Omg this was the contemporary rom com I needed! This was my first contemporary of the year and I absolutely LOVED it! I’m a huge fan of Adam Driver, so it was so great to have a romance hero inspired by him! I loved the biology and science aspects of this book. It’s clear the author knows her stuff so it felt incredibly organic in the plot and dialogue and after reading the authors notes, it made all the more sense. I loved the chemistry between Adam and Olive, I LOVE the fake relationship trope! I also love how Adam was a good man through and through, yet, still a lovable grump! I would highly recommend this one!

This book tackles nearly every rom-com trope in existence, but stands out for one thing - women in STEM!

This book quickly made its way to the top of my favorites. It’s so well written, hilarious and sweet and romantic. I loved Adam and Olive. Their fake dating and relationship development is handled so carefully and it’s lovely. Would recommend to anyone. It made me so happy.

I had heard about this book long before I read it and multiple people told me it was great. I knew it had started as a Reylo fic and that honestly made me want to read it more (we love positive fan fic representation). When I tell you I was not prepared for the amount of feels in this book! It was so smartly written and the main characters' grumpy/sunshine dynamic is a delight. I would characterize this as a slow burn but pining is on every page and the eventual payoff is so steamy. I enjoyed this so much.

This book was a dream to read! I am absolutely living for the women in stem romance books and Ali Hazelwood has seriously become one of my top fave go to authors! The nerdy banter was so entertaining and mr. adam carlson is so hot he totallt carried this book! Can't wait for more academic rom coms from Ali!!

This was one of the best contemporary romance that I have ever read. I constantly was smiling because it was so cute. I did not want it to end. Can't wait to read her next book!!!

This book is clearly having a moment and deservedly so. While I enjoyed my time with this book, I didn't love it with the fervor that nearly the whole internet has. I grew to love this book, but not after really sloughing through the beginning with the forced PDA, but because I knew it had such fanfare I kept going and I am so happy I did. Ali Hazelwood is so talented clearly and I just kept thinking about her next book and how excited I am to read it, full disclosure I am not into the professor/student vibe. Very excited and hopeful for another new talented voice in the romance genre.

I honestly don't understand how this is Ali Hazelwood's debut novel because wow wow WOW it was good!

Olive, the main character, is such a witty and relatable person and I loved her throughout the whole book. Also, we love to see a fellow woman in STEM! It was interesting just to hear about the science related anecdotes in the book. Adam Carlsen has *surprise* made it onto my list of book boyfriends. His whole grumpy, broody attitude to slowly showing his real self was so well written and made him so much more loveable. Anyone else wish they could gatekeep a book character? Just me? Gotcha.

Honestly, I'm a big fan of the grumpy vs sunshine trope and the fact that this book also had the fake dating trope was the cherry on top for me! I really hope Ali Hazelwood is working on writing another book because I'm a huge fan of her writing style, plot development, and overall style! I thought the whole concept of the book was really creative and engaging and I can't wait to see what else is in store from her!

All I'm gonna say is - this is worth the hype! Loved this quirky story and can't wait for what's next from the author :)

Absolutely fantastic read - I could not have loved this book any more. The science, the romance, the build-up. I loved everything, and I can't remember the last time I cared THIS much about two fictional characters. More please Ali Hazelwood!

The hype is real, folks. It is real. I'll admit that I was nervous about reading this book because of how much positive hype surrounded it, but I shouldn't have let it keep me away from reading this book for as long as it did! The majority of this book was consumed in one sitting and I was enthralled with every minute of it.

I'll let you read the publisher blurb of what this book is about, but let me tell you that it's a great time. It's serious but doesn't take itself too seriously. It's funny but isn't too silly. It's romantic but isn't sappy. The plot rolls along delightfully using some rather well-known tropes such as fake-dating and having to share a room with one another at a certain point in the story. But nothing seems so outlandish or silly that it takes away from the main character, Olive, in her personal journey towards achieving her goals and discovering what she wants and feels comfortable with in all aspects of her own life. It was refreshing to see a story that could balance a main character's personal development outside of her relationships with others, but also provide a solid, lovely romantic plotline that grounds the story and makes it bloom.

