Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood Published by Little Brown Books on June 13, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
Love, Theoretically is such a fun, lighthearted read that I didn’t want to put down. Our story revolves around Elsie, a theoretical physicist that is working herself to the bone as an adjunct professor for several colleges. She barely makes ends meet so she has a side hustle of being a fake girlfriend. One of her repeat clients has her at a family gathering and his brother is just the rudest person ever.
Elsie winds up getting an interview at MIT and it’s her dream job, less teaching, more time to focus on her projects, and health insurance which she desperately needs to manage her diabetes. The only snag, the brother of her fake date happens to be on the hiring committee and sparks are flying. This is an enemies to lovers book and I was here for all the drama and swoon worthy scenes. I haven’t really read many books with women in STEM and I love that Ali’s books are about that. I highly recommend this book if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted contemporary romance.
