Dear Reader,
Hypothesis: If two consenting parties enter into a casual fake dating relationship, both are bound to fall in love.
Not saying that a certain Star Wars actor is preparing for a lawsuit at this moment in time . . . but to be fair to him . . . that is his face on the cover of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis.
The first in her series of ‘steminist’ romances, Ali Hazelwood’s debut has rocked social media and fangirls everywhere. No need to grab your nearest lightsaber or blaster, this book (which is totally NOT a fanfic) takes place in the modern world – in the lovely golden state of California to be exact.
Our heroine, Olive Smith, has found herself in quite the predicament. One late night as she casually walks through the halls of her school’s lab– a lie she’s spun to a friend about a date she definitely isn’t on right now–smacks her right in the face. Naturally, she kisses the nearest person. . . the main problem? Her unfortunate partner just happens to be the professor with a reputation she’s been avoiding the past three years. Dr. Adam Carlson is impatient, antagonistic, and downright evil when it comes to the grad students he advises.
Olive - Vanille by Outremer
notes: sugary beverages, smart-ass remarks, and STEM presentations
With two simple and sweet notes - vanilla and cotton candy, Vanille smells like the moody professor spending all his money on your sugary Starbucks order for the semester, staying up all night working on your research in the lab and sharing the last bag of chips. It’s warm and comforting, like a protective hug. And the best part - it’s made for a grad student’s salary.
But after that fateful night in the lab–rumors spread worse than any type of bacteria, and Adam and Olive both find benefit to this idea of pretend dating. Adam wants to get his funding released and prove to the university he isn’t a flight risk, and Olive just wants her best friend, Ahn, to date her ex without feeling guilty of breaking the StemGirl Code.
We all know how a one-time random kiss goes, don’t we? When Adam offers to let the kiss slide, to continue this rouse–Olive is at a loss for words. As a girl who’s seen hundreds of rom-coms she knows how the fake-dating trope plays out and Dr. Adam Carlson is the last man she wants to fall in love with. Her solution? A list of rules that neither can break so that everything between them can remain completely, totally and ethically platonic. Simple.
But of course, the experiment doesn’t go as planned.
Evidence for My Title IX Complaint - Debaser by D.S. & Durga
notes: kissing the grumpy tenured professor, lecture lap sitting, and drive by sunscreen groping
Woody, slightly sweet, and coconut-y like the sunscreen you slather on your fake boyfriend’s ripped back. Debaser opens with a fruity fig note that is fresh, along with a lovely iris note. It follows with the creaminess from the coconut milk note and is rounded out by tonka bean and white woods notes that remind us of smelling the woodsy scent of the anti-social fake boyfriend who wanted to skip the department picnic.
Our sunny and grumpy main characters (the best, truly) are then thrown into some of the most wholesome, but somehow super sexy scenarios. From coffee dates every Wednesday morning to reviewing her lecture slides, and even faculty picnics– Olive starts noticing Adam – how tall, how handsome, how attracted she is to him. It only takes him pushing a car in a fitted black henley, and her seeing his post-run attire to have her start falling for the antagonistic professor.
Adam - Dark Is Night by Henry Rose
notes: black henleys, mouth twitching grins, and making your grad students cry
Strict office hours, speaking dutch in the cool light of the witching hour, and ridiculously large hands brushing yours in a lecture hall–This fragrance begins with the woodsiness of green grass and petrichor before blending with a splash of vanilla sweetness. Like one of our favorite book boyfriends, Adam Driver–Carlson, this scent warms you up like a fireplace, the smell lingering long after the flames have been doused
It all leads up to the conference in Boston, where Olive ends up rooming with Adam, and to her delight (and probably dismay) they are left with two beds instead of one. Thinking they will just be two ships passing in the night, Olive relaxes into the situation as much as she can before she has to tackle her fear of public speaking.
Of course, it wouldn’t be academia without a brutally misogynistic antagonist who comes out of the woodworks and insults Olive, wrecks her plans for the following year, and puts her in a compromising position with Adam.
Fragrance for a Sushi Restaurant - Sun Shower by Skylar
notes: all-you-can-eat buffet, taking off your heels after a long day, and forgetting to pack pajamas
No amount of money or fancy dining options will ever beat the euphoric feeling of watching a conveyor belt deliver sushi right to your seat. When all you want to do is curl up in bed and cry, it’s nice to have a friend, a lover–that humors you with whatever cheap luxuries you drag him towards. With notes of ginger, jasmine, and cedarwood, spray this scent on your wrists and let the antagonistic professor carry you back to your hotel room.
While most of the book is wholesome and tension-filled, the author treats us to one of the best spicy chapters that is well worth the wait. No spoilers, but one thing this book gets right is the grumpy/sunshine trope. Adam and Olive’s partnership throughout the book is mutual, respective, and admirable–there are no haughty fight scenes or the broody hero being an asshole to our heroine. They both have each other’s best interest at heart, and that dear reader is enough to make anyone fall.
A lot of books on the internet that have this level of craze–let’s face it–don’t live up to the hype. And if you haven’t picked it up yet, we know you’re skeptical but to be quite honest the two of us have reread this book a couple of times. It had us swooning, crushing, and rewatching Adam Driver’s entire filmography (In case you’re wondering, no, we will never forgive J.J. Abrams – he knows what he did).
Until next time, find us on Instagram & TikTok.
Scent-cerely,
Cassie & Taylor
P.S. Resolution: Fortune cookies can predict the future. Don’t be afraid to fall in love, someone will catch you