The Short Version
The author is Ali Hazelwood, and today’s book is The Love Hypothesis, which now has a movie, and a sequel on the way. Here’s the quick answer. Most of her books stand alone, you can start with The Love Hypothesis, and the film is already streaming. Let’s go through everything.
Where It Started
First, a little history. The Love Hypothesis began as Star Wars fan fiction. Ali Hazelwood first posted the story online in twenty eighteen under a different title, as a story about Rey and Kylo Ren. She then reworked it, with new characters named Olive and Adam, and it was published as a novel in September twenty twenty-one.
Hazelwood has a doctorate in neuroscience and worked as a professor, which is why her romances are set in the world of science and universities. That combination made the book a big hit, and it launched a whole career.
Reading Order
Now the books. Here are her main novels, based on publication lists I checked, in the order they came out.
The Love Hypothesis, in twenty twenty-one. Then Love on the Brain, in twenty twenty-two. In twenty twenty-three came Love, Theoretically, along with a young adult novel, Check and Mate. Then Bride, in twenty twenty-four, which is a paranormal romance. Not in Love came out that same year, and Deep End followed in twenty twenty-five.
She has also written shorter work. There are three novellas, called Under One Roof, Stuck With You, and Below Zero, which came out in twenty twenty-two. And there are more titles in her paranormal series, including a sequel to Bride.
Different lists count these differently, since some include novellas and collections, so check the cover of what you’re buying.
Do You Need To Read In Order?
The good news is, you mostly don’t. Her contemporary romances are standalone stories. Each one has a new couple, a new setting, and a new set of problems, though a few characters do appear in more than one book.
There are two exceptions. Bride is the start of a paranormal series, so read it before its follow-up. And one source suggests reading Not in Love before its companion novella. Beyond that, start wherever the premise grabs you.
Where To Start
If you want my advice, begin with The Love Hypothesis. It is the book that defines her style: fast, funny, full of science jokes, and a lot of heart.
If you liked it, Love on the Brain is the natural next step. It has the same warm tone, and it also features a woman scientist working in a male-dominated field. If you want a change of scenery, try Not in Love or Deep End. And if you like fantasy, Bride is a different flavor entirely.
Remember that her books vary in heat. The Love Hypothesis has several explicit scenes, so check before you gift it.
The Movie
Now the news. The Love Hypothesis was adapted into a film for Prime Video. It started streaming globally on September twenty-third, twenty twenty-six.
Lili Reinhart plays Olive, and she also served as an executive producer. Tom Bateman plays Adam Carlsen. Claire Scanlon directed, and Sarah Rothschild wrote the screenplay. The supporting cast includes Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White, and Arty Froushan.
Filming took place over the summer of twenty twenty-five, and the film was released with a movie tie-in cover for the book. If you want to watch before reading, it keeps the premise: Olive kisses Adam in a hallway to prove she has moved on, and a fake relationship begins.
The Sequel
And here is the part I’m most excited about. Ali Hazelwood has announced a direct sequel. It’s called The Two-Body Problem, and it is described as The Love Hypothesis, Episode Two. According to a report from The A.V. Club, it arrives in bookstores on February second, twenty twenty-seven.
The story follows Adam and Olive over a couple of years, as they handle postdoc life, long distance, and the everyday decisions that real couples face. It’s a smart choice for a sequel, because the first book ends with the beginning of their story.
The same report says a film adaptation of the sequel is being developed by MRC, the producer of the first film. But it also says nothing is guaranteed, so treat that part as a possibility, not a promise.
How To Prepare
So here’s my plan for you. If you haven’t read The Love Hypothesis, read it now, and watch the film after. Then pick up the sequel in February.
If you want my full take, the spoiler-free review is linked here. If you’ve finished the book, my ending explained video is waiting, and so is my fact check of grad school life.
Tell me in the comments: which Ali Hazelwood book is your favorite, and who is your dream cast for Adam?
