Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Love Hypothesis

It’s been a therapeutic time reading a lighthearted and straightforward romcom after having finished a romantasy series before it.

The Love Hypothesis is much like every other stereotypical fake-dating story but with a backdrop of a whole lot of STEM. It was pretty cool getting to see a glimpse of what life is like in academia and getting to read a fake-dating story of someone well over their mid-twenties (since it’s commonly set in high school). Perfect for a little breather.

There were some lines that felt too cringey for me and I feel could’ve been written differently to feel more natural. And as much as I liked Adam and Olive together and individually, I wish I could’ve seen more of Olive at work in the academia just so I have a grasp of how great she actually is in what she does. I feel like a lot of parts have been sped through and that her skills were downplayed. I think I would’ve appreciated and rooted for her more had I been given more.

Those, of course, are highly secondary as the story is mainly about the relationship between Adam and Olive which was definitely center-stage in the book.

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rowanelise's review against another edition

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funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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noellegrace8's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a good read! The characters have a black-cat-golden-retriever thing going on. This book depicts some issues I wouldn't otherwise be informed about - academia politics in the science profession. I liked watching it play out, and I loved getting to know Olive's background along the way. Her project is interesting. I also liked Adam's emo-ness, as well as the two side-characters Malcolm and Holden. And the demi/sapio representation with Olive!

This being said, there wasn't a terribly detailed plot line; it's mostly just a PhD student trying to get through her program while also navigating her past experiences as well as her current relationships. Additionally, there were many times I wondered why Olive didn't just say no to some things Ahn asked of her during the fake dating, especially because Olive didn't seem the type of person to be pushed around. I also found a few too many similarities between this book and the only other Ali Hazelwood book I've read: Love, Theoretically. I got a little tired of hearing about how the female lead couldn't read anything on the male lead's face, some of the cheesy dialogue or circumstances, about the tallness, washboard abs, and dimples of the dudes, and the best female friend who is kind of loud/obnoxious and pretty much only present to further the lead's story. I also would liked to have seen some more communication between the main couple before they moved along with their relationship, because there was a lot of lying involved initially. And, as just a nit-picky thing, I hate that some of the characters say "Ol." To me, it just doesn't sound like an organic nickname and is too phonetically similar (when you're listening to an audiobook) to Ahn's name.

I love a book that can make me cry, and the aftermath of the incident with Tom did just that. It is worth noting that what happened with him in the book could be a trigger for some people. It was jarring, although well-written.

Finally, while I've heard this began as a Reylo fanfic, I really don't see much of a connection to their story. Olive in particular is nothing like Rey. Adam is merely an indistinct shadow of Kylo. And to be honest, Adam just doesn't have much character at all.

I give Callie Dalton 4/5 ⭐ . She very much has a Valley Girl voice, which is a sensory frustration for me. She can sometimes be a tad overdramatic in her reading efforts, but also, her male voices are quite good.

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bneldridge_39's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

For what started as a fan fiction, the love hypothesis is a good lighthearted read. The beginning starts out a bit slow and the ending is rushed but all the chemistry and love the characters have for one another is well worth reading.

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lucyatoz's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"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 by Ali Hazelwood tells the story of Olive Smith, 3rd year PhD student, who blindly ends up kissing Professor Adam Carlsen and they start to fake date, which becomes a equally beneficial for them both!

This novel is a field galore of romantic tropes and stereotypes! Was it repetitive and annoying at times? Yes. However, it was a fun read with a little bit of spice and some lovely characters in Olive's friends, Anh and Malcolm, supporting her through think and thin.

I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Spotify. I read this for prompt 6, women in STEM, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.

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victoriascotta's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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elaineyh1216's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I can see why this book is so popular. I enjoyed it a lot. It is romantic and cute — just the lighthearted romance I needed during a very stressful time.

However, I could see the Reylo fanfic origin from a million miles away. And why must modern romance authors continuously emphasize throughout the whole book how physically large their male protagonists are? “He’s big, humongous, gigantic, imposing. He’s so big. Did I mention he’s a giant?” The way Adam (lol… in case you missed that this was a Reylo fanfic, let’s name him Adam) was described, I kept thinking, “he must not be a human.” I did find his character to be quite endearing. On the other hand, I got frustrated with Olive at about the 60% mark in the book. Some of her decisions really made me question her intelligence. The side characters were fun. I appreciated the diverse cast and LGBTQ+ representation.

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