Book Review: Love, Theoretically

I’m a big fan of Ali Hazelwood so I obviously had to read her latest STEM romcom, Love, Theoretically. I loved The Love Hypothesis, really liked Love on the Brain, and enjoyed her STEMicist novellas in Loathe to Love You. So how did Love, Theoretically stack up? Spoiler alert – I might love it more than The Love Hypothesis!

The novel is set in the same universe as her first two novels and there is an appearance from Adam & Olive and two mentions of Bee from Love on the Brain so bonus points already! It follows Elsie Hannaway, an adjunct professor and theoretical physicist. She is one of the two candidates left being considered for a job she really wants at MIT. The job would allow her to do the research she desperately wants to continue on liquid crystals, will give her more money, and give her health insurance which is a big problem with her as a diabetic. At the moment, in order to make more money she goes on fake dates through an app called Faux. She pretends to be the date or girlfriend of guys who need to bring someone somewhere such as a work function or family party. Usually these are one-time things, but her client Greg is so nice that she has helped him out multiple times at family gatherings. At these family gatherings she has met Greg’s older brother, Jack, and she always gets this feeling that he doesn’t like her or is suspicious of her.

During the final rounds of her MIT interview she meets some of the committee that will determine who gets the spot. One of the people she is going to meet at a “get to know you” dinner is a very well known experimental physicist, Jonathan Smith-Turner. When he arrives at the restaurant, Elsie is met with none other than Greg’s brother, Jack. Jack is Jonathan Smith-Turner! As shocked as she is, he is more shocked considering the Elsie he met that is supposedly his brother’s girlfriend said she was a librarian.

As Elsie and Jack spend more time together they learn the truth and get to know each other better. Jack helps Elsie out a lot, not just in terms of figuring out her professional life and goals, but in her personal life since she has spent most of her life as a people pleaser and molding herself to fit situations and the people she is with. Jack truly likes her and respects her for the real Elsie and helps her claim her identity. Jack is the perfect book boyfriend. He’s hot, super smart, funny, supportive. He wants Elsie to feel as strong and empowered as he knows she is. I adore him so much! And Elsie and Jack are extremely adorable together. Like squeal worthy adorable.

I loved this book so much and already miss Elsie and Jack!

Read this if you want a spicy STEM romcom with the enemies to friends to lovers, workplace romance, and slow burn tropes.

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