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Not in the Mood
Romy Becker has never been lucky in love. Or timing. Or birthdays, apparently - because nothing says "new year, new me" like getting dumped in a group text on your thirty-second.
Spiraling somewhere between heartbreak and radical acceptance, Romy impulsively launches a podcast with her best friend, Eli Reed. It’s called Not in the Mood, a tongue-in-cheek exploration of modern dating, emotional baggage, and why love might just be the worst scam of all time. The premise is they don’t need romance - they have each other, and microphones.
But as the show gains traction, so do the complications. Their banter is electric, their chemistry undeniable, and suddenly listeners aren’t the only ones wondering what’s really going on between Romy and Eli. What started as a joke begins to blur, twist, and unravel in ways Romy never saw coming.
Now, under the spotlight of internet fame and the pressure of pretending not to care, Romy must figure out whether she's protecting her heart - or just pushing away the one person who's always been right there.
Clever, aching, and quietly hopeful, Not in the Mood is a sharply observed slow-burn about friendship, fear, and the strange magic of falling for someone who’s been beside you all along.
Spiraling somewhere between heartbreak and radical acceptance, Romy impulsively launches a podcast with her best friend, Eli Reed. It’s called Not in the Mood, a tongue-in-cheek exploration of modern dating, emotional baggage, and why love might just be the worst scam of all time. The premise is they don’t need romance - they have each other, and microphones.
But as the show gains traction, so do the complications. Their banter is electric, their chemistry undeniable, and suddenly listeners aren’t the only ones wondering what’s really going on between Romy and Eli. What started as a joke begins to blur, twist, and unravel in ways Romy never saw coming.
Now, under the spotlight of internet fame and the pressure of pretending not to care, Romy must figure out whether she's protecting her heart - or just pushing away the one person who's always been right there.
Clever, aching, and quietly hopeful, Not in the Mood is a sharply observed slow-burn about friendship, fear, and the strange magic of falling for someone who’s been beside you all along.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2025
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 30, 2025
Slow burns can either be a hit or miss for me, but bestie, this was a hit! The tension, the build-up, had me hooked! And the banter had me all giddy 🤭 Eli and Romy are best friends who have gone through bad relationships and talked and laughed about them together. Until Romy is broken up with through a group chat text that leads her and her best friend Eli to make a podcast to talk about dating, relationships, and love. But with each podcast episode, they start to feel that their has always been something unspoken lingering between them. A love that they're afraid to admit to each other, until they finally do 😭 that's when my heart cracked open for these two because I completely understood them!! I thought my girl was going to end up staying single and never having her HEA, but that ending turned it around for me 🥹 if you loved First-Time Caller, then, I highly recommend you read this 🩷
August 8, 2025
I love this book to pieces. I laughed. I cried. I laughed some more. The best rom com I’ve ever read, hands down
August 11, 2025
3.0 stars. Mia, Romy's friend, said it best: "You’re both emotionally constipated disasters.” Romy and Eli's journey from best friends to your my person via a joint podcast. S-l-o-w burn romance by a new author. There were some memorable funny lines that gave me the grins. The story did drag here and there, but overall an okay read.
August 6, 2025
I need an Eli in my life.
August 22, 2025
Such a fun read. I love how it takes place in San Francisco. I can recognize some of the places Ariel describes. It has a little bit of spice. I’m not a Romance Genre reader, but this was a good palette cleanser.
September 12, 2025
Romy and Eli’s relationship felt messy and realistic. These characters took their relationship seriously and slowly, made a ton of mistakes, and eventually figured it out. I liked that they didn’t jump in flippantly. I liked that they were actually friends first and their entire lives didn’t revolve around secretly pining after each other. I enjoyed the podcast they had together and the conversations that came out of it even when they were sitting on a closet floor surrounded by sweaters. I loved how Eli cared for Romy in small, but intentional ways that came naturally to him. I loved the first half. The second half was a bit tougher for me because their decisions frustrated me, but overall these two had great chemistry and I liked that there wasn’t a completely predictable route to their HEA. I could have used some more groveling from Eli at the end or some more explanation though.
August 29, 2025
Not in the Mood is the story of two friends who don’t believe in love and start a podcast to talk about the trials and tribulations of dating.
As a podcaster myself, I found all the scenes about setting up the podcast, planning episodes, deciding to have a detailed plan or go with the flow really relatable.
Romy and Eli discover more about themselves and each other through the podcast. As the characters listen to their episodes, they discover unsaid feelings they have for each other. Feelings that have been developing for some time, but they have a fear of disrupting their friendship, which is where they both feel safe.
I appreciated how this book is character-driven. We get to learn about who Romy and Eli are and why they believe what they believe about love and why they act the way they do.
