The Bookish Hour

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

• Jor & Fab • Season 2 • Episode 10

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Have you ever found a romance novel so captivating that you physically couldn't put it down? That's exactly what happened with Ali Hazelwood's "Problematic Summer Romance." Set against the stunning backdrop of Sicily, this age gap romance brilliantly balances summer vibes with genuine emotional depth.

What makes this book stand out from countless other contemporary romances is how Hazelwood handles the age difference between Maya, a remarkably mature 23-year-old, and Conor (with one N), a man wrestling with his attraction to someone he believes is "too young." 

We're both giving this book five enthusiastic stars, and we'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read it! Have you fallen for Conor with one N yet? Or are you planning to pick up this perfect summer read? Let us know in the reviews or reach out on social media – we can't wait to hear your take on this delightful romance.

Cover Art by: Fabienne and Jordan
Contact email: thebookishhourpod@gmail.com
Intro/Outro music: Season Two: Ramaramaray by Aiyo via Epidemic Sound Season One: Sweet Psycho via TikTok’s Offical Sound Studio on Capcut
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Podcast: @thebookishhourpod
Fabienne: @oxonheart
Jordan: @sipsoffiction

Jordan:

welcome to the bookish hour with jordan fob. The floor is yours, jordan. Why?

Fabienne:

is the floor mine. The floor is yours no, it's yours because because of your bad knee.

Jordan:

Sorry that was that, was that I don't, I don't the floor, I don't, I don't get it because I'm on the floor.

Fabienne:

Well, I figured, since you can't walk or like stand up. I figured you know you want to make the floor you no, no, I can stand, I just can't sit.

Jordan:

and then, but if I'm standing, just if I just don't move at all, just but if I'm standing we're good.

Fabienne:

How remarkable. If I just don't move at all, just like stand here and just like do nothing, I'm good, okay, fair yeah.

Jordan:

I mean, it is hot as balls, so it's like I'd rather do nothing. It's like 90 degrees today, oh fuck.

Fabienne:

I can't do 90 degrees at this moment. It's like a humid type of weather too.

Jordan:

It's like it's disgusting except when I went running this morning it was 72 and you think it's way better, but you would think that's still hot, but it's actually because the sun wasn't really up.

Fabienne:

It was great I love actually, like early morning runs um also because the fuse for some time, like, for some reason they're better like no one is out yet. But just like you know, sometimes you still see like these dew drops on like the grass, like you know, whatever you, wherever you are. But it just has this very, almost serene feeling to the world. I'm gonna gonna go all poetic here, but I just love how it feels. It feels like you're like in your own bubble, like when you're like it feels like you're alone basically in the whole world. Just like you're alone basically in the whole world just before everyone wakes up, and I love it so much.

Jordan:

Or the only people you see are other runners. I thought I loved early morning runs, but maybe early morning runs just don't love me.

Fabienne:

True, yeah, sometimes it isn't for you. You win some, you lose some. I'm not really sure what you want here, but I mean you did gain a bad knee, so maybe just a bad, you know bad ticket in the lottery. This doesn't make sense. I'm sorry, I'll just I'll, I'll shut up, I'll shut up.

Jordan:

Uh, great weather it italy sorry, yes, well, besides the wait, was there any storms? I mean, they did have the volcano erupting they did, they did um so what are we talking about?

Fabienne:

fob today for book club we are talking about ali hazelwood's latest release, Problematic Summer Romance.

Jordan:

Check, check question mark. Okay, side note, before we get into that, did you see the whole drama that went down with Ali Hazelwood? A little bit, yes, but it didn't really get into the standard of it. People going at her because she said that PETA was useless in the Hunger Games, which, honestly, now don't get me wrong, I love PETA. I love PETA with my whole heart. He's like my favorite, but she's not wrong. He is fucking useless. He literally gets captured by the enemy to then be reprogrammed, sent back to Katniss and now Katniss has to fight the revolution as well as fighting PETeta off because Peeta wants to kill her. Did I just spoil the Hunger Games trilogy to you? I did, you did. Are you mad about it? No, no, because he's fucking useless. Now, don't get me wrong, I still. I am team Peeta over team Gale any day, but he's fucking useless. And who cares? Like why are people going at somebody to the point that she deleted Instagram to this because people were going at her?

Jordan:

Yeah, I saw that and I was like I was, like I love, as Ali Hazelwood, and if she stops writing because of all you fucking assholes, I'm coming. I'm not going to come after you, but like I'm going to be very disappointed. Just very disappointed, let it be known. Did your parents never teach you If you have nothing nice to say, you say nothing at all.

