I love women-in-science element of all Ali Hazelwood’s books, so I was very excited about ‘Love, Theoretically’.
‘Love, Theoretically’ promises rivalry, both between the main characters / romance interests but also on a broader sense between theoretical and applied science, and it makes for an intense set up for a story but also a very interesting one!

I think, while enjoyable, ‘Love, Theoretically’ didn’t meet my expectations fully. ‘The Love Hypothesis’ had something unique and fun and amazing about it, which the next books by the author were missing a little – while I still enjoyed this fun and quick read (I read it in two days), I didn’t love it as much.

Elsie is an interesting lead, with the way she looks at the world and adjusts her personality to suit anyone she’s with. I thought it was a very interesting element of the story as all of us do that to a certain extent, and it was quite exaggerated in Elsie’s case.

Overall, while it has been a fun read, I didn’t love it as much as the first title by the author.

Another absolute gem from Ali Hazlewood - superb as always. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for giving me access to this book!

This was such a fun read, like Ali Hazelwood’s other stories, I devoured it in a day and had a really enjoyable reading experience.

Similar to Hazelwood’s other books there is a strong emphasis on women in STEM and academia and the main male love interest is a muscular seems-grumpy-but-really-he’s-smitten type. The female protagonist, Elsie, is a physics researcher working as an adjunct professor but to pay the bills she’s also paid to be a fake date/girlfriend. Jack is a physicist who is first introduced to Elsie as his brothers girlfriend but the fake dating career starts to catch up with Elsie as she bumps into Jack in the realms of physics academia.

The development of Elise was really great; she’s a die-hard people pleaser who needs to learn to be herself. The slow burn of the relationship is also really well handled and there’s lots of tension in the way these two understand (or misunderstand) each other.

I think I might have enjoyed this book more if I possessed even an ounce of physics knowledge, but as someone who works in academic, often with scientists, I found this to be a hilarious and oh so accurate portrayal of staff and students.

If you’re after a cute, fluffy romance with a side of spice - pick this up!

Full review will be posted to StoryGraph two weeks before the publication date.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. IMO it's better than Love On The Brain. If you like anything written by Ali Hazelwood, you'll enjoy this. She doesn't change things up much but this one did have a different feel to it than the first two books did. Expect the same tropes Hazelwood favours but also go into this expecting some surprises, too.

And obviously, the die hard Love Hypothesis fans will adore the Adam & Olive cameo.

Also, can I just point out that I read her name as Elise until the 95% mark? Elsie who.

Overall - another enjoyable, smart & funny read from Hazelwood.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

This was my fav of the three so far. I thought the first main plot would last the whole time but didn’t so for a while it felt like it was a plot line of sub plots. Not a bad thing just noticeable. Happy with the ending although the epilogue get kinda short.

The MC was kinda related for me and more realistic than other characters before. Loved the cameo as well it was super cute!

Def hot but less tension than Love on the Brain I felt.

Asparapee made me laugh and the beginning of the book drew my attention very quickly.

4/5 ⭐️

I will be looking for any SE I can find once it’s released to reread it as a physical book

When I initially read the synopsis I was worried that this book was going to be too similar to previous from the same writer.

But this one hit differently - it feels deeper on an emotional level. It’s the best depiction I’ve seen of someone trapped in a people pleasing spiral. It also had genuine laugh out loud moments.

The author has had the tendency to have the FMC completely oblivious to the MMC’s feelings, which can be frustrating. Fortunately this doesn’t happen here which is refreshing.

I never knew what a love I had for romance in STEM until Ali Hazelwood novels came into my life! Her full length novels are my favourites, simply for the extended time with the characters and Love, Theoretically is no exception. Elsie and Jack’s simmering, slow burning romance was perfect, with humour and heated glances throughout. There was depth to their story and their individual experiences made me root for their happy ending more.

While some side characters annoyed me a bit (Elsie’s family - though this was part of the point I know!), Celeste wins the award for most entertaining in this novel! I would love to read a novel with Cece as the main character to see the romance between her and Kirk take form.

I’ll recommend this to my fellow romance lovers and gift to a few friends once published who need to begin the journey into the STEM romance world!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for a copy of this book.

This review will be posted two weeks before publication on Goodreads.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, fake dating, rivals, forced proximity, confused identity, pining.

