I was folding laundry on a Saturday afternoon when I pressed play on Below Zero, and I finished it before I even got to the fitted sheets. At under four hours, Ali Hazelwood's third STEMinist novella is the kind of audiobook that vanishes in a single sitting — which is both its greatest strength and its most frustrating limitation.
Let me set the scene: Hannah, a NASA aerospace engineer, is injured and stuck at a remote Arctic research station. Her rescue comes in the form of Ian, the broody rival scientist who once tried to torpedo her career. If you've read any Hazelwood before, you know the formula — brilliant woman in STEM, antagonistic man who turns out to be a secret softie, tension that could melt polar ice caps. And honestly? The formula still works here, even if it's starting to show its seams.
Savannah Peachwood narrates, and she brings a light, almost breathy quality that suits Hannah's first-person perspective well. She captures Hannah's anxious internal monologue with genuine feeling — you can hear the vulnerability underneath the professional bravado. When she shifts to Ian's dialogue, there's a nice drop into something more subdued and awkward, perfectly matching his "cinnamon roll hero hiding behind gruffness" energy. Peachwood isn't doing vocal gymnastics here, but she doesn't need to. The emotional beats land, particularly during the quieter bonding scenes where Hannah and Ian stop circling each other and start actually talking. The suspenseful moments — and yes, there's a snowstorm that raises real stakes — get appropriate urgency without veering into melodrama.
Some listeners who've been through the whole STEMinist trilogy on audio have noted they preferred the narrators from Under One Roof and Stuck with You, and I can see why. Peachwood is solid, but the performance doesn't have that extra spark that makes you immediately want to re-listen. It's good work without being the definitive version.
The pining is where this novella earns its keep. Hazelwood has always been great at building that specific flavor of romantic tension where both characters are clearly gone for each other but too stubborn or scared to act on it. The Arctic setting amplifies everything — there's nowhere to hide when you're snowed in with the person who haunts your dreams. Ian's protective instincts kick in naturally, not in a possessive way but in a "I will literally cross frozen tundra for you" way that hits differently when it's an awkward scientist doing it rather than some alpha archetype.
Here's where the novella length becomes a real issue, though. Just when Hannah and Ian's relationship starts to breathe, the story wraps up. Multiple listeners have flagged this, and I agree — you want more time with these two together. The emotional arc gets compressed in ways that a full novel wouldn't require. Their rivalry backstory feels sketched rather than explored, and the resolution, while satisfying, arrives faster than it earns. Hazelwood clearly knows how to write these characters; she just doesn't give herself enough runway.
The STEM representation remains a highlight. Hannah's engineering background isn't window dressing — it shapes how she thinks, how she problem-solves, how she relates to the world. The Arctic research setting feels specific enough to be interesting without bogging down in technical exposition. There's also a brief mention of trafficking that surfaces during the plot, which caught me off guard given the otherwise light tone, so be aware of that.
Hazelwood's wit keeps things moving at a clip that matches the short runtime. The banter between Hannah and Ian walks that fine line between genuinely funny and believably tense. You're smiling at their exchanges while also wanting to shake them both and say "just talk to each other already." It's classic enemies-to-lovers mechanics executed with enough charm to forgive the familiarity. Flawless leans into that same will-they-won't-they push-and-pull, and I kept thinking about it during the banter scenes here.
If you love enemies-to-lovers with a brainy heroine and want something you can finish during naptime (or one load of laundry), this is your pick. Skip it if you need a slow-burn with real room to develop — you'll end up wishing for a hundred more pages. If you're new to Hazelwood, I'd actually point you toward The Love Hypothesis first, where the same beats get full-novel treatment. Below Zero is like a really good dessert: sweet, satisfying in the moment, but you wouldn't call it a meal. Peachwood serves it well, and at three hours and forty-three minutes, the time investment is minimal. Just don't expect the depth that the characters deserve and almost get.
