The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood has been on my reading list for a couple of years. This fake dating romance book follows the story of Olive and Adam. Olive is a third-year Ph.D. candidate who wants to convince her best friend that she is seriously dating someone for a well-meaning reason. In her impulsiveness to be convincing, she panics and kisses the first man she sees, which is a young hotshot biology professor with an attitude, Adam Carlsen.
Olive doesn’t believe long-lasting relationships are for her, plus her research takes up a lot of time. When Anh, Olive’s best friend and a guy Olive briefly dated, hits it off, Anh is reluctant because of girl code. This is when Olive tells her she is seeing someone and ends up panic-kissing Adam Carlsen. Surprisingly, Adam and Olive come up with a fake dating plan to convince Anh. As they start spending more time together, they develop a connection and feelings. Their bond develops slowly, and they start trusting each other, but are kind of scared of accepting their feelings.
The story is completely from Olive’s perspective so, we see the changes in both the characters through her eyes. Olive is extremely smart, witty, and even a little awkward. I think her character is very easy to like and relate to because of how she reacts and even thinks. Meanwhile, her struggles in the academic setting seem realistically portrayed. In the beginning, she is hesitant about Adam because they haven’t really interacted before, and he is known to be a task master. There is a specific description of Adam, especially his looks and mannerisms, which seem intimidating to people around him, including Olive.
Slowly, she discovers there is more to Adam than his attitude. He does have a softer side that comes out as they spend more time together. There is lots of sexual tension between them, but it’s also the slow-burn development of their emotional intimacy that I really liked. Adam’s broody and practical behaviour kind of complements Olive’s nature. They talk to each other about things which I always appreciate. Their romance is almost a slow-burn, which makes the fake dating trope a lot of fun to read. The book gets a little emotional in places, which was slightly unexpected for me, but it added a lot to the story.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is such a cute and fun romance. The characters are well fleshed out, and I couldn’t help but root for Olive and Adam. All the tropes are done well, and the pacing is consistent throughout. I am glad I saw the movie before I read the book a couple of weeks later, so neither experience was disappointing for me. I loved this book; I’ll explore more of the author’s work now.
*Click on the book cover above to get a copy.
