Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood is a witty, spicy contemporary romance about forbidden attraction, an irresistible age gap, forced proximity and two people who can think of dozens of reasons they should stay apart—and one very inconvenient reason they cannot.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still working out exactly what she wants from life.

She is a graduate student.

Smart.

Independent.

Determined.

And unfortunately very attracted to one man she absolutely should stop thinking about.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight.

Successful.

Established.

Her brother’s best friend.

And fifteen years older than Maya.

From Conor’s perspective, that is already enough reason for the relationship to be a terrible idea.

The difference in:

Age.

Life experience.

Career position.

Money.

And connection to Maya’s brother

makes him deeply uncomfortable with the possibility of pursuing her.

He believes the power imbalance is too significant.

Maya, however, is perfectly capable of deciding what she wants.

And what she wants appears to be Conor.

Then Maya’s brother plans a destination wedding in Taormina, Sicily.

Suddenly, Maya and Conor find themselves staying in the same romantic Sicilian villa for more than a week.

Sunshine.

Ancient ruins.

Beautiful coastlines.

Delicious food.

Wedding chaos.

And the one person each of them is trying not to think about.

What could possibly go wrong?

As Maya spends more time with Conor, she begins to suspect that his determination to keep her at a distance may not mean what she originally assumed.

Maybe the attraction is not one-sided.

Maybe Conor is hiding something.

And maybe the most “problematic” part of their summer romance is that staying away from each other is becoming almost impossible.

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood – Book Overview

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood is built around a deliberately complicated romantic setup.

Maya wants Conor.

Conor believes he should not want Maya.

That creates the central tension.

Unlike a romance in which an external villain keeps the couple apart, much of the conflict comes from Conor’s own moral uncertainty.

He is not simply thinking:

Do I like her?

He already has a much harder question:

Even if I do, should I act on it?

That makes the romance as much about boundaries, choice and perceived power imbalance as it is about chemistry.

Maya Killgore

Maya is twenty-three and still building her adult life.

She is a graduate student who does not yet possess the professional or financial stability Conor has.

But that does not mean she lacks agency.

Maya knows there is an age difference.

She knows Conor is her brother’s friend.

She understands why he thinks the situation is complicated.

She simply does not agree that those complications automatically make her feelings invalid.

That creates an important distinction.

Conor sees a problem that must be avoided.

Maya sees adults capable of making their own decisions.

Conor Harkness

Conor is thirty-eight and significantly more established than Maya.

His age and position form the central obstacle.

He worries that pursuing Maya could be unfair because they are at very different stages in life.

This makes him very different from an older romantic lead who casually ignores the age gap.

Conor thinks about it constantly.

Possibly too much.

He is determined not to take advantage of Maya.

The problem is that trying to remain responsible becomes much harder when feelings are involved.

A 15-Year Age Gap

The 15-year age difference is not merely a background detail.

It is the central conflict of the novel.

Ali Hazelwood’s own content notes emphasize that Maya is 23 and Conor is 38 and clarify that, although they were vaguely aware of one another when Maya was younger, they did not have a meaningful relationship before she entered her twenties.

This matters because the book actively discusses the age difference rather than pretending it does not exist.

Different Stages of Life

Age-gap romances often become more interesting when the characters are not only different ages but at genuinely different stages.

Maya is still figuring things out.

Conor has already built a successful career.

That creates real questions.

Do they want the same things?

Does one person’s financial stability influence the relationship?

Is one partner automatically more powerful?

Can a younger person still make informed choices?

The novel places those questions directly inside the romance.

Brother’s Best Friend

Another major trope in Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood is brother’s best friend.

Conor is not some random older man Maya meets on holiday.

He already belongs to her brother’s world.

That makes pursuing Maya feel much more dangerous socially.

A breakup would not simply affect two people.

It could affect:

Friendships.

Family relationships.

Group dynamics.

The wedding party.

