Review: The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood

Blurb:

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy 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 and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

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.

Review:

To say I was excited to read this book is an understatement. For full disclosure I spent several months keeping an eye on various book seller websites so I could get my hands on a copy at the earliest convenience (taking into consideration I live in the southern hemisphere and there is a supply issue in the publishing industry). But lo and behold, my copy finally arrived in the mail and I devoured this book.

The Love Hypothesis has everything I wanted in a contemporary STEM romance. For anyone unfamiliar with the ‘STEM’ term, it stands for ‘science, technology, engineering and mathematics’ and this story is based around Stanford’s biology department. The hero, Adam, is a professor in the department and known for his abrupt and unapologetic demeanor. The heroine, Olive, is a third-year PhD candidate who finds herself in a bit of a pickle after grabbing and kissing the first guy she can in an attempt to convince her friend she’s moved on from her ex. The guy she grabbed? Dr Adam Carlsen. Thus the fake dating trope begins…

This story was so full of heart and awkward charm, I absolutely loved it. Olive is very much the sunshine to Adam’s grump (one of my favourite tropes) and watching these two dance around each other was delightful. There was so much pining and longing, and deliciously fun drinks ordered (pumpkin spice and unicorn frappucinos, anyone?). Adam has become one of my fave heroes. There’s just something about a handsome, smart, tall, grumpy hero who’s crazy about the heroine that really makes my heart race. And when they finally get together? Hot, hot, hot!

While I absolutely loved this book, there were a few things that had me pausing. These all centered around the fact that it took me a while to warm up to one of Olive’s friends. I won’t name the friend as I don’t want to give any spoilers away but the constant pushing made me question the level of friendship they shared and whether this friend really knew Olive. Towards the end though, there was an apology from said friend which made me like her a whole lot more. This was a personal opinion of mine so others may not have had the same issue I did with these actions and as previously mentioned, I did feel better about the friend’s pushiness after they discussed it towards the end.

That being said, I adored Adam’s friend. He was such a delight and I loved getting to see his own HFN towards the end. His personality and history with Adam really added depth to Adam’s own character and actions within the book.

Overall, I really loved this book and Hazelwood’s writing. She wove a tale that was easy to read (especially for the non-science people like myself) and entertaining from start to finish. Full of fun, romance tropes and heartwarming moments, this is a read you won’t want to miss!

Want more romance recommendations similar to The Love Hypothesis?
Check out the titles below!
The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
Love Lettering – Kate Clayborn
Happy-Go-Lucky – LH Cosway
The Soulmate Equation – Christina Lauren
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