So this book was simply delightful. This is actually my fave of her books! Elsie is many things. She’s an adjunct professor. She’s a brilliant mind working on a tenure. She also makes very little money and makes up for that by playing the role of fake girlfriend. She tries to balance her life but it all comes crashing down when the person standing in the way of her dream job at MIT is the older brother of her favorite client.
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I am always all in on enemies to lovers and this one had me laughing throughout!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads @prhaudio and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I've devoured everything Ali Hazelwood has written, and I can confidently say that Love, Theoretically is her strongest work yet!

Once again taking place in the vast, soul-crushing world of STEM, Ali's new couple Elsie and Jack are enemies to lovers, theoretical vs experimental physicists (which is a rivalry, apparently??!). Tired adjunct professor Elsie meets Jack when she is fake-dating his younger brother (and telling everyone she is a librarian), only to soon discover that he is ALSO a physicist, and on the interview panel for the prestigious job she desperately needs. If that isn't awkward enough, Elsie realizes that he's the same Jack Smith that she has hated since middle school (for reasons I won't spoil here).

Despite the odds stacked against them, sparks fly and Elsie discovers that maybe Jack isn't a villain, and is perhaps exactly what she's been looking for.

Ali has done such an amazing job crafting vivid, endearing, and relatable characters in this book. Elsie's struggles with being vulnerable and constantly trying to people=please came across very authentically, and I dare say Jack is a serious contender for Best Hazelwood Book Boyfriend (sorry, Adam Carlsen).

Check out my full review on my podcast The Nerds Awaken!

I am so conflicted. Even though I gave it a three star rating, I did enjoy the book. I have enjoyed all of Ali Hazelwood’s books. It’s a STEM romance, enemies to lovers trope, steamy scenes, and strong female lead; everything I like in a summer romance read. BUT, I just couldn’t get through this one as quickly as her other romances. I felt some parts fell flat. Maybe it was the premise of the fake girlfriend, or she was dating the male lead’s brother. I am not sure what it was, but I still recommend reading this one as well as all of Ali’s other books. They are fun to read.

I think this might be my favorite Ali Hazelwood book! It was cute, fun and just the right amount of steam. And I absolutely loved both of the MCs, Elsie and Jack.

One of my favorite parts about this book was their relationship dynamic. With Elsie having such a need to please people and constantly being stuck in the role of taking on different identities, Jack makes her speak her mind even when she doesn't want to. It's so natural for Elsie to just run and it was refreshing to see a couple truly communicate.

Jack was hilarious and he knew Elsie inside and out.

Such a fun read and one that I'd absolutely read over and over..

I liked this one but I didn’t love it as much as Love on the Brain. It’s funny because so many loved her first one and then disliked that she follows a recipe, but for me, this new one felt so…realistic? Like, I love realistic romances, but there was so much happening and the main character was so frustrating and the book moved so fast and so slow at the same. It was unrealistic but also too realistic. It was something else. I don’t know how to feel. I would recommend it though, but I don’t think that I loved it. 3.5 out of 4

Elsie and Jack make me swoon for the better. SWOON! I love how we get these male characters that are not afraid to admit how they feel for the one that they are slowly falling for. Ali has done it once again!

SHE CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!!! Okay, I really, really enjoyed this book. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the feels. But ultimately, I wonder how many times Ali Hazelwood can write about a little tiny white woman who hates a big tall white man and thinks he hates her too but he doesn’t, he’s been in love with her since Day 1. This is her most academic work yet, and really fun. Elsie is both so likable and also a master manipulator and chronic liar, which makes for fun reading. She meets Jack when fake dating his brother, but has no idea Jack is on the hiring board for a tenure track position she’s interviewing for. And she also doesn’t know that he wrote an article that denigrated her choice of career some years ago. It’s sexy, it’s fun, and it’s the exact same book the author has written two other times already, just with her best characters yet.

