The Love HypothesisThe Love Hypothesis
What it's about
Olive Smith is a third-year PhD student in biology at Stanford who doesn't believe in lasting love. To convince her best friend she's dating someone, she kisses the first man she sees, who happens to be Adam Carlsen, a young professor famous for being a tyrant. To her surprise, he agrees to pretend to date her, and the fake relationship gets real.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and a TikTok sensation. It's a funny, nerdy rom-com set in the world of science.
You'll love it if you liked
Book Lovers
Part of Your World
Lessons in ChemistryGood to know
There's explicit sex, and a subplot about sexual harassment in academia. It began as fan fiction.
By the numbers
- Readers53 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller74 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #70 of the 233 romances we rank
- #111 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #169 of the 481 new books we rank
- #972 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Uplifting
More by Ali Hazelwood
Love, Theoretically
Bride
Love on the Brain
Deep EndIf you like this, read next
Just for the Summer
Better Than the Movies
Every Summer After
The Hawthorne Legacy
The Last Song
The DealExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Love Hypothesis worth reading?
Yes. It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and a TikTok sensation. It ranks #972 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Love Hypothesis about?
Olive Smith is a third-year PhD student in biology at Stanford who doesn't believe in lasting love. To convince her best friend she's dating someone, she kisses the first man she sees, who happens to be Adam Carlsen, a young professor famous for being a tyrant. To her surprise, he agrees to pretend to date her, and the fake relationship gets real.
How long does it take to read The Love Hypothesis?
About 9 hours (356 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Love Hypothesis?
If you liked it, try Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez or Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.