I ENJOYED…
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The original context! I don’t know about you but I’ve NEVER read a book taking place in grad school (What is up with that? Am I living in a cave or are there really not that common?!). I loved the fact that the story took place during that both exciting and confusing time after high school and just before entering the job market. I also loved the fact that the focus was on a female scientist! Yaaayyy to female scientists! We need more of those! To be honest I was a bit scared that all the science talk would confuse me because it’s definitely not my cup of tea but it was not an issue at all.
The relatable flawed main character. She’s this sweet, nerdy and quirky woman who tries to find the cure of pancreatic cancer. Olive is both insecure and really hard working, spending most of her time in the lab for her reasearch. I found myself easily rooting for her, getting frustrated for her, wanting her to reach all of her dreams.
The fake dating trope! One of my favorite trope! Even if the reason behind it was a bit lame and the motivation to keep it up was a bit unconvincing (in my opinion!), I still found myself laughing out loud at all those unlikely situations. And the banter… oh yes, the banter was gold! The dialogues were witty and snarky and I absolutely live for those!
All those important topics that were beautifuly tackled. This book was light for sure and it will definitely make your heart melt. Nevertheless, it still tackled important issues like school pressure. It was really well depicted in this book. How hard you must work to achieve your goal. How burn-outs are quite litterally just around the corner. The public speaking anxiety was also on point! Suffering from that as well, I found myself seen and heard and it felt freaking good.

Last but not least, this story was about women, women in a field surrounded by men. As you turn the pages, you can see how women can be denied opportunities just because of their gender. How women are having issues just getting to be believed in. How women can feel inferior despite all their hard work and talent. All those additional obstacles we encounter just because we’re young and female in a predominantly male-dominated field.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
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I would have loved to see both POV! Unfortunately, Adam felt a bit bland. It was really hard for me to understand his personnality besides being constantly moody and sullen. I think that getting both POV would have made the character more lovable and the chemistry more “honest” and real.
The sex part… I’ve got no issues with sex parts in books (beware, in case you didn’t see it up there this one is an adult book and sex is included) but I really don’t know how to feel about that particular part in this story. It felt like a lot, it was way too long for my liking without adding anything to the story.

OVERALL
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If you’re looking for a fun, sweet and flirty read that’ll make your heart melt, The Love Hypothesis is the perfect match for you!

First of all, thanks for the free book, @PRHGlobal @prhinternational in exchange of an honest review.

I think that The Love Hypothesis will be in my top 10 of the Best Book of the Year, because it's reaaaaally amazing. The fake-dating trope is well run in, and for that reason create something already seen could be a risk, but Ali Hazelwood has been able to offer a story that is absolutely entertaining, intriguing and moving.
These three adjectives describes well all the emotions I felt reading this work.
I was captivated by the chemistry of Adam and Olive share, I had a lot of fun reading not only their interactions but all the dialogues between the main characters and their friends and I was almost crying in the most moving moments. Not to mention the fact that the majority of these characters are so HILARIOUS I find myself a little "homesick" now that I've finished it.
The truth is the reader slips easily inside the book and the interesting setting that the author proposes (and it's clear she knows very well), that is different from the usual ones, and that's another point in its favour.
Regarding the characters, I think that Adam and Holden are my favorite two, but I'm also very fond of Malcolm, Ahn and Olive. They show pretty well how true friendship is and work, and the only thing that frustrated me was the fact that the tension between Adam and Olive was so high and those two denied it with themselves!! In love we're often so blind, it's a fact.
Anyway, amazing reading that you'll devour in short time and then you'll find yourselves with one of the worst question a reader can have: and now, will I find another book as amazing as this one?!
It's a really challenge, trust me.
Can't wait to read more works by this author! TOTALLY RECOMMENDED.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

3/5 stars

This was tough, I think there are probably people who would really love this book, but it wasn’t a great fit for me. I don’t know how I missed that this was a student/faculty relationship. If I had realized that sooner I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up. Even though he’s not her direct teacher, he’s a prominent faculty member in her department and field of study. That power imbalance was an immediate red flag that made me uncomfortable. In spite of that, I did work my way through the book because I wanted to give it a fair shot.

What I liked about it:
• Holden is quite possibly my favorite character. He’s hilarious, a great supportive friend, and has a heart of gold.
• Setting - academia and specifically highlights women in STEM
• Representation - characters of color (particularly WOC in STEM!), queer characters
• Tried to tackle issues around sexual harassment for women in the workplace

What I didn’t like:
• The relationship dynamics
• There were very few characters who I ended up caring much about or feeling very invested in.
• Adam was a really frustrating character and an even more frustrating teacher
• Anh’s character felt pretty one-dimensional which was disappointing because it felt like there was more potential there

Honestly, I think I’d prefer this book if the author had told Malcolm and Holden’s story instead. Both of those characters are much more fun and likable. The relationship dynamic would have had a similar element without the power imbalance that makes Olive and Adam’s story so unsettling.