Love, theoretically is the first story I’ve read by this author and I absolutely loved the story, her writing style and characters. The author has created characters with depth to them and interesting backgrounds that grow over the course of the story, both professionally and personally. Elise/Elsie Hannaway is a struggling adjunct physics professor working three jobs, barely making ends meet to pay rent and buy insulin to control her diabetes. As a side job, she is a fake girlfriend for anyone who needs a paid companion for events. She gets into a predicament when her side job runs into her professional job when she applies for a tenure position at MIT. Her fake boyfriend’s brother is on the hiring committee and turns out to be her archenemy as well. Years ago, he wrote a damning article maligning her mentor and her academic field of theoretical physics. Now she has to walk a tight line during the interview process and making nice with the one man she hates with a vengeance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story so much because of both main characters, Elsie and Jack. First, I saw so much of myself in Elsie it was pretty scary. She is a people pleaser. She will assess the situation and become the person that person would like, and she is very good at it. When she first showed up as Greg’s girlfriend, Jack saw firsthand how she could work a room and run interference for his brother Greg and become a different version of herself for each individual. Elsie has been doing it for so long with her family, her best friend and the interviewing committee, that I’m pretty sure she doesn’t show her true self to anyone. Jack sees this and points it out to her and wants her to be honest with herself and him. Jack was such an adorable hero in the story. He is protective of family but also sets boundaries because of past hurts. He fights his attraction for his brother’s ‘girlfriend’ but doesn’t relent when it comes to figuring out Elsie’s end game. It took Elsie to point out his faults after being under his microscope whenever they’ve spent time together and it was a real eye opener to him. Both understand the other and help point out how they behave and how much they are alike as well.

Ms. Hazelwood has written one of my favorite books of this year and I have to hand it to her for doing such a wonderful job. Developing characters over the course of a story, and to do it with witty banter, humor and lovable secondary characters, is such a feat. It may be a bit formulaic but it works for me. I loved the happy ending and this one was done well in spades.

Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong! Love Theoretically is, by far, her best one yet! I loved the slow burn, the academic rivalry, and the STEAM! Oh boy was it worth the wait!

I love every single new book that comes out from Ali Hazelwood. This one delved deeper into the world of academia and as someone who works in it, I LOVED it. The race to get a position and the preconceived notions about it were so accurate, I was back at the rat race that is finding a job. This was another hot, fun read between two science nerds that somehow always have bangin' bods and crazy minds. There's plenty of hi jinx to keep you entertained as well. All characters are well rounded and make you itch for more!

I really enjoyed this one! This is my second Ali hazlewood book and I just love how she writes a story! I loved her take on the fake dating trope in this one to! I thought it was done so well and different than other romance novels! I loved Elise as a character too and really related to her and trying to be what everyone else wants instead of being her true self. I also loved her growth in this one, we really see her blossom in this story and she comes into her own by the end and I loved when she took her own power back. I also loved Jack, he was such a great character and I loved how he helped Elsie along and really helped her see what she deserved In life with out pushing her to hard. He really let her do it on her own but with gentle pushes and just showing her what she deserved in life. And once again as not a science girl at all I fully enjoyed a science based story with out being confused and I love how Ali does that!

I devoured this—Ali’s writing absolutely shines. The divinely nerdtastic physics puns. The snappy banter. The beautifully nuanced friendships. The ensemble cast. Elsie’s growth arc, unlearning codependence and facing her fear of vulnerability. Jack being gone from day one, loving her so openly and fully, pushing past his pride and growing, too in taking accountability for his past. And that steam! It was a slow burn, but wowwyy did it burn when we got there. I devoured this—Ali’s writing absolutely shines. The divinely nerdtastic physics puns. The snappy banter. The beautifully nuanced friendships. The ensemble cast. Elsie’s growth arc, unlearning codependence and facing her fear of vulnerability. Jack being gone from day one, loving her so openly and fully, pushing past his pride and growing, too in taking accountability for his past. And that steam! It was a slow burn, but wowwyy did it burn when we got there.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley, for the ARC—all opinions are my own!

What does Ali Hazelwood put in her books?! This was another incredible win and omg these characters were so adorable. I loved them to bits and I'm just such a fan of these STEM romances. No wonder people have been loving this one - I think this might be her best yet!

