“Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man”
Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis
Introduction
I can’t believe how long it took me to start reading Ali Hazelwood, especially as a fellow woman in STEM. But trust me when I say that once I finally picked up one of her books, I couldn’t put it down.
I stumbled upon The Love Hypothesis completely by accident—or maybe I should say the neurospicy department of my brain randomly pulled it out of my bottomless TBR pile when I needed one of my usual “light palate cleansers” after finishing some heavy fantasy novel or other. I’d heard about Hazelwood’s books and her unique twist on the well-worn genre of contemporary romance, complete with her signature “steminist” (STEM feminist) spin, and I finally decided to give it a shot.
The reason I waited so long to dive into Hazelwood’s work was simple: I knew she got her start with “Reylo fanfiction” (that’s short for Kylo Ren and Rey from the newer Star Wars films). As a devoted Ao3 reader myself, I have nothing against fanfiction authors making it big. It’s just that I’ve never cared much for Star Wars, so I slept on these books for way too long.
Regardless of my earlier hesitation, I will be kicking myself for eternity for not picking them up sooner. I was wrong—deeply, utterly, 100% wrong—for dismissing them based on their origin. Once I started reading The Love Hypothesis, I ate the entire book in one glorious Saturday binge.
And now, I’m delighted to report that I’ve become a lifelong Ali Hazelwood reader after the first few chapters.
What's your favorite Ali Hazelwood book?
What's your favorite Ali Hazelwood book?
What is The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood about?
The Love Hypothesis is an adult contemporary romance novel following third-year Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith. In a moment of sheer panic and poor planning Olive kisses a stranger in front of her best friend Anh to prove she’s moved on from her ex-boyfriend Jeremy (whom she wasn’t even into, honestly) so that Anh can date him guilt-free.
The stranger turns out to be the young, hot and brilliant biology professor who is notoriously ill-mannered, grumpy in all settings, and utterly terrifying, Dr. Adam Carlsen. But, of course, one kiss alone won’t cut it to convince Olive’s best friend that she’s in a new relationship. Olive finds herself trying to convince Adam to fake-date her, one of my favorite tropes ever, to make sure Anh gets her happy ending.
To Olive’s surprise, Adam needs no convincing. In fact, he’s surprisingly agreeable to the whole charade, despite his well-earned reputation as a certified asshole among students and faculty. Turns out, Adam has his own reasons for playing along: he needs to prove to Stanford he’s committed to staying put to secure funding for his research.
What unfolds is a delightful and heartwarming grumpy/sunshine dynamic, where Adam and Olive’s increasingly ridiculous attempts to maintain their fake relationship lead them into objectively hilarious, occasionally cringe-worthy, but entirely endearing situations. As they navigate the complications of their ruse, Olive slowly discovers that Adam’s icy, armor-like exterior hides a supportive, caring, and gentle man who is worlds away from how he’s perceived.
Set against the academic backdrop of Stanford University, the story delves into the less glamorous realities of being a woman in STEM including instances of sexual harassment. The scientific settings add a unique and refreshing layer to the romance, while the book deftly tackles some heavy themes that are rarely explored in the genre.
This book is about 300 pages long with 22 chapters, so although it’s a bit short compared to other romance books publishes these days, the chapters are somewhat long and have a lot of content.
Overall Impressions
Spoiler Free Review
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spiciness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I adored The Love Hypothesis from the very first page where Olive meets Adam. Olive is a quirky and likable FMC even though she occasionally gives off a bit of a “not like the other girls” vibe. Her inner monologue is very relatable, and she has quite a few zingers – Ali Hazelwood excels in some good old self deprecating inner monologue.
But the real hero of the book for me was Adam, to no one’s surprise as he’s the MMC and the modern romcom is only as good as a main male character written by a woman.
There’s just something irresistible about a supposedly dorky, hyper-intelligent guy who is also inexplicably rocking a six-pack. Not to mention the same smart and hot guy also whose apparent personality can only be described as an injured porcupine while secretly being a cinnabon is beyond appealing to me.
Mixed together with my not so unconscious bias of the STEM premise, the academic setting, the portrayal of microaggressions and obstacles women face in the field, I was never going to be able to rate this book short of a five star despite its undeniable problems.
Review
Spoilers from here on out, turn back if you don’t want to know!
I loved The Love Hypothesis from the very first moment I was dropped into this fictional version of Stanford University, where Olive has her memorable first encounter with Adam. It happens in a bathroom (yes, a bathroom) during her Ph.D. interview, though Olive doesn’t realize it’s Adam—or that she’s in the men’s room—because she’s wearing horribly expired contacts. We run into the first of the aforementioned problems here, where Olive is somehow rocking months old contacts and they’re so dysfunctional that she can’t see the man in front of her. But before you can think more about how weird that is, she and the assertive stranger, who is very hot despite being blurry, have a profound conversation about what makes the demand of academia worth it, and you quickly move on.
