When you combine a strong, independent women who works in STEM, with a broody, Kylo Ren look alike that will have you craving more of their quirky romance...

For those whom have been following my reviews, y'all know that I am always hesitant to start a new author. Especially a debut author whom's writing is something that I have to get acquainted with. However, Ali Hazelwood has out done herself. I should not be surprised since Berkley Romance always has the best releases and they simple just know their audience completely. With that being said, Adam and Olive have taken a toll around my heart and mind to falling in love with them and their "fake" trop romance. Their first interaction is my ideal type of "cute meet" that we all romance lovers will instantly fall for and just obsess with. The rom-com appeal to this novel is also one that will seriously attract you right away.

A quirky independent STEM female student is introduced to a broody academia mentor that has no facial expressions, and is broody and just absolutely addicting to the reader. Their fake relationship starts off as a way of convenience. A convenience for both Olive and Adam. While helping each other out, Olive realizes that her "fake" emotions are not so fake after all. And the risk of Adam finding out is not something she is willing to take. But Olive will never be able to have enough of the way that Adam is. No matter how broody he may be towards everyone, he is not towards Olive;
"Maybe it was the words, or maybe the tone. Maybe it was the way he'd just told her something about himself, or how he'd taken her hand earlier and saved her from her misery. Her knight in black armor..."

With time, and the obstacles that come in the way of Olive's future research towards pancreatic cancer, she knows that it's not an easy route to take. But with the help of Adam and of course, her very well independent smart self and the courage and confidence of striving to get the answers she needs, Olive shows us that being a women in STEM is a beauty to read and know more of. And when Adam finally puts his walls down and expresses his true feelings towards Olive, it's one heck of a story fo just adore and simply fall for.

I am looking forward to see what else Ali has up her sleeves. I can see this turning into a series, I wish it could be for Holden and Malcum because who doesn't like a good MM romance, am I right? But either way, I am beyond excited to see what else Ali has for us romance lovers.

Fantastic fake-dating romance between two brilliant biologists

Olive Smith is a 26-year-old Canadian who is a brilliant, third-year Ph.D. candidate in biology, with a focus on genetics. Adam Carlsen is a 34-year-old, world-renowned biologist who is a tenured professor in the biology department at Olive’s university, Stanford. Olive has seen Adam around the biology department and near the department laboratories plenty of times over the past two-plus years, and she’s heard horror stories from fellow grad students, including her very good friend and roommate Malcolm, about how hard Adam is on any Ph.D. candidate unlucky enough to be assigned to Adam as an advisor. In particular, Adam forced Malcolm to throw out tons of data and redo half his dissertation study a few months ago, and Malcolm totally resents Adam. But Olive herself has never gotten to know Adam personally until the night she panics and kisses the first man she runs into outside the biology labs.

Olive is desperately trying to convince her BFF and fellow biology Ph.D. candidate, Anh, that Olive has no romantic interest in a mutual friend and fellow biology Ph.D. candidate, Jeremy, whom Olive went out with a few times. Anh is crazy about Jeremy, and it is obvious Jeremy returns the sentiment in full. But if Olive doesn’t convince Anh she is dating someone else, due to Anh’s loyalty to the “girl code,” she will refuse to date Jeremy. Which is where The Kiss comes in. Olive has lied and told Anh she is on a date that fateful night, and when Anh is about to catch her in the middle of her lie, hanging out alone in the hallway outside the biology labs rather than out with a guy, Olive rushes up to the first man anywhere around and, without really looking at him—because her anxious focus is on Anh—she simply murmurs in his ear as she flings her arms around him, “Can I please kiss you?” before laying her lips on his.

On the plus side, it turns out to be a wonderful kiss. On the major, minus side, she is shocked to discover that the person she has manhandled is none other than Adam Carlsen. Amazingly, though, instead of acting like the heartless robot she has been led to believe Adam is, he is the opposite of offended at her effrontery—which he has every right to be. He actually volunteers to be Olive’s fake boyfriend in order to help her convince Anh that Olive has no designs on Jeremy. And when Olive says she feels guilty having him do such a big favor for her, he tells her that the department head is sitting on grant funding that Adam needs for a major research project because of a suspicion that Adam will be heading out to greener academic pastures in the near future. Having a seemingly serious girlfriend right here at Stanford will increase Adam’s chances of getting those funds released.

