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Discover more books by Ali Hazelwood | A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science. | Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans. | A scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results. | A collection of novellas featuring a trio of engineers and their loves in loathing. | A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into. |
About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved..
Chapter One
Hypothesis: When given a choice between A (a slightly inconveniencing situation) and B (a colossal shitshow with devastating consequences), I will inevitably end up selecting B.
In Olive's defense, the man didn't seem to mind the kiss too much.
It did take him a moment to adjust-perfectly understandable, given the sudden circumstances. It was an awkward, uncomfortable, somewhat painful minute, in which Olive was simultaneously smashing her lips against his and pushing herself as high as her toes would extend to keep her mouth at the same level as his face. Did he have to be so tall? The kiss must have looked like some clumsy headbutt, and she grew anxious that she was not going to be able to pull the whole thing off. Her friend Anh, whom Olive had spotted coming her way a few seconds ago, was going to take one look at this and know at once that Olive and Kiss Dude couldn't possibly be two people in the middle of a date.
Then that agonizingly slow moment went by, and the kiss became . . . different. The man inhaled sharply and inclined his head a tiny bit, making Olive feel less like a squirrel monkey climbing a baobab tree, and his hands-which were large and pleasantly warm in the AC of the hallway-closed around her waist. They slid up a few inches, coming to wrap around Olive's rib cage and holding her to himself. Not too close, and not too far.
It was more of a prolonged peck than anything, but it was quite nice, and for the life span of a few seconds Olive forgot a large number of things, including the fact that she was pressed against a random, unknown dude. That she'd barely had the time to whisper "Can I please kiss you?" before locking lips with him. That what had originally driven her to put on this entire show was the hope of fooling Anh, her best friend in the whole world.
But a good kiss will do that: make a girl forget herself for a while. Olive found herself melting into a broad, solid chest that showed absolutely no give. Her hands traveled from a defined jaw into surprisingly thick and soft hair, and then-then she heard herself sigh, as if already out of breath, and that's when it hit her like a brick on the head, the realization that- No. No.
Nope, nope, no.
She should not be enjoying this. Random dude, and all that.
Olive gasped and pushed herself away from him, frantically looking for Anh. In the 11:00 p.m. bluish glow of the biology labs' hallway, her friend was nowhere to be seen. Weird. Olive was sure she had spotted her a few seconds earlier.
Kiss Dude, on the other hand, was standing right in front of her, lips parted, chest rising and a weird light flickering in his eyes, which was exactly when it dawned on her, the enormity of what she had just done. Of who she had just-
Fuck her life.
Fuck. Her. Life.
Because Dr. Adam Carlsen was a known ass.
This fact was not remarkable in and of itself, as in academia every position above the graduate student level (Olive's level, sadly) required some degree of assness in order to be held for any length of time, with tenured faculty at the very peak of the ass pyramid. Dr. Carlsen, though-he was exceptional. At least if the rumors were anything to go by.
He was the reason Olive's roommate, Malcolm, had to completely scrap two research projects and would likely end up graduating a year late; the one who had made Jeremy throw up from anxiety before his qualifying exams; the sole culprit for half the students in the department being forced to postpone their thesis defenses. Joe, who used to be in Olive's cohort and would take her to watch out-of-focus European movies with microscopic subtitles every Thursday night, had been a research assistant in Carlsen's lab, but he'd decided to drop out six months into it for "reasons." It was probably for the best, since most of Carlsen's remaining graduate assistants had perennially shaky hands and often looked like they hadn't slept in a year.
Dr. Carlsen might have been a young academic rock star and biology's wunderkind, but he was also mean and hypercritical, and it was obvious in the way he spoke, in the way he carried himself, that he thought himself the only person doing decent science within the Stanford biology department. Within the entire world, probably. He was a notoriously moody, obnoxious, terrifying dick.
And Olive had just kissed him.
She wasn't sure how long the silence lasted-only that he was the one to break it. He stood in front of Olive, ridiculously intimidating with dark eyes and even darker hair, staring down from who knows how many inches above six feet-he must have been over half a foot taller than she was. He scowled, an expression that she recognized from seeing him attend the departmental seminar, a look that usually preceded him raising his hand to point out some perceived fatal flaw in the speaker's work.
Adam Carlsen. Destroyer of research careers , Olive had once overheard her adviser say.
It's okay. It's fine. Totally fine. She was just going to pretend nothing had happened, nod at him politely, and tiptoe her way out of here. Yes, solid plan.
"Did you . . . Did you just kiss me?" He sounded puzzled, and maybe a little out of breath. His lips were full and plump and . . . God. Kissed. There was simply no way Olive could get away with denying what she had just done.
Still, it was worth a try.
Surprisingly, it seemed to work.
"Ah. Okay, then." Carlsen nodded and turned around, looking vaguely disoriented. He took a couple of steps down the hallway, reached the water fountain-maybe where he'd been headed in the first place.
