Stephanie Sullivan: Review - The Love Hypothesis

November 08, 2022

TITLE: The Love Hypothesis

RATING: ★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): 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: Such a great story! First of all, who doesn’t love a brooding hero? Adam is a tough one to crack, but you can tell there’s something endearing underneath that hardened exterior, and I enjoyed how Olive pulled him out of his shell. They are both scientists, and I will admit I was completely lost when it came to all of the “science-y” talk. (There were several times I had to stop and comb through a dictionary.) But this story has so many great layers. There’s the romance, of course, but there’s also depth to these characters, especially Olive, whose honesty and vulnerability really tugged at the old heartstrings. If you want a story that has it all - funny bits, steamy bits, lovey-dovey bits - then this is the book for you. I look forward to reading more of Ali Hazelwood’s work in the near future. Read it! I promise you’ll be glad you did.