A review by nitzanschwarz
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

C | 74% | Satisfactory 

Was this book cute? Definitely. Was it amazing? Errr... Not really. It is a pleasant pastime with the occasional raised eyebrow, frown, or disbelieving narrowing of the eyebrows.

Let's start with the main characters. I may hate the name Olive (sorry to all the Olive's out there), but I quite enjoyed her character. I could relate to a lot of her feelings and insecurities. That being said, the woman could be extremely frustrating. I do get her insecurities, but the way people spelled out everything for her and STILL she came to an opposite conclusion was... a unique talent. Hazelwood herself had to go through linguistic hoops to make this remotely plausible. 

Then we have Adam. Love this loser. Like,
the man was legit in love with the girls for years and never once approached her
, even though he's a hotshot scientist and professor with washboard abs (apparently). He was genuinely such a nice guy--which is one of my main problems with the novel. Because Hazelwood tries to convince you he is an ass/dick by having Olive repeat those words over and over and over again. But do you know how many times I've seen him be an ass/dick on paper? Big, fat, zero.

Being stern and dry-humored does equate to being an ass. Neither does being a strict professor who expects excellence from students and fails proposals that are not up to par. Could it make him an ass, depending on how he says things? Sure. But we only see his serious and heartfelt perspective on the matter. And tell me, please, why Olive and the narrative calls him an ass when he
tries to dissuade her from "making the mistake of" sleeping with him because he thinks she's in love with someone else--as she told him so
. In what universe is this ass behavior? The man is a green forest!  

Adam and Olive's chemistry was great. They were just a fun, bantering couple. I did have to suspend my disbelief several times. Like, my guys, why are you discussing your fake dating in a crowded public parking lot with the friend you're trying to fool close by? Subterfuge 101 - don't talk about the plan in public!

While I liked Olive and Adam, I lowkey hated Anh for the majority of the story. The woman would constantly force her friend into inappropriate or public displays of affection that Olive was clearly uncomfortable with. Now, is it great for the plot? Yes. Is it great in a friend? Nope. While Anh tried to explain herself at the end, I just... don't understand why she would consistently choose things for Olive without talking to her about them.

For example, I get that you meant well, but... Your best friend has barely dated and isn't comfortable with physical stuff. So why, oh why, would you unilaterally decide she's
going to room in a hotel with her boyfriend
? Why put so much pressure on her and her new relationship early? And why does Malcom, who
knows about the fake relationship
, not point out these facts and dissuade her from making plans without Olive? And don't get me started on sharing Olive's private biz with others (and yes, her new boyfriend is "others"!). If I were in a new relationship, real or otherwise, and confided in someone about it only for that info to become public knowledge a few hours later, with all eyes on me because the boyfriend is a professor, I would probably lose it.

Story and Setting - 14/20
Characters - 15/20
Relationships - 15/20 
Writing -  15/20 
Reading Experience - 15/20

Final Score: 74
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