This book is every single thing I want from a contemporary romance. I fell in love with Olive and Adam from the jump, and every single page was a joy to read.

Olive was such a strong, independent, intelligent MC and she was relatable and hilarious to boot. Adam was a bit ole softie who needed the right woman to bring him out of his shell, and Olive was perfect for him.

Their banter was dry and witty - just how I like it - but their moments were filled with equal amounts of swoon and butterflies. I’m absolutely obsessed.

The misunderstanding-based conflict threatened to take away from the 5 stars, but the resolution made it all worth it. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Holy cuteness, Batman! Olive and Dr. Carlsen, ahem I mean Adam, were so friggin' adorable I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. Their banter was amazing and I loved seeing how Olive opened up around him and called him out for being grumpy and unapproachable. Olive made this book so fun and I adored her crazy, all-over-the-place, type of chatter. And Adam had a mysterious vibe about him that made me want to get to know him so much that I couldn't put the book down just dying to find out more.

The fake-dating trope is one that can easily become so cliche that it makes you roll your eyes. But for me this book didn't feel that way at all. It had moments that felt like a fresh spin on the trope and I actually loved that Olive sometimes even referenced some of those cliche type of scenes that would usually happen in books in this genre. It reminded me of how the movie Scream (One of my favorite movies) is a slasher film that has moments that make fun of other slasher films.

I do have to say that at times it was a little much and over the top with just how quirky she was, especially compared to the mostly broody and silent Adam. And they had some of those moments that I hate in romance novels where it's a little ridiculous just how simple things could have turned out if the two main characters just talked to each other about things instead of trying to solve them themselves.

But even though I did have moments that I could complain about I stand firm with my five star rating. I honestly debated it for a bit and if you know me or my reviews then you know that it is very rare that I give a book five stars. But this book deserves that rating from me. The reading experience, for me, is 100% worth it. I was smiling so hard at the banter between Olive and Adam that I felt like I was some 12 year old fangirling over some popstar. And when I finished I was on my friends voicemessages gushing over how cute this book was. Which again, is not normal for me.

When I first read the blurb for this book, I was charmed. I love STEM FMCs, I love competency porn, I love cranky, but brilliant MMCs being brought to their knees by love. I somehow missed the memo that this was a book that originated as Reylo fanfic (yes, missed that cover also - what can I say, sometimes, I’m real oblivious) and let me just say, I do not ship those 2 characters. Come at me all you want, I DO NOT CARE.

However, when I started reading the book, I liked it. Despite Olive’s tendency to pile on lies on top of lies, thus entrenching her in a predicament that got literally worse by the minute, I liked both the MCs, the setting, the side characters.

And then came reveal #1: Olive’s mother dies of pancreatic cancer when Olive is very young, she’s in foster care briefly until she’s 16 at which point she’s emancipated. The blurb makes no mention of parental illness, parental death, cancer, etc. And yes, this all happens in the past, off page, but the resulting emotional trauma from this is very much felt on the page so one cannot argue that this is not relevant information to include in the blurb. As a result of this loss, Olive is lonely and believes herself to be incapable of love. She believes everyone who she loves will be destined to leave her. As a result, she’s never had a serious relationship.

She also, though the book doesn’t explicitly state it, has the markers of being a demisexual. For a long time, she never felt sexual attraction for anyone and wondered if she was asexual. Upon meeting the MMC, she realizes she needs to trust the person and feel an emotional connection with them to have sexual attraction. I’m not sure why the word itself was never used in the book, but the way her sexual attraction to Adam is described, that is my interpretation.

She is a Ph.D candidate in the same lab where Adam Carlsen is a young, attractive professor. He’s moody and ill-mannered and makes his students cry and when circumstances force Olive to come up with a date in order to make her best friend believe she’s no longer pining for her ex, it’s Adam who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

While I love a fake romance trope, I will say one of the things that really put me off this story initially was Olive’s tendency to lie, to her friends, to her lab mates, and then, even to Adam. At some point, it all became too much and I started having issues with Olive and wondering why I should root for a character who just lies to everyone.

