Reader, I swooned. Hard. And no, not at the hot and steamy scenes we eventually get; not at the science geekery and academia; but at the fact we have a protagonist with type one diabetes AND who masks her real wants and needs. Honestly feel I’ve been seen here! Ali Hazelwood has done such a great job bringing this unique romance to life. It had a lot of layers and I really learned to love Elsie and Jack (after a slow start when I struggled against the physics stuff - sorry, blame bad memories of GCSEs!). This is so well told, so gripping and readable, and with such a refreshing love story at its heart. Bravo

I really enjoyed reading this Netgalley ARC, thanks published for this for this review copy where rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.

Review:
I flew through this cosy heartwarming romance novel, Ali Hazelwood never fails to make me fall in love with romance. I think this is my favourite Ali Hazelwood novel yet, between the humorous tone, loveably entertaining characters (shout out to the especially dry and witty family matriarch granny Millicent) and well paced plot it was a satisfying and quick read. I’m also so impressed with the popular culture references that have been woven throughout, this is normally something that snaps me out of the narrative but Ali Hazelwoods whip-smart writing meant that they really added depth to the characters… also helps that they referenced things I love (Twilight, Game of Thrones).

A but niche, but a particular highlight for me was well developed main characters that communicate well - no miscommunication tropes here! If you’re in the mood for a feel-good romance with loveable characters and witty writing then this is for you. How soon is too soon to re-read??

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ali Hazelwood returns with another rom-com set in STEM & Academia. This is my first of her novels, and I am certainly now a convert! I found this to be genuinely enjoyable and funny.

Elsie is an adjunct professor of physics, a champion of theoretical physics and also moonlights as a 'fake girlfriend'. I loved the introduction to her in this role while she's with Greg (her fave client) and his family, and how she protects her privacy with a fake persona to go with the fake dating - a'la Elsie the librarian. We're introduced to Greg's brother Jack, a tall brooding big brother figure, who is suspicious of their relationship (and maybe just Elsie in general). 

Elsie has finally gotten a job interview she's needed, and who does she run into but Jack. Who turns out to be the same Jack that seems to lead the charge against theoretical physics, stemming from a fake article he submitted years ago calling the area into academic disrepute. 
The plot is as tense as you'd imagine, and it was absolutely delicious. 
Both of their characters were great, but I also loved the supporting characters. 

I really appreciated that the third act break-up wasn't as dramatic as it can be, as I'm not a huge fan of that in general. 

Would recommend if you're after any of these; 
* Rivals to lovers (you could even say academic enemies)
* Fake dating * Sexy nerds (come on, the man has physics tattoos!) 
* Adam-Olive cameo 
* Diabetic rep 
* Ace-allies

Thankyou to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review!

I honestly squealed when i got accepted for an arc of this book and i couldn't wait to pick it up! I'm a big fan of Ali Hazelwood's style of romance books and have loved all of her other books! This didn't let me down. I obviously is similar to her previous books but that's exactly what i expected and wanted. The humour and banter in this really sucked me in and i found the main character to be very relatable... and the male lead is just *chefs kiss* for me!

The pacing was really good (not very slow burn if that's what you gravitate too) and majority of the book is surrounding the two main characters coming together (from around just before the half way point) and centres on them working out their kinks and helping the main character with her mental health and the way she views herself.

My only criticism would be that the third act breakup just didn't have to be as big a deal as it was (maybe that's a me thing though) and after so much build up i literally said out loud "OMG is that the end"... I easily could have had an extended version or even a sequel.... maybe a novella sequel with other main characters from previous books??? yes a certain couple makes a small cameo!

I loved it regardless, and will always choose to run towards any new release that Ali Hazelwood does as i just eat her books and her writing up!

Unfortunately I'm having to cut my time with this book short. I loved The Love Hypothesis. However there are quite a few things in this book, such as the overuse of "..." and "-" as well as so many pop culture references in the first 5% which I assume means there will be a lot more further on. Also "Jack Smith."

I enjoyed the love hypothesis a lot and I never shared everyone's opinions on the poor writing but I can completely see what people mean in this book. The over use of '-' is insane, it's used around 4 times a page, a long with '...' which is very poor writing technique. It feels like 2013 fan fiction with the constant references to other fandoms such as twilight, game of thrones, harry potter etc. The sentence "BELLIS 4EVAH" should never be put into a book even if it's as a joke. I would have loved to have seen the MMCs name changed because Jack Smith is an awful choice and nobody is finding a man attractive with a name like that. I wanted to love it but no way.

