I have enjoyed crafting since I was a young kid, however recently my obsession has picked up greatly. I have been crocheting a lot lately, which has been so relaxing and fun. It has also allowed me to listen to more audiobooks like my most recent read, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.
I don’t know if I have mentioned this, I probably have, but sitting down with a crochet project, grabbing a cup of coffee, and putting on an audiobook is my absolute favorite activity. After a long day of work or an exhausting outing, I love to come home and shut myself off from the rest of the world. It’s my time of sanctuary, where I don’t have to think of anything important. I can completely shut my brain off.
Audiobooks have also been fantastic for me this year as I have been getting myself back into reading. I love being able to hop on the Libby app and choose from thousands of books. Bless libraries, they really are the best thing ever.
As I was scrolling through the massive selection of audiobooks that my library offers, one caught my eye in particular. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood has been discussed so much on social media, especially Book Tok. I have seen the book cover everywhere, and the proximity effect got me, making me intrigued.
The longer I have been a part of the book community. the longer I realize that not every popular book is written for me. In fact, most popular books are not in my wheelhouse. But despite this wonderful revelation, I do still get curious. I’m like a cat, but this time the curiosity didn’t kill me, it just forced me to read some pretty bad books.
Luckily, in the case of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Although I am not a romance reader, I still was able to find enjoyment in reading this book. It was a fun read which portrayed some of the most popular romance tropes successfully.
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Book Review of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Title: The Love Hypothesis
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publish Date: September 14, 2021
Genre: Adult Romance
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To see the content warnings for The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood click here
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is about Olive and Adam, who get themselves into a fake dating situation that is supposed to benefit both of them. However, things get a little bit messy the longer they pretend to be a couple.
Despite a couple of hang-ups I had around the plot, I did find this book to be an enjoyable, fun, and easy read. The characters were relatable and the plot was engaging. I never wanted to put the book down, this book is perfect if you want to escape the real world for a little bit and not think.
However, I am going to start with one of the main issues I had with the book, which was the fact that the plot surrounded a relationship between a Ph.D. candidate, Olive, and a professor, Adam. Although the professor had no power over the student in any academic sense as they were in different subjects, I still feel like, in reality, there would be a weird power dynamic that would impact their relationship.
I will give the author props for talking about this dynamic in the book and how it impacted the two main character’s relationships with others. The two main characters did talk to the university about the ethics of their relationship. However, it was still something icky that I had to actively forget in order to enjoy the book. A little suspension of reality if you will. This is the reason I didn’t give this book a full 5-star rating.
Anyway, despite this, there were a lot of aspects that I did enjoy in this story. First was the characters. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters, Olive and Adam. It is often described as the “grumpy-sunshine” dynamic, which has been such a popular trope recently! Olive has a bubbly persona. Although she has her worries and anxieties throughout the story, she generally had a pretty positive outlook on life. On the other hand, Adam is a closed-off and stoic character. Everyone at the university is practically terrified of him as he is well-known for being harsh to his students.
Together, the two of them make for a very interesting and playful relationship. They had witty banter throughout the story which is a lot of fun to read. I loved the back-and-forth between their two very different personalities.
I also really enjoyed the side characters. The author put a lot of thought into the friends of Adam and Olive, which I really appreciated. The whole reason behind the main relationship revolves around Olive’s best friend, Anh. Olive decided to enter a fake dating situation with Adam all to ensure Anh’s happiness.
All of the side characters had lives of their own, it didn’t feel like they only existed for the main characters. It felt like they were out there, living life when they weren’t on the page. It made the story all that more immersive and exciting.
Overall, this story is a fast-paced, exciting, and engaging read. Any fan of romance is going to devour this book in a couple of sittings. in addition to the simple romance plot are topics of sexual exploitation in education and the need for more diversity in STEM, which makes gives this book more substance than other romacne stories I have read.
TLDR: 5 Reasons you Should Read The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
- It includes the fake dating trope and the sunshine/grumpy relationship trope
- It includes great witty banter between the two main characters
- There are fun and engaging side characters
- The book covers important topics like sexual abuse in the workplace/education and diversity in STEM
- It is rumored to be getting adapted into a movie
Content Warnings for The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
- Non-consented kiss
- Sexual assault and manipulation in education
- Professor and Ph.D. candidate relationship (Professor has no control over the candidate in the academic setting)
- Sexually explicit content
- Grief from the death of a parent
For a list created by the author of The Love Hypothesis, check out the content warnings in their own words here!
If you couldn’t tell by my last couple of posts, I am trying to read some of the most popular books on Book Tok. Having been so disconnected from the book community means I also have no idea what is happening in this new corner of the internet, which is practically brand new to me.
I want to see if they are all worth the hype! I am also planning on creating a blog post dedicated to the popular Book Tok books that are worth the hype, at least to me! So, look forward to that in the near, or far, future!