Has this book just became one of my top 10 books ever. Yes.

Love, Theoretically has everything you can want or need in a romance novel. The spice was fantastic (Ali Hazelwood I love you). Elsie and Jack were just so freaking adorable. This book made me laugh, cry and just made my heart absolutely die.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Theoretical physicist (and diabetic) Elsie Hannaway is given the opportunity to interview for a tenure professor position at MIT. Adjuncting and making side income of being someone’s fake date on Faux have come to a point where she just can’t do it anymore. Little does she know, the Jack Smith she met at her last fake date’s family gathering was his brother, experimental physicist at MIT, AND the man she has despised for many years because of a horrible article he had written about theorists. When Elsie’s science career literally implodes, is Jack her saving grace? The one that helps her pick up all the pieces?

Hazelwood does it again, and I must say I enjoyed this one more than LOVE ON THE BRAIN. Academic science is literally a competition, though sometimes collaborative, and more often than not incestuous. The politics, the mentorship, the tension among theorists and experimentalists were so deeply rooted in LOVE, THEORETICALLY, above the romantic relationship between two physicists. I was here for all of it! I also loved Elsie’s growth and the way Jack just grounded her in every way possible; they complimented each other very well. The banter was perfection, the science puns and dad physics jokes incorrigibly flawless, the added details about Faux, the student emails (because I totally empathize with this since I adjunct), and the side characters—all *chef’s kiss.* I loved how SMART, STEaMy, and just overall entertaining Elsie and Jack were. Plus, we got an Adam and Olive cameo.

YALL, ALI HAZELWOOD DOES IT AGAIN! This book was literally EVERYTHING! I screamed, I cried, I giggled, I kicked my feet, I laughed, I felt it all. I had so much fun reading this book! I deeply feel in love with our main characters Elsie and Jack, let me tell you my therapist has her work cut out for her! Love, Theoretically is giving The Love Hypothesis a run for it’s money as my favorite Ali Hazelwood book! Do yourself a favor and read this ASAP!

Thank you to Ali and her team for sending us this book to review for The Bibliovert Podcast.

This is fantastic! It is probably my favorite of the series. The characters are wonderful and highly entertaining.
As always, Ms. Hazelwood's deep experience with academia is charmingly presented here. I love how she uses the Hunger Games of academia to inform the plot. And even if I spotted the antagonist before the climax of the book, there were still many surprises in store for me.
Great book, great characters. Readers will eat it up with a spoon.
NOTE: we will also discuss this book on the #AmWriting podcast.

🔬 Book Review 🔬

I was beyond thrilled to have been able to read an early copy of Love, Theoretically.

✔️ Secret Identity
✔️ Rivals to Lovers
✔️ Opposites Attract

Elsie is an academic but it doesn't pay the bills. She has to moonlight as a fake-girlfriend-for hire. This works well for her as she loves figuring out what people like and giving it to them. While doing this, she has a visceral connection to her client's older brother. Too bad he's off limits. And then extra too bad when she goes out for a science job where he works! Mayhem and banter and swoon ensues.

Ali is magic at opposites attract. I loved Elsie and her sunny personality, especially when it bewilders the stoic Jack who has no idea what to do with her. He is such a sweet cinnamon roll and I loved the scenes where he is so thoughtful and observant and takes care of her.

The workplace drama felt too real. I have many times been caught between what I want vs what my boss or other external forces are pushing to and not knowing what to do (I am, at heart, a rule follower like Elsie).

And or course this book is chock full of banter and dirty talk - a must for me 😂

All in all, Love, Theoretically delivered what I love in a romance and I left this book world smiling and swoony. 5⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars: The characters and the writing delivered me exactly what I want from AH, which is the main thing I enjoy in her books, so big plus there. I also liked some of the themes, but there was something about the meshing of the internal conflict (Elsie's insecurity) and the external conflict (the interviewing process + fake girlfriend past) that didn't quite come together the way I would want. In theory, it makes sense, but for some reason, it just resulted in an overall plot that for me was the weakest so far.
Still, this was so cozy for me, and I was glad to be back in the Hazelwood-verse

5 stars for the dizzying banter, a hero who is absolutely gone for his woman, and just the greatest romantic chemistry.

-1 star for being so incredibly science and physics heavy. I didn't get a B in physics 101 to have to relive it in my romance novels.

