Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me this eArc to review.

2.75/5🌟
This was my first Ali Hazelwood book and at first I didn't like it. The science and nerdy phrases felt a bit much at first and there were a few sayings that I didn't like as they made me cringe but I found myself liking the characters and not being able to put the book down.

Ohh, I can't believe my luck is getting this ARC. I love Ali's type of writing. And boy, a woman can write!

I can easily say that this is my favorite in the series.
And hunt, hunt Jack. He is such a good book boyfriend.

And Elsie... She is such a sweetheart. She's smart and beautiful. But she's a people pleaser.

Have you seen Runaway bride, move with Julia Roberts? When she creates a version of her for every occasion?! Well this is like that...

No one sees a true Elsie, except Jack. He just sees her, and wants a real her.


I just enjoyed reading this book

I have loved all of Ali Hazelwood’s books! And this was no exception I loved it! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this title.

You know what you’re getting from a romance written by Ali Hazelwood, and it’s reassuringly comforting. Love Theoretically has all the elements we’ve come to expect, a STEM setting, a strong female protagonist, a tall love interest, misunderstanding and rivals to lovers.

Love Theoretically does manage to distinguish Itself though by delving deeper into the world of academia and taking the spice to the next level! I also really liked the inclusion of diabetes rep for the main female protagonist and the explicit mention of the Aro/Ace spectrum, it just gave the book and characters a bit more complexity. Plus Jack and Elsie are an absolutely adorable couple that you can’t help but root for!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read The Love Hypothesis so enjoyed the similar university setting. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, and also loved the ‘he falls first’ trope.

For me some cons were too much detail of STEM topics, I get that this is a usp for these books but for someone who doesn’t study science the detail gets too much at times. I also found it was a little too long, but other than that a solid romance!

I just adored this new book by Ali Hazelwood. She writes with the most consistent affection for her characters and makes the reader love Elsie and Jack as much as she does. The science is fun, the setting is cool, the subplot around STEM and young academics trying to make a living really resonates. She is incredibly sex positive, especially with consent and respect. So good! Loved seeing Olive and Adam again and all Jack’s STEMy friends. Brainy girls are the bomb!

Thank you NetGalley for trusting me with an ARC (my first!)

Fun to read as usual but the romance didn’t move me in the way her two previous novels have so I haven’t rated it as high. I liked the character development of the protagonist and the plot/twists made more sense than in Love on the Brain (still perplexed by the twist in that one). The sex scenes as usual were a bit weird but by now I assume you know what you’re getting into when you pick up an Ali Hazelwood book - large man meets woman in STEM, big misunderstanding, she’s insecure, he’s desperately in love but very restrained about it etc. But honestly I find her novels very fun and readable and will continue to pick them up! 3.5 stars

Date will be posted to Storygraph and Goodreads two weeks before release (1st June 2023).

Despite what people said about her second book being the same as it's predecessor I loved both of Ali's first two novels, however this time I struggled to ignore the many similarities to her other books. I'm a sucker for a mysterious male main character who also happens to be the enemy, but Jack felt like a copy of both Adam and Levi (from TLH and LOTB) so I didn't get to swoon like usual.

I love that Ali's female main characters are all women in stem, however as stated herself this is her most 'acedemic' book to date which left me confused a few times (not being a physicist myself) and skipping over parts of the book.

The storyline was predictable, including the reveal about her mentor and inevitable 3rd act 'break up' and the pacing was odd, feeling somehow fast but slow at the same time. I didn't love Elsie's character especially the fact that she lies to everyone through the whole book under the guise that she thinks they'll leave her if she doesn't.

Overall was this the worst book I've ever read? No, but it was far off being the best either.

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

I decided to request this book after having read the tik-tok sensation 'The Love Hypothesis', which I adored. Unfortunately, this new instalment from Ali Hazelwood felt underwhelming. The basic storyline of a young, naive female scientist meeting an older, moody male scientist and going from enemies to lovers is starting to become tiresome. I was really hoping for a new, exciting addition to this book that would set it apart from her other two novels, but I found myself disappointed. It appears the author has become stuck in a rut where she writes the same books just with slightly different characters and settings.

Furthermore, Elsie's character frustrated me to no end. I understand that the author is attempting to show character improvement by showing the difference from the self-conscious, naive scientist who starts the book to the confident one at the end. However, I found Elsie to be an annoying character, who seemingly could not make her own decisions, and I found the whole concept rather irritating. I did like Jack's character and found Greg and Hedgie to be a nice addition, but that wasn't enough to distract me from disliking Elsie.

I do, however, appreciate how Ali Hazelwood is highlighting the toxic environment in which STEM women work on a daily basis. I think this is an important message and was portrayed in a clever way.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It is a nice storyline with good romance scenes and (as a whole) some nice, funny, and interesting characters. If you were to read this without having read her previous books, I think this would have been a fresh take on the over-produced enemies-to-lovers trope. However, having read The Love Hypothesis in the past, I was not overly impressed by the likeness of that story to this one.