Olive was starting to believe that she might actually be off the hook when he halted and turned back with a skeptical expression.
"Are you sure?"
"I-" She buried her face in her hands. "It's not the way it looks."
"Okay. I . . . Okay," he repeated slowly. His voice was deep and low and sounded a lot like he was on his way to get ting mad. Like maybe he was already mad. "What's going on here?"
There was simply no way to explain this. Any normal person would have found Olive's situation odd, but Adam Carlsen, who obviously considered empathy a bug and not a feature of humanity, could never understand. She let her hands fall to her sides and took a deep breath.
"I . . . listen, I don't mean to be rude, but this is really none of your business."
He stared at her for a moment, and then he nodded. "Yes. Of course." He must be getting back into his usual groove, because his tone had lost some of its surprise and was back to normal-dry. Laconic. "I'll just go back to my office and begin to work on my Title IX complaint."
Olive exhaled in relief. "Yeah. That would be great, since- Wait. Your what?"
He cocked his head. "Title IX is a federal law that protects against sexual misconduct within academic settings-"
"I know what Title IX is."
"I see. So you willfully chose to disregard it."
"I- What? No. No, I didn't!"
He shrugged. "I must be mistaken, then. Someone else must have assaulted me."
"Assault-I didn't 'assault' you."
"You did kiss me."
"But not really ."
"Without first securing my consent."
"I asked if I could kiss you!"
"And then did so without waiting for my response."
"What? You said yes."
"Excuse me?"
She frowned. "I asked if I could kiss you, and you said yes."
"Incorrect. You asked if you could kiss me and I snorted."
"I'm pretty sure I heard you said yes."
He lifted one eyebrow, and for a minute Olive let herself daydream of drowning someone. Dr. Carlsen. Herself. Both sounded like great options.
"Listen, I'm really sorry. It was a weird situation. Can we just forget that this happened?"
He studied her for a long moment, his angular face serious and something else, something that she couldn't quite decipher because she was too busy noticing all over again how damn towering and broad he was. Just massive. Olive had always been slight, just this side of too slender, but girls who are five eight rarely felt diminutive. At least until they found themselves standing next to Adam Carlsen. She'd known that he was tall, of course, from seeing him around the department or walking across campus, from sharing the elevator with him, but they'd never interacted. Never been this close.
Except for a second ago, Olive. When you almost put your tongue in his-
"Is something wrong?" He sounded almost concerned.
"What? No. No, there isn't."
"Because," he continued calmly, "kissing a stranger at midnight in a science lab might be a sign that there is."
"There isn't."
Carlsen nodded, thoughtful. "Very well. Expect mail in the next few days, then." He began to walk past her, and she turned to yell after him.
"You didn't even ask my name!"
"I'm sure anyone could figure it out, since you must have swiped your badge to get in the labs area after hours. Have a good night."
"Wait!" She leaned forward and stopped him with a hand on his wrist. He paused immediately, even though it was obvious that it would take him no effort to free himself, and stared pointedly at the spot where her fingers had wrapped around his skin-right below a wristwatch that probably cost half her yearly graduate salary. Or all of it.
She let go of him at once and took one step back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"The kiss. Explain."
Olive bit into her lower lip. She had truly screwed herself over. She had to tell him, now. "Anh Pham." She looked around to make sure Anh was really gone. "The girl who was passing by. She's a graduate student in the biology department."
Carlsen gave no indication of knowing who Anh was.
"Anh has . . ." Olive pushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear. This was where the story became embarrassing. Complicated, and a little juvenile sounding. "I was seeing this guy in the department. Jeremy Langley, he has red hair and works with Dr. . . . Anyway, we went out just a couple of times, and then I brought him to Anh's birthday party, and they just sort of hit it off and-"
Olive shut her eyes. Which was probably a bad idea, because now she could see it painted on her lids, how her best friend and her date had bantered in that bowling alley, as if they'd known each other their whole lives; the never-exhausted topics of conversation, the laughter, and then, at the end of the night, Jeremy following Anh's every move with his gaze. It had been painfully clear who he was interested in. Olive waved a hand and tried for a smile.
"Long story short, after Jeremy and I ended things he asked Anh out. She said no because of . . . girl code and all that, but I can tell that she really likes him. She's afraid to hurt my feelings, and no matter how many times I told her it was fine she wouldn't believe me."
Not to mention that the other day I overheard her confess to our friend Malcolm that she thought Jeremy was awesome, but she could never betray me by going out with him, and she sounded so dejected. Disappointed and insecure, not at all like the spunky, larger-than-life Anh I am used to.
"So I just lied and told her that I was already dating someone else. Because she's one of my closest friends and I'd never seen her like a guy this much and I want her to have the good things she deserves and I'm positive that she would do the same for me and-" Olive realized that she was rambling and that Carlsen couldn't have cared less. She stopped and swallowed, even though her mouth felt dry. "Tonight. I told her I'd be on a date tonight ."
