Elsie Hannaway is living a dual life. She is a theoretical physicist who is struggling to make ends meet and a fake dater to survive. When a job at MIT is something she really needs. She has to face Jack Smith, the person responsible for showing theoretical physicists in poor light, who also happens to be her current fake boyfriend's brother. Sparks fly and Elsie is finally able to show her true self to Jack, but can they survive?

When Ali Hazelwood writes a book, it becomes the most anticipated read. This book was cute and gave the same vibe as her previous books. Nice to see the STEM rep in romance. Her characters and writing is cute but the freshness of Love Hypothesis and the magic it created doesn't show up here. Liked it more than Love on the Brain!! Love the Adam and Olive cameo! I just can't get enough of them.

Thank you @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook. Thank you @berkleyromance for the free book!

I've been lucky enough to read along Ali Hazelwood's journey (as an author) from the beginning, and boy have I grown to love her. 'Love, Theoretically' is proof enough to this reader that Hazelwood has come into her own as a romance author, and it is clear that she loves what she's doing. Cleverly written, Hazelwood has provided a perfectly witty romance novel that I am already excited to read again!

One of those books that reminded me why I love reading romance 🥰 Ali Hazelwood is the master of writing women and stem & swoon worthy romance!!
I absolutely inhaled this read 😂 this review is short because I have nothing but praises for Love Theoretically! Hope you guys love this one too 😍

4.5 'Honesty' Stars!
ARC provided by the the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Oh yes, fortune definitely smiled on this girl right here with Ali Hazelwood’s newest release. I can 100% state that Love, Theoretically is my top favorite novel from this author and that Jack Smith is her best hero to date. PERIOD. I literally stayed until late (on a week day!) because the slow burn was killing me and I can now say it was oh-so-worth the wait (and lack of sleep). What a beautiful love story and what a couple!

So, Love, Theoretically is Hazelwood’s newest standalone romance and it’s the story of Elsie Hannaway and Jack Smith, who happens to be the hot/grumpy brother of her favorite fake-dating client. Again, we are in the world of STEM, with very smart and unique people, a very intelligent but hated man and a woman after her dream job. However, Jack is on her way, in more ways than one. Is it really hate what is happening between these two or are those intense looks the start of something Elsie wasn’t expecting?

“You shouldn’t let me talk to you like this.”
“I like it, actually.”
“You like being yelled at?”
“I like to see you. When you’re not trying to be someone else.”

Ali’s style just feels so fresh and new and I love it. I have really enjoyed her previous books but this one just took it to the next level for me. And yes, it’s definitely because of Jack Smith. ALL THE SWOONS. Like a ton of swooning happening. This man! I just melted every time he interacted with Elsie. What starts as hate (for her) turns into such an amazing connection between these two people. And this man, he FALLS HARD people and I am here for it. Yes, he takes his long ass time but the burn is so good and so very worth it. That last 30-40% of the book was pure FIRE. I seriously love this couple so much!

“You could be my entire world,” he whispers. “If you let me.”
“I think I will.”
“Then I’m sorry.”
“What are you— ah, what are you sorry for?”
“Because I’m never going to let you go.”

Therefore, I am rating Love, Theoretically with 4.5 STARS because I devoured this novel like a crazy person. This is the highest rating I’ve given to Ali’s work (I still hope that epilogue was a bit longer!) and she 100% deserves it. This is my new favorite book by hers and I hope many others agree her style and characters bring a new freshness to romancelandia that we always love to get. Also, please do yourself a favor and meet Jack Smith, you’ll thank me later!

Elsie is barely making ends meet as an adjunct teacher, so she takes on a side job being a fake date for those in need. However, there’s light at the end of the tunnel because she’s interviewing for her dream job. To her horror Jack Smith, the brother of one of her fake-date customers is on the panel set to interview her. Jack knew her as her brother’s librarian girlfriend, suspiciously perfect, but finding out she’s one of the physicist interviewees and lying to his brother puts his back up. Thankfully, this farce doesn’t go very far.

I adored both Elsie and Jack and rooted for their romance! They had such an intense connection right from the beginning and I loved that neither played games! After years of adapting herself to please others, being with Jack, who wanted her honesty, was refreshing and a relief to Elsie. These two brought out the best in each other! And my goodness, this romance was spicy! But, thankfully, not just sex, sex, sex either. Their interactions were so fun, so delicious, I just couldn’t put this story down!

