
In 'The Love Hypothesis' by Ali Hazelwood, readers are introduced to Olive Smith, a PhD student in biology, who navigates the challenges of being a woman in STEM while trying to prove a scientific theory about attraction and relationships. The story follows Olive's journey as she grapples with her insecurities, self-discovery, and professional ambitions, all while engaging in a strained professional partnership turned romance with the charming Dr. Adam Carlsen. The book expertly blends elements of romance, humor, and academia, offering a heartwarming and sweet narrative that explores the complexities of relationships and personal growth.
The novel shines in its portrayal of relatable and multifaceted characters, particularly Olive and Adam, whose chemistry and interactions leap off the pages. Ali Hazelwood's writing style is engaging, filled with witty banter and authentic dialogues that create a delightful rapport between the characters. The story unfolds through Olive's unique perspective, allowing readers to witness her moments of vulnerability, self-doubt, and eventual growth, all while experiencing a perfect blend of humor, heart, and a touch of academia.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains themes of sexual harassment, which may be triggering for some readers.
Has Romance?
The romance is a central focus of the narrative, featuring significant development between the characters.
From The Publisher:
The Instant New York Times Bestseller!
As seen on THE VIEW!
A BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021
When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.
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.
Ratings (465)
Incredible (96) | |
Loved It (178) | |
Liked It (120) | |
It Was OK (45) | |
Did Not Like (19) | |
Hated It (7) |
Reader Stats (672):
Read It (472) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (124) | |
Did Not Finish (11) | |
Not Interested (62) |
14 comment(s)
When I'm reading an novel that have been so completely hyped like this one I get a bit of fear that I won't be on board of the hype train. But in this case I'm definitely am
I love the fake dating trope, and this one didn’t feel corny or forced at all—it just worked so well. I actually ended up rereading it, and when I found the bonus chapters, I somehow loved it even more!
The S.T.E.M. aspects were a really cool touch, and at times, they even inspired me. Plus, this book had me kicking my feet and squealing—it was such an emotional roller coaster, in the best way. And the ending? So satisfying.
If you’re into fake dating, swoon-worthy romance, and a story that pulls you in, I’d definitely recommend this one!
Total cotton candy book that of course I devoured. I don’t know anything about the characters—especially the main guy (like genuinely not a single interesting bit of backstory except some weird shit that was kind of lazy but whatever). But who needs to in the novel equivalent of an hour and a half rom com movie from the early 2000s? I’m not trying to expand my mind by reading this. I’m trying to hit my book challenge number for the first time. I will not apologize for how I do it!
I am an Ali Hazelwood apologist.
What can I say that hasn't already been said about this book! It goes above and beyond the hype it gets. Adam Carlsen is also just absolutely perfect and I need a real one in my life!!!
I'm pretty new to the romance genre, and I picked this one up for two reasons: one, it's based on a Reylo fanfic, and two, it was insanely hyped up on BookTube and BookTok.
I'll be blunt here—I don't think the book deserved the hype. I am by no means trying to take away from others' sincere enjoyment of this book, but for me, this felt like a rather run-of-the-mill contemporary romance novel. I didn't emotionally connect with our protagonist, Olive, as much as I would've liked, and I found the progression of her attraction to Adam to be a bit quicker than is my preference.
There was nothing inherently wrong with the book, and it did keep me entertained the entire time I was reading it! I just wished I'd liked the main characters better. I'm still interested in seeing what this author puts out in the future, so we'll see where that takes me.
What a fun romance with a high swoon factor! I enjoyed the setting in the world of science academia and the slow burn pacing of the romance between the main characters. Was it predictable? Yes. Did I love it? Absolutely!
This is supposed to be this phenomenon of last year? I completely do not understand it. The story is fine, but it's neither the best I have read this year nor even something that I will remember for a long time.
Olive reminded me why I've been tired of contemporary romances for some time. She is exactly the kind of heroin I was fed up with and decided to avoid. She is completely lacking in self-confidence and constantly doubting herself. She is such a mouse, and we are to believe that her passion for pumpkin latte and the need to save on everything dictated by the lack of money makes her someone special. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I am fed up with the main characters who do not know their worth and do not believe that someone may be seriously interested in them.
Generally the characters are quite flat. This is evident in the case of Olive, and even more so for Adam. In her case, we can at least listen to her monologues, since she is the narrator of the story. We only know about him as much as Olive tells us. So the main character traits of Adam are tall stature, a beautifully broad chest and above-average intelligence (although this is rarely revealed in the dialogues). I expected a lot more good dialogue between two such intelligent characters.
I am sorry to say that, but I don't see Olive as an academic in the future. I have a PhD myself (but not in the natural sciences), so I know a bit about the struggle. Professional research work unfortunately requires you to be somewhat arrogant, or at least have a strong belief in yourself and your research. You need to be confident enough to criticize the work of others and endure criticism of your work. Olive constantly doubts herself and diminishes her abilities. I don't see much of a change in her in that regard. This is probably who she is. That is why I do not see a good material for a scientist working at the university in her, and I think that working in such environment would be painful for Olive.
I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between Olive and Adam. Their feelings developed so quickly that I somehow didn't notice. Even considering that they have pinning for each other for years.
I also found some tropes here that I really don't like. Above all, half of all these dramas could be avoided if the two main characters talked to each other like adults instead of acting based on assumptions. But a great plus for the author that Olive's final dilemmas that lead to the breakdown of this relationship did not drag on for too long. Even if I don't always understand Olive's reasoning. I really like the fake boyfriend theme and it was pretty funny here too. So I enjoyed this part, while feeling Olive's frustration when she was constantly pushed by someone to develop her relationship with Adam.
It's not a bad book, I just expected something spectacular and this is a rather mediocre story. Maybe my problem is that I don't like romantic comedies, so I found all the funny moments annoying.
It was in third person. I can't follow romance books in third person. I was so excited to read this book but I read the first few pages a couple of times and couldn't really understand it. Did not finish.
A good read. It isn't amazing, but good. I enjoyed the high school science theme. Nerdy teens, etc.
About the Author:
Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, as well as the writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).
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