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Single in Seattle #3
So Not My Type
Sizzling with sexual tension and workplace drama, So Not My Type is a delicious slow-burn romance that will have you rooting for love to conquer all. Perfect for fans of Ashley Herring Blake, Casey McQuiston, and Alexandria Bellefleur, who crave queer joy with a dash of angst.
Sophie Black has clawed her way from coffee runs to project manager at a top Seattle ad agency. She’s laser-focused on her career—until the CEO’s daughter, Ella Northwood, joins the team. Forced to work together on a high-stakes campaign, sparks fly as Sophie’s scrappy determination clashes with Ella’s polished privilege. But there’s more to both women than meets the eye, and, over late nights in the office, their assumptions about each other start to crumble.
When an impromptu hot tub session leads to a steamy night neither can forget, everything changes. The ice-cold chip on Sophie’s shoulder finally starts to melt, while Ella hopes that someone might see beneath her trust-fund facade for the first time. But as the temperature in the office soars, a shocking revelation threatens to derail everything. Now Sophie and Ella must decide if their feelings are worth fighting for…
Sophie Black has clawed her way from coffee runs to project manager at a top Seattle ad agency. She’s laser-focused on her career—until the CEO’s daughter, Ella Northwood, joins the team. Forced to work together on a high-stakes campaign, sparks fly as Sophie’s scrappy determination clashes with Ella’s polished privilege. But there’s more to both women than meets the eye, and, over late nights in the office, their assumptions about each other start to crumble.
When an impromptu hot tub session leads to a steamy night neither can forget, everything changes. The ice-cold chip on Sophie’s shoulder finally starts to melt, while Ella hopes that someone might see beneath her trust-fund facade for the first time. But as the temperature in the office soars, a shocking revelation threatens to derail everything. Now Sophie and Ella must decide if their feelings are worth fighting for…
292 pages, Paperback
Published December 12, 2024
217 people are currently reading
5111 people want to read
About the author
Dana Hawkins
10 books190 followersDana Hawkins is a contemporary romance author of fun and sparkly stories. When not searching the country for the perfect cup of piping hot Americano, she spends her time chasing her kids and rewatching ’90s movies. After living for twenty years in Seattle, she recently trekked back to her hometown in Minnesota. She is a huge romance-genre book nerd and borderline obsessed with happy-ever-afters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
April 30, 2025
Meh!
The storyline was so frustrating to get into -- then the coupling was was....
--: 1.5 stars for telling this story!
The storyline was so frustrating to get into -- then the coupling was was....
--: 1.5 stars for telling this story!
December 5, 2024
I had a hard time getting into this. It’s taken me a couple of days to pinpoint the reasons why this didn’t rise to the heights I’d hoped. Kudos to the author for featuring a condition, epilepsy, and going some way to showing how debilitating it can be and govern a life. It was an interesting choice not to feature the direct after-effects live on page. A choice I wish had been made differently. What we are left with is a lot of “talk” about epilepsy, rather than our being able to experience its after-effects, firsthand. That “showing” would have greatly enhanced the depth and reality of the story and the challenges that Ella faces. Which in turn would have made her reactions and behavior feel more organic. Instead, we are left to understand logically why Ella behaves how she does because she, and the narrative, have told us the reasons why.
That leads to a lack of depth I would have liked to see and a lack of organic feeling about Ella’s choices and behaviors. So, while Ella has traits you will admire and you will root for her, I felt I should have bonded with her more than I was able to. With all the telling and not much showing in too many places, I couldn’t engage with Ella as I’d hoped.
As for Sophie, again I would have hoped for more depth. Unless I missed something, we never understand why she reacted to Ella as she did on first meeting, creating a resonance of negative feelings towards Ella to set up the enemies to friends part of the story. So, again, it’s hard to fully engage with this MC too.
As for supporting characters, they feel somewhat vehicular. Sophie’s father is made to be some level of comic relief in spite of being “the founder of the feast” and having built a company from nothing to something significant. The twenty-somethings seem to regard him with a level of ridicule that rather irked me. I understand Ms. Hawkins is going for a degree of lightness here; this is a romance story after all. Yet, I couldn’t really enjoy the scenes where Ella and Sophie’s workmates appear. In fact, I soon wanted to skip thru most of those scenes at work as we are asked to engage with a ton of business speak and generic descriptions of the project. Again, more depth and is needed here, I feel.
Indeed, there isn’t much *actual* project; rather descriptions of stages/deadlines/issues concerning “the project.” We know it’s for a donut company, but we are hardly privy to any of the actualities of promotion/PR/copywriting. I needed to find patience to get thru too many pages where the two leads are at work. I got bored of being told, or characters discussing, the need to update the plan and key in the leads before a heads-up meeting to go thru the hands up… or hand out… or something? I haven’t quoted directly I should add: the generic terms and issues/challenges that featured have already fallen out of my head.
