I am always a fan of how Ali Hazelwood is so good at pining. Love, Theoretically is no exception, and while her books all share deep similarities (a large, huge dude who is brooding over a smaller, thin woman), I eat up her writing. I really enjoyed the insights into academia's hiring processes and how adjunct professors really get a horrible deal - not working in this sector, it was eye-opening. There was a great mix of female empowerment, a male MC who works to help uplift women in STEM and the take down of a misogynistic male STEM leader. I think this may have been my favorite Hazelwood book so far.

Ali’s book age like a fine wine. Each one is better than the last in the best way. I cried, I laughed, I annotated the fire out of this book. This was such a fun and wonderful romance that was riddled with all of our favorite tropes, real life feelings, and even a little something for TLH girlies. This was a masterpiece and I loved every single second of Elise. Jack is a true contender for the ultimate book boyfriend and I can’t wait to see what else Ali comes up with. Read it now.

For those that know me, it is no secret that I LOVE Ms. Ali and her writing! She is so incredibly good at what she does and her skills were on full display in Love, Theoretically. The lovable (and smart af!!) characters, the excellent humor and banter (truly *chef’s kiss*), the focus on women in STEM and the challenges they face!! I adored our MCs. Elsie is doing the damn thing to get shit done!! Nothing but admiration for her fighting the good fight in the face of challenges and chasing after her dream job. She is such a badass in her field and it’s truly such a joy to read about incredible women. And JACK. I felt that he was the most well rounded of Ali’s male leads??? Don’t get me wrong I am an Adam and Levi girlie through and through!! But sir Jack? And the way he’s able to see straight through Elsie’s carefully constructed walls, people-pleasing, and see her for HER??? *SOB* Really love a hero that is articulate with his feelings, and Jack is exactly that!

I knew there was going to be an Adam and Olive cameo and boy oh boy did Ali deliver. I was expecting a brief appearance and was DELIGHTED when instead they were featured so prominently and had full conversations with Jack and Elsie. In fact, the chapter in question was perhaps my very favorite part of the novel!

My biggest piece of feedback for the book as a whole, is that the tropes felt veryyy similar to those in TLH and Love on the Brain. This might be win for some readers who love these specific tropes and the familiarity of reading them time and time again, but for me I found myself a bit distracted by the similarities while reading. As much as I love rivals to lovers, guy falls first, and I’ve always loved you, I would have liked to see some new ground covered. Secondly, though more minor to my reading experience, was the plot regarding Elsie’s incredibly immature twin brothers. They were slashing each other’s tires and fighting over a girl… as fully grown adults? While I don’t read romance for super realistic plot lines, I had I hard time getting behind the nonsense these two brought when we can assume they are nearly 30 years old (given they are older than Elsie who is 27).

All in all, Love, Theoretically was a solid rom-com for me from one of my very favorite authors! The biggest thank you to the Ali, Berkley, and NetGalley for access to an early copy in exchange for an honest review. As always, I am eager to read whatever Ali pens next!

If you like books featuring…
Fake dating relationships
Academia
Characters learning to stand up for themselves
ARO/ACE representation

Great for fans of…
Please Like Me (VOD)
Heartstopper (Graphic Novel by Alice Oseman & Netflix)
Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO)

I’m so lucky to get to read this book early. Ali Hazelwood books have the best banter and quirkiest characters you can’t help but root for.

I especially loved the dynamic between the two MCs and will probably be re-reading this again soon.

All the stars. All the romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

Ali Hazelwood is back with another amazing STEM romance that manages to be just as good (or better than?) The Love Hypothesis.

Love, Theoretically follows two rival physicists, theorist Elsie and experimentalist Jack as they go from enemies to lovers. Elsie is a struggling theoretical physicist who is trying to get out of her current job as an adjunct professor (when she isn’t working as a professional fake girlfriend). When she gets an interview for a prestigious job, she is horrified to discover that the brother of one of her fake boyfriends is standing between her and her dream job. Not only does Jack know her secret, but he is also the experimental physicist that did damage to the reputation of Elsie’s field. The two banter and fight, but Elsie soon realizes that Jack may be the only person that truly sees her for who she is.

I absolutely loved this book and a huge reason is just how lovable Elsie and Jack are. Elsie is the quintessential Mirrorball girlie and I found her ability to assess and change herself to fit whoever the person she is with wants her to be to be fascinating. I loved how Jack helped her come into her own and he was just a sweet, flawed cinnamon roll. They had all the chemistry and angst and adorableness. I hope to see a little cameo of them in future books because I miss them already.

All the stars. Highly recommend.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Theoretically follows Elsie and Jack, physicists in the Boston academia scene. Elsie is a theoretical physicist, working as an adjunct professor on several campuses and struggling to get by. To help make ends meet, she offers "Fake Girlfriend" services through an app called Faux, through which she ends up meeting Jack, her favorite client's brother, who seems to dislike her. She later finds out that Jack is also a physicist, albeit of the experimental variety, when she's applying for a tenured position at MIT and he's on the selection committee.

