REVIEW: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

In Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, Oh the things one must do when they are in the lower to lower-middle rungs of academia. Theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway is seconds away from giving up hope that she’ll get that elusive research job and instead be forevermore stuck as an adjunct professor, commuting between three campuses to make ends meet. But no, even that’s not true. To pay the bills *and* keep the instant ramen on the (ready to collapse) table, Elsie and her roommate/bestie Cece work for the fake-dating app Faux. It’s through being Greg Smith’s fake girlfriend but real-life friend that she meets his brother, Jack Smith. Grumpy, handsome, and built like a mountain, Jack doesn’t seem to trust Elsie. At all. Which wouldn’t normally be an issue. Except it turns out he’s on the interview committee at MIT who can make or break her career.

‘He’s been hostile and unpleasant and suspicious since the day we met. He has shat upon my field…and now stands between me and my dreams. For that, he lost the privilege that I afford every human being: to deal with the Elsie he wants. The Elsie he’s going to get is the one I care to give him. And she’s pissed.’

Elsie is used to being a chameleon of sorts. She can change her persona to match every situation and be what every person needs of her, hence her killing it at her side gig at Faux. But while she can read almost everyone, she has no idea what Jack is thinking. Aside from knowing he’s going to run tattling to Greg. And that as an infamous experimental physicist, he has ammunition to work against her at every turn, being her professional rival and all. But as the exceedingly long interview process goes on, Elsie questions, well, everything. From the steps she’s taken in her career thus far to those who have supposedly had her back, has she gotten it all wrong? And could Jack actually be the good guy in the scenario? Only time–and a few mental breakdowns–will tell.

“Can I take you out?”
The words don’t immediately compute… “You mean you want to…murder me?”
He winces. “Once again, what happened to you?”
“You asked to *take me out*–”
“For a date.”
“Oh.” I blush. “Oh.” I scratch the side of my nose. “Um…”
Jack’s eyebrow lifts. “You seem more alarmed by dinner than murder.”

Ali Hazelwood gave us a new brilliant STEMinist heroine and uber protective hero to gush over in Love, Theoretically–which just might be her most science-laden (but still fun and quirky) romance yet.

‘It’s complicated, being a woman in STEM. Even more so when you’re young and unproven. And even more so when you have a semi-pathological need to get along with others.’

Ali Hazelwood continued to entertain with her newest rom-com, Love, Theoretically. But here’s the thing readers and bloggers alike have been waiting to find out: Did Elsie and Jack’s story break new barriers? Nope, not really. Was it relatively similar to its predecessors? Pretty much. But did I inhale this book within a (less than) twenty-four-hour period? I sure did. And it’s all thanks to Ali’s quick-witted quips, the heroine’s comical inner monologues, and the offbeat characters that will have me continuing to one-click anything she writes.

Without giving too much away, rivals Elsie and Jack had a whole heck of a lot more in common than they first thought. Much of what occurred between them was unfortunately based on lies of omission or a lack of complete information. While it created interesting tension, it also caused a whole host of issues for the couple. And as their pasts crept back up on them–and the politics of academia got tangled in–Elsie and Jack had to rethink everything they thought they knew about themselves and their place in the world of physics. Especially Elsie, given her penchant for overthinking and yet somehow still misinterpreting things when it came to her social life. (lol)

I do have to be honest that while I truly liked Elsie, Jack, Cece (Elsie’s bestie), Greg (Jack’s brother), and of course Millicent (Jack’s feisty grandmother), the storyline itself seemed to take center stage over the romance. At times it felt more like chick lit rather than a rom-com. Not that that’s a bad thing. But I would have loved more scenes between Jack and Elsie included earlier on that showcased their chemistry and lively banter, to build up the romance factor a bit more as opposed to just highlighting their rivalry as theoretical physicist vs. experimental physicist.

From the STEM humor Ali Hazelwood is known for to the Easter eggs and the cameos of previous cast, Love, Theoretically still held its own, and definitely has me wanting more of this universe of characters she’s created.

QOTD: Have you read any books where the author takes a deep dive into the subject matter–in this case physics–with lots of pertinent information and references about the subject?

Book Info:

Publication: Expected publication: June 13th 2023 | Berkley |

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?