Fast forward a few years: Olive, now a third-year Ph.D. student at Stanford, panics and kisses a stranger in the hallway to prove to her best friend Anh that she’s over her ex, Jeremy, so Anh can date him guilt-free. Unbeknownst to Olive, the stranger she kissed is none other than Dr. Adam Carlsen, the grumpiest professor in the entire department. Then the two of them exchange some really witty banter at the expense of some Title IX jokes that are objectively funny if you have a dark sense of humor like myself.
Despite the fact that Olive and Adam’s meet cute and subsequent interactions are held together with toothpicks and gum, the setup works. Olive is trying to help Anh feel comfortable dating Jeremy, and she’s a complete girl’s girl, even pretending to date a professor. Luckily for Olive, Adam is suspiciously okay with this arrangement, suspicious enough that a Ph.D candidate in Stanford should definitely be asking a lot of questions why he’s so okay with and to Olive’s credit, she does question his willingness. Adam gives a reasonable enough excuse of how Stanford considers him a flight risk, and he needs to prove he has ties to the community if he wants more money for his science.
What follows is a classic grumpy/sunshine fake-dating dynamic, but it’s executed so well that you don’t mind the familiar territory, in fact the tension between them is so tangible the trope shines bright in this setting. There is the elephant in the room here, the ick of a professor dating a student in his department, and the ick is kind of addressed with a quick “Don’t worry he’s not her advisor”. I didn’t mind the ick so much because a) this is fictional, b) them having such common knowledge leads to some pretty funny science jokes throughout the book.
The banter between Olive and Adam is exceptional, and I found myself giddy with excitement as their relationship developed multiple times.
Olive’s lack of a filter and Adam’s dry, no-nonsense sense of humor balance each other perfectly, leading to scenes that had me kicking my feet in delight and giggling nonstop.
Olive becomes multi dimensional pretty quickly since the book is in her POV so that’s not unexpected. Her inner monologue is relatable, she’s a bit insecure, completely obtuse to the fact that Adam’s obviously been into her the entire time they fake-dated, but the world through her eyes is charming and relatable.
Adam is my favorite kind of MMC: hot, hyper-intelligent, and an asshat to everyone but Olive. Call me an easy reader, I love me, a smart girl being absolutely taken care of by the main character, and boy does Adam become Olive’s biggest champion from get go. There is just something about a “he falls first and harder” dynamic that makes it irresistible.
The side characters add comic relief, though they do lean heavily into stereotypes. Anh is the classic woman-of-color best friend, and Malcolm is the standard gay best friend trope we’ve seen before. But even with these clichés, the witty dialogue and cozy familiarity of the setup make it work. But again, the banter and the composition carries this book so hard, and to be frank, cliches make contemporary romances so cozy and comforting, so I’m kind of okay with it.
Olive and Adam continuously find themselves in situations where they have to be physical and affectionate, and it’s obviously cringe, but in a guilty pleasure kind of way so I was fully onboard with it. My expectations in rom-coms are measured by how much I’m giggling at the genre staples which usually comes down to the quality of the banter and chemistry between the leads the story is packaged in. In this case their flirting is adorable, despite the fact that most of it revolves around Adam’s hatred of pumpkin flavored beverages and Olive’s unfortunate love for them.
Despite the second-hand embarrassment from scenes like Olive sitting in Adam’s lap or the sunscreen debacle, their chemistry and banter made it all worth it. These moments in a book that’s not charming would be eye roll worthy if I wasn’t into their dynamic, but I was three Western blot jokes in and already hooked so I didn’t care.
As Olive’s feelings for Adam grow, classic romcom miscommunications ensue, especially when she fails to clarify that she’s not in love with Jeremy. Meanwhile, Adam’s best friend Holden drops a bombshell, revealing that Adam has been pining for a mysterious girl for three years—though Olive, in her typical oblivious fashion, fails to realize that girl is her. Again, the miscommunication is a staple in the fake dating scenario and we find out more about how much of a softie Adam is with every interaction with Holden like how Adam took Holden as his date to their senior prom, so you don’t dwell too much on it.
As their friendship deepens and miscommunications abound, Olive secures a job with Adam’s friend Tom for her pancreatic cancer research. The entire cast finds themselves in a scientific conference where Olive gives a presentation and we’re served some great banter here between her and Adam about her choice for a background color. Olive naturally can’t afford a hotel room, and Adam offers to share, and we find ourselves holding our breath for the coveted one bed trope including Olive.
At the second act’s climax (you’ll see what I did there), the B-plot explodes when Tom, the man Olive hoped to work with, sexually harasses her, dismissing her academic merits entirely. This part of the story resonated deeply with me, as Olive’s struggle—whether to report Tom or stay silent—is heartbreakingly realistic. Her concerns about not being believed by others, let alone Adam is unfortunately very relatable and written with thoughtfulness in the page.
