My own journey with Ali Hazelwood books began back in 2021 with her smash-hit debut, The Love Hypothesis—now a feature film available to stream on Prime Video—and my obsession has only grown since. The best part? The sequel to The Love Hypothesis, The Two-Body Problem, is scheduled for release on February 2, 2027, and will pick back up with everyone’s favorite STEM power couple as they navigate the competitive nature of academia, job hunting, and finding each other in the chaos. I’ve already preordered my copy!
To call Ali Hazelwood a prolific author is an understatement. Since 2021, the number one New York Times bestselling romance author has published nine novels and 10 novellas, branching from romance to fantasy. Her stories feature strong female leads who break barriers in the STEM field while falling in love with swoon-worthy male protagonists. They have all the big emotions and happily-ever-afters romance readers love, while taking place in a setting familiar to many: academia.
To be a fan of Ali Hazelwood’s books is to be well-fed, yet constantly starved for more. Every single one of her books is worth binge-reading, but I’ve decided to rank her adult novels from least favorite to favorite. If you’re new to Ali Hazelwood and looking for where to start—especially before the release of The Two-Body Problem—this is the article for you. Read on for more about Ali Hazelwood’s books, my recommended reading order, and my definitive ranking.
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Who is Ali Hazelwood?
Ali Hazelwood’s roots lie in academia and fanfiction. She’s originally from Italy, but lived all over the world before moving to the United States to pursue her Ph.D. in Neuroscience. She was a professor until 2022, when she decided to quit her job and pursue writing full time. Her debut novel, The Love Hypothesis, was an instant bestseller. Its film adaptation—produced by Lilli Reinhart, who also plays Olive, the leading lady—released on Prime Video on September 23, and it’s still in the Top 5 movies in the U.S.!
It’s really no surprise that Ali Hazelwood is such a prolific writer, considering how long she spent in school studying, writing papers, and meeting deadlines. She’s also deeply familiar with AO3, a popular fanfiction site, which she credits as kicking off her writing career. Her debut, The Love Hypothesis, was originally a Star Wars fanfiction before being edited and published.
Do I need to read Ali Hazelwood’s books in a particular order?
Ali Hazelwood’s adult novels are largely standalones, so they do not need to be read in any particular order. However, characters from The Love Hypothesis make cameos in some of Hazelwood’s later novels, so reading that one first may be a good place to start. One Problematic Summer is also a spinoff story based on characters from Not in Love. It can be read as a standalone if you wish, but is more rewarding to read after Not in Love.
Of course, you’ll want to make sure you read The Love Hypothesis before you read its sequel, The Two-Body Problem, when it comes out on February 2, 2027.
Here is my recommended Ali Hazelwood reading order. Adjust as you see fit.
First, read her STEM standalone rom-coms:
1. The Love Hypothesis (2021)
2. Love on the Brain (2022)
3. Love, Theoretically (2023)
4. The Two-Body Problem (coming February 2, 2027!)
Then read her three other standalones:
1. Not in Love (2024)
2. Deep End (2025)
3. Problematic Summer Romance (2025)
Finally, read her paranormal fantasy books:
1. The Bride (2024)
2. Mate (2025)
Ali Hazelwood’s books ranked
Now let’s get into the good stuff. I devoured every single one of these books, but of course, some are closer to my heart than others.
8. Bride
Misery Lark is a Vampyre outcast, living in secret amongst the humans, until she’s called upon to uphold a centuries-long alliance between the Vamps and Werewolves. Betrothed to an alpha werewolf, Misery has never been lonelier. But if it means protecting the people she loves, she’ll do anything.
This was Hazelwood’s first foray into the Omegaverse—a fanfiction subgenre full of vampires and wolves—and it was also mine, which is largely responsible for its lower ranking. My jaw is still on the floor over some of the … anatomical revelations that we’re exploring in this novel. It’s a mysterious tale full of twisted betrayals and sizzling romance, but when it comes to personal taste, paranormal romance just isn’t for me. When I was reading it, the only thing that really kept me hooked was Hazelwood’s quirky, honest humor, a constant through all of her novels.
7. Mate
Serena Paris is one of a kind, literally. Her identity as the first Human-Weres hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift, but instead she’s packless and orphaned. With her enemies closing in, only one option remains: Koen Alexander, her Were fated mate. Though she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, she’ll do anything to stay safe.
And Koen Alexander will do anything to protect his mate.
Koen and Serena have a playful kind of banter in this novel that was a delight to read—and they certainly have a lot of sizzling tension to go with it. I also enjoyed the pacing of this story. I felt engaged from the first page and felt that Hazelwood did an excellent job setting up the emotional stakes of the story.
Its lower ranking is largley related to the reasons I stated above: paranormal romance just pushes the boundaries a bit too much for me. The story dabbles in heavy topics like medical trauma and gore in a way that—while well-intentioned—can feel rushed.
6. Problematic Summer Romance
Conor and Maya are off to Italy for the destination wedding of their dreams—but they’re not the ones getting married, their friends are. They’re just stuck in a Sicilian villa together, and when secrets and feelings start to emerge, Maya starts to wonder if a summer fling is just what she needs.
Maya and Conor are off to Italy for their dear friends Eli and Rue’s wedding (main characters of Not in Love, which ranks much higher on this list). Amidst the wedding chaos, they are also trying to ignore the simmering yet “problematic” chemistry they share. The story is full of easter eggs Ali Hazelwood fans will love. It will also make you want to pack your bags and move to Italy. My issue mainly came with the title itself—what about these two characters’ romance is really problematic at all?
Beyond personal insecurities, nothing really, so I just wasn’t feeling the stakes. Additionally, the age gap between the characters—Maya is 23 and Conor is 38—is brought up constantly, cited as one of the reasons their connection is so “problematic.” I don’t mind an age gap, but this one became a thorn in my side as it was mentioned over and over.
5. Deep End
Outside of being athletes, Scarlett and Lukas have nothing in common. When secrets start to slip, the college students enter a steamy fling. It’s all supposed to be temporary, but when emotions grow wild, the pair start to question what they mean to one another.
I know people are going to disagree with me on this. This novel has gotten a lot of love on BookTok. That being said, I’m obsessed with sports romance, and this just didn’t make the cut into my all-time favorites. Hazelwood always writes spicy books, but this one takes the steam to the next level as its two main characters enter a secret fling.
Themes like sexuality and kink are explored with a tenderness only Hazelwood could execute, but amidst all the spice, I felt like some of the character journey was lost and underdeveloped. This was disappointing, especially since the female main character faces mental health struggles that could have resonated deeply with readers. I commend Hazelwood for pushing her boundaries, but Deep End just didn’t leave the mark on me that her other titles did.
4. Love on the Brain
When NASA offers Bee a chance to lead a dream project, years of scraping by in academia finally seem to be paying off. That is, until she arrives at NASA and finds out her co-lead is Levi Ward, who may be annoyingly tall and attractive, but also made it abundantly clear he loathes her in grad school. Now, the pair must lean to tolerate one another for the sake of science.
The top four is where the lines start to blur, and they all become my favorites. Love on the Brain employs tropes that instantly hook romance readers—forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, and a brooding male lead. Levi and Bee have a sweet connection that Hazelwood gives the appropriate space to flourish and grow before throwing around relationship labels and “I love yous,” a common misstep for slow-burn romance novels. Like the other novels on this list, the story explores STEM through the lens of a female scientist and deals with gender discrimination and self-doubt beautifully.
It’s real fault for me was the lingering miscommunication between Levi and Bee. Nothing makes me want to close a book more than two love interests who could be happily in love if they just spoke to one another.
3. Not in Love
Rue is happy with her engineering role at Kline, a promising startup in the field of food science. But when a hostile takeover led by none other than Eli Killgore, the threatening businessman in charge, threatens to upturn that stability, Rue is livid. She’s even more livid when she realizes that her and Eli have an undeniable chemistry. Surely a no-strings attached affair will solve everything, right? But the heart is rarely as simple as it seems.
