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Quick answer: If you loved The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, try Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
The Love Hypothesis follows Olive Smith, a Stanford biology PhD student who kisses the first man she sees to convince her friend she’s dating. That man is Adam Carlsen, a famously harsh young professor, and he agrees to a fake relationship. With nerdy jokes, academic settings and a hero who is far softer than he looks, it became a BookTok favorite. The picks below feature scientists, fake dating, smart heroines and grumpy-sunshine pairs. Most are adult romances with some explicit scenes.
Table of Contents
Why Readers Love The Love Hypothesis
Readers love The Love Hypothesis because it celebrates women in science. Ali Hazelwood, a neuroscientist herself, fills the book with lab life, conference panic and the pressure of academia, while showing the sexism women face. Olive is funny and awkward, Adam is tall, gruff and secretly devoted, and the fake-dating rules create plenty of tension. The book started a wave of STEM romances, and Hazelwood has written many more with similar heroines.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick below shares at least one thing readers loved about The Love Hypothesis: its characters, its mood, its setting or the questions it raises. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious choices, and we noted the genre and who each book suits best in the table, so you can scan for the right fit before you read the blurbs.
We kept every description spoiler-free and flagged mature content where it matters, since some of these books are written for adults and others suit teens. If you’re not sure where to start, the tips near the end of this list match each pick to what you loved most. The FAQ at the bottom answers the questions readers ask most often.
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love on the Brain | Ali Hazelwood | Romance | More Hazelwood |
| Love, Theoretically | Ali Hazelwood | Romance | Physicist heroines |
| The Soulmate Equation | Christina Lauren | Romance | Science matchmaking |
| The Kiss Quotient | Helen Hoang | Romance | Smart, awkward heroines |
| The Spanish Love Deception | Elena Armas | Romance | Fake dating |
| The Bride Test | Helen Hoang | Romance | Emotional slow burn |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | Fiction | Women in science |
| Check and Mate | Ali Hazelwood | YA romance | Teen readers |
| Not in Love | Ali Hazelwood | Romance | Steamier Hazelwood |
| The Hating Game | Sally Thorne | Romance | Grumpy heroes |
| Get a Life, Chloe Brown | Talia Hibbert | Romance | Funny heroines |
| Mr. Wrong Number | Lynn Painter | Romance | Laugh-out-loud fun |
| Funny Story | Emily Henry | Romance | Fake dating |
| Twice Shy | Sarah Hogle | Romance | Shy heroes |
| The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren | Romance | Enemies to lovers |
1. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
A neuroscientist co-leads a NASA project with her grad school nemesis. It’s funny, nerdy and swoony.
2. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
A theoretical physicist who fake-dates for money meets the experimental physicist who ruined her career.
3. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
A statistician takes a DNA-based matchmaking test and is matched with the company’s grumpy founder.
4. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
An autistic economist hires an escort to teach her about intimacy. It’s sweet and steamy.
5. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Catalina takes her annoying coworker to her sister’s wedding in Spain. It’s a slow burn with lots of banter.
6. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
An autistic man’s mother finds him a bride in Vietnam. It’s tender and funny.
7. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A 1960s chemist becomes the star of a cooking show. It’s not a romance first, but it celebrates women scientists.
8. Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood
A teen chess player clashes with a chess champion. It’s Hazelwood’s clean YA novel.
9. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
A food scientist has a secret relationship with the man trying to take over her company. It’s more explicit.
10. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Two rival assistants compete for a promotion. It’s a classic of rival banter.
11. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
A woman with chronic illness makes a get-a-life list. It’s funny and warm.
12. Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
A wrong-number text leads to a flirty romance with her brother’s best friend. It’s silly and fun.
13. Funny Story by Emily Henry
Two jilted people fake-date to get back at their exes. It’s sweet and funny.
14. Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle
A daydreamer and an anxious groundskeeper share an inherited house. It’s cozy and sweet.
15. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Two enemies pretend to be married on a free Hawaii honeymoon. It’s playful and fun.
How to Pick Your Next STEM Romance
- Want more Hazelwood? Love on the Brain and Love, Theoretically.
- Want science matchmaking? The Soulmate Equation.
- Want neurodivergent heroes? The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test.
- Want fake dating? The Spanish Love Deception and Funny Story.
- Reading with a teen? Check and Mate.
- Want women in science, not romance? Lessons in Chemistry.
Ali Hazelwood Books in Order
Ali Hazelwood’s adult novels are The Love Hypothesis (2021), Love on the Brain (2022), Love, Theoretically (2023), Not in Love (2024) and Deep End (2025). She has also written a YA novel, Check and Mate, the novella collection Loathe to Love You and the paranormal romance Bride. Her books are standalones, though a few characters cross over. Most have explicit scenes, with Not in Love and Deep End being the steamiest, while Check and Mate is clean.
Related: books like Book Lovers and books like Lessons in Chemistry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What book is most like The Love Hypothesis?
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood is the closest match, followed by The Soulmate Equation.
Is The Love Hypothesis spicy?
Yes, it has explicit scenes, mostly in the second half of the book.
Is there a clean Ali Hazelwood book?
Check and Mate is a YA novel without explicit scenes.