Ali Hazelwood with another fantastic STEM-filled novel, LOVE, THEORETICALLY. I have been following Hazelwood's releases since THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS- so I was so elated to get a chance to read her newest release. This book is her best work yet! So full of the same humor and romance that readers fell in love with during her previous books. I truly could not put this book down until I had reached the final page. I am sure this is going to be a huge hit when it hits the shelves this summer, and I am so excited to see whatever she writes next!

To make ends meet Elsie Hannaway offers her services as a fake girlfriend, but her day job is as an adjunct professor of thermodynamics hoping to make tenure. When she applies for a position at MIT her worlds collide when the brother of a man she's fake dating turns out to be on the hiring panel, and the experimental physicist she considers her nemesis.

When Jack turns out to treat her as a colleague instead of a nemesis it has her re-thinking everything her mentor has told her about Jack, and wondering if there might be more to him than she first considered. But Elsie can't break the trust of her fake-dating client (Jack's brother currently off the grid), and Jack knows she's not the librarian she pretended to be. This job is exactly what she needs to get out of multiple jobs and make a decent living, but she's so tangled up in the people she's pretending to be doesn't know where to start to show Jack she can be trusted.

This was another charming romcom from STEMinist author Ali Hazelwood.

I have a love hate relationship with Ali and her writing. I find all of her books enjoyable, but they all follow that same formula, which is annoying. I went into this thinking I would be disappointed, but I wasn't. I enjoyed both characters, but the male lead blew the last two out of the park. Both of these characters were relatable and interesting and though it does follow some of the same formula, this was by far the best book she's written.

Ali Hazelwood is the master of her craft. I have enjoyed every book of hers but this is by far her best work yet. She has perfected the rivals to lovers, the reluctant to love, the bringing the best out in each other.
I am confident that with every book Hazelwood will only get better. Romance genre can be full of tropes and cliches but Hazelwood has found a way to put a new spin on every single one of them.
Highly recommend to any romance reader, fiction lover, and STEMinist!

Overall *10/10!
10/10: Writing Quality
10/10: Image / Illustration Quality
10/10: Character Development
10/10: "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness
10/10: Intellectual Depth
10/10: Originality

✨Review - Love, Theoretically by @alihazelwood
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I was honestly giddy when I saw that @NetGalley and @BerkleyPub had approved my request for Ali Hazelwood’s June release. I’m a total sucker for a bingeable romcom with STEMinist vibes, and Hazelwood is the master. While this one feels a lot like her previous books, but I’ve come to find there’s a comfort in knowing what to expect from a Hazelwood book.
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Synopsis:

“The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
 
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.”
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No spoilers here, but you can look forward to:

⚛️Theoretical vs Experimental physics jabs (a la Big Bang Theory)
❣️Fake dating
💞Forced proximity
😍The guy falls first
🟰 Gender equity themes
💰 Science and professional ethics
🧪An extended Adam and Olive cameo

There are a few times Hazelwood pokes fun at her fanfiction roots too - and I’m here for all of it.

‘Love, Theoretically’ releases June 13.

Well.. surprise surprise I absolutely love this book!

For a little background, I binge read the Love Hypothesis, gave it 5 stars and became completely obsessed with Ali Hazelwood. Her second book, Love on the Brain I also really liked, but I rated it 4 stars- it wasn't as good as the first in my opinion.

Enter Love, Theoretically- 5 stars, I was completely hooked and read this so fast even though I tried to savor it.

Why- the premise was academic nemesis to lovers- HELL YES. Both main characters Jack and Elsie were extremely well developed. I found them both very unique in the Aliverse. Jack was the closed off, mysterious type but he has a great backstory. We go on a beautiful journey with Elsie learning how to really love herself as she is and allow people to see her authentic self.

The relationship between Jack and Elsie.. it is hard to describe but them getting to know each other felt like a very intimate experience as a reader. Not even talking about the spicy parts. There story was vulnerable and I felt every part of it viscerally.

Other parts I loved- it was hilarious, yes. But it also explored the dark side of academia, the petty feuds, the misery of adjuncting (The author's note explained that this was all very much based on reality).

Anyways, I could go on and on but the goal of this review is to convince you to pick this up!

Ali Hazelwood does it again! This is steamy, engaging, full of science and, most importantly, has lots of personal growth from truly lovable characters.

Did I read this book in pretty much one sitting? Yes, yes I did. At this point Ali Hazelwood could write the dictionary and I'd read it.

Hazelwood's third foray into STEM romance centers around two physicists in Boston. Elsie is used to turning herself into whoever she needs to be to make people like her. It's a skill that has served her well- her adjunct position doesn't pay enough to live on so she part-times as a fake girlfriend. She wants out of the adjunct world and into a stable position in academia. Unfortunately, when she goes to interview for the best job opportunity she's come across, her search committee includes the brother of one of her fake-boyfriends. Oh, and he's her academic arch-enemy.

Hazelwood does enemies to lovers (or imagined enemies to lovers) really well. I love the banter between the two MCs. As someone who works in academia, I also really appreciate the inside look into the craziness that is our world.

I'll also add that Hazelwood has again featured characters on the ace/aro spectrum, and has actually labelled it as such in this book (the first time she has done so, I think). I love the inclusion, especially in the romance genre.

In all, a wonderful read for anyone who has loved Hazelwood's books in the past. Similar to her previous books, but in a comforting, getting into a warm bath, way. You know what you're going to get, and there's something relaxing about that.

Of all Ali Hazelwood’s books, this one feels the most authentic, and the reader learns at the end that she based some of the story on her own experiences. A tried and true formula! I appreciated that there were genuine flaws in both characters, and that this wasn’t just a fantasy about relationships. There also wasn’t a stupid misunderstanding that turned up. The issues these people faced were real.

I actually really enjoyed this one... even though it really felt somewhat similar to Hazelwood's other stories with minor differences. I do like an age gap story and of course the STEM setting is one of the biggest reasons I still gravitate to these books.

Thank you for the early copy!

3.5/5

So I will literally read anything Ali writes because they're ~fun~ and she is amazing. That being said, LOVE, THEORETICALLY felt a bit too much like her other books to really find it memorable or five-star worthy. It was funny and steamy, but overall, it was an indistinguishable enemies-to-lovers story and not one I'd likely re-read. But will always read a new Ali!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Thank you so much Berkley Publishing for letting me review this book!
Okay where do I even start?? Elsie is probably one of my top developed characters! She has a really hard time with being honest with people and telling her overbearing mother No,she's EXTREMLEY intelligent but has a hard time thinking about what she wants for herself. I dont want to get into too much detail but the star of the show for me was Cece! My goodness she is my spirit animal and absolutely hilarious with Hedgie being her sidekick. This book had so much humor and so much RELATABLE feelings. We need more Jacks in the world, that is all im going to say about him.
Im not sure why but here were some parts where Elsie seemed a bit child like in her descriptions, it didnt take away from the stories but something about her inexperience with some things reminds me of somebody in their teens and not an adult. Not a bad thing! But during the romance scenes it was hard to focus.
Overall I LOVED this book, so far its my favorite out of the three knocking Love Hypothesis off my chart!

Love, Theoretically follows Elise who is an adjunct professor who teaches thermodynamics and hopes to land tenure. The adjunct position isn't able to cover all her bills so she has a job on the side. She agrees to be a fake girlfriend to those in need for payment. Jack is the older brother of her favorite client. He turns out to be a physicist who sits on the hiring committee at MIT. Elsie is in consideration for the job at MIT. The only problem is that she and Jack might have feelings for each other. Elise will stop at nothing to get her dream job and maybe find love along the way. 

I am a big fan of Ali Hazelwood. I have loved all of her books. Just like all of her other books I LOVED this one. While all of her books deal with women in STEM and academics, this book was more academic than her others. I loved how this book also focused on a main character dealing with a chronic illness. I wish more books would include characters like that in their books. I enjoyed the evolution of Elsie and Jack's relationship. Also, I loved that this one had call backs to her other books. Oh and I was 1000% here for the Twilight references. The only problem I have with Ali Hazelwood is she makes it impossible to pick a favorite book by her. I suggest all of Ali Hazelwood's books. 

Thank you so much Ali Hazelwood, Berkley Romance, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

4.25 out of 5. Ali Hazelwoods first book, The love Hypothesis, as a total 5 star read in my book. Her later books are equally as bingeworthy, however how similar in subject matter and story make them less of a mind blowing read than the first one. It might also be my favorite male lead of all her books. Don't get me wrong this is still a fabulous romance and should be top of your lists come finding a beach read this summer. I actually didn't need the steam at the end, I feel her books are so well written than sometimes I fell like its another author when she changes tracks.

I didn’t think it was possible to topple Love on the Brain from the pedestal it occupies as a permanent resident in my happy thoughts.

I was wrong! I adored this book so much and cannot wait to bore everyone to tears talking about it on my blog on release day!

True confession, I was a little disappointed in this one. Jack was just a little too good to be true. But even so, it was a sweet, fun, fast read and I enjoyed it.

While I didn’t love the idea that a children’s librarian is some boring job that people wouldn’t care to talk about in depth, overall this book was steamy good fun! The premise is interesting and well executed, and the chemistry and physicality of the relationship between Elsie and Jack is excellent. At times I did want to shake Elsie for the way she was acting, but it was grounded in the texted as to why she was acting the way she was. A solid addition to Hazelwood’s STEM oeuvre, and a book I’ll definitely recommend.

I super loved Love, Theoretically. I'm sure it has something to do with having a strong female character. Probably also had to do with that strong enemies to lovers trope. And no doubt, it had to do with the way Ali Hazelwood played with my emotions..I mean I had literal tears on my face at one point and was NOT expecting that to happen, at all.



In Love, Theoretically we get to see Elsie, a theoretical physicist, pitted against her nemesis (even though he has no idea she exists), Jack, a experimental physicist. Through a series of events, we learn that they *do* know each other but not as the STEM gods they are...no they know each other because Elsie's been fake dating his brother. It all comes to a head when she shows up to an interview dinner and realizes he's on the hiring committee.



Without going into detail because it would be easy to spoil, I'll just say that their snarling and sniping made for some great reading and then when they, because of course they do, eventually get together, the sweetness is a great contrast to all of the earlier angst. I loved all aspects of their story, even the science-y stuff; it was perfectly paced, the dialogue was well done, and I couldn't help rooting for them, even when I was rooting against them (I know it doesn't make sense, but it kinda does). Loved this one and can't wait to grab something else by Ali Hazelwood.

Forgive me for starting with a physics pun about a physicist romance, but this was Big Bang-ing cute!

While Hazelwood does serve up a couple familiar tropes from her previous STEM works, she subverts them in fresh and entertaining ways, making it so she's able to strike a delicate balance between navigating academic politics, fake dating shenanigans, and rivals falling in love. There's something about that combination - and the manner in which it's applied here - which gives the story moments of real gravity as well as moments of quirky acceleration.

Like I said, it's a good balance. Makes for a fun, tender, science-filled escape which pins a theoretical physicist against an experimental physicist in more ways that one...

The premise is simple yet catching: Elsie Hannaway is a woman who's living a double life. To most, she's an adjunct professor hoping to land tenure somewhere so she can finally afford health insurance, which she needs as a Type 1 diabetic. To others, thanks to her people pleasing expertise, she's a freelancing fake girlfriend who chameleons her personality into whatever a client wants or needs, a job she takes to make extra money so she can pay her bills. (Academia ain't paying much, folks!)

Things start to look up when she gets an interview at MIT for her dream job.

However, as to be expected, things don't run smoothly. Elsie faces an obstacle. A big, tall, muscle-y one named Jack Smith, who not only happens to be an experimentalist who has undermined theorists everywhere, but is also the older brother of her favorite client. Ruh-roh!

Lets just say it makes for quite the nuclear fission!

Anyway, what starts out between them as rivalry, as academic sabotage, soon devolves into something more atomic and quantum, with Jack being able to pierce through to the nucleus of who Elsie is and becoming someone who can give her a safe space to be her authentic self. In a similar vein, she helps him to take accountability for some of his past actions and behaviors, which is long overdue. It makes for a lovely give and take. Not to mention lots of dynamism in terms of growth, characterization, and plot.

As a couple, Jack and Elsie were adorable. I liked how they were a grounding influence for one another as well as an impetus for positive change at times. They kept the smiles coming and those electrons firing! My only complaint is I found some of the steamy scenes between them to be awkward. However, that may be more a matter of preference than anything because I had a similar sentiment when I read The Love Hypothesis.

On the whole, though: RADIOACTIVE WITH CUTENESS!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3.75/4 out of 5
After reading the novellas, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t super excited for this one. I was worried it was going to be copy and paste of all of the other books, but I was pleasantly surprised. I actually really enjoyed Love, Theoretically.

I kind of wish we had gotten this one before Love on the Brain because I like it way better. I enjoyed the spin on the fake dating trope, and I feel like Elsie was more relatable than Bee and the characters from the novellas. While I did enjoy it, there just feels like something is missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like we should have seen more of Elsie and Jack building their relationship. Idk some of their conversations felt kind of surface level to me. They were cute and I adored how much he cared for her, but I was left wanting more.

That being said, I would really love it if Ali could branch out from the enemies to lovers in the future. They’re great, but we need to change things up a bit. It would also be amazing if we could get some different body types as the main characters, too. Thankfully Elsie wasn’t described as being super “tiny” like all of her other main female characters have been but it was implied. As for Jack, he was compared to a fridge, a mountain, and basically any other incredible large object you can compare a man to. It was great in Love Hypothesis, it worked okay in Love on the Brain, but after the novellas and now this one…please give us something different (for both of them!)

I really hope we can see Ali branch out with new storylines that don’t have academia as the backdrop. While I have loved and enjoyed what we have gotten so far, it’s time for a change. (Maybe some Jane Austen retellings…??? Pretty please?? 🥹) I enjoy Ali’s writing, how easy and relatable it is, but if she doesn’t change it up, I feel like she’ll lose a large part of her fan base.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Ali Hazelwood for the e-ARC.