‘Maybe her life was nothing but a little sob story, but it was her little sob story. Her heart may be broken, but her brain was doing just fine.’

What a fantastic debut! A swoony, slow-burn fake boyfriend romance chock full of fun banter, a seriously gorgeous, nerdy hero with a touch of alpha, set in the world of Academia at Stanford University, and didn’t we just love it!! The banter between Olive and Adam gave us a good giggle, and the back and forth between Adam’s childhood friend, and fellow Professor, Holden really tickled our funny bones.

Fake relationships are a little hit and miss for us, and although it did take us a little while to settle into the third-person prose, once we did…we never wanted it to end! And thirty-four-year-old scrumptious nerdy genius Dr. Adam Carlsen played a big part in why we felt that way. There’s something about a genius, alpha-type, grumpy hero that makes our hearts leap, and Adam’s good looks were matched by his incredible brain – what a combination!

‘There was only fresh breeze between them, and whatever distance Adam had seen fit to keep. Her stubborn, mercurial fake boyfriend. Wonderfully, perfectly unique. Delightfully one of a kind. Olive felt her heart overflow.’

When an unexpected kiss from Ph.D. student Olive Smith takes Adam by surprise and results in an arrangement between the two to fake a relationship – each for their own reasons, little did they know how their fake relationship would flourish and how hard it would be to part ways amicably when the 29 September expiration date of their agreement approached?

‘You just had to go and make me fall for you, she thought. You absolute ass.’

Talk about swoony moments! Oh, and…let’s not forget the chemistry and the sizzling hot sex between these two! WOW! We had expected the sex to be fade to black. How wrong we were! Bloody hell, it was hot! Adam and Olive would cause a Bunsen Burner to ignite! Along with the rom-com fun, there were also moments of angst and heartbreak and some wonderful surprises. The way in which Ali Hazelwood wove the ending together was pure joy for romance junkies like us!

‘A good kiss will do that: make a girl forget herself for a while.’

Review + MOODBOARD ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Olive Smith is in her third year as Ph.D. candidate, and romance in not on her radar, but her best friend Anh has a crush on Olive's ex, so she has to show she's completely over him, right? That is the reason why she's in this insane situation with none other than Adam Carsen, well-know ass. Which explains her surprise when he agrees to fake-date her to keep her charade going. But when faking becomes real, and the stakes keep getting higher and higher, will they finally be honest with each other and confess their feelings.

This book was absolutely incredible, it gripped me from the very first words. This couple sizzled in true slow-burn heaven. Their connection was beyond compare, I loved how they looked at each other, their adorable banter and shared humour was the dreamy chemistry of true love. I was a little worried about the student/teacher trope, however this is the only time I didn't find creepy, and where the power dynamic was addressed in a respectful, professional and healthy way. I loved how the author approached the subject of women in STEM, the challenges, and the horrible and unbelievable position women in this field have to overcome.

I loved Olive as a character, and why she wanted to fake-date Adam, she was so kind, and just wanted to make her friend comfortable to follow her heart. It was incredibly touching. I loved how unapologetically herself she was, but how she also thought of others, remaining kind and to the people she cared about, even if it meant putting herself on the line.

Oh Adam, how perfectly grumpy was he! I love a good grumpy/sunshine trope and this one is no exception. I loved how he slowly opened-up to Olive, revealing a little of himself and letting her in. I loved how protective he was of Olive, in a healthy and completely attractive way. I also loved how he listened to her, respected her and her opinion, never being condescending, instead being humble about his success and just trying to help her and his student the best he could.

This couple is going straight to my Best of all times list! It was such an incredible story that resonated with me and made me blush, laugh and swoon like a fool at every turn. The writing was fresh and faced paced. I loved it's creativity and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you @Berkleyromance for gifting me a digital advanced reader's copy through @netgalley, as always all my thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

This was seriously FANTASTIC and by far one of my favorite romances of the year. This book hits so many of my buzz words - fake dating, academia, sunshine meets grumpy trope. I loved both Adam and Olive separately and together. Their chemistry was amazing, and there's a lot of tension between them, which I always highly enjoy. THE MUTUAL PINNING IN HERE WAS SUPERB. ten out of ten, would recommend highly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date Sep. 14, 2021

This was such a sweet and quirky romcom, which left me feeling like I’d just settled into a warm bubble bath (aka deliciously comfortable and happy)!

