A STEMinist romance that guarantees full on entertainment!

We all know Ali Hazelwood is the queen of STEM/academia romance & this is another feather to her cap!

Thanks NetGalley & Little Brown Group UK, Sphere for the ARC!

Synopsis -
Elsie Hannaway has no choice but to juggle multiple jobs. As a theoretical physicist, she teaches as an adjunct professor by day, but by night she is into fake dating to supplement her pitiful pay checks. But when she realizes that her client Greg’s brother, the one & only reputed Jack Smith, is the experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career & might be offering her dream job, her life as she knows it, is about to change.

Review -

Every single second of this book right from the get-go is so much fun!

Listing some points I loved –

💖The funny, quirky & relatable Elsie – her self-deprecating internal banter is so cute & witty!
💖The tall, dignified, handsome & swoon-worthy Jack who simply glides into Elsie’s life like the last piece of a puzzle – adoring, encouraging & accepting her just as she is.
🔥Sizzling hot chemistry. Hazelwood sure can write 🌶️😉.
💖Enemies to lovers trope at its finest.
💖The battle between theorists & experimentalists in the world of Physics & how it plays out between the two
💖Hilarious awkward situations Elsie finds herself in & oh! the utterly clever sciency jokes 😅. Velociraptor = distance/time raptor🤣 was the best!
💖Equally fun & charming supporting characters

I only had one issue towards the end when all hell breaks loose over what felt a bit too trivial or inconsequential. But this doesn’t come in the way of the overall satisfaction you expect from such a romance!

A great beach read for your next holiday!

SQUEEEEALING IN DELIGHT AHH

If you aren’t familiar with Ali’s previous books, they’re all standalone stories that can be read separately and are always adorable romances in an STEM setting. They’re super fun and the romances are always sweeping and adorable, but Ali’s stories also touch on realer issues occuring in STEM workplaces such as sexism and misogyny, as well as political issues that arise in these settings. This one was no different! I knew what to expect going in, and was very pleased with what I read hehe. I’ll be honest, Love on the Brain is still my favourite, but let’s be real, it’s going to be VERY hard to top that one so I’m not too fussed HAHA

This was such a whirlwind of a story! It had one of my fav tropes (fake dating) but with a really fun twist, I won’t get into it but you’ll find out when you read the first few chapters teehee. This one was just as fun as Ali’s two other standalones, although this one felt a bit more STEM/academia heavy! There was a lot more in-depth explanations and discussions about physics and the politics involved in academia. Some of the more technical discussions went over my head, but it was still easy enough to understand and it definitely didn’t derail it!

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this one, I wanted to give Elsie the biggest hug for the majority of the book though omg. Jack felt quite different to the other love interests we’ve seen from Ali so far, he was so charismatic and I absolutely lovedddd him!! I absolutely loved the banter and chemistry between Elsie and Jack, especially with the added fake dating twist thrown into the mix. We also got a tiny cameo from Olive and Adam from The Love Hypothesis which I thought was super fun hehe.

I’ve seen a lot of discussion from people saying that they hope it’s not The Love Hypothesis 3.0, and whilst I totally get it, I also feel like STEM romances are Ali’s brand. The characters have all felt quite different to me, and I still love them all. I still think that Love on the Brain is my favourite Ali Hazelwood novel, but I did still really enjoy this one. I’ll absolutely continue to eat up whatever Ali Hazelwood comes out with next hehe, super excited for her first YA novel, Check Mate coming soon!

Having not read any of Hazelwood's other books I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this glimpse into academic romance! Great characters and enough story to keep the pace going. I'm sure it'll be another great success.

I really enjoyed Love Theoretically, but it was kind of the same story as usual (but that's part of the appeal!) and I felt that the sexual tension was quite toned back compared to the other books. The build up happened much later on and then all of a sudden. I loved Olive and Adam making an appearance, though - I want to be part of that friendship circle!

Love Theoretically provided me exactly with what I was looking for: the absolute comfort of a tried and tested recipe!
Ali Hazelwood delivers another one of her trademark rom-coms.
I liked Elsie with all her insecurities and her people-pleasing skills. The book leant a bit more heavily on the side of science, which I enjoyed. Hedgie, the pet hedgehog, is currently my favourite fictional pet of 2023. And if you've been reading the previous novels, then you'll likely get as excited as me about certain cameos.

