Book Title: The Love Hypothesis (Hipotesis Cinta)
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, Love, Comedy, Sweet
Language Specialist: Nurkinanti Laraskusuma
Number of Pages: 400 Pages
Publisher: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
ISBN: 978602-0675862
Synopsis
This story revolves around Olive, a 26-year-old woman striving to earn her Ph.D. in Biology at Stanford. Amidst her busy life as a doctoral student, Olive gets caught up in a drama of her own making. It all begins with her intention to convince her best friend, Ahn, that she has moved on from Jeremy—a guy she used to be close to—because Ahn now likes Jeremy.
To convince Ahn, Olive claims to be in a relationship with someone from the university's academic circle. And, in an attempt to provide "proof," one night, out of panic, she impulsively kisses the first man she sees. That man turns out to be Adam Carlsen—a handsome, brilliant young professor who not only holds academic titles but also the title of "killer professor."
Full of anxiety, Olive hopes Adam will forget the incident. But hope remains just that, as the next day, Adam actually greets her while Olive is talking to Ahn. To save face and protect Ahn from a potentially hurtful reality, Olive fabricates a new lie: that Adam is her new boyfriend.
With a 99% chance that Adam will reject her crazy request, Olive bravely asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. She believes she will not only be turned down but might also receive a reprimand or even be expelled from Stanford. However, unexpectedly, Adam agrees to her request.
Adam's help doesn't stop there. When Olive's career as a young researcher is on the verge of collapse, Adam reappears, like a superhero, saving her. Over time, their fake relationship begins to feel real.
This small experiment evolves into something more serious.
Olive finally realizes that love is not as simple as formulating a hypothesis.
The hardest part is not proving love through logic but understanding the contents of her own heart.
About This Book:
The Love Hypothesis is first novel translated (to Indonesia language) by Ali Hazelwood that I have read.
Warning!
This novel contains explicit scenes with an age rating of 17+, so please be a wise reader...
And this novel also slightly touches on the LGBTQ+ theme.
Well, I have often seen this novel floating around on my Instagram Explore page,
but it was still in its original English form.
I hesitated to buy it because we all know that English books can really dry up your wallet...
After about a year of waiting, finally, the Gramedia publisher has translated this Romantic Comedy novel.
By the way, even though it looks "scientific" and raises STEM themes, this novel is not as heavy as we might think. The scenes and terms in science are also not excessive.
We can still enjoy Olive and Adam's love story while smiling to ourselves.
Okay, let's dissect The Love Hypothesis a bit.
The theme of this book is Romance but also wrapped in non-cringey Comedy. The humor often arises from Olive's overthinking about Adam. Another theme raised is feminism, Woman in STEM, which is already familiar but is still a movement and campaign for women to be able and very much allowed to pursue careers and study as high as they want, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics or known by the acronym STEM.
The plot is linear and very page-turning, haha... although many of the scenes can be predicted, the author still manages to package them well and keep us from getting bored with the continuation of the story.
The setting or place in The Love Hypothesis novel takes place in the United States, specifically at Stanford University in California.
The author uses a third-person point of view, which for me is rarely found in Romantic Comedy novels.
The Insight or Moral Message in The Love Hypothesis offers insight into the importance of honesty and how lies can lead to unexpected consequences. This novel also teaches that even if we love someone and are willing to sacrifice for them, we shouldn't neglect ourselves. Besides that, it reminds us of the need to talk to people we trust and not keep everything to ourselves.
What's interesting or liked about this book:
Definitely, because this is one of my favorite genres, hehe... and also the way the author packages each chapter by starting with a Hypothesis according to Olive's feelings. The author also raises the theme of feminism by making the main female character an educated woman pursuing a doctoral degree at one of the prestigious universities in the United States.
The Trope of The Love Hypothesis is "grumpy meets sunshine" and of course "fake dating," which is a duo combo in Romantic Comedy novels.
Oh yeah, i almost forgot, guys...
another thing I like about this novel is none other than the character of Adam Carlsen, who is described by the author as a physically perfect but cold and stern man.
However, after examining the reasons Adam tells Olive for being so serious when it comes to work and his intentions that make him a "killer" professor, it makes us fall even more in love with this man.
Not to mention that (spoiler alert) Adam fell first, and he fell harder >_<
What i dont like about this book:
Hmmm... What could it be? Maybe more towards Olive's naivety, who sometimes can't sniff out or doesn't realize that there are people who intend to harm her, and also Olive's excessive sincerity to the point of sacrificing herself (which, when I think about it, these two traits of Olive that annoy me, I also have them? Haha...)
One more thing that honestly bothered me a bit is that the love story in this novel is sprinkled with LGBTQ+ things, but other than that, so far so like it 🤣
I give it a 4/5 ⭐
For the interesting Trope and character development in this novel.
A little from me, for those who want a relaxed, light but also interesting novel to read,
who like the fake dating trope, you can really, really, really read this novel.....
Alright, wrapping up our exploration of The Love Hypothesis!
Whether you're a sucker for fake dating tropes, a STEM enthusiast, or simply craving a heartwarming and laugh-out-loud read, this book delivers a delightful equation of romance and humor.
So, grab your own, prepare to swoon over Adam Carlsen (we all do!),
and get ready to test your own hypothesis: could this be your next favorite read?
Enjoy my review?
You can also find me on my Instagram account @_ciciii95
#ciiireview ❤️🩷