Having said all that, there are still things to like in So Not My Type. The slowburn enemies to friends to lovers is enjoyable and both girls do have plenty of traits to enjoy and the dynamics of the stages of their relationship are constructed and delivered quite well. The city tour that Sophie takes Ella on is wonderful, with sights and smells and feels delivered directly into your senses. I really enjoyed a lot about their time together as Ella and Sophie get closer. And we get to see how sweet Sophie can be, too.
Pretty much all Dana Hawkins’ ideas are good. But reach has exceeded grasp, I fear. I don’t mean to insult or anything when I say, this feels like a rushed final draft. If I was an editor on this, I’d be saying it’s a solid second draft, marking out specific areas that need attention. So Not My type could have developed into something more engaging and with more depth to have raised it up to where I hoped it would be.
3.25 stars means I can’t mark it up to 4, alas. There are weak areas but still things to enjoy here, especially if you’re a fan of the author. Don’t expect more than the blurb sets up and you’ll still find things to like here.
Thank you to the author, to the publisher, Storm Publishing, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
That leads to a lack of depth I would have liked to see and a lack of organic feeling about Ella’s choices and behaviors. So, while Ella has traits you will admire and you will root for her, I felt I should have bonded with her more than I was able to. With all the telling and not much showing in too many places, I couldn’t engage with Ella as I’d hoped.
As for Sophie, again I would have hoped for more depth. Unless I missed something, we never understand why she reacted to Ella as she did on first meeting, creating a resonance of negative feelings towards Ella to set up the enemies to friends part of the story. So, again, it’s hard to fully engage with this MC too.
As for supporting characters, they feel somewhat vehicular. Sophie’s father is made to be some level of comic relief in spite of being “the founder of the feast” and having built a company from nothing to something significant. The twenty-somethings seem to regard him with a level of ridicule that rather irked me. I understand Ms. Hawkins is going for a degree of lightness here; this is a romance story after all. Yet, I couldn’t really enjoy the scenes where Ella and Sophie’s workmates appear. In fact, I soon wanted to skip thru most of those scenes at work as we are asked to engage with a ton of business speak and generic descriptions of the project. Again, more depth and is needed here, I feel.
Indeed, there isn’t much *actual* project; rather descriptions of stages/deadlines/issues concerning “the project.” We know it’s for a donut company, but we are hardly privy to any of the actualities of promotion/PR/copywriting. I needed to find patience to get thru too many pages where the two leads are at work. I got bored of being told, or characters discussing, the need to update the plan and key in the leads before a heads-up meeting to go thru the hands up… or hand out… or something? I haven’t quoted directly I should add: the generic terms and issues/challenges that featured have already fallen out of my head.
Having said all that, there are still things to like in So Not My Type. The slowburn enemies to friends to lovers is enjoyable and both girls do have plenty of traits to enjoy and the dynamics of the stages of their relationship are constructed and delivered quite well. The city tour that Sophie takes Ella on is wonderful, with sights and smells and feels delivered directly into your senses. I really enjoyed a lot about their time together as Ella and Sophie get closer. And we get to see how sweet Sophie can be, too.
Pretty much all Dana Hawkins’ ideas are good. But reach has exceeded grasp, I fear. I don’t mean to insult or anything when I say, this feels like a rushed final draft. If I was an editor on this, I’d be saying it’s a solid second draft, marking out specific areas that need attention. So Not My type could have developed into something more engaging and with more depth to have raised it up to where I hoped it would be.
3.25 stars means I can’t mark it up to 4, alas. There are weak areas but still things to enjoy here, especially if you’re a fan of the author. Don’t expect more than the blurb sets up and you’ll still find things to like here.
Thank you to the author, to the publisher, Storm Publishing, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
January 9, 2025
This was a nice novel. It was enjoyable and had a lot of nice moments throughout. I always like it when a novel features something that I don’t see as often, or know very much about, and in this case it was epilepsy. This is my third novel by the author, and I think that there has been a consistent quality throughout; they are not my favorite novels, but they are novels that I enjoyed reading. This was the definition of 4-stars for me.
My Rating: “B”
Converted Rating: 4-Stars
I liked the protagonists. Their motivations were clear and actions consistent, although it required a direct link to their mind through their POV and was a little closer to “telling” than “showing” at times. I liked Sophie’s depiction of burnout (a real hazard that is too often ignored!), and the author actually managed to make me empathize with a rich person which is honestly an accomplishment.
A lot of details in this novel were like this for me; I liked it except for the caveat that I didn’t (but the pro usually outweighs the con. For example, I liked that they raised the potential issue of having a relationship between coworkers and discussed it with HR. It was realistic and responsible. However, it was strange that they got the green light as trainer-trainee is literally a top example of an unacceptable situation. I liked their initial antagonism; however we were never really given an explanation of what happened during their first meeting to cause it. I liked that they demonstrated some great communication and interpersonal skills once the relationship got going……except for when they didn’t to serve the plot.
