the love hypothesis book review

'The Love Hypothesis' won Amazon's best romance book of 2021, has a near-perfect rating on Goodreads, and is all over TikTok. Here's why it's such a unique love story.

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" The Love Hypothesis " grabbed the attention of romance readers everywhere in 2021.
It was named Amazon's Best Romance Novel of 2021 and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award.
This book checks off all my boxes for a great romance read and is definitely worth the hype.

This year, Amazon named " The Love Hypothesis " by Ali Hazelwood the best romance book of the year. Even though it was only recently published in September 2021, "The Love Hypothesis" has quickly become a fan-favorite, with 88% of Goodreads reviewers giving it four- or five-star-level praise .

It was also nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award and is hugely popular amongst Book of the Month members , with only 1% of readers giving it a "disliked" rating.

"The Love Hypothesis" is about Olive Smith, a third-year Ph.D. candidate studying pancreatic cancer at Stanford. In an attempt to convince one of her best friends that she's moved on from an old crush, she impulsively kisses Dr. Adam Carlsen, the department's notoriously brutal (but undeniably attractive) professor. After the kiss, Adam and Olive agree to fake a relationship so she can prove to her friend that she's happily dating and he can convince their department that he isn't planning to leave anytime soon.

I'm a little picky about my romance novels , so giving this read every bit of a five-star review didn't come lightly. My standards are high because the best romance novels have the potential to expose readers to authentic and imperfect relationships and offer new topics of discussion without making us feel like it's a story we've already read.

With all the hype surrounding this new romance read, I couldn't resist picking it up.

Here's why "The Love Hypothesis" is one of my favorite recent romance books:

1. the story focuses a lot on olive and adam's lives outside their romance, making their love story more believable and interesting..

Romance novels tend to fall into a few popular tropes such as " enemies-to-lovers " or "forbidden love." "The Love Hypothesis" combines two of the most popular tropes right now, "Fake dating" and "grumpy/sunshine," really well — I loved the contrast between Adam's serious attitude to Olive's bright and sugary one.

But despite following these tropes, the story feels fresh because it's also largely about Olive's work and its meaning to her. The only other romance book I've read featuring a STEM heroine is "The Kiss Quotient" , so I loved seeing that representation and learning about something new.

The story honestly reflected the challenges Ph.D. candidates face in academia and that authenticity — deepened by the author's personal experiences — brought the characters, the settings, and the romance to life even more as Olive and Adam faced challenges with funding, time-consuming research, and questioning their sense of purpose.

2. The steamier scenes are also awkward and realistic, which made them even better.

In romance books, there are a few different levels of how graphic a steamy scene can get , from little-to-no detail to explicitly outlined movements. (I personally prefer mine to "fade to black.")

There was only one chapter with adult content, and it was definitely graphic. While I made a ton of ridiculous faces while reading and tried to skim past the parts that made me audibly gasp, I loved that it wasn't a movie-made, perfect sex scene with graceful movements and smooth dialogue. The scene was a little awkward, imperfect, and full of consent and conversation, making it refreshingly real.

3. The book deals with other topics besides the main love story, making it a much deeper read.

While it's wonderful to get swept up in the magic of a romantic storyline, having a secondary plot that addresses real issues is what makes a romance novel truly great .

Mild spoilers and content warnings ahead: While "The Love Hypothesis" is a fun romantic read, it also addresses the pain of familial death, power differentials, intimacy challenges, and, most prevalently, workplace sexual harassment.

Love is beautiful, fun, and amazing, but "The Love Hypothesis" takes the opportunity to also include conversations about serious issues. While these topics may be tough for some readers, I think these plot points, hard conversations, and complicated emotions take "The Love Hypothesis" to the next level and make it a five-star read.

The bottom line

"The Love Hypothesis" has everything I personally look for in a romance novel: A unique storyline, authentic characters, and an important message. If you're looking for a perfectly balanced romance read, "The Love Hypothesis" is worth the hype and definitely one of the best romance books to come out in the past year.

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IndieBound Bestseller

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS

by Ali Hazelwood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2021

Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.

An earnest grad student and a faculty member with a bit of a jerkish reputation concoct a fake dating scheme in this nerdy, STEM-filled contemporary romance.

Olive Smith and professor Adam Carlsen first met in the bathroom of Adam's lab. Olive wore expired contact lenses, reducing her eyes to temporary tears, while Adam just needed to dispose of a solution. It's a memory that only one of them has held onto. Now, nearly three years later, Olive is fully committed to her research in pancreatic cancer at Stanford University's biology department. As a faculty member, Adam's reputation precedes him, since he's made many students cry or drop their programs entirely with his bluntness. When Olive needs her best friend, Anh, to think she's dating someone so Anh will feel more comfortable getting involved with Olive's barely-an-ex, Jeremy, she impulsively kisses Adam, who happens to be standing there when Anh walks by. But rumors start to spread, and the one-time kiss morphs into a fake relationship, especially as Adam sees there's a benefit for him. The university is withholding funds for Adam's research out of fear that he'll leave for a better position elsewhere. If he puts down more roots by getting involved with someone, his research funds could be released at the next budgeting meeting in about a month's time. After setting a few ground rules, Adam and Olive agree that come the end of September, they'll part ways, having gotten what they need from their arrangement. Hazelwood has a keen understanding of romance tropes and puts them to good use—in addition to fake dating, Olive and Adam are an opposites-attract pairing with their sunny and grumpy personalities—but there are a couple of weaknesses in this debut novel. Hazelwood manages to sidestep a lot of the complicated power dynamics of a student-faculty romance by putting Olive and Adam in different departments, but the impetus for their fake relationship has much higher stakes for Adam. Olive does reap the benefits of dating a faculty member, but in the end, she's still the one seemingly punished or taunted by her colleagues; readers may have been hoping for a more subversive twist. For a first novel, there's plenty of shine here, with clear signs that Hazelwood feels completely comfortable with happily-ever-afters.

Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-33682-3

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Berkley

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021

ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE

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by Ali Hazelwood

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13 Romance Authors Making Space in the Genre

PERSPECTIVES

by Ali Hazelwood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.

A vampire and an Alpha werewolf enter into a marriage of convenience in order to ease tensions between their species.

As the only daughter of a prominent Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark has grown accustomed to playing the role that’s demanded of her—and now, her father is ordering her to be part of yet another truce agreement. In an effort to maintain goodwill between the Vampyres and their longtime nemeses the Weres, Misery must wed their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. But it turns out that Misery has her own motivations for agreeing to this political marriage, including finding answers about what happened to her best friend, who went missing after setting up a meeting in Were territory. Isolated from her kind and surrounded on all sides by the enemy after the wedding, Misery refuses to let herself forget about her real mission. It doesn’t matter that Lowe is one of the most confounding and intense people she’s ever met, or that the connection building between them doesn’t feel like one born entirely of convenience. There’s also the possibility that Lowe may already have a Were mate of his own, but in spite of their biological differences, they may turn out to be the missing piece in each other’s lives. While this is Hazelwood’s first paranormal romance, and the book does lean on some hallmark tropes of the genre, the contemporary setting lends itself to the author’s trademark humor and makes the political plot more easily digestible. Misery and Lowe’s slow-burn romance is appealing enough that readers will readily devour every moment between them and hunger to return to them whenever the story diverts from their scenes together.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9780593550403

Page Count: 416

Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023

ROMANCE | PARANORMAL ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE

New York Times Bestseller

IT ENDS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

Hoover’s ( November 9 , 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

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Series: The Love Hypothesis

Book review: the love hypothesis (the love hypothesis #1) by ali hazelwood.

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. 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.

His hand closed into a fist on the table, jaw clenched tight as he nodded. “Awesome. We could chat about how nice this place is—” “It’s appalling.” “—or the taste of the sushi—” “Foot.” “—or the best movie in the Fast and Furious franchise—” “ Fast Five . Though I have a feeling you’re going to say—” “ Tokyo Drift .” “Right.” He sighed.

No words can truly describe what I’m feeling right now. Surely they’re inadequate-or repetitive-since all I’ve done is gush about contemporaries for weeks now, but there’s something more, I fear, to be said that hasn’t before. I don’t quite know what it is, but in all the books I’ve read within the last month, they’ve all had such an intensely unique quality so embedded into them that you couldn’t possibly take away their ability to reach deep into your soul …if that is, in fact, what you were looking for. But no, The Love Hypothesis didn’t necessarily knock any of my other new discoveries out of top place, only…joined them. But I’d be lying if I said the word I was looking for wasn’t ‘special’. This book was special . And I think the damnedest thing is this- it’s special simply for coming into existence , and special because of the wonderful things it made me feel.

“Though, I’ve been thinking about this a lot.” He waited patiently for her to continue. “And I think that it would be best if we laid down some ground rules. Before starting.” “Ground rules?” “Yes. You know. What we are allowed and not allowed to do. What we can expect from this arrangement. I think that’s pretty standard protocol, before embarking on a fake-dating relationship.” He tilted his head. “Standard protocol?” “Yup.” “How many times have you done this?” “Zero. But I am familiar with the trope.” “The . . . what?” He blinked at her, confused.

Cut the melodrama and what you really have here is just a perfectly imperfect romance book that busted through my not-so-intact-at-the-moment crusty exterior. It really just slid into it’s place beside The Spanish Love Deception and You Deserve Each Other like it belonged and…that’s not wrong? It’s scarily accurate how happy this book made me. That’s not to say it didn’t have its flaws that did poke at me, but, in a way, they were so minute, so worthless a flaw that I really struggle to even bring them up.

“You put in expired contacts?” He sounded personally offended. “Just a little expired.” “What’s ‘a little’?” “I don’t know. A few years?” “ What ?” His consonants were sharp and precise. Crisp. Pleasant. “Only just a couple, I think.” “Just a couple of years ?” “It’s okay. Expiration dates are for the weak.” A sharp sound—some kind of snort. “Expiration dates are so I don’t find you weeping in the corner of my bathroom.”

Did it perhaps have too many amazing tropes ? Did the love interest fall right into the category of enemy turned ally turned friend turned ‘oh wait he is and was always into me’ ? Was Olive your typically dense about who the hero is into heroine?

Yes. The answer is all of the above . But here’s the kicker-where some may label these weaknesses, they are actually their strengths . (Yes, this whole paragraph was a love letter to Michael Scott.)

I like tried and true tropes. They are just….I’m sorry-if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But, like, do it better? And did the author do them ‘better’? I don’t know, really, but what I DO know is that she did them well . And, I’m just going to say it here: I freaking LOVE the inexperienced heroine trope. SUE ME. I DO NOT CARE. When done right…that shit is

And here…it was just…okay: admission time. My weak little fantasy heart about burst every minute of every part of these last few books because of the-ahem-intimate scenes because I. DO NOT. READ. MANY. SEX SCENES. So. All these contemporaries I’m devouring at once (unintentional but I’ve leaned into it)? They are sending my libido into a spiral because she is not used to using the red hot sweaty emoji …and I have sent it to Arielle no less than…hmmm….30 times between these three top books I’ve read? I can’t even.

Like I said, I’m goo, and I’m a sucker for these tropes and I will clearly die on that hill, but-I digress-back to this particular….thing. This was done so well. So NOT cheesy. So NOT uncomfortable or weird or out of the park that not once did I kind of pause and think about how to digest that sentiment (lol) or that move, or that moment. It was perfect. It was adorable. It just totally made the book. It made me so giddy and so happy and gave me the most butterflies. And….this is the first time I’ve ever (in recent history, perhaps I did years ago) addressed sex in my review. I steer clear of that but this-It feels important, ya know? And, oddly, I hold it near and dear to my heart, clutched closely within my talons.

It was an even fancier hotel, and Olive rolled her eyes, wondering why people felt the need to waste thousands of dollars in lodgings for Adam Carlsen when he barely paid attention to his surroundings. They should just give him a cot and donate the money to worthy causes. Endangered whales. Psoriasis. Olive.

BUT. ANYWAY. Enough of writing about sex like a creep-Olive. Olive was that heroine that you find yourself so protective over. I’ve read quite a few contemps in this abomination of a binge and I’ve rolled my eyes a LOT at the naivety of these MCs. AS IF YOU COULD NOT TELL THESE MEN ARE IN LOVE WITH YOU- COME. ON. But Olive. She’s-again-special.

“Carlsen. Is he blackmailing you? Did he find out that you’re an aberration and pee in the shower?” “First of all, it’s time efficient.” Olive glared. “Second, I find it oddly flattering that you’d think Carlsen would go to these ridiculous lengths to get me to date him.” “Anyone would, Ol. Because you’re awesome.” Anh grimaced before adding, “Except when you’re peeing in the shower.”

She has this thing where she doesn’t process emotions, doesn’t really fall too deep, doesn’t…feel things. I don’t know. She’s been alone in the world, so she doesn’t want to cross any lines to lose the ones she DOES have in her life (excusing a few missteps, I’d say), and her social cues are okay at best. And instead of it annoying me when she assumes things and doesn’t quite get it-or understand-what’s going on, it’s endearing (to me), precious. You want her to see but…then again…you LIKE her NOT to see because you know that payoff will be, again…

SPOILER ALERT: It was. It was SO worth it. My lord.