But, lets set that aside. Olive is a biology PH.D student looking for a lab to run her experiment and enter, Tom Benton, the villain. Tom is an old friend of Adam’s, they did their PH.Ds together at Harvard and now are collaborating on other sciency things. Olive, before even meeting Adam, sets up a meeting with Tom, asking to work with him at Harvard. Tom comes to town to meet with Adam and offers to meet with Olive as well and things go well and Olive has an offer from Tom.

Cut to the end of the book when all parties are in Boston for a work conference where Olive is presenting on the same panel as Tom.

And here we have, at about the 70% point, on page sexual assault by Tom of Olive. I….do not understand why this was here or necessary or why it was written the way it is. Tom is written almost as a cartoon villain - you can spot him a mile away. The scene is so horrific but also OTT, and I guess I don’t know what it really added to the story except for some truly unnecessary drama. (Let me be clear, Tom doesn’t rape Olive, he basically makes unwanted advances and then says some really vile things to her). Add to that the reaction that follows: Olive is essentially threatened by Tom to keep quiet because no one will believe her. That part is actually very believable. She goes back to the hotel room she’s sharing with Adam, proceeds to have an emotional break down and when Adam finds her, she vaguely tells him what was said but not by whom, not wanting to reveal that his friend is an asshole. And then, they have sex for the first and only time in the book and I’m not going to sit here in judgment of how people react to trauma and grief but I just found that entire scene very off-putting.

Ultimately things come to a head and Tom is found out because Olive recorded her talk and forgot to stop recording so essentially everything Tom did and said was caught on camera. However, it takes Olive’s friends and one of Adam’s other friend (also a professor) to convince her to come forward with the truth and I have to say, that was my least favorite part of the book. I would have loved to have seen Olive with more power and agency, saying, yes, I have proof, and just do this without her friends essentially browbeating her to do it. And I can understand that experience that trauma would have made her freeze, made unable to act and take action.

But then, the problem is, right after the truth is revealed and Adam goes all caveman on Tom, the book basically cuts to…a double date with Adam and Olive and their respective best friends who are also now dating. And the four of them sit at a Chinese restaurant joking and having fun and completely ignoring this HUGE THING that Olive just went through that resulted in Tom being fired and I don’t understand. Like, I literally do not understand why this was written this way. You want to add heavy themes to a book that’s marketed as a rom com, then you cannot just have this incredibly painful moment for the protagonist without any emotional follow up and then cut to a cutesy double date with joking and teasing and flirting. It. Doesn’t. Work.

Finally, (I KNOW, this review is long, I’m SORRY, I just have a lot of THOUGHTS ok?!?) at the end, when Olive is making her grand declaration to Adam, she says that she doesn’t know why she covers herself up with so many lies but she needs to figure that out. And then they basically have their HEA. Ok, first of all, Olive has issues, no one is disputing that. Losing her mother so young and basically being on her own since she was 16 has to take its toll on a person. I just feel like there’s one sentence of Olive being self-aware and then just moving on. And frankly it feels like such a disservice. Olive should maybe take a beat and get some therapy before embarking on what’s really the first serious relationship of her entire life.

I’m also going to add a note for the publisher: please stop marketing books as light, fluffy rom-coms and not mentioning the heavy themes in the book. This book contains parental death from cancer and on page sexual assault, neither of which is mentioned in the blurb. Apparently, the author has a posted CWs on her website which I do appreciate but let me be honest, no one is going to go looking on an author’s website for CWs, especially a debut author. At the very least, if you don’t want to spell it out in the blurb, put a note on the first page directing readers to the author’s website for CWs. Do SOMETHING. You’re not doing ANYTHING and people could go into this book, completely oblivious to the heavy themes, and be triggered and that’s NOT OK.

Anyway, this book had problems, I know a lot of people liked or even loved it. I obviously didn’t.

ARC courtesy of publisher, opinions are all mine.

HONESTLY, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK MY WHOLE LIFE !!!
OMG ! Everything about this book is PERFECT ! Literally , PERFECTION !
I loved all of it ( The main and side characters , Plot , Tropes ,love story , chemistry , Setting , Words , Writing style ) EVERYTHING .
Before I dive deep into my review, I have 4 words for you, my dear reader :
GO.READ. THIS.NOVEL
I'm sure you will find it captivating , entertaining , funny , emotional , smart , sexy and super romantic .

