{"id":265,"date":"2026-06-29T19:52:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/?p=265"},"modified":"2026-06-30T19:22:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:22:42","slug":"problematic-summer-romance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/?p=265","title":{"rendered":"Problematic Summer Romance"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n \t\t\t

Key facts<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t


- Title<\/strong>: \"Problematic Summer Romance\"
-> \"Problematic<\/em>\" because there is always a twist. 
-> \"Summer<\/em>\" because it is set during the summer in Sicily.
-> \"Romance<\/em>\" because it is filled with lots of love. 

- Author<\/strong>: Ali Hazelwood
- Genre<\/strong>: Romance
- Publishing<\/strong> date<\/strong>: 27.05.2025
- Pages<\/strong>: 416
- Book<\/strong> tropes<\/strong>: Age Gap, Brother\u2019s Best Friend & Forced Proximity
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t


Book description<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

\"The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

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<\/em> her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It\u2019s such a clich\u00e9, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother\u2019s 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\u2014and clich\u00e9s sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya\u2019s 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\u2014even if it\u2019s a problematic one.\"

(source: https:\/\/www.thalia.de\/shop\/home\/artikeldetails\/A1074672057<\/em>)<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n \t\t\t\"\"\/\t\t\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t\"\"\/\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

What I loved about this work<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

The novel \"Problematic Summer Romance\" is a spin-off of the beloved book \"Not in Love\". They were both written by the bestselling author Ali Hazelwood. While \"Not in Love\" follows the story of Rue Siebert and Eli Killgore, \"Problematic Summer Romance\" switches the focus to Eli's younger sister, Maya Killgore, and his best friend and business partner, Conor Harkness.
The fact that Maya's and Conor's love story is embedded in the destination wedding of Maya's brother, Eli, is something I immediately adored. I just love the idea of getting to know a new story and new characters while still holding on to the old ones. This way, the old characters don't just get lost.

I have already read several of Ali Hazelwood's other novels, and if I've learned anything from them, it is that she is excellent when it comes to creating a heartwarming, exciting, and sexy storyline. The same goes for \"Problematic Summer Romance\"! What I loved most about this novel are the characters (obviously ;)) and their different \"love languages\".

Conor is very secretive when it comes to showing his love towards others, especially towards Maya. After their encounter in Edinburgh, where he rescues Maya from an uncomfortable situation with her ex-boyfriend, sparks fly and both fall head over heels in love with one another. From this moment on, Conor constantly makes sure that Maya is (more than) okay. From donating money to Maya's university (in case she needs someone influential to secure her uni spot) to building her a bookshelf or just generally not getting into another (sexual) relationship\u2014Conor Harkness takes care of her well-being, but always secretly.
Some might ask: \"Why secretly?\"
Well, I think this has two reasons.One being the fact that Conor is 15 years older than Maya (Maya is 23 and Conor is 38 years old). Although there was a time when the two of them FaceTimed every day (proving the relationship was not only one-sided), he cannot bring himself to show his true feelings. He fears to come off as a \"needy\" old man who takes advantage of his high position (CEO of a biotech company) and money to manipulate and force a young woman into a relationship. His dad was such a man, and it is Conor's biggest fear to become like him.I think another reason for his secretive actions has to do with him never really having been in love before Maya. Although Conor had been in a relationship with Minami before and even proposed to her, Conor himself explains that this relationship was more practical rather than heartfelt and passionate. Therefore, it often seems as though Conor is so blown away by his own feelings towards Maya and the strength of them, that he is not able to mentally process them, let alone voice them.

What I adore about Maya's character is the fact that she does not play into the stereotypical female gender role. Maya is portrayed as a strong and independent woman who is not afraid to speak up against Conor. I would even go so far as to say it is the opposite. Whenever she is offered an opportunity, she actively seeks it, aiming to show Conor her autonomy and that he, in fact, has no control over her. As a woman myself, I really enjoyed getting to know a female character who stands up for herself and, more importantly, is not afraid to make the first move. After all, she is the one who tells Conor openly that she wants and loves him. This underlines her bravery and shows that she is willing to take the risk of getting her heart broken.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

\n \t\t\t\"\"\/\t\t\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

What I did not enjoy<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

First off, I want to say that I aim to make this paragraph a short one, as \"Problematic Summer Romance\" is a great novel.

But I must admit, what slowly began to \"freak me out\" was the constant talk about the age gap. I do get that the age gap is a legitimate reason to not seek a relationship further and therefore had to be addressed in the story. Nevertheless, I must say that in some sections the topic was a bit overpowering and it got a bit boring. I feel like the storyline always ended up being the same: Conor and Maya meeting each other -> there being a connection -> Conor immediately blocking any attempt to get close because of the age gap -> Maya being frustrated and hurt.

Although I praised Maya's character in the paragraph \"What I loved about this work\", I must say that her constant holding back of emotions got a bit underwhelming. Yes, in the end, there was a big fight and a \"grand finale\" where she stood up for herself. But I felt as if throughout the whole novel she did not have enough chances to truly voice her thoughts\u2014only we readers got to know them. She kept her feelings bottled up inside, and every time she did so, I always thought to myself: \"Come on, Maya, tell him!\" I know Ali Hazelwood had to do this to build up the suspense and keep the readers on the edge of their seats (which did work!), but I still feel like she could have let Maya express her feelings more often.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

\n \t\t\t

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

Final<\/strong> rating<\/strong>: 3.8 out of 5<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t


To conclude, I would give Ali Hazelwood's novel \"Problematic Summer Romance\" a 3.8 out of 5.

Although the topic of the age gap sometimes got a bit intense and Maya could have stood up for herself a couple of times more, I still really enjoyed the storyline of this spin-off of \"Not in Love\". Absolutely addictive, wholesome, sweet, and yet sexy at the same time!

To everyone who is looking for a feel-good book for hot days, with lots of spice and passion, I highly recommend securing themselves a copy of this novel. If there is anything that will get you into the summer mood, it is this!<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Key facts – Title: „Problematic Summer Romance“-> „Problematic“ because there is always a twist. -> „Summer“ because it is set during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-romance","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312,"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions\/312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs4fun.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}