I have been waiting since January to talk about this book!!

This is the best one yet. It’s smart (obvs), witting & just downright refreshing to read. I devoured it, I don’t know what Ali puts in these books but it’s addictive.

Jack & Elsie 🤌

I won’t spoil the book for anyone but if you’re a fan of The Love Hypothesis & Love on the Brain, you’re going to want to give this a read too. STEM is the theme but with a different take.

Oh, and the cameo of Adam & Olive is 🥰 (that’s not a spoiler btw, it’s quite literally in the dedication)

Thank you to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the ARC all those months ago 🤩

✨Firstly - hello Jack... 😍

✨ Secondly - Elsie, you are so relatable. 💞

✨Thirdly - Well, this book made me audibly sigh and physically smile. Ali Hazelwood's trademark woman in STEM meets gorgeous fella who is perfect for them. And it's exactly what I expected and needed. Ali Hazelwood's stories are some of the few contemporary romance that have taken my fancy (I'm such a romantasy gal). This one had slow-burn yumminess and swoonworthy reveals. My heart broke when Elsie's did. I reveled in their HEA. I loved the chronic health condition rep. Plus, Hazelwood fans will love the cameos!

📚 New Release Review📚
Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

This was the first Ali Hazelwood book I’ve read, despite someone having two copies of Love on the Brain! Hazelwood is a professor of neuroscience and a romance author - talk about a polyglot!

Theoretical physicist Elsie supplements her meagre post PhD income by fake dating. Juggling teaching commitments and grading assignments in the hope of landing tenure, her free time is occupied with her fake boyfriend jobs. All is ticking along smoothly enough until her current client’s older brother enters the picture - her physics rival!

This may sound cliched with the fake dating trope, but oh my gosh this book was the most fantastic portrayal of life as a woman in science. The passion and ability Elsie has for her subject was inspiring to read. This book has so much to say about sexism, misogyny and the daily struggles of life as a post doc. It was a fun, zippy read despite the serious topics it tackled.

I never thought I’d get to read a romance book with jokes about western blots and spectrometers but here we are. It’s out today and I can’t recommend enough if you’re looking for a fun romance this summer! Thanks a mill to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, by other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend.

It’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

For any fans of Hazelwood's, this will be an instant hit. It ticks all of her boxes: STEM, enemies to lovers, angst, and a slow burn. It's cliched and Elsie isn't the most likeable of characters - I found her childish at times - but I do love the narrative that Hazelwood sticks to of writing about strong, intellectual women working in male dominated fields. Can never put the woman down for that. Her writing is captivating enough for the rom com world, and can definitely be devoured in one or two sittings.

Overall I enjoyed it, and would recommend to anyone who was a fan of the genre - it's an unmissable win in the booktok world.

Ali Hazelwood has done it again!!! I loved this so much, loved the little crossovers between books and lots of references about sparkly vampires ! She never disappoints !

Ali Hazelwood is back again! Yes, the queen of STEM romance is releasing her third book and it’s another sure-fire winner! I will admit that I have not read her previous two: I ventured into Love Hypothesis and did not get very far before putting it aside. Third time lucky I guess as I just had to see what all the fuss was about and I am sure glad I did. With the most likable characters and a fave trope of mine - enemies to lovers - I was hooked from the very beginning.

“Bold of you to assume that the real me is my best hand.” That stupid, crooked half smile is back. “Foolish of you to think it isn’t.”

Yup! I adored this book and smashed through it ever so quickly, breathing in the fresh air of fun and laughter! Elsie is one of the most endearing main characters I have read in a long time and Jack ticks all the boxes and then some for leading men.

‘It’s complicated, being a woman in STEM. Even more so when you’re young and unproven. And even more so when you have a semipathological need to get along with others.’

This is quite an academic book (yes, I know it’s STEM) but I was pleasantly surprised with revelations about the life of an academic. There is much covered but I was never bored or confused, in fact, quite the opposite - I found it riveting - the experimentalist versus theoretical physicists. Even though I know next to nothing about physics, it was interesting to learn of the dynamics of working in research programs and the jobs you have to take to hopefully end up where you want to be. Being a female in this field would also bring its own challenges and Ali covered all of this extremely well.

