Reviews

The Love Hypothesis by Laura Steven

booksbymonth's review

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

miss_hart_stopper's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

elenasquareeyes's review

2.0

Teenage physics genius Caro Kerber-Murphy is meeting her two dads’ colossal expectations and then some. But there’s one test she’s never been able to ace – love. In a particularly desperate moment of feeling unlovable with poor self-esteem, Caro discovers a scientific breakthrough that promises to make you irresistible to everyone around you. Taking these miracle pills change everything and the attention is addictive, especially when Haruki Ito, the boy she’s been in love with for years, suddenly notices her. 

I’ve read a couple of Lauran Steven’s books before (The Exact Opposite of Okay and its sequel A Girl Called Shameless) and enjoyed them a lot so I was interested in reading more of her works. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy The Love Hypothesis like I did her previous books. 

It’s a YA novel and I’m an adult so obviously teenage characters can feel young to me in YA books but these characters felt really young. Plus, the whole thing with the pheromone pills just felt very silly to me. Yes, these pills were a way for Caro to gain more confidence and is the thing driving the plot of this story forward but it was something that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief for. Everything else about The Love Hypothesis is pretty grounded with things like Caro being worried to ask her dads about her birth mother because she doesn’t want to hurt them or the way friendships can become strained so this magical pill that makes people more attractive just feels so out of place. 

I did like Caro’s parents and how involved they were with her life. So often in YA books parents are either completely absent or they and their child are like ships passing in the night and have no affect on the child or the story as a whole. Both of her dad’s are quirky in their own way and the amount of love they have for Caro is clear to see. It’s great to see them talk about issues and while they might be protective it’s not too over the top as they do trust their daughter. 

I also liked the friendship drama more than Caro’s quest to get a boy to notice her. Caro has two best friends and they all have different interests so when they each have more going on in their lives, it’s easy to see how their friendships might change. For so long Caro was pretty quiet because she was so jealous of the things her friends were good at or their personalities of their looks that she felt lesser than them. When she gets some confidence, she starts to actually speak her mind and while she still cares whether or not what she says/does will hurt others, she’s no longer willing to restrict herself to make others happy or more comfortable. 

The Love Hypothesis is a short book at less than 300 pages but it was a book that took me over a week to read because I was never really that interested in the story. It’s the kind of book I never felt the urge to pick it up, even though when I did it was a very quick read due to the humour and the simple story. It didn’t work for me, but that doesn’t mean The Love Hypothesis won’t work for other people. 

celthy's review

1.0

i read the wrong freaking book i thought i was reading the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood aaaa

yuyu8's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Embarrassed to admit this was taken out by mistake.  😂 Was suppose to read the other love hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.  But why not give it a go, after all it’s a YA LGBTQ rom-com- a genre I haven’t ventured in before.  And how can one miss a story when the love interest is named Haruki and BFF is a unicorn color hair girl sending Yoasobi-vibes named keiko 

Steven’s writing is hilarious, smart and witty.  The side characters shines, especially the two gay dads, who can practically have a book of their own.  

Story’s about a smart science gal testing out an online pill that promises irresistible charm.  Protagonist successfully attracted her love interest along with all other people (including her one eye cockapoo who keeps humping her leg).  But beneath the rom-com surface, it is about self-acceptance, confronting fears, dealing with the past, navigating through shifts in love and friendship.  

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

mileynclaire's review against another edition

4.0

Niby kolejna historia z serii „niepopularna kujonka zadłuża się w szkolnym przystojniaku”, a jednak napisana w taki sposób, że czujemy jakbyśmy rozmawiali z przyjaciółką. Przyjaźń, miłość i nauka zostały połączone w tak świetny i zabawny sposób, że po prostu nie da się od niej oderwać! Bardzo się cieszę, że sięgnęłam po tą pozycję i bardzo serdecznie polecam każdemu. Potrafi całkowicie zmienić nasze spojrzenie na świat i bardzo otwiera oczy. Gwarantuję, że spędzisz z nią świetny czas i na pewno nie będziesz się nudzić!

alongreader's review

I haven't read Laura Steven before, but I definitely will look for her other YA titles now. The main character feels very real. I don't know about you, but when I was in school I constantly felt overlooked and ignored in favour of other people. The only difference is it didn't really bother me; I'm such an introvert, I actually preferred it, usually. But I do understand and have felt that desperate 'I'm here, I'm here, pay attention to me!' feeling.

I loved that a lot of the reason her life started getting better was because she gained confidence. Walked tall, started speaking up...it's a great lesson. Much better than the first lesson. Kids, Don't Buy Drugs On The Internet. And the link to consent was very clever. Like Caro, I hadn't considered it until she thought of it, quite late in the novel.

I liked her parents, but I would die of embarrassment at Vati's first joke. I mean, they're funny on the page, but in real life? Not a chance. Dad felt very robotic until very late in the novel, but it's understandable when you find out a couple of things about him. I just kept thinking of Kevin and Captain Holt from Brooklyn 99...although maybe Modern Family is a better analogy? Either way, they worked really well together.

I'd like to see if Caro and a character I won't name for spoilers stay friends. Or...rebecome friends, I suppose. I hope Laura comes back to these characters, but I'll be busy catching up on her backlist for now!

quinniantheduck's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

oofrie's review

2.0

This book follows Caro, a physics nerd who hasn't ever had anyone be interested in her. She has a hypothesis about love; people are attracted to others with a similar level of attractiveness. She subverts this by taking a pill that enhances her sex pheromones, and suddenly everyone in school is interested in her. She finally has the attention of her longtime crush, Haruki. Though she has everything she's ever wanted, she realizes there are things she's been taking for granted. Maybe what she thought she wanted wasn't what she wanted at all.

The book was ok. Like I think it was written well and whatnot, I just didn't particularly like the story or the characters.

oxuria's review against another edition

3.0

To jest całkiem dobra historia o odkrywaniu siebie, popełnianiu błędów i dorastaniu w ogóle!
Nie da się jednak ukryć, że nie jestem już wiekowo odbiorczynią tej opowieści i dobitnie to odczułam...