Review: The Love HypothesisTitle: The Love Hypothesis
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Own
For: Book of the Month
Rating:
Sexual Content: 4 Flames

Goodreads Amazon

There's a trigger warning for this book. See Trigger Warning section at end of review for more details.
Goodreads Synopsis

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees, Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass.

My Thoughts

I’ve wanted to read THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS ever since I started blogging and reading again. The cover and synopsis drew me right in and I knew I’d love it. Now having read it, I wasn’t wrong. I adored THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS so much!

The fake-dating trope is one of my favorite romance tropes and THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS did it so well. The sexual tension was strong with this one. Hazelwood is really good at writing banter between her characters. I was giddy during most of the book because I just loved Olive and Adam’s interactions.

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is such a fun story. I really needed it right now. I felt so many emotions. I laughed, yelled, cried, and swooned. I stayed up until 2am on Wednesday finishing it because I couldn’t put it down.

I’m starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds, so the other person can stay whole.

I loved all the characters in THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, even the ones I was meant to hate. They each had distinct personalities and were fun to get to know. I especially loved Holden, Adam’s best friend, and Olive’s best friends, Anh and Malcolm.

I adored the setting of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, especially the representation of women in STEM. I know there’s some controversy as to whether a relationship between a professor and grad student would be allowed. Honestly, even if it weren’t allowed, I can suspend my belief enough because of how Hazelwood presented it.

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS started out as Reylo fanfiction. (Yes, just like FIFTY SHADES OF GREY began as TWILIGHT fanfiction.) You can tell that the characters are based on Rey and Kylo Ren if you focus on it. If you don’t, the story works just fine one its own. Personally, I’m not a Reylo fan. View Spoiler » That being said, if this is how Reylo fans see Rey and Kylo Ren together, I now know why there are so many of them.

Anyway, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is a fun nerdy contemporary romance that also deals with some heavy themes to give the story some depth. I’m really glad I took the time to read it.

Have you read THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS? If so, what did you think?

About Jenni Elyse


Hi, I'm Jenni. I’m an eclectic reader. I mostly read fiction and I favor fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, thrillers, and romance. The more kissing in a book the better!
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16 replies
  1. Margaret
    Margaret says:

    As someone who enjoys a well-written Regency romance, I would probably like this one. As for professors and grad students, it does happen.

    Reply
    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      If/when you do read this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And, yes, I’ve heard of professor and grad student romances. I, personally, don’t think there’s anything wrong with it as long as the professor isn’t directly over the student, which I’m sure still happens, and that’s how Hazelwood set it up.

      Reply
  2. Louise Hallett
    Louise Hallett says:

    I’ve not read this but HAVE seen it mentioned on blogs. Your review has sold me on this one, particularly as I seem to be enjoying good quality rom-com books at the moment.

    Reply
  3. Ellie
    Ellie says:

    It’s so cute, isn’t it? I didn’t know it started off as fan-fiction…and I guess I don’t know enough about the newer Star Wars to even understand the connection. I’m looking forward to all her new books this year.

    Reply
    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      The great thing about THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is that you don’t even need to know the connection to Star Wars to appreciate it. In fact, I think it makes it better. 🙂 I look forward to reading her other books too.

      Reply
    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      A lot of people don’t seem to know about the Reylo connection, which like you said, is just fine. You can enjoy the book without knowing. I just went in wondering how heaving the connection would be since I’m not a Reylo fan and I was pleasantly surprised. 😀

      Reply

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