‘I’ve seen you play half a dozen different roles for half a dozen different situations, switching personalities like you’re channel surfing, and I still have no idea who you are.’

Elsie is a people pleaser and this is all about her journey to learn to be honest. The fact that Jack is there and wanting to support her on this journey makes the story so engaging. Elsie needed a support crew as she undervalues herself in so many ways. Undoubtedly the chemistry is off the charts but for me, ultimately, it was Elsie’s journey that I found the most engaging and satisfying. Her struggles and questions could be any one of us and that made her so relatable.

Love, Theoretically is a book I didn't want to put down. Laughing at everything from the Bill Nye to Twilight references, feeling for Elsie and her diabetes, cringing at family dynamics, working out how to make ends meet - it all comes together for a highly recommended read.

“When’s the last time you had someone in your life you could be completely honest with, Elsie?”




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I enjoyed this, and read it really fast across about 36 hours. Yes, it's another tiny heroine and Great Big Man but I found the relationship between extreme people pleaser/adapts herself to fit who she thinks people want her to be Elsie and Jack to be interesting to watch, even though I wasn't ever 100 percent sure why Jack had originally been attracted to her. I wanted a little more resolution to Elsie's issues with her family, and I could see one of the plot twists coming a mile off - so this is probably more of a 3.5 star read - but I'm nice so I round up. If you've liked Hazelwood's other stuff, you'll probably like this although it is a little repetitive in terms of academic feuds, misunderstandings and the aforementioned tinyHUGE. Nice cameo from Adam and Olive though.

Headlines:
Love sneaks up
Sworn enemies
Betrayals

Can Ms Hazelwood just keep singing to my academic soul forever? I will never tire reading about my world through her eyes, I snickered my way through Elsie's adjuncting from my tenure and felt a tad guilty. Add in the delicious way the romance grew from a tangled mess of hate with sparks of electricity and this book hit all my highs.

Elsie wilfully pitched herself in a battle against Jack but Jack wasn't the evil incarnate she thought. There was a job interview, misogyny and long term health conditions all in this story. Side note to the well written health condition, top notch inclusion while the character lived with this. I adored Jack's interest and care over that. There was an aro/ace character and Elsie felt attraction and love differently; I couldn't, nor did I wish to label her...she was perfect as she was.

The story around Dr L was as sad as it was frustrating for both Jack and Elsie and it was a gift when the light bulb switched on. The overall plot kept me glued but the chemistry had me thinking about the book when it was closed and desperate to pick it up again.

Ali Hazelwood writes my kind of story, with my kind of people and Love, Theoretically will definitely be a contender for my top 10 2023.

Thank you to Piatkus Books for the review copy.

Ali Hazelwood does it again. Perfect blend of science and romance. She managed to capture the complexities and insecurities that make up Elsie. I felt the emotion behind who she was and parts were so relatable that I was right there with her. A little heavy on the science terms, but it didn't take away from the story in any way if you didn't fully understand and I imagine to someone who knows their physics, it would be amazing to read. And I loved Jack and how much time he took to understand Elsie and not judge the person she was or why. A little predictable in places, but I really love that in a romance, because I know exactly what I'm getting. In all honesty, I read this in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down. 5 star read for me.

I love Ali’s writing so much and honestly I think this might be my favourite one yet. I absolutely adore these characters and I think the amount of representation she gets in here without it being forced is so amazing. The romance is so incredibly beautiful and I couldn’t put it down. I cried, I laughed, I was shocked by plot twists, and I enjoyed every single page. Honestly this is romance writing at it’s finest! Completely obsessed.

So what happens when a theoretical physicist
Meets an experimental one - a story not to be missed!
A read that's full of puns and laughter, too,
With revenge, romance and theories to follow through.

Elsie Hannaway always does her best
To calm things down and fit in with the rest.
She's a people pleaser, who changes to fit in
Acting as a fake girlfriend where that's a win.

However, she's also a scientist of some renown,
But something somewhere is letting her down.
She's teaching so many hours now
She can't fit in her own research any how.