Olive Smith is a third year Ph.D candidate at Stanford, who one night - after a disastrous comedy of errors wherein she tries to convince her BFF that she’s started dating again - locks lips with a large and muscular stranger. To her horror, said stranger is hotshot professor Adam Carlsen, whose reputation is more akin to an ogre than a tenured genius. So Olive is shocked when Adam proposes a fake-dating scheme to keep up appearances.

As Olive gets to know Adam, she realizes that she may be the exception to his rule when it comes to handling students, and that there’s more than meets the eye.

This was such a cute romcom, that deals with serious issues, to include sexual harassment and the good ole boys club that permeates STEM (and many industries including my own). I loved that Ali didn’t sugarcoat how bad it can be.

Olive was such a great character! I also loved the secondary characters (Malcolm lol) and the romance was a slow burn that, when the flame was turned up, was oh-so-sexy. My only real complaint (if I can call it that) is that I wish we’d gotten more Adam/Olive one-on-one time. The romance felt a little awkward until the conference, and I really really loved the time they spent together. I wanted more!


Thank you so much to NetGalley and BerkleyPub for this e-ARC!

I sat down to read the first few pages and got up having swallowed down a third of it. The writing and tone is, and I mean this in a good way, like if Rory Gilmore had decided to pursue a PhD in biology (presumably Lorelai died at some point in the high school years) and the romance builds absolutely perfectly, plus it really brings you into the academic world without being too much. And the tropes? They are, as they say, immaculate: your fake dating, your found family, your surly romantic hero with a heart of gold...the buffet is open. I will say that I would have liked a bit more about Olive's growing up years, both with her mom and afterward, and some more foreshadowing of the twist (I thought for sure it would have something to do with the mysteriously never named mentor...) but overall this is an absolute treat for contemporary romance readers, particularly those who enjoyed The Kiss Quotient, Act Your Age, Eve Brown, Written in the Stars, and Emily Henry's latest.

When you are a third year PHD candidate you take nothing for chance and every single aspect is calculated perfectly. Olive Smith has no room for error until she bodly kisses Adam, a professor all for the sake of convincing her best friend she’s happily dating.
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Olive needs Adam to fake a relationship and he needs her to fake a relationship to secure funding. As it seems all fake relationships do it turns into love! I absolutely loved these two characters and their friends.
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Not everything goes according to plan but sometimes love simply leads the way and life goes off script.
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This one is out tomorrow!

This was a fun one with @lovearctually

Huge thank you to @berkleyromance and @NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Alright Miss Ali Hazelwood.... where have you been ALL my life?!

Ladies and gentlemen... talk about SWOONWORTHY!!! Ugh... my heart... I loved everything about this book. This is definitely one of my favorites so far this year.

The Love Hypothesis is the best type of romance. It has everything that you long for. It has fake dating, sassy witter and banter, supportive female friendships, and chemistry that is on fire.

Honestly, this book was pure perfection. I devoured this masterpiece of a rom com in just a few days and will pretty much read Hazelwood's post it notes moving forward.

I loved it and highly highly recommend grabbing this one.

Thank you so much to Berkley for my copy!!

5/5 stars

This book was everything—it gave me all the feels. There were tough moments, past issues, and difficult relationships to be dealt with, parts that made me laugh so incredibly hard, and more than a few swoon-y parts that had my heart all a-flutter. And can we give it up for all the STEM ladies please!!

Olive Smith is a Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford, and she doesn’t believe in happy-ever afters. What she does believe in is finding a lab that can support the continuation of her research.

Adam Carlson is a Stanford professor with a reputation for being a major a-hole.

Olive’s best friend is interested in her ex, and Olive just wants them to be happy. Her bestie won’t betray the girl-code unless she’s sure Olive has moved on. So in a fit of not-really-thinking-things-through Olive tells her friend she’s going on a date, but when she gets busted outside the labs, she grabs the first guy she sees and kisses him to try and convince her friend. Of course that guy happens to be Adam A-hole Carlson, who threatens to report her for sexual assault (as he probably should).

The two decide that a bit of fake dating might be mutually beneficial, and so our story begins...

If we’ve been booksta-friends for a while you’ll know that the only thing I love more than fake dating is good banter. This book has it in spades! The internal dialogue is gold, but I absolutely loved all the conversations Olive had with her friends, and of course the conversations she had with Adam too.