" You can fall in love ; someone will catch you "
I've already read the blurb months ago and honestly , I was SO EXCITED to read this story . When I received the ARC two days ago , I was over the moon . Started reading the book directly and didn't leave my kindle until I finished the WHOLE book , I just physically and emotionally couldn't leave the characters even to eat . LOL .
I've been always a fast reader, but this time , I surpassed myself with how fast I devoured this novel.

If you are a lover of " Fake relationship " Trope , then this story will be perfect for you .
Especially with Hazelwood's writing style , humour and witty dialogues . Her words made the reading experience 100% better .
With her knowledge and experiences in the Academia field , she added a degree of realistic element to the story. For me , I enjoyed that element the most ( particularly because of my involvement in the field of research - specifically medical research- , I was able to get the inside jocks and every scientific reference , which was GLORIOUS . I've never felt represented in a romance novel I read before as much as I felt in this BRILLIANT novel ) .

I won't say much about the main couple , as everything about them and their story was perfect .
I loved their personalities , backstories , connection , chemistry , emotional development , witty and smart discussions .
Their love story was the ideal combination between tenderness , hotness ( You just wait until you read chapter 16 😉😛🤐 ) academia and science .
The side characters added an amazing dimension and entertaining element to the book . I LOVED each one of them .

Furthermore, I really wished there was MORE TO READ .
I'm definitely going to check out every future release by Ali Hazelwood . She is my NEW FAVOURITE Romance Author

Highly . Highly recommend this book for every romance lovers .
If you are a fan of the ( Hating Game ) and ( The Spanish love deception ), you can NOT miss this one , You will get the same vibes and MORE.

Huge thanks to Penguin Random House international for providing me with an E-ARC through Net galley . @PRHGlobal #partner

Olive wants her best friend to start dating her ex. Yea, I know it sounds weird, but Jeremy never meant much to her, and its obvious he and Anh really hit it off. All she has to do is convince Anh she is dating someone, so when she sees her in the hall, she kisses the first guy she sees. Unfortunately, it’s not only a professor, but the professor known for being a huge ass. To her surprise, Adam agrees to fake date her for a month…

Gah I loved everything about Olive and Adam! I love how adorably nerdy they both were, and I can’t get enough of a good fake dating trope! I read this one the last day my pool was open and flew through the entire thing soaking up the last days of summer! Adam was so grumpy, and Olive was just such a delete, I adored how they balanced each other out throughout the book! This is one you don’t want to miss!

This is now one of my absolute favourite romcoms of all time! Ali Hazelwood crafted a brilliant fake dating trope story that knows exactly what it is and still feels extremely fresh. Olive and Adam are realistic and sweet while also sunshine/grumpy. Both MCs and sub characters are well rounded with future goals! Anh just killed me with pushing Olive into these situations. Cough, sunscreen, cough. I loved the academic science setting and the banter as well.
⁠
I was literally up until 2am finishing this book and was not disappointed. The steam is built up over time though the sexual tension just oozes off the page as Olive navigates her feelings and friendships. I will be purchasing my own copy ASAP and I cannot wait to read more from Ali Hazelwood!

Olive and Adam have fantastic chemistry and banter. Loved the sexual tension and build up, which in turn makes the relationship seems very authentic.

Great to see representation of women in stem and the struggles they face to compete in a male dominated field and also how isolated you can feel in academia.

I’d love to read more by this author. Well done.

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Ok this book was so so freaking cute and absolutely adorable and so relatable!
Women in STEM
Big Broody Love interest
Fake dating!!!
Mutual pining
And so much more!

This was such a fun read and got me hooked in from the first chapter!
Olive is so fun and a fumbling and determined mess I love her. She was determined to make people feel happy and comfortable that she’d put herself through anything for them. At times unsure of herself she finds she isn’t alone. And she is more than enough.
Adam! I freaking love him!! His demeanor his little smirk. Those dimples. His size 😍. The way he just lets Olive be and opens her eyes to the wonder she is.
My one minor thing about this book is that o didn’t get a dual POV to see into Adam’s head because that would’ve blown my mind and melted me like a popsicle on Fourth of July. 😩
Besides that I loved it. So fun and easy. Will definitely be rereading consistently.


