Books like Love Hypothesis

By Ali Hazelwood

For a romantic arrangement that gets harder to control, try these books about plans, colleagues and unexpected attachment.

For a rational plan meeting feelings

Helen Hoang

Both give a data-minded woman a practical arrangement around dating, then ask what happens when attachment resists the plan.

The difference: Paid intimacy lessons outside academia, with an autistic heroine.

Elena Armas

Both turn a fake relationship with a seemingly unapproachable colleague into a chance to discover the person behind that reputation.

The difference: A family wedding in Spain, rather than a science career and conference.

Graeme Simsion

Both mix scientific habits of thought with romantic uncertainty; a genetics professor's partner search makes clear how poorly feelings obey a method.

The difference: A male narrator seeking a wife, rather than a woman arranging a fake boyfriend.

Sources and book details

Collected’s editorial comparisons, informed by the descriptions and reading profiles.