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maryyykayyy's review
4.0
this was such a fun read. olive was so silly and relatable. and adam was apparently so mean but god he was such a softie for her. and i live for that. this was def an entertaining read and the ending was so satisfying
hxma's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So cute
4✨️
4✨️
rozuuuuh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
5.0
areadssmut28's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
aehamilton33's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
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? Yes
4.5
I have been holding off reading any Ali Hazelwood bc everyone says how “quirky” her FMCs are. I didn’t find Olive to be annoyingly quirky. She was cute and smart and a little naïve. This book was so cute loooooooooooooove fake dating tropes. Love the banter. Took a half star off because I think it needs more banter between the two. Overall super enjoyable
devareads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
meggie82461's review
5.0
This was a fun read! I’ve seen mixed reviews from my GR friends and truthfully, I get it. The story wasn’t anything new and exciting. But I don’t read romance to have my socks knocked off. What I want is a cute love story and main characters I can root for, and this one had that in spades. And Dr. Adam Carlsen? One of the best heroes I have read in a long, long time. He alone made this book worth reading.
Olive is a grad student at Stanford. She is working on finding bio markers in blood for early detection of pancreatic cancer. I can’t comment on how realistic this is because I work in finance and also, again, this is romance; I’m not overly concerned with the science of it all. Olive is a little bit romantically challenged, but she is likable. She’s a great friend and a hard worker, so it is very easy to want all the good things for her. Olive ends up fake-dating an esteemed professor because reasons (again, romance). His name is Adam, he is “a known ass,” and he is why I read this genre.
Adam checks all my boxes: pined for years, mean to everyone but Olive, tortured, protective, does things for her secretly because he doesn’t need the credit. Certainly a little obsessive. And while the following aren’t things I require in my heroes, they really work with Adam: respectful, observant, very concerned with consent, and supportive of Olive’s professional goals without doing things to further her career (in other words, he let her do her thing instead of throwing his weight around to get her opportunities). Now, I don’t want to make it seem like Adam is perfect, because he isn’t. He is a grump, after all. He is needlessly mean to his students, and for awhile, it is hard to get a read on him. He just seems like a caricature for more than half of the book. But when it is time for Adam to step up, boy, does he ever. Granted, it was late and I also have allergies, but my eyes teared up a little.
Now for the miscellaneous stuff. This story was inclusive; it heavily featured a relationship between two men, and Olive’s best friend is Vietnamese and a big advocate for BIPOC in STEM. The author also did a good job of handling any power imbalances present in the relationship. She didn’t ignore the struggles of women in the old boys club of science, which I appreciated as I deal with it in my field too. No, the story doesn’t tackle any hard issues but again, that isn’t why I read it. I wanted something cute, fun, and sweet, and it absolutely delivered.
Olive is a grad student at Stanford. She is working on finding bio markers in blood for early detection of pancreatic cancer. I can’t comment on how realistic this is because I work in finance and also, again, this is romance; I’m not overly concerned with the science of it all. Olive is a little bit romantically challenged, but she is likable. She’s a great friend and a hard worker, so it is very easy to want all the good things for her. Olive ends up fake-dating an esteemed professor because reasons (again, romance). His name is Adam, he is “a known ass,” and he is why I read this genre.
Adam checks all my boxes: pined for years, mean to everyone but Olive, tortured, protective, does things for her secretly because he doesn’t need the credit. Certainly a little obsessive. And while the following aren’t things I require in my heroes, they really work with Adam: respectful, observant, very concerned with consent, and supportive of Olive’s professional goals without doing things to further her career (in other words, he let her do her thing instead of throwing his weight around to get her opportunities). Now, I don’t want to make it seem like Adam is perfect, because he isn’t. He is a grump, after all. He is needlessly mean to his students, and for awhile, it is hard to get a read on him. He just seems like a caricature for more than half of the book. But when it is time for Adam to step up, boy, does he ever. Granted, it was late and I also have allergies, but my eyes teared up a little.
Now for the miscellaneous stuff. This story was inclusive; it heavily featured a relationship between two men, and Olive’s best friend is Vietnamese and a big advocate for BIPOC in STEM. The author also did a good job of handling any power imbalances present in the relationship. She didn’t ignore the struggles of women in the old boys club of science, which I appreciated as I deal with it in my field too. No, the story doesn’t tackle any hard issues but again, that isn’t why I read it. I wanted something cute, fun, and sweet, and it absolutely delivered.
gharv03's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3.5. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it! I will definitely be reading more of Ali Hazelwood. It didn't fully work for me simply because of the student/teacher dynamic. While Ali did a great job at making power dynamics very clear, consent established, and touched on the inherent nuance between their relationship, I couldn't fully get on board. With my history working closely with the Title IX system in college, and power and consent in relationships, I found it hard to fully relax into the plot. I like their relationship and dont get me wrong i have the hots for Adam Carleson, but the back of my mind was always thinking of the dynamics.
kazoozo's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
janaya's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault