Quick Synopsis

A recently dumped TV heartthrob enlists a jaded romance novelist to ruin romance for him—one rom-com trope at a time—so he never gets swept off his feet again . . .

Publisher’s Synopsis

Sawyer Greene knows romance. She’s a bestselling author of the genre—or she was, until her ex left her with nothing but writer’s block and a broken heart. But when she gets stuck in the elevator with a handsome stranger, she sees their meet cute for what it is: just a one-night stand. It might have worked, too, if they could stop running into each other.

Actor Mason West sees Sawyer’s reappearance in his life as a sign. Obviously, they’re meant to cure each other. Him of the hopeless romanticism that only ends in heartbreak—and tabloid trainwrecks—and Sawyer of her writer’s block. Their agreement is simple: 1. No (more) sex, and 2. No matter how swoony the circumstances, absolutely no falling in love. 

It’s a foolproof plan–until Sawyer and Mason find that, once set in motion, some plots can’t be stopped—and that they might be hurtling towards a happy ending…

Book Review

Unromance is a debut romance about Sawyer, a romance writer who needs inspiration for her next book, who unexpectedly has an elevator meet-cute with Mason, an actor who falls in love too easily. After a one-night stand, they keep running into one another and decide to cure their romance woes together. Sawyer plots a plan to ruin romance tropes to Mason and hopes to find novel inspiration in doing so.

I was initially a bit skeptical of a novel that not only heavily leans on popular tropes but makes them a focus. However, Erin Connor easily crafted a surprisingly amusing and quirky romance that even pokes fun at tropes. I also loved the inclusion of rom-com film references. These factors present in a meta manner that lends the novel a bit of self-awareness.

Unromance feels like a fresh take on tired tropes and brims with charm. In addition, I loved the well-done bisexual representation and the setting of Chicago. You may want to note that the story takes place in the winter and includes mentions of holidays. Despite this setting, I would not say that this is a holiday novel.

Sawyer and Mason are fabulous protagonists that are truly sweet together. I really enjoyed seeing their meet-cute to one-night stand to friendship to relationship grow and blossom. I am typically not the biggest fan of friends-to-lovers, but Unromance demonstrated how great it can be when done well. Sawyer and Mason have smart, humorous banter that enables their lively chemistry transcend the page. Together, they provide many swoony moments that will leave you wishing for your own checklist of tropes to ruin.

For a debut, I thought Unromance was rather remarkable. Mason may now be one of my favorite male protagonists. However, there were a couple of themes I wish were explored a bit more. Specifically, I was interested in the lack of familial support as well as parental dating interference. Despite these not being built with a lot of depth, they still played an active role in developing the characters’ backstories.

Overall, Unromance is a strong debut romance novel that turns popular tropes on their head. If you love a novel that makes your heart feel full, I highly recommend picking up this book.

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