Ms Ali Hazelwood - why did you actually make me cry????

On the surface, there are a lot of similarities between Love Theoretically and her previous books. Yanno, stem woman, workplace rivalry, fake dating, etc. But I am pleased to tell you that this is not just a copy paste. Don't get me wrong, if you enjoyed Hazelwood's previous books, you will still enjoy this. But you can really see her growth as an author here! The characters feel a lot more developed, especially the love interest (he has a personality outside of 'grumpy stem man'). The romance is very puzzle piece, and truly feels like two people have found their person. Genuinely, I cried at one bit. It was so good.

The side characters are brilliant, the plot is engaging (and I honestly didn't know where it was going to go from the 50% mark) and the smut is hot, but also quite emotional. Although I cannot get behind the whole physics facts during sex thing. This is definitely the most emotional and romantic of Hazelwood's books so far, and I really really loved it.

Solid 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group and Ali Hazelwood for the e-arc. All opinions are very much my own.

This is definitely my favourite Ali Hazelwood book so far. In lots of ways it is undoubtedly very similar to her first two, for example I easily pinpointed the bad character within moments of them being introduced, but this didn't at all stop me loving it, I'm always a sucker for enemies-to-lovers and women in STEM, and am also a bone-deep people pleaser so this really hit me where I live. Plus, although it was similar to her other books in terms of it being a STEM romance, the actual relationship between Jack and Elsie felt different to me, I really enjoyed their interactions and their very sweet chemistry. Elsie's struggle to learn to be honest about her opinions and feelings was very relatable and I enjoyed her perspective.

All in all I loved it and I'll be queuing up ready to read Ali Hazelwood's next book!

damning with faint praise but. the most enjoyable of ali hazelwood's novels so far, i really disliked love on the brain and could not separate the love hypothesis from its extremely pronounced fanfiction origins, but this one wasn't as bad. there are still a bunch of weird tells that hazelwood puts in her books (extremely large guy, convoluted birth control stuff, secretly evil white man stem villain) but at least these characters felt distinct from rey and kylo ren from star wars. its fine

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an e-arc of Love Theoretically. Ali Hazelwood is fast becoming my favourite author and her newest book was amazing. I read this book in the same night i was approved for it, The writing is fantastic, the plot was full of twists and turns and it ended in the best way. Like all of her previous releases i will be purchasing this book in every available format.

I think I must have screamed, out loud, when I saw the notification to be able to read this book in advance. I have read all of Ali's previous works so far and loved each one - this one was no different.
There's a way shes just able to capture these characters and put them into books, that's just magical. The cameo from TLH was a tasteful touch too.
This matches the style of her previous books and the world building, set in a science setting at further education remains a strong point in her works.

Highly recommended, a very cute science romance.

review to be posted on or around June 1st 2023 on my instagram @readingwithems
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i’m seeing a lot of low star reviews for this book (like i did for love on the brain), based on the fact that ali hazelwood’s books are all “the same” - emotionally unavailable woman in STEM meets unapproachable and antagonistic man in STEM who happens to be like, 6’5 and gorgeous and also obsessed with her, and the fall in love. which, is not untrue. but i think that’s what makes these books so fun, and i suppose if it aint broke, don’t fix it. love theoretically was just as much as a delightfully romantic read as the love hypothesis and love on the brain, but i think may actually ali’s best book so far in terms of plot and characters. this book is definitely the most scientific of the three, but even as someone who has about as much understanding of any sort of science as a five year old, i thought the whole theorists vs experimentalists debate actually really added to the tension between jack and elsie. it also meant the plot was actually really meaningful, like it wasn’t just all about the love between jack and elsie, but about the love they both had for a discipline they’re so passionate about. elsie herself may be one of my new most favourite characters ever, mostly because reading her thoughts about creating new versions of herself based on what others wanted from her and her feelings of responsibility in her family was like reading my own stream of consciousness. she is a true mirrorball girlie, and i was actually in tears at the way jack handled her insecurities and helped her grow as a person (seriously, when is it my turn?!) jack himself was such a perfectly written love interest, and i liked that he was always upfront with elsie about his feelings, and about truly seeing her for who she is. sometimes miscommunication is overrated. i honestly loved this book so much - not everything has to be as deep as “original” and highly technical novels, and it is okay to just love stories for the joy they bring you, much like elsie and her love of twilight. oh, and the olive and adam cameo was EVERYTHING!

