Theoretical physicist, Elsie Hannaway, is an adjunct professor who hates teaching and just wants to finish her research project she’s been toiling on between teaching a million courses to undergrads and working for Faux, a fake-dating service. Being a fake girlfriend helps pay the bills but her lives are about to intersect when the brother of one of her favorite clients turns out to be the experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and rules the physics department at MIT, where there’s a job opening for her dream job. When Jack meets Elsie the theoretical physicist when he’s known her as Elsie the librarian, her two lives are about to collapse. However, the Jack she comes to know isn’t the same horrible tyrant who ruined the lives of theoretical physicists everywhere.

I love these women of STEM romance novels of Ali Hazelwood’s. Not only are they cleverly written, but the characters are flawed, real, and go through all of the self confidence issues that regular folks like you and I face on a daily basis, but perhaps even more so! Elsie had a great back story that captured my heart immediately. Diabetic since her youth, she’s always felt like she was a burden to her parents and because of this kind of lets the world walk all over her. When she meets Jack, the person who she thinks is her arch enemy, she is shocked that he doesn’t appear to be what she’s always believed. As we read further into the story, we understand Jack more and more and find him very easy to love as well. Both characters have had things shape their lives and mold them into who they are today. Totally flawed individuals who have to grow to connect with this other individual who certainly seems to be their soul mate. Their story was certainly swoon worthy!

Romance novels have certainly evolved over the years and Ali Hazelwood’s have helped that evolution by writing about a segment of our female population that aren’t usually the heroine’s in romance novels. Kind of like the first “Wallflower” books in the historical romance genre (now totally overdone btw), these women of STEM are certainly intellectual, but Ms. Hazelwood does a great job of showing how these women of STEM have the same insecurities and messed up youths as the rest of us. Underneath those white lab coats are women who just want to be loved, just like you and I. I have a Bachelor’s in English and by no means am proficient in science, math, etc. but I LOVE reading these novels and identifying our likenesses. I also love the surly men who come to love these great women. If you’re looking for a different kind of romance novel, please give this book a try.

Love, Theoretically is an exceptional romance novel. Not only does it have my favorite trope, enemies to lovers, but it has a little mistaken identity and rom-com thrown in as well. What isn’t funny about a young woman who has to fake-date men for a little extra cash to survive? Those scenes make for some great storytelling! Jack is a beast of a physicist and a prime specimen of a man and their interactions have great chemistry and heat. His direct stares followed me into my dreams and haunted me. Really!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Love, Theoretically

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.