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A review by annareadstoo
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I always enjoy Ali Hazelwood books and this one is no different. This one may be one of my favorite MMC’s out of all the ones she’s written, though. Jack is smart, confident, loyal, and has Elsie’s best interest at heart from the very first time he sees her, and he NEVER wavers, even when she does. This is still true even when they are “enemies” in the first half of the book.
I found Elsie’s story relatable - difficult family dynamic, imposter syndrome, a woman in a male dominated field in which she’s constantly being underestimated, financial struggles, and not knowing her worth in romantic relationships so she overcompensates for too long and completely removes herself from any real connections. At first I thought it was somewhat illogical to have a grown woman not know herself at all in any way, but then I thought about it more and felt really sad for her for how long she had been erasing herself because that’s how she thought she wouldn’t be abandoned.
i enjoyed the characters she used to demonstrate the variety of different ways people can take advantage of you. The mom calls and guilt trips and how it started from very very young with her diabetes diagnosis, her students emailing constantly, and even with her roommate and best friend. Hazelwood did a good job of making us feel like how Elsie would feel - constantly bombarded with having to fulfill the needs of others throughout the book, except for moments when she’s with Jack.And Greg being asexual and aromantic was definitely something I did not expect from this plot, in a good way. And it was nice to see him have such unwavering support from a family member when he came out.
I do wish that we had a little more info on how they got the Smith family to just randomly accept that Elsie went from dating one brother to the other. The way that was written seemed a little bit like a cop out but the end.
Love her books, looking forward to the next one already.
I found Elsie’s story relatable - difficult family dynamic, imposter syndrome, a woman in a male dominated field in which she’s constantly being underestimated, financial struggles, and not knowing her worth in romantic relationships so she overcompensates for too long and completely removes herself from any real connections. At first I thought it was somewhat illogical to have a grown woman not know herself at all in any way, but then I thought about it more and felt really sad for her for how long she had been erasing herself because that’s how she thought she wouldn’t be abandoned.
i enjoyed the characters she used to demonstrate the variety of different ways people can take advantage of you. The mom calls and guilt trips and how it started from very very young with her diabetes diagnosis, her students emailing constantly, and even with her roommate and best friend. Hazelwood did a good job of making us feel like how Elsie would feel - constantly bombarded with having to fulfill the needs of others throughout the book, except for moments when she’s with Jack.
I do wish that we had a little more info on how they got the Smith family to just randomly accept that Elsie went from dating one brother to the other. The way that was written seemed a little bit like a cop out but the end.
Love her books, looking forward to the next one already.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent