Shelf To Table
Food Spotlight: Pumpkin Spice Coffee
The perfect food pairing for this novel is pumpkin spice coffee. Pumpkin spice coffee is one of Olive’s favorite drinks in the novel—and really, anything pumpkin spice makes her happy. A warm sip of this spiced, comforting coffee is the perfect pairing for this cozy, feel-good romance, capturing the same sweet and heartwarming vibe as Olive’s story.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Third-year Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith doesn’t believe in love, but to convince her best friend she’s dating, she impulsively kisses the infamously grumpy professor Adam Carlsen. When he agrees to be her fake boyfriend, their pretend romance quickly turns complicated, especially as chemistry, career pressures, and unexpected feelings ignite.
Page To Plate
Food Featured In The Book
Sushi makes a fun appearance in the novel when Adam and Olive grab a meal at a casual, budget-friendly sushi spot.
Character Cravings
Olive Smith is a broke, overworked grad student who’s constantly juggling research, lab work, and the pressure to prove herself. With no time—and definitely no budget—for real meals, she’d reach for something quick, cheap, and packed with enough energy to keep her going. I imagine she’d live on protein bars or granola bars, the kind of grab-and-go snack she can shove into her backpack and eat between experiments. It’s practical, fast, and exactly the kind of low-effort fuel a stressed-out scientist like Olive would rely on.
Book Club Bite
Coffee is a perfect choice for a book club, especially since grad students run on caffeine! You could offer a variety of flavors—pumpkin spice, caramel, mocha, or classic black—so everyone can sip their favorite while diving into the story. It’s a cozy, interactive way to keep the discussion lively and energizing.
“It wasn’t until a few minutes later, when she was sitting on her bed staring at the Boston skyline and chewing on her lunch, that Olive realized that the protein bar Adam had given her was covered in chocolate.”
Ali Hazelwood