And thus begins the adventure of Olive’s life, fake dating Adam Carlsen. Who just so happens to be handsome, athletic and ripped, on top of all his endless academic honors.

How do I love this book? Let me count the ways:

I love that it involves two STEM geniuses falling in love, one of my all-time favorite type of romance protagonists.
I love that both Olive and Adam are socially maladjusted introverts.
I love that both of them has a BFF who is absolutely wonderful and who strongly contributes to the story.
I love that as a romantic comedy, the humor comes from witty verbal volleys between Olive and Adam rather than pratfalls.
I love that both Olive and Adam are fit and athletic and honestly earn the attractive bodies that are an expected part of every romance novel.
I love that this is a “slow burn” novel with no sex until almost the very end of the book, and that this sex is extremely emotional and caring rather than a crude description of heaving body parts.
I love that the romantic conflict, and conflict in an important subplot, arises out of how honorable and loyal both Olive and Adam are, and never because of thoughtlessness or immaturity.

As is typical for mainstream, adult romance novels, this one is written in close, third-person, past tense. What is not usual is that it is written solely from Olive’s point of view. Normally I dislike when authors make that choice, but in this case, it makes a lot of sense for this particular plot, because a great deal of the romantic tension and forward motion of the plot would be lost if the reader were subject to Adam’s thoughts about Olive. By keeping his thoughts a mystery from the reader as much as from Olive, it causes Adam’s motivation in helping Olive to be very slowly revealed across the whole length of the book and actually adds to the reader’s vicarious identification with Olive’s rocky journey to love.

All in all, this is one of the very best romances, and definitely the very best romantic comedy, that I have read in years. I am sure I will revisit it many times in the future, and I greatly look forward to listening to the audiobook version of this novel when it is released.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Academic Villainy Subplot: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

First book I've read by this author- will be bringing it into the store to hand sell to customers for sure. Delightful rom com that is just what I (and lots of others) have been wanting to read lately. Well written and just fun

The friendships, the romance were all wonderful. I'm so happy that Adam was more than just a cliched alpha grouchy guy. He was actually quite soft inside, if not too pragmatic and gruff. Olive's sweet, nerdy personality and growth were really well done.

I absolutely adored this one. It's the feel-good, filled with heart rom-com I've been looking for.

A fake relationship, calculated actions, and a friendship spun out of a chance accident? Of course I loved this one!

The Love Hypothesis was the read that I stayed up all night to finish, because I couldn't get enough. Olive's story felt familiar to me, and I was invested from page 1. But what I enjoyed more was seeing Adam through Olive's eyes. Tall, dark, and enigmatic? Possibly to Olive, but there's always two sides to a story, aren't there?

This was so cute, and such a great read! Banter, sexual tension, nerdy conversation, and a plot twist at the right moment!

Be prepared for all the feels, because The Love Hypothesis will bring it.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

I cannot believe this is a debut book!!!!

I absolutely loved Olive's journey through her master's degree, her anxiety in her academic career is very similar to my own which made this a self-insert FANTASY. I also loved how the author touched on workplace harassment and the power dynamics between professors and students. More Importantly, how this is a gateway for more rom-com's featuring women in STEM!!! We need that!! However, I felt that this story could have been elevated with a dual POV.

Going in, some aspects of the story were a little off-putting, especially how the fake dating situation was set up, and whenever they had to act that they were a 'couple' in front of their friends. However, as the story progresses, their banter is so natural and cute it had my heart glowing like Jane the virgin (and that one spicy scene was beautifully written!!!!!).

If you enjoyed the Kiss Quotient, love a rom-com, or are currently in academics, I think this story might be up your alley!

I adored Ali Hazelwood's THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS! It was a perfect, swoony romance that kept me hooked to the very last page. This book has so much going for it: fake dating! a grumpy and sunshine pairing! women in STEM representation! I'll basically be yelling about how happy this book made my heart from now until release day and I'm already dying to see what Hazelwood writes next!

This was absolutely delightful! As a woman in STEM, I adored all the inside jokes about academia and grad school -- it felt like this book was written with specifically me in mind. The romance was full of heart (and heat!), and I loved these characters so much. What a fun, heartwarming, delightful novel. I can't wait to read all the books to come by Ali Hazelwood.

I have no idea how to capture, in words, the breathtaking joyous glee that fills me up when I stumble upon book magic.

And, if it’s not obvious (it will be), The Love Hypothesis is 100%, heart-thumping, swoon-inducing, smiles for days, book. Magic. .

Like, this is me – jumping up and down, squealing, and generally acting a fool over this book. This book which I was somewhat reluctant to read because I was unfamiliar with this author and unsure of the premise. This book that then proceeded to knock my socks off in literally the first couple pages. There I sat, already grinning like a maniac, already knowing that I was going to be obsessed with these characters and this magnificent story, and already half in love with this engaging writing, and captivating storytelling.

And it was only page 6.

Holy Moses you guys. This is the good stuff. The best stuff. The shout from the rooftops kind of stuff – like, READ THIS BOOK! It will make you so happy! And it will also give you some anxiety. And maybe you will want to give Olive a good shake a couple times. But that squishy, gooey feeling in your stomach (and guuuhhhh, your heart!) will make everything worth it. Because for real, there are moments that will take your breath away. Moments that will make your heart knock about in your chest like it’s hopelessly, helplessly falling in love right along with Olive and Adam.

Adam, who -- unghhhh. I don’t know how Ali Hazelwood did this. I don’t know how she wrote a hero who doesn’t say much, but says everything at the same time. I don’t know how she made him so dreamy, and nerdy, and grumpy, and sexy, and…like silently brooding and yet still soft and tender and so, so, achingly lovable. It’s witchcraft! The best sort of sorcery.

And Olive – with her tender heart, and her quirks, and her smart humor and indomitable spirit. These two. You guys, I don’t even have words for how much I loved them. How literally obsessed with them I was. How greedily I devoured their story and how my heart lit up over and over again while they completely won it over with their adorableness, their sweetness, and their cluelessness.

I am smitten with this story. I am sad that I can’t read it again for the first time. It was literally everything I love about romance, and my heart is overflowing with happiness and squee and so much love. I loved it. I can’t recommend it highly enough. So, once more for the people in the back: this is me shouting from the rooftops READ THIS BOOK!

First of all, I love how much the other reviewers are loving this book. It's super cute and deserves to find a strong readership. The Love Hypothesis has all the hallmarks of a perfect rom com, from fake dating, to flawed but fun main characters, and strong supporting characters who are peppered throughout just enough to be present, but not too much, to where they're taking away from the central plot. Adam and Olive are intellectuals, and, having spent a great deal of time in academia myself, it was refreshing to see the environment rendered so authentically. I think that authenticity is really what sets this book apart, as it would otherwise be a bit too cliche. Fans of The Kiss Quotient will likely love this.

★★★★★/5

A professor and PhD student enter a fake-dating agreement. One to help her friend find happiness. Another to save his career. But, what happens when feelings get involved? More importantly, what happens when one person has had those feelings for years before their agreement?

I. Loved. This. Book. I can’t explain to you enough how much I adored this book and the romance and everything in between! It is such a good romance read, I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

To get the most obvious out of the way, the romance development was AMAZING. Fake-dating to real dating is always a good read. The questioning of emotions. Does the other person feel the same way? When did it start to become real? I love! And this book delivered on every front with that regard. I loved Olive and Adam’s relationship, both fake and real, so much! Adam is the perfect “hate everyone, but you” male MC we’ve all been looking for. His little smiles, observations of her sugar obsession, and genuine care for her wellbeing and academic career was everything. Olive was such a cute character to read as well. It was so cute seeing her fall in love with Adam without even realizing it. Her soft, but caring nature was the perfect contrast to Adam. Their banter had me grinning and genuinely laughing out loud at some parts. I just absolutely adore this couple!

Also, that hotel scene? I was sweating. Adam knowsss what he’s doing.