Adam’s reaction to Olive’s distress leads to the book’s emotional turning point. They go out to a sushi restaurant, of course it’s not a date, (side note: if this assembly-line sushi place is real, Ali Hazelwood, please send the address). Then finally they find themselves alone in the hotel room. Unfortunately the room does have multiple beds, but Olive does forget her pajamas so we’re halfway in on fan favorite tropes there. The tensions are high, there are gripped sheets, stolen glances as the book reaches peak angst, and TBH is my bread and butter.
When Olive finally makes a move, Adam tries to be respectful but doesn’t stand a chance against his own desire. (Another side note, this entire chapter from Adam’s POV exists on Ali Hazelwood’s website as a bonus chapter, don’t walk, run). Then Adam makes his only unforgivable mistake of the book, he puts her entire boob into his mouth. Listen. I’ve disregarded a lot of cliches and icks in this book in favor of the charm of the plot, but with the boob move, I just can’t. Thankfully, Olive is into it, to each to their own I guess, and they sleep together. We get treated to two chapters of steamy exchanges between these two. Olive’s inexperience is on display but not in a virgin trope kind of way but more of a she never figured out what she liked kind of way, which is a real depiction of inexperienced woman rather than the untouched maiden who didn’t even share direct eye contact with a man fantasy usually serves us. Anyways, Adam is obviously incredibly good in bed even though he doesn’t have sex very often.
The plot wraps up relatively quickly after this chapter. Olive finds out Adam is considering moving to Harvard when she takes up the research job with Tom. In true romcom misunderstanding fashion she doesn’t realize Adam would only consider leaving because she is leaving even though Holden puts this relatively in plain sight.
Then, of course, Adam’s grants are unfrozen and Anh and Jeremy are going strong. Naturally instead of telling Adam what his creepy, disgusting friend said and that she’s deeply in love with Adam, Olive “breaks up“ with him claiming they both got what they wanted out of their fake dating arrangement. Some people hate the third act break up but when it’s done well, I eat it up, alongside with the “he falls first and harder” this book sells so brilliantly.
Anyways, remarkably, Olive discovers that at the end of the day she accidentally recorded Tom sexually harassing her, and crashes Adam’s Harvard interview dinner. Adam listens to the recording, Tom is of course in the scene and immediately serves a spectacular “if you even think about the woman i love, I’ll kill you” which is, what do you know, another kryptonite of mine.
Adam and Olive finally have their first direct communication throughout the entire book about their feelings. Olive admits to lying about being in love with someone else and Adam finally reveals that he’s been in love with her for years, admiring her from afar.
The ending is satisfying, with Adam and Olive finally communicating openly. Adam confesses his years-long love for Olive, and they get their happily ever after. Tom is implied to be fired, Olive secures a new postdoc position, and the epilogue shows them thriving a year later, recreating their adorable meet-cute.
Final Thoughts
“Pretty f***ing tragic twist of fate, but you don’t seem to remember that we first met years ago. An issue, since I remember a little too well. I like no one, absolutely no one, but I liked you from the start. I liked you when I didn’t know you, and now that I do know you it’s only gotten worse. Sometimes, often, always, I think about you before falling asleep. Then I dream of you, and when I wake up my head’s still there, stuck on something funny, beautiful, filthy, intelligent that’s all about you. It’s been going on for a while, longer than you think, longer than you can imagine, and I should have told you, but I have this impression, this certainty that you’re half a second from running away, that I should give you enough reasons to stay. Is there anything I can do for you? I’ll take you grocery shopping and fill your fridge when we’re back home. Buy you a new bike and a case of decent reagent and that sludge you drink. Kill the people who made you cry. Is there something you need? Name it. It’s yours. If I have it, it’s yours.”
Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis is a spectacular rom-com, packed with well-placed clichés that are staples of the genre for a reason. If you’re a fan of a smart FMC who is strong but just vulnerable enough to be saved by the MMC a few times, or if you love an MMC who’s an absolute asshole to everyone except the heroine (where he transforms into a golden retriever-level sweetheart), this book is for you. Add in great banter and the fresh, unusual STEM setting, and you’ve got a winning combination.
The way Ali Hazelwood weaves together beloved tropes like grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, and a healthy dose of miscommunication. Some scenes like the extreme sunscreen or lap-sitting scene might feel reminiscent of fan fiction, but that’s what makes this book so charming considering it got its start as fanfiction. There’s a reason it’s wildly popular. The characters, the tension and the chemistry are so enchanting that once you pick this up, you can’t put it down.
I’m a strong believer that classics and clichés endure for good reason and with romcoms. I try not to pick apart the logistics too much and just enjoy the captivating banter and chemistry which are so hard to come by these days. Hazelwood’s clever integration of these elements, along with her witty dialogue and unique academic backdrop, delivers an experience that is both a comfort read and a refreshing take on a familiar formula in a saturated genre.
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