Fabienne:

Oh my God, my parents literally did. This is like their, their standard. Saying like this is like if you, if you just don't have anything nice to say or just like anything to add, just just sip it, sweetheart.

Jordan:

Exactly. People just have these high, mighty horses when they're on social media or the internet and they think they can say whatever the flipping they want. I don't know why I chose not to swear there, but you know priorities. You got to play some.

Fabienne:

well, Exactly, but like yeah, it's shitty, but she hasn't like reactivated her instagram yet. I felt like maybe this was like a you know like just to, I guess, blow up some steam, or just like for the other people or you know who are rude and you know like commenting my shit.

Jordan:

I feel like she might have reactivated it, but no she might have now like the last I checked she didn't, but I did see someone that's like close to her and I don't know how accurate this is comment saying that she's actually doing really well.

Fabienne:

She just didn't know how to disable comments, so she just deleted instagram as a whole, but like, still, like I think overall, it feels like such an us move too, by the way, like you're just not getting it, yeah, but I'm like my thing is is like also like no, she's still not back, Okay, but I'm like don't need to be mean.

Jordan:

Don't need to be mean, I just had to comment on that. But now we could talk about, I feel like half the users of.

Fabienne:

Sorry. One last remark I feel like half of the uses on instagram, especially like in, you know, the book community, are just. I feel like 65 is like trolls, you know, at this point.

Jordan:

Like also there's so much fucking drama like in the book world right now. Like, have you noticed, girl?

Fabienne:

maybe not no, I have not been. No, I have not, you have been there. I mean, I will say, though, this entire theme, I feel like we are talking, obviously, still about problematic summer romance, but I feel like problematic is like the overall theme here. So, no, I have not heard about the drama. Please lay it on me. I want to be, you know, kept in the loop.

Jordan:

I feel like that we need our own episode for that one. Okay, fair, kept in a loop I feel like that we need our own episode for that one. Okay, fair, we're gonna put this on hold and we're gonna go.

Fabienne:

Yes, we'll come back. We're gonna circle back to the romance yes, problematic summer romance by ali hazelwood miss, miss, pick me, pick me.

Fabienne:

Um, yeah, what I absolutely loved about this age gap romance is that it was so, so, incredibly well written. Like you know, there's tons of age gap romances that are good, there are fun. You know automatic five-star rates because you enjoy them so much. The vibe there, you know it's like a good. But I feel like the age gap was like almost a character itself here, like it was so often noted, uh, like noted on, like uh talked about, like it was an actual issue yes, but it wasn't in a way that I was getting sick of it, because you could clearly feel that he was so like.

Jordan:

He like held on to this, like you're too young for me, even though she acted well above her age. She didn't act like a young, early 20 year old, cause she was like 23, but she like acted older. You could tell she was so smart, she like knew her own and like everything, but he was like no, you're still too young for me. Like there's, I like you need to be with someone your age. I should be someone like closer to my age and I think like, but he still like was so attracted to her and he still like I mean she acted older than her age. So like he like, like liked hanging out with her, like liked hanging out with her and I just uh, I am typically not, one for the age gap, but like this one worked like I, but usually they're acting like a, whatever age they are, and I feel like she actually acted like she could have been in her like 30s oh, definitely.

Fabienne:

I mean, sometimes, when you read like characters I know that we've talked about this before too, and this is like not even this book. This is just like overall, like sort of like a general remark when we read about characters that are actually like younger than us, you know, we sort of we sort of like up their age in our heads anyways. So the way that you read this character in a book, you make it sound like you are that person. Does this make sense? Like you? Not that you're trying to, I guess, imagine yourself as this person, but you try to add your own character onto this person. So the way that someone would say something, you say it like the way you would say it. So then, that way, this is probably a very, very confusing way of describing it, but you're making the character older. Oh, wait, fuck it. I'm not even going to explain this anymore. No, scrap this. Just ignore this. Ignore all this. Ignore this monologue.

Fabienne:

What I wanted to say is that I feel like Maya kind of was me as in, like the way that she would react or respond or like handle things Like, oh, I see me doing this. You know, I would say something like this too. So yeah, she was definitely old and she's like 22. Because I'm 31. Sorry, yes.

Jordan:

No, I like it. No because and I think this is where where, like, the big words didn't bother me either, because it was like the big words that I had to Google because I did not know what they meant. It didn't bother me because, like, she's supposed to be this, like super smart, not saying that, oh my God, and the fact that we got Lucas and that was so fun.

Fabienne:

I love these little bits.

