Hi! Hello, I cannot shut up about this book. I already emailed Berkley and Ali and basically sent the longest, gushiest blurb the world has ever seen but The Love Hypothesis is ADORABLE and wonderful in so many ways.

I won't summarize the book here because you can easily read the little blurb on NG, but here is a romance lovers dream read. It is snappy and fast-paced and swoony and sexy and funny. Ali gives us so much time with the leads together; I am not a reader who likes to get bogged down in multiple complex side stories - I like my romance with a side of romance - and let me tell you, this book has the PERFECT amount of setting and conflict and side characters without feeling like we ever lose track of the two people we REALLY WANT TO KISS EACH OTHER. The banter is so good. Their chemistry is A:DJKF:DJ: SO GOOD.

Adam is a great hero; even if we are in Olive's POV for the book, we always know more about what he's thinking that she does, and there's something so delicious about watching her figure it all out. PLUS she's a woman in STEM, written by a woman who is - that's right - IN STEM. The authenticity of the setting is so great and I, a scientist myself, really felt represented and grateful that Ali put this world in the book. Will it feel niche to some people? Maybe. Will it feel inaccessible to non sciency people? Nope! The things that Olive deals with and the fears/insecurities she has are totally universal.

The heat is HOT in this one, and even if Ali makes us wait for it, it's so worth it. I am sorry to be so inarticulate in this review. I promise I am more articulate as a writer. But did I mention I read this book twice in one weekend? I never do that! I have children and deadlines and a whole stack of other books but this one really stuck with me and I will be yelling about it from now until September 14th.

Olive Smith is a third-year PhD candidate and like everyone else in her program she knows who Dr. Adam Carlsen is and keeps away. Except for that one time when Olive panics and accidentally ends up kissing him - whoops!

Olive imagines that Carlsen will immediately put up a fuss and demand she explain what’s going on. Instead he goes along with her charade of pretending to be Olive’s boyfriend. This fake relationship will end up being in both of their interests...but slowly the lines between what is fake and what is real end up blurring. Will they be able to end this “relationship” when their deadline comes up?

I honestly cannot put into words how much I absolutely LOVED The Love Hypothesis. The banter, the chemistry, the humor - it was all doled out in the perfect proportions to make for such a wonderful book!

I will say that being a female in the STEM field - I related to Olive a lot. But even without the science background The Love Hypothesis was filled with warmth and relatable characters. I was rooting for Adam and Olive to get together and loved every moment of their journey together.