He studied her for a few seconds. “Does that seem like a likely scenario to you?” “About as likely as me fake-dating you.” He nodded, as if conceding her point. “Okay. Black, I guess.” She snorted. “Figures.” “What’s wrong with black?” He frowned. “It’s not even a color. It’s no colors, technically.” “It’s better than vomit green.” “No, it isn’t.” “Of course it is.”

And then Adam-Dr. Carlsen. Can we just take a moment to appreciate all these special men Chelsea has decided to horde in her closet? There’s enough room, it’s a walk-in. I gave them each their own shelf for when I’m feeling low (tonight is one of those, I wonder who I’ll visit? (ADAM)). Joking (Not really). But Adam. Dear, sweet Adam. Man, what an ass. What an absolute ass to not care what people think of him. To not care they might judge him because he is dating a student. What a JERK to jump right on board to help Olive out , to always be there for her and to provide her with days worth of food because she really can’t afford it herself. Man. I just can’t. I can’t believe this asshole, always looking out for Olive. (See. See what I did there?)

“Adam? Are you okay?” He stared at her cup and took a step back. “The smell of that thing.” Olive inhaled deeply. Heaven. “You hate pumpkin spice latte?” He wrinkled his nose, moving even farther away. “Gross.” “How can you hate it? It’s the best thing your country has produced in the past century.” “Please, stand back. The stench.” “Hey. If I have to choose between you and pumpkin spice latte, maybe we should rethink our arrangement.” He eyed her cup like it contained radioactive waste. “Maybe we should.”

All jokes aside, Adam was that silent guy, the eat your feelings guy, the one who inevitably has unrequited love for a girl who doesn’t see him as anything other than the most highly acclaimed professor at her university and most notably known jerk and know-it-all. But you can see, always, what he is doing for her, how he is always there for her when she needs it , when she’s low-always encouraging her and her biggest support. And when she is breaking his heart with her words, I LOVED this author for highlighting those moments, letting us see the jaw clench (yesss), the shuttered eyes of disappointment (ohhh boy), and the swallows-oh those tortured male lead gulps of ‘I’ll take whatever you give me but damn if you’re not breaking my heart’ (mmmmmm OMGGGGG combusting). As you can see, I am not impartial and I am biased. Take of this review what you will .

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you”

All this being said, I’ve only really gushed and only really talked about things in a super spazz manner (There is a reason I wait a couple days after finishing to write a more coherent review) and probably haven’t convinced you one way or another-your loss-other than deciding I’m off my rocker and you really now know I am certifiably crazy, you’ve confirmed this (though, to be fair, I’ve warned you many a time). But, I like to think that the happiest moments are what will drive a reader to WANT to try a book . When I see a quote I love from a book I don’t know, and I get those INSTANT butterflies…I know I’m in for, at minimum, at least that one epic moment that the quote was derived from. And, ya know, that’s really what reading is about. Yes, a couple things bothered me, and it took a while for me to decide I loved it…but when I did? It was magical. And I hope it’ll be magical for you, too.

“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.”

Guys. Guys . My heart. My heart . I cannot form words. I cannot form sentences. I’m laying here in a pile of goo feels and I don’t WANT to be whole again. This book was so perfectly imperfect and just… all the best tropes . I want to cocoon myself in these feelings and never let go…but that’s not how it works and I’ll just have to find a way to hold onto this feeling for as long as possible.

For now? Rereading all my favorite parts. They include Adam, of course. And…well, it’s all the parts. I wana re read ALL the parts. Lord help me.

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Books, crafts & story time, book review: the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood, the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood.

Description: “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.”

Review: I loved this book! Some romance books are too cheesy for me but I thought this book was the perfect balance of cheesiness. I found Olive to be a relatable character; she was smart, funny, pretty and yet she still wasn’t always sure of herself. The trope of fake boyfriend turned to actual crush is a little overused but I liked how the author was aware of that and even poked fun of it. The first half of the book was a little slow, we all knew where the story was heading and I wish it got there a faster. Once the half way point was reached the story started to pick up and even got a little steamy. Personally I would have liked some more hot and heavy parts!

Not only was the romantic part of it great but I loved seeing the friendships in the book. Olive and Adam were able to build a strong friendship throughout the book even if their relationship was originally built on a lie. Olive has two best friends, Anh and Malcom. Olive has a different type of relationship with each of them but they are such pure friendships. It was nice to see a group of friends that was truly looking out for one another. The characters of Olive and Adam seemed a little flat and stereotypical at times but I think their outside friendships gave the reader a better view of who they are.

I was able to binge this book in two days (a little hard when you have a husband and a 2 year old)! This book is the perfect summer beach read, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fun, lighthearted romances.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

Posted August 12, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction , Book Review / 4 Comments

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. 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.

So. I’m really not the best at reviewing books I absolutely loved because I don’t have many words! We all know I love fake dating romances, and I loved the idea of a STEM romance because science is cool and I really love and miss Big Bang Theory (and no, this isn’t like that per se, it’s just got super smart people spouting off science facts). Anyway, I immediately gravitated toward The Love Hypothesis because it sounded fresh and funny and unique. It was all those things and more! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. This book is so, so nerdy and I loved it. The people are a little awkward and extremely smart. There’s strong women in science, and I loved learning a little bit about the challenges women face in this field. Every chapter starts off with one of Olive’s hilarious little scientific hypotheses about love and life, each one teasing a bit about what’s coming up in that chapter. These made it very hard to stop reading because I’d get to the end of the chapter and decide to read and then BOOM. I’m intrigued again and must continue reading. Very clever. A lot of the book takes place on campus in the labs, and I thought it was such a fun setting with people working late and running experiments because science doesn’t wait for people to sleep or eat. There’s lots of science talk, there’s a science convention and people get all excited about presenting posters and attending talks and it’s all just so much fun. It reminded me a bit of Ross’s paleontology convention from Friends, just no Barbados.

2. Olive is sweet and strong. She’s smart and strong and totally dedicated to her cancer research. She’s looking for a lab that will accept her the following year so she can continue her testing with better equipment and proper funding. It matters more to her than pretty much anything. Everyone she’s ever loved has died, so she’s very reluctant to get too close to anyone except her two best friends. Relationships are scary and also a little confusing for her. It takes her a while to sort through her feelings and figure things out, and I loved watching her grow and evolve.

3. Dr. Carlsen (Adam) is a dreamboat. He’s seen as rude and lacking in compassion. He’s hard on his grad students, but it’s because he wants them to succeed. He’s super sexy and thoughtful and protective of those he cares about. He’s sarcastic, flirty, suave, and all the things I love in a hero. Olive is a little inexperienced in the love department, and there’s a scene where he puts all of his focus on taking care of her. Consent and comfort are so important to him, and the entire scene was him making sure she was ok. It just melted me, and I’ve never read another scene quite like this one.

4. The chemistry between Olive and Adam is insane. These two can throw the banter back and forth forever and get me laughing, but they can also build up a level of tension that makes you squirmy. There’s an age gap of about 8-9 years between these two, so Olive loves to make fun of him for being old. She also loves to make fun of his healthy eating habits. He likes to tease her about her love of sugar and poor taste in food. But then there’s a scene where Olive’s best friend kind of forces her to kiss Adam after he’s just pushed a car out of the road and is all sweaty, and wow. And then there’s a scene at the department picnic where Olive has no choice but to coat his muscley back in sunscreen (poor girl), and wow. Their relationship is sweet and spicy and tender, and I just love them.

5. Olive’s best friends, Anh and Malcolm, made me so happy. They are both scientists and work together, although their research is all different. Anh is the loyal best friend, who also mothers Olive and makes sure she doesn’t get skin cancer. Malcolm is Olive’s roommate, and he’s pretty much made of rainbows and sunshine. They love to discuss hot men and other fun things. I would love to be a part of this friend group. Adam’s friend, Holden, is another favorite character of mine. He gives great advice, really cares about his people, and is so happy all the time.

6. There’s some deeper issues at play that run throughout the story, including the #MeToo movement. All were treated with sensitivity and respect.

7. There’s so, so much humor! I actually laughed out loud at one point, which never happens to me. I’ve been known to smile or silently laugh, but this was an actual audible laugh that startled me.

8. The writing is also spot on, and flowed so nicely that the pages practically turned on their own.

All in all, this is a stunning debut for Ali Hazelwood. Strong women in science, a sexy doctor hero who values and supports those women, hilarious banter, strong friendships, and a very sweet love story all wrapped up into a glittery, sugary package. What’s not to love? I highly recommend The Love Hypothesis, and cannot wait to see what Ali Hazelwood does next!

By Ali Hazelwood

4 responses to “ The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ”

“insane chemistry?” Sounds fun!

Great review. I’ve been waiting for this book and I”m so glad you liked it so much!

I can’t wait to read this one! It’s one of my most anticipated releases and reading your review just bumped it up to multiple spots haha! CANNOT WAIT! Hasini @ Bibliosini recently posted… Can Books Be Effective Horror? // Let’s Talk Bookish

Book was insightful and inspiring, right mix of teasing, drama, and nerdy science. Once picked up, the book just can’t be put down Check out @thehazelwoodfangpage on Insta

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The love hypothesis, common sense media reviewers.

Uneven romance has explicit sex, features women in STEM.

The Love Hypothesis book cover: A White woman in a lab coat and messy bun kisses a surprised looking White man with dark hair

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

An author's note explains Title IX and offers webs

You have to be strong and tough to make it in the

Olive and Ahn are good models of women in STEM. Th

Olive reads as White, is from Canada, and is very

An incident of verbal sexual assault with an attem

Other than a few kisses and some romantic tension,

"Bulls--t," "clit," "clusterf--k," "c--k," "d--k,"

A few food and beverage brands, and a couple of en

All characters are adults of legal drinking age in

Educational Value

An author's note explains Title IX and offers websites supporting women and BIPOC women in STEM academic fields. The overall story provides insight into graduate and postgraduate academic life and careers, especially in STEM fields.

Positive Messages

You have to be strong and tough to make it in the academic world, especially in STEM fields. Don't be afraid to speak up when you've been harmed or you learn about something unethical. Your web of lies will eventually come to light, and when it does, it may cause more hurt than being truthful from the start would have.

Positive Role Models

Olive and Ahn are good models of women in STEM. They're extremely loyal and supportive of each other, and Anh creates chances to support other women, especially BIPOC women in STEM. Adam is very protective and kind on a personal level toward Olive, but to his students he's harsh and uncompromising and seems uncaring. Olive makes a grand gesture out of compassion for Anh and models perseverance in advancing her research and career.

Diverse Representations

Olive reads as White, is from Canada, and is very slim. Adam implies he's Jewish and is very tall and powerfully built. Best friend Anh's family is from Vietnam, and she identifies as a woman of color. Roommate Malcolm reads as White, dates men, and enters a romantic relationship with another man. Olive wonders if she's asexual.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

An incident of verbal sexual assault with an attempted kiss and coercion. An excerpt at the end from a future book has sexual harassment and cyberbullying. A man pins another against a wall by the collar and threatens to kill him.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Other than a few kisses and some romantic tension, there's only one sex scene, but it's extended, explicit, and meant to arouse. Oral and genital sex, manual stimulation, genital penetration, sucking nipples and genitals, and orgasm are described in detail with some crude words like "clit" and "c--k." Good examples of consent are modeled, and birth control and being "clean" are talked about. A few times adults talk about sex or sex acts like sixty-nining, butt stuff, and getting a "hand job."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"Bulls--t," "clit," "clusterf--k," "c--k," "d--k," "f--k," "f--king," "holy crap," "holy s--t," "pr--k," "s--t," "s--tshow," ass," "assness," "bitch," "bitching," "butt," "crap," "crapfest," "dammit," "goddamned," "hell," "jackass," "pee," "smart-ass." "Jesus" as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

A few food and beverage brands, and a couple of entertainment franchises to establish character and setting.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

All characters are adults of legal drinking age in California, where the story is set. Very little actual drinking is depicted, but there are mentions of past drunkenness, a weekly beer and s'mores night, and taking advantage of free alcohol at academic meetings and conferences.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis is an adult romance set in the higher levels of academia at Stanford University. Ph.D. candidate Olive starts a fake relationship with a professor in hopes of inspiring her best friend to go for the man she's really interested in. Other than a few kisses and some romantic tension, there's only one sex scene, but it's extended, explicit, and meant to arouse. Oral and genital sex, manual stimulation, genital penetration, sucking nipples and genitals, and orgasm are described in detail with words like "clit" and "c--k." Main character Olive experiences verbal sexual assault, and an excerpt from another book in the back has sexual harassment and cyberbullying. Strong language includes "c--k," "d--k," "f--k," "pr--k," "s--t," and more. Adults mention past excessive drinking, look forward to free alcohol at university events, and have a weekly "beer and s'mores night." Two characters remember one of them projectile vomiting after eating bad shrimp, but it's not described. Olive is an orphan with no family. Her mother died of pancreatic cancer, so grief and loss are important themes, along with the struggles women still face in STEM-related fields.

Where to Read

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What's the Story?

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is about Stanford graduate student Olive, who needs to convince her best friend, Anh, that it's OK for Anh to date a guy Olive had recently been seeing but wasn't really interested in. So she hatches a plan to "fake-date" none other than the Biology department's most prestigious professor, Adam Carlsen, who's also a huge jerk. As Olive and Adam's ruse gets harder and harder to keep up, Olive starts to feel like she wishes their dating wasn't actually fake. Will she be able to untangle her web of lies without ruining everything, for everyone?