This is my new favorite grumpy x sunshine rom-com! It was cute, flirty, steamy, and simply all-around perfection. I can't believe this is Hazelwood's debut novel; she's officially cemented herself as a new auto-buy author for me! I absolutely loved the protagonists (especially Dr. Adam Carlsen). He's brooding, handsome, and exhibits all signs of being the perfect book boyfriend. Such a fun and delightful book!

4 'You can fall in love' Stars!
ARC provided by the the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am that kind of reader that is 50% super excited / 50% scared shitless when it comes to new authors and their debut novels. But The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood sounded right up my alley and I jumped at the opportunity to get an early copy when Berkley contacted me. And I am so glad I did! This is probably my favorite debut romance novel from 2021 and you’ll understand why I thoroughly enjoyed it as soon as you start reading this quirky, funny as hell and adorable romantic comedy!

So, as I said, The Love Hypothesis is Ali Hazelwood’s first book and it’s all about Olive Smith, a PhD candidate who, in order to convince her best friend she is dating someone, kisses the first man she sees. Enter Adam Carlsen. He is a young professor and kind of a known jerk. Olive wasn’t expecting him to accept her proposition (to start a fake relationship) but she is surprised when Adam accepts. That is the start of a strange and slow burning connection between two opposites who also happen to be very attracted to one another (but are afraid to accept and confess said chemistry).

There was a lot about Adam Carlsen she didn’t know. He was an ass, but with unexpected depths.

I seriously loved The Love Hypothesis. This romance surprised me in the best of ways that is for sure! I am a sucker for unexpected connections and having one of the main characters loving the other from afar. I wasn’t expecting Adam to be so protective of Olive and I found it absolutely adorable. He hides so much from her just to keep their fake relationship from falling apart and it almost destroys their relationship. That’s probably the only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this book: there is too much miscommunication between this couple. I just wanted to shake them both so much at times because it was so clear they wanted to be together! Still, Ali developed this story so well, these characters were so smart and lovable and their interactions so funny and emotional at the same time. And yes, it was a slow burn, but it was so delicious (even though I wanted more of that amazing steam!) and I cannot wait to see what Ali brings us next!

It was frightening. Frightening, how good this felt. How easy it would be to never stop. To let time stretch and unbend, forget about everything else, and simply stay in this moment forever.

Therefore, I am rating The Love Hypothesis with 4 STARS because I can assure you this debut novel will steal many romance lovers’ hearts. Ali Hazelwood did a fantastic job with her first book and made me fall in love with this adorable couple. Both Adam and Olive are wonderful characters (together and apart) and their love story had all the elements of a great romance (beside that annoying miscommunication!) that many readers will enjoy. As I said, I hope we get more of these characters and I am excited to see what Ali comes up with next!

🔬🧬𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬🧬🔬

This book is perfect. It is also published today and officially out on the shelves so GO GO GO GO!!! You need this book in your life, thank me later😘

And btw this is coming from someone who hates cheesy, cutesy ‘romcom’ romances; ESP ones with covers like this. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 is PHENOMENAL. Thank you @netgalley for a an advanced copy of this!

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: RomCom
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: student/teacher & fake dating
𝐏𝐮𝐛. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Today!! 9/14/2021
𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5 STARS ALL THE WAY⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬: 4.54 (yup its even that high on Goodreads, this book is a keeper)

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 completely surprised me in the best way. This romcom is set in science academia following a cheerful Ph. D. Candidate in STEM research who ends up fake dating one of the professors in her building. For those that don’t know me well, I am currently an M.D. Candidate with a B.S. and Masters in the sciences and I’ve always worked in labs and hospitals. THIS BOOK HIT HOME, and in the absolute greatest way!! Adam, the hot, young, broody professor is my favorite book boyfriend of 2021 hands down. Do yourself the favor and curl up this book soon! It totally lived up to all instagram hype.

