Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The Love Hypothesis

This is my second Ali Hazelwood book and I'm just as pleased with this read as I was with the first one. It was a beautifully put together story, and though I'm really not keen on the misunderstanding trope, this was nicely done altogether.

I loved to see Olive fall in love with Adam, and how entirely patient Adam was for her, and how entirely sweet her friendship with Malcolm and Ahn was, and well, everything.

It was a great story, in a great setting, and as far as romances go, supremely sweet. Highly recommended.

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megad_06's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was a very lighthearted, easy read that got me back into reading. I enjoyed the main character, the sunshine x grumpy trope, and the twist.

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kristenreads's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

2.25

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nplunkie's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I found the book fairly slow for about the first half (after the initial few chapters). I felt some of the scenarios quite contrived and felt a bit shoehorned in to move the story along

e.g. sitting on the lap at a talk would be strange even if they weren’t fake dating. Anh also always being the pusher of these situations became repetitive

. I didn’t find the characters to be overly lovable or develop too much

Adam never actually taking any responsibility for how he passes on his feedback other than “it’s not personal so they shouldn’t be upset”

There’s about a chapter and a half of spice which I think is pretty good. Overall an enjoyable read just a few bits not totally to my personal taste

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mari_library's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was a solid 4-star read. I have to praise Ali Hazelwood for making me like the type of main character I normally hate. Was the story predictable? Yes. Was it enjoyable? Also, yes.

The object permanence was definitely not there since every time I put this book down, I forgot I was reading it. BUT when I was reading the book, it was enjoyable and engaging. The story is your typical fake-dating romance, the characters and plot were predictable, and in all cases, it was a solid romance. There is very little to say against it other than the main character's best friend is shitty. I don't think Anh played the part well as a best friend, and I don't think she showed the same level of investment in her friendship as Olive did. However, Adam Carlsen???? My man! He was *chef's kiss* the definition of a man written by a woman. I love him.

Overall, an enjoyable and solid read.

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chelseasofia's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.0

Ok, on the one hand this book was fun, had great STEM and science rep (which I know zero about but was delighted by the specificity of it all - it’s refreshing to see characters so knowledgeable in their field of work), and I really liked the characters and their growing relationship. They really *cared* for each other and were thoughtful about each other’s feelings and boundaries. It was fairly well written (not a ton of weird overly explanatory anxiety ridden character thoughts, only a few sprinkled hither and thither) and it did not feel like a chore to read (high bar I know).

On the other hand, I am tired of a few things that are still very popular in romance: the tall guy/short girl thing, likewise the repeated wonderment about how BIG he is (ok, I get it, a couple mentions would have been enough though), and the fact that two very intelligent people can’t make the logical conclusion to not pile on lie after lie, or that sacrificing yourself for the imagined happiness of someone else by continuing those lies is somehow “real love”, please. Also the miscommunications that don’t really make sense. Also the *ridiculous* ways that they’re forced to get closer in public (via Olive’s friend pressuring her) was just kinda dumb/not fully developed. I love tropes but let’s try and inject a little reality?

I did have to keep reminding myself that these people are in their 20s and not experienced at relationships, being honest with others about their feelings, or even with themselves. I know I didn’t tell someone I loved them when I was that age, so I guess I’m just over some of this stuff because I’ve read it a lot, and I’m old (sarcasm).

I did like Olive but I wished she didn’t have to be so unsure and tentative for so much of the book. And (spoilers?) when a big awful thing happens I wanted to scream at the way she was just going to push it down and try to continue as if nothing had happened. I guess that just means that I cared for the characters. But also, the big awful thing was really over the top, done by a capital-V Villain and it came completely out of nowhere. People who are abusers and manipulative don’t really go this hard this fast, do they? I wanted it to be a little more nuanced. But then again, maybe people are really this brazen and awful in academia. It did make for a great conclusion of the story later on.

The thing I liked most was them slowly becoming friends and coming to really care for each other in such a lovely way. And it all led to the one sex scene which was both tender and hot, with lots of good communication, plus the demisexual rep. Worth it. 🔥🔥🔥

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briony_2010's review

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hopeful informative lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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jkyx's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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