{:it} 5/5
Care lettrici e cari lettori,
Under one roof aveva un enorme potenziale, ma è andato a finire nella spazzatura. Adoro Ali Hazelwood, davvero. The Love Hypotesis è stato uno dei miei libri preferiti l’anno scorso, ma questo… tutta questa serie è un enorme NOPE.
Dalla trama ufficiale:
Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…
As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.
The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him… and the easier it is to love him.
Ali Hazelwood ha l’innata capacità di mettermi un sorriso sulle labbra sin dalle prime righe. Under one Roof, prima novella di una trilogia di autoconclusivi, sarebbe adorabile e divertente come è nel suo stile, se non fosse che col senno di poi è molto debole sia nel rapporto tra i due protagonisti che dal punto di vista strutturale: continuo a chiedermi per quale motivo la sua mentore le abbia lasciato la casa da dividere insieme al nipote senza dare una spiegazione né all’uno né all’altra; e per quale motivo Mara detesta tale nipote con ogni fibra del suo essere, quando la sua unica “colpa” è vivere a casa sua e a modo suo.
Del lavoro di Mara nell’ingegneria ambientale vediamo poco e niente, a parte quando si sfoga sui suoi colleghi stronzi o quando smonta un microonde. Anche qui, come in TLH, i pregiudizi nei confronti delle donne che lavorano in ambienti prettamente maschili sono stati trattati con la giusta dose di umorismo e serietà—anche se lei fa ben poco per combattere le ingiustizie che riceve. È una bambina nel corpo di un’adulta ed è ridicola a volte.
“See, that’s the thing I hate the most about adulting: at some point, one has to start doing it.“
D’altra parte Liam è piatto come una tavola da surf: di lui sappiamo solo che è un avvocato cattivo ed è enorme (a differenza di lei che in confronto è minuscola). Sì, lo abbiamo capito, non c’è bisogno di ripeterlo ogni tre pagine. La sua intera personalità verte sull’essere freddo e fighissimo. Tutto qui. C’era la vaga possibilità che lui fosse ace e sarebbe stato davvero una ventata di aria fresca, ma… no. Ovviamente lui vede lei, lei vede lui, e via di impulsi sessuali.
Vogliamo parlare della scena hot, arrivata all’improvviso e in maniera abbastanza orrenda e imbarazzante? Giuro, non ho mai letto niente di più cringe in vita mia. Ma d’altronde abbiamo capito che Ali Hazelwood le scene di sesso proprio non sa scriverle senza scadere nel ridicolo. In generale, il rapporto tra i due personaggi è molto insignificante e non mi sono piaciuti più di tanto. I loro battibecchi sono carini, ma hanno zero chimica.
È tutto sommato una lettura leggerissima e veloce, ma non è al pari di TLH (il fatto che sia solo una novella non aiuta) ed è abbastanza piatta.
Qualche curiosità sull’autrice
Ali Hazelwood è un’autrice italiana trasferitasi negli Stati Uniti per conseguire un dottorato in Neuroscienze. The Love Hypotesis è il suo romanzo di debutto. Potete seguirla su instagram e sul suo sito.
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Lo leggerete? Lo avete letto? Raccontatemelo nei commenti!
{:}{:en} 5/5
Dear readers,
Under one roof had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, but it ended up in the trash. I love Ali Hazelwood, I really do. The Love Hypotesis was one of my favourite books last year, but this… this whole series is a huge nope.
Official plot:
Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…
As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.
The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him… and the easier it is to love him.
Ali Hazelwood has the innate ability to put a smile on my face from the very first lines. Under one roof, first of a trilogy of standalones novellas, would be adorable and funny as is her style, if it weren’t for the fact that, in hindsight, it’s very weak both in the relationship between the two protagonists and from a structural point of view: I keep wondering why her mentor left her her house to share with her nephew without giving an explanation to either of them; and why Mara hates said nephew with every fibre of her being, when his only “fault” is living in his own house and in his own ways. The nerve of this man, really!
We see little and nothing of Mara‘s work in the engineering industry, except that she rants about her trash colleagues and at some point she dissects a microwave. Here too, as in TLH, the prejudices against women working in purely male environments were treated with just the right amount of humour and seriousness—although she does little to fight the injustices she receives. She’s quite a grown up baby and she’s ridiculous at times.
“See, that’s the thing I hate the most about adulting: at some point, one has to start doing it.“
On the other hand, Liam is as flat as a surfboard: all we know about him is that he is an evil lawyer and huge (unlike her, who is teeny-tiny in comparison). Yes, I get it, I don’t need to read it every three pages. His whole personality is cold hearted and gorgeously hot. That’s it. There was also the vague possibility that he was ace and it would really be a breath of fresh air, but… no. Obviously he sees her, she sees him, and on with the sexual impulses.
Shall we talk about the steamy scene, which came out of the blue and quite horrendously and embarrassing? I swear, I’ve never read anything more cringeworthy in my life. But then again, I’ve come to know that Hazelwood doesn’t know how to write sex scenes without descending into the ridiculous. In general, the relationship between the two characters is very insignificant and I didn’t like them all that much. Their bickering is cute, but they have zero chemistry, to be honest.
It’s all in all a very light and fast read, but it’s not on par with TLH (the fact that it’s only a novella doesn’t help at all) and it’s quite bland.
Some facts about the author
Ali Hazelwood is an Italian bestselling author who moved in the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. The Love Hypotesis is her debut novel. You can follo her on instagram and her website.
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Will you read it? Read it already? Tell me down in the comments!
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