Elsie Hannaway wears many hats. From adjunct physics professor to professional fake girlfriend, Elsie's constantly juggling something. She should've known it would come crashing down eventually. When Elsie gets an opportunity to apply for her dream position at MIT, she's determined not to let anything stand in her way. Even if the brother of her favorite client, and the man who single-handedly ruined the reputation of theorists everywhere, sit on the hiring committee. Ever since Jack Smith met Elsie, he knew something was off about her. That didn't stop him from lusting after her-- even if he believed her to be his brother's girlfriend. Now, the pair are butting heads at interview dinners, and Jack can't hide his desires for much longer. Despite her growing feelings, can Elsie allow herself to fall for the man she's loathed for so long?

I'm beginning to realize that Hazelwood has a specific formula for her books that she doesn't deviate from. Our heroine always has that 2010-Tumblr-quirky-girl aesthetic, and the love interest is always a broody behemoth of a man. It's starting to make all of her books blur together. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite from her. I thought it was boring. The pacing was too slow in the beginning, and then way too rushed at the end. This was more of a me-thing, but I found the science in this one too hard to follow. I don't have a science brain, so most of what they were talking about flew over my head. It didn't help that I couldn't stand Elsie. She's the human equivalent of a doormat. It was frustrating every time she refused to stand up for herself. She gets there by the end, but it was almost too little too late. I liked the romance between her and Jack, but it didn't wow me. The book was fine, but I'd love to see Hazelwood shake things up because her books are starting to get a little predictable.

Love, Theoretically is the upcoming third novel by romance author Ali Hazelwood, in what I personally consider to be her Academia Trilogy, and this one is one that is worth reading either if you're a fan of the author (like me) and wants to keep reading her books and will be surprised to see her improvements and developments in this latest book, or if you have read her before and have however found yourself a bit annoyed or just tired of the same type of setting and themes a.k.a academia etc etc, well I'm telling you, this one is worth it.

In her author's note Hazelwood comments that this is her most academia book of her books, something I had noticed quite early on while I started to read, and something that she has worked wonderfully into the story, showing her growth as an author in diving deeper into those themes and struggles, such as job interviews, the hardships of finding a position, tenure, or even funding, the competition inside academia, the intense power advisors hold over advisees, the importance and influence people put onto academic publications and how they can either elevate or destroy someone's career/or field. It's all there and many more. I was genuinely surprised by the tone of this one, I was expecting what I found on her two previous novels, but was very interested and compelled to read this more mature and even darker side of academia that she portrays here.

The characters are also a bit different, I mean mainly the MC (Jack is not that different from the other two love interests from her previous books, he is just blonde and has tattoos for a change). Elsie is a very peculiar and particular character, and much of what happens in the book (for example the cliche of a fight at 80% that is typical of romance novels) takes different nuances here because of this character, and I really enjoyed that! I found it very refreshing and different to read about Elsie and although I wouldn't exactly consider this book enemies to lovers (its more of a rivals to lovers if you want to get technical) it made for very interesting dynamics and situations.

Now, another thing that has been a topic of discussion, is the sex scenes in Hazelwood's books, particularly after the trilogy of short stories that not only repeated a certain formula (if you know, you know) but also because of that made you feel like you were reading the same thing over and over. I admit that on that front I would very much like for the author to explore different things, and she does sort of do that in here in one of the scenes (although the other falls into the formula again) and that scene was really good! I just feel like when it comes to romance, there already a lot of cliches and stereotypes and tropes that are followed or people who dissect them and others that read a book simply because it is enemies to lovers or grumpy sunshine you know it, there are whole posts dedicated just to the tropes in romance perhaps even more than with other genres, so I just think that in the middle of all that at least the sex scenes (if there is spice) need to be a bit more innovating from one book to the next, even when they're being written by the same author. I was personally satisfied with what I read in this book because like I said earlier in my review I see this as the concluding book of an "unofficial" trilogy of academia, therefore with the author's next release I will be hoping for something <i>else</i> altogether, and I really really hope she delivers.

Anyways, I do recommend Love, Theoretically if you're looking for a fast, devourable romance read! I think that her fanbase will be thoroughly satisfied with this one, and yes! There is an Olive/Adam cameo! So freaking cute!

So, so good. Hazelwood’s best book yet. All the STEM situations we crave, but somehow more and even better. It’s an academic goldmine that’s been finely honed into a perfect plot. The lead characters are new and their personalities are rich with possibilities (though the tall/small dynamic still reigns and I do have an *again? sigh* for that… but the book is still too good to dwell on it). The mental and physical health challenges are varied and strong. I could feel every emotional pang and worry, nothing was overblown or undersold. It’s a delicate balance, especially when mixed with humor and love, family and friendships, to create a compelling and fresh story.

I don’t want to say any more. I could talk about the characters and situations in detail, how invested I became in every character and moment, but no one wants spoilers. Add it to your must read list as I add it to my Best Books of 2023 list. Brava.

I wanted to love this, but I’m honestly tired of reading the same story over and over again from Ali Hazelwood.

The lead characters in this book are much more polished and well rounded than some of the previous Ali Hazelwood books I read. Jack is smart, sarcastic, and fun. Elsie is adorable and I related to her quite a bit. The side plot with her mentor felt unnecessary and just there for conflict, but otherwise a solid and steamy read!

Did I tell you I squealed when I got an early copy of this book from Berkeley? Yes, I did. And you can't judge me when you will do the same as well. I love her previous books, so I know I am going to enjoy reading this one as well.

I have to say that I was right when I said I would enjoy reading this book. And it went beyond my expectations. I truly love it so much. It’s a tad different from her previous books, but it does have similar academic romance vibes.

Love, Theoretically focuses on Elsie, who is trying her best in her academic career while maintaining her fake dating services. It may not be ideal for her, but she has to pay rent and eat. But it does help that she has a big job opportunity at a highly prestigious university. And she is more than willing to put in the work when she has to go through the interview process. 

While Elsie is willing to do anything to secure this job opportunity, she never expected to run into her fake boyfriend's brother, Jack. Her own world will explode if anyone finds out about her fake dating services. And she knows she can’t count on Jack since he hated her from the start. But you know, hate and love underline each other. That’s where everything gets more interesting. 

I won’t go any further because it will literally spoil everything in the book. But I will say that you should expect a bit of rivals-to-lovers vibes with a dash of the "he falls first" trope and a lot of steamy scenes in the mix.

This might be my favorite Ali Hazelwood by far! I felt like there was so much more feelings involved than her other books which made me really love this.

This book is funny and also swoony. The way Jack gets Elsie was just everything. Reading about politics within academia was also interesting and obviously made this book even better cause obviously they hate each other lol!

Tropes: fake bf’s brother, academic enemies, he falls first.

If I could reach into this book and hug the characters I would. Because I felt the most pressing need to do so when I was reading this delightful new romcom from the queen Ali Hazelwood. I honestly don't need to say much more than that because all of her books are absolute perfection and that includes this one.

“You could be my entire world…if you let me.”

“I think wherever it is that we’re going, maybe, just maybe, it might turn out to be a place I never want to leave. “

“Be gentle with me Elsie. That’s all I ask.”

I so enjoyed this one.

Ali Hazelwood has a way of writing Stem women (and women in general) that just make them (for the most part) very real women. They struggle with finding their place in a male dominated environment. They struggle with letting go of little pieces of themselves and letting people in. I just love them.

I really related to Elsie. As a people pleaser myself, wearing masks, and changing it fit what people want is a constant struggle. I think Ali really captured it.

You could tell that Ali really let herself enjoy writing this one. And just went for it. And I love that!

Color me Obsessed!

This was my favorite Ali Hazelwood yet! I thought at the beginning that I wouldn't like Elsie because I don't love characters that are so wishy washy and just say what everyone wants to hear, but seeing her grow and stand up for herself, and not being able to make the "perfect" Elsie for Jack was so satisfying. They were so cute together and it absolutely made me melt.