Thank you! Thank you! NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so, so great. Told in an academic setting, grad student Olive gets herself into quite the situation: fake dating Dr. Adam fucking Carlsen. How scandalous! Dr. Carlsen is antagonistic and unapproachable… or so it seems. Will Olive seriously begin to develop feelings for this asshole?

Ali Hazelwood’s debut includes #MeToo themes, passages regarding asexuality, and A LOT of steam. I highly recommend this for fans of Lyssa Kay Adams. You truly will not be disappointed. Needless to say, I’m shipping Olive and Adam all the way! I’ll definitely be reading Hazelwood’s future works.

If you’re interested in learning more about Title IX and sexual assault crimes on college campuses, check out The Hunting Ground (currently streaming on HBO Max).

Absolutely loved everything about this book. I was captivated from page 1. The writing in this book was phenomenal in my opinion. It was witty, funny, sexy and made my heart flutter. I laughed so much reading the banter between Olive and Adam. Adam is the perfect broody and mysterious love interest with a heart of gold. This is a fake dating trope that also involves sharing one bed .. hello?! can it get any more perfect?

I loved the women in STEM representation and the ACE rep in this book.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you love science along with romance and a book with just the right amount of spice, you'll want to check out this book next week when it releases on September 14th!

Review:

When I tell you all that Berkley never lets me down! I chose this book based off of the description and the cute cover, but what I did not anticipate was how much I would absolutely love it! As a science teacher and a rom-com lover, this book was right up my alley! It has the perfect amount of banter and humor, but also has a way to pull at your heartstrings with every time you turn the page. You'll fall in love with the characters and appreciate that Olive and Adam aren't your typically your rom-com couple that you tend to run into in every book.

This book was everything I love about a romance and kept me begging for more the deeper I got into it! I found that it was different from many of the other books that I have read lately, I love that it had a very engaging plot that was not predictable, and that the two main characters were so lovable from the very start. From beginning to end, this book was fantastic and I loved every page. I cannot wait to see what else this author has in store for us and must say that this was a brilliant debut novel.

The Love Hypothesis was everything I wanted in a romance and I can’t wait to reread Olive and Adam’s story.

Olive was a PhD student struggling to find a home for her research while also convincing her best friend to date her ex. To further assure her friend Anh to date her ex, Olive started a fake-dating ruse with faculty member and every student’s nightmare, Dr. Adam Carlsen. Adam was more than happy to take part in the fake-dating lie because it would help convince the school that he wasn’t preparing to take his research to another university. The lie led to companionship and eventual messy attraction as they both struggled to believe it was all a lie.

The Love Hypothesis was the perfect novel to lose yourself in; Hazelwood hit all the right notes of fake dating with a secondary cast to characters to make the world whole. Olive and Adam’s relationship will delight romance fans as it incorporated multiple tropes, especially grumpy Dr. Adam Carlsen who was protective of Olive. With well-placed humor, heart, and a in-depth look at the racism and sexism in academia, Hazelwood’s debut is downright dazzling.

Callie Dalton was a new-to-me narrator but it was clear that she was a romance pro. Her portrayal of male characters was believable and she had slightly different deliveries to tell each character apart. I enjoyed every moment of this audiobook and was pleased with Dalton’s delivery of the humor.

Can I give this more than five stars? I smiled from ear to ear reading this book. Plenty of lols too. Working in academia I understood a lot of their frustrations and I loved how the departments were described. Olive and Adam were an unlikely pairing but I loved the slow burn , the banter, the slight smiles SWOON. It was such a fun read from start to finish and one of the best books I’ve read all

I’m a sucker for these cute romance stories and this one just happened to fit my particular tastes! The cover is adorable and from an artist I love and the story hits all the beats with humor and heartache and a bit of spice.

If you’re a fan of the fake dating trope or just want a cute romance to read, definitely pick this up!

