3.5

i’m a sucker for just about every trope we get here; i appreciated how the characters poked fun at them as they appeared. that being said, they kinda started to weigh me down about two-thirds of the way through. in general, i hate when the third act conflict/bottoming out of the lead couple in a book can be obviously avoided, and hazelwood does a great job here of not making olive and adam seem too daft. not my favorite book, but the characters (especially malcolm) really salvaged things for me.

#netgalley

Emily’s Rating: 5 Stars

@rosebuds.reads here, doing a guest review for Erin (@asthebookends)

This book. This book was absolute perfection, and I’m struggling to find the right words to properly express how much I loved it! I’ll start by saying I literally could not keep myself from smiling for almost the entire story, and my face hurt by the end of the books from how much I was laughing. I can never resist a good fake dating to lovers stories, and The Love Hypothesis did not disappoint in any way. The banter was whip smart, and so entirely hilarious. The grump and sunshine slow burn was AGONY, but the payoff was for sure one of the BEST I have ever read in a romance.

The longing and pinning between the main characters was written expertly. Adam is honestly so drool worthy, and one of my favorite “I hate everyone but you” characters I have ever read. Olive was just the most adorkable girl ever, and so relatable! I really love a clumsy, awkward heroine. I also really loved the demisexual rep, and thought it was done beautifully. The arc and growth of both Adam and Olive was amazing, I loved watching them grow both as people and together as a couple. I don’t have a single complaint about this book, and I encourage every single romance fan to give it a try!

I liked this one. I thought it was great to see a women in STEM realizing her feelings and working through them while still working on herself and what she wanted to accomplish in life.
A cute fake dating, strong female lead romance.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Me reading The Love Hypothesis: I'm reading Adam Driver fanfic. I'm reading Adam Driver fanfic. I'M READING ADAM DRIVER FANFIC.

Annnd I was okay with it. I know it's suppose to be Reylo fanfic, but Olive is not Rey. That's not to say I didn't enjoy her character, I did, but I did want to scream at her for being so obtuse. But all that unnecessary angst does leads to their happy every after ending. It was a fun and quick read.

Wow.... This book is everything I need in a romcom. The fake dating trope is one of my favorites, and Ali Hazelwood hits its out of the park with this one. The representation of women in STEM was fantastic and eye opening, as well as the main character being demisexual. I have never come across a character who I identify more with in a romance novel more than I have with Olive. Will be recommending this one for sure.

This book checked all of my boxes and was an absolute joy to read. It was adorkably wonderful and gave my heart all the flutters and swoops that I love to feel. The Love Hypothesis combined so many of my favorite tropes like fake dating, "I hate everyone but you", slow burn enemies to friends to lovers, etc, and leaned into them so perfectly. All the pining and longing had my heart beating so fast and every loaded glance and near touch had me swooning. I'm always a sucker for those thoughtful little gestures and gifts that slowly add up, and The Love Hypothesis had them in spades. I adored Adam and Olive and their chemistry and the build up between them was so well done. I nearly combusted when things finally boiled over *bites fist* and I'm honestly still fanning myself. I loved all the aspects of their friendship and relationship because they connected on so many levels. The banter between them, as well as all their friends, was hilarious and I laughed so hard. I loved that they all gave as good as they got.

In addition to loving Olive and Adam, I adored the secondary characters just as much (well, besides a certain "good friend", but even he played his role so vilely). Anh and Malcolm are the ride or dies that we all want and need in our lives. Their found family was a highlight of the book for sure. The Love Hypothesis is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2021 (and ever!) and I can't wait to read what Ali Hazelwood writes next!

CW: cancer, death of parent, bullying, sexual harassment

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I knew I was going to love this but I don’t think I expected this to be a new all time favourite.

first of all, the fact that (I’m pretty sure) this is reylo fanfic is enough for me to be head over heels. I won’t get too much into that but our hero’s name is Adam and he’s a grump and he’s got black hair and he’s tall...

Anyway this book has an insane amount of charm. Our protagonist, Olive, is extremely likable and relatable. She’s so easy to root for because she has a passion and she works hard for that passion.

The chemistry between Adam and Olive is genuinely so palpable and the origins of their meeting/meet-cute makes me nearly tear up it’s so cute.

