The TikTok sensation and immediate New York Times bestseller!

like it was on THE VIEW!

2021’s Top Summer Read on BuzzFeed

One woman’s meticulously planned views about love are thrown into disarray when an imaginary relationship between scientists collides with the overwhelming power of desire.

Olive Smith, a third-year Ph.D. candidate, doesn’t think that long-term love relationships are possible, but her best friend does, which is how she ended up in this predicament. It was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks to convince Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after because scientists need evidence. Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees, just like any other respectable biologist would.

That dude is none other than Adam Carlsen, a well-known ass and young, hotshot professor. Because of this, Olive is absolutely thrilled when the dominant lab tyrant at Stanford agrees to be her fictitious boyfriend and keep her farce a secret. But Adam surprises her once more with his unwavering support and even more unwavering…six-pack abs, after a major science conference goes awry, putting Olive’s career on the line.

Their small experiment feels like it’s about to blow up all at once. Olive also learns that scrutinizing her own heart is the only thing more difficult than a theory about love.