[Skye’s Review]: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Love, Theoretically
by Ali Hazelwood
Pages: 368
Published by Berkley Romance
Release Date: June 13 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC
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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 broody 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 that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, 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?

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Perfection from start to finish.

Elsie is such a real main character. She has her flaws and quirks, which only endeared her more to me. You root for her. Jack is one of my favorite love interests/heroes I’ve read in a while. He’s confident, honest, compassionate, and so freaking devoted to Elsie. This man is the definition of the heart eyes emoji. Need I say more? 

I loved seeing how supportive Jack is of Elsie. Elsie has gone through life believing she has to mold herself into the girl everyone wants her to be—until she encounters Jack. Jack sees through the fake Elsies and decides the Elsie he wants is the real one. Needless to say, this is new territory for Elsie. And Jack never wavers. He’s so incredibly patient. It warmed my heart. 

Love, Theoretically is classic Ali Hazelwood, but it’s also Hazelwood at her best, in my opinion. This book explores the world of academia further than her other books. We get to see the politics and what it’s like in the world of academia for women in STEM. This book also dives into how childhood experiences can shape how we act and internalize the world as adults. 

If you’re a fan of Hazelwood’s books, this will be a slam dunk for you. If you’re considering picking up her books for the first time, I can’t encourage you enough to do so. Her books feel like hanging out with a friend: her main characters become your friend. You laugh at their shenanigans and cheer them on as they grow.