Jordan:

Me too, when she was like oh, the German, and she goes, he's Swedish. And she's like oh, oops, like I'm like actually laughing out loud, or like the beginning, when she's like the three C's and then, like for pretending to be like sick, she mentions like the three C's.

Jordan:

And then it was like a C word, a c word, not a c word, and she's like oh, she said that very seriously, like I was laughing out loud to these parts I like my. I don't have my book in my hand so I can't like read the lines which I'm very disappointed in right now.

Fabienne:

She like implements, like humor so well, so fantastically.

Jordan:

Yes, yes, it's literally so good and I I think the whole vibe of this book like being set in italy for like her brother's wedding, and I'm like, I'm like it's summertime here and it's just like the vibes and I I freaking love connor with one n so fun, so much we have to.

Fabienne:

We have to make note of this. This is connor, with one n guys, he's higher. One n's irish one. I have the quote, by the way um, the most effective way to avoid a commitment is an ill one that meets three c's cringe, contagious and, above all, quick wait, but then read what happened after what happened? I blink, she does not falter. Your illness must befall you so suddenly. You could not have anticipated it. Wait, you don't. You don't really see it. She's just like.

Jordan:

I blink, she does not falter that had me laughing so hard because she's like she doesn't have a boxer and it's just like I feel like it's so, like it fits that character too, and I don't know. Like, when she like meets Lucas and she's like, okay, pretend to flirt with me. And he's like my girlfriend's not going to like that, but he does. And then she calls him the German and then like the girlfriend Scarlett, right, scarlett, yes, yeah, she comes, him the german. And then like the girlfriend scarlet, scarlet, right, scarlet, yes, yeah, she comes over and she goes, he's swedish. And she's like, oh, oops, like I loved that and I love that we got them. And then I don't know if we just got, we just loved, we just loved everything I, I um.

Jordan:

What did you rate this?

Fabienne:

oh, a definite five stars, oh my god dang so good.

Jordan:

I need like everybody to read this book God.

Fabienne:

I genuinely really loved it.

Jordan:

I think like a two.

Fabienne:

But it really was. I honestly I haven't felt about a book like this, just so optimistic, just like so, you know. So I don't know like excited, I mean sure, sure it is just this is all between eric quotes, by the way just a summer read, but but it's just so, it's so much more good.

Jordan:

yes, I so, um, I so okay.

Jordan:

So like, usually when I like get sucked into a book where I like can't put it down and I want to keep reading it, it tends to be like a fantasy, because I get sucked into the world building and the action and the adventure and all that stuff that I always equate that sort of feeling with a fantasy book, because then I think of like Sarah J Maas and how I would get lost in these books, but I like don't, like it can happen with a contemporary romance, because the same thing happened with deep end.

Jordan:

I love deep end, but like there were things that I like didn't totally love, so that was like a 4.5 stars. But then, like this one was the same thing, like I got sucked, ini didn't want to stop reading it, like I was here for the vibes and I was like, no, so it doesn't just happen with fantasy. I just need to find the right contemporary romances or other not fantasy books. But like, oh my gosh, like it was so good, like I couldn't put it down and like I wanted to be in Italy with them and I just wanted. I was like Connor, suck it up, be with her and.

Jordan:

I was like and then like oh, the like, the first time he like touches her and it's like in college and you know he like, he was like like he loved it, but like he didn't want to love it and like, oh, I think that was just like done perfectly and the discipline like the self restraint this guy has.

Fabienne:

By the way, I need some of that Connor with one N.

Jordan:

Yeah, just the Con Connor with one N.

Fabienne:

Yeah, just the Connors with one N, I guess. So we need to find those Connors with one N. Put it on your Tinder profile, not yours, just like in general. You know we already have someone, but it's just like if you're looking for someone, just look for a Connor with one N, sorry.

Fabienne:

I guess it's just the connor with one n sorry this and make them fictional also. Yes, that might help too, maybe because he's made of paper very good paper, though, great quality, no one connor, that book, I don't have it, but the flop of it, um, oh, you had the paperback.

Jordan:

Oh, yes, you need to get the paperback, bob, do I?

Fabienne:

yes, yes honey, look at these shells. I don't care, honey, I listen, babe, listen, shut up, listen. Fuck jor christ, I actually, I alphabetized, I alphabetized all these bad bitches and I like, it took me eight hours, eight, and there's like a shelf on the other side because I wanted to have structure in my life and this was my, my, my.

Fabienne:

so I don't, I don't have, I don't have where I don't have. Where's the H? Wait, let me find the H real quick. I'm going to give you the grand view. Yes, h, a, b, c, d, e, f, g. Then I'm lost.

