Love, Theoretically

Ali Hazelwood has a distinctive focus of her books - women in STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) with a hearty dose of spicy romance. It's a vibe that has worked for her well and this newest book was another enjoyable STEM RomCom that gives readers a look into the world of academia.

The story centres around Elsie and her nemesis Jack. Elsie is a people pleasing theoretical physicist who has learned to customize a different 'Elsie' depending on who she's dealing with. As someone who is trying not to be a people pleaser, I felt for Elsie's need to please and enjoyed seeing her grow, stand up for herself and find support to be her authentic self. Jack is an experimental physicist who is at odds with Elsie for a few reasons.

There is some spice, but we don't get a lot of page time with the couple together. Hazelwood has stuck with her tried-and-true 'big hulking guy, teeny-tiny woman' theme - which is getting kind of old, so I hope stories with characters who don't fit this mold are on the horizon.

Enjoyably predictable in its plot, romance, and nefarious baddie, this was an entertaining, light read. I love that it showcases important issues that women in STEM and academia experience and with its great banter and hedgehog with an attitude, it would make a fun summer read. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Genre: RomCom, STEM

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Publisher: Little Brown Books

First Published: June 13, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: 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?