I want to say this is a case of “It’s not the book, it’s me.” But then again, isn’t that the case for every book we end up disliking that everyone else enjoyed?

The Love Hypothesis sounded promising. A PhD student wants to prove to her best friend that she has moved on and is dating. With no way to prove it, she kisses the first man she sees, which ends up being none other than Dr. Carlsen, known as one of the most unapproachable and critical professors. With his own reasoning, he agrees to become Olive’s fake boyfriend. But what starts as a fake relationship and fake feelings later turns into what Olive wishes were real instead.

Professor x student relationships are some of my favorites to read about, especially the younger college student with the academic professor. However, this one still caught my attention, especially considering Adam is moody, sullen, and grumpy, aka my favorite. Olive is also a woman in STEM, and it’s something many young women can relate to. I loved this representation personally, and her experience as a scholar conducting research felt realistic, especially considering she’s not American (she’s Canadian), she’s not male, and she’s pretty young (26). Most of these end up being boundaries for young folk pursuing PhD careers in America, and it’s impressive to see representation like this. This was probably my favorite part of the book because Olive tells us how it’s been difficult for her to participate in a rigorous program like this, from being denied opportunities, not being believed in, to being seen as inferior, all because she’s a young woman in a predominantly male-dominated curriculum. While I’m not a STEM student, I even see it myself in the political field I study in.Men teach most classes, most advisors and major professors are also male, most students in classes end up being men, and everything else is usually male-dominated.

Also, it’s not exactly stated, but Olive may or may not be in the asexual spectrum. It’s briefly mentioned in the beginning, and even the term is used. This is obviously something I wish was expanded more on. However, I still liked the explanation of it and appreciation the mention of it.

Adding on to that, Adam being the broody professor that most people are scared about, try to avoid, and are scared to approach, checks off the boxes of the fictional men I personally love reading about. Young, tall, broad, has dark hair, grouchy, scares off everyone, has a resting-bitch face, doesn’t care about the student’s feelings, and somehow only has a soft spot towards the woman he has been pining over for about 2 years. Yup, it marks it all.

However, aside from that . . . there’s not much else I enjoyed.

One part of the problem is Adam himself (I know I said I like characters like him), but I have my reasons. Adam felt, respectfully put, very, very bland. It was difficult to understand his personality and the type of person he was other than moody and sullen because it’s something we are constantly and repeatedly told, especially Olive. You could say he needed much more seasoning.

Not only that, but by visualizing what I read, I couldn’t picture Olive for the life of me. All I remember from her is that she is a PhD student in the Biology Department at Stanford University, is Canadian, 5”8, and I guess she has brown hair based on the cover. And . . . yeah, that’s it. Visually, I could envision Adam more than Olive, yet we spend the entire book in Olive’s mind (since it’s told from her point of view). This all ties back to the writing and how difficult it was to enjoy the book more because of how little description was given to the characters. Adam, for instance, wasn’t one-dimensional, but it also felt like he needed more personality. I understand him being sullen and broody is part of it (which, as I’ve said before, is perfectly fine with me and understandable), but I feel like it has to do less with that and more with just the mere fact that Adam is just . . . Adam. A young, hot-shot professor who hardly ever smiled and went through tough situations as a PhD student himself. It feels like it could be enough, yet it wasn’t.

Speaking of, Olive’s personality also felt a little childish sometimes. The situation that led to Olive kissing Adam (without knowing, of course) is completely unrealistic, so it’s one you need to put your logic to the side for. While the premise was interesting to me, it also made no sense to me how a PhD student, one who is researching pancreatic cancer in one of the best Biology departments of the United States, would kiss a random man she saw in the hallway because she wants to prove to her best friend that she truly is over the boy her best friend wants to date. Because . . . yeah, that’s the actual situation. Olive’s best friend, Ahn, wants to date Jeremy, Olive’s ex. Olive is over him and wants nothing to do with him, but Ahn thinks it’s breaking the girl code by dating Jeremy, even though Olive knows Ahn really likes Jeremy. So to prove that she’s over him and is dating someone else, she kisses Adam when she sees the opportunity that Ahn can see them.

