Every year on January 1st, I try my best to pick a genre of book that I will explore for the upcoming year. It’s something that has benefited my life in many ways. I have become more educated, a better speaker, a better thinker, I’ve even become more productive overall. My genre of reading this year is romance. It is one of my favorite genres and one I have explored in the past. I am revisiting the genre because I feel that it gives me the most joy and satisfaction, and that is something that everybody needs. So in the coming bits and pieces of this article, you will see my personal top three romance novels, to give you joy and satisfaction, in our year 2024 - and just a hint (they are all by Ali Hazelwood).
Overview: I could go on and on and on about this book for years, and never get tired. The Love Hypothesis is about a third year Ph.D candidate named Olive Smith, who has no interest in a long term relationship, but her best friend does. That is exactly what gets her into a sticky situation. Olive went on one date with a guy, and realized she didn’t wanna be with him, but a year later- Anh has feelings for him. Purely out of girl code, Anh will not date the man at all, and risks her chance at a “happily ever after” by pushing him away, even though Olive has no interest in him at all. Olive on a whim, only to prove she had moved on from the man- kisses the first guy she sees. The man she kissed on a whim happens to be Adam Carlson- a young, “Hot” professor and a well known “meanie”, who also happens to be her mortal enemy. Which is why Olive is so surprised when Adam agrees to keep her charade a secret and pretend to be her fake boyfriend. But with a science conference that goes haywire, and Olive’s career on the line, will it all just stay a charade? Or will it grow to something more?
Review: This book is my all time favorite, the twists and turns of Adam and Olive’s whirlwind romance keep you interested the entire time. The science of the novel never gives you an ounce of confusion even though Hazelwood is known for the use of “Women in S.T.E.M” in her novels. Hazelwood brings the perfect swirl of romance and girlhood, all while finding ways to turn up the heat between Adam and Olive.
Overview: Theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway has many lives. By day she is an adjunct professor, grading labs and tirelessly teaching in hopes of landing tenure. By night, Elsie makes up for a nonexistent teaching paycheck by becoming a “fake girlfriend”, tapping into her people-pleasing skills to make herself into the “perfect girlfriend” her clients need. It’s all a pretty sweet gig, until Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentors career and undermined the reputation theorists all over the world. He also happens to be the main overseer of the physics department at MIT, which makes him the buffer between Elsie and her dream job. Do Jack and Elsie stay enemies? Or do they become friends, or even more?
Review: This book was fantastic, it really opened my eyes to things I was feeling as well. The mental turmoil that Elsie felt through the book was a wake up call to the reality we live in, and it was nice to see the way that Jack helped her through it all. This was a truly beautiful romance story, and I cannot believe how Ali Hazelwood truly hits the nail on the head every single time. In my opinion it is a 10/10 and a must read in the romance world.
Overview: Bee Königswasser, a purple haired, vegan, Star Wars-loving brain theorist was offered her dream job at NASA. She would never, in a million years, hesitate to take that NASA job, it would never even cross her mind to turn it down until she found out that the lead on the project was Levi Ward. Levi, who seemed to hate her through the entirety of grad school, Levi who seems to hate her now! But when she “damsel in distresses” her way into his arms, and looks into his soul piercing eyes, she realizes that, maybe she doesn’t hate him much at all. Her equipment is missing, her staff hates her, and Bee finds her floundering career in a big pickle. But when Bee swears she could see Levi’s eyes linger, backing her plays, and actually helping her, she realizes that they may not be enemies after all. Will they hate each other forever? Will they be friends? Will they be more?
Review: The emotional adventure this book took me on is completely off the chain, I was laughing, I was crying, I was even astonished by the end. The way Ali Hazelwood ties in characters from past novels makes me giggle and kick my feet, especially when she gives us an epilogue for the other couples within a new story. This book is so good, and so worth the time it takes to dive into the story, I swear once you pick it up, you will never, ever wanna put it down. Hazelwood strikes again, and I am not at all surprised.
Conclusion:
Ali Hazelwood has over 10 novels, I have read them all, and not one of them is subpar in the slightest. She exceeds my expectations every single time I pick up one of her novels, I have reread them time and time again,and every word I read, every chapter, every page - I discover a detail that I never realized. I love her, and all of her work, I really hope that there is more to come in the future. She is the perfect author for when you need a pick me up in life to get motivated and moving, which is why I feel her books are perfect for reading in the start of 2024.