"Ah." His expression was unreadable.
"But I'm not. So I decided to come in to work on an experiment, but Anh showed up, too. She wasn't supposed to be here. But she was. Coming this way. And I panicked-well." Olive wiped a hand down her face. "I didn't really think."
Carlsen didn't say anything, but it was there in his eyes that he was thinking. Obviously.
"I just needed her to believe that I was on a date."
He nodded. "So you kissed the first person you saw in the hallway. Perfectly logical."
Olive winced. "When you put it like that, perhaps it wasn't my best moment."
"But it wasn't my worst, either! I'm pretty sure Anh saw us. Now she'll think that I was on a date with you and she'll hopefully feel free to go out with Jeremy and-" She shook her head. "Listen. I'm so, so sorry about the kiss."
"Please, don't report me. I really thought I heard you say yes. I promise I didn't mean to . . ."
Suddenly, the enormity of what she had just done fully dawned on her. She had just kissed a random guy, a guy who happened to be the most notoriously unpleasant faculty member in the biology department. She'd misunderstood a snort for consent, she'd basically attacked him in the hallway, and now he was staring at her in that odd, pensive way, so large and focused and close to her, and . . .
Maybe it was the late night. Maybe it was that her last coffee had been sixteen hours ago. Maybe it was Adam Carlsen looking down at her, like that. All of a sudden, this entire situation was just too much.
"Actually, you're absolutely right. And I am so sorry. If you felt in any way harassed by me, you really should report me, because it's only fair. It was a horrible thing to do, though I really didn't want to . . . Not that my intentions matter; it's more like your perception of . . ."
Crap, crap, crap.
"I'm going to leave now, okay? Thank you, and . . . I am so, so, so sorry." Olive spun around on her heels and ran away down the hallway.
"Olive," she heard him call after her. "Olive, wait-"
She didn't stop. She sprinted down the stairs to the first floor and then out the building and across the pathways of the sparsely lit Stanford campus, running past a girl walking her dog and a group of students laughing in front of the library. She continued until she was standing in front of her apartment's door, stopping only to unlock it, making a beeline for her room in the hope of avoiding her roommate and whoever he might have brought home tonight. It wasn’t until she slumped on her bed, staring at the glow‑in‑the- dark stars glued to her ceiling, that she realized that she had neglected to check on her lab mice. She had also left her laptop on her bench and her sweatshirt somewhere in the lab, and she had completely forgotten to stop at the store and buy the coffee she’d promised Malcolm she’d get for tomorrow morning. Shit. What a disaster of a day. It never occurred to Olive that Dr. Adam Carlsen— known ass— had called her by her name.
Click to play video
Marie Dubuque
Brandi Leigh
Sophia Doyle
Ali hazelwood.
Ali Hazelwood is a multi-published author—alas, 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, crocheting, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Customers find the book witty and fun to read. They also describe the story as captivating, compelling, and diverse. Readers find the characters relatable, dynamic, and vulnerable. They describe the book as cute, sweet, and a bit spicy. Customers also mention the book blends scientific curiosity with matters of the heart.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book readable. They mention the banter is good, incredibly witty, and light-hearted. Readers also appreciate the humor and wit. They say the story moves quickly and the word vomit thoughts are beyond hilarious.
"...I liked the friend group and the amount of humor and nuance in the writing . And let's speak a moment about the cover...." Read more
"...This is cute and sweet. It’s cheesy , but it knows that it is, and I think that makes it all the better.Olive is adorable...." Read more
"I loved this book! It was sooooo good ! This was my first time reading something by this author, and I am totally in love...." Read more
"...something up it hits them upside the head but when it does it was well written and the scientist can be just as passionate and romantic as..." Read more
Customers find the story relatable, captivating, and compelling. They say the author does a wonderful job of creating a diverse romantic read. Readers also mention the characters are relatable and believable. They describe the book as an easy and fun read.
"...So yeah, calling all geek-girls, this is a great romance book and I will definitely be reading more of the author's work in the future." Read more
"...is probably not going to be everyone’s favorite FMC but she’s dorky and believable ...." Read more
"...This is a great story , and I definitely recommend giving it a try." Read more
"...And it is definitely a love story. The romance is central throughout , with a light, fresh feel that gets richer and deeper as the story progresses...." Read more
Customers find the characters relatable and dynamic. They appreciate the vulnerability and depth of the characters. Readers also say the science references help add depth to the characters and offer good conversation fillers.
"...Still, Ali creates such great, complex characters that even when I didn't relate, I CARED...." Read more
"...I really love her writing style. The characters were super smart but not so smart that everything went over my head.I just loved Olive...." Read more
"...Loved the academia with the romance. The characters felt easy to relate too , the writing style is top tier Ali, I really enjoyed reading this book!" Read more
"...The character development that Olive had was super necessary and I loved how the author showed it at the end." Read more
Customers find the book cute. They say Adam is cute, the illustrations are amazing, and the voice is vivid and distinct.