Pretty unrealistic scenario for a PhD student, if you ask me.

Part of these quibbles made the romance more unrealistic and less believable. I had everything I love: professor x student, grumpy x sunshine, and fake dating. But all good things must come to an end. Because of the inability to imagine Olive, not appreciate an unseasoned broody man, and express concern over a PhD student's attitude at certain times, the romance also failed. There were definitely some of the good moments I love in a romance: the first real kiss, feeling the comfort of the other’s touch, realizing you’re whipped for someone you thought you would only see for 10 minutes, but the chemistry felt off. In a sense, it’s slow-burn. It takes a while for the two to kiss with real feelings inside the two, and while I love a slow-burn, I am still always about that emotional connection, and Olive and Adam felt like they didn’t have it. I firmly believe part of it has to do with the fake dating itself. Some of their moments felt awkward and even forced sometimes that I wondered how the two would develop. They were also in moments where they had been “dating” for a while now, in a way the two would really know what to expect, yet they still fumbled like two teenagers experiencing love for the first time. In a way, they were, but I didn’t like how it played out for a PhD student and professor with a PhD. It just made it too unrealistic. There weren’t enough moments between them that made me root for them as a real couple and hope for the best. I even feel as if they weren't friends just because everything they were doing together was part of their whole "We're dating, so we need people to see us" scheme. Their moments felt completely forced, and not even because they’re fake dating. They just truly felt boring.

While I had no problem with the writing style itself, I expected to be told more about Olive and Adam. I couldn’t understand how or why Adam liked Olivia. Other than her being nice and intelligent, there wasn’t anything else to understand.

Olive first had a crush on Adam, which was understandable, but based on her inner monologue, that crush quickly turned into “I love him” mode, which I was unable to understand where it came from. Most of the moments Adam and Olive have are part of their fake dating scheme (they want Ahn, other students, and faculty to see them for reasons. Don’t ask). While they talk professionally and personally, it made her crush on Adam realistic and understandable (a crush is easily made, anyway), but the whole love thing felt like it came out of the blue.

And the sex? We don't talk about it.

Again, I want to say this is a me thing, but I truly don’t know. If you know me well, you know it’s easy for me to enjoy a romance even if half of my friends didn’t like it. Give me good characters and good dialogue, and realistic emotional connections, and I’ll be good to go. But give me awkward moments between a couple that tries to date and confused love confessions in their mind, and I’ll be confused as well.

I wish I could say I laughed at the humor, but I truly didn’t laugh at almost anything. The side characters also felt a little too immature for me sometimes, especially Ahn. She forced Olive to interact with Adam, like the sunscreen situation, the car situation, and the lap situation. Some of the situations (like miscommunication) felt understandable because of the plot and the scenarios both Olive and Adam were in, especially considering how the fake dating happened in the first place and what the “rules” were. Other than that though, there wasn't enough for me to like.

Overall, The Love Hypothesis had minimal appreciation from me. It being something that may feel too good to be true, it left me confused. I hoped to see some of the relationship development grow on me, but it just felt tedious. I hardly found myself smiling and laughing (like an idiot), which I usually do with books like these, but this one only felt dull. So if you’re still interested in reading this, please ignore me and my emotionless heart right now and give it a chance. You might end up finding a new favorite if you think about it. If not, then you can join me, and we can question our feelings together.

OK this book is super cute! I was hooked from the beginning and I really loved all of the characters. Ali Hazelwood's writing really helped me connect to the characters and feel for them. There were multiple times where I was tearing up slightly or laughing out loud.

The Love Hypothesis follows Olive Smith. She is a Ph.D candidate that is working toward helping catch the early stages of cancer. The book starts out where she is talking to another candidate and wondering if she should continue to work toward getting a Ph.D and they talk it out and she is then convinced that she should continue working to solve for this. Olive came off to me as someone who nervous, awkward but has the capabilities to rule the science world. I loved that about her.

The first chapter starts out with Olive kissing someone. But not just anyone... Dr. Adam Carlsen. The meanest most brutal professor toward all of the students. She was trying to prove to her best friend, Anh, that she was over the guy she dated for a bit because Anh was showing that she was interested in him but wouldn't date him due to the girl code.

