The Love Hypothesis chronicles a story of a Stanford Ph.D. student, Olive Smith, trying to get by. She is overworked, confused by social interactions, and determined to get her area of study out into the world. She’s trying to forward research to catch early cancer signs—information that might have saved her mother. So she’s invested.
She’s also socially challenged. The author does not come right out and say Olive identifies on the spectrum of asexual. But from the character’s actions and feelings, we understood where she fell on the spectrum. Luckily, I have a great source of information at my house about all the different types of genders and levels of sexuality. I had a long conversation with my fifteen-year-old, and afterward, I understood Olive even better.
The story used two great tropes—Enemies-to-Lovers and Fake Dating. The more I read, the deeper and better the tropes worked. Olive’s fake boyfriend, Professor Adam Carlsen, is distant, cold, and withdrawn until we get to spend time with him. By the last quarter of the tale, I realized he’s Darcy. Like Pride and Prejudice, the book is told from the heroine’s point of view. I’d love to hear his side of the story.
The novel built tension with perfection. As the reader, we saw what Olive couldn’t. When the villain reared his head, I was like, “I told you to watch out for that one!” Nothing was overdone, over the top, or shark-jumping. And the sex, when it happened (no spoiler because we knew it would come), was spectacularly hot and satisfying.
The setting and background for the story—college life and technical biology—were presented seamlessly. Even without a basic understanding of biology, I still could have followed the science presented in the novel. Nothing appeared dumbed-down or held over my head with condescension. The author illustrated her experience with Ph.D. programs at large universities flawlessly. She added humor and reality with her knowledge.
This story is what a romance should be. Average (or above average) woman finding that just right match—someone who fulfills her not just physically, but emotionally, intellectually, and mentally. I loved this novel.
I give Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Five Bunsen Burners Burning Bright.
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