Not in Love is where Hazelwood’s writing feels the most mature. Eli and Rue are full-grown adults with emotional baggage to match, which makes their story authentic and relatable. I also appreciated the way this book flipped the common sunshine girl and brooding boy trope on its head. Rue is closed off and surly, and Eli is the first man to come along and crack her rock-hard exterior.
I binge read this book embarrassingly fast, and was full-fledged shipping Eli and Rue by the end. It has some tough competition in the first two spots, but other than that, I really can’t find anything bad to say about this book.
2. Love, Theoretically
Elsie lives a double life: by day, she’s a groundbreaking theoretical physicist, and by night, she makes up for that non-existent paycheck as a for-hire fake girlfriend. Her worlds never collide, until Jack Smith, the head of the physics department at MIT, turns out to be the older brother of her favorite client. He’s also the man standing between her and her dream job, and Elsie is determined to sabotage him once and for all to get what she wants.
Though this book holds the number two spot, the number one Ali Hazelwood book boyfriend award goes to Jack Smith, the MIT professor who slowly but surely sweeps Elsie off her feet. There were multiple times reading this book I had to put it down and take a deep breath—because Jack was simply too perfect to handle. The pair battle trust issues and personal insecurities as they fall in love, but by the end of the story, you’ll be grinning just thinking about Elsie and Jack’s relationship. I know I still am.
1. The Love Hypothesis
Olive is a third year Ph.D. student who doesn’t believe in romantic relationships. If only her best friend, Ahn, felt the same way. Olive loves her friend, but is also sick of her prodding questions. In a last ditch effort, she kisses the first man she sees to convince Ahn she’s in a relationship. One problem: that man happens to be Dr. Adam Carlsen, a hotshot professor and well-known asshole.
Somehow, he agrees to their little fake dating experiment. But when Olive begins to learn that Adam isn’t what meets the eye, they both must confront their long-buried feelings.
It just wouldn’t be right for me to give any other book on this list the number one spot. There’s a reason The Love Hypothesis smashed the bestseller list. The simmering chemistry and hilarious banter are so quintessentially Ali Hazelwood. It really is a book that’s impossible to put down. There’s some silliness to the opening chapters, but Olive and Adam are so lovable and relatable that their love story becomes one for the ages—and one readers root for.
I read this book in 2021, when it came out, in my freshman dorm room with my roommate. I can still remember the way we laughed and squealed as we turned the page from our respective lofted twin beds. Take it from both of us: you will not want to miss this book, or its movie adaptation.
What’s next from Ali Hazelwood
To no one’s surprise, Ali Hazelwood is still on a publishing streak. The highly anticipated sequel to The Love Hypothesis, The Two-Body Problem, is coming out on February 2, 2027. Readers will return to Adam and Olive’s world as they navigate the shifting nature of their relationship and pressures from the world of academia. The Two-Body Problem is available to pre-order now!
Olive Smith finally has her PhD, and she couldn’t be happier. She’s doing her dream research, surrounded by her amazing friends and even more incredible boyfriend, Adam. But not everything is as simple as “happily ever after.” Olive and Adam just want to be together, but with the competitive nature of academia, a grim job market, and Olive’s desire to be seen as a powerful scientist and not just Adam’s girlfriend, they may have some more obstacles to overcome. As the pressure rises, Olive will have to learn to trust her heart and move forward.
Young adult novels from Ali Hazelwood
Though her home is adult fiction, Ali Hazelwood has dipped a toe into the young adult genre. Check & Mate is a sweet and tender love story ideal for a younger audience or for a voracious romance reader looking for a break from the spice.
Mallory is done with chess. Her focus is on her family and keeping them away from the very game that drove them apart in the first place. But when she agrees to one more charity tournament against reigning world champ, Nolan Sawyer, her love for the game starts to rekindle. Soon, Mallory can’t separate her love for the game and her family from her suspicious feelings toward Nolan, competitor turned friend.
Rebecca Smith, Editorial Assistant
As an Editorial Assistant, Rebecca works with The Everymom team on updating existing content, photo sourcing, pitching original articles, and more. She’s passionate about creating authentic and diverse online content and is thrilled to help women of all ages feel represented.
