The Love Hypothesis is a romance novel written by Ali Hazelwood. It was published by Berkley Books on September 14, 2021. The book was first posted online in 2018 under the title Head Over Feet. It is a Star Wars fan fiction story that focuses on the "Reylo" relationship between characters Rey and Kylo Ren. The novel tells the story of a student working toward a Ph.D. and a professor at Stanford University who pretend to be in a romantic relationship.
Background
The book was first shared online in 2018 under the title Head over Feet. It is a Star Wars fan fiction story focusing on the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren, known as the "Reylo" ship. When the book was published in print, the main characters were renamed Olive and Adam (with Adam named after actor Adam Driver). All direct references to Star Wars were removed from the story. The characters on the book's cover were illustrated to resemble Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley.
Synopsis
The Love Hypothesis follows Olive, a student at Stanford University, as she acts as if she is dating a biology professor named Adam to show her friend Anh that her dating life is going well. Olive and Adam work to make others believe they are in love. As they try to convince others, they begin to forget that their feelings are not real.
Characters
- Olive Smith – A third-year biology PhD student at Stanford University who studies pancreatic cancer, the disease her mother died from. She pretends to have a relationship with Dr. Adam Carlsen to convince Anh she is over her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. She is based on Rey. Olive is 26 in the story.
- Dr. Adam Carlsen – A young professor described by his students as very strict and demanding. The university stopped giving him money for his research because they are worried he might leave to join another university. Adam agreed to pretend to have a relationship with Olive to make the science department believe he plans to stay at Stanford. He is based on Ben Solo and named after his actor, Adam Driver. Adam is 34 in the story.
- Anh Pham – Olive's best friend, who encourages Olive to try new things with Adam without knowing their relationship is fake. She likes Jeremy, Olive's ex-boyfriend. She is based on Rose Tico.
- Malcolm – Olive's roommate, who later dates Dr. Rodriguez. He is based on Finn.
- Dr. Tom Benton – An associate professor at Harvard University and Adam's friend. He offers Olive a position in his lab after learning about her research, but later threatens her, sexually harasses her, and steals her work. In the end, he is fired from Harvard.
- Dr. Aysegul Aslan – Olive’s supportive PhD advisor who guides her in her academic work.
- Dr. Holden Rodriguez – Adam's friend, who later dates Malcolm. He is based on Poe Dameron.
- Jeremy Langley – Olive's ex-boyfriend. He is based on Armitage Hux.
Reception
The Love Hypothesis is a book that has been very popular, appearing on the New York Times bestseller list. It received special praise from Library Journal and was reviewed positively by Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness, and Publishers Weekly. Kirkus Reviews gave it a review that included both positive and negative comments. In 2021, the book was a top contender in the Goodreads Choice Awards for the Romance category. It finished in second place, behind People We Meet on Vacation, with 683 fewer votes out of a total of 435,858 votes.
Film adaptation
In October 2022, it was announced that a film version of the novel was being made by Bisous Pictures. In July 2025, it was announced that Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman had been chosen to act in the film. Tom Bateman is married to Daisy Ridley, who inspired the main female character in the book. However, he will play a character based on Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley’s co-star in the Star Wars films. In August 2025, it was announced that Rachel Marsh would play Anh Pham, Jaboukie Young-White would play Malcolm, Nicholas Duvernay would play Jeremy Langley, and Arty Froushan would play Tom Benton. The film will be directed by Claire Scanlon, and the screenplay will be written by Sarah Rothschild.