Both main characters, Olive and Adam, are pitch perfect and have great arcs in the seam of the story. Supporting characters that truly support and don't add or take away too much from the main plot of the book make a solid showing as well. The plot, the tropes, the characters, the banter, the heartfelt moments, the growth, the romance, the hunt for value in your own life and how you can trust yourself to determine your own worth. Good soup.

If you're looking for a romance that gives you a "2005 Pride and Prejudice Darcy helping Elizabeth into the carriage with a close-up shot of Darcy flexing his hand afterwards" vibe for the majority of the book and finally ending with some spice in the roughly last quarter of the book, you have a winner. It was a great combination for me. I also love the women in STEM focus of the book as well. It was nice to see. You don't have to be a Reylo fan to enjoy the delight that is this book. It's a downright lovely ride on its own merit.

I give it a five out of five fantastic stars. All around one of my top new favorite romances. Now, I'm off to pre-order her upcoming novellas and beg NetGalley for an ARC of her forthcoming book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this title.

The Love Hypothesis was not my favorite. It took me a long time to even want to read it, and when I did the massive amount of hype surrounding it soured it for me.

You know how when you're reading a book, and you haven't read even the first 10 pages, but you just KNOW that the book is going to be an absolute favorite? I felt that way about The Love Hypothesis, and gosh, it has been so long since I felt that way about a story. The Love Hypothesis came into my life when I needed it the most. I chose Biomedical Science for my Undergrad, and before university started, I was very anxious about it. Science has been my whole life, but with online classes, it was hard to concentrate and feel passionate about it. But then, I picked up The Love Hypothesis, and oh well, Miss Ali Hazelwood calmed me down through Adam and Olive's story. I am so, so grateful to her. I even texted Ali about it, and she was the nicest person ever to me. :') That being said, even if you don't love science, you will love reading TLH anyway. It's a masterpiece. A GEM. It's a book I want to hug and keep close to me at all times.

Grumpy/Sunshine + "I hate everyone but you" + Fake-dating are three of my favorite tropes, and The Love Hypothesis delivered a unique side of romance with a mesh of all of the three! I was laughing throughout the book. Adam and Olive, despite their flaws, were the best characters ever. I loved how Adam's calm nature balanced out Olive's overthinking tendencies. Also, this quote - "I WISH YOU COULD SEE YOURSELF THE WAY I SEE YOU" broke me. I don't think I will ever stop obsessing with how perfect they were for each other.! I should mention that I have never been comfortable with reading age-gap romances before, but TLH made me look at things in a different way. 🧡

The plot was unique and flowed seamlessly. I read it in less than a day and then started missing the characters as soon as the book ended.😭 It is very rare to find romance books with equally lovable side characters, but this book did that so perfectly. The way Adam and Olive's friends hyped them up and supported them melted my heart.

I really appreciated how the author provided an insight into the world of academia and the politics surrounding it through the story. It was fascinating and eye-opening at the same time. I loved how passionate Olive was about science - it was one of my favorite things about her. I was also obsessed with how aware she was about bookish tropes and regularly mentioned them in her conversations with Adam. 😂To be honest, I loved everything about the book.

TLH deserves all of the stars in the universe. I will never stop gushing about it (and rightfully so) I cannot wait to read more from Ali Hazelwood! I have a feeling I will love anything she will write. :')

Wow.
WOW.
First and foremost, thank you Pangobooks and Ali Hazelwood for sending an advanced copy.
Secondly, I want to scream into the void over this book. I want to scream and cry and punch a wall, and curl into a ball and die.
This book was so so so good!?!?!
I know that I am Kylo Ren's #1 simp, but all that aside, Adam Carlsen and Olive Smith are the cutest couple and I would die for these idiots.
I am not usually a huge fan of romance books, especially rom-coms, but this book stole my heart. The dynamic and banter between Olive and Adam was so believable (then again this book felt like I was reading about my own relationship with my boyfriend, so maybe I am a little biased on that) and the characters so lovable (except one individual but I won't say anything).
I got choked up as I turned the last page, I just didn't want this to be over. I would read an entire book about Adam and Olive just sitting on the couch if Ali Hazelwood published it okay???
My brain is soup after this book so this review is probably all jumbled.