That raises the emotional stakes.

Forbidden Attraction

The romance feels forbidden even though both central characters are adults.

Conor has created an internal rule:

Maya is off-limits.

Unfortunately, internal rules become difficult to maintain when the person you are avoiding is living in the same villa.

Forced Proximity

A destination wedding creates almost perfect forced proximity.

Maya and Conor cannot simply return to separate cities whenever the tension becomes uncomfortable.

They are surrounded by:

Shared meals.

Wedding preparations.

Friends.

Family.

Beautiful surroundings.

And each other.

That gives every conversation more opportunity to become something else.

Sicily

The Italian setting is one of the biggest attractions of the book.

The story takes place around Taormina, on the eastern coast of Sicily overlooking the Ionian Sea. The official synopsis highlights ancient ruins, food, natural caves and the romantic Sicilian environment surrounding the wedding.

The setting helps transform the story into a genuine summer escape.

Destination Wedding Romance

Wedding settings work extremely well in romance because they place everyone inside an environment already focused on:

Love.

Commitment.

Relationships.

The future.

Then add two people desperately trying not to think about their own relationship.

It becomes almost impossible not to compare themselves with the couple getting married.

Wedding Chaos

Of course, weddings rarely go completely according to plan.

The official description hints that the destination wedding begins to spiral out of control.

That chaos gives Maya and Conor plenty of opportunities to spend time together under unusual circumstances.

Summer Fling

Maya eventually begins considering a simple solution.

Maybe this does not need to become:

Forever.

Marriage.

A huge commitment.

Maybe they can simply have a summer fling.

Temporary.

Contained.

No expectations.

That sounds logical.

Romance readers already know why that plan may become complicated.

Temporary Relationships Have Feelings Too

Calling something temporary does not prevent attachment.

People cannot always tell emotions:

This ends on Friday.

Please cooperate.

A relationship created as a short-term solution can become emotionally significant very quickly.

He Should Stay Away

Conor’s resistance contributes heavily to the tension.

He believes staying away from Maya is the responsible decision.

That creates an entertaining romantic contradiction.

Sometimes the person saying:

“This absolutely cannot happen”

is also the person thinking about it the most.

She Knows What She Wants

Maya’s role in the relationship is important because she refuses to let Conor decide what she is allowed to feel simply because he is older.

This creates tension around:

Autonomy.

Protection.

Control.

Good intentions.

Sometimes trying to protect another adult can cross into deciding for them.

The story explores that line.

Power Imbalance

One of the more thoughtful aspects of Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood is that the characters themselves discuss whether the relationship contains an unfair power dynamic.

Conor has:

More age.

More professional success.

More financial security.

More life experience.

Those differences are real.

But relationships cannot always be evaluated using a simple numerical formula.

The characters must decide what those differences actually mean for them.

Romance and Responsibility

Desire does not automatically make every situation wise.

But fear does not automatically make every relationship wrong either.

The novel lives inside that uncomfortable middle ground.

STEM Romance

Ali Hazelwood is widely associated with romances involving science and academia.

That continues here.

Maya is a graduate student.

Conor is successful in biotech.

Their professional backgrounds add another familiar Hazelwood element: highly intelligent characters who may understand complicated technical problems better than their own emotions.

Academia

Maya’s position as a graduate student also places her in a transitional stage.

She is educated and independent but still building a future.

That uncertainty affects how Conor sees their age difference.

Career Versus Identity

Being less professionally established does not mean being less emotionally capable.

One person’s career may be further advanced simply because they have had fifteen additional years to build it.

This becomes part of the larger conversation about what equality inside a relationship really means.

Attraction Versus Compatibility

Physical attraction may begin a romance.

Compatibility determines whether it has somewhere to go.

Maya and Conor therefore need to discover whether what exists between them is:

A crush.

Sexual chemistry.

Holiday attraction.

Or something capable of surviving outside Sicily.