I was drawn in from the beginning to Romy and Eli’s story and how their relationship would turn out. I was rooting for them just like the listeners of their podcast!
I thought their friendship and feelings were depicted in a really authentic way. It shows their emotional journeys honestly and that it’s not linear. Healing and processing a breakup also aren’t linear paths.
The novel discusses the theme of miscommunication really well for both lead characters and how fear can be stifling, but silence can be even more destructive.
As a slow burn story, the pacing of the novel allows for the characters to develop and for us the readers to experience their journey. I appreciate the hopeful ending to their story.
I highly recommend Not in the Mood. I look forward to Ariel’s next book as well!
This book does contain open door scenes.
Thank you to Ariel Henwood for the opportunity to review your debut novel!
I received a free copy of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
As a podcaster myself, I found all the scenes about setting up the podcast, planning episodes, deciding to have a detailed plan or go with the flow really relatable.
Romy and Eli discover more about themselves and each other through the podcast. As the characters listen to their episodes, they discover unsaid feelings they have for each other. Feelings that have been developing for some time, but they have a fear of disrupting their friendship, which is where they both feel safe.
I appreciated how this book is character-driven. We get to learn about who Romy and Eli are and why they believe what they believe about love and why they act the way they do.
I was drawn in from the beginning to Romy and Eli’s story and how their relationship would turn out. I was rooting for them just like the listeners of their podcast!
I thought their friendship and feelings were depicted in a really authentic way. It shows their emotional journeys honestly and that it’s not linear. Healing and processing a breakup also aren’t linear paths.
The novel discusses the theme of miscommunication really well for both lead characters and how fear can be stifling, but silence can be even more destructive.
As a slow burn story, the pacing of the novel allows for the characters to develop and for us the readers to experience their journey. I appreciate the hopeful ending to their story.
I highly recommend Not in the Mood. I look forward to Ariel’s next book as well!
This book does contain open door scenes.
Thank you to Ariel Henwood for the opportunity to review your debut novel!
I received a free copy of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 11, 2025
As I finish this on the eve of my wedding day, I’m in love, hopeful and happy, and yet still find myself relating so deeply to this rollercoaster.
I’m 28 - a “cusper” as the internet calls it - and found this the perfect young millennial/elder Gen Z story. It has everything I’m familiar with: honest friendships, podcasts, the curation of our public lives through social media.
Henwood writes lyrically about everything from how someone laughs at a joke to the all encompassing existential dread of being a woman in your early 30s. Every detail, every word seemed to matter. I love books like that.
I loved the little gut punches along the way. The big plot points that remind you happily ever afters rarely find themselves stationed at the end of straight paths. I loved Romy and Eli. Some authors can’t write dialogue, but Ariel Henwood writes the hell out of dialogue.
This book is funny - genuinely - and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I’m 28 - a “cusper” as the internet calls it - and found this the perfect young millennial/elder Gen Z story. It has everything I’m familiar with: honest friendships, podcasts, the curation of our public lives through social media.
Henwood writes lyrically about everything from how someone laughs at a joke to the all encompassing existential dread of being a woman in your early 30s. Every detail, every word seemed to matter. I love books like that.
I loved the little gut punches along the way. The big plot points that remind you happily ever afters rarely find themselves stationed at the end of straight paths. I loved Romy and Eli. Some authors can’t write dialogue, but Ariel Henwood writes the hell out of dialogue.
This book is funny - genuinely - and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
October 19, 2025
Thank you to the author Ariel for a free ARC of your debut novel for an honest review ☺️
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Not in the Mood is quite literally a romantic comedy and i loved it! Not in the Mood involves two best friends, a podcast and all talks about love, heart break and friendship. 🎧
Before you dive into this story know thats its a slow burnnnnn! But it makes up with the laugh out loud moments, podcast episodes, friendships & swoony romance! 💗
I was literally laughing out loud, smiling, annoyed (with the fmc and her self-destructive personality) and rooting for these two best friends!
I think this could have been a higher star rating but i disconnected at some point (i think i hit my slump) but also was getting annoyed with the fmc at some moments so that didn’t help but it was a great debut novel honestly!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Not in the Mood is quite literally a romantic comedy and i loved it! Not in the Mood involves two best friends, a podcast and all talks about love, heart break and friendship. 🎧
Before you dive into this story know thats its a slow burnnnnn! But it makes up with the laugh out loud moments, podcast episodes, friendships & swoony romance! 💗
I was literally laughing out loud, smiling, annoyed (with the fmc and her self-destructive personality) and rooting for these two best friends!
I think this could have been a higher star rating but i disconnected at some point (i think i hit my slump) but also was getting annoyed with the fmc at some moments so that didn’t help but it was a great debut novel honestly!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews