I loved The Love Hypothesis, but I've had quite a few issues with Ali Hazelwood's subsequent books. I was really nervous to read this one, but was very pleasantly surprised. Yes, the book does follow some well loved Ali Hazelwood tropes/characteristics (like enemies to lovers, STEM, a well endowed gargantuan grump MMC, and a tiny quirky brainy FMC), but it was also hilarious and very entertaining. I laughed so hard while reading this one! The banter between Elsie and Jack was chef's kiss and there were some truly laugh out loud barbs and conversations. Their scenes were definitely spicy and I loved how Jack encouraged Elsie to speak openly and honestly about what she wanted. I did roll my eyes at the will it fit? type comments though. Jack's pining and caretaking were top notch and I appreciated his patience and overall openness about his feelings. That's why the third act reveal/miscommunication felt forced and out of place. The solution was also equally unbelievable and convenient. Elsie's people pleasing tendencies seemed to be magically cured, but I was happy to hear that she was seeing a therapist at the end of the novel. Overall, a fun romcom set in the world of STEM, but I would love to see Ali Hazelwood write something different next time.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3.5-4 stars

Therese Plummer was amazing! I absolutely loved her narration and she voiced all of the characters so wonderfully. I had no problems distinguishing between characters and she had me laughing so hard with her comedic delivery/timing. She gave an expressive and emotional performance that really elevated the story. Definitely recommend this one on audio!

CW: death of parent (past), strained family relationships, grief, financial insecurity, chronic illness (diabetes), glycemic attacks (on page), closeted secondary character (ACE rep), toxic workplace and manipulative mentor, fear of abandonment

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

🧪LOVE, THEORETICALLY by Ali Hazelwood🧪

📆Pub date: June 13th, 2023
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Format: Audiobook
Read if you like:
📚Any of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books
✏️Books set in academia
😤Enemies to lovers

I liked The Love Hypothesis, really liked Love on the Brain, and loved Love, Theoretically. I think this is Ali Hazelwood’s best book yet! It’s filled with the same humor and romance she’s known for in a setting focusing on a woman in STEM. This particular book follows Elsie, and adjunct professor and theoretical physicist interviewing for a tenure track position at MIT. Elsie makes extra money by working as a “fake girlfriend” for clients. The older brother of her favorite client ends up being on the MIT hiring committee, and also happens to be an experimental physicist and the cause of a rivalry between theoretical and experimental physicists. I loved the story line and I think it comes our best on audio, so I recommend listening to this one! There were some decisions made by Elsie that bothered me, but not enough to not enjoy the book.

I’ll leave you with this: just because this is another book centering a woman in STEM does not mean that it’s the same as all of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books!! Im guessing that is going to be the most common criticism of Love, Theoretically, just like it was for Love on the Brain🥱

Thank you so much @berkleyromance for the advanced copy of Love, Theoretcially!

Initial Thoughts
I liked this book! I believe that I liked this one more than I liked The Love Hypothesis, most likely because I went into this book with more realistic expectations. Elsie and Jack were great together and I loved the role that academia played in the story. I felt like both of these characters grew over the course of the story and I thought it was great the way that Jack somehow really saw the real Elsie. The chemistry between this pair was amazing and I was totally invested in seeing them find a happily ever after together. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a great job with the story.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

Even though half (read: all) of the science jokes went way over my head, I really did enjoy this book! I loved the academic setting, especially with the author’s insight into the field. I enjoyed learning more about the politics of academia through their romance and Elsie’s mentorship, I personally felt like it tied in just enough to keep me intrigued and be the conflict of their romance without being too heavy or boring. I forgot how much I appreciate a good slow burn when it’s done right, and this was done so well. Their animosity and tension in the beginning was so entertaining and I loved the development into a friendship and then more. I found Elsie’s people pleasing tendencies to be far too relatable, especially when it came to being a woman in a male dominated field. I loved how Jack helped her to start speaking her mind without overstepping or doing it for her. While there is some miscommunication and a third act break up, which do tend to bother me in romance books, I felt like the conflicts and obstacles were unique and also reasonable, so I wasn’t really bothered by it. The beginning felt a little long for me, I wasn’t immediately hooked, but once i made it about 20% in, i really didn’t want to put it down after that!

I was never great at understanding science but I am obsessed with all of Ali Hazelwood’s STEM romances. Now Jack he has a way with words and is so so steamy. I love him! I love him!

4.5 stars

I wish I had a physical copy of this book while listening because I would’ve LOVED to annotate it. There were so many quotes that were so freaking good, and so many moments where I screamed YES JAMES!!!! YOU GO JAMES!!!

I loved it 😭😭 so nerdy. So cute. Very Ali hazelwood. After meeting her, I realized how freaking hilarious she is IRL, and how well it translates to her books. I’m in love with her it’s fine.

We love a book where he’s her arch nemesis in the academic world, but then she slowly realizes he is not at all what he seems to be. And the fact that he’s so…honest? And helps her grow? Only wants the best for her…teaches her to be herself. LETS GOOOO!! Seeing Adam & Olive again made my heart so FREAKING HAPPY! I love them 😭😭😭

SO MUCH SWOON. Aghhhh!!!!!! Also, James is such a perfect book boyfriend!!

Spice: 🌶️

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Fake boyfriends brother
Forced proximity
Academic feud
STEM Rep

<b>”That’s not how love works, Elsie. But don’t worry for now. I’ll show you.”</b>

Elsie & Jack. She’s not a regular theorist. She’s a cool theorist. She likes cheese and movies with sparkly vampires. (Relatable). And he’s an experimentalist. Theorist + experimentalist = rivals. They’re academic foes. Ali’s books always warm my cardiovascular system. 🥰 a million Jack quotes that are so swoony. This is my fave AH book!

<b>”You are the most magnificent thing that ever happened to me,” and I know it to be true.”</b>

✨ THINGS AND STUFF ✨
-loathe to love: insulin and glucagon. Rey and Kylo Ren. Galileo and the entire catholic church circa 1615
-women in stem & academia
-twilight & bill nye
-cheese
-physics dad jokes
-type 1 diabetes rep
-he’s so gone for her/he falls first
-honesty
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. “He kisses the tip of my nose.” Fave. “He leans down to kiss my forehead.” Cutie.

Thank you berkely romance for an advanced copy.

Song: 15 Step by Radiohead

I absolutely loved this book. Adored it. Devoured it.

But Jack is everything, I love how he fights for Elsie while also encouraging Elsie to fight for herself.

Ali’s writing is quirky, while managing to be so relatable. My heart went out to Elsie as she navigated figuring out who she is, not who everyone wants her to be.

I just love everything this woman does. She
makes me GIDDY. I never feel as happy as I
do when I'm immersed in her books. I can't
explain it. It's addicting. I feel extremely safe
in her literary universe of capital P Pining
Adam Driver lookalikes who are finanically
stable and just want to take care of the
woman they're utterly obsessed with. I want
that. Is that too much to ask?

This book is so tender. Elsie is such a mirrorball pathological people pleaser, she was written for me. And Jack is a god damn DREAM. This is my second time reading this book and I think about him constantly. All the little tiny things he does for Elsie. To care for her. To show her he's there. That he's not leaving. GAH. My heart aches with how much I love them. I love it with every fiber of my being. I will defend Ali and all of her characters to the death. I'd take a bullet for them. Also as an OG The Love Hypothesis Stan, the Adam and Olive cameo is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. That is my emotional support paragraph. They are my emotional support humans. There is also two small overlaps with Love on the Brain, proving that all of Ali Hazelwood's books and characters exist in the same universe and it makes me very happy

I absolutely loved this book. Hazelwood writes some of the steamiest sex scenes I've ever read and the relationship evolved at an appropriate pace. Also, Elsie and Jack both had a lot of depth and were very relatable as characters. This is a very sweet and funny read. Highly recommend. 5 stars. Thank you to Berkely and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway has more lives than a cat. She is an instructor in the lowly position of adjunct professor teaching thermodynamics at several universities who treat those employees quite poorly. Then to make ends meet, are at least wave at each other, she works for an escort service called Faux, where Elsie pretends to be a fake girlfriend helping her various clients out of awkward social situations, they are all strictly platonic relationships. Elsie also has a ridiculously manipulative family to whom she is the peacemaker; however, none of those roles are the real Elsie.

Elsie’s dream job is to be a postdoc researcher so when an offer from MIT comes along to apply for a position, she gives it all even though there are several issues to overcome, namely the heated and volatile rivalry in the physics department of two opposing camps: theoretical versus experimental physics. If that were not enough, one of MIT’s brightest stars, Jack Smith not only was responsible for Elsie mentor’s career tanking several years before, but he is also the older brother of her client, Greg Smith. Elsie did not realize what Jack did until her first interviewing event at a restaurant his professional name, Jonathan Smith-Turner is different. Jack was not aware obviously of Elsie’s other work. The sparks really fly as soon as they recognize each other.

Elsie sees Jack as public enemy number one feeling he will do everything to keep her out of the position she desperately wants. She and Jack seem to not only have a battle of wills, but even more disturbing to Elsie, he can see through all her carefully constructed personas right to the heart. No one has ever done that for Elsie, even her BFF roommate, CeCe, only gets a version of this consummate people pleaser.

This book is my favorite of Ms. Hazelwood’s not only for the always clever and entertaining repartee she does so well, but I enjoyed the intensity of Elsie and Jack’s relationship and the way she so expertly lampoons the rarefied atmosphere of science academia. As usual with these STEM stories, I must look up a lot of the terminology; however, it is an interesting learning experience. One of my only quibbles is that because of her scientific profession, Ms. Hazelwood seems to feel the need to poke fun at and make zingers about religion since it is apparently uncool and possibly ignorant to have a higher belief system; perhaps she believes she would be drummed out of the scientific world to acknowledge the validity of spirituality. Nevertheless, I sincerely enjoyed this book; it is one of the best reads so far this year.

✨Read this book if you enjoy: ✨
🧪 STEM - Ali is the queen of STEM books
🗣️ Miscommunication
😍Guy Falls First
🌶️ Open door romance

It’s been a while since I’ve finished this book and I am still trying to process how I feel. So here is the simple version.

Likes:
Let me be perfectly clear, I am a sucker for a book where the guy falls first. Where he’s been pining after her and finally reveals how much he cares about her. Sign me up.

There was a lot of family dynamics that I really appreciated, especially Jack being such a good brother.

The highlight of this book for me was the cameo from my fave couple. I missed them so much and it was so wonderful to see them again. I hope they will appear again in more of Ali’s books in the future.

I can relate so much to Elsie, she constantly changes herself to be what others want depending on who she is with at the time. It felt so powerful watching her slowly learn to accept and love exactly who she is regardless of anyone else.

dislikes:
I don’t know how to follow all these physic convos and there were quite a lot in this book.

I don’t mind the miscommunication trope but I do mind when it goes on for majority of the book. I just want the love interests to actually talk to each other instead of constantly misreading and avoiding major issues.

So ummm I might have gotten a D in a 5 credit college physics course before changing my major out of engineering. And hearing about physics usually throws me back to that god awful class BUT this book didn’t, and that’s because this book was filled with sexual tension, great banter, and a quick witted & feisty grandma. I love grumpy/nerdy men. I liked the diabetes rep in this book, keeping it very real. The last 25% is very very horny and I’m here for it.

This is now my second fav Ali Hazelwood book!

