Review: Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

I received this book via the publisher Berkley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
Published by Berkley on 2024-08-20
Length: 367 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher Berkley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2024, 2024 COYER Unwind

The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.

Fun, quirky romance! Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe is a contemporary romance about a female producer looking for a new show idea to save her job and the cryptid podcaster who will help her do it. Hallie Barrett’s life took a sharp detour after finally standing up for herself and leaving her ex, who also happens to be her coworker and star of her internet show. Stepping away from it, she’s asked to come up with a new show for her company’s competition in order to keep her job. With only a few days to come up with pitch, Hallie stumbles across Hayden Hargrove on a light night conspiracy theory show. Turns out Hayden has a successful podcast with a large following, one that could easily be adapted to internet TV. Now all she has to do is convince him.

I really enjoyed this book. It was such a fun read. Hallie is timid, but also knows what she wants. She likes her job, and she’s good at it. Her confidence is down though because of her ex, who was verbally and emotionally abusive. She believes his lies: she’s hard to work with, she doesn’t contribute, her opinions don’t matter. This show is her last shot at proving she can be a producer and proving her worth to herself.

Hayden is an interesting character as well. I liked his random cryptid facts. As a X-Files girlie growing up, it was like reading about Mulder if Mulder was a Millennial podcaster and not an FBI agent 😂 Hayden is sensitive, kind, and surprisingly introverted unless you get him talking about the paranormal. He spent his formative years taking care of his dad until he passed, and now he is lonely. Hallie’s offer gives him a chance to break out of his comfort zone and begin to process his grief.

As much as I like Hayden and Hallie separately, their banter is solid gold and truly makes the story come alive. I loved the scenes when they were together more than the rest of the book. Hayden buys into all the paranormal stuff, Hallie not so much. In fact, she is the complete opposite. I loved seeing their growth together through this book as much as I liked seeing them work together on the show.

Overall, I really liked Love and Other Conspiracies. It is a fun, quirky, contemporary romance. I highly recommend it for you end of summer or spooky season reading.

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