4 enthusiastic stars overall.

i am aware this book is not going to be for everyone, but since it's the first book i've WANTED to read in a good six months, it gets a five star rating. bonus points for the fact that, based ENTIRELY on my own perceptions, she took edward and bella inspiration HARD when writing elsie and jack

this was honestly just a super fast read and silly and that's all i really want or need from an ali hazelwood book so you'll catch no complaints from me there!

Another great novel by Hazelwood. "Love, Theoretically" is a charming and heartwarming romance that will leave you with a smile on your face. Ali Hazelwood's writing is witty, insightful, and engaging, drawing the reader in from the first page and never letting go. Delightful and satisfying read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. If you're a fan of contemporary romance with heart, humor, and intelligence, then definitely one to add to your reading list.

This was so much fun! I loved the relationship and the story so much. Another Ali Hazelwood book that I just love. So much fun and wit and charm, would recommend.

Any romance novel by Ali Hazelwood has become a must-read so, it is no surprise that I jumped at the chance to read her newest STEMinist romcom!

Elsie has learned to live two lives; an adjunct professor in theoretical physicist by day and a fake girlfriend the rest of the time (to make ends meet). She has also learned to read people and become the Elsie that they want her to be.

When she interviews for her dream job as a theoretical physics professor at MIT, her two worlds collide. How? I don't want to ruin the surprise. Elsie learns what she wants and how to ask for it.

This steamy romance novel is also delightful and charming and a must-read from our ultimate list of beach reads.

Thank-you Berkley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

If Ali writes it, I’m going to read it.

I’ve loved all her previous works, but Love, Theoretically is my new favorite. I loved Elsie’s character, and Jack was a knockout of a MMC. Their communication and openness with each other was written so well, and as a chronic people pleaser, I appreciated Elsie’s inner monologue about how she bends herself to fit the mold for other people.

And the spice? Phew Jack Smith is HOT.

10/10, cannot wait to hold a physical copy in my hand.

I loved this one! I think this was the most believable and well-characterized book Hazelwood has written so far. I enjoyed Elsie’s journey in standing up and becoming herself, and I thought Jack did a great job catalyzing the process for her.

I like the smol girl-big boi trope, and Hazelwood delivers on that again; however, it is not as prevalent as it is in her other books. The spice was great (as expected). I also felt really engaged with the plot line and not just the relationship, which is not something I can say for the other Hazelwood books.

Overall, I think if you like Hazelwood novels, you’ll like this one. Even if you’re unsure, I would still give it a try; it’s unique enough to differentiate itself. Thank you to Netgalley, Berkeley, and Hazelwood for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elsie Hannaway is a theoretical physicist who works as an adjunct professor but is desperately searching for a tenured teaching position. To make extra money, she poses as a fake girlfriend for men. Elsie is at a family party posing as the doting girlfriend to one of her favorite clients, and she begins to worry that his older brother, Jack Smith, is beginning to question that their relationship is real. Elsie side job explodes with her professional life when she runs into Jack while sitting for an interview to be a tenured professor at MIT. Jack Smith is not a physical education teacher like she initially thought; he is an experimental physicsist. Elsie is used to molding her personality to change based on what a person wants to see and hear. She finds that she is unable to read what Jack wants, and she begins to feel vulnerable around him. Elsie begins to fall for Jack, but she doesn't want to trust him since he has spent the beginning of his professional career diminishing theoretical physics.

I really enjoyed the character of Jack Smith, and I wish we had more scenes with him. However, I was frustrated with Elsie's internal monologues and her constant self-sabotage. The book also did get a bit in the weeds with the discussion of theoretical versus experimental physics. Nonetheless, fans of Hazelwood's other books won't want to miss this one.

Yawn.

I thought, given the experiences I've had with Hazelwood's last few books, that I would at least dislike it enough to write an impassioned review, but in reality it was just boring. Hazelwood's books really don't change much -- it's the Kenyon-esque problem of having no real plot, just writing a book entirely based on tropes, and changing the names of the main characters. Are there decent parts? Sure. Is it something to write home about? Nah.

Ali’s books have been hit or miss for me but this one is a major hit! Probably my favorite!

Now my 90’s kid took some time to disassociate Elsie from the Borden’s mascot cow but other than that I really enjoyed Love Theoretically. As a massive Big Bang Theory fan I was semi versed in the differences between experimental and theoretical physics and I really enjoyed the way Ali used the real world tension between the two and amped it up to 100.

