This book wonderfully balances comedy, science, and romance in such a way that kept me entranced from beginning to end. 

Hazelwood does an excellent job of covering the challenges involved with being a BIPOC woman in science. Olive struggles to be taken seriously and constantly has to prove herself worthy of being in the field with many white older men. This book is excellent at the concept of being a mirror for some and a window for others. 

The tension Hazelwood is able to create feels palpable. I truly adored the moments when Olive and Adam were forced together.  Seeing the moments where Anh encourages them to act lovey-dovey was incredibly hilarious. Particularly the sunscreen scene (I seriously almost listened to that one twice, it is just that good). 

Every character in this book was fantastically written. From best friends to the antagonist, they all contributed to the plot and entertainment value of the story. I wish I could've seen even more of them and how their presence and meddling impacted things for the fake couple.  

The one area I thought was lacking was more of Adam's feelings. There is a lot of getting to know Adam with everything except for how he feels about things. 

This book had way more actual plot than I was expecting. I love that Olive and Adam had to really go through some trials and tribulations to get to the point where they knew they needed to address everything.  

One of my favorite parts was the great roasting of Tom by all of the characters. I found myself quite literally laughing and fist-pumping because all of it was so well-deserved.

This book does contain open-door spice. That said, it can be skipped without missing anything particularly important to the plot. 

Overall, this is one of the top romances in my eyes. While not quite at the level of giving me that 5-star feeling, I highly highly recommend it. All of the characters are fantastic and there is so much plot for readers to immerse themselves in. It is also genuinely funny a lot of the time which adds to the appeal!

Please see my blog for a more in-depth review:  https://readintowonderland.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-love-hypothesis.html