An interview for a dream job looks great
But one of the professors she realises too late
Is the brother of a man she regularly fake dates
What a horrendous twist of fate!

With their lying back story and his past, too
Just what should Elsie now decide to do?
He wants the lies to end, to be honest and true
Is she certain she knows how this to do?

A heartwarming read about someone who
Learns to stand up for herself and be honest, too.
There are surprise revelations and hot romance
A great read I hope you'll give a good chance.

For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was soooo good!!! Jack was by far my favourite Ali Hazelwood hero yet, and Elsie was the most relatable heroine for me. Jack and Elsie have multiple misunderstandings at the start of this book that start them off on the wrong foot. The way their relationship developed throughout the story and Jack's understanding of Elsie was just incredible. Jack was such an attentive, amazing hero and I love this man!

This one is obviously pretty similar to the other ones in this series but honestly they just keep getting better in my opinion. The pacing and the speed of relationship development is something that I'm really picky about but this book just DID THAT. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book

“What happened to you, Elsie?”

We LOVE Ali Hazelwood…and she’ll never know how much…she’s just over there writing these stories that have us falling in utter book love EVERY SINGLE TIME with their humour and slow romancing. And as for her characters… well, they steal our hearts time and time again, with their irresistible personalities, funny quirks and excellent ‘funny bones’. Oh, and they’re filled with complete ‘geek speak’ which we find kind of hot!

“It’s easier like that isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Never showing anyone who you really are.”

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, this Author has a formula, and it works. She knows what she’s writing about, and she isn’t afraid to highlight important issues whilst her characters are busy elsewhere trying to either avoid each other, avoid embarrassment, and avoid falling in love, because you know, they hate each other. Yeah right! Love is inevitable and the journey to that realisation captured us hook line and sinker!

‘There’s something disarmingly, devastatingly self-confident about Jack. About the way he laid out all these facts without hesitating, as though owning his feelings is first and second nature.’

Jack Smith…be still our beating hearts! This guy literally had us laughing one moment and swooning the next. Talk about a man seeing through a façade and seeing the best in the woman he’s falling in love with, the best being Elsie’s inner truth. Elsie is a powerhouse and trying to draw out who she truly is rather than what others expect her to be was wonderful. We saw it too, Jack and you did a stellar job with the brilliant, clever, funny, and super sweet Elsie who didn’t stand a chance to hide! She fought a good fight though and we loved how their story played out. Another winner from this fabulous Author.

‘I think that wherever it is that we’re going, maybe, just maybe, it might turn out to be a place I never want to leave.’

This is the only book I’ve ever read by Ali Hazelwood and what a good introduction it was for me. First of all the cover, obsessed and the plot was just fantastic.

Ali Hazelwood books feel like eating your favourite comfort food!

Do you kinda know what you'll get? Yes ,Does it matter? Nope! Not at all.

Love Theoretically, is an enemies-to-lovers romcom that will leave you craving more. In this STEMinist tale, Elsie Hannaway, a brilliant theoretical physicist, juggles her academic aspirations with a unique side job as a professional fake girlfriend. When Elsie's path crosses with Jack Smith, the attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, sparks fly as they engage in a battle of wits.

The chemistry between Elsie and Jack is undeniable, and their banter is fantastic!
The book also explores Elsie's close friendship with her supportive flatmate, Cece, and I love how Ali Hazelwood’s side characters are so fleshed out. 


The star for me is Hedgie and I defy anyone to not want a pet hedgehog after reading this book!!

While Love Theoretically follows Hazelwood's familiar formula and themes, it brings its own unique charm. The scientific content may not appeal to everyone this for me is the most science heavy of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books, and it is a little slow to start. But for fans of Ali Hazelwood's style and STEM enthusiasts, this book is a must-read.

One of the highlights is Elsie's personal growth throughout the story, despite some initial whininess. Jack also surprises as a lovable character, becoming one of my favourites created by Hazelwood, I mean he’s not Adam but I could get used to them. If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers and fake dating scenarios, Love Theoretically has got you covered.



Look out for cameo appearances by some familiar faces- I may have squealed!

This was 4.25 stars for me :)