Is It Any Good?

This romance set in the lofty world of a prestigious graduate school program has its ups and downs. It's refreshing to see women in STEM represented and important to highlight how much many women struggle in that world. The Love Hypothesis has some funny banter, especially with colorful supporting characters. Readers who enjoy very familiar romcom tropes will feel at home here, because this story is chock-full of them. The one explicit sex scene is easy to skip for those who aren't interested. A big drawback is Olive's truly bad and unrealistic decision making, which strains believability and takes the reader outside the story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the graphic sex in The Love Hypothesis . Is it over-the-top? Realistic? Is reading about it different from seeing it in movies, videos, and other media?

What are some concerns about reading or watching explicit sex ? Do you compare yourself or your body to the characters? Does it make you afraid, feel creepy, or unsure about what sex is like for real people?

What about all the strong language? Is it realistic? Is it a big deal? Why, or why not?

Talk about women studying and working in STEM fields. What are some of the challenges Olive and Ahn face? How do they deal with them? Who supports them? What can men do to make STEM fields more welcoming and inclusive?

Book Details

Author : Ali Hazelwood
Genre : Romance
Topics : STEM , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
Character Strengths : Compassion , Perseverance
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Berkley
Publication date : September 14, 2021
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
Number of pages : 400
Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), iBooks, Kindle
Last updated : April 2, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Overflowing Shelf

Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

CW: sexual harassament/assualt

Did I read the same book as everyone else? Because this book was a big fat NO from me. I know a lot of people love The Love Hypothesis , but everything about it – from the writing to the characters, to the plot and even the romance – did not work for me. If this wasn’t a hyped book, I would have put it down after the first chapter and marked it as Did Not Finish.

I honestly don’t know where to start with this review.

To try to make this digestible, I’m going to structure this a little bit differently than my normal review with sections:

Within the first page of The Love Hypothesis , I knew this book would not be for me because of the writing style. I know this was originally fanfiction, but I was expecting better writing since Berkely published it.

First off, why are there SO MANY ITALICS in this book? You may be thinking, “oh, they’re for internal narration!” Nope. They were all italics used for emphasis. Dear Lord, there were five different words italicized for emphasis on the first page alone. As soon as I noticed the italics, it was all I could see. By my count, there were only about 47 pages in my ebook without italics. The story was only around 230 pages long. I just couldn’t with that.

The tone also missed the mark for me. I feel like Hazelwood was aiming for quirky and fun, but I found it childish and too cutesy for my tastes. It impacted my read on Olive as a character (more on that below on the characters).

And dear Lord, was this book lacking in descriptions. And the descriptions it did have were so repetitive. Did you know Adam was big, dark and huge? And did I mention he’s big? And he’s got a deep voice? I felt like I kept getting hit over the head with these same descriptors for Adam every time he was on the page. Meanwhile, with Olive, I felt like I knew nothing about what she looked like besides she was around 5’ 8” and that she’s Canadian. The only reason I pictured her as a brunette is because of the cover.

Finally, I felt like there were a lot of chunks of dialogue text where there were no attributes or tags to who was speaking, which sometimes made it hard to follow a conversation. When deployed properly, a lack of attribution during a conversation in a book can be a great writing device. Here it just caused confusion.

This book has the dumbest reason for a couple to begin fake dating. And that’s not even touching the non-consensual actions that lead to it (more below in the romance section). Instead of talking to her best friend in the world like a normal person, Olive needs to lie about dating Adam to make her friend feel comfortable about now dating a boy that Olive went on a few dates with. Like what? WHAT?

It’s like, “oops, I got caught kissing this guy. Guess we now need to pretend to be in a relationship, so my friend feels okay in her relationship.” In what world does that make sense? This whole book wouldn’t have happened if Olive had just stopped lying. Even Olive knows that as she says: “It would have been so easy to confess the truth.”

I feel like the whole reason the plot of this book exists is summed up by this passage:

“This was what happened whenever Olive lied: she ended up having to tell even more lies to cover her first, and she was horrible at it, which meant that each lie got worse and less convincing than the previous.”

I just couldn’t deal with the weak premise for the fake dating and the plot. I threw the book across the room every time Olive told a new lie, and then at the end, she had the GALL to tell Adam, “ You didn’t need to lie, you know.”

Finally, the conflict at the end of the book made me so angry. It hinges on sexual harassment in academia. Up until that point, that had become a joke thanks to the treatment of Title IX earlier in the book. That rubbed me the wrong way for a lot of reasons. It’s a serious issue, but it was thrown in as a random plot point and not given the exploration it needed as it was there to purely introduce drama into Adam and Olive’s relationship.

Additionally, Olive had proof of what happened on a tape recorder. Still, she forgot about it for multiple chapters and, of course, decides the only way to resolve the situation is to – you guessed it – lie.

CHARACTERS:

Let’s talk about the characters. Our main female lead is Olive, and the book is primarily told from her perspective. Despite this, I felt like I knew relatively little about her.

Additionally, Olive came off as incredibly childish. Her actions read more like a high-schooler, not someone in her mid-20s in a Ph.D. program. Honestly, if this story featured two high schoolers, I might have bought it more as the fake dating premise would make more sense.

Also, I found it weird that Olive kept insisting she was all alone in the world. Yes, her parents are gone, but Olive has an incredibly close-knit friend group with her best friend Anh and Malcolm who have her back no matter what. Heck, even Adam is there for her, yet she insists she’s all alone.

It does appear Olive is asexual in the novel, which I appreciate, but I also found it hard to know if she identified that way. There were a few throwaway lines earlier hinting at it and a bit more of an exploration of it later in the book, but it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to explore that more.

Now on to Adam. Weirdly, I sort of liked him even though I found him bland and lacking dimension. Because the book is told from Olive’s point of view, I struggled to get to know him beyond the surface level as the two of them never had in-depth, genuine conversations. I know he’s big and huge and has a deep voice, but his personality seemed to be a bit non-existent.

There did seem to be a bit more to Adam than meets the eye, and I wish Hazelwood had explored that more. Everyone says he’s this mean person, but I felt like he was one of the few characters who was a voice of reason. While he might have cultivated a bit of a toxic work environment, it seems like he was coming from a genuine place of wanting to help others, not hurt them. I honestly didn’t find him as much of a bad person as all the characters in the book did.

Outside of Olive and Adam, the secondary characters felt very flat and like caricatures. They’re also supposed to be Olive and Adam’s friends, but boy, were they all terrible friends.

Finally, our villain character was almost too evil villainy to be believable in a contemporary romance. He seriously gives a monologue like you’d see an old-school Bond villain do, and it just felt so out of place and a bit out of left field.

And finally, we’ll close with my thoughts on the romance. This book lacked any sort of chemistry between Olive and Adam. I just did not see it at all. There was no spark, no fizz, no butterflies in your stomach.

Now, I can see why some people love the romance in this. It is full of extremely popular tropes. You get fake dating with a splash of enemies-to-lovers, what is not to like? But the tropes were executed poorly, which hurt the romance.

Let’s also start with the fact that their romance starts non-consensually. Olive literally grabs Adam and kisses him without his consent. The first chapter writes this act off in the first sentence:

“In Olive’s defense, the man didn’t seem to mind the kiss too much.”

If the roles were reversed, we find that incredibly problematic, yet the book portrays it as an adorable meet-cute. Add in the fact that he’s a professor and she’s a student and you get a really weird power dynamic in play. The book tries to write it off as a non-issue, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.

Additionally, all the scenes where we’re supposed to be building romantic tension fell flat for me. I found it so weird that she was sitting in his lap in an academic lecture in front of everyone and that her friend essentially forced Olive to make out with him afterward.

And the sexy scenes were so not sexy. I was already dreading the sex scene as the book was not working for me, but it was even more cringeworthy than I imagined.

First off, Olive kept on HER UNICORN KNEE HIGH SOCKS. That’s the opposite of sexy. Second, Adam, of course, is BIG. It’s the only thing we know about it, so it obviously extends to his entire body. Finally, I actually threw the book down with this line:

“He could fit her entire breast in his mouth. All of it.”

First off, how? Second off, why? That does not sound romantic to me at all.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a good sex scene. But this felt like it was in there just to add some smut (a term I hate!) and didn’t add much to the overarching story. It was also incredibly cringe in its writing, so I couldn’t wait to get past it. If they had better chemistry, it might have worked better.

Finally, let’s talk about the falling in love part of Olive and Adam’s relationship. I felt like she wasn’t actually in love with Adam as she had to be told by someone else that she loved him before she felt it. And then, when she realized she had feelings for him, she had to lie about it to him. I felt like Adam was much more invested in their relationship than she was. It was abundantly clear to everyone except Olive that the man was head over heels in love with her and would do anything for her. It took her far too long to realize that.

I wish we had a little more time with them as an actual couple, as they were in a fake relationship for most of the story. I’d have liked to see more of their real relationship as that was more interesting to me, and they seemed like they’d be cute together.

I hope this review doesn’t come off as too harsh, but I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about why this did not work for me while I was reading it. I did want to like this one, but it was clear pretty quickly that this was not going to be the book for me. I felt like I was hate-reading it to finish it, which is never a good sign.

Will I be reading more from Ali Hazelwood? At this point, probably not.

Her next book Love on the Brain , sounds and feels way too similar to The Love Hypothesis to hold any appeal for me. As a relatively new author, I don’t want to write off someone completely, but I think she’ll need to write something drastically different for me to want to pick up one of her books again.

5 thoughts on “ Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ”

I listened to this one and didn’t read it – so the writing stuff you mentioned I didn’t notice. I also don’t know if that helped me enjoy it more – but I did really enjoy this one. But, to each their own. I love that you even said “did everyone read the same book?”

Like Liked by 1 person

I was wondering if the audiobook experience would be better as I don’t think you’d notice some of the weird writing quirks. While I didn’t like this book, I can see the pieces of it that make it incredibly popular and respect that a lot of people love it. It’s so funny how people can react so differently to the same thing, which is what makes reading so fun. This one didn’t work for me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for others!

If you finished the book, you did better than me. I also was ready to give up during the second chapter but pushed through until I read 1/3 of the book. I couldn’t force myself to read more and returned it to the library. The writing is extremely juvenile and so over-the-top, repetitive and unbelievable. Huge problems with the characters as well. Diverse character traits are great, but the protagonist flip-flops between being a genius and acting like an insecure child. Plot is also totally annoying and unbelievable. Every event she sets up in the most childlike way. I don’t even see this book working for a YA audience.

I honestly have no IDEA how I finished this book, let alone went on to read the next two books she wrote. I keep hoping they’ll get better, as I weirdly want them to work for me, but so far, they’ve all been not great, though I think The Love Hypothesis is the worst of the bunch.

[…] I find most of Hazelwood’s sex scenes to be super cringe and the least sexy things ever (see here, here, and here for examples), so it actually helped not to have to read it play out on the […]

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The Love Hypothesis Summary & Review – Where Heart and Science Unite

Author: Ali Hazelwood
Originally published: September 14, 2021
Page Count: 383 pages, Paperback
Genres: Romance , Contemporary , Fiction

In the enchanting world of romance literature, where love stories flourish like wildflowers in spring, one novel has taken the genre by storm – “The Love Hypothesis” by the talented wordsmith, Ali Hazelwood. With hearts aflutter and pages turned eagerly, readers have been swept away by this delightful tale of love, science, and a charmingly flawed heroine. As the buzz around this book continues to crescendo, we embark on our own journey through its pages, armed with a commitment to honesty and fairness. This review aims to provide a comprehensive yet unvarnished analysis of “The Love Hypothesis,” a book that has captured the hearts of many and left us pondering both its triumphs and its trifles. Join us as we delve into the world of this captivating romance, exploring its strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between.

Table of Contents

The Love Hypothesis Summary

In the bustling world of academia, Olive Smith, a dedicated PhD candidate with a penchant for equations rather than emotions, finds herself at the center of an unexpected experiment – one involving love. “The Love Hypothesis,” penned by Ali Hazelwood, introduces us to Olive, a brilliant physicist focused on her career, until her path crosses with the notorious and charismatic Professor Adam Carlsen. Sparks fly, but not of the romantic kind, as Olive and Adam engage in a unique “relationship” born out of a scientific hypothesis.

As the story unfolds, we witness Olive’s journey from skepticism to curiosity and eventually, to an unexpected entanglement of the heart. With her pragmatic approach to life and love, Olive provides a refreshing perspective on the trials and tribulations of modern romance. And Adam, a character with secrets of his own, adds layers of complexity to their evolving connection.

What sets this story in motion is the intriguing premise of testing the hypothesis that a fake relationship can scientifically lead to real love. The book navigates the unpredictable waters of romance with humor, intelligence, and a touch of vulnerability. Yet, will this love experiment yield the expected results, or will it defy the very laws of nature it seeks to explore? Without giving away any of the story’s twists and turns, we invite you to embark on this journey with us as we delve deeper into “The Love Hypothesis” to uncover its charms and complexities.

Writing Style and Narrative

Ali Hazelwood’s writing style in “The Love Hypothesis” is a masterful symphony that weaves emotions and intellect together, creating a tapestry that draws readers into the hearts and minds of her characters. With a deft hand, Hazelwood employs vivid imagery that brings the academic setting to life, making lecture halls and research labs feel like tangible spaces where emotions flourish.

