Reviews Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood
You know that feeling when you pick up a book just expecting a fun, light read, but it ends up being so much more? A delightfully insightful and emotionally resonant story that sticks with you long after the final page? That was my experience with Ali Hazelwood’s latest novella, Stuck with You. What started as an anticipated romantic romp turned into an unexpectedly profound exploration of modern dating, self-discovery, and the power of human connection.
I have to admit, I wasn’t initially drawn to this book for its plot or characters alone. As a huge fan of Hazelwood’s previous novel The Love Hypothesis, I was simply excited to dive into her next release. The Love Hypothesis was a sweeping romance that completely captivated me with its perfect balance of intellectual banter, sizzling chemistry, and an achingly real emotional core. I had high hopes that Stuck with You would recapture that magic in Hazelwood’s signature style.
When I discovered it was a shorter novella rather than a full-length novel, I’ll be honest – part of me felt a twinge of disappointment. Could Hazelwood really deliver the same depth and impact in a more condensed format? But I reminded myself that sometimes the greatest things come in small packages, and I owed it to this talented author to go in with an open mind. With a mix of excitement and skepticism, I cracked open Stuck with You, ready to be whisked away into Hazelwood’s STEM-themed romantic delights once more.
The story follows Sadie, an accomplished environmental engineer grappling with the aftermath of a disastrous one-night stand. When she finds herself trapped in an elevator with Erik, the very man from that fateful encounter, the narrative flashes between the escalating tension of their present purgatory and revealing flashbacks to their initial meeting and whirlwind romance. As the two are forced into close quarters, decades-old insecurities, fears, and misunderstandings bubble to the surface, slowly unraveling the miscommunication that led to their fallout.
From that deceptively simple premise, Hazelwood spins a rich, multi-layered tale that explores the complexities of modern dating, the insecurities we all grapple with, and the transformative power of giving someone a second chance. At its core, Stuck with You is an utterly delicious enemies-to-lovers romance, complete with biting wit, crackling chemistry, and the agonizing romantic tension that comes from being trapped with someone you desperately want but also kind of hate.
But it’s also so much more than that simple elevator pitch would suggest. Stuck with You is an introspective character study, a celebration of women’s minds and careers, and an unexpectedly profound meditation on vulnerability, growth, and human connection. With each passing page, I found myself utterly invested in Sadie and Erik’s journey, rooting for them to tear down the walls they’d built and give love a real chance.
One of the biggest strengths of this novella is Hazelwood’s masterful handling of the shorter format. In a relatively compact page count, she manages to craft a fully realized world populated by rich, nuanced characters that feel like old friends by the end. Sadie and Erik both leap off the page as intelligent, passionate people grappling with relatable insecurities, emotional baggage, and the universal struggle to be truly seen and understood by another person.
Their banter is whip-smart and laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s also laced with vulnerability that made me ache for them both. Hazelwood has a rare gift for balancing humor and heart, delivering zinger one-liners that had me laughing out loud one moment, only to turn around and gut-punch me with a tender romantic gesture or an achingly vulnerable character admission the next.
As always, Hazelwood’s celebration of women in STEM fields is an utter delight. As an engineer myself, I saw so much of my own experiences reflected in Sadie’s struggles to be taken seriously in a male-dominated field, as well as her hard-won confidence and dedication to her work. But the book doesn’t shy away from exploring the challenges of balancing a demanding career with one’s personal life – a struggle I’m intimately familiar with. Sadie’s journey to find fulfillment in both her professional and romantic spheres was both inspiring and deeply relatable.
If I had one minor critique, it would be that the ending felt slightly rushed compared to the delicious slow burn of the first two acts. I found myself wanting to linger in Sadie and Erik’s world a little longer, to bask in their hard-earned happily-ever-after and savor every lingering romantic moment. But perhaps that’s just a testament to how utterly invested I was in their story and how masterfully Hazelwood reeled me in over the course of the book.
Throughout Stuck with You, there were so many lines, scenes, and moments that burrowed their way into my heart and mind. Hazelwood’s writing is an absolute masterclass in crafting intelligent, substantive romantic fiction that celebrates both the mind and the heart. One minute, I was laughing out loud at Sadie and Erik’s delightfully barbed banter (“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” “Good thing, since dignified responses don’t seem to be your strong suit.”). The next, I was melting at a tender romantic gesture or an achingly vulnerable admission about fear, insecurity, or the desperate human need to be truly seen.