Elsie is a people-pleaser to the point of needing a lot of therapy. She picks up on what people want or expect out of her and tailors her personality to match. Jack happens to hate liars and immediately recognizes what she's doing. Drama, suspicion, and attraction ensue.

If you've read more than one Ali Hazelwood book, you've probably picked up on the fact that she seems to favor certain tropes and dynamics. Academic rivals-to-lovers (except he's been obsessed with her this whole time while she was convinced he hated her), huge man/teeny tiny woman, authority figures abusing their power, MC's obsessed with a random thing to the point of parody (pumpkin spice, Marie Curie), sexism in STEM, etc. Love, Theoretically also has a lot of these elements in spades, which may turn some readers off, but I think it's Hazelwood's best execution of those things yet.

Even if you're frustrated with the lack of variety in her setups, Hazelwood's writing voice is strong and engaging. Her dialogue is sharp, legitimately funny, and very charming. The plot was tight, the infamous "third act conflict" was reasonable, characters actually communicated like adults about their feelings and frustrations, and the romance was endearing. I flew through this book with a huge smile on my face 90% of the time, and felt genuine sympathy for Elsie the other 10% of the time when things took a turn for the worse.

Overall, while I wish Ali Hazelwood would switch things up a bit, ultimately there's a comfort in picking up a book and getting exactly what you expect, so I happened to enjoy this one a lot. 4/5 stars!


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Ali and Berkley for the eARC.

I read this entire book today, a rare occurrence for me when it comes to ebooks. I can say with absolute sincerity that I have never smiled so hard AND cried so hard over a book. Ever.

I’ve never felt as seen as I do through Elsie, through her relationship trauma, her aro/ace questioning, her code-switching. I’ll come up with a more coherent review prior to publication… probably. I just love Ali so much.

I think this may be Hazelwood’s best novel. Elsie is a theoretical physicist drowning in the wasteland that is being an adjunct professor. On the side, she also is a fake-girlfriend for hire to help pay her rent and for her insulin. Jack (aka Dr. Jonathan Smith-Turner) is the brother of one of Elsie’s regular clients on the fake-girlfriend service. Elsie is up for a job at MIT but standing in her way is the experimental physicist who destroyed the field of theoretical physics 15 years prior and also, Dr. Jonathan Smith-Turner. Elsie has spent her whole life being the version of Elsie that everyone wants, but with Jack, he sees through her tactics and brings the real Elsie to the surface. They both have strong feelings for each other, but can they set aside the feuds of their academic discipline and their complicated histories and give their relationship a chance?
I really enjoyed this book. The characters had great chemistry and their relationship was believable. I also loved the angle of the pettiness of academia that Hazelwood really brought to life. This is a perfect summer RomCom for anyone wanting the perfect balance of spice, romance, and academic BS!

Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Ali Hazelwood has graced us with yet another phenomenal romance! Ah, swoon. I really loved the two main characters and greatly enjoyed the journey that these two went on. Will be buying for the library and recommending to book clubs!

I would love to interview Ali for my podcast Raise Your Words. Ali’s writing style is what got me back into reading Adult romance. I wish the characters were more diverse, but overall it’s a fun story. Love, Theoretically is one of my most highly anticipated reads of this year. Elsie and Jack are adorable. I especially loved seeing Olive and Adam back!!! It’s always a fun time when an author includes their previous characters. If there’s anyway I can get a physical copy of this I would do anything for it. Almost anything.

I absolutely loved The Love Hypothesis so when Love on the Brain came out, I was thrilled. Unfortunately, I didn't think it lived up to her first book so I went into Love Theoretically cautiously. However I was pleasantly surprised- it was good! I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author.

Does Hazelwood use almost the same formula that she did with her previous books in this one? Yes.
Was this still damn good? Also yes.
Honestly, this is without a doubt my favorite Ali Hazelwood book. I think she gets better with each one. I absolutely loved Elsie--she's a character we don't see too often in books, and it was so nice to be able to relate to certain parts of her. Plus, Jack was absolutely swoony (bonus point for him looking like Nanami Kento on the cover). The humor's there, the sexy times are there, the absolute please/pain of the pining is definitely there. If you loved her previous books, don't hesitate to check this one out. If you have yet to dive into the Hazelwood Hype, this is the one I recommend starting with.

Hmmm. I've said it before and I'll say it again; Ali Hazelwood can write one kinda girl, one kinda guy, and one kinda plot. Tiny, skinny girl (this is noted many times) who is bad at communication? Check. Giant, hunky science dude who has been secretly in love with the girl since he first saw her? Check. Scummy academics committing sabotage? Check.

All her girls manage to be super smart and also super dumb. The guys are always Good Guys(TM) and academia always kinda sucks. Also, this book was HEAVY on the science. Look, I have to be honest. I cannot tell you one thing about theoretical or experimental physics. Not a thing.

I'll keep reading Ali Hazelwood books for now, because they're fun and she's nice, but also, like. Uh. I get it. Your female main characters are super skinny and always know they're pretty and they're not self-conscious at all. Totes realistic.

This was great! I really love all the STEM books that come out of Ali Hazelwood. It really makes me regret not taking more science classes when I was in college even though I know I'd hate them. lol

I will start with saying that I still really like Ali Hazelwood and her first book really seemed groundbreaking and unique. However, this book ended up being just average to me. I won't say it was fully disappointing, but in comparison to her previous novels, this just came across too cookie cutter to those. The characters felt too similar as did the story line (enemies to lovers and some dating/not dating mixed in).
Elsie was a confusing character to me. She didn't seem to have quite enough direction or confidence overall, despite her remaining headstrong and loyal to her advisor and the science divide seemingly created by one article written while she was still a child....I didn't mind Jack as much as he seemed more sure of himself and comfortable in his own skin.
I felt like the whole faux story line was way to forced and unbelievable. I also never quite saw what Elsie and her roommate/friend had in common other than being poor and it seemed like her friend was holding her back at times because it was fun that they were both living this chaotic frugal lifestyle.
The scene where Elsie finds out about the job was actually heartbreaking. I don't know how academia actually works but that whole job interview seemed ridiculous and on the verge of being so biased that it would be some sort of HR violation.
Overall, it felt like the whole thing (story line, characters, development) needed more time and editing. I still appreciate and love Hazelwood's world that she's brought into the romance novel genre. I just hope her next novel is more unique than being a carbon copy of her first books.

One of Ms. Hazel woods better STEM romances. I really liked that this one got a little science heavy and appreciated the ACE/AROS representation with the side character. A win for me! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC - all opinions my own.

It seemed very similar to the first two books, but I did enjoy those books, so I did enjoy this one. It just wasn't extremely original.

Love, Theoretically is my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet! Elsie was such a fun, entertaining and unique character. Her inner dialogue had me laughing out loud. Elsie is the type of character who you find yourself relating to. I am a people pleaser, just like Elsie. It is so easy to get caught up in life and forget what makes you happy because you are worrying about others. Ali Hazelwood does such a great job of showing Elsie’s growth throughout this novel.

The sexual tension and banter between Jack and Elsie is perfect. Jack is such a patient and kind character, who cares so much about Elsie’s feelings and wants. He is the perfect match for her. I also loved Greg, Jack's brother and Milicient, Jack and Greg’s grandmother. She brought me so much joy, making me wish I still had a grandma to banter with.

This is definitely a very heavy academic book. There were times while reading when I felt completely lost in the science aspect. I had no idea what was really being said, but then it would switch back to the story line and I felt like I was back in the game. While I enjoyed the science talk, I did feel lost at times. I did learn alot from this book about the different types of physicists as well as funny science jokes.

Love, Theoretically is one of those books that I wish I could pick up and read it again for the first time. Ali Hazelwood, you did not disappoint!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: chronic illness, sexism, toxic workplace, family tensions, death of a parent (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-rivals to idiots to lovers
-pining
-sloooow burn
-steminist
-Type 1 Diabetes rep
-Ace rep

This book was soft, lovely, and just two nerds falling in love. Ali Hazelwood does single POV romance so well and just hits every pining hero differently. Elsie is a people pleasing recent PhD grad just trying to get by. Her people pleasing ways are perfect for the fake dates she goes on to supplement her income and puts her directly in line with her fake date's older brother. Who also happens to e standing in the way of her dream job the next day for her interviews.

Jack was a mystery in the best way, trying to figure out his feelings towards Elsie, watching these two push each other's buttons and call the other out. But of course he was just pining away for her and was just so soft. When he watched the Twilight movies with her I just swooned and screamed and just could barely handle it. How he wanted to take care of her when no noels in her life ever had before. I adored Jack so much. They had amazing sexual chemistry and just consent was the key word. I loved every moment that had them on the page together and I could not get enough of them. Also, I adored seeing the glimpse of Adam and Olivia.

Elsie struggled as a woman in STEM, the inherent sexism, as well as trying to figure out how to find a job that will give her health insurance with her type 1 diabetes. Ali just excels at showing what it's like being a woman in a male dominated field, and especially how frustrating it can be to go to school for years and years which seems to leave you options for low paying jobs. This book was just the nerdiest of all of Ali's books and just fun to read. An appreciation for geeking out, for being passionate for your work, and also for comfort movies. This was low-angst perfection that had me turning the page to figure out what would happen next.

Steam: 3