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A review by booksof_kell
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
5/5
I was really excited for this book but honestly, I kept forgetting what it was actually about in the extremely long length of time I had to wait to get my hands on it. I feel like I've been waiting for this book for over a year, lol. But the thing I *did* remember during that time was the cover. When I first saw this cover, for whatever reason, I was all in, I was ready; I knew I was going to like it.
Then, I read the book.
I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that it wasn't similar in any way to her other books, because it was. But... I didn't care!
Out of her full-length novels, this is my favourite by far. Jack is the swooniest cinnamon roll I have read in a long, long time. Was he "big" and "tall" with "huge hands" and did I mention that he was a "giant", just like every other Hazelwood hero? Yeah, sure, but again I DID NOT CARE because his personality? His EMOTIONAL MATURITY? The fact that we got so much character development for both him AND our heroine?! Speaking of...
Elsie. I related and connected to her so viscerally that I was brought to tears not once, but twice while reading this book. I read a review that said they got annoyed by her low self-esteem, by her seemingly unbelievable naivety or "stupidity" when it came to Jack and his feelings for her, but I didn't have the same experience. I think their opinion is valid, but I just don't share it. *shrug* At the end of the day, this is a book review, not a chance for me to divulge my inner workings or emotional trauma so I'm not going to, but when I tell you I felt Seen through Elsie's characterization, I felt Seen.
More than anything, go into this book with an open mind, and try not to get too hung up on the "fake dating" trope the back of the book promises. While that's in there, it's a small detail of the bigger picture- a picture I thought was really well crafted, paced, and thought out. Ali Hazelwood continues to grow as a writer, and I'm excited to see where it takes her next!
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Review to come once I’m emotionally stable again
I was really excited for this book but honestly, I kept forgetting what it was actually about in the extremely long length of time I had to wait to get my hands on it. I feel like I've been waiting for this book for over a year, lol. But the thing I *did* remember during that time was the cover. When I first saw this cover, for whatever reason, I was all in, I was ready; I knew I was going to like it.
Then, I read the book.
I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that it wasn't similar in any way to her other books, because it was. But... I didn't care!
Out of her full-length novels, this is my favourite by far. Jack is the swooniest cinnamon roll I have read in a long, long time. Was he "big" and "tall" with "huge hands" and did I mention that he was a "giant", just like every other Hazelwood hero? Yeah, sure, but again I DID NOT CARE because his personality? His EMOTIONAL MATURITY? The fact that we got so much character development for both him AND our heroine?! Speaking of...
Elsie. I related and connected to her so viscerally that I was brought to tears not once, but twice while reading this book. I read a review that said they got annoyed by her low self-esteem, by her seemingly unbelievable naivety or "stupidity" when it came to Jack and his feelings for her, but I didn't have the same experience. I think their opinion is valid, but I just don't share it. *shrug* At the end of the day, this is a book review, not a chance for me to divulge my inner workings or emotional trauma so I'm not going to, but when I tell you I felt Seen through Elsie's characterization, I felt Seen.
More than anything, go into this book with an open mind, and try not to get too hung up on the "fake dating" trope the back of the book promises. While that's in there, it's a small detail of the bigger picture- a picture I thought was really well crafted, paced, and thought out. Ali Hazelwood continues to grow as a writer, and I'm excited to see where it takes her next!
------
Review to come once I’m emotionally stable again