A particular scene that made me absolutely swoon was when Erik [mild spoiler redacted]. The way Hazelwood described his hesitant hope, Sadie’s dawning realization of her own feelings, and that fragile, beautiful moment of connection between them was beautifully rendered. I felt like I was right there in that elevator with them, my heart doing somersaults in my chest.
But my favorite moment had to be Sadie’s quiet epiphany about the importance of giving people second chances. Having been burned by past relationships myself, her hard-won realization that first impressions and assumptions aren’t everything resonated so deeply. It was a poignant reminder that we’re all just muddling through life, making mistakes, building walls to protect ourselves, and hopefully learning and growing enough to open our hearts again. Sadie’s journey to vulnerability was both inspiring and deeply relatable.
One of the biggest joys of reading an Ali Hazelwood book is savoring her exquisite writing style and attention to detail. She has a true gift for crafting witty, whip-smart dialogue that crackles with both humor and heart. Her characters always feel like real, multi-faceted people rather than one-dimensional archetypes. And she has a deft way of rendering even the most mundane moments and settings with vivid, immersive detail that transports you right into the world of the book.
But what I appreciate most is how Hazelwood leans into intelligent, substantive romantic fiction without ever talking down to her readers. Her books are a celebration of women’s minds as much as their hearts – a refreshing departure from the shallow romantic entanglements and vapid inner monologues that plague so many books in this genre. Instead, Hazelwood’s heroines are powerhouses who just happen to also be deliciously flawed human beings in search of love, fulfillment, and having it all, just like the rest of us.
If you’d told me at the beginning that a romantic novella about two people stuck in an elevator would end up sparking such profound personal reflections, I might not have believed you. And yet, as I turned the final page of Stuck with You, I found my mind wandering in directions I didn’t quite expect. On the surface, the book is an utterly delightful romantic romp – the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie in the best way. But embedded in Sadie and Erik’s story are deeper truths about the way we judge others (and ourselves), the fear of vulnerability that holds us back, and the transformative power of giving people a second chance.
I saw so much of my own struggles with self-doubt, my tendency to make rash judgments, and my occasional unwillingness to let people in reflected in their journeys. Stuck with You was an unexpected reminder that growth, both romantic and personal, often starts with taking a risk and opening your heart, even when it’s scary. It inspired me to be more present in my own relationships, to extend more grace to others (and myself), and to stay curious about people instead of making assumptions based on first impressions.
Lofty lessons from a romantic novella about two people in an elevator – who would have thought? And yet, that’s the magic of Hazelwood’s writing and her ability to invest even the simplest of premises with rich depth and meaning. What begins as a fun, flirty romp ends up being a profound and achingly real exploration of the human experience and all the complexities of modern love.
So would I recommend Stuck with You? Without a single doubt. Whether you’re a long-time Ali Hazelwood fan or new to her work, this novella is an absolute gem that packs an astonishing amount of depth, humor, heart, and insight into a compact, unputdownable package. It’s the perfect escape for those looking for a smart, steamy romantic read, but also so much more.
Stuck with You is a celebration of modern dating in all its messy glory – the insecurities, the misunderstandings, the fear of being truly seen. It’s a testament to the power of giving people second chances and not judging a book by its cover (or, you know, the first disastrous one-night stand). More than anything, it’s a delightful, surprising, and ultimately deeply moving love letter to the complexities of being human.
A love letter to the insecurities that hold us back, the fears that keep us from vulnerability, and the hope that maybe, just maybe, the person who annoys you at first could end up being the one you were meant to be stuck with all along. Because sometimes, getting trapped in an elevator (or a book) with someone can lead you somewhere completely unexpected – somewhere transcendent, profound, and life-alteringly beautiful.
So do yourself a favor and get stuck in the world of Sadie and Erik for a few blissful hours. Lose yourself in Hazelwood’s whip-smart writing, her tenderly rendered characters, and a story that will make you laugh, swoon, and quite possibly look at your own life through a new lens. Just be prepared to still be thinking about this book long after the elevator doors open and you return to your own reality. Because like any great love story, the magic of Stuck with You is sure to linger.