"...And let's speak a moment about the cover. The Illustrator is amazing and honestly, her cover is what sold me to take the leap and buy the book...." Read more
"... Adam is cute . I really wish this was dual POV. I would LOVE to experience the pining and brooding that I know was going on in his head. But alas...." Read more
"...Well, it's all pretty great, actually. This has such a vivid , distinct voice that I am very much looking forward to whatever's next from..." Read more
"Okay, so not my favorite Ali book. It was cute tho. I read it in two sittings.I’m always down for a fake dating story...." Read more
Customers find the book sweet, with a nice bit of spice. They also love the banter and chemistry between Olive and Adam.
"...This is cute and sweet . It’s cheesy, but it knows that it is, and I think that makes it all the better.Olive is adorable...." Read more
"...This book does contain spice . I would say 2.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers...." Read more
"I love how the story unfolds, spice is there but minimal ...." Read more
"FINAL DECISION: This book is fun and light, like cotton candy . Even the "serious" storyline is really fluff because it lacks complexity...." Read more
Customers find the chemistry in the book tangible right from the start. They also appreciate the academic setting and nerdy references to science and research. Readers mention the book is entertaining and educational at the same time.
"...I felt the world of academia was well established as it was shown, not told...." Read more
"Please read because the chemistry is undeniable !!" Read more
"...Tall, academic , and sweet… he’s what dreams are made of..." Read more
"..." is a delightful and charming romance novel that combines scientific curiosity with matters of the heart...." Read more
Customers find the book heartwarming, funny, and tender. They say it gives a great sense of the hardships and adventures of graduate students. Readers also mention the book is sweet, fun, and slightly depressing.
"...The sex scene felt both hot and yet in some moments awkward , tender, and exposing (making it feel all the more real)...." Read more
"...It's a slow burn romance with one incredibly intimate and dynamic love scene - the intimacy and emotional connection are the shining stars here...." Read more
"...Olive had was so real that Ali makes it relatable and shows the real emotions and struggles that comes with it. Definitely a good read! 💯..." Read more
"...She is so selfless ...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some mention they love it, while others say it's painfully mundane.
"...A perfect summer romcom. This was easy to read and I finished it very quickly ...." Read more
"...The runtime is a bit longer than I'd like (11 hours), and I found it difficult to listen to the narrator's voice at a faster speed...." Read more
"...it’s a super fast read , b) it’s highly addicting, and c) Adam and Olive’s relationship/banter is the best...." Read more
"...On the other hand, this book have a lot of unrealistic situations , if you read this book don’t look for real things or amazing book to read, it is..." Read more
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This year, Amazon named " The Love Hypothesis " by Ali Hazelwood the best romance book of the year. Even though it was only recently published in September 2021, "The Love Hypothesis" has quickly become a fan-favorite, with 88% of Goodreads reviewers giving it four- or five-star-level praise .
It was also nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award and is hugely popular amongst Book of the Month members , with only 1% of readers giving it a "disliked" rating.
"The Love Hypothesis" is about Olive Smith, a third-year Ph.D. candidate studying pancreatic cancer at Stanford. In an attempt to convince one of her best friends that she's moved on from an old crush, she impulsively kisses Dr. Adam Carlsen, the department's notoriously brutal (but undeniably attractive) professor. After the kiss, Adam and Olive agree to fake a relationship so she can prove to her friend that she's happily dating and he can convince their department that he isn't planning to leave anytime soon.
I'm a little picky about my romance novels , so giving this read every bit of a five-star review didn't come lightly. My standards are high because the best romance novels have the potential to expose readers to authentic and imperfect relationships and offer new topics of discussion without making us feel like it's a story we've already read.
With all the hype surrounding this new romance read, I couldn't resist picking it up.
1. the story focuses a lot on olive and adam's lives outside their romance, making their love story more believable and interesting..
Romance novels tend to fall into a few popular tropes such as " enemies-to-lovers " or "forbidden love." "The Love Hypothesis" combines two of the most popular tropes right now, "Fake dating" and "grumpy/sunshine," really well — I loved the contrast between Adam's serious attitude to Olive's bright and sugary one.
But despite following these tropes, the story feels fresh because it's also largely about Olive's work and its meaning to her. The only other romance book I've read featuring a STEM heroine is "The Kiss Quotient" , so I loved seeing that representation and learning about something new.
The story honestly reflected the challenges Ph.D. candidates face in academia and that authenticity — deepened by the author's personal experiences — brought the characters, the settings, and the romance to life even more as Olive and Adam faced challenges with funding, time-consuming research, and questioning their sense of purpose.
