Do you feel like kicking your feet, but also screaming into the void? Well, Ali Hazelwood’s latest publication, Problematic Summer Romance, might be the perfect addition to your sunshine season!
Ali Hazelwood is the queen of STEM novels; however, this one really said, “I’m not like her other STEM novels.” In this review, we’ll dive into the basics, my opinions, and the problematic part of it.
Side note: The last section contains spoilers.
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Problematic Summer Romance Book Overview
- Title: Problematic Summer Romance
- Author: Ali Hazelwood
- Genre: Contemporary romance
- Series: Not in Love #2
- Published: 27 May 2025
- Writing style: First person (single POV)
- Tropes: Age gap romance, (complicated) friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, brother’s best friend (to a lesser extent)
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Buy it here: Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
Synopsis (source: Goodreads) – Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.
Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.
It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.
But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.
When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.
My Spoiler-Free Thoughts
The Good
This book is a good time, and (as always) Ali does a couple of things amazingly.
- BANTER. The banter is immaculate. You will giggle and kick your feet with these characters.
- TENSION. Definitely present! Tension basically radiates off of Maya and Conor.
- PACING. I am yet to read an Ali Hazelwood book that bores me. She is beyond talented when it comes to pacing. The book is fast-paced, just how I like it.
- SETTING. I’ve never been to Italy; however, it is now on my bucket list! The way she describes the world gives you an immersive feeling. You literally feel like you are in that villa with them.
- CHARACTERS. I’ll give credit where credit is due; these characters do not feel flat. They are complicated with backstories. However, this leads me to my next point…
Let’s Talk Characters
Maya Killgore and Conor Harkness are our leads in Problematic Summer Romance. She is a woman in STEM, and he is a finance bro (just more grumpy). Don’t sue me, but I am not their biggest fan. We have a love-hate relationship.
Maya was annoying at times. I get that her backstory affected her character; however, I did find her a little childish and whiny. Also, be ready for the use of Gen Z slang. I didn’t mind it that much since it made sense in this context.
As for Conor, I liked him more than Maya, BUT he was very hung up on the whole age gap and power imbalance thing. Also, the infantilization got me.
That being said, some scenes made me love them, for instance, the towel and pasta scenes (more on that in the spoiler section).
Problematic?
The age gap issue is the major plot of this book – 15 years to be exact. This is a very controversial trope to begin with. A lot of people dislike it. Me? I devour it!
My parents have a 10-year gap, and they have the purest love I have seen in my life. That is probably why I am a sucker for age gap romance.
There is a right way to address the age gap trope. I draw the line when it comes to minors and when the age gap becomes too large. Ali Hazelwood did it right – both were consensual adults, and 15 years is fine by me.
However, be prepared, because this whole plot revolves around the age gap. I cannot decide whether I liked that or not.
All-in-all, I don’t find their love problematic.
The Bad
We’ve touched on a couple of things already. But in a nutshell:
- CHARACTERS. She was a little whiny, and he was a little too focused on the power dynamics.
- ENDING. I did not hate the ending, nor did I love it. I just wanted more! Scroll to the spoiler section for more on this.
My Thoughts Summary
So, in short:
- Bride and Love, Theoretically still reign superior in my Ali Hazelwood world.
- Problematic Summer Romance gets a solid 3.5 stars
- 3 Peppers. This is NOT a closed-door romance. I easily get the ick with spice. Personally, I found it a bit much; however, it didn’t make me DNF.
- Do I still think about it? Nope
- Will I reread it? Nah
- Do I recommend it? It’s a good time.
Spoiler Alert
My Favorite Scenes
I am a sucker for cute small moments, and this book DELIVERED!
- TOWEL. I’m sorry, but I’m dying! She went for a morning swim, forgot her towel, and when she got out, a towel was neatly left for her at the edge. Not only that, later we discover his room has the perfect view of the pool AND he knows her exact swimming routine.
- PASTA. My soul left my body. They went to a pasta cooking class. Long story short, her pasta was awful and his was great. This whole man then proceeded to switch their plates when she wasn’t looking.
I have a couple of honorable mentions.
- At the end, we find out Maya stepped away from physics to become a kindergarten teacher. As much as I love women in STEM, I find it very relatable to step out of a degree you fell out of love with. In case you don’t know, I am a qualified animal scientist turned blogger.
- Conor Harkness cares so much. I am talking about him LITERALLY flying to her after her breakup. And the door… Girl, iykyk. I was kicking my feet and giggling.
Let’s Talk About The Ending
As I said, I wasn’t over the moon. It was alright, but I had higher expectations. To be blunt, I did not like the proposal. I’ll pass on the whole ‘birthday suits’ situation.
However, that is not my main disappointment. I wanted an epilogue where we saw his fantasy come to life. In chapter 36, he told Maya about his fantasy – coming home to her after work. I’d also envision them starting a family very soon. Basically, I think a lot of opportunity was missed by excluding an epilogue.
Conclusion
Problematic Summer Romance wasn’t book hangover-inducing. However, it is a fun read and worth picking up. If you love age gap romance and forced proximity, then consider this your next must-read.
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Have a great day wherever you are in the world.
Love, Steph ♥
