So lived up to the hype. I feel like Ali Hazelwood can’t put a foot wrong?! I just love her writing, especially her wit. I mean, I hate and loathe science so it blows my mind that I get so engaged with these stories in STEM settings that are actually integral to the plot? She just makes it accessible. I also kind of love that all her novels have had a kind of Bond villain in them as well, totally adds to the drama.

LOVED the character arc in this one, it was so endearing. Elsie’s transformation was heartwarming and the romance alongside it was just so swoony.

What to expect:

- enemies to lovers
- he falls first
- kind of fake dating element
- pretty spicy

I love a hate-to-love romance! Especially when there's a workplace rivalry plotline. And in what's become classic Hazelwood style, this one's set in academia!

Elsie has always been a people-pleaser, which is the perfect competency for her job-on-the-side: Elsie is a fake girlfriend who gets paid to accompany single guys to unbearable family events. It’s easy money and there's no sex involved, and Elsie has become a dab-hand at separating her fake dating world from her 'real' life as an adjunct professor of theoretical physics, spreading herself between three Boston universities. Until Jack Smith - her current fake boyfriend’s brother - arrives on the scene. It just so happens Jack is also Elsie's professional nemesis, the experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and turned theoretical physicists into the losers of the STEM community. He’s also on the hiring committee for a tenure position that happens to be Elsie's dream job, and she is ready to go to battle. What she's not ready for, however, is the chemistry between them.

I really enjoyed this book! There's plenty of humour and heat, but also lots of depth in how Hazelwood tackles issues like discrimination among different realms of academia and the challenges Elsie has to face as a woman in STEM. I loved the witty, electric banter between Elsie and Jack, and Elsie's journey to presenting who she really is to the world. The cameo of Olive and Adam was an added bonus!

After reading all of Ali Hazelwood's previous titles, I was excited and hesitant to read this book not wanting to be disappointed if it didn't live up to my love of her other stories and characters. I shouldn't have worried!
Love Theoretically is unashamedly now one of my favourite books. The story of Elsie and Jack is full of twists and turns, misunderstandings and a whole heap of history that just makes their romance more interesting. Ali Hazelwood has created an entire universe in this one book that is just so real and made me feel like I was right alongside Elsie as she navigated the intense job interview and later he blossoming relationship with someone who knew he wanted her for a lot longer than she did. The extra surprise of having characters pop up from one of her other novels (hello Olive and Adam!) was a great addition to tie in two of her standalone books.
I read this book 3 times before reviewing and am still hesitant to give too much away because every romance reader should read this story and find out why I just love the story of Love Theoretically.

This was a perfect read. Loved every page. It's very similar to the Love Hypothesis but so much better. I enjoyed this one miles more. I loved both Elsie and Jack, and I am in a LONG queue for Jack. What a man. Think we all want a piece of him, huh? Great spicey parts, but not too much making it full smut. A perfect summer, romance, enemies to lovers read. Can't fault it. A well deserved five stars. Highly recommend.

I loved this - the character development, the chemistry between Jack and Elsie, the way Elsie found her voice and the spicy scenes were really well written!

Elsie is a paid-for fake girlfriend but things become complicated when the brother of one of her clients is on the hiring committee for her job at MIT. She knows things will become difficult but she doesn't expect to start falling for Jack.

I'm not sure if Ali Hazelwood's books are for me. I have read Love On The Brain and this one and neither has blown me away. I know these books are much loved but for me they haven't wowed me. The story was enjoyable but I don't think it was particularly memorable.

Yes, this book suffers from the same problems as the author's previous works, BUT it's extremely readable and I do think this is a generally stronger novel than Love On The Brain

(though I do think all her books seem to paint academia as a very toxic place to work 😅)

By far my favourite Ali Hazelwood book so far. The way the author included a sneaky Adam and Olive cameo was fabulous-especially since it didn't take the story away from Elsie and Jack.