A detriment to this novel was……. every time they were at work, which unfortunately was a lot. We never actually saw what they were doing or details about the project they were working on, but instead had a lot of generic corporate-talk about deadlines and project stages. Any twists related to the project (which did happen) were confusing but otherwise meant nothing to me, which left me disconnected from the plot. I enjoyed reading about our protagonists while they were at work and how they interacted, but the work its self was simply boring. The author should have either given us more details about the project so we could be engaged with that plotline, or taken the opposite approach and just glossed over it entirely so we didn’t have to wade through pointless details.
As I said, overall, I did enjoy this novel. I will continue to read novels by this author. This was entertaining and had a good story, with a lot of characters that I liked. I may not be recommending it, only because there are better novels I would be recommending first.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.
My Rating: “B”
Converted Rating: 4-Stars
I liked the protagonists. Their motivations were clear and actions consistent, although it required a direct link to their mind through their POV and was a little closer to “telling” than “showing” at times. I liked Sophie’s depiction of burnout (a real hazard that is too often ignored!), and the author actually managed to make me empathize with a rich person which is honestly an accomplishment.
A lot of details in this novel were like this for me; I liked it except for the caveat that I didn’t (but the pro usually outweighs the con. For example, I liked that they raised the potential issue of having a relationship between coworkers and discussed it with HR. It was realistic and responsible. However, it was strange that they got the green light as trainer-trainee is literally a top example of an unacceptable situation. I liked their initial antagonism; however we were never really given an explanation of what happened during their first meeting to cause it. I liked that they demonstrated some great communication and interpersonal skills once the relationship got going……except for when they didn’t to serve the plot.
A detriment to this novel was……. every time they were at work, which unfortunately was a lot. We never actually saw what they were doing or details about the project they were working on, but instead had a lot of generic corporate-talk about deadlines and project stages. Any twists related to the project (which did happen) were confusing but otherwise meant nothing to me, which left me disconnected from the plot. I enjoyed reading about our protagonists while they were at work and how they interacted, but the work its self was simply boring. The author should have either given us more details about the project so we could be engaged with that plotline, or taken the opposite approach and just glossed over it entirely so we didn’t have to wade through pointless details.
As I said, overall, I did enjoy this novel. I will continue to read novels by this author. This was entertaining and had a good story, with a lot of characters that I liked. I may not be recommending it, only because there are better novels I would be recommending first.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.
May 25, 2025
4 Stars for So Not My Type (audiobook) by Dana Hawkins read by Elise Roth.
I’m not sure if it’s enemies to lovers or opposites attract. But these two women clash as the daughter of the boss gets handed a coveted job and the other gets to help train her. They work at an ad agency in Seattle where the job can be pretty stressful. And that struggle to finish a job on time makes both women realize that they have more in common as they start to fall for each other.
I’m not sure if it’s enemies to lovers or opposites attract. But these two women clash as the daughter of the boss gets handed a coveted job and the other gets to help train her. They work at an ad agency in Seattle where the job can be pretty stressful. And that struggle to finish a job on time makes both women realize that they have more in common as they start to fall for each other.
June 24, 2025
2.5⭐
Unfortunately I was bored for the majority of this.
Found Sophie really unlikeable for the first half, so I didn't really root for them as a couple.
I did really like Ella though.
The ending seemed a bit rushed, I would have preferred to see them spend more time together.
At least give us an Epilogue so we can see how their relationship developed.
With the ending we got I just got the feeling their relationship won't really last.
Unfortunately I was bored for the majority of this.
Found Sophie really unlikeable for the first half, so I didn't really root for them as a couple.
I did really like Ella though.
The ending seemed a bit rushed, I would have preferred to see them spend more time together.
At least give us an Epilogue so we can see how their relationship developed.
With the ending we got I just got the feeling their relationship won't really last.
December 14, 2024
peak bad millennial prose and childish characters combo
usually I go for 2 stars for books like this but I wasn't in the mood
usually I go for 2 stars for books like this but I wasn't in the mood
May 17, 2025
This was actually a cute lil 3.5 stars. A very enjoyable sapphic audiobook, little rivals to lovers based on past miscommunication, followed by Angst ans then love built on lots of communication. Cute but didn’t get wowed by it!
December 2, 2024
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC. I liked this book significantly better than the last book in this series, but it still lacks ~something~.
Frankly I would’ve given this book 4 stars if not for the end. I think Ella blamed everything on Sophie when really she was the one who needed to apologize. The ending also felt super rushed, and I felt like loose ends were left untied.
But like I said, this was a step up from the last book. Better chemistry, better story, and two characters who felt more developed!
——
Post review thoughts - I forgot to mention that the title makes absolutely 0 sense. They were attracted to each other from the beginning, and never once did they say they weren’t each other’s types. Literally not once. Here is a short list of titles I think would have better suited this book:
- The CEO’s Daughter
- Second Chance Hatemance
- Conflicts, Campaigns & Chemistry
- Brand New Tension (because they worked in marketing/branding)
- Selling the Spark
Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC. I liked this book significantly better than the last book in this series, but it still lacks ~something~.
