Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

This author is quickly becoming a favorite, with smart women in the science and technology field who find love because they are smart not in spite of their intelligence. Elsie has several part-time adjunct teaching jobs at several colleges around Boston and is trying to get on a tenure position for financial stability and to be able to work on her research, while also working as a fake dater who helps men appear as if they have a girlfriend at a specific event (not sexual just a companion for others to see). Elsie makes one exception for her favorite client, Greg, who instead of only going on 1 date with she has helped him hide his secret from his family for 6 months. A job opening at MIT collides her adjunct teaching with her fake dating job as she tries to get a job on a tenure track at a college. During the interview process and events that bring her worlds colliding into each other she learns about herself and those around her. Elsie stands up for her self to her mentor, the man she has fall in love with, her bestfriend, and her family. Of course there is a happily ever after for Elsie and Jack, and getting there is a great joy seeing not only the road they travel but how they both grow because of the other one. Highly recommend this author, especially for the smart girls who hide themselves or change themselves to make others feel better (which is so many of us). The underrated character is the hedgehog, and the scenes with Elsie and the hedgehog are hilarious.

Character List/Book Summary:

Elsie Hannaway – a theoretical physicist by day and pretends to be a guy’s girlfriend to make extra money through a company and she started doing it back in college. Interviewing for a tenure track position at MIT when she meets her favorite client’s older brother, Jack, who is on the hiring committee. Refuses to give the secret of her client when pushed by Jack. During the course of the interview Jack realizes that Elsie has diabetes and she was never drunk at the first summer party when he first met her and why he caught her secretly pouring out her wine just a few nights before the interview started. Elsie realizes she cannot change herself to present what Jack wants and it drives her nuts. When it all comes out Jack and Elsie start spending time with each other and Elsie realizes that she loves Jack, but gets upset when he keeps something from her instead of letting her decide for herself about what to do with the information.

Jack Turner Smith – Greg’s older brother, real name Jonathan, his mother died when he was very young and Greg’s mother is his step-mother. Experimental physicist at MIT, he wrote a paper when he was 17 that discredited theoretical physicists by exposing the lapse in one man’s judgement (who ended up being Elsie’s mentor) and his inability to help his mentees. Upset that Monica brought Elsie in for the interview because it was in bad faith. When Monica’s son accuses Elsie of being a hooker in front of Jack, and Elsie argues back with him about that is not what the company does and he would know that if he read the contract he signed. Jack starts to put the pieces together on Elsie and Greg’s relationship and threatens Monica’s son to be silent about Elsie. After he is yelled at by Elsie for not letting her make an important decision knowing all the facts he realizes that he was wrong in a few things and goes about correcting a few mistakes.

Greg Smith – Elsie’s favorite client, he is not interested in dating and getting too much pressure from his mother so she agrees to help him more than once. On a retreat during Elsie’s interview and cannot be reached by Elsie or Jack to tell Jack what is really going on. A tooth infection causes him to leave the retreat and Elsie and Jack are contacted after his mother decided not to collect him from the dentist. High on pain medication Greg starts to tell Elsie how Jack has a crush on her and he wants to be her friend after it is over. Greg is at his funniest on pain medication.

Millicent Smith – Greg and Jack’s grandmother, Elsie’s favorite member of the Smith family. Thinks Elsie and Jack should be dating during her 90th birthday party. Threatens her family with changes in her will, it does not work on Jack, who she has to trick into coming over with “emergencies” every weekend.

Monica Salt – Department chair of Physics at MIT and wants to have Elsie working at MIT. Gives Elsie pointers about the hiring committee.

CeCe – Elsie’s roommate and best friend (but Elsie lies about the movies she likes to make CeCe happy). Finishing up her linguists PhD at Harvard. Does the faking dating/girlfriend with Elsie. Has a pet hedgehog. A huge cheese lover with Elsie and both find their happily ever after in this book.

George – The other candidate for the position at MIT and when Elsie realizes who George is, it is when she finds out she did not get the position. George however loves the work Elsie has done and was surprised she was even interviewing for a tenure position 1 year after graduation and asks Elsie to consider a position in her lab that is research only (no teaching).

Dr. Christopher Laurendeau – Elsie’s mentor, who calls her by the wrong name. The man that Jack Turner-Smith wanted to discredit when he was 17 years old.  Jack kept his reason for doing that a secret from Elsie for a while and it was only after George and CeCe both asked about it that Elsie confronted Jack. After hearing Jack’s story, Elsie asked Dr. Laurendeau if it was true and for his advice on taking George’s position. Dr. Laurendeau admitted that he hid offers from Elsie and forbid her from taking the position, Elsie stood up for herself after that (and took the job).