Why we’re excited
Olive Smith has her doctorate and Adam Carlsen in her kitchen, so the romance plot is settled. The trouble now is academia itself: temporary postdoc contracts, a brutal job market, and Olive wanting to be known for her own science rather than as Adam's partner. The title is the term academics use for two researchers chasing jobs in the same place.
This is book two, the sequel to The Love Hypothesis, the STEM rom-com that made Ali Hazelwood's name. Read that first; this book assumes you know how the fake dating ended. It suits readers who want to see what happens after the kiss.
On our most-anticipated list since 21 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about The Two-Body Problem
The Two-Body Problem is Book 2 in the The Love Hypothesis series. Start with Book 1, The Love Hypothesis (we have reviewed it). We have reviewed 1 of the series so far.
Ali Hazelwood is a familiar name here: 13 of Ali Hazelwood’s books have full reviews, averaging 3.9 out of 5. The one we rated highest is Problematic Summer Romance (4.5★); the most recent is Mate.
Readers have saved it often enough to put it at No. 3 on our list of February 2027’s most-anticipated releases.
From the publisher
The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times and global bestselling phenomenon, The Love Hypothesis.
Olive Smith finally has her PhD, and she's living her happy ever after. Well, not quite hereverafter, since postdoctoral fellowships are temporary by nature, but she doesn't mind: she has her friends, her research, and best of all, she has Dr. Adam Carlsen. Intense, brilliant, endlessly undaunted by the chaos Olive has smuggled into their shared house, Adam is determined to spend his future by her side.
And yet, there are no fairy tales in academia. Being in love with another researcher means navigating the hard reality of clashing schedules, an increasingly grim and ultracompetitive job market, and Olive's desire to be seen as a formidable scientist in her own right.
Being with Adam is the most real thing Olive has ever known. As the pressure tightens and the stakes rise, she'll have to set all confounding variables aside and learn to trust her heart.
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read The Two-Body Problem yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