I loved Ali Hazelwood's first book, but was a little let down by the second one, which felt a bit too similar to the first while also having a lot of extra stuff going on. I still liked it, just not as much. This one was different (though the male main character was similar to the first two, very broody with lots of silent, borderline angry pining) and the story felt fresher to me. The female main character, Elsie, recently graduated with a PhD in theoretical physics and is living the not at all glamorous life of the adjunct, teaching a ton of classes at three different universities and still not making ends meet. She moonlights as a fake girlfriend on an app called Faux, and she's recently been playing long-term girlfriend for a client/friend who doesn't want to come out to his family as aro/ace. She has weird tension/friction with his older brother (the broody, pining one), which isn't a big deal until she shows up for an incredibly important interview for a tenure-track position at MIT and he's not only a member of the hiring committee/physics department, but also happens to be her professional nemesis, the guy who wrote an article humiliating theoretical physicists when she was a middle schooler. Turns out that he was in high school, he had a bone to pick with a specific theoretical physicist who happens to be Elsie's mentor, and he's pretty confused when she shows up as a candidate because she's told his whole family that she's a children's librarian. They become friends and he calls her out for something that no one has ever noticed - that she completely changes her personality based on what the people she's interacting with need/want/expect. He offers her friendship as a space where she can be honest and authentically herself, and it's a romance, so things escalate. All of this is happening against the backdrop of academic politics (which felt very real to me as a person who works in higher ed) and while Elsie is trying to deal with her type 1 diabetes, which she literally can't afford to take good care of because she has no money and no health insurance. I'd love to see a little more diversity among Hazelwood's heroes, but I'll certainly keep reading these STEMinist romance novels.

- Elsie seems to have at least some substance to her
- Oh look a tall, muscular MMC who is SO tall we need to mention it every page
- Physics remain a mystery to me but I assume they make sense to some people
- Why is Elsie responsible for her brothers????? They’re not 8. They’re adults
- We do love a good hedgehog appearance
- Cece is a good friend
- Elsie needs a spine. Badly.
- Jack is 100% a jerk no thank you
- I think I hate the words STEMlord & alphahole in equal measure
- Excuse me Pluto is still a planet don’t be fucking rude
- Wow Jack is thoroughly unpleasant
- But he sort of has a personality, which is a vague improvement?
- Yes we get it he has neck muscles & arm muscles & all the muscles everywhere forever
- Does code-switching apply to white people?
- Having any sort of chronic illness in the US sounds like a dystopian nightmare
- Alright Hazelwood the “I refuse to think I’m brilliant even though I get told that same thing every other fucking page” shtick is getting a bit old
- Found the Star War reference
- Does Fendi make chairs?
- Rich kids suck so much
- I do enjoy how much this book mentions cheese
- Leave it to the brother high on laughing has to break the news about Jack’s crush on Elsie. Sucker.
- Aaaaaand we’re back to the muscles
- Oooooo Jack is monologuing
- I’ll give monologue points for that
- Listen I am not here to yuck anyone’s yum but why do Aliverse men always pine for the manic pixie dream girl? Like ~they’ve loved her since they met her~ shenanigans
- A non-white person! Yay!
- If anyone was surprised that George was a woman I will eat my hat
- Oh dear
- Well at least Elsie had some self-awareness
- I might… actually like Jack?????
- What is happening
- Yeahh that sounds like Adam
- Goddammit I can already tell I’ll need to re-read TLH
- Why am I like this
- For the 9000th time, peens can just be average sized. I promise nothing bad will happen
- Okay the take me out as in dinner or murder scene was funny
- I legit laughed out loud
- I’ll give you this one Hazelwood
- I don’t know when sassy grandmas became a thing in rom-com novels but I am not remotely upset at this development
- Wow so Caroline is terrible
- There’s something fishy about Dr L
- I would bet money that he’s somehow sabotaging Elsie
- Hello Adam & Olive, glad to see you’re both still up to your usual shenanigans
- “I doubt Olive is familiar with the concept of fake dating”
- I. AM. DYING. The dramatic irony is painful
- Elsie needs so much therapy it’s not even funny
- (it might be a little bit funny)
- Well JJ should absolutely be punched in the face
- I’m lowkey v stressed by the fact that Jack is a somewhat reasonable human
- My heart hurts for Elsie
- Let the record show that if any dude ever tried to paint a picture on my chest with their cum I would simply get up & leave because that is not a thing nor is it remotely romantic-sounding
- They did the sex, huzzah
- So Dr L is the reason for Jack’s mum being kicked off the research team
- The Henley thing is so confusing to me
- They’re just shirts??
- Jack has a point about Elsie’s relationship with Dr L
- It is a bit weird
- And Dr L is a terrible person no way who could have possibly seen that coming
- That was not a particularly exciting break up or reunion

This is the kind of book you drop everything to read--and it's more than worth it.

Love, Theoretically is a romance powerhouse. It starts off with our FMC Elsie in a terrible (misunderstood) situation, and she can't do much to counter it. She's in an underpaid, no-benefits work situation and she's valiantly working to get into a better position.

But it appears Jack is standing in her way.