Dialogue, a vital tool in romance storytelling, is where Hazelwood truly shines. The banter between characters is both sharp and heartwarming, revealing hidden layers of wit and vulnerability. The interactions between Olive and Adam are particularly noteworthy, ranging from playful sparring to moments of unexpected tenderness. Each exchange feels authentic, adding depth to their connection and making their journey all the more captivating.

Hazelwood employs a distinctive narrative technique by alternating between Olive and Adam’s perspectives, granting readers insight into their individual struggles, desires, and hesitations. This approach enhances the reading experience by allowing us to witness the gradual transformation of their relationship from multiple angles. The intimate glimpses into their thoughts foster empathy, making us root for their happiness while acknowledging their flaws.

While the writing style skillfully captures emotions and relationships, some readers might find the occasional scientific jargon a hurdle. Although these elements contribute to the story’s authenticity, they can momentarily disrupt the flow for those less familiar with technical language. Despite this, the overall writing style enriches the narrative by immersing us in a world where romance and science coexist.

Ali Hazelwood’s writing not only paints a picture of the characters’ internal struggles but also transports readers to the emotional landscapes they traverse. Through eloquent prose and engaging dialogue, the writing style becomes an instrument of connection, drawing us into the story’s heart and encouraging us to invest in its outcome.

Character Development

In “The Love Hypothesis,” Ali Hazelwood’s characters are not just ink on paper; they are living, breathing souls with depth and complexity that gradually unfurl as the story unfolds. Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen, the protagonists of this romantic tale, embark on journeys of self-discovery and personal evolution that resonate with readers.

Olive, a brilliant scientist consumed by logic and equations, is a character of multifaceted layers. Her pragmatism, while admirable, also becomes a shield against vulnerability. As the narrative progresses, we witness her struggle to reconcile her rational approach with the unpredictable world of emotions. Her transformation is marked by moments of introspection, hesitation, and ultimately, courage. However, some readers might find certain aspects of Olive’s growth abrupt, with shifts in her mindset occurring relatively quickly.

Adam Carlsen, on the other hand, is introduced as the charismatic, enigmatic professor. His enigmatic facade gives way to reveal a man burdened by his past and striving for redemption. As his connection with Olive deepens, we witness his own journey towards healing and forgiveness. This growth is intricately woven into his interactions with Olive and his responses to challenges that arise.

While both characters display captivating development, there are instances where their actions and decisions might leave readers yearning for more context. Certain reactions or choices appear slightly disconnected from their established traits, introducing moments of inconsistency in their portrayal.

Despite these occasional inconsistencies, the characters’ evolution is a testament to Hazelwood’s ability to craft relatable human experiences. Their emotional authenticity draws readers in, allowing us to empathize with their struggles and celebrate their victories. The imperfections in their development, while noticeable, do not overshadow the overall impact of their growth, making Olive and Adam protagonists worthy of our investment.

Through intricate character development, “The Love Hypothesis” reminds us that growth is a nonlinear journey, fraught with uncertainty and complexity. The imperfections in their development, much like the flaws within us all, only serve to enhance the richness of the story.

Themes and Messages

Within the pages of “The Love Hypothesis,” Ali Hazelwood deftly weaves a tapestry of themes that resonate deeply with readers. Beyond the surface of romance, the story delves into layers of ambition, personal growth, and the complex interplay between logic and matters of the heart.

Love, of course, takes center stage as the book’s primary theme. The exploration of love as a force that defies scientific quantification provides an intriguing backdrop. The book navigates the different facets of love – from the unanticipated blossoming of emotions to the vulnerability that accompanies it. The story captures the raw essence of love’s unpredictability and challenges us to embrace its uncertainties.

Ambition, embodied by Olive’s dedication to her academic pursuits, is another theme interwoven with the narrative. The juxtaposition of Olive’s scientific precision with the enigmatic nature of love reflects the tension between the rational and the emotional. This theme prompts readers to reflect on the balance between pursuing one’s passions and opening oneself to emotional connections.

Personal growth emerges as a thread that binds the characters’ arcs. As Olive and Adam navigate their feelings and pasts, they undergo transformations that mirror the complexity of real-life evolution. The narrative effectively portrays the struggles and breakthroughs they experience, albeit with occasional instances of pacing that may affect the impact of their growth.

The themes come alive through Hazelwood’s skillful prose, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences and emotions. Yet, there are moments when the messages might appear slightly overt, leaving little room for interpretation. This directness, while occasionally detracting from subtlety, ensures that readers grasp the intended takeaway.

Ultimately, “The Love Hypothesis” imparts messages of embracing vulnerability, embracing change, and recognizing that love often transcends the bounds of reason. The themes encourage readers to consider the interplay between intellect and emotion, and the value of taking risks in matters of the heart. As we immerse ourselves in these thematic currents, we’re reminded that love and growth are beautifully intertwined, creating a melody that resonates with the human experience.

Criticism & Room for Improvement

While “The Love Hypothesis” undeniably charms its readers, it’s essential to recognize that no book is without its imperfections. Let’s take a closer look at some aspects that may have left certain readers wanting more.

Firstly, pacing is an element that occasionally presents challenges in the story’s flow. While the narrative is generally engaging, there are moments when the pace feels uneven. The transitions between scenes and character developments can, at times, occur abruptly, which may disrupt the overall reading experience.

Additionally, the book’s reliance on scientific jargon might be a double-edged sword. While it adds authenticity to the academic backdrop, it could pose a hurdle for readers less familiar with such terminology. Striking a balance between maintaining realism and accessibility is a delicate task, and some may feel that the book leans a tad too heavily towards the former.

Character choices and reactions, while authentic in many instances, may also leave room for critique. Some readers have noted moments when character decisions appeared inconsistent with their established personalities, causing a slight disconnect between actions and motivations.

Critics have occasionally observed that the story’s central romance, while undoubtedly sweet, leans towards familiar tropes within the genre. While this familiarity can be comforting, it might leave readers craving a more unique twist or exploration of unconventional dynamics.

However, it’s important to remember that these critiques don’t overshadow the book’s merits. “The Love Hypothesis” has earned its accolades for a reason. Its ability to blend humor, intelligence, and vulnerability remains a commendable feat, and the characters’ authenticity shines through despite occasional inconsistencies.

In summary, the book’s pacing, use of scientific terminology, character choices, and reliance on familiar tropes are aspects that may have garnered criticism. These observations, however, are part of the broader conversation surrounding the book’s reception and don’t diminish its overall appeal. The beauty of literature lies in its subjectivity, and what one reader views as a critique, another may see as an endearing quirk.

In the delightful world of “The Love Hypothesis,” Ali Hazelwood has crafted a tale that marries science and emotion, intellect and heart. The book’s strengths lie in its vivid characters, sharp dialogue, and the intricate dance between logic and love. While pacing and minor inconsistencies exist, they don’t overshadow the book’s unique charm.

Embrace the journey of Olive and Adam, two souls navigating the uncharted territories of academia and matters of the heart. As you turn each page, you’ll be drawn into their captivating story, replete with moments of humor, vulnerability, and growth. “The Love Hypothesis” invites you to ponder the mysteries of love, personal evolution, and the sparks that ignite when reason meets emotion.

While opinions on books are as varied as the colors of a sunset, the invitation remains: Discover for yourself the magic woven within these pages. The world of “The Love Hypothesis” beckons with its own hypothesis – that beneath every critique lies a story waiting to be felt, a connection waiting to be made. Venture forth and experience the unique symphony of romance and science that Hazelwood has masterfully composed.

About the Author

Ali Hazelwood, the creative force behind “The Love Hypothesis,” is a captivating storyteller known for her knack for blending romance and wit. With a background in engineering, Ali’s unique perspective infuses her writing with a touch of intellectual charm. She masterfully weaves relatable characters, heartfelt emotions, and scientific curiosity into her stories, making them both engaging and thought-provoking. Ali’s passion for exploring the intersection of logic and love shines through in her work, captivating readers with her ability to meld intricate plotlines with genuine emotion. As a rising star in the romance genre, Ali Hazelwood continues to enchant readers with her distinctive voice and her uncanny ability to spark both laughter and introspection.

“As we conclude this journey through “The Love Hypothesis,” we extend an open invitation to you, our cherished readers. Your thoughts and perspectives matter, and we’d love to hear your take on the book. Have you found resonance in its themes? Do you share our observations, or do you see the story from a different angle? Feel free to leave your comments below; this space is a platform for your voice.

Moreover, sharing is caring, and if “The Love Hypothesis” has touched your heartstrings or ignited your curiosity, don’t hesitate to share this review with fellow book enthusiasts. Whether it’s through your favorite social media channels, book clubs, or discussions with friends, your sharing can introduce others to a world of captivating emotions and intellectual intrigue.

As we celebrate the power of storytelling, we look forward to the vibrant conversations that will undoubtedly unfold. Your insights enrich not only our understanding of the book but also the collective experience of literature. So, let’s embark on a journey of words and feelings together, as we explore the pages of “The Love Hypothesis” and the myriad thoughts it sparks. ” – Your Book Corner

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The love hypothesis – review

“HYPOTHESIS: A heart will break even more easily than the weakest of hydrogen bonds.” Olive

In a desperate attempt to convince her best friend that she is dating, Olive, a third year Ph.D. student, ends up “assaulting” and kissing (without consent) Dr. Adam Carlsen, “a notoriusly, moody, obnoxious” Stanford professor. Everything escalates after the kiss, and the rumor that a grad student is dating a professor spreads across the entire campus.

Olive and Adam think that a fake relationship will benefit both of them, so they decide to keep pretending to be lovers. In order to mentain appearances, the two begin to spend some time together, every once in a while. The real problem starts when Olive realizes that she is falling for Adam, but she won’t reveal her feelings, thinking that her love is unrequited.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – Book review

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is definitely one of my favourite contemporary romance novels, a five stars reading. Although the novel has a fairly popular theme, namely fake dating, what impressed me the most was the writing style. Ali Hazelwood really knows how to write. Even though the narration is in the third-person (which I am not the biggest fan of), there is never a dull moment throughout the book. I couldn’t stop laughing while reading, the dialogue between the characters is hilarious. The first interactions between Adam and Olive are downright comic:

“You put in expired contacts?” “Just a little expired.” “What’s ‘a little’?” “I don’t know. A few years?” -Adam and Olive

Adam and Olive are the most lovable characters. Olive is sweet, smart, hardworking and always considerate. She is a little insecure, but this flaw makes her even more adorable. Adam is presented as a grumpy, moody, obnoxious man, but in Olive’s presence he is always attentive, kind and protective.

I totally recommend this book to readers who love the fake dating trope, grumpy-sunshine characters and a slow burn romantic story. Also, if you like steamy scenes, you will definitely enjoy reading Chapter 16 (which can also be easily skipped if you are not a fan of reading descriptive sex scenes in your books).

Considering the fact that The Love Hypothesis is Ali’s debut novel, I must admit that I was really impressed by it, so impressed that I added it in my top favourites.

Books similar to The Love Hypothesis

I thought a lot about similar books to The Love Hypothesis, but I couldn’t find any to match it. However, I can recommend you books with similar tropes as The Love Hypothesis.

If you love the grumpy-sunshine romance, with a little bit of slow burn, I think that The Hating Game by Sally Thorne or It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, will be perfect for you.

If you are a fan of the fake relationship trope, I recommend you to read The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas.

And finally, if you are looking for a sweet nerdy heroine, I suggest you give it a try to The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (which is also a favourite of mine).

As I mentioned earlier, even though these books share similar tropes, I couldn’t find a perfect recommendation to match Ali’s novel, because what I liked the most about The Love Hypothesis was the humorous writing style combined with all these tropes. I would enjoy reading romances with similar writing style, so if you have any suggestions for me, please write them down in the comments.

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The Love Hypothesis (Review, Recap & Full Summary)

By ali hazelwood.

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, a delightful rom-com about a fake relationship between a biology Ph.D. student and a professor.

In The Love Hypothesis , Olive is a third-year biology Ph.D. candidate who shares a kiss with a handsome stranger in order make her friend think that she's in a relationship. She's horrified when she realizes the "stranger" is Dr. Adam Carlson, a prominent professor in her department who is known for being a hypercritical and moody tyrant.

She and Adam each have reasons for needing to be in a relationship, and they agree to pretend to date for the sake of appearances. Of course, as she gets to know Adam, it's only a matter of time before she starts feeling something for him, and it becomes clear that her little experiment in fake-dating just might combust...

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

Three years prior, Olive Smith talks to a guy when she's in the bathroom fixing her contacts (and can't see) after her Ph.D. candidate interview. She tells him about her passion for her research. She doesn't catch his name but remembers the conversation distinctly and wonders about the guy she met.

In present day, Olive is a biology Ph.D. student researching early detection methods for pancreatic cancer. She kisses a guy randomly in order to trick her best friend into thinking she's dating someone (so that her best friend Anh won't feel bad about dating Olive's ex). That guy turns out to be Dr. Adam Carlson , a young, handsome and highly-respected tenured faculty member in her department. He's also known for being hypercritical and moody.

