“Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.” 

Olive Smith is a third year Ph.D. candidate who doesn’t believe in lasting relationships and that’s what got her into this situation. Her best friend, Anh, has feelings for a guy Olive went on a handful of dates with but she won’t date him until she believes Olive has moved on. To convince her she's completely over him she tells Anh she’s on a date but when she sees her in the lab she panics and kisses the first guy she sees. 

The man she kisses is none other than young, hot shot professor, and well known ass, Adam Carleson.  Dr. Carleson is Stanford’s reigning tyrant, known for leaving students sobbing in the bathroom after rejecting their thesis and lab procedures. Olive is completely shocked when he agrees to keep up their fake dating charade. To keep up the act they agree to go to conferences together and get weekly coffee. When Olive’s career is on the line after a huge conference, Adam surprises her with his unyielding support. Their “fake” relationship is starting to feel more and more real. 

Ali Hazelwood’s Love Hypothesis is the perfect combination of romance and academia. Olive is an extremely bright student who is passionate about her research. It's amazing to read about a female lead who’s story centres around her intelligence. It also discusses how women struggle in the world of STEM and academia, she faces discrimination and harassment from men in the workplace but doesn’t let that stop her. The romance between her and Adam is super sweet and so cute to read about. I loved reading about all the funny situations her friends force her into since they believe they’re dating. Olive also grows so much throughout the book. At first she’s fine with the fact that she is alone but she starts to realise that maybe there can be more to life. If you want to read about strong women in science combined with great romance this is the perfect book for you.