'The Love Hypothesis' by Ali Hazelwood is a such a fun romance! And while it's not groundbreaking by any means, I still loved almost every second of it.
I feel like the main reason why I loved this book so much is because of its setting. Being a STEM girlie myself, I loved the exploration of the challenges faced by people in STEM, especially women. So many of the FMC's, Olive, thoughts and experiences were ones I or my fellow colleagues have gone through which is probably why I found the book and Olive so relatable. However, to all my fellow STEM friends out there, the setting of this book can be a double-edge sword in some instances.
This brings me my main complaint about this book and the primary reason why it's not a five stars read for me. While I found most of the student life to be accurate, some instances were so inaccurate and cringy that they almost made me run away from the book. In an effort to progress the romance, the author puts Olive in some very uncomfortable and not realistic at all situations. There's no way in hell a student would do some of the things Olive found herself doing in Campus, especially with someone who could be considered her superior and who she's not even in a real relationship with! Thankfully, these inaccurate and shame inducing situations were brief and scarce.
Besides the setting, I also enjoyed most of the characters in this book and, of course, the romance. The romance between Olive & Adam was developed at a great pace. The progression from strangers to friends & eventually love interests was believable and, of course, extremely enjoyable. Their chemistry and banter made for a fun time. Moreover, the author also did a great job at making me care for the MCs, especially Olive, as both individuals and as a couple which is always a plus for me.
I also enjoyed most of the side characters, especially Malcolm & Holden who were adorable and extremely funny. Olive's mentor & Tom were also super important characters. I was glad that the author didn't shy away from exploring some of the obstacles students in STEM, especially women, face which she mostly did through them. The only character I didn't enjoy was the MCs best friend, Anh, who I felt the author sacrificed a lot of in order to push the romance forward. Honestly, Malcolm was a better friend to Olive in my opinion.
Finally, I was also a huge fan of how aware the FMC is of the ridiculous situation she has found herself in. I am not the biggest fan of the fake dating trope but the fact that Olive herself realized how idiotic it was endeared me to it in this book.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and fun romance. If you don't mind a mostly predictable plot and are just looking for a book that makes you laugh and feel butterflies for a little bit, then The Love Hypothesis is for you. I especially recommend it if you are part of the STEM field; it contributed to my enjoyment a lot.
ps. The hypothesis bits were ADORABLE!
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