“Love theoretically was a beautifully written book by one of my favourite authors. This was a 5 star read for me and I fully recommend reading it. Within the book there was a good representation of sexual orientation, especially the aro/ace spectrum which is unrepresented in the book community. I thoroughly enjoyed the humour throughout and I was smiling the whole time, this was wonderfully balanced by the serious moments in the book. I couldn’t put it down and I wished that there was more about Jack and Elsie’s story. I think everyone will agree that we all want Jack Smith-Turner in our lives, he is smart, charming, loving and funny but he had his own flaws. I loved the style of writing and that it was interspersed with emails and text messages. Overall it was an amazing book and I can’t wait to read more Ali Hazelwood books.”

Review to be posted on the 1st of June 2023 on goodreads, Instagram, tiktok and my blog .

After reading "Love on the Brain" I was so looking forward to "Love Theoretically"

The writing in this book is witty and engaging, and the dialogue between the characters is a real standout. The sharp banter between Emma and her love interest, the charming and mysterious Wesley, is both hilarious and swoon-worthy. Readers will find themselves rooting for this unlikely duo as they navigate their way through the ups and downs of falling in love.

What I really appreciate about this book is how well the author handles mental health issues. Emma struggles, like many others, with anxiety and depression, and the author handles those themes with sensitivity and insight. Ultimately, the novel is a celebration of the power of love, family, and connection in healing psychological wounds.

Overall, "Love Theoretically" is an engaging and uplifting romance that will leave you feeling hopeful and joyful long after you finish reading it. If you're looking for a feel-good romance with well-drawn characters, sparkling dialogue, and just the right amount of heart-wrenching moments, then this book is for you. Highly recommended!

As always it's a run don't walk situation whenever I hear Ali Hazelwood is releasing something new and I really did devour this one...no shock there!
Depsite devouring it, and enjoying it, i would say that out of all the Ali Hazelwood books so far I had the most trouble connecting with this female MC...not to say that I didn't enjoy the story, because I did, but it was just that little bit harder for me to love her, when she was so busy changing herself all the time. I found her a little frustrating to read at times and it made the romance that more difficult for me.

That being said the book is still one I will buy on release and still one I will store on my shelves with the others because I do love the melding of romance and women in the STEM field!

Ali Hazelwood is definitely an author I would always recommend to those who love romance!

Ali Hazelwood's best book to date. Although I've enjoyed her previous books, this one really hit my heart in a different way. Elsie is such a good main characters and her struggles to show every part of herself to other people is so relatable and very valid. Enter Jack Smith and you get a beautiful little love story among the great life story of Elsie. Another great one from Hazelwood!

Love theoretically was so addictive from the first chapter right til the end - I couldn’t stop reading. I’ve read and enjoyed both The Love Hypothesis and Love on the brain by Ali Hazelwood and was beginning to wonder how much more there was to write about in the STEM romance genre. However love theoretically is different and refreshing and as always left me wanting more! I really loved Elsie as a main character and found myself rooting for her and her struggles. I thought her character arc was really interesting to read too. Can’t wait to read the authors next book!

I’m a huge Ali Hazelwood fan so obviously very excited to read this one!
Firstly I absolutely loved the setup of this and loved the FMC even more. A chronic people pleaser? Hello, me.
However as much as I wanted to be obsessed with Jack, I just found his obsession with her borderline creepy. Some of the things he did or the way he acted towards her after only meeting her a handful of times (as his brothers girlfriend) wouldn’t have been out of place in a thriller. I didn’t think there was much that he based his love of her on, except for trying to fix her.
So sadly this was not the Ali book I was hoping for.

One of my favourite books by Ali Hazelwood!

Fast-paced and emotional, I couldn’t put it down. Each and every character was unique and complex, with relationships equally so.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to both fans of Ali Hazelwood and new readers. The perfect book to binge read over the summer and one I can definitely see selling quickly from shops.

Thank you for providing me with a copy to read!

This was my second one by Ali Hazelwood, first being "The Love Hypothesis", and I have to say that I loved this wayyyyyyy better! It a wonderful rom-com set in the world of STEM academia with a complicated female lead and a incredibly handsome male lead!

