I read this book after hearing about it all over the internet. It's not a horrible book but it's not a great book either. I liked the little romance between Olive and Adam. However, the friendships in the book felt odd. It's like the other put them there for the sake of Olive having friends. Also some parts of the book are very unrealistic. Adam is a professor and Olive is a student, he is not her professor so the university doesn't have any problems with the couple. I find this hard to believe in any college setting. However, I didn't feel that it took me to far out of the book.
The first part of the book drags and nothing really ends up happening till the end of the book. This book reads like a YA novel but it is an adult romance novel. I can't find many adult over the college age actually enjoying this book. ( )

This is exactly how I like my romances - smart, funny, with great secondary characters, and two main characters you want to root for. I really liked the STEM setting and the context of women in science, the pressure of academia, and found families.

My one, minor quibble is that bits of it got a little repetitive.

4.25 stars ( )

this was just absurd lol ( )

ALL of the praise for Ali Hazelwood! This book was quirky, interesting, and adorable. I couldn't put it down. The relationship between Olive and Adam was so frustrating, it left me needing to read more just to see what would happen next and if they were going to work things out.

10/10 use of a meme towards the end of the book, and the keyboard mash in the acknowledgments. I just really enjoy a writer who can use memes to the benefit of the story. It makes all of the characters feel modern and real.

Overall, 5 stars out of 5 stars and I cannot wait to read more of her work. ( )

Representation: Asian characters
Trigger warnings: Cancer mentioned
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

Remember last year when I tried to find The Love Hypothesis, but I had to settle for Our Missing Hearts instead? I missed this one the first time around, but not the second time. I headed in with high expectations, considering the equally high ratings and reviews. However, when I finished The Love Hypothesis, it underwhelmed me. It starts with the first character I see, Olive Smith, or Olive for short, working at Stanford and living a typical life in the opening pages. Here's the catch: Olive believes she would be better off if she didn't fall in love. Yet, Olive starts a fake relationship with another professor: Adam Carlsen. The pacing is alright but The Love Hypothesis' most prominent flaws lie in its characters, since all of them are flat and hard to connect or relate with. Did I need to hear Olive gushing over Adam's attributes? Anh is only there to prove a point and to show that there are not enough women, particularly minorities, in science. Look. If that side character was Black or Latina, the point would still be there. Her only purpose is to tick a diversity box and not add anything significant to the story. Olive develops a genuine relationship with Adam, but another person, Tom, wants to tear her down, but not before she recorded everything. Adam saved Olive from her predicament, but I didn't like how the issue was over so quickly. The conclusion finishes the narrative on a high note. By the way, I'm looking forward to reading Check and Mate to see if the author has improved. ( )