The Love Hypothesis
By Ali Hazelwood (2021)
Romance
★★★★★ 5 Star Review
Description
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships. Convincing her best friend, Anh, that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor— and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
Thoughts & Review
Olive is an orphan, insecure, hard working, smart biologist spending the most of her time in the lab for her research and emailing colleges for funding to work on the cure of cancer with a brand new method. After losing her loved ones at a young age she becomes insecure about relationships and affection.
Adam is notoriously known as the campus asshole professor who makes every grad student piss their pants. He's super strict when it comes to research and calls his students out on their bullshit when someone is not good enough. From the start, he believes in Olive so much, always encouraging and praising her brilliant work. While still keeping it real and being honest for her own good.
Romance ❤
The romance between Olive and Adam developed slowly, with plenty of tension and sizzle. The premise to set up the trope of fake dating was a little silly, but once you get past that, the rest is nothing short of sweet and satisfying. Adam is reticent in the beginning, but he soon thaws and warms up to Olive's relentless cheer and good-natured teasing. His support of Olive in their shared field was truly the best part and it made me root even harder for this couple. A lot of romcoms manage to get the romantic part exactly right, but The Love Hypothesis hits the comedy bit out of the park too. Olive and Adams' dialogues are witty and snarky in the best way. I love when the MMC has a good sense of humor and can take it just as well as he dishes it out. The explicit spicy material included in this book took place in a single chunk spread across a couple chapters, so it is easy to skip without missing any plot, if it isn’t your thing.
Women in STEM
I absolutely loved that Ali Hazelwood chose a woman in STEM as her main character and highlighted the difficulties they encounter as part of this story. As a woman in STEM myself, it warms my heart to see a romance take place in an environment I know so well. A lot of what Olive went through, including how intimidating it is to be in a field surrounded by men and how unsure she is of her worth and her ability, I understand intimately. It was so relatable to read Olive's frustration with being a grad student. Especially all the struggles and insecurities that come with it.
Very likable and involved side characters
Between Malcolm, Ahn, and Holden we had an array of wonderful supporting characters in this story!! And of course some not so wonderful characters, but well….they served their purpose. Ahn is the type of best friend that would offer to marry you if you needed a green card. Malcolm is the type that would still be supportive of your relationship, even if he doesn’t like the guy. As someone who primarily reads fantasy, conventional romance books can get a little boring for me sometimes. Having enjoyable side characters really helps fill that gap.
Is it realistic… not exactly
Is asking a professor to “fake date” you something that will ever happen in real life? No. Was the frustrations about being a grad student and hustling to complete research something that happens in real life. Absolutely yes. I adored all the nuances to the world of academia that you don’t truly understand unless you've been in it. Maybe it’s not for everyone…but it’s definitely perfect for me :) I also loved how she worked in little jibes to cliche romance tropes, while they were actively happening in the book. Too funny. Overall, this book really checked all my boxes I look for in a short, simple, and sweet romcom type novel.
Lots of conflict built on lies/omission of truth between FMC and MMC
Usually this is something that really frustrates me. I can’t stand unnecessary drama due to lack of communication. However!... This book does get a semi-pass because the habitual lying was something built into Olive's character that was addressed. Coupling with Olive's childhood and her experiences being a woman in a highly male dominated field, she turns to “protecting herself” with a shield of lies, as our FMC put it. Which is understandable.