The Love Hypothesis
Summary:
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
“The Love Hypothesis” was a fun read, but I think I enjoyed the benefit of *not* reading the hype before going into it – instead of unrealistic expectations, I just enjoyed a fun, sometimes cheesy, romance. There are plenty of tropes that were well executed creating a cute story that was perfect in the middle of winter. I’m a big fan of having a greater variety of MCs with more interesting backgrounds than “writer” and “finance”.
There are a few elements of the story that are quite unrealistic, particularly around the execution of said tropes. In particular, Olive is brilliant and organized yet somehow a total mess on details (everything about the conference). Adam is naturally hot, and yet also a superstar academic *and also* on the faculty. Sure, why not – it’s fiction so let’s have our cake and eat it too. All in all I would happily give this a recommendation, but don’t get your hopes up for something that is a complete step change from other light romances.
Warning: Contains some sexual content.
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Fans of a good romance