“He’d clearly never seen a rom-com or read a romance novel in his life.”
As a third-year Ph.D. student, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in meaningful romantic relationships built to stand the test of time. Unfortunately for her, however, her best friend, Anh, does. To convince her friend that she is happily dating, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees: the hotshot young professor, Adam Carlsen. Despite being known as the lab’s tyrant, he agrees to keep their charade a secret and continue acting as her fake boyfriend. But, what happens when these two’s dangerous experiment begins to show signs of a serious chemical reaction? The Love Hypothesis is a contemporary romance series by Ali Hazlewood. If you love stories of fake relationships, playful one-upping, and cutesy nerdish heroes, check out the best books like The Love Hypothesis at What We Reading!
Who Wrote The Love Hypothesis?
Ali Hazlewood is the pen name of an Italian romance novelist and neuroscience professor. She is best known for her contemporary romance stories about women in STEM and academia. The Love Hypothesis was first published in 2021 and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for more than forty weeks. Since 2023, she has paused her academic work to commit to writing full-time.
Ugly Love – Colleen Hoover
First up on our list of the best romantic books like The Love Hypothesis is Colleen Hoover’s Ugly Love. When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows they wouldn’t even consider themselves friends, let alone lovers. What they do have, however, is an undeniable mutual attraction. It should be the perfect set-up. She doesn’t have time for love; he doesn’t want it.
Miles has just two rules for Tate for this arrangement to work: never ask about the past and don’t expect a future. The pair think they can handle it, however, they realise almost immediately how wrong they are. As Tate becomes convinced she’s the one who will be able to mend them both, hearts are broken, rules dismantled and love certainly gets ugly.
Check Out The Best Books Like Ugly Love
The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) – Helen Hoang
For another romance story similar to The Love Hypothesis that deals with charmingly brainy characters, look no further than Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient. Stella Lane thinks that what unites the universe is maths. Using a series of algorithms to predict customer purchases, she becomes significantly wealthier than the average thirty-year-old, but far less experienced when it comes to the dating game. It also doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s.
Deciding that she needs more practice, she hires Michael Phan, a Swedish and Vietnamese stunner who gladly accepts the opportunity to help her tick the boxes on everything from hand-holding to far more intimate proceedings. But, as Stella learns to enjoy his kisses, she finds herself craving all the other things he makes her feel. Before long, their no-nonsense arrangement begins to start making perfect sense to Stella in this heartwarming tale that showcases there’s not enough data to predict what makes your heart tick.
The Spanish Love Deception (Spanish Love Deception #1) – Elena Armas
For another book like The Love Hypothesis that centres around a fake relationship blossoming into something more, check out The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. Catalin Martin is in dire need of a date for her sister’s wedding. Especially since her white lie about her non-existent American boyfriend has led to everyone expecting him to be there.
With four weeks to go before the wedding, enter Aaron Blackford – her tall, handsome, and utterly condescending colleague. He offers to step in for her, even though the two make each other’s blood boil. Nevertheless, Catalina’s desperation gets the better of her and she agrees. As the wedding draws closer, she even begins to realize that Aaron may not be as aggravating and intolerable outside of the office as he is in it.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Spanish Love Deception
The Soulmate Equation (DNA Duo #1) – Christina Lauren
The Soulmate Equation is another bingeworthy STEM romance read like The Love Hypothesis. Christina Lauren’s 2021 book introduces readers to single mom Jess Davis, a data whiz who has sworn off the world of dating after her ex left her before her daughter’s birth. Until she hears about GeneticAlly, a new DNA-based matchmaking company that promises to find one’s soulmate based on pure numbers.
Similar to Ali Hazlewood’s work, this is the sort of logic-based reasoning that this love-shy protagonist can get behind. At least, that’s what she thought before she is paired with GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Pena. Stuck-up and aloof, she’s convinced he could never be the one for her. But, as the company drags the pair from date to date, she slowly begins to realize that there may be more to this scientist and the science behind a soulmate than she had first realized.
Dating Dr. Nil (If Shakespeare Was An Auntie #1) – Nisha Sharma
Kareena Mann dreams of having a love story like her parents, but would much rather restore her vintage car than rely on a dating app. When her father announces that he’s selling her mother’s home, Kareena strikes up a deal with him: he’ll gift her the house if she can get engaged in four months. Her quest for her soulmate hits an unexpected snag however when her argument with Dr. Prem Verma, host of the Dr. Dil Show, goes viral.
For Dr. Verma, his show was his ticket to funding a local health centre. Until his argument with Kareena ruined that. But, he is presented with a lifeline when her meddling aunts offer to fund the surgery if he convinces Kareena he is her soulmate. Dating Dr. Nil explores love matches and arranged matches, following Prem and Kareena as they struggle to admit that their initial fate may have given way to fate.
Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) – Chloe Liese
Only When It’s Us is a new adult frenemies-to-lovers romance story where author Chloe Liese explores the vulnerabilities love brings with her heart and humour.
From the moment Willa sat next to Ryder in class, she’s made it crystal clear she hates him. The reasons are a mystery to him, but he doesn’t mind. She’s the next star of women’s football, and he’s the arrogant flannel-wearing enigma. When they are forced into working together for their final project, their slow-burning tension soon begins to develop, however, through a series of pranks and practical jokes. But, their competitive side gradually leads them to realise that it is each other’s heart that they’re looking to win.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters #3) – Talia Hibbert
In the third book in The Brown Sisters trilogy, Eve Brown crashes unwittingly into the life of uptight B&B owner, Jacob Wayne. Eve has always strived to do the right thing, but somehow always finds a way to make things go wrong. Her parents draw the line, telling her it is time to grow up and prove herself, though she isn’t sure how.
Enter Jacob, the owner of a bed and breakfast who is always in control and expects perfection. So when the wild purple-haired Eve turns up looking for the position of head chef at his B&B, he hits her with the brutal home truth: no chance. Then she hits him with her car, breaks his arm and leaves his establishment short-staffed. Doing her best to help, his natural-born nemesis soon begins to brighten his life in this hilarious opposites-attract story. Like The Love Hypothesis, the heat that grows between them soon becomes impossible to ignore as their animosity blossoms into something new.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