I love a enemies to lovers, I love Ali Hazelwood, and I really loved this book.

This book was fun, it was sexy, it had heart and a really look into the process of being hired by a university which I have never read a book about (especially a romance one). I really enjoyed both Elsie and Jack and how their hatred of each other turns steamy.

This was such a fun book and I enjoyed it a lot.

Ali Hazelwood's books are always fun, and this one is no exception. This is kind of the feeling I want when I'm looking for a lighter romance. That being said, this definitely isn't my favorite. I had trouble getting into it and really loving the characters. But I really enjoy the STEM romances and this is a solid one.

I have no words, this book was absolutely amazing! I giggled like a school girl in some parts then was entranced by the spicy scenes. I love how Jack is just fully entranced by Elsie and how he just wants to take care of her. I can’t wait for her next book to come out.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book isn't the funniest or most fast-paced, and yet weirdly enough I enjoyed it. No doubt or surprise that the STEM element is extremely well-written and my favourite part. I loved learning about the feud between theoretical and experimental physicists, the politics at play and all the struggles that exist in the industry.

Elsie's character development was great and I found her very relatable. The romance was cute. Even though the insta-attraction from Jack was not entirely convincing, he does say and so some pretty swoonworthy things, lol.

And the cameos!!! 😍😍😍: "They're the Mount Rushmore of STEM academia."

Overall, it's a pretty decent read but I feel irked about how the couples in every single Ali Hazelwood book always need to have raw sex and talk about raw sex. What's wrong with safe sex and protection? Seriously, I don't get it and after 5 novels of the same thing, it becomes a turn-off.

3.5⭐️

Oh this was a fun book! The romance was messy and sexy and lovely. This book made me happy & made me smile.

Quick Breakdown:

Enemies to Lovers
Workplace Adversaries
He Falls First
Diabetes & Demisexual Rep
STEM Romance
Slow Burn
Single POV
Open Door - Moderate Detail

I’m a little bit love drunk over this one.

I first picked up Love, Theoretically last month. I started with the audiobook, but despite enjoying the narration, I switched to the book because there was so much I wanted to highlight.

Going back through what I annotated for this review, I was so completely sucked back into the story that I quickly found myself rereading the book! So, when I tell you this book is GOOD, I really mean it.

I’m a big sucker for the uniqueness of a nerdy romance. It’s something I love & don’t read enough of. Plus, Ali’s writing is so addictive. I love how she continues to bring us these flawed yet relatable heroines working in STEM.

The steam here is so satisfying. The slow burn & insane chemistry between Elsie & Jack was EVERYTHING. Not to mention - Jack freaking Smith-Turner! He is my new favorite Ali hero. I’ll always be gone for the men who fall first. He was open & so supportive of Elsie despite coming off as a grump who disliked her at first. Such an ooey gooey cinnamon roll hero wrapped in a smart science package.

Review will be posted on 6/7/23

Dr. Elsie Hannaway is at MIT as a professor of theoretical physics and hoping to gain tenure. She can barely scrape money to get by, so she moonlights as a "fake girlfriend." One night she discovers her favorite client's brother is none other than Jack Smith, an infamous MIT professor and the very person who possibly stands in the way of her tenure. As one would expect in one of Hazelwood's laugh-out-loud STEM romances, there's a lot of witty banter between Jack and Elsie. Also, there's a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers romance in Love, Theoretically filled with a lot of academic politics, too. Jack isn't just a well-known physicist, but also someone responsible for messing things up for her mentor. How could she have feelings for him? Perhaps it's his good looks and epic brooding? Or maybe she just wants to take him down -- academic style. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood is her third installment in the STEM romances and doesn't disappoint.

I think that Hazelwood's legions of fans will enjoy Elsie as she engages in romance, academic sabotage, academic politics, and tons of witty banter with Jack Smith in Love, Theoretically. While this wasn't my favorite of Hazelwood's romances, I still enjoyed it and it would be the perfect book to accompany a sunny day at the beach. I do feel that her romances are becoming a bit formulaic at times, but that didn't stop me from swooning right along with Elsie.