In romance books, there are a few different levels of how graphic a steamy scene can get , from little-to-no detail to explicitly outlined movements. (I personally prefer mine to "fade to black.")
There was only one chapter with adult content, and it was definitely graphic. While I made a ton of ridiculous faces while reading and tried to skim past the parts that made me audibly gasp, I loved that it wasn't a movie-made, perfect sex scene with graceful movements and smooth dialogue. The scene was a little awkward, imperfect, and full of consent and conversation, making it refreshingly real.
While it's wonderful to get swept up in the magic of a romantic storyline, having a secondary plot that addresses real issues is what makes a romance novel truly great .
Mild spoilers and content warnings ahead: While "The Love Hypothesis" is a fun romantic read, it also addresses the pain of familial death, power differentials, intimacy challenges, and, most prevalently, workplace sexual harassment.
Love is beautiful, fun, and amazing, but "The Love Hypothesis" takes the opportunity to also include conversations about serious issues. While these topics may be tough for some readers, I think these plot points, hard conversations, and complicated emotions take "The Love Hypothesis" to the next level and make it a five-star read.
"The Love Hypothesis" has everything I personally look for in a romance novel: A unique storyline, authentic characters, and an important message. If you're looking for a perfectly balanced romance read, "The Love Hypothesis" is worth the hype and definitely one of the best romance books to come out in the past year.
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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 relatio...
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Posted August 12, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction , Book Review / 4 Comments
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.
So. I’m really not the best at reviewing books I absolutely loved because I don’t have many words! We all know I love fake dating romances, and I loved the idea of a STEM romance because science is cool and I really love and miss Big Bang Theory (and no, this isn’t like that per se, it’s just got super smart people spouting off science facts). Anyway, I immediately gravitated toward The Love Hypothesis because it sounded fresh and funny and unique. It was all those things and more! As always, my main points are bolded.
1. This book is so, so nerdy and I loved it. The people are a little awkward and extremely smart. There’s strong women in science, and I loved learning a little bit about the challenges women face in this field. Every chapter starts off with one of Olive’s hilarious little scientific hypotheses about love and life, each one teasing a bit about what’s coming up in that chapter. These made it very hard to stop reading because I’d get to the end of the chapter and decide to read and then BOOM. I’m intrigued again and must continue reading. Very clever. A lot of the book takes place on campus in the labs, and I thought it was such a fun setting with people working late and running experiments because science doesn’t wait for people to sleep or eat. There’s lots of science talk, there’s a science convention and people get all excited about presenting posters and attending talks and it’s all just so much fun. It reminded me a bit of Ross’s paleontology convention from Friends, just no Barbados.
2. Olive is sweet and strong. She’s smart and strong and totally dedicated to her cancer research. She’s looking for a lab that will accept her the following year so she can continue her testing with better equipment and proper funding. It matters more to her than pretty much anything. Everyone she’s ever loved has died, so she’s very reluctant to get too close to anyone except her two best friends. Relationships are scary and also a little confusing for her. It takes her a while to sort through her feelings and figure things out, and I loved watching her grow and evolve.
3. Dr. Carlsen (Adam) is a dreamboat. He’s seen as rude and lacking in compassion. He’s hard on his grad students, but it’s because he wants them to succeed. He’s super sexy and thoughtful and protective of those he cares about. He’s sarcastic, flirty, suave, and all the things I love in a hero. Olive is a little inexperienced in the love department, and there’s a scene where he puts all of his focus on taking care of her. Consent and comfort are so important to him, and the entire scene was him making sure she was ok. It just melted me, and I’ve never read another scene quite like this one.
4. The chemistry between Olive and Adam is insane. These two can throw the banter back and forth forever and get me laughing, but they can also build up a level of tension that makes you squirmy. There’s an age gap of about 8-9 years between these two, so Olive loves to make fun of him for being old. She also loves to make fun of his healthy eating habits. He likes to tease her about her love of sugar and poor taste in food. But then there’s a scene where Olive’s best friend kind of forces her to kiss Adam after he’s just pushed a car out of the road and is all sweaty, and wow. And then there’s a scene at the department picnic where Olive has no choice but to coat his muscley back in sunscreen (poor girl), and wow. Their relationship is sweet and spicy and tender, and I just love them.
5. Olive’s best friends, Anh and Malcolm, made me so happy. They are both scientists and work together, although their research is all different. Anh is the loyal best friend, who also mothers Olive and makes sure she doesn’t get skin cancer. Malcolm is Olive’s roommate, and he’s pretty much made of rainbows and sunshine. They love to discuss hot men and other fun things. I would love to be a part of this friend group. Adam’s friend, Holden, is another favorite character of mine. He gives great advice, really cares about his people, and is so happy all the time.
6. There’s some deeper issues at play that run throughout the story, including the #MeToo movement. All were treated with sensitivity and respect.
7. There’s so, so much humor! I actually laughed out loud at one point, which never happens to me. I’ve been known to smile or silently laugh, but this was an actual audible laugh that startled me.
8. The writing is also spot on, and flowed so nicely that the pages practically turned on their own.
All in all, this is a stunning debut for Ali Hazelwood. Strong women in science, a sexy doctor hero who values and supports those women, hilarious banter, strong friendships, and a very sweet love story all wrapped up into a glittery, sugary package. What’s not to love? I highly recommend The Love Hypothesis, and cannot wait to see what Ali Hazelwood does next!
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“insane chemistry?” Sounds fun!
Great review. I’ve been waiting for this book and I”m so glad you liked it so much!
I can’t wait to read this one! It’s one of my most anticipated releases and reading your review just bumped it up to multiple spots haha! CANNOT WAIT! Hasini @ Bibliosini recently posted… Can Books Be Effective Horror? // Let’s Talk Bookish
Book was insightful and inspiring, right mix of teasing, drama, and nerdy science. Once picked up, the book just can’t be put down Check out @thehazelwoodfangpage on Insta
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We've got a juicy taste of Ali Hazelwood's STEMinist rom-com.
Enemies-to-lovers, but with a STEM spin!
Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, is back with a new STEMinist love story, following Elsie Hannaway and Jack Smith-Turner. Read the official synopsis and an exclusive excerpt below!
"It's a rivalry as old as time: theoretical versus experimental physicists. Elsie Hannaway is firmly in the camp of theoretical physics—an adjunct professor by day, she toils long and hard to teach students about the laws of thermodynamics in hopes of landing tenure. But to make ends meet, Elsie takes on another role in her (very) limited spare time: fake girlfriend. In this career, Elsie can pretend to be anyone her client needs her to be… and while she's not supposed to go on more than one date with a guy, she develops a soft spot for one who really needs her help in front of his family. What could possibly go wrong?
"Here is what can go wrong: her client has an older brother. A very hot older brother. And, on an interview for her dream tenure-track position in MIT's physics department, Elsie learns that said older brother is a member of the hiring committee. And he also just so happens to be the very same experimental physicist who ruined her mentor's career and is the reason why the entire science field views theoretical physicists as wastes of space. Did we mention that he happens to be terribly sexy? And he thinks that Elsie is a librarian who has been dating his brother?
"Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage when her physics nemesis realizes that Elsie isn't who she had claimed to be. But…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she's with him? Will falling into an experimentalist's orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?"
Ali Hazelwood's Love, Theoretically hits stores June 13, 2023, but EW has an exclusive sneak peek below.
From Chapter 3
"Calm down," Jack murmurs against the shell of my ear, like he knows that I'm on the verge of popping an aneurysm."
"They're from the MIT table," I whisper under my breath.
"Shh." His giant paws tighten around my waist, as if to contain me and my panic. They span my waist. Our size difference sits somewhere between absurd and obscene. "Settle down."
I feel dizzy. "Why am I standing on the toilet?"
"I figured you'd rather Dr. Pereira and Dr. Crowley keep on chatting about superpolynomial speedups and not see your heels under the stall. Was I wrong?"
I close my eyes, mortified. This is not my life. I'm a discerning scientist with insightful opinions onspintronic tech, not this blighted creature clinging to Jonathan Smith-Turner's shoulders on top of alatrine.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is exactly my brand. Improbable. Cringeworthy. Botched.
"Settle down," Jack repeats, gruffly reassuring. We're way too close. I want his breath to be garlic and sauerkraut, but it's vaguely minty and pleasantly warm. I want his skin to smell ridiculous, like mango tanning mousse, but all my nose picks up on is good, clean, nice . I want his grip to be creepy and knee-in-the-groin worthy, but it's just what I need to avoid slipping in the toilet. Argh. "Stop fidgeting."
"I'm not—" Pereira and Crowley are still talking physics— can't believe all the fuss with the quantum Hadamard transform —with the added background of a stream trickling. Oh God, they're peeing. I'm eavesdropping on one of the world's foremost solar neutrinos scholars peeing . I can't comeback from this, can I?
"Elsie." Jack's lips graze my cheekbone. "Calm down. They'll leave as soon as they're done, andyou can go back to the table. Laugh at Volkov's puns till he votes for you. Tell a few more lies."
"I'm not lying. " I pull back, and our eyes are at the same level. The slice of blue in the deep brown is icy, weird, beautiful. "I can't explain, but this is . . . not the way you think it is. It's . . . different."
"From what?"
"From the way you think it is."
He nods. Our noses nearly brush together. "That was remarkably articulate."
I roll my eyes.
"Monica will love to hear about your secret librarian identity—"
"No!" I barely keep my voice down. " Please , just call Greg before you talk to Monica. He'll explain."
"Convenient, given that I can't get in touch with him while he's on his retreat, and he won't be backuntil your interview is over."
