I have been getting into reading more romance lately. When I think about my favorite romance books, they have to have great characters, a romance I genuinely root for, and keep me engaged throughout the whole book. The Love Hypothesis interested me because of academia and STEM, being the backdrop of the book. I graduated with a degree in science, and before switching my major to Exercise Science, I started with a degree in biology. The Love Hypothesis carried a lot of nostalgia for me because I felt myself reminiscing on my years in college, where science was my life. The Love Hypothesis was hands down one of my favorite romance books I have read to date, and might be the best book I read in 2021.

Olive Smith is a studious Ph.D. candidate focusing on pancreatic cancer research. In between her studies, Olive relies on her best friend, Ahn, to help keep her grounded. Ahn is dating Olive’s ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, although Ahn feels bad about this. For Olive to convince Ahn that she’s over Jeremy, Olive lies about dating Dr. Adam Carlsen, one of the most hated professors on campus. As Olive and Adam become close, Olive starts to realize that she’s truly fallen for him.

The characters in The Love Hypothesis were fun to follow. Starting with Olive, I found myself rooting for her from the beginning. As someone who’s also had a loved one die of pancreatic cancer, I could empathize with Olive and why she chose this particular area to study. Olive is a pumpkin spice latte-loving science nerd who wants to make a difference in the world, and I felt that. Ahn, as Olive’s best friend, was another character I loved reading about. There are passages mentioned where Ahn has created women’s STEM groups on campus to help women wanting to get into STEM. If there were ever a solo book featuring Ahn released by the author, Ali Hazelwood, I would be all over it. Besides Ahn, Malcolm is Olive’s other friend, who is in STEM. Malcolm becomes the voice of reason for Olive and helps her as she navigates her relationship with Adam.

Speaking of Adam, the romance between Olive and Adam was not only convincing, but they genuinely were made for each other. I enjoyed the sexier scenes between Olive and Adam as I felt they had great chemistry together. I also thought that there were real stakes in this relationship. In any romance book, a couple is tested by some big event, leading to them breaking up. In this book, I felt Olive had real stakes as to how she wanted to move forward with her relationship with Adam. As I read through this book, I was angry at what Olive had been through. I’m glad Olive and Adam got together, and the way everything concluded was satisfying.

The Love Hypothesis lived up to the hype. As I read the book, I found myself not wanting to stop reading. This is one of the romance books I will set as an example of what a five-star romance book looks like. Olive and Adam are my romance book OTP. (One True Pairing).