Frankly I would’ve given this book 4 stars if not for the end. I think Ella blamed everything on Sophie when really she was the one who needed to apologize. The ending also felt super rushed, and I felt like loose ends were left untied.
But like I said, this was a step up from the last book. Better chemistry, better story, and two characters who felt more developed!
——
Post review thoughts - I forgot to mention that the title makes absolutely 0 sense. They were attracted to each other from the beginning, and never once did they say they weren’t each other’s types. Literally not once. Here is a short list of titles I think would have better suited this book:
- The CEO’s Daughter
- Second Chance Hatemance
- Conflicts, Campaigns & Chemistry
- Brand New Tension (because they worked in marketing/branding)
- Selling the Spark
February 23, 2025
2 immature whiny ass main characters but love a workplace romance so whatever
Read
December 1, 2024Where to start? I had a difficult time getting into this book because I read an amazing one before starting this, book hangover if you must. Part of my issue is the characters being so you, mid twenties, and possibly acting even younger, or I am just getting too old for this.
I didn’t mind the story and the budding romance itself, but the hang ups and grudges kept returning, to a very repetitive point that even had me skimming pages. I find both characters to be a bit flat and boring because of their attempted 3 dimensional personalities that are just repetitions of whatever was said before.
Possibly with a bit more body, less work talk, more involvement of friends and family this book could be great, now it’s just mediocre to me.
Boss man/ dad would be the best comedic relief and source of wisdom, but he’s just reduced to the same one liners time and again. Bring in the “fun” with the office bingo *eye roll*.
The vagueness around the epilepsy at the start is just wasted pages on something that could be a good representation of the disease.
Anyway, not a huge fan, but it wasn’t bad. Towards the end I warmed up to the pairing, but it was just a little one dimensional.
I didn’t mind the story and the budding romance itself, but the hang ups and grudges kept returning, to a very repetitive point that even had me skimming pages. I find both characters to be a bit flat and boring because of their attempted 3 dimensional personalities that are just repetitions of whatever was said before.
Possibly with a bit more body, less work talk, more involvement of friends and family this book could be great, now it’s just mediocre to me.
Boss man/ dad would be the best comedic relief and source of wisdom, but he’s just reduced to the same one liners time and again. Bring in the “fun” with the office bingo *eye roll*.
The vagueness around the epilepsy at the start is just wasted pages on something that could be a good representation of the disease.
Anyway, not a huge fan, but it wasn’t bad. Towards the end I warmed up to the pairing, but it was just a little one dimensional.
January 6, 2025
Lovely story by Ms. Hawkins! I liked Sophie in Maya and Remi’s book and she was so fun to get to know better in this book! It was also nice to see cameos from Remi, Ben and of course Maya (the best friend!)
This forced proximity, workplace, rich/poor sapphic romance was a nail biter at times! There was some conflict in the beginning that was nicely cleared up through open communication and letting go. Ella has epilepsy so there are a lot of emotions, situations and misunderstandings revolving around her relationships and this chronic illness. It’s very personal and always a learning curve to live through and it was interesting to see how she could see things differently and work to be open and real with Sophie. The third act ‘break-up’ was annoying to get through but well played.
I’d love to see an epilogue or short novella and see where Sophie and Ella take what they have learned and how they feel into a new chapter together.
I was given a copy and all opinions are my own.
This forced proximity, workplace, rich/poor sapphic romance was a nail biter at times! There was some conflict in the beginning that was nicely cleared up through open communication and letting go. Ella has epilepsy so there are a lot of emotions, situations and misunderstandings revolving around her relationships and this chronic illness. It’s very personal and always a learning curve to live through and it was interesting to see how she could see things differently and work to be open and real with Sophie. The third act ‘break-up’ was annoying to get through but well played.
I’d love to see an epilogue or short novella and see where Sophie and Ella take what they have learned and how they feel into a new chapter together.
I was given a copy and all opinions are my own.
Read
December 27, 2024Sophie Black finally has the job she wants - project manager at a top Seattle agency. She's content with hard work and late nights until the CEO's daughter, Ella, joins the team. They have to learn to work together, and along the way they may find respect for one another - or something more.
I love a workplace, enemies to lovers romance. Sophie has to mentor Ella, who has joined the agency in a similar position to Sophie notwithstanding her lack of experience, being fresh out of college. They have to put their prejudices aside to work together.
So Not My Type is a lighthearted, sapphic workplace romance which is overall pretty enjoyable. I struggled to connect to either MC at the beginning, but they did eventually grow on me after a while!
Thank you to Storm Publishing for an e-arc! All opinions are my own.
I love a workplace, enemies to lovers romance. Sophie has to mentor Ella, who has joined the agency in a similar position to Sophie notwithstanding her lack of experience, being fresh out of college. They have to put their prejudices aside to work together.