Crap. S---. I'd forgotten about Woodacre. "There must be a way to reach him. Can you tell him it's an emergency? That, um, he left his porch light on? You need his alarm code to go turn it off. Save the environment."
"No."
"Please. At least—""No."
"You're being absolutely unreasonable . All I ask is that you—"
"—you think about the girl? Hannaway, right?" one of the urinal voices asks. We both still and instantly tune in.
A mistake, clearly.
"CV's real good. Her two-dimensional liquid crystals theories . . . good stuff."
"I remember reading her stuff last year. I was very impressed. Had no idea she was that junior."
"Right? Makes you wonder how much of it is her mentor's." A vague hum of agreement that has my hands tightening around the balls of Jack's shoulders. None , I want to scream. It was my model . "She's young and beautiful. Which means that she'll get pregnant in a couple of years, and we'll have to teach her courses."
It's like a punch in the sternum, to the point that I almost slip butt-first into the toilet. Jack stops me with a hand between my shoulder blades, arm contracting around my waist. He's frowning like he's as disgusted as I am. Though he's not. He can't be, because Pereira, or maybe Crowley, adds:
"Doesn't matter. I'm voting for Jack's candidate. He's got influence, and he hates theorists."
"He does? Oh, yeah. Can't believe I forgot that article he wrote."
"It was brutal, man. And hilarious. Wouldn't want to be on his bad side."
A hand dryer goes off, muffling the rest. Jack's still holding me, eyes on mine, foreheads near touching. My nails dig into his chest—made of some granite-Kevlar blend, engineered by a task force of experimentalists to exude heat. He's a sentient weighted blanket, and I—
I hate him.
I've never hated anybody: not J.J. Not the Film Appreciation 101 professor who nearly failed me for saying that Twilight is an unrecognized masterpiece. Not even my brother Lucas, who had me convinced that I was adopted for over six months. I'm mild mannered, adaptable, unobtrusive. I get along with people: I give them what they want, and all I ask in return is that they not actively dislike me.
But Jack Smith. Jonathan F---ing Smith F---ing Turner. He's been hostile and unpleasant and suspicious since the day we met. He has shat upon my field and destroyed my mentor, and now stands between me and my dreams. For that, he lost the privilege that I afford every human being: to deal with the Elsie he wants.
The Elsie he's going to get is the one I care to give him. And she's pissed.
"I want this job, Jack," I hiss over the hand dryer. I actually need this job, but—semantics.
"I know you do, Elsie." His voice is low pitched and rumbly. "But I want someone else to get it."
"I know. Jack ."
"Then it seems like we're at an impasse. Elsie ." He articulates my name slowly, carefully. I'm going to lean forward and bite his stupid lips bloody.
No, I won't, because I'm better than that.
"You do not want to come at me," I hiss.
"Oh, Elsie." His hands on me are incongruously gentle, and yet we're on the verge of the academic equivalent of nuclear warfare. "I think it's exactly what I want."
The dryer turns off into silence and saves me from committing aggravated assault. "They left," I say. "Let me go ."
His mouth twitches, but he deposits me on the floor in some ludicrous reverse– Dirty Dancing move. His hands on my waist linger, but as soon as they leave me I'm scampering out of the stall, heels clicking on the tiles. I nearly lose my balance. With Jack's scent out of my nose, the stench of the place hits me anew.
"Talk to Monica if you want to," I bluff, turning back to him. "You'll see the good it does you."
"Oh, I will." He's clearly about to smile, like the angrier I get, the more amused he becomes. A never-ending vicious cycle that can end only in me holding his head in the toilet bowl.
"It's my word against the word of the guy with a decade-long agenda against theorists, after all."
He shrugs. "Maybe. Or maybe it's a physicist's word against a librarian's."
I scoff and stalk to the entrance, suddenly confident in my stilt shoes, determined not to be in his presence a second longer. But when I reach the door, something ticks inside me. I whip my head back toJack, who's standing there like the K2, studying me with an interested frown, like I'm an exotic caterpillar about to pupate.
God, I hope he has itchy, purulent ass acne for the rest of his natural life. "I know you have despisedme since the very first moment we met," I spit out.
He bites the inside of his cheek. "You do?"
"Yes. And you know what? It doesn't matter if you hated me at first sight, because I've hated you long before we ever met. I hated you the first time I heard your name. I hated you when I was twelve and read what you'd done in Scientific American . I've hated you harder, I've hated you longer, and I've hated you for better reasons."
Jack doesn't look so amused anymore. This is new to me—talking to others like the me I really am. It's new and different and weird, and I freaking love it.
"I'm really good at hating you, Jack, so here's what I'm going to do: not only am I going to get this job, but when we're colleagues at MIT, I'm going to make sure that you have to look at me every day and wish that I were George. I'm going to make you regret every single little jab. And I'm going to single-handedly make your life so hard that you'll regret taking on me and Monica and theoretical physics, until you cry in your office every morning and finally apologize to the scientific community for what you did."
He is really not amused now. "Is that so?" he asks. Cold. Cutting.
This time I'm the one to smile. "You bet, Jonathan ."
From LOVE, THEORETICALLY published by arrangement with Berkley, an imprint of Penguin RandomHouse LLC. Copyright © 2023 by Ali Hazelwood.
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The Love Hypothesis. Our rough guess is there are 84000 words in this book. At a pace averaging 250 words per minute, this book will take 5 hours and 36 minutes to read. With a half hour per day, this will take 11 days to read. How long will it take you? You can take one of our WPM tests to find your reading speed.
How long will it take you to read Love Hypothesis? Our rough guess is there are 88000 words in this book. Reading Length. Home; Speed Tests; Laura Steven ... Word Count. 88000 words, Guess. Identifiers. ISBN-13 9781405296946; ISBN-10 1405296941; Better World Books 9781405296946; Open Library OL30158026M; Subjects.
The Love Hypothesis is a romance novel by Ali Hazelwood, published September 14, 2021 by Berkley Books.Originally published online in 2018 as Head Over Feet, a Star Wars fan fiction work about the "Reylo" ship between Rey and Kylo Ren, the novel follows a Ph.D. candidate and a professor at Stanford University who pretend to be in a relationship. [3]
Ali Hazelwood is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis, as well as a 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 US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. When Ali is not at work, she can be found ...
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (2021) follows a female scientist's comedic journey to true love that's fraught with lies, tears, and awkward moments. The book was an instant NY Times bestseller, a BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021, and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Born in Italy, Ali Hazelwood moved to the United States via Japan and Germany to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience.
About The Love Hypothesis. Now see Adam pine for Olive in a special bonus chapter! The Instant New York Times Bestseller and TikTok Sensation! 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.
The Instant New York Times Bestseller and TikTok Sensation!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 ...
An Indie Next Pick! "A literary breakthrough… The Love Hypothesis is a self-assured debut, and we hypothesize it's just the first bit of greatness we'll see from an author who somehow has the audacity to be both an academic powerhouse and divinely talented novelist."— Entertainment Weekly " C ontemporary romance's unicorn: the elusive marriage of deeply brainy and delightfully escapist...
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 ...
Chapter 10. On Wednesday, Olive and Adam are texting and teasing each other when Anh comes in and comments on how in love with Adam she is. Anh says that she feels better about dating Jeremy, since she sees how much Olive likes Adam. As Anh leaves, it dawns on Olive that Anh is right.
The Instant New York Times Bestseller and TikTok Sensation! 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 ...
The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood Publisher: Berkley Books Publication Date: September 14, 2021 Series or Standalone: Standalone Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads Rating: MY REVIEW CW: sexual harassament/assualt Did I read the same book as everyone else? ... By my count, there were only about 47 pages in my ebook without italics. The ...
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.
The Love Hypothesis has wild commercial appeal, but the quieter secret is that there is a specific audience, made up of all of the Olives in the world, who have deeply, ardently waited for this exact book." —New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren "Funny, sexy, and smart. Ali Hazelwood did a terrific job with The Love ...
The Love Hypothesis Summary & Review - Where Heart and Science Unite. Author: Ali Hazelwood. Originally published: September 14, 2021. Page Count: 383 pages, Paperback. Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction. In the enchanting world of romance literature, where love stories flourish like wildflowers in spring, one novel has taken the genre by ...
An Indie Next Pick! "A literary breakthrough… The Love Hypothesis is a self-assured debut, and we hypothesize it's just the first bit of greatness we'll see from an author who somehow has the audacity to be both an academic powerhouse and divinely talented novelist."— Entertainment Weekly " C ontemporary romance's unicorn: the elusive marriage of deeply brainy and delightfully escapist...
The Love Hypothesis. Synopsis: 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 ...
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 ...
Here's why "The Love Hypothesis" is one of my favorite recent romance books: 1. The story focuses a lot on Olive and Adam's lives outside their romance, making their love story more believable and ...
The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood. 352 pages • first pub 2021 ISBN/UID: 9780593336823. Format: Paperback. Language: English. ... 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 relatio... Read more. Community Reviews. Content Warnings.
A fake dating romance between scientists with humor, chemistry and heart. The book has 384 pages and is published by Berkley in September 2021.
Reading Length is constantly being updated with a focus on quality data, not only for better reading time estimates, but also to help you discover new reads. Expect to see new functionality in the coming months for organizing your TBR, tracking DNFs, smart estimates, content and spoiler warnings, and personal stats to show off! Find out how ...
The Love Hypothesis synopsis "It's a rivalry as old as time: theoretical versus experimental physicists. Elsie Hannaway is firmly in the camp of theoretical physics—an adjunct professor by day ...