Love, Theoretically is my favorite Ali Hazelwood to date! My review doesn’t do the story justice. I’ll just tell you that I absolutely loved this romance so hard! One of my favorites of 2023!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version. Thérèse Plummer’s performance, as usual, was excellent! Both her female and male voices were wonderful! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. A definite recommend!

PUB DAY REVIEW: if you're reading this or after 6/13/23, I will save you some time and just get to the point — get your booty in the car/train/whatever your preferred mode of transportation is to grab a copy of Love, Theoretically ASAP! Jack and Elsie provided all of the brains, swoon, and spice that I hoped Ali Hazelwood would deliver with this newest release. Between the gorgeous cover and the wonderful content contained inside, this book is going to look stunning on your shelf.

4.5 stars!

As a faithful lover of The Love Hypothesis, I worried Ali might never reach the same high she achieved with Adam and Olive's romance. But those nerves were quickly quelled once the plot was established and Jack and Elsie's dynamic started to shine. Though The Love Hypothesis remains my favorite Ali title, Love, Theoretically is a worthy love story that emphasized the importance of respecting one's partner. Because the main characters are workplace rivals, I appreciated the journey they navigated since their feelings were growing as their separate professional ideals clashed, making for a bit of a sticky dynamic. Now, I will admit there was some miscommunication between the two, but I didn't mind it much since it always seemed as though they had the other's best interests in mind.

And true to form, Ali made sure to write a love interest, Mr. Jack Smith, that loved his girl as we all deserve to be loved. That man was entirely consumed by his adoration for Elsie, this wildly intelligent woman that blew into his life unexpectedly. He had some of the greatest love declarations I've ever read as he championed her progress and growth. He was just so lovely. Also, I think this might just be Ali's spiciest book with the way it had me blushing and more on my lunch break at work. (LOL we've all been there)

A massive thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and Ali Hazelwood for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. My physical copy arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to transfer all of my highlights and annotations over, to relive my favorite moments.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood is another one of her wonderful enemies to lovers standalone novels. We meet, Elsie Hannaway, our heroine, who is very talented and has a PH.D in theoretical physics; she is very well admired, but she is still trying to land a tenure. During the day, Elsie is an adjunct professor, teaching at her mentor’s school, but not able to make any money, until she hopes to be offered a well-paying job. At night and weekends, she resorts to fake-dating to make enough money to pay of her living expenses, as well as loans.

One of her best fake-dating customers is Greg, who she helps pretend to his family as his girlfriend, and to her shock, his brother is non other then Jack Smith, who is the man in charge of physics department at MIT; one of the decision-makers who will decide if she’s the right candidate for her dream job at MIT. Elsie does not plan on giving up, as the physics and theorist side are fighting who is best for the school, so despite Jack determination to make sure she does not get the job, she will not give up. Elsie finds Jack annoying, but she is also very attracted to him, and knows she needs to avoid reacting to her feelings

Once Jack learns that Elsie was a fake dater for his brother, he begins to find himself enamored by Elsie; he begins to court her (even if he is voting for the other candidate), and a romance between them begins. Jack turns into a sweet, passionate and gentle person, who is falling in love with Elsie, and will do anything for her (except not vote for her). Elsie knows she can no longer resist Jack, and the chemistry between them explodes. They were so great together, and wonderful banter between them.

What follows is a fun, humorous, sexy and entertaining story, with a fabulous couple, excellent secondary characters, great banter, as well as being steamy. There are some surprising developments closer to the end, and I loved how Elsie was able to stand up to fight on some issues. But most of all I loved Jack, how he put Elsie first, always helping her throughout. Elsie realizes that Jack’s candidate was indeed the best person for the job, and in the end, and to her surprise she gets a job offer. I suggest you read Love Theoretically, so very well written by Ali Hazelwood. This was too much fun to miss.

3.5 Stars

Elsie has struggled a bit in life. She is pursuing her dream job at MIT’s physics department. In the meantime, she is working as an adjunct professor and a fake dater to pay the bills. I found the whole fake dater to be rather interesting. She is an all-around good girl, except she is just too much of a people pleaser.

With her sights on the dream job, she narrows in on Jack, the head of the physics department. He destroyed her mentor’s career and is the brother of her favorite client. How is she supposed to go up against him? He has the ability to grant or dash away her dreams. Elsie is determined not to go out without a fight.

Jack did not know Elsie was working at MIT. He has no plans on giving her the position but the more time he spends around her, the more he realizes that who he thought she was, in the beginning, a complete façade. In fact, he is enjoying getting to know the real Elsie.

I came into thinking it may be a miss. I’m not going to lie. I have had a few misses by the author, but she did manage to lure me right in this time. I’m so glad to have read this enemies-to-lovers STEM romance. The two characters rub each other wrong but have such strong chemistry.

Jack comes around way longer quicker than Elsie as she held onto resentment for what transpired between him and her mentor. I really disliked the whole mentor ploy because it was a very weak attempt to create angst between them. At that point, it really didn’t hold weight and made Elsie appear childish at times.

Overall, I recommend

~ Samantha

I’ve been looking forward to this book from the moment Ali gave me a synopsis of it! Ali writes STEM love stories in a way that shows what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated field while highlighting the good parts. As someone that left academia I appreciated how realistic Ali described what it is like to find a job after finishing your PhD (the struggle is real).

I loved how unique this felt in the way that Elsie thought about physics and related it to her life. I related way to much to how Elsie people pleased by shapeshifting into someone she thought they’d see as more palatable, more lovable. Elsie felt flawed and real and just genuinely like someone that was trying to figure out who she was.

Jack was a secret, but not so secret, cinnamon roll. The life he lived after his mom passed felt raw and unsteady in a way that I wish no one ever had to experience. I loved how straightforward he was, that he encouraged Elsie to be herself, and that he wanted to know the things that Elsie liked best (like the Twilight saga).

I appreciate how Ali touched on the struggles of living with type one diabetes in the US and how healthcare and income dictate your level of care. Insulin is a basic right and everyone deserves access to it. I related to the feelings Elsie had about owing her family something because of how expensive living with T1D is. However, her family sucked and I am eternally grateful that mine has always supported me and reaffirmed that I don’t owe them anything for their assistance because that’s what love is.

Ali writes found family so well that it makes me ache for those types of friendships earlier in my
life. I loved the chaotic energy of Cece and the scenes with her were some of my favorites.

I can’t wait to see what Ali comes up with next!

Love, Theoretically is the newest release from Ali Hazelwood and this is my favorite yet! From the bright yellow cover, to theoretical physicist Elsie who fakes her way through life pleasing those around her, to experimental physicist Jack who calls her out and wants to know the real her!

Elsie is a theoretical physicist and adjunct professor who moonlights as a fake-date-for-hire to make ends meet. One of her fav clients is Greg, where Elsie poses as his librarian girlfriend when he’s around his family. The only annoying part about it is Greg’s rude older brother, Jack. Elsie’s fake-dating cover gets blown when she is a candidate for a faculty position at MIT and meets the head of the MIT physics institute…Jack again. At first he’s confused why a librarian is there and then he’s even more confused when he finds out she was fake dating his brother.

This was honestly just fun! I liked the blend of academia, the politics behind that, and of course the romance which starts out a bit “hate” to love. Unlike this author’s previous heroes, Jack is confident and upfront about his thoughts. He’s been frustrated with himself for secretly wanting his brother’s girlfriend, only to find out she never was. I loved how he wants Elsie to be herself, he notices how she just fits into whatever social situation she’s put in and will change her personality to fit and please others. He calls her out multiple times and just wants to know the real her. Elsie has type-1 diabetes so we do get some moments in here of her living with that. We also get an Olive and Adam appearance (couple from The Love Hypothesis).

I’ve read all of this author’s books and novellas now and while I think she definitely has a specific style she writes, this one felt more refreshing and a bit different than her other 2 books compared to one another! The others were okay/good, but this one was great (for me)!

Thank you to the publisher (Berkley) for an ARC via NetGalley, all thoughts in this review are my own!

I absolutely adored this book! This might be my fave of Ali’s yet! In true Ali fashion, you’ve got your nerdy, quirky STEM babe that finds herself in an enemies-to-lovers situation with a hunky scientist! Then you’ve got your endearing side characters, and in this book, there was even a pet hedgehog named Hedgie! Ok, so, the formula does seems similar to Ali’s previous books, but I fell in love with all the characters and the story immediately. Plus, I loved that there was diabetes rep and Ace rep in the book!

I loved the witty banter and there were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments. I loved Elsie’s sassiness and Jack was so swoony! The book is a bit of a slow burn, but there was a decent amount of steam; Jack was so attentive, caring, and patient with Elsie, which I adored.