✨This book is the reason I walk around my college campus looking for hot nerds to fall in love with and then immediately get disappointed 😭✨

I am sure you guys have heard countless praise for this book. I am here to add to that hype. This book really is just that good 😍

You know that moment when you find a new favorite, you just stand there, your heart swelling and aching all at the same time? This book makes me feel that way ❤️❤️

Tropes:
👫🏻 fake dating
🥺 pining
🗣 BANTER
☺️ ‘I hate everyone but you’
🧠 competency kink (two people who truly understand and challenge each other intellectually)
💋 hero falls in love first
☀️ grump/sunshine
👀 “we have to kiss in front of everyone” + tension
😩 slow burn
🥼 two nerds falling in love
🛏 only one bed
🥵 consent is hot
👩🏻‍🔬 heroine in STEM

This book is jam packed with everything I love. I truly cannot ask for more. How do I put into words how much I love this book?

The feeling of seeing yourself in a book is absolutely unmatched. As a woman in STEM, Olive getting her HEA and being a badass, smart, independent woman made me practically tear up. In books, we are so used to seeing women get defined as badass when they are hyper-masculine, cold, not-interested in relationships, etc. and not that those women are not badass but sometimes they just reek of the male gaze. Olive is a glowing example of how you can be badass, accomplished, and determined while being kind a person, while allowing herself to cry, while being head over heels in love with a hottie PhD professor. It's books like these that touch my heart and become favorites.

The characters were amazing 😍 The hero had me swooning and searching for a sexy PhD man of my own. Adam is definitely book husband material 😏The moments where Adam showed his true self or was so clearly pining for Olive sent my heart into a flurry 🥺 Those moments where they would have their sizzling banter and a small smile would ghost his lips? I was GONE. Adam was so supportive and loving. He always saw her for who she was and saw all of her potential. Olive is so lucky. I would do anything to have an Adam of my own. They had so much chemistry. Physical, emotional, and intellectual! Where do I sign up for my own cute nerd romance?! 😩😩

It honestly felt like Ali reached into my mind and pulled out all of the scenes my subconscious wanted and gave them to me. The sunscreen scene 🥵 ifykyk. I was getting all of these beautiful, full-of-tension romantic scenes and I was having an absolute BLAST. This book really has me in a chokehold with how enamored I am with it.

Olive’s sexuality was written beautifully. I was floored by how seamless and emotional her development into having s*x with Adam was. Stories and characters like these are so important and so refreshing in a genre full of books that deal with sexuality so nonchalantly (not that there is an issue with that!).

The plot was so wonderfully developed. If you read the fanfic, then you would know that the story was originally just a collection of scenes. Now Ali has created a seamless plot that had me on the edge of my seat. The villain had me seething! Especially since I see people like him every day (going to a competitive, STEM orientated college myself). I couldn’t have asked for more 😍

I am so beyond grateful that I got to read, review, and promote this book early. This book is an absolute fave of all time.

If you know me, then you know that I am a wh*re for the competency kink. When two characters just match each other intellectualy and can keep up with each other's mind, I LOOSE it. Ali gave me all of that goodness. Her next, upcoming work is an anthology with intellectual rivalries. nerds falling in love, extreme tension, and more! I am so so so excited.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars | 🌶🌶.5/ 5 steam

Thank you to Berkley, Ali Hazlewood, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion ❤️

The Love Hypothesis
Ali Hazelwood
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

|| Synopsis:
Olive just wants her friend Anh to be happy, and if that means kissing some random stranger in the hallway so Anh will think she is over her ex, well then she is going to do it. But turns out that this random stranger is none other than Dr. Adam Carlsen. Her biology professor. Rumors spread fast and Olive and Adam find themselves in a situation where a fake relationship benefits them both, so they are in this situation together and let’s just say things escalate.

|| Check Out This Book if you like:
•Grumpy-Sunshine Trope
•Grump to everyone but you trope
•Fake Relationship done RIGHT
•Hilarious banter.
•STEM and women empowerment
•Pumpkin Spice lattes and all the basic fall drinks
•Some steam 🔥

|| My Thoughts:
I feel like I like to love almost all romcoms, but I LOVE LOVE this one. Adam is seriously becoming my new book boyfriend and I think that says a lot. I don’t think I could hype this one enough. It’s also going down on my list of auto recommendations if anyone needs a new romcom in their life. Adam and Olive are just perfection from the start, Adam’s dead pan humor, only Olive getting to see this side of him, all the workplace environments and showing Olive as a powerful brilliant scientist. I just loved the whole thing. And SO many funny moments. And when things get serious 🔥! I think the only thing I could ask for was another 100 pages or so of them 😂 Just go read it. Library, ebook, physical, audio, however you can get your hands on it!

Thank you berkley and netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I received a gifted galley of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS finds third-year PHD candidate Olive out of the blue kissing Adam, a professor (though not hers). Adam is not known for being nice. In fact, he’s known as the professor most likely to make those he’s in charge of supervising and critiquing cry. Olive was trying to convince her BFF that she’s moved on from her ex, but kissing Adam was possibly the worst choice in partners.

When Olive explains her actions, she is shocked that Adam agrees to continue the deception. It turns out he’s got a few issues that having a fake romantic entanglement might help as well, so thus the fake dating plan is hatched. Between Olive’s friends pushing her closer to Adam and Olive’s quest to find a new home for her research with her mentor’s upcoming retirement, Olive has her hands full. Still, a solid friendship with Adam begins with the potential for more.

I really found this to be a loveable read and one hard to put down! I have seen a few people mention they are not sure about the professor/student dynamic of this one, but Adam has absolutely no power over Olive, her work or her career and the relationship is properly vetted with the powers that be as being within guidelines. Both go into the relationship with open eyes, often even making fun of the whole idea of the fake dating trope!

In addition to a fun read and a great relationship, this book does also delve into some important issues. Olive’s BFF is doing work to support women and particularly women of color in the often male dominated field of the academic sciences. Olive has some very eye opening moments as well in how she is treated differently (abhorrently) from the men in her field which unfortunately rang true.

I picked this for my “Hyped” prompt for #Bookoplathon and it definitely lived up to the hype! This is a book I would definitely recommend for your TBR! THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is available now!

4.5 STARS - Romance lovin' science geeks rejoice! The Love Hypothesis is a delightful 'sweet with incredible heat' RomCom that will satisfy your inner nerd and your love of romance.

The story features two scientists - Adam, a straight-laced, hard-ass, tall, dark, and brooding science prof at Stanford U. He's brilliant but not exactly socially adept and even though he can be a bit of an arse (and could have had a bit more oomph to his personality), it was easy to fall for him as the leading man. Olive is a young PhD STEM student who is sweet, awkward and a bit naïve and I love that through her, readers witness the struggles faced by women in the male-dominated STEM and academia fields. These two scientists meet under unique circumstances and decide to have a fake romance to help each of them for different reasons.

This book has romance, sizzlin' saucy sex scenes and playful banter - that's the RomCom Hat Trick! I loved the slow burn romance and even though it took a bit for the story to get going, once it took off, Holy Large Hadron Collider! did things heat up fast! I also appreciated how deeper issues are included but my one wee beef was that it was a tad heavy on the 'why don't they just have a chat' miscommunication trope.

Delightfully and unapologetically nerdy with its endearing romance, great cast, fantastic representation and super hot love scenes, The Love Hypothesis has given me a satisfying book hangover and easily falls into one of my top books of 2021. Look for it in stores Sept 14th from Berkley Publishing Group!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This book is getting a lot of debut love and hype, and rightly so ... It's a lot of fun and LOOK at that cute cover! I *inhaled* this story in just a couple of sittings, which is pretty unusual for me. But I really enjoyed the voice and different (albeit totally unrealistic) setup for this fake-dating romance, especially because the male MC is a taciturn science researcher, and apparently that is my catnip (see River from THE SOULMATE EQUATION). Who knew??

This was another story I did via both audio and print, alternating between the two formats. The narrator, Callie Dalton, was really good.

I will say, though, there were some fairly over-the-top, cliché scenarios and scenes, and I kind of ignored their existence. Instead, I embraced the laugh-out-loud POV and zippy banter, and I swooned at the MCs' chemistry and romance.

If you're looking for something easy and breezy, and fun and flirty, this will do the trick. Just don't think too hard about the logistics of certain things. *winks*

RATING: B+ (4½ stars)

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/09/14/the-love-hypothesis-by-ali-hazelwood/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I got behind reading at night because I kept falling asleep. So I read this starting first thing in the morning before even eating breakfast.  I could NOT put it down.  In fact, I read it straight through without eating or leaving the spot I was curled up in at all.

Olive is just so genuine and kind to others.  While she may have felt alone at times in her life, she has a couple amazing friends now.  She is also working on a scientific project which is meaningful to her. I'm a huge math & science fan so that was fun.  I could relate to her focus on her project work.  She mostly avoids a personal life other than her two close friends. She's busy and happy.