This is the story of Elsie, an adjunct theoretical physicist professor who is having troubles financially. She decides to apply for a dream position at MIT.. To keep her afloat, she earns through a fake dating app because her salary as an adjunct is a joke. During one of her MIT interview stages, she is dreadfully surprised to see Jack Smith, the big brother of her favourite fake dating client. The cherry on top is that he is an experimentalist while Elsie is a theorist and both categories of physicists have always been at a clash. Elsie sees her chances at her dream job slip away. However, something else is brewing in Elsie's life for the first time and she is clueless about how to act or what to do. Read this highly enjoyable romcom that is equal parts funny and equal parts heart racing romance

Despite being a romcom, it has some wonderfully crafted complex characters that show tremendous growth throughout the story. Kudos to Ali Hazelwood for conjuring up characters that I'll remember for a long time.

I see this becoming THE romcom this Summer. Pick it up and brace yourself for some swoon worthy romance

Ali Hazelwood is back again, with a book that I can honestly say is my favourite of hers. I was sceptical going in as I was prepared for this to be very similar to the Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain like many other people are. However despite having similar 'tropes' to TLH and LONTB it felt very different and I can't say specifically why that was but it did and it was certainly a good thing.

Love Theoretically follows Elsie who is currently a broke adjunct professor who's applying for a tenure position at MIT. Elsie also plays the act of a fake girlfriend in order to pay rent where her client's brother, Jack, just so happens to be on the hiring committee for her tenure at MIT. I think Elsie is quite a relatable character for many people with her inability to say no and her ability to reinvent herself to please everyone she meets.

Overall, if you're a fan of Hazelwood's other books I would 100% recommend this book and hope you enjoy Elsie's and Jack's dynamic as much as I did.

I will publish this review two weeks before the release date (1st June) on Goodreads.

[3.5 stars]

Is this basically The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain in a different font? Yes, and what about it 🤨 I’ll still eat it UPP. I know people complain about how these books are similar and that they employ the same tropes and formulas. Honestly, they do and… I personally love it. It’s exactly what I want. I wanna consume the same book a billion times. It’s a guilty pleasure. I like knowing that when I pick up an Ali Hazelwood book, I’ll get a fun and comforting STEM read with a swoon-worthy romance. I know there will be pining, fake dating, and a secret villain hiding in plain sight. I’ll never get tired of it.

Now, the reason for my rating… As a physicist I had such high hopes for this, but Love, Theoretically might be my least favorite of Ali Hazelwood’s books so far. I still enjoyed it, but less than TLH and LOTB.

Aside from her swoon-worthy romances, one of the best things about Ali Hazelwood’s books is its focus on female empowerment and the challenges women face in male-dominated fields. This book had all of that, but something was missing. I’m not going to spoil, but I had issues with the way the heroine’s defining character trait is written. This book also lacked a certain spark in the romance department, tbh. It starts out well, but the last 40% really drags.

Overall, did this have me in a chokehold the same way The Love Hypothesis did? No. Is this a fun, lighthearted read with refreshing writing and a cute STEM romance? Definitely.

*3.5 stars rounded up to 4*

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Ali's work, but unfortunately, I didn't love this novel as much as I did her others. It was definitely more unique than the others, but it took me a little bit longer to get into and took me much longer to read.

It was still a fun story. It was easy to read, and the characters were likeable. I definitely felt it was more science-heavy, but not in a bad way. I found it quite interesting, actually. I also thought the MC was very relatable.

I just personally didn't feel as invested in this story as I have in others.

Loved it, after not being overly impressed with Love on the Brain, Ali was back to all her The Love Hypothesis glory with this one.

I enjoyed the friendship and romance between the MMC and FMC.

I read it in one sitting, which just goes to show how much I enjoyed it - do I wish she would change things up a little? Yes. But it was far better than LOTB so I will allow it.

I had heard of Ali Hazelwood as my daughter is a fan but had never read any of her work before. I was informed by my daughter that Ali is the Queen of STEM romance (which I had to Google)
I liked the cover as it was bright and made me want to jump straight into the story. The characters were relatable and I enjoyed the romance and the banter. Especially the fact that the female had a career of her own as in some books they tend to be housewives.
I will definitely be trying some of her other novels although I think the target market is more for younger people and this is also the case with the cover of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and ALi Hazelwood for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Elsie is a theoretical physicist working as an adjunct to try and make ends meet, but it isn't enough. So after hours she moonlights for a fake dating service, which is fine until she arrives at the interview for her dream job and finds that one of the people in control of the decision is the annoyingly handsome older brother of her latest client...

Ali Hazelwood once again knocks it out of the park! A brilliantly written romantic comedy with just the right amount of snark, pining and spice. Five stars!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review