Love, Theoretically

About the book

Elsie Hannaway is a physicist living a double life. By day, she is an adjunct professor struggling with low pay and a lack of health insurance; by night, she earns extra income through a fake-dating service by adopting whatever personality her clients desire. Her worlds collide when she interviews for a dream tenure-track position at MIT, only to find the hiring committee includes Jack Smith. Jack is an experimental physicist who once dismantled the career of Elsie’s mentor and, more complicatingly, is the brother of her favorite client. Elsie must defend her theoretical research against Jack’s skepticism while maintaining her professional facade despite his ability to see through her social masking.

Readers who enjoy academic settings and the enemies-to-lovers trope will find value in this portrayal of the precarious labor market in higher education. This book appeals to those interested in the cultural divide between theoretical and experimental physics and the specific challenges women face in STEM fields. Readers walk away with a depiction of how professional people-pleasing impacts personal identity. It serves as a study on the intersection of academic rivalry and emotional honesty, showing how setting boundaries is necessary for both scientific integrity and romantic intimacy.

Details

Published

2023

Publisher

Hachette UK

ISBN

9781408725801

Language

EN