There’s so many tropes that this book tackles in such an amazing way. Yearning, fake-dating, shared hotel room, etc...
there was a slight bit of miscommunication and a moment where I wanted to strangle both of them HOWEVER it was very short lived and also extremely understandable.

I just love this book so much. I love both of our protagonists and their hopes and dreams and everything about them. Also, there are such amazing side characters with fantastic personalities who also have passions and dreams and getting to know them was also a treat.

I feel extremely blessed to have gotten an e-arc of this book as it was one of my most anticipated releases of the year!
If you love contemporary romance you MUST add this to your tbr’s. (I don’t give out 5 stars lightly and this was a 5 star read for me.)

Thank you to penguin random house and NetGalley for the e-arc!

One of the best romances I've read this year. I love that it's about women in STEM, and both Olive and Adam are definitely characters you can enthusiastically root for. It's slow burn, and so well done, that I pretty much read this in one sitting. I was hooked from the first chapter up to the last. Highly recommend!

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS!

Phew. Y’all. This book was INCREDIBLE. Oh my god. I was hooked from the beginning!!!!

The book follows Olive, a lab student (who is totally kick ass and amazing) and when she purposely / accidentally kisses the first person she sees in the hallway (who happens to be Dr. Adam Carlsen, the unapproachable professor who every grad student is terrified of) to help her friend, it sets off one of the best fake dating relationships I’ve read!

Olive is a woman in STEM, which is amazing to read about (even if you’re clueless about science like I am!). She’s wicked smart, funny, thoughtful and just all around a very likable character.

Her fake relationship with Adam is perfect. There are hilariously uncomfortable moments. There is good conversation and confusing feelings. And Adam? Yeah he’s probably my new book boyfriend, I’m not even going to lie. Grumpy, brilliant, considerate, hot and funny? Sign. Me. Up.

The chemistry between Olive and Adam is off the charts. They have their tender moments...but the steam is A M A Z I N G.

I honestly had no clue what direction the book was going and I was turning the pages so fast to see WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. I loved the twists and turns.

I love that this book plays off of other romance tropes (THERE ARE TWO BEDS) and pokes fun at them!

Ugh. 5/5 stars. I’d give it more if I could. Will absolutely be purchasing this book when it’s released. I’m a huge fan. Congrats on the wonderful book, Ali!!

Thank you for the opportunity for this e-ARC!

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood was everything I was hoping for and more. I absolutely adore fake relationship troupes, so this book definitely hit all the right notes for me. I love the awkwardness of Olive and Adam and how the other characters interacting with them kept pushing them into silly and awkward situations that furthered the sexual tension.

Highly recommend this book and will be purchasing it for our library.

Thank you, Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc.

I really went into this thinking it would just be another STEM romcom, which I seem to enjoy so I bit, but what I wasnt expecting was for my Star Wars-loving self to get something that is specific to my interests. When I realized what was happening, I screamed. This was lowkey exactly what I needed right now. The slow burn was very sweet, and the payoff was spicy. If you love The Last Jedi (wink), you'll love this. Ali: I see you, I respect you, and I'm cheering you on. I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

I want to end this by emphasizing how freaking cool it is that someone from the fanfiction community is getting published. I have read a lot of work on AO3 that is better than some of the IP they are based on. Seeing someone from the community (whose work I think I have read) get this opportunity is super exciting. It feels like I'm seeing a friend succeed.

Olive is hard at work on her Ph.D., which means she doesn't have extra time for dating. To convince her friend that she's moved on from her ex, Olive pulls a Crazy and kisses the first guy to walk into the lab--brilliant wunderkind and (alleged) asshole, Dr. Adam Carlsen.

For a debut, this book is OK. For me, there is a lot left to be desired in terms of characterization, dialogue, and romance, which (ironically) is not all that chemically reactive. Compared to the novel's diligent representation of academia and related academic bureaucracy, these things seem underwritten.

I do appreciate that female STEM researchers are centered and I love the way the non-binary sexual orientations are included. But if I'm being honest, the only reason I didn't DNF is because this started as a Reylo (Rey x Kylo) fanfic and, as a formerly avid Reylo "shipper", I felt some loyalty to see it through. [Can I just say, I think it's awesome for that community, that one of their stories made it to mainstream publishing.]

