I've been hearing about Ali Hazelwood's STEM-based debut for months and I'd been vacillating on reading it. If you read my reviews, you know I do read romance, but I read far more paranormal, historical, heck, aliens, then I do contemporary. When I think of the why of that fact I think it comes down to what I can let slide. Tropes that work for me in most other romance are a little harder to just go with in a realistic contemporary setting. But I kept hearing about how good this particular contemporary romance was, so I decided to take the plunge. And I'll say that while it's not an A+ (in keeping with the academic setting), it was a fun, fast read with a hero and heroine to root for.
As to the story: Olive Smith is a third-year PhD (in biology) candidate who is more than ready for her ex-boyfriend to move on with another woman. The problem is that the woman who's interested in him (which is reciprocated) is Olive's best friend Anh. Anh is trying to observe girl-code and is thus resisting getting with the ex. Are you with me so far? I hope so, as there's more. In order to convince Anh that it's okay to go for the ex, Olive has to convince her she's dating someone else. But the guy she impulsively kisses in front of Anh is Adam Carlsen, a genius professor who also happens to be the terror of the department (to the other grad students). For reasons known only to him, Adam goes along with Olive's kiss and further agrees to pretend that they're dating so that Anh can have her happiness. Let the hijinks ensue (and they do).
I've said I enjoy a grumpy/sunshine pairing and that's Adam and Olive all over. Adam is serious and professional and a little bit awkward. Olive is warm and funny and impulsive (though don't get me wrong, she's also smart and good at her work). The two engage in some delightful banter and I loved every bit of it. I'll also give the author props for capturing the competitive nature of academia and what it means for the people who spend years working towards their goal. What kept this from being as much of a rave for me, as it is for others, were the miscommunications and misunderstandings which dragged on a bit too long. But this caveat aside, I will not hesitate to read Hazelwood's next contemporary, which looks to be due out next year.