Jordan:

A, b- C, d, E, f G.

Fabienne:

A, b, C, d, e, F, g. Wait, let me just AKA, ha. Oh, here, right next to our beloved Colleen Hoover.

Jordan:

Oh yeah, just take out one of those Colleen Hoovers and slip in an Allie Hazelwood.

Fabienne:

Honestly, that is going to be the best trade ever. Yes, honestly. Now I have room for a lot of books. Just take this entire chum to pick up.

Jordan:

You could put so many Allie Hazelwoods in there, so many.

Fabienne:

You know what's funny? Remember, yes, so funny. You know what's funny? Remember, like way back when we started Bookstagram and I went to spain and I said, oh, I wait, I brought this book with me, like elena de armas. Um, yes, the spanish love deception love deception.

Fabienne:

Uh, I was like I I am gonna wait to read this book until I am actually in spain. And then I did and it was fantastic because the vibe is there, the book is there, you know, the narrative is there, it all comes together and you can really like immerse yourself in a story because it takes place in Spain and you're in Spain physically. But I could not wait to read this book until this summer, because I'm going to Sicily too. Did I tell you this?

Jordan:

Oh, you didn't. Oh, did I not? When are you going to?

Fabienne:

sicily. What wait? I was trying to look at the time stamp, but I'm just too slow. Did I actually not tell you that I was going to Sicily? No, you texted me.

Jordan:

I wasn't sure if I was. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pretend that you didn't because you texted me and I was like, oh, am I supposed to pretend that you didn't? No, no, never pretend with me never.

Fabienne:

Yes, you did. Oh wow, what a coincidence. I'm just gonna leave something. I think that's gonna be funny. This I'm gonna cut out, um, but I was like I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna wait until, like, the end of summer because I have to read it.

Jordan:

Wait, no, I'm pretty sure I started reading it and I was, and you were like, oh, oh, I'm going to read it. And then you started and you were like, fuck, I'm going to Sicily. I should have waited. And I was like, uh, well, now I need you to read it Cause I'm loving it. And then you read it and you could.

Fabienne:

Yeah, maybe you're just going to do a read. No, I'm not going to do it. I was going to gonna say that, but then I'm like you're not gonna do reread because I wouldn't. No, no, which one of sound mind, even just like reread a contemporary romance? I don't. I don't think those books are like they're worth reading, obviously, but they're not possibly like worth rereading.

Jordan:

I feel like fantasies only are yeah, I don't know, like, like I could see myself, like maybe, no, I'm like maybe I would listen to like the audiobook, but I'm like I don't think I would. Like I loved it and like I'm afraid that now if I were to reread it, I wouldn't love it the same as I loved it the first time, because now you know everything but fantasy. I feel like there's so much you miss in a fantasy the first time you read it. So like the second time, well, like a good fantasy, yeah, Side note you know, just any fantasy, Just a good fantasy.

Jordan:

A good fantasy, a good to you can be different than good to other people, but that is very true, it's all subjective.

Fabienne:

Yes, agreed, sorry you, but this one's so good, so everybody needs to go read it yes, please, honestly. After deep end, and having read this one, you know my thoughts on bride. I'm not even going to touch that. I am definitely a hazelwood stan I love her me too.

Jordan:

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think I'll go back. I think I'm gonna read not in love, so not. So. Not in love is book one to the not in love series and technically problematic summer romance is book two. So like it's her brother and rue like their story and supposedly that one's really good. So I think I'll go back and read that one. But I don't think I could do like the love hypothesis or love theory like those first few, because I I think like the miscommunication tropes like pretty heavy in those like these ones like work because there's no miscommunication.

Jordan:

It's like some excuse me, I burped that's, but it like okay, you do, you, thank you. Like the third act breakup is something else. Well, there is no third act breakup because it's something else. So, like the climax, like the problem that's in the book is like something that can actually be like I don't want to say real, because miscommunication is real, but like I'm glad it's not miscommunication, it is something else that draws them apart or whatever happens you don't know what happens yet, though right you say, because something else happens.

Fabienne:

oh, oh, no, no, it was just like you were saying.

Jordan:

No, no, like the more recent ones where I think the earlier ones like, the issue is miscommunication, yeah.

Fabienne:

Ironically, this wasn't miscommunication. It was, but like we talked it out.

Jordan:

There was no miscommunication.

Fabienne:

That went on for days no third eye breakup too, you know, just like two adults talking it out.

Jordan:

Exactly, exactly. But I love this, I love this one.

