The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – Audio
ARC from Penguin Random House Audio for an honest review
Book Blurb:
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.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
My Review: 3.5 stars
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is a sweet story about a female biologist who is working toward her PHD in this cute, yet predictable rom-com.
There was a lot to like about Olive Smith, such as her wit, her smarts and her loyalty to her friends. She was, however, a character I wanted to slap a million times because she was too smart to not catch on to Adam’s feelings. On the flip side, Adam was brilliant beyond measure, and again, clueless about Olive’s feelings. I know that fake-dating is a popular trope in the rom-com genre but man, it got frustrating. Perhaps, they are too book smart to grasp the social cues.
They each had good back-stories that help the reader understand their reasons for what they do socially and professionally. It also highlighted the difficulty women face in STEM industries. I’m certain dedicated readers of rom-com will fall in love with this duo and their antics.
Quotes I liked:
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.”