But then she wants her friend to be happy and is afraid she won't date a guy because she went out with him and that's how she ends up in a fake relationship with Adam, a top professor in her department at university. He's such a grumpy curmudgeon but his banter with Olive is precious.  This is what Olive had to say about their arrangement on the fake dating, when Adam decided to share why he was willing.

<blockquote>" I think we can both agree that <em>nothing</em> that has happened in this room should ever leave it."</blockquote>

Everyone else is afraid of him or hates him for being such a stickler on their graduate work. He is not her advisor, so it's not against the rules for them to date. And he is so kind to her! She is sassy with him, teasing him. I think he enjoys that because no one else would dare, except maybe another professor, Holden, who is his friend.

<blockquote>"I'd like to eventually graduate, ideally without sobbing in a bathroom after each committee meeting."</blockquote>

Olive gets some exciting professional developments, but it will mean public speaking and public relations sorts of things, which makes her nervous and uncomfortable.  Adam is more than happy to help her by reviewing her presentation, but she's uncertain.

<blockquote>"How likely is it that your feedback will cause me to cry under the shower?"

"That depends on the quality of your slides."

She smiled. "Don't feel like you have to hold back."</blockquote>

The development of their relationship is just so heartwarming. I enjoyed the little hypotheses at the beginning of the chapters - so fun!  It isn't easy for two people more absorbed in their work and with very little dating experience.  But somehow, they manage, and they both excel at the "grand gestures"  which made me so happy at how they supported each other and cared about the other person, almost more than themselves.  I just loved this so, so much!

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Happy pub day to The Love Hypothesis and thanks so much to Berkley for this free early copy! There is A LOT of hype for this book and it lived up to every single word of it! I truly intended to take notes while reading so I could put together a cohesive review, but I couldn’t stop reading long enough to do that. It’s that good.

TLH has a lot of my favorite things

- the grumpy one and the sunshine one
- fake dating
- strangers to lovers
- hero is secretly in love with and pining after heroine
- exceptional banter
- academia setting with STEM heroine

I knew from the opening scene that finds Olive blindly feeling her way around a bathroom due to her expired contact lenses that I was going to absolutely love this one. Anyone who has ever worn contacts on a budget knows how to make a pair stretch. Fast forward to Olive 3 years into her PhD candidacy and trying to convince her best friend that she’s moved on from the last guy she dated. After lying about being on a date, she panic kisses the first guy she sees in the hall, a guy who happens to be a well hated professor at her school.

Y’ALL, MY EMOTIONS! THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC! It’s swoony and funny, the steam is A+. and there are a truly astounding number of pumpkin spice lattes.I highly recommend you go pick up a copy today!

Sometimes, you just happen to read a book that turns you absolutely feral because of how good it is. [See below for an accurate graphical representation of me and my feels while reading this book.] The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is that release for me this year. Every year, there's one book that I predict to be my personal best debut novel of the year - my instincts are hardly ever wrong - and this year, I had my eyes on The Love Hypothesis. When the lovely folks at Berkley Romance sent me a pretty copy, I ditched everything and bathed in the beauty of this book. Y'all, Olive and Adam's story is one of the best romance books I have ever read. PERIOD. Like it's so good, I don't even know how to make sense in this review, but I have to try.

What appealed to me the most about this book was the academic setting featuring two characters in S.T.E.M. Listen, as a S.T.E.M person myself, I think we deserve to see S.T.E.M nerds struggling with their lives (as we all do) and falling in love. Bonus, we deserve to see SEXY S.T.E.M nerds. Ali Hazelwood delivered exactly the wholesome, sexy, and tropey deliciousness that I wanted out of The Love Hypothesis.

Olive, My Nerdy Lil Queen
So Olive is a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate working in pancreatic cancer research. After losing her mom to pancreatic cancer, she's made her career ambitions all about trying to cure cancer. She's one smart cookie when it comes to academics, but she's also an anxious baby. If you've gone through the experience of graduate school, you'll find Olive very very relatable. Ali Hazelwood captures so much of the trials and tribulations of being a Ph.D. student brilliantly through her character: Olive's impostor syndrome, her struggle with finding her place in academia, her panic when it came to giving public presentations all rang true to me. I probably am not as smart and hardworking as Olive, but there were times when I felt like I was reading my own self-deprecating thoughts in Olive's. She got me, you know?

