Oh gosh, there aren't words to describe how much I adored this book. As in, this, alongside of 'A Dangerous Kind of Lady' by Mia Vincy, both of which I read this year, might qualify as my top two. My heart melted into a puddle over and over again, so much that I'm not quite sure how to return to normal. What a high.

Olive. Let's start with her. She's absolutely precious on every level, and a protagonist I think most will relate too. She's nervous, awkward, shy, completely self deprecating and self conscious, but lively and funny and ahhhh. Adorable. Most of all, though, a demisexual character on page was a big deal for me, something I completely relate to (for those who don't know, it means being generally unable to feel or form attraction to someone unless you form an emotional bond). Not that it's a thing that's the same for everyone, but I very much related to Olive on that front.

And Adam, for his part, was not what I expected. The synopsis touts him as an asshole, which ok yes, he is. Except also he isn't, and not around Olive. His tenderness towards her over and over is what did me in.

But this book is not without tension. I'm not going to recount the summary here, but I can say the fake dating situation very much felt like a will they-wont they, as in, every moment that they aren't wrapped up in each other feels like DYING. You can see how hard they've fallen for each other, early on especially, but there's so many false assumptions, complex situations, and wrenches thrown in their way that UGH it left me panting. But trust me, in the process of them getting together, there's plenty to keep you satiated. Banter, flirting, sparks exploding.

I also have to nod to the writing, which was genius, the issues this book tackled (women in STEM especially), and the absolutely adorable and loving best friends that surround Olive even when she felt most alone. Again - my heart.

I do have to preface this by saying I am a Reylo fan, so it was kind of a given that I would like this novel. But I ended up absolutely swooning over the sweet storyline and tender character development. The way Adam quietly pined over Olive and was always there for her just got me. I laughed out loud because of Olive's antics. I struggled so much with having to put the book down to go to work or get something else done. It was a sheer joy to read.
My only criticisms would be that I didn't really enjoy reading about the lab mice. As an animal lover, it took me out of the story and grossed me out a bit.
Also, I felt like Malcolm wasn't fully fleshed out. I would've liked to have seen Olive have more one-on-one time with him where they were just being friends (maybe not talking about their love lives?). He seemed like someone I would've liked to have learned more about.
These were minor issues, though, and I won't have any problem recommending this book to my customers.

I am OBSESSED with this title. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a romance novel so much. The characters were vivid, fleshed out, and so lovable. The plot was intriguing all on its own, but my god, the ROMANCE. I felt romanced by this book. Like I had a real life crush. And the spicy scenes were exceptionally spicy. I've already sold so many people on this title just by raving about it. Perfection. Can't wait to see more from Ali Hazelwood.

Olive has a great reason for randomly kissing a professor in the middle of the hallway at Stanford. She has to convince her best friend Anh that she is over her ex so that Anh will feel ok with dating him. Of course, Dr. Carlsen has some questions about the kiss, which then leads to Olive fake dating him to continue pushing Anh to pursue her happily ever after. Nothing can go wrong, right?

This was a fun romance. I blasted through it and laughed out loud a couple of times. Fans of a light comedy with a slightly nerdy setting (Standford Department of Biology) will enjoy this.

This book was so cute! I loved the awkward chemistry between the two main characters! The romance aside, I thought the characters were well-developed and interesting on their own. This was a fun, easy read and look forward to whatever else the author writes.

This novel was one of the best romances I've read lately. I love the nerdy elements, but most importantly the banter between the two romantic leads. The female protagonist was a tad too teary, but all was forgiven because the rest of the novel was well written. There was humor throughout and the novel was very tightly plotted. The secondary characters were enjoyable. This is one to definitely recommend to library patrons!

I read this in one day. ONE DAY. I'm that dumb that I didn't savor the tension, the banter, the amazing grumpy/sunshine dynamic.

I immediately searched to see if Ali Hazelwood has written anything else, and she has the GALL to make this book her debut novel. RUDE. I need more, Ali!!