Like all of her FMCs, Elsie is a bit out there (nobody likes Twilight and cheese that much 🤣) but she’s quite likable. I specially as the book goes on and she grows more into herself.

Jack is my favorite (and clearly Ali’s too) type of MMC, initially broody but a cinnamon roll at heart.

For my spice fans, the spice takes a loonnggg time to show up but it is there! This is def one of the more slow slow burns I’ve read in a while but the great banter makes up for it.

Another hit by Ali Hazelwood!

My absolute favourite part of Ali Hazelwood’s books is the setting of academia, and this novel is even more academic than the previous ones. Typically with romance books featuring professors or researchers, the setting is secondary. But with these books, the setting really comes to life, and you can tell that the author has ample experience in this realm. The university politics are all there—and for readers who think that the truth was stretched–it really isn’t. This is what it’s like in academia. Even the days-long interviews and the exhaustion that accompanies them. I don’t miss that! At least I got more than the one allotted bathroom break!

Hazelwood writes awkward heroines, and Elsie is no exception. She’s spent her entire life adjusting her personality to fit the needs of whomever she’s currently interacting with. She doesn’t want to be seen as a burden, which stems from her childhood when she was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Even now, her family overly relies on her to be the peacemaker, even when she’s interviewing for a top job at MIT!

The family drama was a little over the top, as were a few of the misunderstandings. These people have PhDs! Some of Elsie’s misunderstandings required a little too much of a suspension of disbelief, particularly how she heard the word “phys” and assumed Physical Education… when she’s a physicist? Mmm k

Regardless, this is a feel-good romance and I love the predictability of Ali Hazelwood’s books. You know that it will start off with angst, all the while you, as the reader, can tell that the hero is already smitten. Meanwhile, the heroine, despite her advanced degrees, remains clueless. Then, she has personal growth while developing feelings for the hero. Then, there’s the overly spicy romance scenes that you wouldn’t expect by looking at the cartoon covers 👀

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy Hazelwood’s other books, if you work in higher education, or if you just want a good laugh.

Ali Hazelwood writes copy/paste romances, but this is maybe her best copy/paste yet.

The storyline and characters of this book, as with her others, are very formulaic, just dropped into a STEM context. It was still overall enjoyable, but I think there isn't really anything special here. That said, it is entertaining, and this protagonist was more interesting (and less eye-roll inducing) than Hazelwood's previous two novels.

Ultimately, this was a fun read, less cringey than The Love Hypothesis or Love on the Brain, and I'd recommend it with the stipulation that you shouldn't go in expecting your world to be changed, but if you just want an easy read, then go for it.

Out June 13, 2023 [Thank you so much the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 5/5 stars

Elsie is a theoretical physicist working as an adjunct professor and moonlighting on a fake dating app. But when the brother of her favorite client turns out to be a member of the committee evaluating Elsie’s application for a faculty position at MIT, her well-planned personas may just begin to crumble.

I have made no secret of my love (adoration? obsession???) for Ali Hazelwood, to the point that receiving an ARC of one of her books was literally a bucket list item for me, so to say I was excited when I had the chance to read this one is a massive understatement. Fortunately, I was as blown away by this book as I have been of all of Ali’s previous works.

Elsie and Jack are both fascinating, layered characters—Elsie, particularly, is incredibly nuanced and watching her journey to self-acceptance unfold was so beautiful to me. And Jack…well, a swoon-worthy Ali Hazelwood MMC is nothing new, but Jack is, in some ways, my favorite of them all (maybe. For now. It’s a multi-way tie, okay????) because of the way he truly supports Elsie and challenges her to grow and overcome her insecurities. The supporting characters are also great, and I particularly loved seeing some ace/aro representation/discussion in a mainstream romance, as well!

I could go on, but truly there are no amount of joyful, effusive sentences that can adequately convey how happy an Ali Hazelwood novel makes me, and this one is no exception. I can’t wait for the world to read it!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: STEM romance; academic stories; hedgehogs

CW: Mentions of death of parent; some misogyny/sexism

Quite possibly her best book yet. TLH was good, LOTB was basically TLH 2.0... but THIS... THIS was IT. Ali was able to incorporate her classic quirk, without making it too overpowering. And her hero seemed decidedly different from Adam and Levi, in the best ways possible. I was a little worried after her last book, but Love, Theoretically reeled me right back in.