“There is no universe in which I'm going to let you go. I want to be with you, on you, every second of every day.”

I am screaming, Love Theoretically has to be my favourite of Ali’s books so far. This one ticked all my boxes Academic rivals ☑️ enemies to lovers ☑️ highly sensitive fanfiction loving FMC ☑️

You follow Elsie in her journey exploring post grad academia and the trials she faces as a woman in physics. She always feels the need to say yes and is a chronic people pleaser. She comes across Jack a grumpy experimental physicist who she can’t seem to please at all.

Love Theoretically was a joy to read and if you like Ali’s other books you’ll love this one I found myself so at home with Elsie and it was an overall heartwarming 5/5 from me!

#JELSIE 4EVA! I really loved Ali Hazelwood's 3rd novel, I think more so than Love On The Brain but not quite as much as The Love Hypothesis. Felt the cameos and references to her other books were a little on the nose and maybe unnecessary, but cutesy nonetheless. Only reason its not 5 stars is because the formula is starting to drain me a little... like, this was Love Hypothesis 3.0 in a way. Still going to read everything Ali Hazelwood puts out though!!!

Ali Hazelwood has found a winning formula for her romance books and this is no exception. Reminiscent of her earlier works, this book has the perfect amount of tension, lust and an unbelievable amount of scientific words (that I have no knowledge of). But this didn’t deter me at all, the characters were enough to capture my attention and the plot had me hooked from the opening pages.

Hazelwood has created a strong academic archnemesis’ in Elsie and Jack, a duo that simply cannot stay away from each other. Their connection was instant from their first meeting where Elsie is on a job as a date for her client who also happens to be Jack’s brother. Creating an entirely different persona, Jack and Elsie are blindsided when Elsie’s future career prospects seems to be in the hands of the strong opposing physicist who seems to beyond the many versions that Elsie seems to present.

The book is absolutely hilarious (I didn’t know hedgehogs as pets were a thing!), but on top of this Hazelwood creates an excellent piece that showcases the struggles of being a women in STEM. Jack’s articulation of his attraction to Elsie is some of the best I’ve read and I loved the way he was absolutely obsessed and committed to her.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It exceeds all of Hazelwood’s other work and has secured itself as one of my favourite reads this year!

It’s rare that I reread a book as soon as I finish it. I've gone straight back to the beginning with Love Theoretically. I was so excited to get my hands on this and it absolutely did not disappoint. Ali Hazelwood has not just done it again, bringing the sexy to Academia, but surpassed herself. She just keeps getting better and better with each book, from an already brilliant start.
Elsie and Jack are so endearing and fun in each their own way and Hazelwood perfectly plots them against each other in their STEM world. And she digs deep, in the value of truth in relationships, but also in the way we live our lives, especially for those of us who are people pleasers. 100 percent brilliant, I loved it.

I loved this book! It’s just funnier, quirkier and sexier. The dynamic between Elsie and Jack was amazing, I loved their dialogues, their chemistry and the hilarious banters. The communications between them was great.

I loved every minute I spend reading this book.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is it. If you’re going to read an Ali Hazelwood book, read this one. Whilst the format (scientists at work who fall in love) is similar to her previous work, this one felt so different to me! I was giddy. Giddy reading this and I’m still thinking about it. I will definitely be rereading this book! The communication, the tropes, just all of it, was dreamy.

Some things I wasn’t a fan of:
- Elise’s monologue was intense to read sometimes, particularly at the start. It felt like a scene was interrupted for a long internal monologue or explanation and that was off putting, especially when I wanted to continue with the scene.
- I completely understand that to a scientist, being in the science community can feel how the author describes it, but the referring to non-scientists as normies is so odd to me.

Overall, really enjoyed the book and would recommend reading this one if you want to read an Ali Hazelwood book!

Thoroughly enjoyed this, for me it was abit more science that I’m used to but I didn’t feel ‘out of place’ and it made it pretty simple to understand. Great characters, would have loved to know more about the ‘faux’ dates! Brilliant read!