I really appreciated the Author’s Note at the end. I was not surprised to hear that the book was inspired by true events. Ali wanted to focus on the politics of the STEM academia world, and I think she did a job with it in the book. 4.5⭐️

Many thanks to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the complementary eARC and audiobook in exchange for my honest review!💕

I loved The Love Hypothesis, and since have not cared for any of the novella's. Love, Theoretically I was blown away with, and I think I might even like Elsie more than Olive which I did not think possible.

A definite five star read, I honestly started reading and the first time I stopped I was already 41% into the book. I couldn't put it down, and I had been holding off reading it since I had been so disappointed with the last three reads. The chemistry and banter between Elsie and Jack is off the charts, and Greg and Cece are both outstanding side characters. I loved the character building for both, and Jack's Grandma was a kick.

“What happened to you, Elsie?”

We LOVE Ali Hazelwood…and she’ll never know how much…she’s just over there writing these stories that have us falling in utter book love EVERY SINGLE TIME with their humour and slow romancing. And as for her characters… well, they steal our hearts time and time again, with their irresistible personalities, funny quirks and excellent ‘funny bones’. Oh, and they’re filled with complete ‘geek speak’ which we find kind of hot!

“It’s easier like that isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Never showing anyone who you really are.”

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, this Author has a formula, and it works. She knows what she’s writing about, and she isn’t afraid to highlight important issues whilst her characters are busy elsewhere trying to either avoid each other, avoid embarrassment, and avoid falling in love, because you know, they hate each other. Yeah right! Love is inevitable and the journey to that realisation captured us hook line and sinker!

‘There’s something disarmingly, devastatingly self-confident about Jack. About the way he laid out all these facts without hesitating, as though owning his feelings is first and second nature.’

Jack Smith…be still our beating hearts! This guy literally had us laughing one moment and swooning the next. Talk about a man seeing through a façade and seeing the best in the woman he’s falling in love with, the best being Elsie’s inner truth. Elsie is a powerhouse and trying to draw out who she truly is rather than what others expect her to be was wonderful. We saw it too, Jack and you did a stellar job with the brilliant, clever, funny, and super sweet Elsie who didn’t stand a chance to hide! She fought a good fight though and we loved how their story played out. Another winner from this fabulous Author.

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

I'm not totally enamored with Ali Hazelwood's work- it can be overly tropey for my taste, and a tad one-note. I rated it three stars because it was fairly predictable when it came to the plot, and I'm kind of sick of Hazelwood's helpless female protagonists. I also didn't love the workplace-iness of this one, which feels less than ethical. I enjoy the writing, but ultimately I wasn't thrilled.

I'm a fan of Ali Hazelwood, I've enjoyed everything she's written, from published work to AO3. So I obviously went in knowing I would most likely enjoy 'Love, Theoretically'.

I was so wrong. I loved it! This is my favorite book Hazelwood has written ever as well as one of my favorites of the year and will be added to my all time favorites. The formula is similar to most of her previous work, girl meets boy, girl dislikes boy, after various shenanigans and misunderstandings girl falls in love with boy. It's one of my favorite tried and true formulas and this author does it so well.

However! This one is just different. Our main couple, Jack and Elsie, shine individually and together. Our side characters are fantastic, especially Cece and Greg. The complicated family dynamics and academic hierarchies were just the right amount of realistic and fictionally dramatic. The inevitable 3rd act miscommunication and breakup actually made a lot of sense for the situation and characters but wasn't nearly as dramatic as it could have been. Everything just fell seamlessly together and worked. Also the ace rep and exploration was layered and well thought out. A truly excellent romance!

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

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood is my new favorite Ali Hazelwood book & that is after I gave The Love Hypothesis 5 stars…that should show you how much I love this book! Love Theoretically has enemies to lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance, laugh out loud humor & banter galore all set in the impressive speciality of physics. There’s even a hedgehog & a delightfully blunt grandmother to win you over.

Ali Hazelwood does it again with her incredible writing, face-fanning spice & beautiful journeys all set in the world of STEM with wickedly intelligent & badass heroines. This book was even cooler because the main character, Elsie Hannaway, has a chronic health condition! Chronic illness representation means more to me than words can actively convey. I thought the author did a lovely job of showcasing a chronic health issue as well as the extreme stresses & struggles of finances, the healthcare system & insurance that come with it.

The perfectly balanced confidence of the hero is beyond attractive. The swoon worthy confessing speech is top tier. The banter between these two reminds me of getting lost in a fantastic tennis match. I feel like I could write a thesis on this.

The visibility for women in STEM as well as the passion & champion for the field & the incredible women breaking barriers is both appreciated, admired & awe-Inspiring. The fact that it’s taken even further & interwoven into romance stories is just so incredibly badass.

This story has me flipping pages late into the night because I did not want to let this story go. This is a book I will happily reread. The range of emotions this story brought out of me was the best kind of rollercoaster ride that left me with a smile on my face.

I also was fortunate enough to receive an audiobook arc of this book & the narrator did a wonderful job of brining this story to life. I listened at 2x speed & it was amazing!

For romance fans, my fellow nerds & any enemies to lovers enthusiasts, this is the perfect recommendation for you!

Massive thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, Penguin Random House & Libro.FM for the free arcs, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I will post to social media, Amazon & StoryGraoh this week after release & add links once I do!

We picked up this book and found the following: the pairing of a giant dude (Jack) and petite lady (Elsie) who fall in love in an academic setting. He's more established and has some say in the course of her career - which really sucks, because she's certain he hates her. ⁠
⁠
So yeah, this book is, uhhh, kinda similar to her two previous romcoms. But - BUT - we were really into this one?? It hit us right in the feels: we both laughed, swooned, and even welled up (that's right, soulless Laine had tears in her eyes) throughout the course of the book. There's so much to love, especially in Jack's character: he's open and honest, does a great job drawing professional and personal boundaries, and really listens to Elsie. ⁠
⁠
The final conflict felt super appropriate with the correct stakes - and the grand gesture was both specific to Elsie and general to Jack's character. So yeah, we absolutely, truly, sincerely loved this one. That said, we are looking forward to what Hazelwood comes up with next (our fingers are crossed for friends to lovers who are peers in their field pleeeeeeease!!!!!).⁠
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Laine's 43-Word Summary: Meeting your fake-boyfriend's bro at a job interview is super awkward, especially when said fake boyfriend can't help you explain. Then there's the added palpable lust. After the external shit is resolved, they do a great job of sexily communicating and processing together. ⁠
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Meg's 43-Word Summary: Interviews in academia are always tough, and that’s without counting on the following: a) your mentor’s professional nemesis is on the committee; b) you’ve already met him in a weird situation and thought he was a PE teacher; c) he’s way too hot.⁠

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I felt really underwhelmed with Love, Theoretically.

I'm just going to be honest I could NOT get into this one. I kept putting it down and picking it back up. Ugh I know! I was bogged down with the physics talk....eeeeek.

I Know that Hazelwood said that she would focus more on STEM and academia in this one and feel that this was part of my struggle to get into this book at all.

I wanted more focused on the romance and less on the academia. I'm not sure her books are for me anymore.

But, take my review with a grain of salt and you may love it!!

3/5 stars

Thank you to Berkley and netgalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Published to GR: 6/11/23

I just finished Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood and here are my musings!

Imagine being a theoretical physicist and having to be an adjunct professor during the day but because that doesn’t cover the bills, being a paid for fake girlfriend from a dating app. She has a unique set of skills where she can read people and instinctively know how to please her clients and those they are hiring her to fool.

Things are chugging along just fine until the brother of her latest client seems to see right through her. Trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in her guts, she is offered to interview for the job of a lifetime…. Until she finds out one of the men interviewing her is none other than Jack Smith, the man who ruined her mentor's career…. And the older brother of her client. He wants his choice to be hired and there is no way he will change his mind.

The more she fights for the job, the more she starts to truly see Jack and he seems to be the one person who actually sees her too and that scares her more than anything.

I am already an Ali Hazelwood fangirl!! Total fangirl so my expectations were super sonic high! I couldn’t put it down. I loved the whole premise being based on Elsie trying to win a job against another candidate against a man who is hellbent on stopping her. I have to admit, Jack was really well written and I loved watching it all unfold! Their banter was epic and had me giggling. Hazelwood has this ability to send you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and leave you begging for more. She has a way of bringing a delicate balance of belly laughs, intellectual educational tidbits, witty conversation, a little heartbreak and some heartwarming moments that will give you a complete experience.

The character building was top notch and really sets this book apart from other rom coms. If you don’t fall in love with Jack… what am I saying… of course you will. The best book boyfriends always come with PhDs.

5 stars… all the stars… take my stars..

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy

Elsie is the most relatable character ever. As women we all put on “fake” personas to facilitate interactions within our daily lives. Remember seventh grade and refusing to answer math questions in public? Jack is everything I look for in a hero, mostly because all he wants to do is love the heroine. This is a must read.
4.5 stars