Communication

Many romance problems could disappear if characters communicated perfectly from page one.

Fortunately for readers, humans rarely do.

Maya and Conor bring:

Assumptions.

Fear.

Past experiences.

Different interpretations.

That gives their relationship its tension.

What Is Conor Hiding?

The official synopsis makes clear that Maya begins to suspect Conor is hiding something.

That creates a useful shift.

Maybe his rejection is not as straightforward as it appears.

The mystery is emotional rather than criminal.

What does Conor actually feel?

And why is he so determined not to admit it?

Vulnerability

For someone who appears professionally successful and emotionally controlled, admitting vulnerability can be difficult.

Sometimes “this relationship is inappropriate” can also become a safer explanation than:

“I am afraid of how much I care.”

Humor

Despite the serious discussions around age and power, Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood remains a romantic comedy.

Hazelwood brings her familiar style of:

Banter.

Awkwardness.

Smart characters doing emotionally ridiculous things.

Group dynamics.

Sexual tension.

The Sicilian wedding environment creates plenty of room for comedy.

Spice Level

This is an adult romance with explicit and graphic sexual content.

Ali Hazelwood’s official content notes explicitly identify the sexual content as graphic, alongside cursing and vulgar language.

Readers looking for a clean or closed-door romance should therefore choose another book.

Adult Romance, Not YA

Maya is 23.

Conor is 38.

This is an adult contemporary romance.

It should not be marketed as a children’s or young-teen romance.

Your approved BargainBooks classification under Fiction & Literature > Romance > Contemporary romance is appropriate.

Connection to Not in Love

Maya and Conor previously appear in Ali Hazelwood’s Not in Love, and publisher material specifically notes that fans had been requesting their story after meeting them there.

So readers who have already read Not in Love will recognize characters and relationship dynamics.

For the richest context, I would recommend:

1. Not in Love
2. Problematic Summer Romance

However, the main romance here centers specifically on Maya and Conor and introduces its core conflict clearly.

Is Problematic Summer Romance a Sequel?

It is best described as an interconnected follow-up to Not in Love rather than a traditional sequel continuing exactly the same central couple.

The earlier book introduces characters who appear here, while this novel shifts focus to Maya and Conor.

Do You Need to Read Not in Love First?

It is useful but not essential for understanding the central premise.

Reading Not in Love first provides additional familiarity with Maya, Conor and their broader group.

Readers interested only in Maya and Conor can still follow the main relationship from the information given in this novel.

Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood is known for contemporary romances featuring intelligent characters, STEM settings, strong chemistry and emotionally complicated relationships.

Her books include:

The Love Hypothesis

Love on the Brain

Love, Theoretically

Not in Love

Deep End

and paranormal romances such as Bride.

The publisher identifies her as a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Official Edition Details

The Berkley U.S. paperback edition lists:

Title: Problematic Summer Romance
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 27, 2025
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9798217187430

Different UK or regional editions may carry different ISBNs, so check the barcode on your actual physical copy before entering the WooCommerce ISBN field.

Content Considerations

Ali Hazelwood’s official content notes identify several themes readers may want to know about before purchasing Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood:

• 15-year age gap between the adult leads
• Childhood poverty
• Parental neglect
• Anger issues discussed alongside therapy
• Past references to underage drug and alcohol use
• Parental deaths in the past
• Food poisoning
• Pregnancy discussions and a pregnant secondary character
• Explicit and graphic sexual content
• Strong language and vulgar language

The author also explicitly clarifies that Maya and Conor did not have a meaningful relationship while Maya was a minor.

