A review by chelsea_shelves
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

3.0

This rom com had its highs and lows for me, but ultimately I’m glad I read it! I’m currently sick and fatigued, so I’m just going to make a bulleted list instead of full on review for now. 

Positives:
- Academic setting and commentary on working in academia 
- STEM focus
- Self-referential (poking fun at its own romance tropes)
- ADAM. Swoon. I might be biased because brooding academic Adam reminds me of my mercurial scholarly husband
- Cute flirtations and build up 
- Strong friendships and side characters
- Character development 

Negatives/annoyances 
- Flimsy premise for fake dating scheme
- Too much self doubt and lack of communication
- Sometimes felt like a YA book to me 
- But then the love scenes were too explicit for my closed door tase (not crude at all though, I just typically don’t read “spice.”)
- I was bored about 25% in, but then it picked up. Ending was a bit abrupt. Pacing was off for me
- A bit corny

Having said all that it was a cute book and had plenty of laugh-out-loud and giddy moments. I also loved the honest take about how demanding the academia world is for both students and instructors. It gave the novel the right kind of extra depth for a generally light-hearted book.
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