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A review by idk_indigo
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was mixed for me.
The good:
I loved the MMC which is surprising because I don't usually like grumpy male characters. Like, what do you even have to be grumpy about, not enough women to oppress? Shut up! But he was slay, I loved his soft side and I loved that we got to see so much more of him through his friends and through his work and conversations with Olive and stuff. He was cute!!
Olive's small circle of friends was so wonderful, I think they could've been more developed but I really appreciated that she had a little found family while she was navigating stressful situations!
The PhD/academia setting was honestly so much fun, I don't believe I've ever read a romance novel set at a university and I loved seeing all of the little insider things -- people stealing petri dishes, fighting for funding, insufficient research results, etc. it was so cool!
Anxiety representation in an FMC!! Demisexual representation! Yippee!
The sexy scenes! There weren't that many of them (only 2, I did keep count) and they were like a 2/5 in terms of spice: not graphic at all, but I loved them!
The miscommunication! Tbh the trope is growing on me, I really used to dislike it but now I'm like yeah, man, that's life. I thought overall it was pretty realistic, maybe a tiny bit far-fetched (but that was about the fake dating more than the miscommunication) but I was like honestly yeah that would happen to me... I'm a lesbian btw, if that explains anything
The love story itself was so intriguing, I found myself smiling blushing giggling lying on my stomach kicking my feet in the air teehee
The bad:
Olive was very meh for me, I thought her personality was sort of whatever. I struggled to grasp her motives sometimes, and she often felt very helpless and damsel in distress-y. Which, I'll be so honest with you, did not match up at all with what I would hope from a PhD student in STEM. Obviously people (and characters) are nuanced but like sheesh...
And a subsection of my previous complaint, it often felt like Adam was such a stereotypical hero. Buying Olive Starbucks and her saying this is food for the next 2 weeks, which mind you was never addressed again. And that one scene where hepins some guy up against the wall and she's all like "Daddy it's not worth it!" I understand that it wasn't supposed to be cringe but it was and also didn't match up with anything we know about Adam up to that point...
It also felt like, regarding the PhD program, that there were so many inconsistencies with "I'm so busy, I never have any time for anything besides school," and then scene upon scene of them doing anything but studying... Very much, for me, a case of telling not showing.
Olive being afucking virgin but also not really I'm sorry but I'm over it and I hate that trope so much. Shut up!
The MC's backstories, they felt very underdeveloped and it felt like Olive's trauma didn't really have much at all to do with her love story.... not that you need trauma to fall in love or whatever, but I think most MC's with a fair dose of childhood trauma at least have a main "issue" that is counterintuitive to their love story. Eg., FMC with overbearing parents feels intense perfectionist tendencies, leading to a job/career she hates and her eventual breakup (Happy Place, Emily Henry). Or FMC who was betrayed by her brother over a business deal finds it difficult to trust men, especially relating to finances (The Duke Gets Desperate, Diana Quincy). Olive's trauma was like... damn I grew up alone so I have anxiety.... oh, yeah, and like I have a crush on this guy... the two were never connected it just felt like she was talking about it just to talk. Which, like same girly pop I love yapping but I'm also not a MC in a romance novel. Idk
The professor/student relationship, I know it wasn't the worst but it also wasn't the best and the other professor and Olive becoming friends after he startsbanging her best friend and then they meet each others' parents after, like, less than a week of banging seemed a bit inappropriate.
Anyways, 4 stars! #adamandmeshouldbebesties #myfavoritecolorisgreentoo
PS., I will be so honest with you, this feels like a story one might write about the crush they have on their teacher idk I didn't mind it though
The good:
I loved the MMC which is surprising because I don't usually like grumpy male characters. Like, what do you even have to be grumpy about, not enough women to oppress? Shut up! But he was slay, I loved his soft side and I loved that we got to see so much more of him through his friends and through his work and conversations with Olive and stuff. He was cute!!
Olive's small circle of friends was so wonderful, I think they could've been more developed but I really appreciated that she had a little found family while she was navigating stressful situations!
The PhD/academia setting was honestly so much fun, I don't believe I've ever read a romance novel set at a university and I loved seeing all of the little insider things -- people stealing petri dishes, fighting for funding, insufficient research results, etc. it was so cool!
Anxiety representation in an FMC!! Demisexual representation! Yippee!
The sexy scenes! There weren't that many of them (only 2, I did keep count) and they were like a 2/5 in terms of spice: not graphic at all, but I loved them!
The miscommunication! Tbh the trope is growing on me, I really used to dislike it but now I'm like yeah, man, that's life. I thought overall it was pretty realistic, maybe a tiny bit far-fetched (but that was about the fake dating more than the miscommunication) but I was like honestly yeah that would happen to me... I'm a lesbian btw, if that explains anything
The love story itself was so intriguing, I found myself smiling blushing giggling lying on my stomach kicking my feet in the air teehee
The bad:
Olive was very meh for me, I thought her personality was sort of whatever. I struggled to grasp her motives sometimes, and she often felt very helpless and damsel in distress-y. Which, I'll be so honest with you, did not match up at all with what I would hope from a PhD student in STEM. Obviously people (and characters) are nuanced but like sheesh...
And a subsection of my previous complaint, it often felt like Adam was such a stereotypical hero. Buying Olive Starbucks and her saying this is food for the next 2 weeks, which mind you was never addressed again. And that one scene where he
It also felt like, regarding the PhD program, that there were so many inconsistencies with "I'm so busy, I never have any time for anything besides school," and then scene upon scene of them doing anything but studying... Very much, for me, a case of telling not showing.
Olive being a
The MC's backstories, they felt very underdeveloped and it felt like Olive's trauma didn't really have much at all to do with her love story.... not that you need trauma to fall in love or whatever, but I think most MC's with a fair dose of childhood trauma at least have a main "issue" that is counterintuitive to their love story. Eg., FMC with overbearing parents feels intense perfectionist tendencies, leading to a job/career she hates and her eventual breakup (Happy Place, Emily Henry). Or FMC who was betrayed by her brother over a business deal finds it difficult to trust men, especially relating to finances (The Duke Gets Desperate, Diana Quincy). Olive's trauma was like... damn I grew up alone so I have anxiety.... oh, yeah, and like I have a crush on this guy... the two were never connected it just felt like she was talking about it just to talk. Which, like same girly pop I love yapping but I'm also not a MC in a romance novel. Idk
The professor/student relationship, I know it wasn't the worst but it also wasn't the best and the other professor and Olive becoming friends after he starts
Anyways, 4 stars! #adamandmeshouldbebesties #myfavoritecolorisgreentoo
PS., I will be so honest with you, this feels like a story one might write about the crush they have on their teacher idk I didn't mind it though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual harassment
Minor: Grief and Death of parent