So Not My Type is a lighthearted, sapphic workplace romance which is overall pretty enjoyable. I struggled to connect to either MC at the beginning, but they did eventually grow on me after a while!
Thank you to Storm Publishing for an e-arc! All opinions are my own.
January 14, 2025
This was a grumpy sunshine type of sapphic romance, where Sophie was your like rocker/biker with the fishnets style, and a grump to Ella at first, though Sophie is really nice. Then there’s Ella who is really nice, but she lives in like this bubble because she’s been so sheltered, which Sophie gets condescending about at first. It has a lot to do with just different upbringings and class structure. Especially because Ella’s dad is the CEO.
But once Ella starts to really show her work ethic, Sophie starts to respect her and see the other side to her rather than being biased based on her previous thoughts. Though they are the same age, I think Ella came off as more childish in her reactions, but I think that speaks more to her coddled upbringing. Meanwhile Sophie had to mature rather quickly just because of her upbringing and having to be relied on and more pressure was put on her to provide for herself.
This book also has epilepsy representation, which figures into a lot of Ella’s character and reactions and also why she is so coddled.
But once Ella starts to really show her work ethic, Sophie starts to respect her and see the other side to her rather than being biased based on her previous thoughts. Though they are the same age, I think Ella came off as more childish in her reactions, but I think that speaks more to her coddled upbringing. Meanwhile Sophie had to mature rather quickly just because of her upbringing and having to be relied on and more pressure was put on her to provide for herself.
This book also has epilepsy representation, which figures into a lot of Ella’s character and reactions and also why she is so coddled.
January 12, 2025
This is the 3rd book in the Seattle series, and I ate it up. Just enough spice and realistic events that many people experience when mixing work and your personal life. I love how the FMC bossed up and finally trusted herself to get the job done. We are stronger than we give ourselves credit for. I've enjoyed reading books from this new to me author I discovered in 2024.
October 16, 2025
Sophie is a hard working woman with no college experience. But she's worked her way up to project manager. Ella has college and wealth in her background, in fact her father owns the company. When she's hired to be Sophie's trainee. The animosity between the two women is palatable. But after working together and then working on a major project, they start to appreciate one another.
This is a beautiful enemies to lovers, slow burn , hot love story! 5 stars!
This is a beautiful enemies to lovers, slow burn , hot love story! 5 stars!
July 2, 2025
4.5 Stars
July 27, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing ARC of the book. Minor spoilers below.
So Not My Type is third novel I've read by Dana Hawkins. It's also the third part in the Seattle series. I think it's the best novel by the author so far.
I've struggled to like the main characters of the books and the stories have been lacking something to really appeal to me. Maybe the characters are too urban, young and cool for me to really relate.
The main characters of So Not My Type gave me really hard time, too. I found them childish, naive, bratty and insecure, especially in the beginning. They are both 24 so I tried to understand. As a 40yo mom of two, their world is very different from mine. But that's why books and stories are great. They tell stories of variety of people.
I found it difficult to get into the story of So Not My Type in the beginning (because of the main characters) but after about 20-25 percent I got sucked into it and ended up liking the romance novel. I also found it nice to have the outwardly edgier MC to be the more sensitive and softer of the two.
The main romance trope is enemies to lovers. They really dislike each other in the beginning and both are stubborn to really try to understand the other person's side. But once they start talking, they quickly find they fit together well.
There's a 3rd act breakup which I'm not a fan of but sometimes it complements the story and gives a bit more insight to the characters. It's the case in So Not My Type. It fits with what we know of the characters until that point.
The novel is quite light (although there are also heavier topics) and mostly also silly. The professional part of the plot took a lot of page space and I could have lived with less. It's also the reason I find the book a bit silly. I've worked in digital marketing for over a decade (as a customer and as a service provider) and the whole plot with the marketing campaign and agency life felt very over the top and unrealistic. I ended up just not giving that part of the story a lot of weight and let it be what it is.
Overall, So Not My Type is light and steamy enemies to lovers romance. It was fun to get to read it in advance.
(I don't know what the author has planned for the series but there's definitely a clear option for a main character for a future book in So Not My Type.)
So Not My Type is third novel I've read by Dana Hawkins. It's also the third part in the Seattle series. I think it's the best novel by the author so far.
I've struggled to like the main characters of the books and the stories have been lacking something to really appeal to me. Maybe the characters are too urban, young and cool for me to really relate.
The main characters of So Not My Type gave me really hard time, too. I found them childish, naive, bratty and insecure, especially in the beginning. They are both 24 so I tried to understand. As a 40yo mom of two, their world is very different from mine. But that's why books and stories are great. They tell stories of variety of people.
I found it difficult to get into the story of So Not My Type in the beginning (because of the main characters) but after about 20-25 percent I got sucked into it and ended up liking the romance novel. I also found it nice to have the outwardly edgier MC to be the more sensitive and softer of the two.
