The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Review + Playlist

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 situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Review:

5 Stars

If you like:

• Grumpy/Sunshine Trope
• Age Gap (8 years)
• Steamy Books
• Slow-Medium Burn

Then this is the book for you!

TW/CW: sexual harassment, cancer, absent parents while growing up, foster home

Look, if you’re even slightly thinking about getting this book to read, just go a head and do it because you defiantly won’t regret it, and if you have the book and thinking about reading it, just go a head and put down your current read and start this one. Because, a) it’s a super fast read, b) it’s highly addicting, and c) Adam and Olive’s relationship/banter is the best.

Yes, I bought this book because of all of the hype that has been going around on bookstagram and booktok as partly because of the cover because it’s just the cutest.

The Love Hypothesis has a very simple style of writing to it, and I’m not saying that in a negative way. The simplicity of the writing makes this slow flow in a steady way without any of those moments of wanting to skip entire pages or chapters to look for the story to pick up. I feel like sometimes when the writing is very over-the-top it’s a way of trying to compensate for the book lacking in some area from world building or character development, and the content of The Love Hypothesis is honestly one of the best books I’ve read this year and doesn’t need all of the glitz and glam that some books exudes. I think it also helps reflect the way that STEM fields see their work in a very black or white way even though getting to those points are anything but simple.

From the very beginning of the book, I was pretty much hooked and by the time I got to like chapter 2 or 3, I knew that there was no way that I wasn’t going to finish this book. I literally had to make myself put this book down at times so I could be productive instead of binge reading. The Love Hypothesis honestly made me laugh so many times because Olive is one of the very few people who is able to bring about some emotion other than the typically broodiness from Adam, and his reactions and her actions are just hilarious.

Olive found herself fake dating Adam in attempt to get her best friend Anh to see that Olive is over her ex Jeremy, so they can start dating because Anh wouldn’t make a move because of the bestie code, and Adam happened to be at the right place at the right time when Anh was walking through the building when Olive grabbed Adam kissed him very unexpectedly.

One thing leads to another and *bam* they’re faking dating to not only prove that Olive has moved on but to also help Adam with the college. It’s like painstakingly awkward at first because Adam has a very real reputation on campus and the science field of being a very strict instructor who kind of has a habit of making students cry and drop out because of his not so nice constructive criticism, and even though Adam is very nice on the eyes and has a personality under his tough science exterior, it’s still very shocking to say the least.

Their fake relationship progresses pretty well and they become actual friends in the process, and Olive has found someone to collab with her on her project, and that person just so happens to be one of Adam’s friends.

Just as the date come for them to break-up, a lot of things happen with their relationship and something huge happens to Olive that makes her have to act quickly even when she doesn’t want to.

Despite Olive being a relatively quiet, awkward person, she’s always able to put Adam in his place when his tough academic side is showing. She’s a hardworking student, a caring best friend, and committed to everything she sets her mind to doing.

Adam is just *swoon*. He is in a very committed relationship with his job and takes it very seriously. He is this very straightforward person who doesn’t hold back except when it comes to his feelings with Olive. It’s very obvious that he cares for Olive because even though he puts up a “fight” towards some things he gives in and wants nothing more than to she her happy, and it’s just the cutest to see this man become so love-struck.

Playlist:

• Somebody to You by The Vamps
• Wonder by Shawn Mendes
• Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
• Out of the Woods by Taylor Swift
• Social Casualty by 5SOS
• Vapor by 5SOS

Happy reading until next time,