Thank you NetGalley & Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Way to go Ali Hazelwood! Not only did you come up with another science themed book but you ALSO depicted a character with type one diabetes!! YIPPEE. It was mentioned a handful of time and in general gave a good idea of what a low blood sugar feels like. I wish she showed how everyday with type one diabetes is a challenge. High sugar and low sugar can happen from stress, walking too fast, unplanned activity, eating too little or taking too much insulin. Overall, I'm glad that T1D was represented at all!
The romance part was STEAMY and fun to read.

E-ARC generously provided by Berkeley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

3.5 stars rounded up. With a story that is mostly a departure from her previous two “STEMinist” romances, I was pleasantly surprised by Love, Theoretically.

love all things Ali Hazelwood and the way she combines academia, humor, science and romance is a rare combination that works SO well & her latest novel, Love, Theoretically(6/13) is no different!
It’s the Enemies to lovers trope that Ali writes so good, but this time she puts two physicist against each other, one a theorist and one an experimentalist. But also add in some fake dating and the lows of academia life as an adjunct which I have no idea about but I assume is accurate and it MADE this novel! I will say this was more on the science-y side with a lot more physicist jokes that I will admit, went over my head, but the randomness of the banter between Elsie and Jack made up for it and those one liners are GOLD!
At the heart of the story you get Elise who has molded herself to be different versions of what she feels people want. She’s the awesome roommate that loves to watch artsy movies with her bestie (even though she’d rather watch Twilight) she’s the appreciative and humble mentee of her mentor who always says her name wrong but she never correct him. She’s her family’s fixer always jumping in to help mend arguments…she’s all these people but not herself….until Jack comes along and forces her to do what SHE wants. What pleases HER.
Some parts of this book resonated so deeply with me because I know I have felt like Elsie at some point in my life; that if I didn’t give people who I THOUGHT they wanted, they would leave.
The story is classic Ali in a way that is quirky, funny, warm, but also a little hot….the spice was appropriate for the story but it wasn’t lacking. 😃
Job well done once again Wife!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 4.5/5⭐️’s

Huge shoutout to @netgalley, @berkley, and the author for allowing me to read this #gifted eARC in exchange for my completely honest review.

I love Ali Hazlewood’s books. I know that not everyone feels that way, but I definitely do. I like her writing style and the representation she includes in all of her writing.

Dr. Elsie Hannaway is an adjunct professor by day, moonlighting as a professional fake girlfriend to make ends meet. She’s very good at reading people and morphing into what they need her to be. When she finally gets a shot at a great job, she’s excited. At least she was, until she realizes that the arrogant brother of her most recent fake boyfriend is on the hiring committee. How is she going to explain that?

I demolished this book in one day. I couldn’t stop. Jack and Elsie are so well written. I love how Jack really just wants to help Elsie be herself, not who she thinks she should be. Their relationship blooms in a way that feels real, not the “love at first glance” we sometimes see in romance books. I loved the Adam and Olive cameo. I also love that the issues they face are real issues, they aren’t far fetched and “made for the book” - they’re real issues that people face. The humor and banter in this book are so good. I actually think this may be my favorite by this author!

Ali Hazelwood is the banter queen! I have loved almost every book of hers (haven’t read her novellas yet).

Briefly… Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans.

I love Elsie’s character because I feel like we all have a little bit of people pleaser in us. I was happy to see her growth throughout the book. And can we talk about the scientifically tattooed Jack?!?! Swoon! He’s so dreamy. Ali has the best mixture of mature characters, snarky banter, off the charts chemistry (pun intended) and just the right amount of steam for me 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out June 13th!

Tell me about your tattoos! Do you have some? Do you want more? If you don’t have any what would you get?

This book was really cute, but very academic! I liked it alot but it wasn't my favourite of Ali's. I just felt as thought I needed more romance and less quirk. The banter is amazing though - one thing she never fails at!

Did I scream when I saw this NetGalley approval in my inbox? Yes, yes I did. I have little interest or knowledge of STEM, academia, etc, and yet I can not get enough of these books! So much so that I devoured this in like 24 hours.