Introduction
The Love Hypothesis, written by Ali Hazelwood, was published on September 14th, 2021, by Berkley Books publishing for adult audiences. Whenever I’ve read all of the books on my bookshelf and crave something new (something that happens often), I make a trip to Barnes and Noble armed with a list of books I want to get. I meander around looking for anything off the list and then prioritize which I want at that moment. The Love Hypothesis was a book I was introduced to through TikTok, and when I discovered it was a romance with themes covering women in STEM, I knew I had to have it. I love this book, and if you have any interest in reading it you should do so before continuing with this review. The Plot section will be spoiler free for anyone interested, but my Thoughts section does have spoilers, so proceed with caution. If you don’t mind, then please go ahead and enjoy!
If you’d like to keep up with Ali Hazelwood, you can visit her website, https://alihazelwood.com/, or follow her on social media @alihazelwood.
Plot
Olive Smith finds herself in a situation straight out of a rom com when she kisses Professor Adam Carlson (known ass) in order to fool her friends. When he surprisingly agrees to keep up the charade with her, they find themselves in a mutually beneficial and incredibly strange situation. This book is told in a third person point of view with a focus on Olive’s perspective.
Thoughts
This book fully embraces the fact that it is a giant trope. It dives in headfirst and is hilariously self-aware. It includes the following tropes: meeting again, tragic backstory, fake dating, doubting their love for each other, grumpy and sunshine, she brings out the best in him, and it teases the possibility of the forced to share a bed trope - a section of dialogue that had my roommate and I laughing for way too long. If you’re looking for a book that keeps you on your toes and cleverly subverts your every expectation, look somewhere else. This book is comfortably predictable in a way that isn’t at all boring but isn’t jaw dropping either. Really, the only issue I have with it is the one violent moment Adam has with Tom after figuring out what happened between Tom and Olive. I don’t like romanticizing violence, which I know is unfortunately common in the romance department, but I feel like Hazelwood could’ve written that scene differently and gotten the same point across. Another issue I take are the jokes regarding Title IX. Title IX is a report filed in cases of sexual misconduct, and it is a very serious thing, but it’s something Olive and Adam joke about multiple times throughout the story. Again, I feel like it’s something that could’ve been done differently or not at all, and it wouldn’t change the story, nor would it be missed. Especially when it is genuinely necessary later in the book when Olive files one against Tom.
What I do like is the overarching theme of women in STEM, especially as told through Olive and Anh. The two of them are some of the only women in the Stanford Ph.D program and they are treated differently because of it. I wouldn’t call it a central theme, but it is one that is explored through Anh in most of the chapters she’s in, which I really appreciate. I am a woman seeking a career in the STEM field, and I do think it’s important to remember that though we’ve come a long way, there is still a difference in the treatment and expectations of men and women in society.
The characters are very consistent: Olive is a selfless people pleaser who would do anything to make the people she loves happy. She is a brilliant and driven woman with a passion and drive for what she does. Adam is also passionate, but he doesn’t care much for his delivery of criticism as long as it helps his student put out the best work possible. Their banter is cute, and I especially love the debate about whether or not Adam’s room for the convention will have one bed or two, it’s hysterical. I adore every relationship in this book. When Malcolm finds out the relationship is fake, the resulting conversation is amazing, and the same can be said for when the same conversation happens with Anh. One of my favorite parts of the book for character dialogue is the double-date dinner in the final chapter. Adam and Malcolm finding common ground is a relief, but the back and forth between Adam and Holden, Holden and Malcolm, Malcolm and Olive, and Olive and Adam is just fantastic. All of it genuinely reminded me of how my roommate and I talk to one another, and I mean that in the best way possible. I read that section out loud to her, and it was hard to get through because we were both laughing too hard.
Hazelwood opens each chapter not with a title, but with a hypothesis, which I think is brilliant. My favorite hypothesis is “When I think I’ve hit rock bottom, someone will hand me a shovel. That someone is probably Tom Benton.” As funny as the first part of this quote is, the part regarding Tom is incredibly serious and unfortunately probably not an uncommon situation. Thankfully, Olive did end up filing the Title IX, which is the best outcome here, but it is something that needs to be treated with the seriousness it calls for. I think Hazelwood does accomplish this, and it helps that Olive is surrounded by amazing people. Finally, I want to leave you with my favorite quote from the book, “‘Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.’”
For me, this book is a solid 9.8/10, it doesn’t take itself too seriously except when it needs to, and for the most part, I think it’s great. I love reading it, and I look forward to exploring more from Ali Hazelwood.
Comentários