Meanwhile, Adam's department chair is worried that he's planning on leaving for another university and has frozen some of his research funds. So, Adam he agrees to pretend to be in a relationship with Olive in order to give the impression he's putting down "roots" here, in hopes they will unfreeze the funds.

As Olive and Adam fake-date, they get to know each other. Olive sees that Adam is demanding and blunt towards his students, but not unkind or mean. Olive confides in him about her mother getting pancreatic cancer, which is why she's doing her research.

Olive soon realizes that she has feelings for Adam, but she's afraid to tell him. When he overhears her talking about a crush, she pretends it's about someone else. Olive also hears someone else refer to a woman Adam's been pining after for years and is surprised at how jealous she feels.

In the meantime, Olive needs more lab space and has been talking to Dr. Tom Benton for a spot at his lab at Harvard. When Tom arrives in town, it turns out he's friends with Adam. Adam and Tom are friends from grad school, and they have recently gotten a large grant for some joint research that Adam is excited about. After Olive completes a report on her research for Tom, he offers her a spot in his lab for the next year.

Olive and Adam's relationship continues to progress until they attend a science conference in Boston. Olive's research has been selected for a panel presentation, while Adam is a keynote speaker. There, Olive is sexually harassed by Tom, who makes advances on her. When she rejects him, he accuses her of someone who sleeps around to get ahead. He also says that he'll deny it if she tells anyone and that they won't believe her.

While Olive does finally sleep with Adam at the conference, she soon tearfully breaks things off since she doesn't want to complicate things with Adam's joint research project with Tom. Adam is also in the process of applying for a spot at Harvard.

Olive is certain no one will believe her about Tom until she realizes that the accidentally recorded the conversation where he made advances and threatened her. Meanwhile, Olive's roommate Malcolm has started seeing Dr. Holden Rodriguez, a faculty member who is a childhood friend of Adam's. Olive and Malcolm turn to Holden for advice, who encourages them to tell Adam about the recording. He points out that he thinks the main reason that Adam is considering a move to Harvard is because Olive is supposed to be going there.

Olive finds Adam and shows him the video. He is incensed at Tom and reports it to their faculty. When Adam returns from Boston, he reports that Tom has been fired. Meanwhile, Olive has been reaching out to other cancer researchers for spots at other labs, and she's gotten promising responses. Olive tells Adam that she loves him and that she never liked anyone else. Adam admits that he remembered her from the day he met her in the bathroom and that she's the one he's been interested in for years.

Ten months later at the anniversary of their first kiss, Olive and Adam re-create the kiss to mark their anniversary.

For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary .

If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ( $2 , $3 , or $5 ) or joining the Patreon !

Book Review

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood came out a few months ago, and I didn’t really pay much attention to it. However, people seem to really be enjoying this book, and after reading The School for Good Mothers , I was really in mood for something light and fun.

In the Love Hypothesis, Olive is a third-year biology Ph.D. student at Stanford who ends up fake-dating a young and handsome tenured professor in her department. All the usual rom-com shenanigans ensue.

The Love Hypothesis is an unapologetically cheesy rom-com novel — with an upbeat attitude, meet cutes, fake-dating tropes, etc. — but it’s also a genuinely fun and often funny book. It hits a lot of familiar notes if you’re familiar with this genre, but somehow Ali Hazelwood has arranged them in a way that ends up being delightful and entertaining.

The book is super melodramatic at parts, uses so many tropes I couldn’t even list them all here if I was inclined to do so and is predictable in the way that rom-coms are always kind of predictable. That all said, I still had a fantastic time reading it and it flew by.

This is a short review because honestly it’s not that complicated to explain that this book is super cheesy and super fun.

Read it or Skip it?

If you like “chick lit” and rom-coms, you should definitely look into this book. I tend to be a little hypercritical of books in this genre, but I really enjoyed The Love Hypothesis . I found myself smiling and chuckling quite a bit as I read it.

This book is a straight-up cheesy rom-com — it is funny, melodramatic and fun as hell. I thought it was great.

See The Love Hypothesis on Amazon.

The Love Hypothesis Audiobook Review

Narrated by : Callie Dalton Length : 11 hours 8 minutes

I listened to about half of this on audiobook. I think the audiobook is solid. The narrator is easy to listen to and does a good job with it.

Hear a sample of The Love Hypothesis audiobook on Libro.fm.

Book Excerpt

Read the first pages of The Love Hypothesis

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Bookshelf -- A literary set collection game

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.

Yours Truly

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Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe thx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Love Hypothesis Review: The Perfect Contemporary Romance for Science Lovers

September 23, 2021 by Jenna | 4 stars , Books , Reviews

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.

Ever since I first heard about The Love Hypothesis early this year through Nick @ The Infinite Limits of Love , I’ve been waiting with bated breath for it to be released. The book follows Olive, who is a PhD candidate in biology, and Dr Adam Carlsen, an academic in her department, which got me super excited because I have a PhD in psychology and it sounded like a story that I could really relate to. And I absolutely did!

The novel begins with Olive planting a kiss on a stranger late one night in the hallways of Stanford’s biology department, to mislead her best friend into thinking that she’s happily in a relationship. But when said stranger turns out to be the infamous grump and star researcher of the department, and agrees to fake-date Olive to help her out, things start getting a little weird. Olive didn’t expect Adam to be nice to her and she certainly didn’t expect to develop feelings for him either…

I really really enjoyed The Love Hypothesis. It was such an accurate depiction of academia (the good, bad and in-between), which isn’t surprising since the author herself is a professor in neuroscience. I just related to all of the different aspects, including the fear of having to give a conference talk over a poster, the lack of funding, the late nights, the imposter syndrome, the absent advisor (and sadly the abusive one). I loved all of it, though I do have to say that I’ve never ever EVER seen anyone sit on someone else’s lap at a colloquium talk before! I’ve read many books about STEM romances and scientists but I can truly say that this is the first one that has truly and accurately depicted the experience of a female in STEM research for me.

I guess it goes without saying that I also really related to Olive and Adam because they’re just my type of people. I felt such a strong kinship with Olive and was 100% in her corner throughout the entire book. And because Adam was also firmly in Olive’s corner, I connected with his character as well. I really enjoyed reading about their developing relationship and thought they had such a supportive and positive relationship. The Love Hypothesis is an open-door romance and has one quite smutty scene, but what I really appreciated about the scene was the way it tackled Olive’s demisexuality… and the fact that it was kind of awkward – because sex is sometimes just really awkward and not at all like what’s described in romance novels!

I really really loved The Love Hypothesis and thought it was a wonderful debut for Ali Hazelwood. I’ve read the sneak peek to her next novel (coming 2022) and I’m super excited for all that it has to bring! If you’re looking for a great STEM romance, look no further than The Love Hypothesis.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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6 responses to “ The Love Hypothesis Review: The Perfect Contemporary Romance for Science Lovers ”

I HIGHLY recommend this one Tasya! The story is as cute as the cover.

Ohhh thanks for the review Jenna! I’m going to definitely pick this one up for sure!

Hope you enjoy it Jeann! I really loved it and super excited that the author has more books coming.

I’m so happy that you also loved it Hasini! It’s probably in my top 10 reads of the year as well.

The Love Hypothesis Book Review

Title: The Love Hypothesis Author: Ali Hazelwood Type: Fiction Published: 2021 Pages: 384 TW: Cancer, Sexual Assault, Loss of a Loved One

“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.”

The Love Hypothesis centres on Olive Smith, a PhD student who is determined and headstrong. Then after a series of mishaps, she winds up fake dating the university’s most hated professor – Adam Carlsen. But keeping up the pretence is hard work and suddenly there are more complications, and the future of her research is at stake. As both of them come to realise their feelings aren’t what they first thought – should they risk it all for love?

Even more than the romance, this book was amazing in the way in portrayed the importance of friendship. Olive’s friends and the way they supported each other was really quite wonderful and I love the book for being more layered than just a cut and dry romance.

Now on to Olive and Adam… having almost exclusively read romance in February, I had very recent familiarity with love-t0-hate romances and I really did enjoy this one. Both characters felt three dimensional and with their own history and reasons for feeling one way or another. I think with all books in this genre, they’re most enjoyable if you don’t try and pick them apart, and overall I very much enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. I also appreciated that the sole reason for the third act drama wasn’t just miscommunication, and again it was more layered and had depth.

I think by this point, just about everyone has probably read this book, but just in case you haven’t and you’re looking for a cute, love-to-hate romance with a science-y twist, and strong female characters, then get yourself a copy of this!

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Mar 15, 2022

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | Book Review + Questions

Updated: Oct 25, 2023

When we chose The Love Hypothesis for our book club February book, I was feeling giddy and excited. But as I started reading that feeling slowly started fading away. But ... wasn't this book all hyped up on Bookstagram and TikTok? What was happening? Then a crazy thought entered my mind ... Was I too old for YA or NA books? Thankfully according to Marie Pabelonio, associate editor at Goodreads, NO. 😁😁 ( click here for the article ).

First things first , I'm not into the professor / student romance. Call me uptight, but it's just not my thing. And as it's not my thing in real life, then it's not something I particularly enjoy reading in books.

Second - Adam. I know he was supposed to come off as moody and sullen, but I found his character very bland. Very been-there-done-that. I hated finding out that he had actually been pining over Olive since their meet-cute. I don't see how that needed to be added to the storyline actually - it only made it worst for me! If Olive hadn't fake kissed Adam, then how long would he have continued to wait before talking to her?

Third - The first kiss. I thought their meet-cute was cute, but ..... the first kiss? Ughhhhh ... Olive kisses him, as she would have done to any random guy, because she wanted to fool her best friend into thinking that she was over the guy she last dated because her best friend was crushing on said guy but wouldn't do anything about it because she was thinking Olive was still into him. Again ughhhh ... These are PhD students, but why does it feel like I'm reading something outta high school? Also ... a stolen kiss is only sweet in movies and books. Trust me.

Fourth - Olivia and Ahn's friendship. Read paragraph above. If you need to go through all that to convince your best friend, then I question the friendship. If Anh is really her best friend, why can't they just have a sensible conversation about this? And what kind of best friend puts her friend time after time in embarrassing situations and expect her to do what she tells her to? Ahn was annoying!

Fifth - The sex scene. I was very shocked that it had unprotected sex. Someone assuring you that they are clean counts for nothing in my book and I think this shouldn't be included in books. Always practice safe sex. Someone in the book club also mentioned that she hated the way it was written and the words used. The word "pornographic" was mentioned during our book club discussion.

So is there one thing that I liked about this book? Yes!

Olive. But Olive without her friends and without Adam . Olive, a successful woman in STEM. She came from Canada and pursued her education in the US. Moreover, she experienced many difficulties and faced obstacles to have opportunities she deserved, but nevertheless she really fought to get them. I admire that about her, which is maybe why I am so upset at how she is represented in love and her friendships.

Book Club Questions:

Did you find that there first meeting was cute?

What did you think of Olive?

What did you think of Adam?

Did you find Olive immature at times?

How did you picture Olive physically?

What did you think of the side characters? Which one was your favorite? Which one was your least favorite?

Did you think that Anh was a cliché character?

Why do you think it was more important for Olive to deceive Anh than to tell her the truth?

How do you feel about unprotected sex in books? Does it ruin the sex scene for you?

How did you feel about how Olive managed the situation with Tom Benton?

How did you feel about the ending?

Do you think that this book was overhyped?

xoxo Elodie

*As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases

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The Love Hypothesis | Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

“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.” – Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis

Have you ever wanted to read or finish a book really bad, yet at the same time wanted to read it ever so slowly, savouring every dialogue, every situation, so that it never ends?

Well, this gem of a book is one such read. I had a copy of The Love Hypothesis with me for the past few months, and now I regret not reading it soon enough. But enough said about it, let’s get this reviewing business done. Do continue reading, for you are sure to be thanking me later.

Tropes covered

Fake dating
Grumpy vs sunshine
Slight age gap
Academia/college romance

The story as it goes

Olive Smith is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student who doesn’t believe in long-term relationships. Olive’s best friend Anh is silently crushing on Olive’s ex but doesn’t want to take it forward for the fear of hurting Olive’s feelings.

To prove to Anh that she is over him, and in a quick spur-of-the-moment decision, Olive panics and kisses the first man she lays her eyes on.

As fate would have it, it turns out to be none other than Dr. Adam Carlson, a young brilliant professor, known for his notorious harshness towards his students, his overtly critical nature, and moodiness.

“He’d clearly never seen a rom-com or read a romance novel in his life.”

So, it comes to Olive as a big surprise when he agrees to be her secret boyfriend to help convince her friend.

But what happens when during a big science conference things go wrong for Olive? Adam surprises her yet again by supporting her.

Will Olive’s hypothesis on love change as things start getting serious between Olive and Adam?

My thoughts

I loved this book. And that’s an understatement. Being a science nerd myself, I quite enjoyed the whole academic setting of this book. I am all for finding non-invasive techniques for the early detection of cancer , so it was refreshing, and a new premise to read in a book.

STEM as a field is difficult for women, given their struggles and difficulties. These day-to-day hindrances due to being in a male-dominated field are highlighted quite well in the book, without it being overbearing. And with Olive playing the main character who is so innocent and adorable, one cannot help but root for her. She is the perfect sunshine to Adam’s grumpiness.