This book. The hype, for once, is deserved. This has everything: fake dating, love from afar, women in science, banter, grumpy sunshine trope. I wish I could read this everyday.

This book had it all, and kept me laughing all the way. I love a couple where one is grumpy and the other is teasing and gets them to lighten up. The fake dating scenario was a little bit ridiculous but most of the time it is in romance. I loved the full cast of characters, how they were fleshed out and their own people within the story. It's also great to have a setting within the world of science and academia, showing strong, smart women. All around a great read!

I found this b0ok incredibly dull and problematic. Olive as a character is a mess. She flails around wildly, waiting for other people to take care of her. There's a segment where she's talking about how much Anh does for her and I found myself wondering what Olive has done for Anh lately. Olive is also incredibly immature.

The dynamics between Adam and Olive were very.... awkward. I never saw Adam as the broody character that Hazlewood was possibly going for. He seemed like a doormat. No opinions of his own. Even if Olive wasn't his student, their relationship would have something to bring to HR.

The sunscreen scene and the flu shot scene felt very out of place, even a bit preachy.

I skipped over a lot of the scientific/ academic jargon because I found it unnecessary.

Sexual harassment and sexual assault are major themes in this book. It would be beneficial to readers to add a content warning at the beginning.

This was such a fun read! And so steamy! I was rooting for these two from that first awkward kiss! The characters were well developed and well matched.

This was such a fun romance! I’m not familiar with Star Wars so I can’t speak to the KyloRen fan fiction but I enjoyed it all the same. I really appreciated the discussion on women in academia/stem and the description of life as a demisexual. The Love Hypothesis implores some of my favorite tropes - fake dating, grump sunshine, and only one bed. All these were done well and amounted to a very fun read. My one major con is how sexual assault was introduced/handled. I’m excited to see what Ali Hazelwood does next.

Was this book super cheesy? Yep. Did I roll my eyes multiple times? Also yes. But did it also satisfy my craving of reading something sweet and stress-free? Abso-freaking-lutely!

This story about Olive and Adam was cute. Olive was slightly annoying as a character as times, and some of the tropes (sitting on the lap during a tech talk? Applying sunscreen cos friends are pressuring you?) made me roll my eyes sooooo hard that they almost went to the back of my head. But sunshine and grumpy is also one of my favorite tropes, so I could excuse the super cliche fake-dating trope.

The Love Hypothesis is endearing and funny, and hits two catnip tropes for me: a fake relationship and the transformation of a grouch.

In a moment of panic, Olive Smith, a brilliant Ph.D. candidate in Stanford’s biology department, grabs and kisses the first man she sees in a desperate attempt to fool her best friend Anh, who’s convinced Olive has feelings for a fellow graduate student that Anh likes. While her friend may have seen her kissing her “new man,” that man happens to be Adam Carlsen, the terror of the department.

Once the rumor that they are dating spreads across campus, Olive and Adam keep up the charade: Olive wants to be sure her BFF settles into a relationship with her crush, and Adam wants to ease administrators’ fears that he is leaving for another school. But what started as a fake relationship between the two scientists soon turns into more as Olive finds herself falling in love with the hot professor. With all the lies she has been telling, how can she know if what is growing between her and Adam is true?

Hazelwood, who has a doctorate in neuroscience, puts her own knowledge about academia into her charming debut novel.

I read this book in 6 hours. 6!!!!!! I could not put it down once I started it. I am addicted to Olive and Adam together and I never wanted it to end. I want there to be a sequel just so I can read more of them. I am honestly speechless about how good this book was cause I was not expecting to love it as much as I did-- I am always disappointed by books that have too much hype. but this one absolutely lived up to all the hype.

Read this if:
- You love a fake dating trope
- you like books that involve academic (especially STEM)
- You love books that include a guy being an a-hole to everyone EXCEPT the girl he likes. (Swooon! )

The Love Hypothesis is a funny, often sweet rom-com involving one of my favorite tropes (fake dating!) but while it did make me laugh out loud and swoon, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Olive Smith is a third-year Ph.D candidate who is focused on her research project, her best friends, and getting by on her measly student income. When her BFF Anh develops feelings for Olive's ex, she knows the only way Ahn will go for it is if she believes Olive has moved on. So Olive kisses the first man she sees and it happens to be Adam Carlsen, a young very attractive professor, who is pretty much known by the whole student body as being harsh and unapproachable. Naturally, a single kiss isn't enough and they need to fake date to prove they're really dating to Anh. But soon the entire campus knows of their relationship and their ruse turns into something bigger and unsurprisingly more real than either of them ever expected.

