I’ll admit it: I almost hate how much I loved this book.
When Ph. D. student Olive finds out her best friend is interested in her ex, she decides to prove she’s over him by making out with a random stranger. It’s not long before she discovers that the person she thought was a stranger is none other than the notoriously difficult and almost universally disliked professor, Adam Carlsen, and she decides to roll with it anyway. But when her lie that she’s dating the professor begins to get out of hand, Olive finds herself surprised that Adam is willing to go along with her scheme — and that it might be beneficial for the both of them.
If you’ve ever read a romance story with a grumpy/sunshine trope, you know the dynamic that’s building here. And if you’ve ever read a fake-dating romance, you know where this is going.
The relationship between Olive and Adam is addicting. I kid you not, I struggled not to read this book in one sitting. (I’m not against single-sitting books, but it was late and I needed sleep!) It’s obvious from very early on that Ali Hazelwood has a grasp on what makes a romance story good and how to create realistic, relatable characters. From a character and relationship standpoint, Hazelwood knocked it out of the park.
So, this begs the question: If I loved it so much, why isn’t it a 5 star read? Because this story is a prime example for how great characters and a quick-paced, page turning style of writing can make up for other problems that would have really bothered me if those other bits weren’t top-notch.
For me, there were two really obvious things that drove me a bit nuts. The first one: If readers took a shot every time Adam Carlsen called Olive a “smartass” no one would be sober enough to actually finish this book. It was kind of cute the first few times, but by the end, it was straining the muscles that roll my eyes. I liked that it showed the relationship between them (the “smartass” and smirk combo specifically) but I think, ultimately, it would have been more impactful had it been used less often. I have no doubt that Hazelwood could find the perfect spots to put them, but as the story stands it was just so overused.
And the second part that really got to me — and I realize this might just be a general romance trope, so take this with a grain of salt — was the miscommunications. I know that it’s a staple in most rom-coms to have situations that could be easily cleared up with a conversation become opportunities for tension, but it felt like Olive overdid it. While there was one important point where it made sense for Olive not to speak up (it would be a spoiler to say more on that), there were so many times where I found myself wanting to shake Olive for not just having a conversation and clearing the air. Like, the
“smartass” thing, I think once or twice would have been effective. Instead, the amount of times it seemed to happen felt exhausting (in a way that sometimes felt hard to get past) and made me dislike Olive more than I would have liked to.
But really, in the grand scheme of this story, these complaints feel like nit-picking. The reality is, I was all in on this story. I loved the back and forth between Adam and Olive. The nerdy, academia background was fun and totally up my alley. The way the story came full circle was really satisfying. And, let’s face it, when Adam stands up for Olive when she finds herself in a sticky situation, it was downright swoon-worthy. Ali Hazelwood and her STEM-based romances are now firmly planted on my list of authors/books to look out for.
I borrowed this book from my library because I wasn’t sure I would like it and didn’t want to commit to owning it, but I will be purchasing a copy for my shelves. And that’s high praise for me. I don’t buy many books these days.
So, if you’re looking for STEM-based romance or a grumpy/sunshine story or a fake-dating fiasco, Ali Hazelwood has you covered and The Love Hypothesis is one to check out.
