If you are a STEM girly, Star Wars fanatic, or just chronically online, you’ve probably heard about the Kylo Ren x Rey fanfiction The Love Hypothesis. Or you’ve at least heard of Ali Hazelwood. And since I am one of those things, though you may never know which one, I have heard of this book. Now, I was reluctant to pick it up knowing that it is published fanfiction, but I found it on sale at a college bookstore and I said “What the hell,” picking it up.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is a contemporary STEM romance that follows Olive Smith, a science-obsessed, third-year Ph.D. student, as she fake-dates Adam Carlsen, the young, hot, cut-throat professor, to ensure her best friend that she is not interested in Jeremy, the guy her bestie is into. Adam also gets some benefits from this situation and is able to put some fake roots down to fool the board into continuing his funding. It’s a win-win situation where nothing can go wrong, right? Obviously not!
Let’s just say this book was a HUGE disappointment to me. This was my first instance of a BookTok book that did not live up to the hype. To start, Olive is as bland as a piece of white bread. Her only personality trait and only interest is science! Past that she is a no one. She’s an extremely flat character that feels very “Y/N” (“Your name” for anyone out of the loop here) like she could just mold into whatever you want her to be. Knowing that this started off on Wattpad, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I feel like we could’ve given Olive some integrity for the published version. It’s just baffling that she is the main female love interest since there is nothing to fall in love with!
Adam is… just as bland, honestly. He does have the whole mysterious thing going for him somewhat. But then you realize that he’s just boring, not mysterious. He also is known around the school for being this tough, brooding, cutthroat professor who takes no B.S., when in reality he’s just a typical professor who pushes his students for excellence instead of letting them slide by. I probably would’ve appreciated him as a professor! The only time I really liked him as a character was in the last few chapters when we get some emotion out of him when he’s defending Olive.
Speaking of those last few chapters, that was the only enjoyable part of the book for me! The entire first ¾ of the novel just consists of awkward interactions where Olive and Adam have to prove their relationship with others. It’s clear Olive isn’t comfortable with these interactions, yet her best friend is pushing her into these scenarios which just feels weird and sad. Olive needs better friends. For instance, Olive and bestie Anh are going to a lecture given by Adam’s close friend. When only one seat is available, Anh suggests and pushes Olive to sit on Adam’s lap for the duration of the lecture, even when Olive is clearly uncomfortable by the situation! I mean, maybe Olive and Adam aren’t that comfortable in their relationship yet, or maybe it’s extremely inappropriate to sit on a professor’s lap, girlfriend or not, at a lecture in front of the entire student body! Then the two release the sexual tension we, as readers, are supposed to believe is there (it’s not) and the book finally becomes somewhat interesting.
I have a theory that I’ve mentioned to others before about this novel and its origins. Knowing that it came off of a fanfiction site before being published, I wondered if before publishing the story was edited down to read less like fan fiction and more like a romance novel. And in the process of doing this, all of the interesting bits of the story were cast aside? Or was the story this mild all along (besides that last ¼ of the book)? I thought that reading other novels she’s published recently would lead me to the answer, and you’ll just have to wait for those reviews to find out!
All in all, I’m disappointed. Disappointed in myself for falling for a BookTok scam and disappointed in this whole book. Originally I would’ve recommended this to ladies or guys in STEM who wanted to see a romance surrounding that (and I did, though I warned her the book was not good; sorry, B, that you felt the same as me). After further reflection, I would not do that anymore. I’m baffled as to what was so popular about this book, because, to me, there wasn’t anything redeeming about it. This is a big ole SKIP for me!
Laters, Wednesday!
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