The main romance trope is enemies to lovers. They really dislike each other in the beginning and both are stubborn to really try to understand the other person's side. But once they start talking, they quickly find they fit together well.
There's a 3rd act breakup which I'm not a fan of but sometimes it complements the story and gives a bit more insight to the characters. It's the case in So Not My Type. It fits with what we know of the characters until that point.
The novel is quite light (although there are also heavier topics) and mostly also silly. The professional part of the plot took a lot of page space and I could have lived with less. It's also the reason I find the book a bit silly. I've worked in digital marketing for over a decade (as a customer and as a service provider) and the whole plot with the marketing campaign and agency life felt very over the top and unrealistic. I ended up just not giving that part of the story a lot of weight and let it be what it is.
Overall, So Not My Type is light and steamy enemies to lovers romance. It was fun to get to read it in advance.
(I don't know what the author has planned for the series but there's definitely a clear option for a main character for a future book in So Not My Type.)
December 1, 2024
I've been eagerly waiting for a new rom-com by Dana Hawkins, and this one did not disappoint! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
So Not My Type focuses on the workplace romance between the established but "self-made" project manager, Sophie, and the daughter of her CEO, Ella, who has been given the position of manager despite her lack of work experience. When Sophie is asked to mentor Ella, she has to work hard to set aside her long-standing grudge against her new colleague... and Ella needs to put aside her assumptions about her mentor, too. Late nights at work, office camaraderie, and an unexpectedly steamy hot tub situation show the women that there might be more to their relationship than they initially thought.
This is a fun, lighthearted romance that reads quickly and is enjoyable from start to finish. While the two MCs felt too stuck in their grudges against each other at first (and I sometimes really wanted to jump in and make them TALK properly), I was glad to see their character development and found myself rooting for them very quickly. The chemistry between them was evident page after page, and Hawkins wrote the build-up beautifully, leading to a wonderful romance! I also enjoyed the side characters, especially Ella's driver and her father, who unexpectedly grew on me quite suddenly in the second half of the book. Hawkins also handled Ella's chronic illness thoughtfully, adding an extra layer of depth to her relationship with Sophie through the way they navigated conversations about it.
I also loved the cameo appearances of characters from Hawkins' previous books in this series—I do love interconnected romance novels!
Overall, I'd heartily recommend this to anyone who loves sapphic romance and workplace settings, ranging from light banter to the stress of tight deadlines.
So Not My Type focuses on the workplace romance between the established but "self-made" project manager, Sophie, and the daughter of her CEO, Ella, who has been given the position of manager despite her lack of work experience. When Sophie is asked to mentor Ella, she has to work hard to set aside her long-standing grudge against her new colleague... and Ella needs to put aside her assumptions about her mentor, too. Late nights at work, office camaraderie, and an unexpectedly steamy hot tub situation show the women that there might be more to their relationship than they initially thought.
This is a fun, lighthearted romance that reads quickly and is enjoyable from start to finish. While the two MCs felt too stuck in their grudges against each other at first (and I sometimes really wanted to jump in and make them TALK properly), I was glad to see their character development and found myself rooting for them very quickly. The chemistry between them was evident page after page, and Hawkins wrote the build-up beautifully, leading to a wonderful romance! I also enjoyed the side characters, especially Ella's driver and her father, who unexpectedly grew on me quite suddenly in the second half of the book. Hawkins also handled Ella's chronic illness thoughtfully, adding an extra layer of depth to her relationship with Sophie through the way they navigated conversations about it.
I also loved the cameo appearances of characters from Hawkins' previous books in this series—I do love interconnected romance novels!
Overall, I'd heartily recommend this to anyone who loves sapphic romance and workplace settings, ranging from light banter to the stress of tight deadlines.
December 30, 2024
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
my second book by this author and it wont be the last.... there is just something about the way this author writes that pulls you in and her characters come to life as if they could be your friend or work colleague....
sophie had worked all her life right from the ground up and now she was where she wanted to be....project manager and how she wanted to run with this position but also she wanted a trainee
when she got her wish she was overjoyed until she realised that it was her boss daughter one who hadnt worked a day in her life and was handed everything to her since birth
ella had it all but most of all she wanted her freedom... she wanted to move out from her cloying parents home and yes she knew she had had a privileged background but it had come with a price....
she also wasnt to happy about being a trainee under sophie but she would deal with it after all it didnt have to be for very long because ella had a plan....
but as sophie and ella worked together over long days and into the night things began to change for them both....
what an interesting storyline.... assumptions on both sides and a twist to add to the spice of it all.... well written and thought out characters loved it
December 2, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I've been lucky enough to get an eARC of every book in this series so far and I am HOOKED. Every book gets better and better.
While there is a formula to the books - they are romances after all, so you kind of know what the big ending is going to be - it's the characters that really make these books stand out.
I loved the character of Sophie and the journey that she goes through in this story. From thinking she's got everything figured out to realising that there's more she could be doing other than working, it's a realistic development that I really related to.
Ella is also a great character and the care and attention given to explaining her experience with epilepsy was done so so well.
This book and series are on my re-read list as they're fun romances with characters that make you care. As interconnected standalones, you don't need to read the previous books to enjoy this one, but they definitely set up some of the characters while also being great fun.
I'm already excited for the next book (please say there's another!)
I've been lucky enough to get an eARC of every book in this series so far and I am HOOKED. Every book gets better and better.
While there is a formula to the books - they are romances after all, so you kind of know what the big ending is going to be - it's the characters that really make these books stand out.
I loved the character of Sophie and the journey that she goes through in this story. From thinking she's got everything figured out to realising that there's more she could be doing other than working, it's a realistic development that I really related to.
Ella is also a great character and the care and attention given to explaining her experience with epilepsy was done so so well.
This book and series are on my re-read list as they're fun romances with characters that make you care. As interconnected standalones, you don't need to read the previous books to enjoy this one, but they definitely set up some of the characters while also being great fun.
I'm already excited for the next book (please say there's another!)
January 9, 2025
I really enjoy the world that Dana Hawkins characters inhabit. I really enjoy Dana Hawkins characters (most of them anyway). This, to me, was a lesser entry because it spent so. Much. Time. (About 3/4 of the book) On the enemies to lovers.
I'm not opposed to being emotionally edged by a book but the problem with this one is we get so much build up, that results in half a make out scene and an adorable and spicy first date, then the book immediately fucks off to the third act drama that splits the couple apart and then a very quick and undercooked HEA ending where one of the romantic leads reads (to me) as actually not earning the redemption.
It's all handwaved by the characters medical issues, but the reconciliation felt more like' 'sorry I was bitch and ghosted someone I supposedly love for over two weeks, but I'm not me when this happens so whoopsie daisy, please take me back.'
Sophie, as written, would have had too much self respect to accept such a weak ass apology.
A+ characters
C- back half of the book
I'm not opposed to being emotionally edged by a book but the problem with this one is we get so much build up, that results in half a make out scene and an adorable and spicy first date, then the book immediately fucks off to the third act drama that splits the couple apart and then a very quick and undercooked HEA ending where one of the romantic leads reads (to me) as actually not earning the redemption.
It's all handwaved by the characters medical issues, but the reconciliation felt more like' 'sorry I was bitch and ghosted someone I supposedly love for over two weeks, but I'm not me when this happens so whoopsie daisy, please take me back.'
Sophie, as written, would have had too much self respect to accept such a weak ass apology.
A+ characters
C- back half of the book
January 20, 2025
What can I say! I loved this! I honestly had no doubt I would. I love Dana’s books and her writing. They’re easy to read, queer people with real life issues that have nothing to do with their queerness! Which I love. Just a world where people are people with everyday problems. This book had disability rep which is also a win for me!
We had a Butch/Femme pairing, enemies to lovers, workplace/office romance, opposites attract, rich girl/poor girl, slow burn and found family. There’s one spicy scene. 2x POV’s and written in third person. Audiobook was narrated by Elise Roth which I also enjoyed (I want to go back and reread book one and two with audio now). You can read this as a standalone but I definitely recommend reading the first two books.
Dana Hawkins will remain an auto-buy author for me 😍
We had a Butch/Femme pairing, enemies to lovers, workplace/office romance, opposites attract, rich girl/poor girl, slow burn and found family. There’s one spicy scene. 2x POV’s and written in third person. Audiobook was narrated by Elise Roth which I also enjoyed (I want to go back and reread book one and two with audio now). You can read this as a standalone but I definitely recommend reading the first two books.
Dana Hawkins will remain an auto-buy author for me 😍
January 20, 2025
This story was really quite cute! Predictable but in a wonderful way. Having a main character with epilepsy was an interesting aspect that I have not read before. Both the characters had their strong points and their annoying aspect ��!
Sophie is determined and has worked her way up from nothing to be a project managing star but somehow still thinks it could all be taken away…I get the imposter syndrome feelings! She also suffers from serious Burn Out which made me want to yell at her to take a breath. WHEN does she have time to paint her nails if she is always picking the varnish off? Ella shined and really grew in to her self. She was smart and sexy and confident and just needed to be seen as capable! You could see the way she was impacted by her family but that did at times make her childish. Some of the elements of the books were predictable but perhaps that is ok for a feel good easy read. The big climatic will they won’t they moment I found a little frustrating for the lack of clear acceptance of responsibility! Side Character Note: Ella’s dad was a stand out side character I loved him!
It was lovely to see the characters I remember from Not In The Plan and reminds me I really need to read In Walked Trouble as I love living in Hawkes happy queer land!
Thank you to the author, to the publisher, Storm Publishing, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Sophie is determined and has worked her way up from nothing to be a project managing star but somehow still thinks it could all be taken away…I get the imposter syndrome feelings! She also suffers from serious Burn Out which made me want to yell at her to take a breath. WHEN does she have time to paint her nails if she is always picking the varnish off? Ella shined and really grew in to her self. She was smart and sexy and confident and just needed to be seen as capable! You could see the way she was impacted by her family but that did at times make her childish. Some of the elements of the books were predictable but perhaps that is ok for a feel good easy read. The big climatic will they won’t they moment I found a little frustrating for the lack of clear acceptance of responsibility! Side Character Note: Ella’s dad was a stand out side character I loved him!
It was lovely to see the characters I remember from Not In The Plan and reminds me I really need to read In Walked Trouble as I love living in Hawkes happy queer land!
Thank you to the author, to the publisher, Storm Publishing, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
December 22, 2024
I absolutely devoured this book. Every single charachter is so likable, it really made this so much fun. And Ella having epilepsy hit me hard, as I'm currently struggling with it badly, and it made feel more understood.
December 23, 2024
I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
nothing was wrong with this book I just didn’t feel the connection between the 2 main characters.. it was super off in my opinion and I didn’t vibe with it.
nothing was wrong with this book I just didn’t feel the connection between the 2 main characters.. it was super off in my opinion and I didn’t vibe with it.
January 15, 2025
Continuing my quest of reading all the sapphic romances based in Seattle.
This was alright, not my favorite. Not sure if I’ll read the other books in the series.
This was alright, not my favorite. Not sure if I’ll read the other books in the series.
February 9, 2025
I got an advanced copy from NetGalley. Unfortunately this was my least favorite book of the series.
December 5, 2024
I received this book in exchange for an honest review, and I’m not sure I want to give it. I really like this author as a person, and I enjoy her writing style, but I have some problems with her plot choices.
My main problem is with the way she displays chronic illness in her books. As someone who is chronically ill and disabled, I appreciate any and all representation received for different medical conditions. But the way Hawkins portrays chronic illness (both in this and other books), makes the disease the character’s entire personality— to the point that it comes across as more of a character flaw than anything else. Why can’t we have a character existing with the disease, why does it have to be the cause of conflict in relationships? Making a character’s disability be the reason for tension is almost othering. We know there are complications with all diagnoses, and it’s okay to show those and make others aware of the struggles endured on a daily basis, but to make a relationship almost fail because of it is cruel.
I get that we wouldn’t have a book without nepotism, but I, too, would be pissed if I busted my ass for someone else to enter at a high level. George could have easily started her at a lower level.
When Sophie visits her parents and is like, “why didn’t you strive for a better life?” And her mom says, “name one thing that was so bad about your childhood.” AND SHE CAN’T?! Girl, you were just talking about how you had to glue your shoes together, didn’t have enough to eat, and were left alone to fend for yourself as young as 5 years old. How is that conveniently forgotten?!
Anyway, I LOVED George, and I thought bingo was really cute. Malcolm was sweet. I really liked Sophie. The plot with the ex was creative. I liked that Sophie overcame her bias against the upper class, and it was refreshing that the upper class wasn’t villainized while still promoting the work ethic of the working class.
My main problem is with the way she displays chronic illness in her books. As someone who is chronically ill and disabled, I appreciate any and all representation received for different medical conditions. But the way Hawkins portrays chronic illness (both in this and other books), makes the disease the character’s entire personality— to the point that it comes across as more of a character flaw than anything else. Why can’t we have a character existing with the disease, why does it have to be the cause of conflict in relationships? Making a character’s disability be the reason for tension is almost othering. We know there are complications with all diagnoses, and it’s okay to show those and make others aware of the struggles endured on a daily basis, but to make a relationship almost fail because of it is cruel.
I get that we wouldn’t have a book without nepotism, but I, too, would be pissed if I busted my ass for someone else to enter at a high level. George could have easily started her at a lower level.
When Sophie visits her parents and is like, “why didn’t you strive for a better life?” And her mom says, “name one thing that was so bad about your childhood.” AND SHE CAN’T?! Girl, you were just talking about how you had to glue your shoes together, didn’t have enough to eat, and were left alone to fend for yourself as young as 5 years old. How is that conveniently forgotten?!
Anyway, I LOVED George, and I thought bingo was really cute. Malcolm was sweet. I really liked Sophie. The plot with the ex was creative. I liked that Sophie overcame her bias against the upper class, and it was refreshing that the upper class wasn’t villainized while still promoting the work ethic of the working class.
November 26, 2024
This is a sapphic romance where one of the main characters deals with epilepsy and struggling to find independence. The author hits the nail right on the head about the struggles of growing up with epilepsy and the impact that it has on your life and your family's life. The plot twist near the end I did not suspect either. I was able to read this early on netgalley and I can say I will be checking out her other books as well as getting this one as soon as it is available in paperback.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2025
This has been the only book I’ve read in my life which has made me gasp and yell out “oh my god!” A must read with an amazing twist. You won’t regret reading it.
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