The Love Hypothesis

The Instant New York Times Bestseller and TikTok Sensation!

As seen on THE VIEW!

A BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.


As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

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Published Sep 14, 2021

400 pages

Average rating: 7.82

1,735 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

CurvyAndNerdy
Jul 20, 2025
10/10 stars
I absolutely love Ali’s writing. As a woman in STEM it adds a relatable layer not often found in romances. Olive was not the most self aware of heroines. It was a bit frustrating at times but I loved getting her inner thoughts and rationalizations. Adam was phenomenal. I loved his dryness, surliness, and inexperience just as much as his assertiveness when he finally got what he wanted. I can’t wait to read the interconnected books.
Denise Lauron
May 19, 2024
10/10 stars
I picked this up on a whim. I loved that it revolved around women in STEM. Smart women can have romances, too.

The bonus chapter at the end showed part of the book from the male love interest's point of view. Very interesting take on it. I am glad that the book didn't alternate POV, since it would have given away a lot of the story. The reader was better off being in the dark, just like the main character was.

This was a fun read. I would recommend it.
Trishied
Aug 30, 2025
8/10 stars
Fun read.
Josie the book goblin
Aug 22, 2025
8/10 stars
Did I stay up to 5 am to finish this? Absolutely! This is another sickeningly adorable Hazelwood book. Ugh I just love her writing. I love the women of STEM, I love how incredibly dorky, awkward and oblivious these characters are as well. This was so predictable but so damn satisfying. Olive and Adam are just precious


I accidentally read the third book to this series not knowing that there are two that come before it. I think I enjoy Olive and Adam more that Elise and Jack.
That_tia_girl
Aug 11, 2025
7/10 stars
Don’t know why the fake dating cliche always grabs my attention, but this was a fun read.

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