Hypothesis: If you read The Love Hypothesis then I predict you will experience swoopy butterflies and grin-inducing feelings from start to finish, stay up until 4 am to read every last word, and will 100% want to reread the book in its entirety immediately upon completion.

Result: It is me. I am proof positive that this hypothesis is true.

Ok, as illogical as it sounds, I have the hardest time reviewing books that I absolutely love—and I really really loved this one.

I mean, fake dating, grumpy and mysterious hero, super smart and awkward heroine, and an undiscovered unrequited crush that lasts for years? What's not to love?!?

As a huge fan of women in STEM + nerdy heroes, it checks so many of my 'love to read tropes' boxes.

Olive is an adorkable Ph.D. student (and the sunshine in this story) who is trying to prove to her best friend that she's ready to date by grabbing a random guy in the lab and kissing him. Thankfully, even after the ambush smooch, Dr Carlson agrees to fake dating to keep up the farce.

Adam is a driven and hard-nosed professor (and the grump / I hate everyone but you hero) who is unexpectedly kissed by the object of his unrequited crush from afar. Fake dating is harder than it looks when real feelings are involved.

Olive and Adam's journey is not only sweet, but there's fantastic banter, excellent side characters, interesting academia politics, and gives us a fresh perspective on familiar romance tropes.

This is a debut that definitely doesn't read like one, and I devoured all of the cuteness in one sitting. I then re-read it on audiobook and loved it the second time around just as much.

I didn't know at the time I read this (in April 2021) that this actually began as Reylo fan fiction. I don't follow Star Wars, so this didn't even occur to me nor did it influence my reading experience. However, if you are a Reylo ‘shipper, you might devour this book whole!

Uuuuuuugh this was so sweet and swoony.
Not super steamy (but damn, the one scene is a REALLY good scene) but all the gold medals in the swoony heart flip Olympics!

Loved the banter. The quick wit and how it all played out. Read it in one day because I couldn’t stop. I’m exhausted now but it was worth it.

You’ll love this if you like..
🔬 Fake dating
🔬 Grumpy/sunshine
🔬 Secret pining
🔬 Academia/women in STEM
🔬 Per 👏🏻 fec 👏🏻 tion 👏🏻

This will be one I put on the ‘I don’t read romance but I want to can you recommend something’ list, but also the ‘I read a ton of romance and I want something really swoony but it doesn’t have to be super steamy’ list.

This was delightful, tropey fun! I love fake dating plots, but am not generally a big fan of workplace romances due to an inability to turn off my HR-brain. However, the author made it work by leaning into the mires of a workplace romance and exploring both the upside and the downside of being a young woman in a male dominated STEM field. I found the ending to be a little rushed — and the love declaration a bit dramatic — but I think some of that might have had to do with the pace at which I read the book. As an aside, I was thrilled to discover the demisexual rep in this book while reading, but a bit confused why Olive never used the label to self-describe -- this isn't a critique, per se, but just something I found puzzling. Looking forward to what this author writes next!

So good! Women in STEM! Grumpy heroes with cinnamon roll centers! Fake dating! Graduate school despair!

The Love Hypothesis was smart and funny, with writing that sucked you in and loveable, vibrant characters. I'm not usually one for contemporary romance (historical romance is my jam) but I loved this! The graduate school setting was something I hadn't read before, and was clearly written by someone who had lived through it. Adam and Olive were well fleshed characters and I loved the slow burn between them.

For my complete thoughts, check out our full review on The Nerds Awaken podcast!

Did this book have every romance trope and was it very easy to predict most of the plot points? Yes. Did I absolutely enjoy it? Also yes. Have I ever met a hot science professor working in academia? No.

A fun and sweet romance with smart dialogue. Sexy times ahoy. I’m a librarian not your preacher.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC I got to many many months late.

Acho que eu provavelmente devia começar essa resenha confessando que quando eu escolhi “The Love Hypothesis” para resenhar com a oferta da PRH, eu não tinha ideia ainda de que ele era um livro queridinho para tantas pessoas. Nem sequer imaginava que havia boatos sobre ser primeiramente uma fanfic de Star Wars ou algo sobre a imagem da capa ser sobre um casal (são um casal mesmo?) de Star Wars. Eu assinei essa daí única e simplesmente por conta dessa sinopse que me deixou cheia de curiosidade porque eu sou uma boa e velha cadelinha da trope fake dating.