Sadly, that doesn't preclude it from missing the mark, though I can see how it will hit well for others. So if you've been interested in this one and/or you like the fake-dating trope, definitely add it to your list.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Olive is a 3rd year grad student, earning her PhD at Stanford. She is trying to perfect and come up with blood markers for pancreatic cancer that will detect that specific cancer at an earlier, treatable stage. But an impromptu kiss in the lab’s hallway now finds Olive fake-dating Dr. Adam Carleson, one of the most hated and feared professors at Stanford. Dr. Carleson agrees to this fake-dating for a few pragmatic reasons – release of his research funding being one. If it looks like he has roots, he may just get it. But the more fake dates that they go on, the more they learn about each other and the more they start to seem real.

Smart, introverted, quirky, nerdy, misguided/misunderstood female characters are my swan song. The way Ali writes the character of Olive encapsulates all of that exquisitely. While I may not be smart enough to be a scientist, I related to many of her characteristics and mannerisms. And to find such an endearing main male character in Adam… it was magic.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly and was hard pressed to find a reason to put it down. Every interaction, action and inner monologue had me entranced. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read this. I can’t wait for everyone to read The Love Hypothesis – it’s simply superb.

I really enjoyed this fake boyfriend romance between Olive, a biology Ph.D. student, and Adam, a professor. Olive and Adam are both awkward socially but when they connect they seem perfect for each other. Sweet romance.

I loved this book. LOOOOVED this book. I normally find slow burn romances a little tedious, but this was perfectly paced with off the charts chemistry, and I just couldn’t put it down. This is one that will definitely go on my reread list, since it’s one I can see myself returning to when I need a good swoon.

The Love Hypothesis is one of the best romances I've read in a long time; I'm so glad I took a chance on a new author and tried it out!

This book felt so relaxing and lovely, perfect for a pandemic weekend. Hazelwood is an excellent writer, and got the details of academic right without bogging down the story.

I loved that the characters were both smart, in the sense that they're in academia, as well as acting like mature adult humans (albeit humans who make very human mistakes, but in believable ways). I also liked the way the main conflict was resolved - it didn't feel at all contrived, or overly dramatic, but felt natural to the story and the characters.

This also seemed like a deeply feminist romance - a beta hero who respects women and is emotionally intelligent - how novel!

I will definitely look out for future books by Hazelwood (and I hope she writes a lot of them!)

Fake dating? Women in STEM? Yes, please.

A romantic comedy about a girl who needs a fake boyfriend to convince her best friend that she is over her ex. (Does one date really make someone an ex? Olive's friend Ahn seems to think so.) The characters are delightful and the relationships even more so. Hazelwood's writing is playful and captivating and I enjoyed this very much.

I would have liked to have Adam's POV as well because he is kind of an enigma for much of the book (the big, bad Dr. Carlsen) but I do love that we still get to see his softer side when he's around Olive.

The chemistry between Olive and Adam was great, the cover is adorable, and overall I really enjoyed this.

4.5/5 stars

Hazelwood actually surprised me! That’s difficult to do. And even more so in a romance, where tropes and the HEA make it pretty obvious. This women-in-STEM romance is a lovely fake dating romance. Readers who like smart protagonists and smart plot will enjoy this one, for sure. Olive’s character development is too quickly tied up without enough showing, but if you can get beyond that, I recommend it!

LGBTQIA+:
- Olive is demisexual, though that term isn’t used.

Driven PhD candidate Olive isn't interested in love or relationships, but she has to convince her best friend that she's dating someone (it's complicated). So she kisses the first man she sees--only to realize it's Adam Carlsen, professor and scourge of their department, a man who has made many students cry with his harsh critiques. Olive is even more shocked when he suggests the two keep fake-dating for professional reasons to benefit both of them. Of course, as she gets to know Adam, she realizes he might be more than his dour (but super handsome) exterior. But can they make it work for real?

I loved this book, and can't wait to see what Hazelwood writes next. There's nothing better than two smart people falling in love, without having to downplay their intellect or passions. The Love Hypothesis should definitely appeal to fans of Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert and Olivia Waite's Feminine Pursuits series. Not to mention, Olive is on the asexual spectrum, which is a greatly underrepresented group in romance. Watching her navigate her new feelings for Adam is both joyful and illuminating.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.