Love, Theoretically
"The reigning queen of STEM romance."—The Washington Post
An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!
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.
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!
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.
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Love, Theoretically* by Ali Hazelwood is a fun, fast-paced STEM romance with witty banter, relatable characters, and a refreshing enemies...
Being a woman in the STEM industry I related to this book a lot.it was an easy fast paced read for me and loved following Elsie's journey to find herself.
I enjoyed the comedy of this book first, then the romance. Even with all the science lingo and academia talk it was an excellent read as usual.
I feel like Love, Theoretically has made me a card-carrying member of the Ali Hazelwood fan club. I loved her two previous novels, but this one solidified what I adore about her writing and her romances. And while it’s impossible for me to pick a favorite, I feel like this one may be the one that’s the most all-round success. There was never a point in the book when I felt pulled out of the story, and that’s how I know a book has consumed me.
Love, Theoretically is hard for me to review because I think readers should go into it as blindly as I did. I barely even read the synopsis before I dove right in. If you’ve read and loved any of the author’s other books, you should love this one, as well, and that’s all the information you really need. Her signature humor and compelling storytelling are both present.
BUT if you insist on knowing more, then please keep reading.
I love how complicated Hazelwood’s characters always are. They have meaningful backstories and traits that always surprise me. In Love, Theoretically, Elsie and Jack have complicated relationships with their families. And Elsie’s biggest complication is that she is a people-pleaser. She changes herself, even discrediting her wants and desires for those of others. It’s something she’s been doing for years, even with her closest friends and family. And it was a character trait that hit close to home for me at times, but I loved watching Elsie find her truth. With Jack’s help, of course.
I always believe in the chemistry between Hazelwood’s characters. They make sense together, and I’m usually rooting for both leads equally. I’m not sure, but I feel like this one was even more of a slow-burn than her other novels. I didn’t mind at all. It was deliciously excruciating waiting for these two to finally come together.
And let’s not forget her side characters. They can hold their own. Sometimes they even deserve their own books. Especially Elsie’s quirky best friend and Jack’s brother. And sometimes they already have their own books. Yes, Olive and Adam from The Love Hypothesis make a special appearance in this one!
I think this is Hazelwood’s most science-y book yet. Pretty much everything science-related that was mentioned went over my head. Way over my head. But I didn’t mind at all. I’d like to think I learned a few things, but probably not. I’ve never been able to retain much math or science information. My brain was made only for words.
It’s hard for me to know if I loved this book because of the story or the many, many Twilight references. And while I am (mostly) joking, when Twilight was first mentioned, I had a moment of panic. Is the author about to make fun of Twilight, and therefore all its fans?! Nope! Elsie loves Twilight, and I had so much fun with all the references. I feel seen. Thank you, Ali Hazelwood!
Love, Theoretically is Hazelwood’s best yet, and that’s saying a lot since I’ve adored all her books. But this one had something even extra-special. This one lands solidly on my ‘books to re-read’ stack!
Keep reading for some random minor spoiler-y thoughts:
I’ve seen others complain that Hazelwood can only write male lead characters that are tall, dark, and handsome. Not to mention extremely fit and well-endowed. Well, Jack, at least, is blonde. But seriously, it’s not a complaint for me—I don’t mind if she has a type—but I would love to see her write an average size and average built man. And woman! Her female leads are always ultra tiny compared to the men. Do it just for kicks, Ali! Let’s see what happens. (And maybe she’s already done this in her novellas. I haven’t read them yet.) One thing I would never want her to change is how wonderfully supportive her male leads always are of their female leads—in and out of the bedroom. It’s refreshing to read about a man who is patient, putting the woman’s needs before his own, asking permission, never jumping to his own conclusions. Let’s keep making this the norm in romance (and real life)!
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2023 (prompt #40 - A book by an author with the same initials as you---I'm cheating and using my middle and maiden name)
Love, Theoretically is hard for me to review because I think readers should go into it as blindly as I did. I barely even read the synopsis before I dove right in. If you’ve read and loved any of the author’s other books, you should love this one, as well, and that’s all the information you really need. Her signature humor and compelling storytelling are both present.
BUT if you insist on knowing more, then please keep reading.
I love how complicated Hazelwood’s characters always are. They have meaningful backstories and traits that always surprise me. In Love, Theoretically, Elsie and Jack have complicated relationships with their families. And Elsie’s biggest complication is that she is a people-pleaser. She changes herself, even discrediting her wants and desires for those of others. It’s something she’s been doing for years, even with her closest friends and family. And it was a character trait that hit close to home for me at times, but I loved watching Elsie find her truth. With Jack’s help, of course.
I always believe in the chemistry between Hazelwood’s characters. They make sense together, and I’m usually rooting for both leads equally. I’m not sure, but I feel like this one was even more of a slow-burn than her other novels. I didn’t mind at all. It was deliciously excruciating waiting for these two to finally come together.
And let’s not forget her side characters. They can hold their own. Sometimes they even deserve their own books. Especially Elsie’s quirky best friend and Jack’s brother. And sometimes they already have their own books. Yes, Olive and Adam from The Love Hypothesis make a special appearance in this one!
I think this is Hazelwood’s most science-y book yet. Pretty much everything science-related that was mentioned went over my head. Way over my head. But I didn’t mind at all. I’d like to think I learned a few things, but probably not. I’ve never been able to retain much math or science information. My brain was made only for words.
It’s hard for me to know if I loved this book because of the story or the many, many Twilight references. And while I am (mostly) joking, when Twilight was first mentioned, I had a moment of panic. Is the author about to make fun of Twilight, and therefore all its fans?! Nope! Elsie loves Twilight, and I had so much fun with all the references. I feel seen. Thank you, Ali Hazelwood!
Love, Theoretically is Hazelwood’s best yet, and that’s saying a lot since I’ve adored all her books. But this one had something even extra-special. This one lands solidly on my ‘books to re-read’ stack!
Keep reading for some random minor spoiler-y thoughts:
I’ve seen others complain that Hazelwood can only write male lead characters that are tall, dark, and handsome. Not to mention extremely fit and well-endowed. Well, Jack, at least, is blonde. But seriously, it’s not a complaint for me—I don’t mind if she has a type—but I would love to see her write an average size and average built man. And woman! Her female leads are always ultra tiny compared to the men. Do it just for kicks, Ali! Let’s see what happens. (And maybe she’s already done this in her novellas. I haven’t read them yet.) One thing I would never want her to change is how wonderfully supportive her male leads always are of their female leads—in and out of the bedroom. It’s refreshing to read about a man who is patient, putting the woman’s needs before his own, asking permission, never jumping to his own conclusions. Let’s keep making this the norm in romance (and real life)!
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2023 (prompt #40 - A book by an author with the same initials as you---I'm cheating and using my middle and maiden name)
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