A review by kayaj
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

lighthearted

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

 

The Love Hypothesis, if nothing else, is a big win for STEM girlies everywhere. Now me personally, I’m deathly allergic to math and physics and all that*. But I appreciate the representation and the references to the absurd difficulties women face when trying to make it in the world of academia, especially BIPOC women. It obviously doesn’t dive into a ton of depth since it’s first and foremost a romance, but it still does touch on those subjects which I did enjoy.

*although, i only have a slight intolerance to statistics and chemistry. and this book definitely has chemistry so it wasn’t all bad.

We follow Olive, a chemistry Ph.D. student who can’t for the life of her convince her best friend Anh to date her ex since Anh truly doesn’t want to hurt her. So, in a moment of panic, she kisses the first guy she sees. Who happens to be a young hotshot professor with a stingy reputation. They end up agreeing to fake-date for a certain period of time as they both have something to gain from the arrangement. 

You’d best BELIEVE that this was originally Reylo fanfiction. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that since it’s not bad fanfiction! And considering the lack of lightsabers, Millennium Falcons, and Stormtroopers*, I think it’s safe to say it stands on its own. Olive and Adam have excellent chemistry. Since they’re both chemists**. But seriously, Adam’s slight grumpiness and cold exterior to everyone but Olive (in a wholesome way I promise) is actually so much fun to read about. His hatred of all things sweet and Olive’s addiction to all things sweet is the best dynamic ever okay?

*that and darth vader are the height of my star wars knowledge I’m sorry I’m sorry!

**i’m actually such a comedian today kevin hart better be looking for another job SOON

The plot had just enough happening to keep me at least vaguely interested. Olive and Adam have to keep up their ruse, which means awkward situations on top of awkward situations. Add to that the fact that they both have important science-y stuff to do and I’d say this story never lacked in purpose. There was a part in the middle that I felt did slow down a little, and I found myself getting a bit bored, hence the 4-star rating. It did pick back up again though!

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you”.

So that’s it! Overall, this was an entertaining read. Adam and Olive’s interactions were absolute gold and carried me through the slower parts of the story.