Rue Siebert doesn't have a lot, but she has what she needs. A few friends she can count on, and the stability she wished for when she was a child. She also has her dream job of being a biotech engineer at Kline, a successful startup where she can work on her project of making food more shelf stable.
That is until Harkness acquires a loan for Kline and a hostile takeover begins. The problem is Harkness' leading man is very attractive, and may have been the man Rue tried to hook up with that night before they show up at her work.
Eli Killgore and his partners want Kline, both as a good business venture and because of reasons he isn't ready to share with random strangers. Eli is determined to get what he wants, but now Rue stands in the way of his plans.
Rue trusts the owner of Kline, too much in Eli's opinion, and it makes their 'situationship' start on rocky terms. As they continue to hookup, even though there are no feelings involved, Eli can't help but wonder if the owner is keeping secrets from Rue, and Rue starts to think Eli is keeping secrets from her. As they navigate their relationship, feelings, and pasts, they start to realize they both have their reasons for what they have done, and somehow that brings them closer. Eli and Rue share stories they've never told anyone else, which leads to Eli telling Rue to truth as to why they are going after Kline.
When they decide to keep their relationship a secret, with a no-strings-attached vibe, they decide it will end whenever one of their companies wins.
This book is both the same and different from other stem-inist novels by Ali Hazelwood. It has a darker backstory to both characters, with their reasons for pursuing their careers driven by experiences they had as children. Rue wants to make sure kids didn't go through what she did, but this also means she keeps her distance in relationships. There is a lot of loss mentioned in this book, so be sure to read the author's note at the beginning of the story.
Overall, one of my favorite things about these books is how intelligent, academically, the characters are. They might be fools about love and feelings, but they are always really smart in their field and I've always really enjoyed that. The friends in this novel are also really supportive of the characters, even if they sometimes question their intentions. I really enjoyed this book as I do most of Ali Hazelwood's novels.
4 out of 5 stars!
This book is scheduled to come out June 11, 2024.
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