<spoiler>
This puts Olive in a weird spot because Anh spreads the rumor that her and Dr. Carlsen are dating. This causes them do decide to fake date for a few months to get Anh to belive that she is over Jeremy but also so Dr. Carlsen can prove to the board that he deserves to have his funds released since he is not a flight risk for the program.

Over time, Adam and Olive become closer and get to know each other. I could tell that Adam liked her due to how he was reacting to her or quickly responding to doing the silly things she wants to do. I really liked Adam and all of his snappy comebacks. Constantly calling her a "smart-ass". Be still my heart. I love playful banter. Also, love two nerds falling in love. </spoiler>

Overall, this book was super cute, a fast read and I really enjoyed the characters. I cannot wait to read another one of Ali Hazelwood's books. I cannot believe she is a debut author! She is something special. I definitely recommend my romance lovers to pick up this book!

There is so much to like about this one. Women in STEM and the challenges of academia, plus a great fake-relationship romance (made all the more amusing by Olive being fully aware of the trope). This was nerdy and charming and fun, and readers won't have to be passionate about science to enjoy Olive, Adam, and their friends.

If I hadn’t been told going in that this book had started as fanfiction, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve believed it having read it. It’s excellently crafted, the characters feel unique and well fleshed-out, and classic tropes are either turned on their heads in a frequently meta fashion or are used in new, fresh ways.

Not only does the book excel as a rom com and execute a fake dating scenario to its fullest potential, but it also explores the darker side of academia and the obstacles women face in STEM, which surprised me in the best way. Heavy topics are deftly worked into the overarching romantic plot line, bolstering Adam and Olive’s emotional journey rather than detracting from it.

I finished The Love Hypothesis in one night because I just couldn’t put it down, and it immediately became a new favorite of mine. It’s funny, sexy, and balances romance, emotional turmoil, and scientific references perfectly, and I am already itching to re-read it!

Ali Hazelwood's debut is a HIT! Olive Smith is a biology grad student who, after lying to her best friend Ahn about being on a date and being caught not on a date, finds herself kissing Dr. Adam Carlsen, professor and known jerk of the department. So, naturally, they have to start fake dating to keep up the charade to Ahn! This book has it all. On top of the fake dating trope, we've got valuable discussions of asexuality, a loveable cast of characters, grump/sunshine, a focus on the realities of STEM, "there was only one bed," and MORE! There's really something for everyone in this story, and it's one I couldn't put down! This is a must-read romance of 2021!

I loved this! I work in academia/higher ed but if my memory is serving me correctly, I think this might be the first romance I've read that was set in an academic department at a university. I loved Olive as a main character, she was quirky and earnest in a way that felt believable. So the premise is that, years ago, Olive came to Stanford to interview for grad school and was helped by someone she thought was another grad student when she had an episode with expired contacts screwing up her vision and needed to find a restroom. She couldn't see him, so she didn't know who he was. Four years later, Olive is a third year PhD candidate in bio and, in an awkward attempt to convince her best friend that she doesn't care that said best friend is now dating a guy that Olive herself was dating but wasn't really into, she claims to be going out on a date when she's actually working in her lab. Her friend happens to see her, so Olive decides to kiss a guy near her in the hallway as a cover. He turns out to be Dr. Adam Carlsen, a young, attractive, and widely feared/hated professor in the department. She apologizes, but they ultimately strike a deal on a pretend dating scheme. Olive wants her friend to be able to date the guy she likes without guilt, and Adam wants to convince the department that he's sticking around because they've frozen some of his grant money. Of course, fake dating becomes real attraction and real feelings, all of which come to a head at a conference they both attend. Olive, who needs to be in a better lab to conduct the research she really wants to do on pancreatic cancer (which is the disease that killer her mom), ends up securing a year's funding to go to Harvard and work in the lab of a researcher/prof who turns out to be Adam's friend. There's a whole intense storyline there that references the huge issue of sexual harassments in academia, so content warning there. Overall, I just loved their adorable relationship and the higher ed setting so much.