Love Theoretically
"The reigning queen of STEM romance."—The Washington Post
An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!
Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.
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 arrogant 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 he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing 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?
- Pages
- 389
- First published
- June 13, 2023
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Reviews
Finished August 13, 2023 · Read 2 times
Finished September 19, 2026
For all the hype I was expecting more. This is my first book by this author. While it was well written and the characters were well developed, The story rather blah, not much was happening so it seemed overly long. The FMC wasn't my favorite either, she was way too much of a people pleaser and lost herself so much that she struggled with who she was and what she liked outside of physics.
Finished April 20, 2024
Finished July 23, 2024
Ali’s books always bring a smile to my face.
Finished September 25, 2024
It was a good read, definitely interesting with lots of drama but the good kind. It made the story interesting and not a typical enemies to lovers book.
Started April 18, 2024 · Finished April 19, 2024
This was SO cute! I just love stories that are “hate at first sight” haha. This was my first book by this author, I know her books are well loved, and this really was like a “warm hug” as someone else suggested. An adorable romcom of a brilliant woman in STEM that is constantly molding herself to fit in an endless cycle of people pleasing. I really enjoyed the growth of these MCs and the chemistry between them was so magnetic I could NOT put it down. 🌶️ 3/5 This is a slow burn. The spice doesnt really kick in until about 70% in, but its hot af. The way the MMC doesnt want to rush things, and the strong pull they have for one another when they finally do, makes the wait worth it.
Started January 24, 2026 · Finished January 26, 2026
This is probably my favorite book I’ve read by Ali Hazelwood so far. I loved Jack and Elsie’s relationship. I thought their chemistry was great—or should I say their “physics,” lol. An overall cute story with the perfect amount of angst and real character growth.
Started February 1, 2025 · Finished February 4, 2025 · Read 2 times
this was so so good; I loved that it got deep into the culture of academia and that the mc was struggling with deeply relatable issues. biggest issue was that I wanted more of the love interest’s backstory, but it didn't really detract from my overall enjoyment of it.
Finished July 31, 2024
Finished September 12, 2023
Finished April 16, 2024
Elsie is an adjunct professor and professional fake girlfriend on the side to help make ends meet. When she is offered an interview for her dream job, she jumps at the chance. But what happens when her fake boyfriend's brother, Jack, turns out to also be her nemesis? I've come to really enjoy Ali's writing and look forward to reading more. I really enjoyed this story, and it was pretty funny. I love how Jack pushed Elsie to be her true self and loved her even more when she was. Also, the cameos from Olive and Adam were great!
