Books Like The Love Hypothesis — 10 STEM, Academia & Fake-Dating Reads (2026)

The Love Hypothesis is the book that made fake dating a lab experiment. Olive, a third-year PhD student, kisses the nearest man to convince her best friend she’s moving on — and the nearest man turns out to be Adam Carlsen, the notoriously grumpy young professor everyone in the department is terrified of. To keep the lie afloat they strike a fake-dating deal, and Ali Hazelwood does the thing she does better than anyone: smart people being idiots about their own feelings, a grump who’s secretly been gone for the heroine the whole time, and a STEM setting that actually feels lived-in. Plus that scene, which you already know about if you’ve read it.

The craving it leaves is specific: brainy leads, a fake-dating or forced-proximity hook, a grumpy man soft for exactly one person, and banter with real intelligence behind it. Below are five trad-pub picks in that lane, then five from our own catalog for readers who want the same academia-and-fake-dating charge with the heat turned all the way up. The indie five are free with Kindle Unlimited.

5 Trad-Pub Books Like The Love Hypothesis

1. The Love Hypothesis — Ali Hazelwood

The anchor, and the book that launched a thousand STEM rom-coms. Olive and Adam are the fake-dating-in-academia standard — a heroine with a plan that immediately spirals and a hero whose scary reputation is a thin coat of paint over a man who’s been quietly devoted for years. If you somehow haven’t read it, start here, then work through Hazelwood’s whole catalog (Love on the Brain and Love, Theoretically are next). Get The Love Hypothesis on Amazon →

2. Beach Read — Emily Henry

Swap the lab for two beach houses and you get the same rivals-with-chemistry engine. A burned-out romance writer and her literary-fiction rival dare each other to swap genres for a summer. It’s got the sharp banter, the slow thaw, and the grief-under-the-comedy that makes the Olive-and-Adam dynamic more than just a meet-cute. The gateway Emily Henry, and a perfect next read. Get Beach Read on Amazon →

3. Book Lovers — Emily Henry

For readers who came for the banter most of all. A cutthroat literary agent and a broody editor keep colliding in a small town, sparring their way into something neither planned. It’s the sharpest workplace rivals-to-lovers Henry’s written, with a heroine as prickly and competent as Olive is anxious and brilliant. Different setting, same intelligent-people-falling-hard pleasure. Get Book Lovers on Amazon →

4. Just for the Summer — Abby Jimenez

The contemporary pick for the fake-plan-that-becomes-real crowd. Two people with the same bizarre curse — every ex they have goes on to meet their soulmate right after — team up to date each other and break the pattern. It’s warmer and more emotional than Hazelwood, with the same smart, funny leads and a scheme that curdles beautifully into the real thing. Get Just for the Summer on Amazon →

5. Boyfriend Material — Alexis Hall

The MM entry, and the fake-dating comedy with the sharpest dialogue on this list. Luc and Oliver fake a relationship for mutual PR reasons and fall for real, one disaster dinner party at a time. If the fake-dating mechanics of The Love Hypothesis are what you’re chasing — and you want the banter dialed all the way up — this is the one. Get Boyfriend Material on Amazon →

5 Indie KU Picks That Turn Up the Heat

Hazelwood keeps things relatively low-heat — the tension and the pining do most of the work, and the door mostly stays closed. If you want the same brainy-rivals and fake-dating setups with the door wide open, that’s our catalog’s lane. Five picks below across two pen names, all free with Kindle Unlimited.

6. Hyperfixated on Him — Rowan Black (Brainy Rivals)

The single closest match to the Olive-and-Adam brain-to-brain dynamic we publish. Two whip-smart people who can’t stop competing, a neurodivergent hero who channels everything into the one problem he can’t solve — her — and a rivalry running on the same fuel as the best STEM rom-coms. All the intelligent-people-being-idiots charm of The Love Hypothesis, with heat Hazelwood never puts on the page. Start here. Browse Rowan Black’s catalog →

7. Bone to Pick — Rowan Black (Academia Rivals)

The academia-rivals pick, and the closest to Hazelwood’s campus setting. Two rival paleontologists who’ve been sniping at each other their whole careers get stuck co-leading the same remote dig — one field station, one tent, a decade of professional grudge collapsing into something else. Enemies-with-history is the spicier sibling of fake-dating, and this one’s got the academic-competition tension The Love Hypothesis runs on, plus the only-one-bed to seal it. Read the first chapter free →

8. Twin Flame Protocol — Isla Wilde (Grad School, Professor, MFM)

The academia pick for readers who want the forbidden professor angle taken all the way. Clara is a grad student; the lab partner who’s always loved her and the anonymous professor she’s been falling for online turn out to be tangled in ways none of them can walk back. It’s got the campus setting and the forbidden-faculty charge The Love Hypothesis flirts with, opened up into a why-choose. Isla Wilde does not fade to black. Read the first chapter free →

9. Fake Fiancé, Real Filth — Isla Wilde (Fake Engagement)

The pure fake-dating pick, escalated to a fake engagement. A pretend relationship staged for everyone else’s benefit, a fake ring, and two people who are much better at performing a couple than they are at admitting how little performing is actually involved. If the fake-dating mechanics were your favorite part of The Love Hypothesis, this is that trope at full throttle with the heat wide open. Browse Isla Wilde’s catalog →

10. Office Daddy, Overtime Brat — Isla Wilde (Workplace Age-Gap)

For readers who loved the professor-and-student power gap and want it translated to the working world. An older man in charge, a younger one under him on the org chart, and the tension across that line that neither will admit is anything but professional — right up until it very much isn’t. The forbidden-authority charge of Adam-the-professor, relocated to an office and turned all the way up. Browse Isla Wilde’s catalog →

FAQ

What order do Ali Hazelwood’s books go in?

They’re standalones, so any order works. The publication order of the full-length novels is The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, Love, Theoretically, then Not in Love and Deep End. Most readers who come through The Love Hypothesis go to Love on the Brain next — it’s the closest match.

Is The Love Hypothesis on Kindle Unlimited?

No — Hazelwood’s books are traditionally published at standard pricing. The five indie picks above are all in Kindle Unlimited, which is the cheapest way to binge academia and fake-dating romance.

How spicy is The Love Hypothesis?

Moderate — around a 2 to 3 out of 5. There’s a memorable scene or two, but the book runs mostly on tension and pining. If you want the same brainy-rivals and fake-dating setups with the door open, the five KU picks are built for exactly that.

What should I read after The Love Hypothesis?

Trad-pub: Love on the Brain for more Hazelwood STEM, Beach Read for the rivals-rom-com version. On Kindle Unlimited: Hyperfixated on Him for the brainy-rivals dynamic, Bone to Pick for the academia-rivals setting, Fake Fiancé, Real Filth for the pure fake-dating trope.

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