Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Olive has to convince her best friend that she’s over her ex so that she’ll stop inciting the girl code and agree to date him. He isn’t really an ex, they went out on a few dates and she noticed the connection he had with her best friend was much stronger. So thats why Olive found herself kissing someone at midnight in the Biology Lab, but not just any someone, Dr. Adam Carlsen, more than a man, but myth and legend in the department because of the way he tends to make his Phd students cry.
Mistakes were made, but when Adam agrees to the charade for his own gain they both have to test out a variable Love Hypothesis while being thrust into situations fit for any cozy rom-com.
I really wish I had put in a request for this when I saw it pop up on NetGalley, the cover was unforgettable because of the guy’s resemblance to Adam Driver who I absolutely love. Now learning more about it I was a little hesitant in spite of the rave reviews hitting the internet. It’s really worth the hype.
The only issue is that I had read The Spanish Love Deception which I also gave 5 stars so I was thinking, how can this top that? It can’t. It’s right along side The Spanish Love Deception in my book. Both stories take the same fake dating trope and explore it in a different way, I loved the way The Love Hypothesis focused on academia and the problems that women face in the STEM community, a lot of it was through the eyes of a tired young PhD candidate who felt alienated and alone. Olive, I would also like to mention, seems to be from my experience, demisexual. There are also a number of LGBT+ characters in the book so that’s pretty amazing. Lots of representation here from sexuality to women in STEM and women in an academic role to begin with.
Another thing I adored was the slowburn, there was some miscommunication, but when you realize that it’s between two potentially socially awkward scientists then you kind of excuse it or I excused it because if put in the same situation, I would have likely behaved the same way that Olive had. Plus, someone like Adam would have totally intimidated me beyond everything.
I gave the book 5 stars so does that mean it’s worth the hype? In my opinion, yes for many reasons. It’s lighthearted and heavily into the escapism of a sugary sweet sunshine and grump dynamic but it also adds an emotional level that doesn’t drag or lower the tone of the plot. It feels human. Emotions and thoughts laid bare without funneling them into carefully constructed and quote-worthy phrases. It’s effortless.
My favorite quote is part of Olive’s inner dialogue.
“…I’m starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds to the other person can stay whole.”
We’ve all felt like this, I hope we haven’t, but chances are we have. If you haven’t. You’re amazingly lucky. Love is messy and terrifying and wonderful, emphasis on the terrifying though. The vulnerability that it takes and the bravery to accept that you could be obliterated emotionally with a single look or phrase. It takes guts. It’s what makes it wonderful when it succeeds, when you both take that leap.
Check it out. Buy it. Grab it from your local library, try a sample. If you’re a fan of love, tropes and want to feel something a little more from your sweet romances. You will probably enjoy this book.