Important Themes

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood explores:

• Age-gap romance
• Brother’s best friend
• Forced proximity
• Forbidden attraction
• Summer romance
• Destination wedding
• Sicily
• Graduate school
• STEM careers
• Life-stage differences
• Power dynamics
• Autonomy
• Trust
• Emotional vulnerability
• Communication
• Family
• Friendship
• Sexual chemistry
• Commitment
• Choosing what feels right despite complications

7 Addictive Reasons to Read Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

1. The age gap actually matters to the story. The fifteen-year difference between Maya and Conor is not simply a marketing trope; it drives Conor’s concerns about power, experience and whether pursuing the relationship is responsible.
2. The brother’s-best-friend setup adds real tension. Conor already belongs to Maya’s family circle, meaning any relationship between them could affect more than just the two people involved.
3. Sicily creates the perfect summer-romance atmosphere. A destination wedding in Taormina brings villas, coastline, ruins, food and beautiful summer scenery into the romance.
4. Forced proximity makes avoidance almost impossible. Conor may believe distance is the responsible choice, but sharing a villa for more than a week creates serious problems for that plan.
5. Maya has strong agency. She understands the age difference and challenges the idea that Conor should be able to decide what she can or cannot want.
6. It combines serious relationship questions with Ali Hazelwood’s humor. Readers get discussions about age, power and adulthood alongside banter, attraction, wedding chaos and romantic comedy.
7. Fans of Not in Love get a familiar connected world. Maya and Conor appeared previously, allowing readers already invested in the characters to finally experience their own romance.

Why Read Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood?

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood is a strong choice for readers who enjoy:

• Ali Hazelwood
• Contemporary romance
• Age-gap romance
• Brother’s best friend
• Forced proximity
• Summer romances
• Destination weddings
• Italian settings
• Sicily
• Spicy romance
• STEM romance
• Graduate-student heroines
• Older-man/younger-woman romance
• Forbidden attraction
• Vacation romance
• Romantic comedy
• Emotional tension
• Banter
• Interconnected romance worlds

It is particularly suited to readers who enjoy romances where the characters are not questioning whether attraction exists.

That part is obvious.

The harder question is whether they should act on it.

Who Should Read This Book?

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood may especially appeal to adult romance readers, Ali Hazelwood fans, readers who enjoyed Not in Love, fans of age-gap and brother’s-best-friend tropes, readers who enjoy high-heat romance, and anyone looking for a romantic summer escape with an Italian destination setting.

Readers uncomfortable with substantial age-gap romances should review the premise before purchasing because the fifteen-year difference is discussed repeatedly and forms a central part of the conflict.

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood – What Feels Wrong Can Still Feel Very Right

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood begins with a relationship Conor believes should never happen.

On paper, his argument sounds reasonable.

He is thirty-eight.

Maya is twenty-three.

He is her brother’s best friend.

He is established.

She is still studying.

They are in different stages of life.

Therefore:

Stay away.

Simple.

Except feelings are rarely interested in perfectly logical plans.

Then Sicily removes the distance.

A destination wedding places them in the same villa.

The weather is warm.

The coastline is beautiful.

Everyone is thinking about love.

And the person Conor has decided he absolutely should not want is suddenly always nearby.

Maya has a different problem.

She already knows what she wants.

Her challenge is convincing Conor that respecting her adulthood does not mean making every decision on her behalf.

That is what gives the central romance more complexity than a straightforward forbidden crush.

The book asks whether acknowledging a power difference necessarily means a relationship cannot work—or whether honest communication, boundaries and genuine choice can matter more than a simple list of reasons to say no.

It also asks a more romantic question:

What happens when the person insisting something is impossible is the same person who cannot stop wanting it?

Add a chaotic wedding.

A gorgeous Sicilian setting.

Long-suppressed attraction.

Secrets.

Banter.

And a supposedly temporary summer fling.

The result is exactly what the title promises:

Problematic.

But possibly worth the trouble.

For readers who enjoy spicy contemporary romance, age-gap tension, forced proximity, destination weddings and smart characters who can solve everything except their own feelings, Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood delivers a warm, funny and steamy summer escape.

Learn more about Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood on the official Penguin Random House website.

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