Love, Theoretically

Elsie Hannaway can explain the universe but not her own life. By day, she’s an overworked adjunct professor trying to land a real research job. By night, she’s a paid pretend-partner hired to survive awkward family functions and save face for clients who don’t want to show up solo. Her best client, Greg, is kind, honest, and desperate to keep his private life… private. His older brother? Not so much. Jack Smith-Turner—towering, brilliant, infuriating—is the experimental physicist who once detonated a bomb under theoretical physics. He’s also the person Elsie must impress to snag her dream job at MIT.

When a tense dinner introduces fake-life Elsie to real-life Jack, everything combusts. He recognizes her from Greg’s events, sees straight through her practiced personas, and still can’t look away. Between high-stakes interviews, vicious academic politics, and a go-for-blood family, the two of them end up trapped in close quarters more than once—sharing oxygen, secrets, and an inconveniently ferocious chemistry. As Elsie starts telling the truth—to Jack, to her mentor, to herself—she discovers a better hypothesis for happiness: stop contorting to fit someone else’s equation and learn what she actually wants.

• Fans of smart, STEM-flavored rom-coms with big heart and big banter
• Readers who love grumpy/sunshine dynamics and slow-burn chemistry
• Anyone who’s wrestled with people-pleasing and wants a hopeful, honest arc

Ali Hazelwood is a neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author known for brainy, banter-filled romances. She writes about women in STEM navigating academia, ambition, and love with humor and heart. Her novels blend sharp wit, slow-burn tension, and deeply felt character growth—often with a beloved cat or two nearby.