Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband). You can find her online at AliHazelwood.com or on Instagram @AliHazelwood. You can find more of my reviews of her work here.
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 nonexistent 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 arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the coldhearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor's career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he's the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing 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 honestly waited so long to pick this one up because I was just so nervous—but now that I've finished the book in literally less than a day, I don't even know what I was scared about! I loved Love, Theoretically just as much as, if not more than, The Love Hypothesis. I was struck by the perfect pacing of the novel (and the way fun way Hazelwood added Taylor Swift song beats to the BN special edition!?). I was struck by how yes, Hazelwood writes STEM romances so some of the same things keep cropping up (men abusing power, the terrible system, etc.) but how each time they do, Hazelwood makes them feel fresh and just as important as the first time she wrote about them. I was struck by the sheer amount of honest conversations she included in Elsie's and Jack's relationship—from how intimacy would work for them, to basic getting-to-know you questions, to difficult conversations about the past.
Honesty is a huge cornerstone of the book, and that really resonates with me because I value honesty above most other things. Elsie and Jack practice open, honest communication—and so of course, the only way they would have a third-act break-up is if that falls apart. I tend to dislike those third-act break-ups, but the one between Elsie and Jack didn't feel disruptive, or like a plot point that had to be hit before an HEA. I've read several romance novels recently where the heroine just has to take the time to herself to figure out what she wants and who she is. Elsie takes that time during the end, and it makes the whole arc of the relationship believable. What makes this third-act break-up even better is that Jack also uses that time wisely to brush his past off of his shoulders. Their relationship was well-developed, and I loved the rollercoaster ride it took to get there. (The fun play on best friend's older brother? So genius!) Elsie and Jack were well-developed characters with clear motivations and separate character arcs. Elsie's obviously was focused on more than Jack's, and I believe the novel is all the stronger for focusing on a character like Elsie, and following her growth from people-pleaser to someone who works only to keep herself happy.
I tend to gravitate towards romances that focus on more than just the romance between the two main characters. Hazelwood provides plenty of subplots in Love, Theoretically, incorporating both of them seamlessly within the pain romance plot. I love how every single question I had at the beginning (what happened to Jack's mom? why is this paper thing such a big deal? why does Elsie feel the need to please people all of the time?) was answered, and wrapped up in a satisfying way by the end. I was able to guess sort-of the main plot twist there, but I wasn't even bothered because I was just so pleased by the structure of how Hazelwood put it all together. I also loved the friendship arc between Elsie and Cece. Friendships are just as complicated as romantic relationships! When those grow on-page, rather than remaining stagnant, I know that I've found an author who understands the human experience and is dedicated to putting that all on the page. It makes the romance more believable when the main character's relationship with other characters evolve with her, and so I thought the Elsie-Cece subplot was an excellent and necessary addition to making Love, Theoretically as powerful and fun a novel as it is.
I'm basically super excited for everything else to come from Ali Hazelwood. I'm not entirely sure if I'll be reading her YA yet, but I do know that I love her writing, and I love the stories she's putting out into the world. Until then, you can find her online at AliHazelwood.com or on Instagram @AliHazelwood. You can find more of my reviews of her work here.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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