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A review by chekwube
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
funny
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was definitely very interesting and was a good follow-up to the book I read previously. The dynamic between Jack and Elsie was very rich and I loved to see the pace they went by. The only thing that was sort of concerning to me was when i was forced to wonder whether she was just a project to him. I don’t know, something about the way he was very much about her and none about him seemed kind of odd to me.
When I think about the book in its entirety, I realize we learn a lot about her (Elsie). We learn about why she does the things she does and we learn about her struggles and we see how Jack is able to get past the defenses she puts up with everyone else (which is cute to say the least). But we don’t really learn a lot about Jack and thats what Elsie complains about and when he responds, he just talks about being obsessed with her.
I guess, as much as I was learning about her quirks, I wanted to learn about his and what quirks of his attracted her to him beyond the chemistry unexplainable-type romance. I wanted to know more about how his childhood affected him beyond just leading him to write an article at 17. I don’t know, I feel like the book was very Elsie and academia centered which honestly I didn’t hate. It was just an observation that we eventually didn’t learn more about Jack and his history. Like his exes (what was that whole thing with Andrea about? And why was it never resolved?
But those are just my curiosities. Beyond that, I’m a romantic at heart and Jack being an acts of service guy just made me sooooo happy because it so beautifully complemented Elsie’s need for someone who would take care of her as well.
It was also so interesting to learn about the world of academia and mentorship and job searches post graduation. That’s one thing I love about Ali Hazelwood’s books. She’s so perfect in articulating academia in an intriguing and non-boring way. It’s never like I want to gorge my eyes out. It’s always like “wow this is really cool” and even with how she puts in characters who don’t know anything about it that make the mistakes ordinary non-science people would make to sort of put us back on track. For instance, Elsie’s best-friend Cece would call the crystals ‘sparkles’ which is a mistake I’d also make if someone had asked me what the book was about. But after Cece does that, Elise corrects her which also in a way corrects me and constantly reminds me what’s being talked about.
Great book overall though!
And I definitely noticed the reference to ‘What Would Marie Do’ from Hazelwood’s second book I believe it was!
When I think about the book in its entirety, I realize we learn a lot about her (Elsie). We learn about why she does the things she does and we learn about her struggles and we see how Jack is able to get past the defenses she puts up with everyone else (which is cute to say the least). But we don’t really learn a lot about Jack and thats what Elsie complains about and when he responds, he just talks about being obsessed with her.
I guess, as much as I was learning about her quirks, I wanted to learn about his and what quirks of his attracted her to him beyond the chemistry unexplainable-type romance. I wanted to know more about how his childhood affected him beyond just leading him to write an article at 17. I don’t know, I feel like the book was very Elsie and academia centered which honestly I didn’t hate. It was just an observation that we eventually didn’t learn more about Jack and his history. Like his exes (what was that whole thing with Andrea about? And why was it never resolved?
But those are just my curiosities. Beyond that, I’m a romantic at heart and Jack being an acts of service guy just made me sooooo happy because it so beautifully complemented Elsie’s need for someone who would take care of her as well.
It was also so interesting to learn about the world of academia and mentorship and job searches post graduation. That’s one thing I love about Ali Hazelwood’s books. She’s so perfect in articulating academia in an intriguing and non-boring way. It’s never like I want to gorge my eyes out. It’s always like “wow this is really cool” and even with how she puts in characters who don’t know anything about it that make the mistakes ordinary non-science people would make to sort of put us back on track. For instance, Elsie’s best-friend Cece would call the crystals ‘sparkles’ which is a mistake I’d also make if someone had asked me what the book was about. But after Cece does that, Elise corrects her which also in a way corrects me and constantly reminds me what’s being talked about.
Great book overall though!
And I definitely noticed the reference to ‘What Would Marie Do’ from Hazelwood’s second book I believe it was!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexism, and Abandonment