Dito isso, eu preciso dizer que esse livro se tornou um dos meus favoritos DO ANO. Sério.

Em “The Love Hypothesis” nós começamos no passado quando Olive Smith está no prédio da faculdade para fazer uma entrevista para possivelmente vir a se graduar ali naquela faculdade e tirar seu PHD, além de poder levar adiante seu projeto de pesquisa sobre um tipo de câncer e sobre meios para diagnosticar ele antes. Lá, naquele dia, depois de um pequeno incidente com sua lente de contato, ela acaba sendo ajudada por um estranho que ela não consegue ver porque está com as vistas embaçadas.

Cortando para anos depois, Olive está passando por um dilema. Ela teve um curto relacionamento de trocar alguns beijos com um garoto da faculdade, mas quando ele e a melhor amiga dela, Anh, se conheceram faíscas rolaram soltas e ela saiu do caminho para permitir que a amiga conhecesse o rapaz e ficasse com ele – algo que sua amiga não queria de jeito nenhum, porque tinha medo de acabar magoando ela com isso e por isso ela mentiu, dizendo que já estava em outra e que tinha até um encontro marcado.

Por ter inventado essa mentirinha, durante uma noite ela foi se esconder e trabalhar no laboratório e o que ela não contava era que sua amiga ia aparecer ali do nada e por isso ela simplesmente agarrou no corredor durante a noite o primeiro rapaz que apareceu, que não era ninguém mais, ninguém menos que Adam Carlsen, um professor e um que todos pareciam ter o maior pavor, porque ele simplesmente não era cuidadoso na hora de dar um feedback aos alunos, não se preocupando muito se eles iriam se sentir bem ou mal com o que ele tinha para dizer.

Quando o beijo acaba e Adam ameaça entregar Olive para o departamento de recursos humanos acusando ela de assédio, ela se vê na obrigação de contar pra ele tudo para que ele reconsidere e entenda o lado dela e é aí que os dois acabam se enfiam nessa história de um relacionamento de mentira: ela para deixar o caminho livre pra amiga dela não se sentir culpada e ele para ter os fundos necessários para sua pesquisa liberados (porque é o que ele diz que precisa, de uma namorada que mostre que ele não pretende sair fora da faculdade enquanto faz sua pesquisa e seu trabalho). E aí começa um dos melhores livros de comédia romântica que eu já li nos últimos tempos.

Olive é uma pessoa que é bem alegre e pra cima ao passo que Adam “não gosta de felicidade” como ela afirma muitas vezes durante o livro, o que torna o relacionamento deles mais gostoso ainda, porque não existe nada melhor do que um cara que é emburrado com todo mundo, menos com o interesse amoroso dele. Enquanto temos Adam se preocupando (e ficando horrorizado) com todas as escolhas “não-saudáveis” que Olive faz pra sua vida, nós temos ela do outro lado que fica tentando fazer ele se soltar um pouco mais – mesmo que às vezes ela mesma fique envergonhada com as coisas que a amiga a faz passar, acreditando que eles são mesmo um casal.

Claro que, como toda boa comédia romântica, tem algum drama em torno do casal, além do fato de que eles estão em um relacionamento de mentira, mas com sentimentos cada vez mais reais um pelo outro – e esse drama é muito, muito diferente de qualquer coisa que eu vi nos últimos tempos, mas também é muito bom de ver a resolução que acontece, como tudo se desenrola para o final do casal.

Eu me apaixonei completamente por Olive e Adam, e aliás, preciso dizer que depois que eu soube que era uma fanfic de Star Wars não foi difícil ver como o personagem principal, em todas suas descrições físicas, remetem realmente ao personagem que ele é baseado, de fato fica até difícil não pensar no ator a cada cena deles dois juntos.

Eu terminei esse livro com um sorriso bobo no rosto e suspirando, daquele jeito gostoso que só as melhores comédias românticas deixam a gente no final e com uma certeza absoluta de que todo mundo devia dar uma chance a esse livro, mesmo que romance não seja muito a sua praia.

Thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House International.