Book Review: "Love, Theoretically" by Ali Hazelwood

 

4/5 stars  

*Spoiler alert!*

You’d think that by now, having a good idea of Ali Hazelwood’s romance novel plot lines that I would have gotten sick of it. Well, nope! I’m back again after binging yet another STEM romance by Hazelwood, this time her latest, Love, Theoretically. I’m here for the handsome nerds that are raising women's expectations of men into the stratosphere, I’m here for the protagonist finding her own power, and, of course, the calling out of racist and sexist bullshit in STEM and beyond.

 

Dr. Elsie Hannaway, a theoretical physicist, is sick of having to commute to multiple colleges and teach multiple courses to graduate students every week. She jumps at the opportunity to interview for a better position that would get her health insurance and pay her enough to afford her insulin—as she’s a Type 1 diabetic—instead of having to ration said insulin. And instead of having to supplement her meager income with a side gig with a fake dating app. This job could lead to a future position in which she can focus on her research, because she loathes teaching and fake dating, where she must tailor herself to whatever people want or expect of her.  

Of course, the interview process is bound to be uphill, considering murky academic politics are at work and, as part of the interview, Elsie must teach a physics lecture to the class normally taught by her academia arch nemesis, Dr. John Turner-Smith. The same experimental physicist whose article in an esteemed physics journal trashed her very profession.

 

“Guy being the operative word. Because when you’re a woman talking about your research, there are anywhere between one and a million STEMlords ready to exploit every little weakness—every little sign that you’re not a lean, mean science machine. The you people want is sharp, impeccable, perfect enough to justify your intrusion in a field that for centuries has been ‘rightfully’ male. But not too perfect, because apparently only ‘stone-cold bitches’ are like that, and they do not make for congenial, affable colleagues. STEM culture has been a boys’ club for so long, I often feel like I can be allowed to play only if I follow the rules men made. And those rules? They downright suck.” 

The rules do indeed suck. Not to mention, Elsie is twisting herself into pretzels to be what the faculty want of her. As much as she doesn’t like tailoring herself to the situation or person, she is very good at it, because of childhood trauma and emotionally manipulative parents.  

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Or makes you resent your pathological inability to set boundaries, one or the two.”

 

While Elsie doesn’t like to look her psychological issues in the face, preferring compartmentalization—I get it, I’ve done this many times myself—her interactions with Turner-Smith and their uneasy relationship force the issue.

 

“‘It’s easier like that, isn’t it? [...] Never showing anyone who you really are. [...] That way if something goes wrong, if someone rejects you, then it’s not about you, is it? When you’re yourself, that’s when you’re exposed. Vulnerable.’” 

Because I know the drill, enemies to lovers and all that, Elsie and Jack get closer and start admitting their feelings for each other. It was cute, it was steamy, and it was real. At times, Jack served as therapist to Elsie—having been to therapy himself because of a less than ideal upbringing—and I can’t imagine the emotional labor involved. 

The nerdy banter between them? Gold. I was proud to understand most of the references.  

“Have you considered that maybe you’re already the way I want you to be? That maybe there are no signals because nothing needs to be changed.”

 

“‘I don’t want to be work. I don’t want you to feel that I’m work.’ 
‘Somewhere along the way your wires got crossed. Your brain decided that you’re not worth people’s time and effort, and that if you ask for anything, they won’t just say no, they’ll also leave you. That’s not how love works, Elsie.’” 

Remember how Jack was psychoanalyzing Elsie? Well, Elsie ends up getting health insurance and going to therapy. Good for her! Honestly, we all need therapy. Even more than the other protagonists in Hazelwood’s novels, I really connected with Elsie—minus Elsie’s love for Twilight and Bella-Alice fanfiction. (Well, no one’s perfect and the fanfiction somewhat redeems her on this front.) I’ve struggled with mental health and the battle to be more assertive with setting boundaries for my wellbeing. With Elsie, I felt seen.  

“I’m a mess. A work in progress. I’m two steps forward and one step back. I hoard my cheese, and I can’t efficiently load the dishwasher, and I’m going to struggle with the truth until the day I croak. 
Jack knows all of this, and he loves me. Not anyway, but because.”

 

And now, in the middle of a book hangover, I realize I must wait till the summer for Hazelwood’s next STEM-inspired romance. Why did I burn through the first three of her novels in a month? Why am I like this? Anyways, I will have to try and be patient. 

Happy reading! 

--BookOwl