Anyway, if you too want to swoon over a grumpy genius and a lonely but charming grad student, then you MUST BUY this book. I'm not joking.

What a wonderful year for romance books. Highly recommended.

I really loved this book. As someone who spent time in a grad program and has a friend is a bio PHD program so many things rang so true. I loved the fake relationship trope and I loved Olive even referencing other tropes like sharing a room and there only being one bed. I loved Olive and Adam and they way they changed each other and I just really loved this book.

We were a bit nervous before starting this one, because student/teacher romances don't usually do it for us. That said, sunshine/grump pairings are fun, fake dating is fun, and as soon as the grumpy pair of the fake daters cleared the fake relationship with the dean's office, we were there for this one.

The Love Hypothesis tackles a lot: women in STEM, unequal relationships (both in affection and power dynamics), and imposter syndrome are just a few. It's also a very self-aware novel, and the moments where it explicitly embraced the tropes were perfect for romance fans! Simultaneously fun, hilarious, and thought-provoking: we really enjoyed it.

A fun, steamy contemporary romance novel. Great pacing, fun characters - I really enjoyed it. The setting in science academia made me a bit hesitant, but I thought the author did a great job including enough to immerse you in the setting without getting overwhelming or tedious. Can't wait for more from her.

I really enjoyed this book! The main characters were incredible together, and lovely individually as well. Sometimes in these types of books the science can feel overdone or overwhelming - not that I'm a scientist at ALL - but it felt right with the storyline and I loved watching the characters' careers progress as well.

This book was excellent. All the fun and happiness that I want from a romance. There will be multiple re-reads of this book in the future. I honestly have held off on writing the review because I don't think I can do this book justice. It is that good.

I'm always a sucker for fake-dating tropes and having one be a grump that is surprisingly nice and the other being bouncy, energetic make the trope even better. The thing is, other stories can do that. But this story adds in an academica setting, with SMART people, who are yeah, a little bit awkward. The mix just creates perfection.

Again, I can't say enough good things about the book, but I can't wait to see what Ali writes next. She is an amazing author.

To get her best friend to not feel guilty about dating her ex-boyfriend, Olive kisses the first guy she sees in front of Anh. Said person turns out to be the arrogant, fails everyone, grumpy professor, Dr. Adam Carlsen. Enter: fake dating arrangement. To get the research committee to believe Carlsen isn’t a flight risk and to attain his frozen research funds, he wants to show the faculty that he’s in a committed relationship. Win, win. Right?

OH HOW I LOVED IT! The science wasn’t at all overwhelming, overbearing, but all the details that were sprinkled throughout were perfectly placed. The STEM heroine in this was amazing, and easily relatable, and the brooding, grumpy hero with the heart of gold was just the perfect compliment. I couldn’t get enough of Olive and Adam, and their friends were a hoot, too. AND, the hypotheses at the beginning of every chapter were fun and on point with the theme of the book.

Reylo vibes in a contemporary academia setting- I’m here for it! I loved the self-aware use of romcom tropes and the banter between the main characters. The supporting cast was fun too- loved best-friend Anh’s energy especially. I appreciated the author’s attention to the challenges women can face in STEM fields, as well as how hard academia can be as a career path. The romance was super adorable and I loved the little hypotheses that started each chapter.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read that kept me engaged the whole time!

4.5 Stars

AHEM. *pulls out bullhorn* ATTENTION ALL SLOW BURN ROMANCE LOVERS - you're going to want to read this book. Yes, I'm talking to you Mariana Zapata fans, Elena Armas fans. Just sayin'. Also, it won't hurt if you're a lover of Reylo, because....yeah. The romance Force is strong with this, y'all and I read it in one day.