Onto the other aspect of the book I loved: the academia. Being a future grad student myself, I really enjoyed the truth of academia that was presented in this book. Academia is hard and ruthless and people will be out to get you or step over you. Not to mention, the sexism that’s still very much prevalent. The author having a PhD in Neuroscience really lent itself to providing a painfully accurate depiction of what higher academia is like for many students. At the same time, seeing Olive and Adam’s passion, it really cemented for me personally that grad school is the route I want to go down. While I didn’t understand any of the scientific references and words (literature major struggles), I thoroughly enjoyed that the university was not a backdrop for the story, but a main part of it as well.

I could go on and on about this book and how much I loved it. Basically all you need to know: READ IT! It’ll be worth it. You’ll be smiling the whole time without even knowing it. I can’t wait to read more of Hazelwood’s works!

4.5*
What a fun sweet rom-com.
Definitely one of my favorites for this year!

Olive Smith is working on her Ph.D. With little to her name and only a couple of close friends, all her time is devoted to lab work. But when Olive tries to ensure her friend Anh that she has no interest in Jeremy, Anh won’t believe her. Leaving Olive no choice but to take drastic measures. She grabs the first man she sees in the hall outside the lab and kisses him! This way Anh will see that Olive has a completely different love interest.

But the man she ends up kissing is one of the professors known for his grumpiness and bad attitude! Great! There goes Olive’s career in science!🤦🏻‍♀️

But an idea forms that maybe they can help each other by entering a “fake relationship”.

I loved Olive and how she always puts everyone before herself. She was a lonely young woman with a heart of gold.

I even warmed up to Adam.
The tall dark and brooding professor.
I think he’s just misunderstood!😜

It is a spicy 🌶 🌶 rom-com! So word of warning…be prepared for some heat along the way!

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This Adult Romance was literally everything I wanted in a rom-com and more. I think I died and came back to life 82475169 times while reading this. I laughed, I cried happy (and sad) tears, and I grinned like an idiot the entire time. It easily gets 1,000 stars out of 5 from me. If you love Adult Romance and any of the following tropes & character types, you have to read The Love Hypothesis!

• Fake Dating
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Guy-Falls-First
• Mysterious/Broody Love Interest
• Witty & Adorable Banter
• Woman in STEM/Academia

The Love Hypothesis is most likely going to be my favorite rom-com of 2021. I can’t believe this is a debut book for Ali Hazelwood. Her writing style is so funny and her dialogue is so natural that I literally felt like I was watching this rom-com play out in front of my eyes. I also don’t think that I’ve related to a character more than I have Olive. Every single thought and inner monologue she had was so eerily similar to personal reflections that I’ve had myself. The discussions about her demisexuality and her trauma related to feeling like she’s been alone all her life were literally so emotionally accurate. I do wish that her conversation with Adam about her demisexuality was extended for a bit longer. When Olive explained that just because she had a hard time being intimate with someone she didn’t know that well, didn’t mean that she didn’t want Adam, Adam completely ignored the first half and only focused on the “wanting him” part. I think he should have definitely at least acknowledged the fact that she essentially admitted she was demisexual to him before moving forward in the scene.

Additionally, Olive’s journey being a woman in academia was so deeply relatable that I couldn’t help but see myself in her. I literally started crying when she got her pancreatic cancer research approved because watching her constantly have to go the extra mile to prove herself as a worthy scientist and researcher all because she’s a woman made me want to scream at the book. Ali Hazelwood nailed the frustrations that women in academia feel everyday on the head, and I’m so excited to see her future works that feature more women in STEM!

And then regarding the actual romance between Olive and Adam, I don’t think I’ve seen any other rom-com do fake dating as well as Ali Hazelwood in this book. It was pretty obvious who the guy who Olive ran into in the prologue was, but I was so eagerly waiting for their reunion. There is a slowburn in this book between Olive and Adam and it was sooooo well done. Their relationship while they were fake dating felt much more natural and sweet compared to other books with fake dating. I love how their relationship grew stronger as the book progressed. Even when they hadn’t admitted their feelings, there were so many adorable scenes that KILLED ME. Adam is the type of love interest who will go out of their way to make sure the MC is safe and comfortable and loved. Every Adult Romance lover must read this book! I'm so excited for it to come out in September :)

this was my first Ali hazelwood and the love hypothesis was just everything and more. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK WAS PERFECT! EVERYTHINg! the characters, were beautifully written, the chemistry was beautifully written, THE SMUT MY GOODNESS. UGH I loved it. I am so excited to read more from Ali hazelwood, the love hypothesis will always be a romance that I will go back to. everything about this book was just stunning. I loved this couple more than life itself.

*Thank you NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review* I'm so in love with this book! Olive and Adam were such interesting characters and I truly loved their relationship. The writing is phenomenal and everything is so well-developed. Even though I hate the miscommunication trope with my whole heart it felt believable and realistic in this book (which I appreciated immensely). I really enjoyed this book so much and it's definitely a new favorite.

i loved this! olive is so funny and adorable, adam is so compelling, their romance is fantastic. the miscommunications or lack of communication built up a bit much for my taste, but overall i thought this was beyond excellent.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I had first stumbled upon this book when it was a little ol' Reylo fanfic, but I never finished it before it got taken off to be PUBLISHED. So first of all huge congrats to Ali Hazelwood. Secondly, I just loved this story. It felt so realistic and relatable. I loved the writing, I loved the story. It made me laugh, it made me emotional. I was shocked at times (big twist at the end was so upsetting) but overall I was just so happy and proud to read about such a strong woman who is making waves in the STEM field. Love love love and highly recommend!

A super fun and meta STEM romance!

While I nearly passed on this book due to the title (it’s perfectly relevant but at first look sounds like a cheesy romance plot), I am so glad I didn’t! Ali Hazelton knows her romance tropes and how to wield them for sweet and engaging results.

Olive is working on her phd when she finds herself in a fake dating scheme with a brooding faculty member. The characters are believable and we are rooting for them from the start. While there is a very bad guy who is maybe too obvious, overall the plot moves along and the romance is steamy.

Highly recommend for romance readers and those who like smart heroines with real jobs and ambitions!

Review posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Bring on those Warm Fuzzy Feelings!

The Love Hypothesis has it all, fake dating, friendship, all the feels, and Chemistry Galore!

When Olive Smith gets herself into a bind and needs to find a fake boyfriend fast, she locks lips with a Grad School Professor. Not just any Professor, but Adam Carleson, the hottest professor on staff, who is known for being an a$$ to everyone, except for Olive. When they lock lips, SPARKS fly. Thereafter, they agree to "fake date," which is mutually beneficial to both of them, for different reasons.

Smart, funny, and witty, this rom-com got my attention and was close to perfect. Truth be told, it was absolutely fabulous, except for one scene that had me blushing, covering my eyes and skimming through the pages.

A buddy read with Kaceey had us both smiling and left us wishing and hoping.

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc.

Published on Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram.

"Careful analyses of the data collected, accounting for potential confounds, statistical error, and experiment's bias, show that when I fall in love... things don't actually turn out to be bad."

To convince her best friend that she is happy and over with Jeremy, Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith fake dates the first man she sees, the grumpy ass Professor, Adam Carlsen.

I love this book so much! It’s super cute and sweet that it makes my heart go fuzzy and warm every time I think about it. Adam and Olive fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. They are both smart, kind, and thoughtful characters; that is to say, it’s not hard to get attached to these two. I love how despite that they were just “fake dating”, their relationship progressed naturally. I find it endearing how Adam’s attitude softens whenever he’s with Olive; their interactions are so genuine that I can’t help but smile. Their nerdy banters too crack me up every time. Other than Adam and Olive, I also love the side characters in this novel. They brought more life and spark to the story with their jovial personalities.

In the book, I love how every chapter contains a witty hypothesis on it. For the twists and ending, both were very satisfying to read; it left me feeling giddy.

Overall, the story is sweet and captivating. For a debut novel, @alihazelwood totally nailed this one. This book is perfect if you’re into light, sweet, slow burn, academic romance! And if I were you, I’d reserve a copy of this book!