"I have vivid memories of first seeing Ali Hazelwood’s debut novel, The Love Hypothesis. It was on BookTok, and a creator was holding up the admittedly cutely animated cover featuring the two main characters kissing with various science paraphernalia behind them. I immediately scrolled past that video for a few reasons. One, I hadn’t yet grown to actually like that cover art style yet. Two, I couldn’t care less for science. And three, I really didn’t read romance. At all.
I didn’t think about Ali Hazelwood or her books for several years. And then, earlier this year, she released Bride, her first foray into the fantasy genre. Suddenly, my interest was piqued. Fantasy is my preferred genre, after all. I went into Bride with almost no expectations and ended up devouring the story in just a few short days. That reading experience spiraled into a several-month-long frenzy wherein I read every single Ali Hazelwood book I could get my hands on. To put it simply, I haven’t been this excited about an author’s collective works since I first got my hands on Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR series.
So, if you’re looking for the short answer, it’s yes, Ali Hazelwood’s books are worth the hype. But if you want to know exactly why they are and where to start, here’s my full Ali Hazelwood guide:
Do you have to read Ali Hazelwood’s books in order?
Nope! Some charactes in the STEMinist novels appear or are mentioned in other books, but they’re not central to the plot in any way. They’re blink-and-you’ll-miss it references that will make you smile when you catch them. So, if you’re trying to figure out where to start with Ali Hazelwood’s books, choose the one that sounds the most interesting to you. Once you finish, I guarantee you’ll be back for the rest of her works.
Are Ali Hazelwood’s books spicy?
It depends entirely on the book! I’ve included ratings and explanations for those ratings below. Generally, you can expect sex to occur on page in every Ali Hazelwood book, except for Check & Mate, which is classified as Young Adult. In Hazelwood’s adult books, the expliciteness of the sex scenes varies, but Bride and Not in Love are the most graphic.
Our review of every Ali Hazelwood book
1. The Love Hypothesis
Goodreads Rating: 4.14 out of 5 (1,455,330 ratings)
Spice level: 2/5, 1-2 explicit, but mild sex scenes
I’ll admit I firmly categorized The Love Hypothesis as not for me the first time I saw it. But I was so wrong. I’ve been on a rom-com kick lately, and I owe it all to The Love Hypothesis. After picking up Bride, I decided I needed to read all of Ali Hazelwood’s books and picked up her debut next. Truthfully, I let the knowledge that it was her debut temper my expectations, but I loved every moment of this book. It’s a light, easy, quick romance that had me giggling and kicking my feet for days. I thought I’d be held up by the fact that this romance has a STEM backdrop (as do most of Hazelwood’s catalog), but Hazelwood writes the scientific elements in an extremely accessible and engaging way. While reading The Love Hypothesis, I felt myself romanticizing my college days and wanting way more from Ali Hazelwood.
In an effort to convince her best friend that she’s totally fine and happy, even, third-year Ph.D. candidate Olive kisses the first man she sees. That just happens to be Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support.
“The Love Hypothesis made me tear up and cry, and it wasn’t even the romance that did it! I am just such a sucker for wholesome and supportive friendships, it definitely made me want to read more by Ali Hazelwood in the future.”
— Bella Gil, Associate Commerce Editor
2. Love on the Brain
Goodreads Rating: 3.92 out of 5 (477,341 ratings)
Spice level: 2/5, 1-2 explicit, but mild sex scenes
After reading The Love Hypothesis, I found myself wanting more of Ali Hazelwood’s tried-and-true formula: scientists in love. So I immediately dove into her second novel, Love on the Brain. With Love on the Brain, Ali Hazelwood doesn’t reinvent the wheel—and that’s exactly what fans of The Love Hypothesis will want. Hazelwood’s romances are kind of addicting and the STEM series, specifically, hits a lot of the same tropes from book to book. Quirky, wicked smart heroine? Check. Inexplicably handsome and antagonistic love interest? Check. Women in STEM fighting tooth and nail against their extremely sexist industry? Every single time. Love on the Brain is essentially the same book as The Love Hypothesis with a different skin. But if you ask me, that’s exactly why it works.
Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? This line of thinking is what lands her at her dream job: leading a neuroengineering project at NASA. The only problem, her co-lead is Levi Ward. Sure, Levi is insanely attractive and caught her in his arms like a romance novel hero when she fell on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school, and it’s going to be very hard for these two archenemies to work together. To make matters worse, Bee’s equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and she finds her career floundering. When Levi begins softening into an ally, turning Bee into a mess of confused feelings, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?
3. Love, Theoretically
Goodreads Rating: 4.11 out of 5 (427,042 ratings)
Spice level: 2/5, 1-2 explicit, but mild sex scenes
Love, Theoretically really shows Hazelwood’s development as an author—and while reading it, I repeatedly said to myself that this was her best yet and my favorite of the STEM series. After reading all of her books, that holds true. I love The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain because they’re lighthearted and quick to read. Love, Theoretically has a depth to its characters I wasn’t expecting but deeply appreciated. This was my fourth Ali Hazelwood book and the one that made me realize Hazelwood would be an auto-buy author for me going forward. It was still very much the fun rom-com I wanted it to be, but I also got lost in the story and found it unputdownable.
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor hoping to land tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, embodying whichever version of herself her client needs. When the older brother of her favorite client, Jack Smith, turns out to be the same Jack Smith who ruined her mentor’s career and is on the hiring committee for Elsie’s dream job, her two lives come crashing down. Jack is adamantly against Elsie landing this job, and Elsie is already committed to making his life hell when she moves into the office down the hall. As Elsie gets further and further along in the interview process, she realizes Jack isn’t the only person standing in her way. In fact, Jack might actually be on her side.
