In The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ($13), Olive Smith is a biology PhD student who is on a mission to convince her best friend that she's in a relationship. Considering she's definitely single, and worried that her friend will learn the truth, Olive randomly panic-kisses the first man she comes across in the lab — who just so happens to be the notoriously intimidating Dr. Adam Carlsen, a professor in her department. Nobody is more surprised than Olive when Adam agrees to go along with her charade. But how long can Olive keep up the ruse of fake dating when real feelings become involved?
Why It's Memorable: OK, if it hasn't already been obvious, I love when years worth of pining finally comes to a head, and this book is an excellent example of that, along with The Hating Game (more ahead). I love how Ali Hazelwood drew this scene out deliciously, with Adam finally allowing himself to let go of his control and do all the things he's dreamed of doing with Olive. You can really tell how much pleasure he gets from bringing her pleasure.
Favourite Line: "He kisses, Olive thought, like a man starved. Like he'd been waiting all this time. Holding back. Like the possibility of the two of them doing this had occurred to him in the past, but he'd set it aside, stored it away in a deep, dark place where it had grown into something fearsome and out of control."
Spice Level: 🔥🔥