As the third book in the author's TikTok sensation STEM series, I think it might be my favourite! My full review is on my TikTok (@kareenas_library)

It is a single point of view, romantic comedy, which is loosely a workplace romance. We follow the FMC along their journey of interviewing for a role at MIT, and how she falls in love with her nemesis who is also one of the people on her interview panel. and is the brother of her fake boyfriend.

My favourite element of the book was that the FMC breaks down a lot of her barriers with the MMC's support, and this was written in quite a beautiful way (as opposed to it seeming like he is her saviour or something). The book is full of sweet and fluffy moments and you very quickly end up rooting for them to overcome any of their issues.

I appreciated that the author shone a light on how women can be undermined in STEM.

Overall, it was a solid rom-com. It wasn't dramatically different to any other rom-com but it was still a good one and I'd recommend picking it up! I rated it a 4.5/5 and the spiciness was a 2/5.

If you're a fan of The Love Hypothesis & Love on The Brain, I'm sure you will also be a big fan of Love, Theoretically as we are once again following characters that fall into the same archetypes, although we do have a switch up with the story beats in this one.

Swoon worthy, funny and immersive - not that I expected anything less.

I really liked this! A lot of people seem to go on about Ali Hazelwoods books all being the same but you could literally say that about any romance book. And I like that, I like comfort and predictability. I think this one might be my favourite of the three so far, Elsie is definitely the least **quirky** female lead so I actually found I really liked her, related to her and was rooting for her. As always, Ali Hazelwood’s men are complete fucking simps and it’s lovely. There’s nothing wrong with a classic rom com, I really enjoyed it, I’ve been in a huge slump and I read this in a day, I didn’t want to put it down. Plus I really enjoyed the smut in this one…

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy.

Unfortunately, this book still wasn't for me. It was not her writing, or the story. It was the genre. I tried to enjoy romance major plot once again. And decided to try Ali Hazelwood work because well, I also have STEM background and maybe see myself have the similarity, but it turned out I still haven't enjoyed it yet... Romance major plot in general 🥲

Overall, If you have STEM background, and hoping one day you find someone who love you whole, you should try Ali Hazelwood works. She was the best in that area. No, she is.

Wow, wow, wow!!

This was my first Ali Hazelwood, and now I absolutely cannot wait to pick up every single one of her books! This was such a good read - my absolute favourite trope is enemies to lovers, and this was written just perfectly. The relationship between Elsie and Jack and how it progresses over time was just so engrossing. I was totally addicted.

Jack might be the best book boyfriend ever - I loved his honest, dark and passionate personality, and how he supported Elsie in being her best self.

The STEM element was just spot on for me. The science and physics parts were great, and there was the perfect amount of humour entwined within the story (and I’m talking about the student emails to Elsie lol).

Just a perfect romance read with all the right elements - I really enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I liked Love, Theoretically, I know we need more representation , but this felt like I was reading The Love Hypothesis again, whilst I can see her writing is developing and changing which is lovely, the story didn’t feel like it was and what’s is with huge man and tiny woman thing going on constantly! Ian enjoyable read, but I’d like something a little different in the next , please

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After reading the disaster that was Love on The Brain, I was hesitant to go into Love, Theoretically. It seemed like Hazelwood only had one type: quirky, tiny girl, and brooding, mountain-sized man. And honestly, this book is no different. Elsie is smol and Jack is built like a fridge. Hazelwood actually writes that it’s uncomfortable for him to look down at her.

And I almost took off a star for this. I find the smol girl, massive guy skates dangerously close to wanting women to be children or childlike (see all the references to Lucy from The Hating Game being a toddler and Joshua being a tree. Gross). There is an actual line that Elsie needs TWO hands to handle Jack’s business. TWO. Mathematically and biologically that just doesn’t make sense. And I came so close to giving this four stars.

But. BUT. I had an absolute blast listening to the audiobook. Hazelwood’s writing has improved, and I loved both Jack’s and Elsie’s personalities. They are distinct and different from the other characters Hazelwood has written. Especially Jack. He’s not the dark, broody asshole. He’s charming and confident and I loved him.