Jack, who falls first. Of course, he's our MMC and he's possibly my favorite Ali Hazelwood male lead--with Elsie as my favorite female lead. I'm a huge AH fan (her books are getting me through my STEM postdoc; guess who can't afford therapy in academia), but this is my favorite of them all.

The pacing is perfection, the references to science so cool you'll want to Google a few terms, and the romance enough that I'm surprised my Kindle didn't singe my fingertips.

There is so much heart here, between Jack and Elsie, and the hope Elsie has even in her lowest moments is tangible. This is Ali Hazelwood at her best, and I'll reread this book a dozen times over.

Also, there are nods at Bee and a cameo from Adam and Olive!

RUN to pre-order this. Don't wait to read it--it's everything you're looking for and more if you enjoyed any of her previous books, or if you simply want a rock-solid romance, heart-and-mind-melting romance to sink your teeth into. I give this my highest recommendation!

I absolutely adored this book. 5 HUGE stars. I was very hesitant after the first 2 books (I did enjoy them) as I didn’t want another book that was “The Love Hypothesis in a different font”. This book was so binge worthy, I found myself finishing it within a day. The female leads isn’t too quirky and the male lead is emotionally mature. Loved this!

Another Ali Hazelwood that just didn’t hit for me. Ali seems to be writing the same story 7 different ways and I’m a lil tired of it 😅. How many different ways can you have a big hulking guy with some teenie tiny girl who can’t believe he likes her? Not for me, but other STEM girlies might stan!

This book was so so cute!!! It made me remember why I love Ali hazelwood and the love hypothesis so much! I could not put it down and I will reread it again when I want to feel something! The angst was so good!!! I really did love this book so much and would be recommending it to anyone willing to listen!

Hooool-ee cow! Wow. When I tell you that The Love Hypothesis is my favorite book at the current moment, that’s not a lie. When I saw this book came close to beating it, that is also not a lie. I will say that this book tore my heart apart a whole lot more than TLH did. I loved Elsie so much as a character. You really felt for her through the whole book. I started out hating Jack but ended up adoring him as I knew I would! This book made me laugh almost a much as it made me cry and every interaction with Jack and Millicent was perfect. I could have read an entire chapter with the two of them and absolutely wouldn’t have complained. I, seriously, can not wait until Ali’s next book. This one just made me so incredibly happy. And the cameo in the book? Just made me 10000000x times more happy.

Elsie is a theoretical physicist who is struggling to make ends meet as an adjunct professor. To bring in additional income, she works for a fake dating company. She adores helping her current client, with one exception- his big, brooding brother, Jack. They don’t get along, and when Elsie receives a huge work opportunity, she is faced with Jack again. She discovers that Jack is actually a big rival who ruined her mentor’s career, and has the influence to affect hers as well.

I am a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood, and I’ve read all of her work. To say I was excited to have the opportunity to read an early copy of this book is a huge understatement! It did not disappoint one bit. I loved it- I devoured every ounce of fake dating, enemies to lovers perfection packed into a steamy STEM romance package. Elsie was very likable and relatable as a people-pleaser who is afraid to let others see her true self. I loved how Jack could see Elsie for who she really is all along. The enemies to lovers trope was very well done, and the slow build up to their relationship was lots of fun. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes as well, and there’s a good twist on it here! If you enjoy an empowering romance with intelligent and dynamic characters, you’ll love this book.

Thank you to Ali Hazelwood, Berkley Romance, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Is it possible that this book redeemed me from my previous disappointment with <i>The Love Hypothesis</i>? Indeed! I think what I ultimately needed from this was a bit more remove from all the hype Hazelwood's debut received, but what essentially became a breather from her other works (I still haven't read the novellas, or <i>Love on the Brain</i>) also gave me a chance to revisit this story more on its own terms and evaluate the success of its premise. There are still a handful of the all-too-identifiable tropes that seem present across most of her books (teeny-tiny woman meets very large man, complete with the ohgodhowwillitfit moment, which... eh, not to mention the villain being revealed as somewhat mustache-twirly in the final portion of the book), but the banter and lead-up to Elsie and Jack's romance was amusing, and there's a really interesting subversion of the HEA that pleasantly surprised me too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m an Ali Hazelwood fan and I enjoyed this book but there were some aspects that were a little annoying. Hazelwood tends to give her women characters “quirky” traits and for this character it was obviously cheese, which got to be a little annoying. But the story overall was fun.