I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.

4.5 ⭐️ i literally devoured this book. sat down to read a few chapters then suddenly it’s 1am and i’m on the last page.
ali hazelwood’s books have a rep for being a bit same-y (enemies to lovers, boy has liked the girl for however long before she gets with him, ect ect)
whilst this book does follow that same basic storyline, it has enough development within the main and background characters, along with a different plot line, that meant it didn’t just feel like a copy-paste of the love hypothesis and love on the brain like i was slightly worried it would.
the fake-dating trope is foolproof, and was even better in this books situation - also loved the little olive and adam cameo.
this book is perfect if you liked ali’s other books, and for anyone that wants a quick read easy romance. would definitely recommend!

thank you to netgalley for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review!

Overall, I was quite disappointed with Love Theoretically.

The Love Hypothesis was a booktok sensation that nobody could get enough of. I found it to be a relatively enjoyable read and a fresh take on the tired tradition of typical steamy rom coms. Then came Love on the Brain, a lesser version of TLH with similar characters and a similar storyline. Forgivable, but also very forgettable.

For the next instalment of Ali Hazelwood's "STEMinist" romcom saga, I was hoping for something new. Love on the Brain didn't really impress me, and I was hoping that this one would bring back the magic of The Love Hypothesis and inject something new into a stereotypical genre. Unfortunately, this didn't deliver for me. Hazelwood has seemingly found a formula and has decided to stick with it: Incredibly short, quirky, brilliant but underappreciated young female scientist meets incredibly tall, muscular, grumpy, slightly older male scientist. Due to lack of communication and prejudice, normally sunshine-y female and grumpy male antagonise each other. Fake dating and/or enemies to lovers ensues and guess what? They fall in love. Then some evil STEMlord appears to try to discredit young female in the last 20% of the novel, all is resolved and everyone lives happily ever after.

Love Theoretically felt like a rerun of the highlights of TLH and LotB. I could have sworn some of the dialogue was an exact copy/paste of what we've heard before from Bee and Olive.

This book did have some redeeming moments, and maybe if I'd read it without experiencing Hazelwood's previous novels I would have enjoyed it more. I would recommend it only as a quick, easy read for those not looking to think too deeply about the content of the novel. I appreciate Hazelwood's attempts to shed some light on the incredibly toxic and sexist experiences that so many women in STEM face, but I don't think she quite achieved what she hoped for with this one.

I loved The Love Hypothesis but this fell a little flat for me. Ali appears to be working to a set formula now. Whilst I like reading about women in STEM, it would be nice to read about established women. There were moments I really enjoyed but, unfortunately, it was an average read.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book for this eARC.

Like The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, this book was cute, funny, and easy to read. I basically read it in one sitting. But also like the other two were the characters and the romance. I'm sorry for those who were hoping not to read a third version of TLH because this is exactly what it is. Not only are the characters the same as in the previous books, but some dialogues I swear are identical. That being said, I still enjoyed it like I probably would enjoy a fourth one.

There is nothing that Ali Hazelwood could write that I would not love. Love Theoretically explores the concept of fake dating in a clever new way. As an adjunct professor, Elsie makes up for her meagre paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, adapting her personality for her clients. Only things go slightly awry when Jack Smith, older brother of her favourite client, stands in the way of her and her dream job. Soon Elsie’s perfectly curated “fake girlfriend” spiel begins to unravel as she is forced to be herself in order to compete for the job she really wants; one that Jack stands in the way of.

I loved love loved this one, and the dynamic between Elsie and Jack going from frosty to fiesty before finally getting together was a DREAM to read. I devoured this in 2 sittings and am already hugely anticipating whatever is next from Ali Hazelwood.

Can’t thank the publishers enough for my copy via Netgalley

I won't lie -- this isn't my usual type of romance book. Typically, I'm more of a 'fantasy with a dash of romance' person, but this book was a pleasant surprise which simultaneously broke common tropes of the genre, while perfectly feeding into the good ones.

It was simple, charming, fun and sexy and made for a great light read. However, there is more to be said for this book than 'fun' -- it also offers an interesting examination of academia and the state of the industry. Elsie is a smart and successful professor, yet she still has to take on a second job as a 'fake girlfriend' to make what she deserves (which leads to some great plots, but also an interesting statement about what it's like to be a women in academia).

Elsie and Jack made for fantastic protagonists, their romance felt convincing and real. I was rooting for them deeply by the end!

I'll definitely be exploring more of Ali Hazelewood's works in the future!

Set in the academic world of women in STEM, Elsie finds herself working several teaching jobs while simultaneously interviewing for a PostDoc research position. Only it turns out one of those interviewing her is Jack Smith - the guy who with one single article, turned her discipline of theoretical physics into a laughing stock.