And the emotional beats. THE EMOTIONAL BEATS. I was actually sobbing at one point. I felt everything the characters felt and at one point I really felt for Elsie. After the 30% mark I could not put this down, and I sped through the audiobook.

Also, Elsie unabashedly loves the Twilight movies, and that makes her alright in my book. Especially considering she ships Alice and Bella.

While this story is similar to The Love Hypothesis and Love on The Brain (and I am honestly holding my breath for Hazelwood to write something different), I’m not too mad about it. We also got the cutest Adam and Olive cameo and I am so happy about that.

My first Ali Hazelwood book. Look forward to reading more of her books.
This was such a great easy to read romance story. Love that the main character Elsie is smart and as someone who enjoyed science at school this book ticket all the boxes, cute, fun, science puns, friendships, fake dating, women in STEM and enemies to lovers.
I really liked Jake as a love interest. He's smart, caring, protective, and pushes Elsie to be herself instead of the multiple versions of herself she tries to be for everyone else.

This is the second Ali Hazelwood book I've read, and I have to say, I'm a little uncomfortable with how frequently the disparity of power between her main characters is a core element of the tension between the romantic leads. this was clear in The Love Hypothesis, and it's clear here as well, as our lead realises that the head of the three-day job interview she's doing is none other than the surly older brother of her fake-boyfriend.
I'm sorry, but I read The Love Hypothesis, and was it not ... the same story? Fake dating? Scary established professor in the field? Backstory of sexual dynamics in academia, particularly playing out with another senior male academic being a knobhead? Is this not all sounding a bit cookie cutter?
Look, I liked The Love Hypothesis, even if the teacher-student element squicked me out a bit. And I like Love, Theoretically. And God knows we need more representation of women in STEM, and we also need to shine a light on the twisted dynamics that is academia generally. But ... this feels like a carbon copy of a previous book. So when I say we need more of the above, I don't think I meant we need the same thing with the same cover, except we changed the hairstyles? I think Ali Hazelwood has more than one note in her, because as pleasant as reading that one note is, it's gonna get real stale real fast.

An instant serotonin boost!

Elsie, a theoretical physicist, is trying to make ends meet by offering her services as a fake girlfriend. However, her world is turned upside down when she discovers that Jack (the brother of her favourite client), is the experimental physicist who destroyed her mentors career. To make matters worse, Jack is all that stands in the way of Elsie and her dream job at MIT.

Much like Ali Hazelwood’s other novels, Love, Theoretically is a STEMinist romance. And much like Ali Hazelwood’s other novels, you are completely rooting for the main characters.

Although predictable, this book is an easy and fun read!

(Also, for anyone who was a fan of the Love Hypothesis, Olive and Adam make a cameo!)

I can't tell you how much I needed this. Ali Hazelwood has a knack for telling adorable realistic romances that have a full plot, excellent side characters and enough heart that you genuinely care about the characters.
I honestly cried on the bus to work as I read it.
Elsie is a people pleaser to the nth degree. She has spent her life twisting herself into what other people need by observing and adapting to whatever she sees. This has led to her never being her true self around anyone and always putting others' needs above her own. This resonated with me as I have a friend who had an upbringing which culminated in her being unable to show her own personality for fear of displeasing others. She refused to do or say anything that might rock the boat. Trying to get her to decide anything for herself was a testament to patience as she would always reply "Whatever you like, I don't mind."
Elsie felt very much like this friend and I had intense sympathy for her.
Some reviewers have claimed that they found it annoying that she would continue to second guess Jack's motives, even after he'd told her his true feelings, but- having lived with someone with that low level of self-esteem, I could see it and my heart went out to her.
The plot about Academia and rivalry within the disciplines was fascinating and made me eager to read more. Jack was just the right amount of strong and silent without becoming a jerk.
And needless to say, I loved Cece, Georgia and Greg.

I am a new fan of Ali Hazelwood! I loved everything about this book and will be looking for more by this author.