By Ava Shaffer
Love, Theoretically is the third book in bestselling author Ali Hazelwood’s steamy STEM romcom repertoire. We follow a loveable physicist named Elsie as she struggles with finances, identity, and her future career in academia. To make up for the abysmal amount adjunct professors are paid, she acts as a fake girlfriend for the app Faux. But when her client’s older brother turns out to be her academic nemesis (cue the enemies to lovers track) Elsie must grapple with her hatred and attraction for Jack.
I am no stranger to the Ali Hazelwood formula. Her books all feature two scientists falling in love (one of which is typically 6ft tall and brooding), nerdy pop culture nods, with a third-act big fight, and they end up happily ever after. I know the formula, and I love the formula! Love, Theoretically was an enjoyable easy-peasy romcom that was a delight to read.
To me, one of the deciding factors in a successful romance is if I am rooting for the characters. In this book, I definitely was! Elsie was so loveable and I felt very endeared by her, even despite the intense millennial cringe that made her mention Twilight and “Bellive 4evah” in every chapter. I enjoyed Elsie’s character development and wanted to see her happy. I also thought the connection and chemistry between Elsie and Jack was executed excellently, I was invested!
“I think a lot about how much I hate you.” “I think a lot about how much you hate me, too.”
The beginning of this book felt a bit slow and took me a hot minute to get into it. But once all the academia politicking / world-building (is that even a word I can use for romance books?) was done and Jack and Elsie finally started interacting with one another, that’s when the story really shined. This steady pace, although sometimes infuriating, lent itself to the slow burn very well. Hazelwood really finds her stride a quarter of the way through her book. She knows her genre, she knows her audience, she knows her smut, and she does it all so well. Especially the witty dialogue and banter, which is always my favorite part of her books, is really where she starts cooking with fire.
Another great element of Love, Theoretically was the focus on characters outside of the main love interests. Oftentimes, romance books forget anyone else exists besides the leading couple, which makes for a very bland and cookie-cutter story. But in this, Hazelwood obviously puts a lot of time and care into crafting relationships outside of just Elsie and Jack. I loved Cece and Elsie’s friendship and Jack’s diva grandma, Millicent (who was by far the best character.) It was such a lovely little nod to see Adam and Olive reappear in the story too. This reminds the reader that love expands farther than just two people and makes the story feel more real.
I did however guess the plot twist from the first time it was mentioned, but I read these silly fun STEMinist romance books to swoon and giggle, not to be shocked by a subplot point. While we’re on the negatives, the cringey millennial voice sometimes was distracting, and there is one line I just cannot forgive: “towering over me like a towering tower.” (I think she was joking with this line. I hope she was joking.)
Overall, I adore the Ali Hazelwood formula and will continue buying her books! They are just such a good time and I always learn a little bit more about science when I read them.