To top it all, the witty banter between these two was so funny, I do not remember the last time I chuckled so much because of a book. And each time Adam ends up calling Olive ‘You’re SmartAss’, the reader in me is in love.

“You kiss him and next thing you know he’s saving your ass and he’s buying you scones and calling you a smart-ass in a weirdly affectionate tone”

The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood Book Review

Coming to the passion and its intensity , there isn’t too much steam, though. It only comes towards the end, but even then, it is so worth reading.

And what to say about Adam Carlson! with all his quirkiness, and never-deviate-from-the-routine attitude, he has become my new favourite.

There is just one thing, though, I wish there was a chapter from Adam’s point of view, maybe a bonus chapter or an extra epilogue. Hell, anything would have worked.

Nonetheless, with a good plot, some great writing, and amazing character development , The Love Hypothesis is a 5⭐book for me, and clearly justifies all the hype it has been getting.

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of The Love Hypothesis using the link below.

This review is contributed by Dr. Nitisha Shah. Nitisha is a 37-year consulting homeopathic physician based in Mumbai. You can connect with her on her Instagram page @our_readingjourney, which she started in January 2021 to talk about her and her 7yr old daughter’s reading journey.

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About the Author

Dr. nitisha shah.

Dr. Nitisha Shah is a 37-year-old consulting homeopathic physician based in Mumbai. You can connect with her on her Instagram page @our_readingjourney, which she started in January 2021 to talk about her and her 7yr old daughter’s reading journey.

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Book Review: The Love Hypothesis

The Love Hypothesis is a cute romance novel that takes place in an academic setting. Olive, our protagonist, is a PhD STEM student attending Stanford, and Adam, her love interest is a professor at the college. I was initially a little hesitant about this book because while the age gap between Olive and Adam isn't concerning, their power dynamic is. Conveniently, however, it is revealed that Adam is not one of Olive's professors and manages another section of students. Even though Adam and Olive were never really "teacher-student," it still made me a little uneasy, especially since the two attend the same college. The novel basically establishes its plot through Olive and Adam having a fake relationship together. Adam needs this fake relationship to convince his higher-ups that he's not leaving Stanford and has put down roots, in order to unfreeze funds needed for his research projects. Olive, on the other hand, needs a fake relationship to convince her best friend Ahn, that she has no feelings for a boy she had gone out on a couple of dates with, after realizing Ahn is interested in the same boy herself. In order to persuade Ahn to pursue her feelings, Olive strikes up this fake-dating deal with Professor Adam Carlsen, thus leading the two of them into a real future together.

The Love Hypothesis, in my opinion, has everything critical for a good, cheesy, romance. The fake-dating trope, many sweet situations, and a love interest who seems cold and cruel on the outside, but turns out to be a softie just for Olive. While the novel may have the right ingredients for a swoon-worthy romance, however, there was something missing. Olive as a protagonist was a very 2d character and was someone I could not find myself relating to or even being interested in. While it was refreshing to see a female woman lead pursuing a career in STEM, there was nothing else all that interesting about Olive. I also didn't like the author's choice of using the topic of sexual assault only as a plot device, in order to bring the story forward and the characters closer.

On the other hand, Adam was a classically written love interest. Strong on the outside, and soft on the inside, he had all the criteria needed for a typical male lead in a romance novel, and while it may seem overdone to some, I think Adam was a great portrayal of such traits.

Overall, The Love Hypothesis was an interesting romance novel, and I enjoyed its academic setting and some of the scenes involved. However, there were a couple of aspects of the story that could have been tweaked to make the story more enjoyable. In my opinion, many romance-lovers would probably enjoy this novel, but I found myself wanting more.

Why The Love Hypothesis Could Kickstart More Romance Film Adaptations

Quick links, what is the love hypothesis about, the love hypothesis could pave the way for other unconventional adaptations, are authors like ali hazelwood and emily henry changing the perception of romance.

Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis originally began as a Rey and Kylo Ren fanfiction focusing on the characters in a STEM setting, and the novel has achieved great success.
The upcoming film adaptation of The Love Hypothesis could pave the way for more unconventional book adaptations.
Authors like Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry and works like Bridgerton and Red, White and Royal Blue are changing the perception of romance novels.

Ali Hazelwood's romance novel The Love Hypothesis took BookTok by storm in 2021, and part of its whimsical appeal was that it began as Star Wars fan fiction. Originally published in 2018 on Archive of Our Own as a work called "Head Over Feet," it detailed a modern interpretation of the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren set against the backdrop of Stanford's graduate program. Though all the references to Star Wars were cut in the final draft of the novel, the similarities in characters are still there, and it's been a major part of why the novel was so successful.

Successful enough, in fact, that in October 2022, it was announced that Bisous Pictures, which specializes in romantic films, acquired the rights to the novel. The film adaptation is currently in pre-production. Depending on how successful it is, The Love Hypothesis has the potential to pave the way for more romance adaptations -- especially those that originated in equally unconventional locations.

Updated on April 15th, 2024 by Fawzia Khan: While The Love Hypothesis movie is still very much in preproduction and there are few updates about it, fans stay on tenterhooks for the STEM romance to come to life on screen. Ali Hazelwood's book is truly an outlier -- a fanfiction work that was turned into an independent novel, set in STEM, a setting so unusual that it had not been explored before. However, Hazelwood's storytelling turns even the science lab into a romantic playground, giving impetus to all sorts of romance subgenres that might not have been greenlit earlier. This feature has been updated with further information about romance novel adaptations and their future.

10 High Fantasy Romance Movies That Combine Love with Adventure

Star wars rebels foreshadowed rey and kylo ren's force bond.

The Love Hypothesis begins explosively: Stanford graduate student Olive plants a kiss on Dr. Adam Carlsen, a known grump who has gained a reputation for tanking the research dreams of many students. The kiss culminates into something bigger, and Olive decides to enter a fake relationship with Adam Carlsen in order to convince her best friend, Anh that she is over her ex-boyfriend Jeremy, whom Anh has feelings for. While Olive wants Anh to pursue happiness, Adam's motivations for the fake relationship lie in his research funding, which has been frozen by the university as they predict that he will leave their lab and move to another. Being in a relationship would give him a sense of permanence at Stanford, and Olive would regain a sense of dignity once Anh would pursue her romance without guilt. Neither Olive nor Adam is too enthused about this arrangement -- after all, Adam Carlsen is the bane of most graduate students' existence, and he's known throughout the program for his ruthlessness and, at times, rudeness. The Love Hypothesis has all the makings of a romance book headed to the big screen.

The Love Hypothesis was published on September 14, 2021.
It has a 4.15/5 rating on Goodreads, with nearly 150,000 reviews.

However, as their relationship progresses, they each have to come to terms with their feelings, which are beginning to transcend far beyond what their initial arrangement entailed. Their romance may be a farce, but Hazelwood uses well-known tropes in a fresh manner to make audiences feel butterflies as the two protagonists interact. The realities of life in academia, and Olive's own tragic backstory bring a lot of depth into the plot. Their growing love for each other is marred many times, especially when Adam's old friend, Dr. Tom Benton, decides to harrass Olive and derail her research, which makes her distance herself from him. The Love Hypothesis is a beautiful love story that will translate flawlessly to the big screen , especially because of how unique it is.

10 Best Magical Romance Movies With The Most Whimsical Plots

The Love Hypothesis is the most recent in a long line of movies adapted from fan works. In fact, Ali Hazelwood's trajectory from fanfic writer to New York Times bestselling author happened when Thao Le from the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency saw her works online and reached out to her to submit. In the past, authors like E.L. James have tried to downplay that the origins of their novels (the Fifty Shades trilogy, in this case) lay in fiction that was associated with existing properties. Seeing how the success of The Love Hypothesis was intrinsically tied up with the appeal of the Star Wars couple, it is becoming clear that the landscape of publication and cinematic adaptation has had a total overhaul. Increasingly, publishing houses are turning to well-known fan fiction authors to revise their works and send them out into the world. Often, these books sell well in part because of their obvious association with a better-known intellectual property, which then makes them prime candidates to be turned into films.

Similarly, the City of Bones series (including the associated movies and Shadowhunters television show ) has its roots in the Harry Potter series. If fan fiction evolves into a prevalent source for movies, the possibilities for future adaptations are endless. Films and TV shows based on graphic novels, such as Nimona and Heartstopper, have recently gained traction . Video game movies, no matter how controversial they tend to be, are slowly making their way into the cultural eye with big titles such as Uncharted or Five Nights at Freddy's . Though romantic movies in the past have been primarily based on published novels or entirely original, the increasing number of fan fiction and graphic novel adaptations could lead to a broader future for the romantic genre. If The Love Hypothesis is successful (which it likely will be), rom-coms may see a major renaissance, and perhaps the source material for them will be diversified as well.

10 Best TV Series With Amazing Romances

In short, yes. Both romance novels and fanfiction were long considered guilty pleasure genres, consumed by those who liked reading adult or "spicy" content. Fortunately, the success of The Love Hypothesis and other such books has brought this genre into the mainstream, as larger and larger studios are queuing up to adapt romance novels into movies. As "women-centric" movies become box office hits, romance novels have further opportunities for getting that coveted adaptation. In addition to Ali Hazelwood, Emily Henry has become a studio favorite, with every one of her romance novels getting the go-ahead for big-screen adaptations.

Additionally, romance is no longer just about heterosexual couples. Red, White, and Royal Blue proved that LGBTQ+ love stories are very much the next step for the romance genre; a much-needed update to keep it current and with the times. Bridgerton's roaring success also brought forth an important aspect: romance fans want to hear diverse stories of different cultures too to reaffirm their belief that love is love, no matter where one is from. A growing acceptance of the romance genre, and the recognition of it as a true art form worthy of investment and adaptation has brought fresh growth to it, as well as to cinema.

Why The Love Hypothesis Could Kickstart More Romance Film Adaptations

Love, Theoretically

Ali hazelwood.

389 pages, Paperback

First published June 13, 2023

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"The you people want is sharp, impeccable, perfect enough to justify your intrusion in a field that for centuries has been 'rightfully' male. But not too perfect, because apparently only 'stone-cold bitches' are like that, and they do not make for congenial, affable colleagues."

"I think I want to do this every day," he responds, kissing my pussy like he would my mouth. "Every day for the rest of my life."

“I want you to know, I’m a mirrorball, I can change everything about me to fit in” 🪩

‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧ when people said this book was for the mirrorball girlies they weren’t lying ‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

"I can actually watch you do it." "Do what?" "Analyze people. Turn yourself on and off." "You know, Jack, we all interact differently with different people. It's called code-switching a totally normal social skill-" "Code-switching has nothing to do with erasing who you are and twisting what's left of you.

I find that people like me better if they don't have to expend emotional energy on me.

As a people pleaser, I was primed to take all sorts of constructive criticism to heart.

I feel selfishly, beautifully happy. I just chose something on my own, for my own

“You could be my entire world, If you let me.".

"Have you considered that maybe you're already the way I want you to be? That maybe there are no signals because nothing needs to be changed?"

"I'm starting to be partial to the way you bypass all rational explanations for everything I say, and dash straight to me being an unhinged serial killer."

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Review: Doris Kearns Goodwin tells a personal story of marriage amid 1960s politics

Noted historian and her husband, speechwriter richard goodwin, had a rarified perch with jfk and lbj throughout the tumultuous sixties. here’s what they saw..

A husband and wife, closer to the end of life than the beginning, pick through piles of old boxes and reminisce about the way they were. They laugh, they cringe, they mildly castigate and furiously debate. Some years later, a book recounts their excavation.

It sounds like a vanity project, and in some ways it is. But these are no ordinary unpackers. Doris Kearns Goodwin, our foremost living presidential historian, worked on anti-poverty policy in Lyndon Baines Johnson’s White House and later spent time on LBJ’s Texas ranch working on his memoirs (and later wrote a Johnson biography, “Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream”).

Her husband, Richard Goodwin (who died in 2018), was a speechwriter, adviser on Latin America and overall rising star in the Kennedy administration, also serving under LBJ before his future wife did. (He also investigated the TV quiz show scandal of the late ’50s, and was played by Rob Morrow in the 1994 movie “Quiz Show.”)

Now Kearns Goodwin has written a memoir of sorts, “An Unfinished Love Story,” about the memories elicited by her trip down memory lane. If it often reads more like a work designed for personal posterity than wider historical edification, it also has plenty to offer the reader who dwells outside the Goodwin orbit.

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s By Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster; 467 pages; $35)

City Arts & Lectures presents Doris Kearns Goodwin in conversation with Steven Winn: 7:30 p.m. April 29. $49, includes book. Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes St., San Francisco. cityarts.net

The book is a year-by-year march through the ’60s as viewed by newcomers to the corridors of power. But it’s also a rather sweet portrait of a devoted couple growing old together — they met in 1972, when they were both working at Harvard — experiencing the foibles they know by heart, and reliving a rivalry of sorts, between loyalists to a dashing young president cut down in his prime and the man who replaced him and pushed some of his most ambitious proposals across the finish line.

Richard Goodwin, who went by Dick to just about everyone, began his Camelot ascent working on Kennedy’s presidential campaign, for which he quickly found himself cranking out speeches on the fly under the tutelage of Kennedy right-hand man Ted Sorensen. He kept cranking after the election, and also took the helm of the administration’s Alliance for Progress initiative to work with Latin American countries. The author is still a little puzzled about that one.

“It still dumbfounds me,” she tells her husband, “how a twenty-nine-year-old who had never set foot south of the border, and whose knowledge of Spanish came from a crash Berlitz course, became Kennedy’s point man on Latin America.” Dick’s response: “Bobby Kennedy was asked a similar question.” In these pages Dick Goodwin comes across as a sort of all-star utility player, capable of serving just about any function upon request.

Things get a little more contentious (but only a little) once the couple’s digging brings them through the years following the Kennedy assassination. Dick admits he loved his fallen boss, but he accepted LBJ’s invitation to work for him (although, as the book relates, the new president was curiously uncomfortable giving Dick credit for anything). But Bobby Kennedy, whose clashes with LBJ are legend, comes off almost as an obstructionist. Dick’s diary relates Bobby’s insistence that the old regime have a firm hand in selecting LBJ’s vice president, saying of his brother’s successor: “He’s got no feeling for people who are hungry. It’s up to us. The secret is to act together. Collective action.”

The author explodes as she peruses the words with her husband: “Who does he think he is?” I asked, taken aback. “He wildly overstates his clout over the vice presidential choice!” Dick’s response: “That’s easy to say now, but remember, no one suspected who Lyndon was, much less what he would become.”

Johnson would, of course, become a historically progressive president — Dick takes credit for coining the phrase “the Great Society” — who would bow out of the 1968 campaign amid the quagmire of Vietnam. Kearns Goodwin worked for him near the end of his presidency and got to know him better at his ranch, post-presidency, where she found working on his memoirs could be an adventure in itself.

She was a fastidious note taker. “Every now and then,” she writes, “he would pause suddenly and tell me to shut the book: ‘I don’t want you to tell this to anyone in the world, not even to your great-grandchildren.’ Then, later that day he would burst out: ‘Hey, why aren’t you writing all this down? Someday someone may want to read it!’ ”

This is not a news-breaking book, and it’s not about dish; that’s not really the Kearns Goodwin brand. But it is eminently readable, appealing especially to anyone fascinated by the period covered, and a touching invitation to eavesdrop on a long marriage between two people who had an unusual level of access to presidential policy and personality.

Chris Vognar is a freelance writer.

Chris Vognar

What’s the Big Deal about Bigfoot?

In The Secret History of Bigfoot , journalist John O’Connor ’03SOA explores the mystery and legacy of the North American sasquatch.

What exactly is Bigfoot?

It depends on who you ask. There are two realms of thinking. Folks who call themselves “flesh-and-blooders” believe that Bigfoot is an undiscovered giant hominid that has somehow escaped detection in the American wilds. Those often described as “woo-ers” believe that Bigfoot is magical or paranormal and can disappear through wormholes. There’s a lot of gray area and overlap between those two beliefs.

Where did the myth originate?

Bigfoot is a strangely cross-cultural and trans-historical figure. Some of the oldest American Indigenous legends deal with Bigfoot-like creatures. There are similar mythical monsters found throughout most of the world, including Australia, South America, and Japan. There were “wild men” in medieval European folklore. The most recent American iteration of Bigfoot comes from Northern California in the late 1950s, after a logging crew claimed to find large hominid tracks in an area called Bluff Creek. The famously disputed 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film, which shows a grainy Bigfoot striding across a riverbed in harsh sunlight, was shot there. I would argue that the iconic image of Bigfoot you see on beer cans and bumper stickers comes from this film.

How did you conduct field research on the creature?

The project started years ago as an admittedly bad screenplay I wrote with a friend who, like me, was an underemployed stay-at-home dad. We shelved the script, but I later came back to the topic. As part of my research, I attended Bigfoot conventions and went on four “expeditions,” two of them organized by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization , where you camp out in the woods looking and listening for evidence of Bigfoot. I also did my own self-guided expedition in the North Cascades in Washington. I didn’t find Bigfoot.

Numerous alleged Bigfoot sightings are reported each year. What explains this phenomenon?

I think the sightings boil down to misperception, what psychologists call the predictive brain and our desire to see what we want to see. Our minds are very good at convincing us that what we want to be there is there. Bigfooters certainly aren’t alone in harboring irrational beliefs.

The prevalence has a lot to do with what’s on TV and the Internet. When the Animal Planet reality series Finding Bigfoot aired, from 2011 to 2018, there was a huge uptick in Bigfoot sightings. Similarly, the most popular years of The X-Files saw a 200 percent increase in UFO sightings. Hoaxes also play a role: there are people who go out in the woods and take staged photos or videos and post them online.

Do you see an overlap between Bigfoot believers and other types of conspiracy theorists?

In most cases, Bigfooting is a benign weekend activity for people who are maybe yearning for something they can’t quite articulate. The majority tend to be white, male, conservative, and working- or middle-class. But lots of research has shown strong connections between supernatural beliefs and conspiracy thinking, and at the margins of Bigfoot culture are folks like right-wing Second Amendment fanatics and what I would call January 6 types.

Is there any convincing evidence for Bigfoot?

In terms of physical evidence, there isn’t much — no credible photographs or videos, certainly no fossil evidence, and no DNA analysis of hair or scat. Footprints thought to be from Bigfoot tend to have clear alternative explanations; often they’re bear tracks. Bigfoot believers like to argue that no remains have been found because large mammal bones decompose very quickly in the wild. I’ve talked to wildlife experts from Maine to Montana, and they’ve all told me that’s utter bullshit, that old bear and moose bones are found in remote locations all the time.

I think that, especially now, we need to be governed by reason and fact-based reality, and Bigfoot simply defies logic. We’re not talking about a tiny salamander. The idea that a seven-hundred-pound mammal could survive in the United States without being noticed or monitored is just inconceivable.

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This is a close-up photo of the author Salman Rushdie. He is adjusting his glasses with his right hand; one of the lenses is blacked out.

He Was Blinded in One Eye, but Salman Rushdie’s Vision Is Undiminished

The author’s new memoir, “Knife,” addresses the attack that maimed him in 2022, and pays tribute to the wife who saw him through. “I wanted to write a book which was about both love and hatred — one overcoming the other,” he says.

Credit... Clément Pascal for The New York Times

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By Sarah Lyall

April 14, 2024

Last May, nine months after the knife attack that nearly killed him, Salman Rushdie made a surprise appearance at the 2023 PEN America literary gala. His voice was weak and he was noticeably thinner than usual; one of his eyeglass lenses was blacked out, because his right eye had been blinded in the assault. But anyone wondering whether the author was still his old exuberant self would have been immediately reassured by the way he began his remarks, with a racy impromptu joke.

“I want to remind people in the room who might not remember that ‘Valley of the Dolls’ was published in the same publishing season as Philip Roth’s ‘Portnoy’s Complaint,’” he said, riffing on an earlier speaker’s mention of Jacqueline Susann’s potboiler. “And when Jacqueline Susann was asked what she thought about Philip Roth’s great novel” — with its enthusiastically self-pleasuring main character — “she said, ‘I think he’s very talented but I wouldn’t want to shake his hand.’”

It was classic Rushdie, improvisational literary wit deployed during a solemn occasion, in this case his acceptance of the organization’s Centenary Courage Award . It was also a triumphant signal that his brush with death — more than three decades after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s murder over the novel “The Satanic Verses” — had dampened neither his spirit nor his determination to live life in the open.

The book cover for “Knife” is beige, with the I in “Knife” appearing to be a slit.

His new book, “Knife,” which will be published April 16, is a harrowing account of the attack and its aftermath, and a reminder of how gravely injured he was. It’s also a deeply moving love story that attributes much of his recovery and good spirits to the tender, brave support of his wife of three years, the poet and novelist Rachel Eliza Griffiths. (They met at an event in 2017 and flirted over drinks at the after-party; he walked smack into a glass door as he attempted to follow her onto the roof deck. The rest is history.)

“I wanted to write a book which was about both love and hatred — one overcoming the other,” Rushdie said in a recent interview. “And so it’s a book about both of us.”

Nearly a year had passed since the PEN speech. The Rushdie sitting in the Manhattan office of his longtime agent, Andrew Wylie, was considerably more robust than the one who had appeared onstage.

He is still dealing with the physical repercussions of the attack, including bouts of fatigue. One side of his mouth pulls a bit when he talks, the result of damage to a nerve in his neck. His left hand has only partially recovered; his right eye is permanently unusable.

But Rushdie’s voice has regained its rich timbre and air of quick, antic amusement. His manner is just as relaxed, and his mind just as supple, as ever. So easily does he allude to and quote from books and popular culture that it can feel as if everything he’s read and seen and heard is at the forefront of his mind, instantly accessible like some sort of personal Google service.

Though Rushdie considered calling his new book “A Knife in the Eye,” a reference to the worst of his injuries, he decided on a single-word title, as sharp and staccato as the object itself. “Knife” can mean many things, he writes. It’s a weapon, of course, and an artistic device in books, movies and paintings. In Rushdie’s book, it’s a metaphor for understanding.

“Language can be that kind of knife, the thing that cuts through to the truth,” Rushdie said. “I wanted to use the power of literature — not just in my writing, but in literature in general, to reply to this attack.”

It came seemingly from nowhere, long after the danger to his life seemed to have receded. In London, where he lived when the fatwa was issued, Rushdie had round-the-clock Special Branch protection mandated by the British government. (I knew Rushdie and his family during this period when I was a London correspondent for The New York Times.) But he jettisoned that protection when he moved to New York more than two decades ago.

“You know, America’s view of security is, if you think you’re in danger, get a gun,” Rushdie said. “Or at least get somebody with a gun. But for me, it was a kind of freedom. At least it allowed me to make my own choices.” For all that time, he said, “everything felt pretty normal. I felt like I was living a fairly conventional writer’s life.”

On Aug. 12, 2022, Rushdie was onstage at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York — ironically, he was speaking about City of Asylum, a program that provides safe haven to writers under threat — when a black-clad man ran full-tilt onto the stage, wielding a knife. (The man was Hadi Matar, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree assault and second-degree attempted murder and is awaiting trial .)

The blade struck Rushdie 10 times. It severed all the tendons and most of the nerves in his left hand. It penetrated his right eye just short of his brain, destroying the optic nerve. It slashed into his neck, across his upper right thigh and along his hairline, and pierced his abdomen.

Rushdie remembers thinking two things as he saw the assailant hurtling forward, he writes. The first was that death had finally come for him: “So it’s you. Here you are.” The second was disbelief that it was happening so late in the game, after this long uneventful stretch. “Really?” he thought. “Why now, after all these years?”

As the blows rained down, people rushed to Rushdie’s aid, led by the City of Asylum co-founder Henry Reese, 73, who was interviewing the author onstage and who sustained a shallow knife wound and a badly bruised right eye as he held down the assailant.

“If it hadn’t been for Henry and the audience, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing these words,” Rushdie says in the book. “That Chautauqua morning I experienced both the worst and best of human nature, almost simultaneously.”

At first it was unclear whether he would survive.

“The gravity of his wounds was just insane, like something out of a horror film,” said Andrew Wylie, who has represented the author for decades. Rushdie remained in the hospital for nearly two months. Even after returning home, he had vivid, horrific dreams — about the blinding of the Duke of Gloucester in “King Lear,” about the opening sequence of the Luis Buñuel movie “Un Chien Andalou,” in which a cloud drifting across the moon becomes a razor blade slicing an eye. He had medical appointments almost every day, different specialists for each affected body part. “Everyone had to sign off on the various repair jobs,” he said.

Rushdie had been toying with an idea for a novel before the attack. But “when, finally, it felt like the juice was beginning to flow again, I went and opened up the file that I’d had, and it just seemed ridiculous,” he said. “It just became clear to me that until I dealt with this, I wouldn’t be able to write anything else.”

“Knife” is a visceral, intimate book, in contrast to an earlier memoir, “Joseph Anton,” a 2012 book that was written in the third person, so that the central character existed on the same level as the supporting players.

“I wanted it to read like a novel,” Rushdie explained of the earlier book. But “Knife” is different. “This is not novelistic. I mean, somebody sticks a knife in you, that’s pretty personal. Pretty first person,” he said.

The book contains a long passage in which Rushdie imagines interrogating his assailant, but he never mentions him by name. “My Assailant, my would-be Assassin, the Asinine man who made Assumptions about me, and with whom I had a near-lethal Assignation,” he writes. “I will refer to him more decorously as ‘the A.’ What I call him in the privacy of my home is my business.”

What he feels now is not anger, exactly.

“Obviously I’m not particularly pleased about him,” he said. “And if I gave it some attention, I probably am angry. But where does that get you? Nowhere. And it also becomes a way of being captured by the event, you know, to be possessed by a kind of rage about it.”

His therapist has helped, he said, as has a natural steeliness. “Sometimes you don’t know how resilient you are until the question is asked, until you’re obliged to face very tough things,” he said.

Rushdie is close to his two sons, Milan and Zafar. The loving way he talks about Griffiths reflects a late-in-life contentment after a colorful romantic life featuring four earlier wives, including the novelist Marianne Wiggins and the celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi. When his family met Griffiths, he said, “ they all kind of said, ‘Finally.’”

Rushdie said he wants to be thought of foremost as a novelist. But he has always felt — even before the fatwa — an obligation to be engaged in public matters. For years, he served as president of PEN America, in the forefront of its fights on behalf of free speech.

