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.
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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.

4.5 STARS

Olive Smith has devoted everything to attaining a biology Ph.D at Stanford not for the academic glory, such as it is or is not, but because of a life alternating event that she wants to find a method for early diagnosis. Olive has a hard time living in the cut throat world of those striving to attain the golden ticket. Olive has two friends who are very important to her and when one of them, Anh, needs a boost to date Olive’s former boyfriend, Olive takes one for the team and ambush kisses none other than wunderkind Dr. Adam Carlsen, a man whom many students fear and even hate.

Olive can’t believe she put her academic career on the line with that crazy outburst. She is even more surprised when Adam agrees to go along with the subterfuge to be her fake boyfriend. Olive is amazed at how her lowly 3rd year grad student cred takes a big leap when the gossip machine hits campus. She finds much of the attention cringeworthy but is determined to keep up the ploy. It is no big surprise when late along in this very slow burn romance, fiction becomes more like fact.

Adam Carlsen is something of a dark, broody enigma to Olive and his students as well. He seems oddly taken with Olive’s quirky sense of humor, non-sequiturs, and abysmal taste in nauseating, at least to him, Starbucks faux coffee drinks. Adam has time and energy only for his work, but as Olive begins to get hints that there is more to him that all work and no play, she sees in him emotions that no one else has because of his prickly exterior. When Olive’s career looks to be in jeopardy, Adam steps up offering a support than amazes Olive especially since she has trouble with honesty around him when it comes to her true feelings. Although their whole relationship is based on a lie, initially, Olive’s continual prevarications about her feelings for Adam drag the story at times.

Anyone familiar with graduates studies will know that grad students are treated like mushrooms: they live in caves and are fed…unpleasant things. Ms. Hazelwood has done a fine job of exemplifying that life in the rarefied air, male dominated world of teaching and research at a well renown school. The combination of women’s fiction, rom-com, and STEM works very well in this engaging, enjoyable, and for the most part, well written book.

Such a charming, sexy, smart book! There's nothing I love more than the "grumpy character is a marshmallow inside for love interest" trope, unless it's the "man Hulks out to defend his love interest" trope. And this STEM heroines trend can continue for as long as it wants as far as I'm concerned.

OHHH MY GOD. This was…. incredible. Grumpy hero. Sunshine heroine. Fake dating after she kisses him to show her best friend she’s moved on from her past relationship. Super nerdy/set in STEM and academia. She’s the only one he’s soft with AND he’s crushed on her for years!!! AHHHH.

If you couldn’t tell, I loved THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS so much! I started it last night and stayed up late reading it. When I woke up I immediately went to finish the rest (but I definitely could’ve finished it in one sitting if I started it earlier in the day, it was that good.) The writing is fresh and fun, the romance is the SWEETEST, and the whole cast of characters is amazing! Olive and Adam are dorky and endearing and I just adored them. And hello Adam was able to move a car with a dead battery all by himself with his bare hands (and muscles)??? I’m going to be thinking about that for…. a while.

This was a fantastic debut and I already can’t wait for more from Ali Hazelwood!