The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Published by Berkley on September 14, 2021
Pages: 384
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
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As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that Ali Hazelwood has a huge winner on her hands with her debut novel, The Love Hypothesis. I loved every single thing about this book. I didn’t realize just how badly I needed a 100% feel-good love story.
Set in the world of STEM academia, the story follows a cancer research Ph.D. student Olive and her hairbrained fake dating scheme. Her unlikely partner in crime is none other than Dr. Adam Carlson, a lauded scientist and infamously unapproachable tyrant of a professor.
Olive is my girl. She is smart, driven, witty, and selflessly loyal. Her evolution of going from someone who dreaded spending five minutes in Adam’s company to someone who craved time with him is delightful.
As for Adam, who knew there was a funny and—even more surprising—a spicy little gem hidden beneath his intimidating and grumpy lab coat? Not me. He is nothing like how he first appears, and I loved peeling back all his layers. Adam and Olive’s progression from awkward strangers to friends to possibly non-fake boyfriend/girlfriend is wonderful. I also found Olive’s interactions with her BFFs—in particular, her roommate Malcolm—quite amusing.
If you’re looking for an antidote for a gloomy day, bad mood, or just a needed break from reality, I highly recommend this delightful and entertaining story.
Recommended for fans of:
Fake Dating Trope
Meet Cutes
Women in STEM
Pumpkin Spice Latte
About Ali Hazelwood
My favorite thing in the world is to explore traditional romance tropes—and to picture how they’ll play out in academic settings.
Rival scientists falling in love despite their better judgement?
There’s only one cot in the lab?
Fake dating during faculty meeting?
Sign me up!
I’m originally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. I recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies me. Oh, the sheer dread of being entrusted with the care of young minds!
When I’m not at work you can find me binge-watching shows with my feline overlords (and my slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy.
Oh, and I’m a New York Times Bestselling Author.
I’m represented by the amazing Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
I love this review!!! This book made me so happy. I wasn’t expecting it to live up the hype the way it did.
Thanks! I know what you mean. I’m used to being disappointed with over hyped books.