Ali Hazelwood, an Italian author and former neuroscience professor, is best known for her contemporary romance novels set in a world of STEM and academia. Her debut novel, The Love Hypothesis, took the Booktok community by storm, throwing her into the spotlight as one of the most popular romance authors today. Since then, she has published six more novels and four novellas. Her books are impulsively consumable, perfectly blending kicking-your-feet romance, sharp humor, tension, and a glimpse into the STEM world. Here are my five favorite books from the Ali Hazelwood world.
- Deep End
Deep End, Hazelwood’s most recent release, is set in Stanford and dives into the high-stakes world of competitive swimming. It follows Scarlett Vandermeer, a platform diver recovering from her near-career-ending injury, and Lukas Blomqvist, a world champion swimmer with a seemingly perfect life — until one of his secrets surfaces, that is. They figure that a short-term fling is the answer to their problems, but as the pressure for the Olympics builds, training stress and late nights lead to something unexpectedly real.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite Ali Hazelwood book thus far. What makes it stand out is the care with which Hazelwood handles the issues at the center of this book. Scarlett and Lukas’s bond is built on trust, communication, and mutual respect, and it’s refreshing to see such a healthy relationship develop on page. The emotional depth and authentic love between them made the romance that much better.
Scarlett is easily one of the best FMCs (female main characters) I’ve read in Hazelwood’s books — she’s relatable, sweet, and caring, which makes her the perfect match to Lukas’s grumpier personality (grumpy x sunshine, anyone?). This book also features amazing banter, chemistry, yearning, and the kind of lines that have a girl screaming at 2 in the morning. Deep End is truly a masterpiece.
- Check & Mate
While Hazelwood is best known for her new adult contemporary romances, Check & Mate shifts gears into the young adult genre, revolving around the world of competitive chess. Mallory Greenleaf, who decides that she’s absolutely done with chess after it tore her family apart, begrudgingly agrees to one last match — in which she beats Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion. The last thing Mallory expects is for Nolan to want to play her again, but inadvertently, that’s the only thing he wants. With cash prizes on the line, Mallory keeps playing. As she rises in the ranks, Mallory finds herself caught in the spotlight with the very person she can’t draw away from — Nolan.
Though this book strays from Hazelwood’s normal works, it’s still full of her characteristic smart writing, witty banter, tension, references to chess that you may not completely understand but will make you feel clever anyway, and an absolutely fluffy, cute romance (touch-take rule.. if you know you know).
Perhaps the only drawback is the Gen-Z references, which weren’t a big bother for me but may be for other readers. Still, the romance more than makes up for it (not to mention the cover. If there’s any book you should judge by its cover, make it this one).
- The Love Hypothesis
The book that started it all, The Love Hypothesis stars Olive Smith, who’s determined to prove to her friend that she’s perfectly capable of being in a romantic relationship, which leads to her impulsively kissing none other than infamously grumpy Dr. Adam Carlsen. To her surprise, Adam agrees to a fake relationship with her for his own reasons, but as they get to know each other more (and Olive starts enjoying their coffee dates a little too much), she realizes that maybe their fake relationship isn’t so fake after all.
While The Love Hypothesis may seem like your usual grumpy x sunshine, fake dating (with a dash of workplace romance, forced proximity, and other delicious tropes) romance book, its setting in a STEM world sets it apart. It’s more than just your regular romance — it also mentions important societal issues. In particular, Hazelwood sheds light on gender discrimination within STEM, showing how women often aren’t as valued. The book discusses the issue of speaking out and finding the courage to face people with more power. Olive faces a character who discriminates against her, going as far as attempting to blackmail her. But she shines in the world of scientific research, proving that women belong in science just as much as anyone else.Not to mention, she’s witty, hilarious, sweet, and loves pumpkin spice.
Olive and Adam’s relationship progresses slowly as they get to know each other, resulting in tension and a wholesome, sweet romance. The Love Hypothesis stands out as one of the best romances I’ve ever read.
- Love, Theoretically
Elsie Hannaway is living a double life — by day, she’s a professor stuck with teaching thermodynamics and grading endless papers; at night, she’s a fake girlfriend for hire, ready to embody whatever persona her clients wish. One night, she meets Jack Smith while on a job as a fake girlfriend to his brother — and Jack happens to be the very person standing between her and her dream job at MIT. Not to mention, he’s also the person who destroyed her mentor’s career and the reputation of theorists everywhere. Elsie is prepared to fight for this job, but when rivalry becomes longing stares and sizzling tension, Elsie can’t ignore her feelings towards Jack.
As usual, I loved the science-y aspect (and even though I couldn’t understand anything about theoretical physics, it in no way took away from this book). Elsie is one of the most real and relatable FMCs Hazelwood has written, primarily because she’s a people-pleaser — which only makes it all the sweeter when she begins to drop her guard around Jack (who, by the way, is the sweetest and so supportive). This book has all my favorite tropes rolled into one (academic rivals to lovers, slow burn, banter, and he falls first) and is one of my favorites by Hazelwood. I honestly found it painful to put it this low.
- Not in Love
Firstly, the cover. I’m in love.
Not in Love is quite different from the other books that Hazelwood has written since it leans less romcom and more slow-burn emotional romance. However, it’s still just as compelling. It follows Dr. Rue Siebert, an engineer at Kline, and Eli Killgore, who works for a rival company, Harkness. When Rue and Eli meet on a dating app, they initially have a no-strings-attached relationship, but over time, they find themselves falling in love while they get to know each other. However, Rue soon discovers that Harkness is plotting to take down Kline — a revelation that turns their relationship into a ticking clock, one that will stop when one company wins.
Rue has arguably the driest humor of all of Hazelwood’s FMCs, and while this book isn’t quite a romcom, she still made me laugh a good amount. And if there’s one thing about an Ali Hazelwood book, it’s that she’ll always create the most down bad men — Eli Killgore being no exception. He cooks, cleans, and basically worships the ground she walks on.
I found Not in Love special because it featured emotionally vulnerable characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. Both Eli and Rue had so much baggage, but they found each other and worked through it together, which is what makes Not in Love one of my top 5 Ali Hazelwood novels. I just didn’t love it as much as the others on this list.
No matter what you’re in the mood for, whether it’s a STEM romcom about fake dating, a short novella, a chess-centered romance, or even a werewolf love story (see Bride), Ali Hazelwood has a wide variety of books that are sure to entice any reader. I would absolutely recommend her books.