“As someone on a constant quest to find adorably cheesy romance books that don’t cross over into cringe-worthy territory, Ali Hazelwood is one of my go-to authors. Every book she releases is a must-read for me. Don’t get me wrong, I have my favorites (spoiler alert: The Love Hypothesis is number one), and not every book earns that coveted five-star rating, but she is still one of my fav romance authors. Somehow, she makes science the sexiest, most romantic topic, and I’m here for it.”
— Lauren Blue, Editorial Intern
4. Loathe to Love You
Goodreads Rating: 3.87 out of 5 (57,510 ratings)
Spice level: 2/5, 1-2 explicit, but mild sex scenes
By the time I read this novella collection in my Ali Hazelwood journey, I was desperate for any additional STEM rom-com crumbs I could get. These three interconnected yet distinct love stories each play on a classic romance trope or two in fun ways. My favorite was the second, Stuck with You, which features a soccer-loving main character who gets stuck in an elevator with her one-night stand gone wrong, but each story is equally delightful (and chaotic). This is the kind of collection that’s perfect for the summer because you can read one novella in a single sitting (say at the beach, on your porch, or poolside).
In this collection of three novellas, three engineer besties navigate life post-Grad across the world, reconnecting to vent via FaceTime and IRL when their rivals threaten their sanity—and their hearts.
5. Check & Mate
Goodreads Rating: 3.98 out of 5 (210,896 ratings)
Spice level: 1/5, sex is discussed, but largely happens off page
We leave the world of women in STEM behind in favor of another frustratingly misogynistic industry in Check & Mate: Chess. This is Ali Hazelwood’s Young Adult debut, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I was going to like it. At 30, I find it nearly impossible to relate to 18-year-olds. And I was right. I didn’t relate to Mallory and Nolan, but I did fall head-over-heels in love with them. That’s the power of Ali Hazelwood. You might think a book about two chess-playing teens has nothing for you, but Ali infuses it with such tension and depth that by the end, you’re crying, cheering, and pumping your fist in the air like you just won the Chess World Championship. This is a story about chess, yes, but it’s also about young love, misplaced guilt, and healing. I was not expecting Check & Mate to hit as hard as it did, but if I had to rank Ali Hazelwood’s books, it would challenge for the top spot.
After chess led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory set it aside forever. When she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament, she comes face-to-face with the current world champion, Nolan Sawyer, and absolutely destroys him. Nolan’s loss to an unknown rookie shocks the chess world. What’s even more confusing? His desire to face her again. With much-needed cash prizes on the line (and a rekindled love for the game she tries to ignore), Mallory begins rocketing up the ranks, and the only person who can keep up with her is the infuriatingly attractive, intelligent, and frustrating Nolan.
“I’m new to the Ali Hazelwood club and it’s safe to say I’m hooked. While some of the books have checked my boxes more than others, her unique storylines keep me coming back for more. If you live for a good spin on a classic trope, these academic plot lines will be right up your alley. She somehow manages to give me the tension, the spice and the drama (without pushing into oof this is too much territory) while also making me unpack my people pleasing tendencies!? I’m a little bit convinced and scared that she’s secretly reading my journal, but I love the personal growth her female leads experience, beyond their interactions with the love interest. It makes for a well balanced and addicting read. If the Chicago Public Library is reading this please hurry up and give me all the books I’m patiently waiting on hold for.”
— Abi Moseman, Assistant Social Media Editor
6. Bride
Goodreads Rating: 4.05 out of 5 (317,726 ratings)
Spice level: 3/5, there are a handful of explicit sex scenes that are a big part of the plot
Fantasy girlies! Consider Bride your gateway to the Ali Hazelwood-verse and the world of rom-coms. From beginning to end, Bride is just a fun read. Like most of Hazelwood’s books, Bride centers on a classic rom-com trope, the arranged marriage, but between the most famous fantasy enemies of the genre: vampires and werewolves. The relationship between Misery and Lowe develops at the perfect pace, giving readers all of the romance, slow-build tension, and payoff that make for a compelling romance. I loved this story and desperately hope Hazelwood returns to this genre. Until then, I’m reading this on repeat (and I’m sure you will be, too).
Misery Lark is the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre in the Southwest—and she’s an outcast—again. Forced to play her part to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, Misery agrees to marry their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. It’s clear from the very start that Lowe doesn’t trust her, and he has every reason not to. Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this union, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about.
7. Not in Love
Goodreads Rating: 3.74 out of 5 (70,534 ratings)
Spice level: 4/5, 4-5+ explicit and detailed sex scenes
I wrote an entire review dedicated to singing Not in Love’s praises, and if you’ve gotten this far in this article, you can guess already that I loved this Ali Hazelwood book, too. Not in Love is a little different from the lighthearted and fun rom-coms that make up the rest of Hazelwood’s catalog. It’s still a classic romance (meaning, don’t worry, there’s a happily ever after), but the characters deal with very traumatic events that play out on the page. While the subject matter is a little heavier in Not in Love, it still has Hazelwood’s classic humor, no shortage of swoon-worthy romantic moments, and a wicked-smart, successful main character you can’t help but root for.
Rue Siebert is a successful biotech engineer working at Kline, a promising food science start-up. The best part of her job? One of her best friends is her boss, and she gets free lab access and time to work on her personal project—one that she’s been guaranteed the patent for. It’s a pretty sweet gig… until it isn’t. When Eli Kilgore and his business partners arrive at Kline, announcing their plans to acquire the company, they threaten to upend Rue’s career. Despite being on opposite sides of the fight for Kline, Eli and Rue can’t stay away from each other and enter a secret, no-strings-attached arrangement that has a clear end date: the day one of their sides prevails in the fight for Kline.