Anyways, this awkward bean gets herself into a situation when she panics and "accidentally" kisses the notorious asshole of the biology department, Dr. Adam Carlsen. She does this to try and convince her friend Ahn that she's moved on from her ex-fling and that it's okay for Ahn to date him. This should already tell you all you need to know about the kind of person Olive is. She's chaotic, sure, but she's also an incredibly thoughtful friend and I think we all need an Olive in our life.

Adam, Secret President of Olive's Fanclub
Of course, Olive is flustered and completely embarrassed by the whole thing in front of Adam, but somehow, he agrees to a fake relationship with her. I mean, there's a very obvious reason why he agrees to it: the man has secretly been in love with her ever since he first met her. Adam is one of the grumpiest of grumps I've met and what a delight! He has a reputation of being a hardass on campus and for making students weep, but there's a reason why he is the way he is. As we get to know him better, it's obvious that he cares for his student, but his methods are perhaps a little unorthodox. Man, I loved Adam. I could climb him like a tree. You get to see his tender side around Olive which was adorable. He would literally do anything for this woman, even if it meant embarassing himself in front of everyone. He only has eyes for her and occasionally unleashes a smile in her presence and it's the cutest fucking thing. I am also trash for a hero who is extra gruff on the outside but is a surprisingly filthy hoe in the sheets. And let me tell you, Mr. Adam Carlsen brings ALL THE HEAT to the sheets - Olive was a lucky gal. The man got me me wanting to beg like Oliver Twist FOR WHAT REASON???

All the Tension-filled Moments
I've said this before but for a romance to stand out, it needs to have well-written tension between the couple. It's hard to believe that this is just Ali Hazelwood's debut because she's basically mastered the art of writing romantic tension. Olive and Adam's chemistry simmers hot all throughout this book. It's obvious the author is a big romance fan because there are so many incredible high-intensity romantic scenes throughout the book. I was particularly fond of a certain sexy sunscreen application (HAWT) and the ONLY! ONE! BED! trope.

The Love Hypothesis basically had everything I LOVE in a good grumpy/sunshine romance and a fake-dating romance. I haven't even mentioned all the banter which had me giggling like a schoolgirl. Man, I was obsessed with these two and I couldn't get enough of them. In fact, I may or may not have emailed Ali asking her for deleted scenes of these two because I needed more Olive + Adam content! Plus, I think she has the most crackworthy and sparkly voice so I needed more of her words in my life.

The Curse Of Academia
As a side-note, I did see a recent thread from a reader upset about not being warned about the sexual harassment plot in this book, so I thought I'd mention it in this review for the safety of any new readers. Sexism and harassment are rampant in academia and Hazelwood doesn't shy away from highlighting that ugliness here. For a lot of women in higher ed, especially ones dominated by men in powers of position, what Olive faces in the book is tragically not uncommon. Things resolve on a far better note for Olive than it often does in real life. Let me tell you though, it was satisfying watching a creepy and abusive man like the culprit in this book go down. I would have liked to deck him myself.

Is It Dramatic to SAY I'll DiE Waiting for more books by Ali?
Anyways, friends, I hope I've managed to convince you to give this book a read. I know it's hyped but it's honestly worth all the hype, in my opinion. I'll find myself randomly thinking about Olive and Adam when I'm sad and what a way to revive my mood because grumpy-sunshine supremacy! I'm probably going to waste away waiting for Ali Hazelwood's next book, but in the meantime, you bet I'll be rereading all my favorite scenes from The Love Hypothesis over and over again.

Content notes: sexual harrassment, on-page sex, death of a parent from pancreatic cancer

Relationship disclosure: Ali Hazelwood and I are mutuals on social media

Sometimes the fake dating trope stresses me out, because I'm always afraid the secret will get out. However, I think Hazelwood handled this trope (and others - grumpy/sunshine, workplace) with maturity and grace.

I loved the representation of women in STEM, the grumpy love interest who turns out to be a standup human, and the vulnerability between our two MCs. This vulnerability helps readers fall in love with both Olive and Adam, wanting to cheer them on to their HEA. The banter between these two is exquisite and I couldn’t help but smile as they fell in love.

I think this book would have benefited from a dual POV, but then again, I think that about every romance book! Other than that, this book was utter perfection.

I highly recommend to fans of The Ex Talk, The Unhoneymooners, and The Soulmate Equation!