the only person willing to risk the rescue is Ian, her longtime professional rival. It's the most overtly high-stakes of the three, trading domestic friction for genuine physical danger, though the emotional beats land in familiar Hazelwood territory: Grumpy-Sunshine Dynamic pairing, old wounds finally addressed, and a rescue that forces both characters to stop performing indifference.

Across all three, Hazelwood's trademark Witty Banter & Sharp Dialogue and confident Heat / Spice carry the charm - these are shorter, punchier reads than her full novels, built for readers who want the satisfaction of a Hazelwood pairing without the longer commitment. What ties the collection together, more than any individual romance, is the Close-Knit Friend Group at its centre: Mara, Sadie, and Hannah's friendship threads through all three stories, and the bonus chapter - narrated from the men's perspective, checking in on all three couples years later - gives the whole collection a satisfying sense of Found Family closure.

For Hazelwood fans, this is a fun, fast-moving companion piece rather than essential reading on its own - a chance to spend more time in her STEM-romance world between full-length releases, with three distinct flavours of opposites-and-rivals chemistry to choose from.