Love, Theoretically shouldn’t have floored me as much as it did, but I was hanging onto every word Ali Hazelwood wrote in this wonderful romance novel of hers. There’s disability rep with our main character Elsie, not just as a character in a novel but in a romance novel at that, we return to the world of academia and trying to make a living off it (so looking forward to it after my PhD), and we have a plot that is gripping and nail-biting and will have you crying over the pages saying “oh, Elsie”. What’s not to love?

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 broody 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. The same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, 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?

In terms of main plot, it is an entertaining and emotional immersive experience. There’s background to hook us in, tension to keep us on our toes, personal attachment to the characters to lock us in place, and an institutional system that serves as the painfully perfect setting for this high-stakes battle of people pleasing and persuasive academic skills. Throw in a budding romance plot with a murky sense of friendship and understanding and some awesome supporting characters that really round out the social atmosphere surrounding Elsie and Jack and you have this incredible novel. There is so much to love here and when I say I was invested I am not lying.

Sweet Elsie is a gem of a character and I cannot believe she made me cry after only half a book. She deserves so much love and respect and I was empathising with her from the get-go. Being a teaching assistant for one class is hard enough, and I was both laughing and seething over the emails from students. Jack is one of those characters you know you shouldn’t like instantly but everything about him is just giving green flag. His care for his brother and his grandmother, his academic prowess, his attentiveness and the way he wears his heart on his sleeve. That last point may not be so obvious, and maybe I am seeing something that isn’t there, but I felt like I could see his love for Elsie the moment it arrived and every action he did was an extension of that, even when it hurt him. The big reveal broke me, not just because of Elsie, but Jack’s reaction too. Cece is awesome and I wish I had a roommate and best friend like her. She will forever be iconic.

The themes in Love, Theoretically are raw and jarring for those who may not be familiar with academia and work within the sector. Adding into that mix the chronic illness/disability healthcare perspective and you have a novel that hits harder than you thought possible. The struggle in academia is real, especially when you are really passionate about the subject you are researching/teaching, and having pressing financial pressure and constant healthcare requirements looming over you I imagine is much like living a dream that has morphed into a nightmare. These themes and topics made the read feel rooted in reality and all the more interesting. I hope Ali Hazelwood continues to include overlooked human experiences like this in her works to bring awareness to the problems people face in these fields.

Love, Theoretically is a fantastic read and I highly encourage all romance readers out there to pick it up if you haven’t already. If it is on your TBR then shift it to the top so it is your next read. If you have a friend who hasn’t read it yet then lend them your book or hack into their library account and request it for them. I’m kidding on that last point, but I really do recommend this book.