Olive Smith, a grad student working on her PhD in STEM (cancer research), spontaneously kisses Adam Dri.....I mean, Adam Carlsen, professor at Stanford to fool her best friend Anh, into thinking that it's ok to date Olive's not-so-serious ex. *blinks* Just go with it. Thus begins the fake-dating destined to turn into real love and yes, romance happens. I loved that it focuses on a STEM heroine, that the setting isn't just fluff but genuinely part of the entire narrative. The teasing UST builds and builds until you're ready to just smush these two together. The reasons they have to fake-date are thin like gossamer, but it works for this tale. Olive is kind of deliberately oblivious bit of sunshine, Adam is a stone cold grumpy grump who only softens for her, and I'm a complete sucker for this type of romance. Ms. Hazelwood does enjoy dangling the carrot, but when it finally happens, I was chomping on that carrot like Bugs Bunny.

The story is told through Olive's eyes in the third person and keeps a sense of intimacy while allowing the reader to see clearly what Olive is deliberately blinding herself to. I loved the little hypothesis at the beginning of each chapter, and while it was easy to see where things would end up, it's the journey that kept me turning the page all through the night.

I really enjoyed it and I'll be keeping an eye out for more books from Ms. Hazelwood. I don't hesitate to recommend it.

I love a <i>good</i> fake dating trope. I adore it actually. It was all kinds of wonderful in a perfectly paced book of nerdy science stuff and awkward beginnings of not only a fake relationship but a relationship in general.

This book offered everything you want in a romance. It was funny, sweet, a lil' saucy ;), and all around so satisfying. Adam is a rude, anti-social asshole of professor and Olive is an unsure but dedicated student, trying to make a difference with her research on a cure for pancreatic cancer. Neither of them has a real reason to be around the other, except their love of science lands them in the same place. After a split-second decision, Olive goes from knowing Adam from afar to having her lips on his in an attempt to push her best friend Anh into the arms of an ex that Olive didn't care too much for. Suddenly, the two are swept up into dating rumours and find a reason that having everyone believe they were fake dating would benefit them.

These two were so awkward. The scheduled dates and weird small talk at first just made me giggle a little every time. The more they pushed their conversations, the more we got to see their banter shine through and WOW DID I LOVE IT. Adam and Olive were such smart asses and it was so entertaining to see them thrive in their smart ass-ery.

I loved Olive acknowledging the rom-com trope they were living. She kinda breaks that fourth wall a little and we just love to see it. I didn't think I'd be sitting here telling anyone that I loved a romance book about two scientists but here I am. I am here telling you. Pay attention.

The Love Hypothesis was so incredibly enjoyable. I finished the book and I immediately went back and reread the parts that I liked because Adam was offering up so much GOLD. TIME AFTER TIME HE NAILED IT. HE UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT!!

Already a highlight of my reading year. Great introduction to a new to me author. Enjoyable story and wonderfully sweet characters, yes, even our grumpy Professor.

This is a light and fun romance. Dedicated scientist and researcher spends all her time in the lab but when her friend does a surprise visit olive must show her she has another love interest so her good friend will not feel guilty dating Olives ex boyfriend, so she spontaneously kisses lab guru Adam that happens to be standing in the hallway. And thus begins a silly but cute “fake relationship “ between Adam and Olive. You can see where this is going, fake turns into sparks!

"The Love Hypothesis" was a really enjoyable romantic comedy. I loved the character of Olive and her experience in academia and a STEM field rang true and makes her more of an unusual heroine. The "meet cute" is hilarious and fans of the fake dating trope in romance will enjoy this.

Review posted on GoodReads (Posted on May 26th, 2021)
Review Linked.

3.5/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review.

I was super excited to read this book because I have heard nothing but amazing things from other readers who got early copies of this romance. This book was fun! For me, I think I liked the book the more and more that it went on. I did really love the two main characters, Adam and Olive. I also loved seeing two academic characters and I loved how interesting the romance was.

For me, this book was good, but not amazing. Like I said, I think I enjoyed the romance the more and more it went on, but there were some times where I felt like the plot got a bit lost. I also would have loved a bit more from the romance towards the beginning of the book.

If you love adult romance and love academics and science then this is the book for you! It was super fun and cute to read.

Thanks for reading!
Caden