REVIEW: Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

In Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood, Maya Killgore is a twenty-three-year-old grad student who knows what she wants. Well, maybe not so much when it comes to narrowing down her next steps in her career. But when it comes to men, she knows the one for her is Conor Harkness. There are a few problems, however. First, he’s business partners and best friends with her older brother, Eli. Secondly, he’s fifteen years her senior. Not that Maya is bothered by it. Conor, on the other hand, is most definitely upset by their age difference. Lastly is the fact that they haven’t spoken in about ten months. And considering they once chatted nearly daily, that has Maya worried that she’s completely lost her friendship with Conor. And what a shame that would be–not only because she’ll never know if they could have finally dated, but because she considered him one of her best friends in the world.

‘One day, Conor Harkness decided that he wanted someone to know him. And he chose *me*.’

As soon as Maya steps foot in Italy for her brother Eli’s destination wedding to his beloved Rue, things start going wrong right away. The least of which is coming face to face with Conor and his snippy attitude toward her. Maya is determined to make it through the end of the week, watch Rue and Eli tie the knot, and then head home to Austin with as minimal contact with Conor as possible. But they keep getting pushed together at every turn. And soon Maya just has to know what changed almost a year ago that caused him to break off their communication. As she pries details out of Conor, it’s clear that they still have the same strong bond and affection for each other they always did. If she can only convince him that what they have is real, tangible, strong, and that he is more than worthy of having love in his life.

…He says, “Since the first day I met you, you have been the best thing in my life. And you weren’t even in it.”
I close my eyes, overwhelmed by the wastefulness of the last few years. All that could have been.

From the dreamy Italian backdrop to the intense, undeniable affinity between the main characters and the bevy of calamities that befell the wedding preparations, PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE was a sultry new novel by Ali Hazelwood that will be a perfect read for beachgoers.

“I have never wanted anything as desperately, as ungovernably, as persistently as I want you. Not a single goddamn thing… Absolutely *nothing* has consumed me as mercilessly as you have.”

I was so happy to see secondary character Maya Killgore from Ali Hazelwood’s Not in Love get her shot at romance with her older brother’s best friend Conor Harkness. Theirs was an age gap, forced proximity story set in absolutely gorgeous Taormina, Italy–if you haven’t been there or seen pictures, I encourage you to look it up as it’s stunning! And everything about PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE hit the mark. The chemistry that sizzled between Maya and Conor. The quirky cast. The swoony love shared between soon-to-be-married Eli and Rue. And of course, all of the ups and downs and things that went catastrophically wrong from the day they all set foot on Italian soil.

Aside from laughs and frustrated groans over the potentially cursed wedding, Conor and Maya’s mostly friendship, not quite romance had me chuckling and grinning–as well as happy sighing–the whole way through. It was one of those situations where people closest to them could see the depth of feelings and the connection Maya and Conor shared. Yes, he was fifteen years her senior. And she did have moments where she acted impulsively and immaturely. But they had a rather complicated history together over the years that slightly skewed how they saw each other. Conor tended to go all protective, grouchy alpha male in her presence, balking at their age difference continuously. And Maya pushed his boundaries trying to get her true feelings across to him.

It was the moments when Conor and Maya were alone together–whether in person or over the phone–when they could talk things out without her brother Eli or any of their friends interfering that the spark of attraction grew more and more. Not only were Maya and Conor a fun couple who liked to tease and banter but their personalities were also complementary. And it might have taken them a *long* time to get there, but Conor and Maya’s happy ending was most certainly something to smile about.

QOTD: Do you prefer to travel by yourself or with someone else?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: May 27th, 2025 | Berkley | Not in Love #2

What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

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.