Book Review: The Love Hypothesis

Fake dating? Check. Academic setting? Check. Asshole professor and a PhD candidate? Check.

There was a LOT of buzz around The Love Hypothesis when it first came out (which led to it becoming a NYT bestseller). And if you haven’t read it, I am happy to let you know that buzz was well deserved. It is an absolute delight! I adored Olive and Adam from the beginning and was so sad when it was over!

Interestingly, author Ali Hazelwood got her start writing fan fiction (specifically about Star Wars and Adam Driver, and I don’t really know anything about the fanfic world). Her book absolutely blew up on TikTok (something else I know nothing about), and then EVERYONE was singing its praises!

So if you haven’t read it, here’s the set up – When biologist Olive panics and kisses the first guy she sees to convince her best friend she’s dating someone, she realizes she’s made a huge mistake. She’s kissed the hotshot asshole professor Adam Carlsen. He’s the professor students fear and loathe. So she’s even more confused when he not only agrees to stay quiet about the stunt but also agrees to be her fake boyfriend. Olive wants to help her friend have her happily ever after and Adam needs to convince the university that he isn’t looking for another job by having a serious girlfriend. Everyone wins, right?

This book is fun, sexy and smart! I’ve always loved things that take place in academic settings. And even though Adam is a professor and Olive is a student, it isn’t creepy (or problematic) at all. And I;m going to be super honest – sometimes I find fake dating hard to pull off. It needs to be believable and not ridiculous for it to work. And this fake dating was *chef’s kiss*.

I highly recommend you add this fantastic book to your TBR! And I am very excited for her next book Love on the Brain, currently scheduled for publication in August. She also has 3 novellas coming out this spring and summer.