Fabienne:

It's so good. I feel like I have something else to say, but for some reason it just keeps slipping my mind. Let me just quickly go back to my highlighted quotes. On this one, how do I do? Oh, here, annotations. Hey, it's the Kindle app. Is that updated? Sorry, just.

Jordan:

It's a good question.

Fabienne:

I read the paperback. Oh wait, this is actually. I had to think about you when I was reading this part. Um, I can't see. Oh, it's on page 131, apparently, at least it's on the version, um, but she's oh, christ, fuck, where is it? It's gone. Oh, this is so chaos, I'm so sorry. Oh, okay, here's quote. So I think she's standing, um, she's looking like at mount etna, standing on this ionian shoreline, and she says I think about all the men and women theater, the greeks who sailed all the way over here and found the one place too beautiful to leave. And I was like I I had to think of like greek, greek mythology and like how people actually like back in the day where we're like sailing the world, you know, just finding their new home, and I'm I don't know, because you love, you are like obsessed with Greek mythology and I just had to think about you at this moment. I just want to say that you know just, thank you.

Jordan:

I like that. I like that. I love Greek mythology. I know you do. I feel like I read it so long ago. I don't totally remember that part, but I'm glad you thought of me for it.

Fabienne:

Honey, I think about you all the time, I just don't dare to say it. Or comic books is weird or creepy, but you know, back at you Cat's out of the bag now, but I'm, it's funny also. Um, I know that, like, mount etna is like one of the most active volcanoes in like europe, but it actually erupted not too long ago. Did you, did you hear about that? No, so when we were reading this, or at least when I still was reading, reading it, I think you were done a lot quicker than I was um, but as I was reading it, I was like, oh my god, like not two days ago, the mount and like mount etna erupted, and it erupted in a book too, which I thought was a huge coincidence.

Jordan:

So you just wanted to.

Fabienne:

Just I like um, just want to add a little bit there.

Jordan:

No, I liked it, I liked it. I have nothing to add because I didn't know that. But like whoa um, but I don't know if you read the acknowledgements, she was gonna make this like a little baby, a novella, and I'm like, thank god, honey. You're asking me, do I read the acknowledges? No, I.

Fabienne:

Honey, you're asking me do I read the Acknowledgers? No, I do not. You're lucky that I read the epilogue, which I also almost don't normally, you know. But this novella, no, no, I don't see it.

Jordan:

But like, apparently, like when she was like writing Not In Love, like the brother story, someone was like Maya and Connor need their story, and so I guess she kind of started it, which was like a novella, and then they just got so much more and I'm like thank fuck, they did yes, yes, I can see you're very passionate about it. I love it I I don't know what it is, but I freaking love this book you were also pretty like, still passionate about how PETA was useless.

Fabienne:

back when the Hunger Games came out, I felt like that was just been stirring a little bit too often right below the surface, before it just erupted like your own personal Mount Edna?

Jordan:

Honestly though, yes, because ever since someone told me the next day when that happened and she canceled her or she deactivated Instagram or deleted her, whatever she did, I was like because, like so many people came out being like I'm team Gail, so like, do you hate me? Now too, and I'm like what I'm like, don't I'm, I'm team PETA. All the way, like I love PETA, I love PETA, but I'm like she's not wrong Fucking useless.

Fabienne:

A certain hint of truth there.

Jordan:

Yes, yeah, like, but like I'm also like I love PETA, so like all these people that are coming at her that are like team PETA, I'm like I'm, I love PETA, but like she's not wrong and like be nice, so like I have been sitting on that for a while but I kind of forgot about it until we started this uh episode and then I was like, fuck, wait, I need to discuss, need to talk about it and here we are.

Fabienne:

Here we are, nice, full circle, sort of sort of um. I don't really have anything more to add on the story, just just that I fucking loved it. Gave it a different five stars. Five stars. Would love to be able to reread it, but I was never gonna. Would you love a Connor?

Jordan:

with one N.

Fabienne:

Yeah.

Jordan:

Connor with one N is the shit and fictional Paper. Connor with one N.

Fabienne:

I don't want any.

Jordan:

Connor with one N's coming in my DMs being like I'm a Connor with one N, paper Connor with one N. I don't want any Connor with one N's coming in my DM's being like I'm a Connor with one N. No, no unless you're made of paper.

Fabienne:

I don't want it, but you're not existent to me. You're not even a Connor. Just don't, just no, just no turn around just no peace out.

Jordan:

Thank you so much for listening and please don't forget to rate and review wherever you can find us, so catch you next time Bye.