Sophia Rose Reviews: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

 

Today my pal Sophia Rose shares her review of Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, a fantastic sounding rom-com and #4 in her STEMinist series. Now read on to see how Sophia Rose thought.
Enjoy!

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

#4 STEMinist

Romantic Comedy

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 6.13.23

Pages: 368

Rating: 4stars

Format: Trade Paperback

Source:  Berkley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

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?

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Last fall, I enjoyed Love on the Brain so much that I didn’t hesitate to reach for Loathe to Love You, a compellation of three novellas to be saturated with even more smart girl romcoms to adore.  So, you bet your britches I was all in for the latest release, Love, Theoretically.

 

The STEMinist series of romantic comedies are all unconnected standalones that rock the halls of academia with gals who know their stuff and the guys who confound them when it comes to love.  The formula for these books doesn’t change all that much, but I’ve not read enough of them to not enjoy the anticipation of the familiar humorous and light romances that highlight different fields of study and different life challenges, but the age old tug o’ war that can be love.

 

In Love, Theoretically, Elsie Hannaway is quite the juggler who earned her Ph.D, but still is waiting for the golden ring in her field.  There’s a professor job with five classes that is paying the bills including the staggering student loans, but little more including her need to find something with health benefits for her diabetes.  Then there’s her quasi-escort job where she provides the service of the perfect fake girlfriend or date because she’s good at being all things to all people.  She’s a fake librarian for her best client.

 

And, it’s that fake librarian role that Jack Smith, the brother of her client- evil one who messed up her mentor’s academic dreams and now holds her own MIT academic dream in his hands, knows her as.  She starts out loathing him to there and back, but Jack is the one who sees right through all her fake personas to the real Elsie.  Being seen for real helps her stop trying to people please and learn to read her own wants and needs better.  Jack, sigh and swoon and swoon again, was such a hero.  I couldn’t wait for Elsie to figure this out and fall for him.  The reader has a clearer view of matters.  Jack was determined not to have Elsie’s brand of physicist on the MIT team, but gets to know the true Elsie in spite of her chameleon abilities.  Crackling, fiery, bantering, and sweet attraction between the pair had my romantic needs quite satisfied.

 

Before I forget, Elsie’s students’ emails were a hoot and a half.  I couldn’t contain the laughter a few times.  

 

All in all, another winner. I loved that the previous book featured work with NASA, but the personalities of this pair having me loving it just as well.  Readers who dig the cut throat world of academia, personable characters and sparkling romantic antics should definitely give Love, Theoretically a go.

 

Author Bio:

I’m originally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. I recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies me. When I’m not at work you can find me binge-watching shows with my three feline overlords (and my slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy.

I’m represented by the amazing Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

 

 

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

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GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose