I wouldn’t say Ali Hazelwood is my all-time favorite author, but I do love the books I have read by her so far! Her top three most popular selling books are what put her on the map for sure, each having their own different tropes. They all have one thing in common: STEM! On BookTok, they are known as Ali Hazelwood’s “STEM trilogy” and all the characters exist in the same universe, which I think is very cool! Here is why they are worth the read!
1. THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS
Olive Smith is a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate who does not care for romantic relationships. Her friend, Ahn, loves the idea of love and is worried for Olive because she thinks Olive is still hung up on her ex. Olive, wanting to convince Ahn that she has moved on and is seeing someone new, panics and kisses the first guy she sees. That unsuspecting stranger was none other than Professor Adam Carlsen — an aloof brooding man who has no other life but his career. Surprised that he agreed to be her fake boyfriend, Adam and Olive hope to keep the charade up, at least until Ahn gets the hint and leaves Olive and her love life alone. They cannot afford to make a mistake, especially if that mistake can lead to the combustion of their careers. With that on the line, will their secret be revealed? Or will they end up making their fake dating scenario not so fake?
I love the fake dating trope! They’re cute and I loved the dialogue (though honestly some conversations were a tad bit on the corny side.) This book was smart, funny, cute, and all in all the type of book I’d want to read if I wanted to smile and read something in a casual setting. Totally worth the hype!
2. LOVE ON THE BRAIN
Neuroscientist Bee Königswagger finally has the opportunity of doing what she always dreamed of — leading a neuroengineering project at NASA! What she didn’t know when accepting the position was that she had to co-lead with her former nemesis from grad school, Levi Ward. Levi was always seen as standoffish and cold since grad school, making it hard for Bee to work with him. Gradually, they start to warm up to each other and work together harmoniously, however, professional challenges and personal standings on their emotions are getting in the way of a chance to be something more than just project partners. Will they put their differences aside and come to a resolution?
My all-time favorite trope is enemies-to-lovers so when I realized this book fit that trope, I was so excited! The characters are so relatable, and the storyline was so addictive. This book was on my TBR list for so long before I read it and it did not disappoint!
3. LOVE, THEORETICALLY
Elsie Hannaway is a theoretical physicist and professor who lives a double life as a fake girlfriend to meet ends meet. Her two personas collide when her favorite client’s older brother is none other than Jack Smith, a cold-hearted experimentalist who ruined her mentor’s career. Jack sits on the hiring committee at MIT, her dream job, and is worried that her secret will be the reason why she doesn’t make the cut. Elsie is ready for Jack to mess up her chances by airing out her secret hustle, but he hasn’t and doesn’t seem to want to. She starts to fall for him, but she knows theoretical physicists and experimentalists are too different to be together. At least, that’s what she thought.
Out of the three books in the trilogy, this one was my favorite! The tension between Elsie and Jack could cut air with a knife but I feel that was why the book was so addicting. I loved the banter and the characters. Their personalities were so detailed and interesting and was very relatable. This rivals-to-lovers book is totally worth reading and a 10/10 in my opinion.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These books were so good and the type that you wouldn’t want to put down! I read each book in a day since they were so addicting. Everyone has their own taste in books but if these are the type of books you like, I totally think they’re worth reading! I hope you enjoyed my reviews and as always, happy reading!