Presenting Rushdie’s award to him last year, PEN America’s then-president, the playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar, said the group was honoring him “because of what he stood for and continues to stand for, and what this organization is fundamentally all about — freedom.” Akhtar continued: “He has enlarged the world’s imaginative capacities, and at such great cost to himself.”

But Rushdie said that he doesn’t see himself as a symbol of anything.

“I’ve never felt symbolic. I felt — you know, I’m just here.” He laughed. “I’m just Ken.” (This was an allusion to Ryan Gosling’s showstopping song at the Oscars, the night before the interview.) “I’m just me. I’m just somebody who’s trying to be a writer, trying to do his best. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.”

In June, Rushdie will turn 77, the age his father was when he died, a bracing moment in anyone’s life. In his case, it’s magnified by his recent experience.

“I came very close to dying,” he said. “And when you get that close, when you get a really good look at it, it stays with you. It’s much closer to the front of my head than it used to be.”

Yet he’s not afraid. “Did you ever see the musical ‘Spamalot’?” he continued. “There’s a wheelbarrow of plague victims being wheeled across the stage. And when they get to the middle of the stage they all jump off the wheelbarrow and sing this song, ‘He Is Not Dead Yet.’

“Either you succumb to the fear of death, or you don’t,” he said.

Sarah Lyall is a writer at large for The Times, writing news, features and analysis across a wide range of sections. More about Sarah Lyall

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Salman Rushdie warns young people against forgetting value of free speech

Author also discusses prospect of second Trump presidency and writing about his stabbing in launch event for his book Knife

Salman Rushdie has warned young people against forgetting the value of free speech and discussed the “very big and negative” impact of a second Trump presidency in a rare public appearance since his stabbing.

The Indian-born British-American author of books including the Satanic Verses and Midnight’s Children also discussed the attack in 2022 that left him blind in one eye during a Q&A at an English PEN event at the Southbank Centre .

“I have a very old-fashioned view about [free speech],” said Rushdie, appearing by video from his home in New York to mark the launch of his new memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder . “The defence of free expression begins at the point at which somebody says something you don’t like.

“It’s a very simple thing, but it’s being forgotten. That is what’s enshrined in the first amendment … In the US, you feel there’s a younger generation that’s kind of forgetting the value of that. Often, for reasons they would believe to be virtuous, they’re prepared to suppress kinds of speech with which they don’t sympathise. It’s a slippery slope. And look out, because the person slipping down that slope could be you.”

Rushdie said academia in America was “in serious trouble … because of colossal political divisions. And everybody is so angry that it seems very difficult to find a common place.”

The Booker-prize-winning author, whose books have been translated into more than 40 languages, discussed the prospect of a second Trump presidency with the author and critic Erica Wagner and encouraged young people in the US to “not make the mistake of not voting”.

He said: “The impact would be very big and negative. He’d be worse a second time around, because he’d be unleashed and vengeful. All he talks about is revenge. And that’s a bad policy platform, that you want to be president to deal revenge against your enemies.

“In New York, people had got the point of Donald Trump long before he ever tried to run for office. Everybody knew that he was a buffoon and a liar. And unfortunately, America had to find out the hard way. I just hope they don’t fall for it again.”

Rushdie was about to give a talk at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state on 12 August 2022 when a man rushed on stage and stabbed him about 10 times. “I saw the man in black running toward me down the right-hand side of the seating area,” he recalls in his new book . The writer was hospitalised for six weeks.

On Sunday, he said he hadn’t been able to think about writing for six months, but then it struck him that it would be “ludicrous” to write about anything else.

He described the difficulty of penning the first chapter, “in which I have to describe in some detail the exact nature of the attack. It was very hard to do.”

Knife, the writer said, was the “only book I’ve ever written with the help of a therapist. It gave me back control of the narrative. Instead of being a man lying on the stage with a pool of blood, I’m a man writing a book about a man live on stage with a pool of blood. That felt good.”

Rushdie also spoke about the postponement of the trial of his attacker, Hadi Matar . He said Matar’s not-guilty plea was “an absurdity” and that he would testify at any future trial. “It doesn’t bother me to be in the courtroom with him. It should bother him.”

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In Knife, Matar is not named, but referred to as “the A”. Rushdie said he was inspired by a Margaret Thatcher line about “wanting to deny the terrorists what she called the oxygen of publicity. That phrase stuck in my head. I thought, ‘This guy had his 27 seconds of fame. And now he should go back to being nobody.’

“I use this initial A because I thought there were many things he was: a would-be assassin, an assailant, an adversary … an ass.”

However, Rushdie said, “the most interesting” part of the book to write was the 30 pages of imagined dialogue between him and his attacker.

“I actually wanted to meet him and ask him some questions. Then I read about this incident where Samuel Beckett was the victim of a knife attack in Paris by a pimp. He went to the man’s trial, and at the end of it said to him: ‘Why did you do it?’ And the only thing the man said was: ‘I don’t know, I’m sorry.’ I thought: if I actually were to meet this guy, I would get some banality.”

So Rushdie decided it would “be better to try to imagine myself” into the head of a person who chose to attack a stranger despite reading “no more than two pages of something I’d written”.

‘There is in my mind an absence in his story,” he said. “This is somebody who was 24 years old. He must have known that he was going to be wrecking his life as well as mine, and yet he was willing to commit murder. He’s somebody with no previous criminal record and not on any kind of terrorism watch list. Just a kid in Fairview, New Jersey. And to go from that to murder is a very big jump.”

Salman Rushdie
Southbank Centre

More on this story

Knife by Salman Rushdie review – a life interrupted

‘Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run?’: 10 things we learned from Salman Rushdie’s Knife

Knife by Salman Rushdie review – a story of hatred defeated by love

‘I can’t explain it’: Salman Rushdie says his survival in knife attack was a miracle

Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and use of one hand, says agent

Drastic rethink of security likely in wake of Salman Rushdie attack

Salman Rushdie’s grave fears for Indian democracy published in PEN anthology

Iran denies role in Salman Rushdie attack but claims author is to blame

Salman Rushdie ‘road to recovery has begun’ but ‘will be long,’ agent says

If we don’t defend free speech, we live in tyranny: Salman Rushdie shows us that

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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis-Book Review
Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis Review
The Love Hypothesis Book Review
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Review: Why 'the Love Hypothesis' Is Such a Hit Romance Novel
Here's why "The Love Hypothesis" is one of my favorite recent romance books: Advertisement. 1. The story focuses a lot on Olive and Adam's lives outside their romance, making their love story more ...
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS
The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author's note at the end that explains Hoover's personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read. Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors. 881.
BOOK REVIEW: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Review: The Love Hypothesis snuck up on me and captured my heart. It was addicting, sexy, angsty and thoroughly intoxicating! I'm sure a huge fan of the fake dating trope and it not only made this book a ton of fun but it had a lot of emotional power too. With a broody male, a quirky girl and a story filled with science, contemporary romance ...
BOOK REVIEW: The Love Hypothesis (The Love Hypothesis #1) by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis (The Love Hypothesis #1) by Ali Hazelwood Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks Add to: 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.
Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
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." Review: I loved this book! Some romance books are too cheesy for me but I thought this book was the perfect balance of cheesiness.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Published by Berkley on September 14, 2021 Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy Pages: 384 Format: eARC Source: Publisher (Netgalley) Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon. When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.
The Love Hypothesis Book Review
Parents say Not yet rated Rate book. Kids say ( 1 ): This romance set in the lofty world of a prestigious graduate school program has its ups and downs. It's refreshing to see women in STEM represented and important to highlight how much many women struggle in that world. The Love Hypothesis has some funny banter, especially with colorful ...
Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood Publisher: Berkley Books Publication Date: September 14, 2021 Series or Standalone: Standalone Links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Goodreads Rating: MY REVIEW CW: sexual harassament/assualt Did I read the same book as everyone else? Because this book was a big fat NO from me. I know a lot of…
The Love Hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis is a romance novel by Ali Hazelwood, published September 14, 2021 by Berkley Books.Originally published online in 2018 as Head Over Feet, a Star Wars fan fiction work about the "Reylo" ship between Rey and Kylo Ren, the novel follows a Ph.D. candidate and a professor at Stanford University who pretend to be in a relationship.
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Love Hypothesis
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is a standalone book. STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars. 18 people found this helpful. Helpful. Report. Kerstin Upmeyer. 5.0 out of 5 stars A fan fic inspired romance I actually liked! Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2022. Verified Purchase. I am starting to recognize with some chagrin that ...
The Love Hypothesis Summary & Review
In the delightful world of "The Love Hypothesis," Ali Hazelwood has crafted a tale that marries science and emotion, intellect and heart. The book's strengths lie in its vivid characters, sharp dialogue, and the intricate dance between logic and love. While pacing and minor inconsistencies exist, they don't overshadow the book's ...
The love hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood - Book review. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is definitely one of my favourite contemporary romance novels, a five stars reading. Although the novel has a fairly popular theme, namely fake dating, what impressed me the most was the writing style. Ali Hazelwood really knows how to write.
The Love Hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood came out a few months ago, and I didn't really pay much attention to it. However, people seem to really be enjoying this book, and after reading The School for Good Mothers, I was really in mood for something light and fun.. In the Love Hypothesis, Olive is a third-year biology Ph.D. student at Stanford who ends up fake-dating a young and handsome tenured ...
Amazon.com: The Love Hypothesis: 9780593336823: Hazelwood, Ali: Books
The Love Hypothesis has wild commercial appeal but the quieter secret is that there is a specific audience, made up of all of the Olives in the world, who have deeply, ardently waited for this exact book."—Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author "Funny, sexy and smart, Ali Hazelwood did a terrific job with The Love Hypothesis ...
The Love Hypothesis Review: The Perfect Contemporary Romance for
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Published by Berkley Books on September 14, 2021 Source: Purchased Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Romance Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble Add to Goodreads. 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 ...
The Love Hypothesis Book Review
The Love Hypothesis Book Review. "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.". The Love Hypothesis centres on Olive Smith, a PhD student who is determined and headstrong. Then after a series of mishaps, she winds up fake dating the university's ...
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
First things first, I'm not into the professor / student romance. Call me uptight, but it's just not my thing. And as it's not my thing in real life, then it's not something I particularly enjoy reading in books. Second - Adam. I know he was supposed to come off as moody and sullen, but I found his character very bland.
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Love Hypothesis
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is a standalone book. STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars. 16 people found this helpful. Helpful. Report. Lauren. 5.0 out of 5 stars The Love Hypothesis Review. Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2021. Verified Purchase. From Lala's Book Reviews ...
The Love Hypothesis
ENTERTAINMENT: 5/5. STEAM: 4.5/5. OVERALL: 5/5. "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.". - Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis. Have you ever wanted to read or finish a book really bad, yet at the same time wanted to read it ever so slowly ...
The Love Hypothesis: a personal review : r/books
The way the novel is written almost contradicts Hazelwood's attempt to address feminism; having made Olive nothing more than a mess, always in need of rescue. There was tremendous potential to make her a legitimate role model with an actual personality, instead the character fell flat. Adam, on the other hand, is always serious and put ...
Book Review: The Love Hypothesis
Review. The Love Hypothesis is a cute romance novel that takes place in an academic setting. Olive, our protagonist, is a PhD STEM student attending Stanford, and Adam, her love interest is a professor at the college. I was initially a little hesitant about this book because while the age gap between Olive and Adam isn't concerning, their power ...
Why The Love Hypothesis Could Kickstart More Romance Film Adaptations
The Love Hypothesis has all the makings of a romance book headed to the big screen. The Love Hypothesis was published on September 14, 2021. It has a 4.15/5 rating on Goodreads, with nearly ...
Callista's review of The Love Hypothesis
Also, this book gets 6 stars just because the heavy implication that Olive is demisexual. And I love seeing aspec representation in books. ... Callista's Reviews > The Love Hypothesis. ... The Love Hypothesis by. Ali Hazelwood (Goodreads Author) Callista 's review Apr 19, 2024 it was amazing. bookshelves: library-reads, favorites. Ali Hazelwood ...
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Goodreads Choice Award. Nominee for Best Romance (2023) The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she's an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her ...
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The book is a year-by-year march through the '60s as viewed by newcomers to the corridors of power. But it's also a rather sweet portrait of a devoted couple growing old together — they met in 1972, when they were both working at Harvard — experiencing the foibles they know by heart, and reliving a rivalry of sorts, between loyalists to a dashing young president cut down in his prime ...
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Undeterred, Salman Rushdie Discusses His New Memoir, 'Knife'
The author's new memoir, "Knife," addresses the attack that maimed him in 2022, and pays tribute to the wife who saw him through. "I wanted to write a book which was about both love and ...
Salman Rushdie warns young people against forgetting value of free
However, Rushdie said, "the most interesting" part of the book to write was the 30 pages of imagined dialogue between him and his attacker. "I actually wanted to meet him and ask him some ...

'The Love Hypothesis' won Amazon's best romance book of 2021, has a near-perfect rating on Goodreads, and is all over TikTok. Here's why it's such a unique love story.

Here's why "The Love Hypothesis" is one of my favorite recent romance books:

2. The steamier scenes are also awkward and realistic, which made them even better.

3. The book deals with other topics besides the main love story, making it a much deeper read.

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