First and foremost, Olive and Adam find themselves in some of the most awkward situations to prove they're dating and I couldn't help but cackle each and every time. But underneath all that humor is this very real connection and Olive gets to see a side of Adam know one else knows (cue: me swooning). I enjoyed the progression of their relationship from strangers, to fake daters, to friends, and then to something much more. I really loved Adam and how he showed up for her. But what frustrated me was Olive (particularly during the second half of the book) and the various "conflicts" in their story. Olive came dangerously close to the manicpixiegirl territory and some of her quirks were just ridiculous. Then in terms of conflict, I don't mind if the story is predictable. It's a romance and I'm reading it knowing I'll get the happily ever after. That said, the levels of miscommunication as a barrier between them was unbelievable (that particular bit of writing felt lazy) and all the reveals and big declarations were anticlimactic to the point of dissatisfying. It's a cute book but it just lacked a certain pull to make me feel fully invested.

I loved this book. As a person who spent a decade working in higher ed I related so much to Olive’s feelings of soul crushing anxiety and imposter syndrome. There are also reflections of the Me Too movement among women in academia and STEM. But also, I am here for the fake dating trope. And some people have been saying that this is Reylo fanfic. Yes and no. Is Dr. Adam Carlson 100% Adam Driver, I think so. But readers should not be deterred if they aren't Star Wars fans because the story and characters still stand on their own merit. In fact, I would never have guessed if not for the cover art.

I liked this one. I read it fairly fast (for me) which says a lot, especially with how my reading life has been going lately. It was easy to get into and I liked how the story got off to a quick start - there wasn't too much setup and lollygagging, which I really appreciate in my books.

I had a few nitpicky things like, I thought they talked in public about how they were fake dating kind of a lot for people who didn't want others to know they were fake dating. Weren't they worried about others overhearing? Also, the breakup before the makeup had me quite confused. I think it was very obvious they both had feelings for each other. It felt like they were being purposely obtuse in the situation which just gave me a bit of frustration with them both.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

not sure there's much to be said about this book that hasn't already been said! So fun, wonderful, and hilarious

The Love Hypothesis is easily my favourite contemporary romance I've ever read. I loved the main character, Olive. She was brilliant, quirky, innocent yet daring, and she made some very questionable decisions that had me wanting to give her a little shake at times. I loved the STEM representation and Adam was completely dreamy. This book had the prefect amount of banter and steam, in my opinion.

I also can't believe this was a debut for Ali Hazelwood, she definitely has a long career as an author ahead of her. This book will definitely be in my top reads of the year.

3.5/5⭐️ - A very cute rom-com based in an academia setting. Two scientists have it bad for each other, but they can’t freaking communication to save their lives. This is a slowww burn that leaned heavily on the fake dating trope. I love me some tension building, but for a book where the MCs barely touch until 3/4ths of the way through I though it could have been better. I was left wanting for more interactions and playfulness between Adam and Olive. That being said, I enjoyed what we did get - especially towards the end when they finally let their guards down. Overall this was a sweet little story that I liked, but didn’t love. I tend to struggle with the fake dating trope in general, especially when it’s coupled with the miscommunication trope, so I think that’s what threw me off. Regardless, I would still recommend it. Not my favorite, but still worth picking up if you’re looking for something light with a swoon-worthy hero, unique setting, and original heroine.

Totally lived up to the hype! I just LOVED this! Adam is my new fictional crush… respectful, smart, successful, brooding, hot. I like him! Olive was such a great character to root for…complex, fun, incredibly smart and determined. ⁣
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This is fake dating at its finest, throw in some forced proximity and it’s just fun! There is some of my biggest romance pet peeve, lack of communication, but it wasn’t overdone or too frustrating. ⁣
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If you want a great book that will make you laugh and swoon, this was five out five stars for

This was a lot of fun! I enjoyed it more than I expected! It was steamy, fun, lighthearted, unafraid to explore difficult topics.

While I really hated the "miscommunication" trope, and how much it was centered, it didn't distract me from my enjoyment of the story much.

I can see why TikTok loves this book, and I can't wait for more from Ali Hazelwood.

This was great, a lot of fabulous rep like women in stem and demisexual. However, for me personally, there was a few awkward moments that were too awkward and/or over the top for me. Also, while the steam was good it was a bit late in the book, and seemed to not really fit Adam's personality at all. I get the whole public vs. private persona but it felt beyond that