Love Theoretically Review

If you’ve been to the romance section of any bookstore, odds are high that you’ve come across an Ali Hazelwood novel. She burst onto the scene with the BookTok hit, The Love Hypothesis, and has been a romance mainstay ever since. Her books typically follow a quirky heroine who catches the eye of a brooding and misunderstood love interest, over the backdrop of stem academia. The result is often an entertaining romp full of intellect, humor, and heart. I completely devoured her first two novels and when Love Theoretically came out last summer, I instantly added it to by TBR. Many months later, I’ve finally gotten around to drafting up my Love Theoretically review.

I feel like I should preface this by mentioning that I’m a big fan of Ali Hazelwood’s books. I’ve read all of her novels, and will probably read anything she continues to publish. Are her books a little formulaic? Yes, but I find it comforting. I know exactly what I’m going to get when I pick up one of her novels. All of this to say, I had high hopes for this novel. I thought I’d fly through the book and then write a glowing Love Theoretically review. Although the premise had me hooked, I found the story to be a little lack luster.

The Plot

The book follows Elsie Hannaway, a physicist struggling to make it out of adjunct professorship and into full time research. The pay from her current job is dismal, so Elsie offers her services as a fake girlfriend to supplement her income. Things get complicated when she applies for her dream job, only to find out that a future colleague is the brother of a fake dating client. He also happens to be responsible for humiliating Elsie’s branch of physics. This is an Ali Hazelwood novel, so naturally there is miscommunication, the complicated politics of stem academia, and of course romance.

Review

I have to be completely honest, I didn’t love this one as much as I thought I would. Maybe at long last I’m growing tired of the Hazelwood formula. Or maybe I’ve been reading too many romance novels close together. Either way, finishing this one almost felt like a chore.

This book had a lot going on. There was fake dating (albeit not between the main characters), pseudo enemies to lovers (mainly one sided on the side of the fmc), plus workplace drama and miscommunication. At times, it felt like the story was a little cluttered.

Another issue was that it felt like the romance and some parts of the narrative were overly rushed. Not to mention it’s kind of enemies to lovers, but in this case Elsie is harboring a one sided hatred that seems to fizzle out the second she’s alone with Jack. While I can’t dislike the book for having my least favorite trope (I did pick it up fully knowing this), the romance felt too rushed especially considering Elsie’s deep hatred. It’s hard for me to enjoy a romance novel if the characters go from being relative strangers, or in this case enemies, to falling in love instantly. I need the slow build! Or at least a slower build.

Overall, I’d say this one was just ok. It wasn’t the best book I’ve read, nor was it the worst. In spite of this, Hazelwood’s typical charm was able to come through which made for a quick read. If you’ve never read any books by this author before, I’d definitely recommend The Love Hypothesis over this one. But, if you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, or you’re looking for a casual and quick romance, this one just might do the trick. Rushed relationships and all.

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