Elsie is a people pleaser and moulds herself to fit the needs of whichever person she happens to be with, be it her family, her roommate or her mentor. But as she spends more time with Jack, he shows her that he sees her for who she really is and encourages her to start saying no, and allow herself to be who she really is.

I absolutely loved this story and I read it in less than a day! I've read all of Ali Hazelwood's precious stories and I can't wait for more to come out.

I like that these stories have the male character falling first and allowing the female lead to fall at her own pace, while he provides unwavering support and is more than willing to wait for his girl to get there in her own time.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I devoured this! Ali is good at writing steamy strong headed characters ! I would say that although it was a nice story and the spark and interactions between the characters, I was a little disappointed with the climax I suppose.
But strong female protagonist

After the way I loved The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain this really hurts to only give it a 3 (more like a 2.5). The first half of this was fantastic, I adored Elsie so much. She's intelligent, ballsy and just one of those characters you really get behind. Jack is delicious, as always. Ali Hazelwood can really write men. My beef with this was the second half, Elsie seemed to be a different character. She blurted out things she was thinking, all because Jack said to say what's on her mind. But it became super unfiltered and quite odd. It ruined it for me in the end as it wasn't Elsie to me anymore. Disappointing

Wow! There are no words to describe my utter love of this book. I have been a huge Ali Hazelwood fan since her debut The Love Hypothesis, and I honestly don’t know how she does it, but no matter how high my expectations for her next book are, she smashes them all… every… single… time! I loved every moment of Love Theoretically, and devoured this book in one day! I couldn’t put it down!

Love Theoretically is such a phenomenal book! I really loved The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain… but I don’t know what it is about this one. It was just so much more. It has some of everyone’s favourite tropes, some of them that we have seen in Ali’s books before, but in a totally different way. Before I went into this one, I’d seen some other readers concerns about the fact that the tropes in this one are the same ones as her previous books. It has fake dating, like we had seen in The Love Hypothesis, and rivals which we have seen in Love on the Brain. Let me put your fears to rest… this is not a carbon copy of her other books. Yes, the tropes are the same but they are done in a totally different way to what you are thinking (no I am not going to say how because spoilers!). I didn’t, for one moment, think this was the same as her other books. It’s different, and just phenomenal!

One thing I adored about this book was that it was so much more plot. Don’t get me wrong the romance is there and it is central, but I just felt like I knew these characters so much better, and I felt like the story of how tough women have it in STEM jobs was explored on a much deeper level in this one. It has a little more spice as well, which will keep all you spice lovers happy. Everything was just done on such a bigger scale and it was utterly perfect. The characters… I associated with them so much more. Our main girl is a people pleaser and she changes her behaviours to fit with what she thinks the people she’s socialising with want. As someone who used to do this a lot when I was younger, I associated and connected with her so much. I love her! She is such a relatable character! And having our main guy see through that and just challenge her to be herself is what every people pleaser dreams of finding! It was just perfect!

Love Theoretically is without a doubt Ali’s best work to date. It has everything. Relatable characters, incredible plot… and even some asexual representation from a side character which I was living for!! I loved everything about this book and it has cemented Ali Hazelwood as my favourite contemporary romance author. I adore her, and I am convinced she cannot write a bad book! I can’t wait for more from her. If there’s one romance book you pick up this year, make sure it is this one!

This is officially my favourite Ali Hazelwood book and Jack is officially my favourite Ali Hazelwood book boyfriend! I absolutely devoured this book! How could I not, it's an academic rivals, enemies-to-lovers romance where he falls first!!!! Those are three of my favourite things!

Love, Hypothetically follows Elsie and Jack. Elsie is a theoretical physics professor who works for a fake-dating company on the side to make ends meet. When Elsie gets the opportunity to interview for a new, better paid, job of course she jumps at the chance. The only problem is this: one of the people interviewing her is the brother of the man she's been pretending to date. Not only does he think she's a completely different person but he's ALSO the author of an article that made a laughing stock of Elsie's entire profession. So obviously they're gonna fall in love!

Elsie and Jack captured my whole heart! I struggled a bit with Love on the Brain because it felt very much like a copy of The Love Hypothesis. Love, Theoretically does not have that problem! Yes, it does have a lot of the things in it that made The Love Hypothesis so easy to love, but that's to be expected. Ali Hazelwood has found a winning formula and she's sticking to it. But Love, Theoretically very much felt like a different book completely. The characters were different (Jack is such a softy, you guys!) and the conflict felt a lot more thought through than the conflift in Hazelwood's other two books. Elsie's struggle with people pleasing is something that I think a lot of readers can relate to and the communication between Jack and Elsie was (for the most part) phenomenal! We love a couple that communicates!

This was a light and fluffy romance read that also managed to discuss some serious topics very eloquently! I absolutely loved both the main characters both separately and together and I will definitely be rushing out to buy this book as soon as it hits the shelves! Ali Hazelwood has once again cemented herself as an autoread author for me!

I recieved a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publishers in return for an honest review. All of the opinions above are my own.