Love Theoretically
From the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
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4.4 • 464 Ratings
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis - with an all-new cover, a note from Ali and never-before-seen bonus content!
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 arrogant older brother of her favourite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor's career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he's the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing 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?
*This is a reissued edition of the original Love, Theoretically with an updated cover and containing a new note from Ali herself, plus never-before-seen bonus content*
*Ali Hazelwood's Mate was a Sunday Times bestseller w/e 11 and 18 October 2025.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Ali Hazelwood fans will race through this steamy STEM romance. Elsie Hannaway is a talented physicist, stuck in a low-paid teaching job with the hopes of one day becoming a professor at MIT. Outside of her day job, Elsie has an unusual side hustle—she gets paid by single men to be their fake girlfriend. When Elsie applies for her dream job at MIT, she discovers that Jack, her pretend boyfriend’s frustratingly handsome older brother and academic nemesis, oversees the university’s physics department. Hazelwood perfectly captures Elsie and Jack’s fiery flirtatious banter, as well as their tantalisingly slow transition from arch enemies to lovers. Elsie and Jack might be talented physicists—but we can’t help ourselves from falling for their irresistible chemistry.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Hazelwood (Loathe to Love You) delivers a decidedly quirky and thoroughly charming tale. The fake dating trope gets a techy update via Faux, an app connecting clients with pretend partners for hire, through which Boston adjunct professor Elsie Hannaway finds side gigs while she searches for a better-paying job in theoretical physics. While interviewing for her dream job at MIT, Elsie's worlds collide: her favorite fake-dating client's brother, whom she knew as Jack Smith, is actually Dr. Jonathan Smith-Turner, a legendary young physicist whose views are at odds with Elsie's. The ensuing STEM-themed enemies-to-lovers romance is simply a delight, though it's complicated by the fact that Jack believes Elsie is his brother's girlfriend. Meanwhile, sunshiny Elsie's imposter syndrome rings true as she navigates the cutthroat world of academia ("STEM academia is 98 percent politics and 1 percent science") and learns that her mentor and idol has feet of clay. Geeky science jokes, humorous student emails, and expertly delivered snarky banter enhance the narrative. Readers will cheer for Jack and Elsie and their bumpy road to happily ever after.
Customer Reviews
A fun story
I love Ali’s writing. This book is easy to read and keeps you entertained and engaged along the way.
Cute
Light, short and sweet. Exactly what I needed
Amazing!!!!
I loved all of Ali’s books but I must admit this one is probably my favourite. I love that there’s so many details about science world and I even have to Google search some words used (says a lot about my intelligence). Definitely recommend to anyone.