Loathe to Love You


 
 
 
 Praise for Ali Hazelwood
 “A literary breakthrough. . . . The Love Hypothesis is a self-assured debut, and we hypothesize it’s just the first bit of greatness we’ll see from an author who somehow has the audacity to be both an academic powerhouse and [a] divinely talented novelist.”
 —Entertainment Weekly
 “Contemporary romance’s unicorn: the elusive marriage of deeply brainy and delightfully escapist. . . . The Love Hypothesis has wild commercial appeal, but the quieter secret is that there is a specific audience, made up of all of the Olives in the world, who have deeply, ardently waited for this exact book.”
 —New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren
 “With her sophomore novel, Ali Hazelwood proves that she is the perfect writer to show that science is sexy as hell, and that love can ‘STEM’ from the most unlikely places. She’s my newest must-buy author.”
 —#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult
 “Funny, sexy, and smart. Ali Hazelwood did a terrific job with The Love Hypothesis.”
 —New York Times bestselling author Mariana Zapata
 “Gloriously nerdy and sexy, with on-point commentary about women in STEM.”
 —New York Times bestselling author Helen Hoang
 “STEMinists, assemble. Your world is about to be rocked.”
 —New York Times bestselling author Elena Armas
 “This tackles one of my favorite tropes—Grumpy meets Sunshine—in a fun and utterly endearing way. . . . I loved the nods toward fandom and romance novels, and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended!”
 —New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare
 “Pure slow-burning gold with lots of chemistry.”
 —PopSugar
 “A beautifully written romantic comedy with a heroine you will instantly fall in love with, The Love Hypothesis is destined to earn a place on your keeper shelf.”
 —Elizabeth Everett, author of A Lady’s Formula for Love
 “Smart, witty dialogue and a diverse cast of likable secondary characters. . . . A realistic, amusing novel that readers won’t be able to put down.”
 —Library Journal (starred review)
 “Hilarious and heartwarming, The Love Hypothesis is romantic comedy at its best. . . . A perfect amalgamation of sex and science, sure to appeal to readers of Christina Lauren or Abby Jimenez.”
 —Shelf Awareness
 “With whip-smart and endearing characters, snappy prose, and a quirky take on a favorite trope, Hazelwood convincingly navigates the fraught shoals of academia.”
 —Publishers Weekly
 
 
 TITLES BY ALI HAZELWOOD
 • • • •
 
 The Love Hypothesis
 Love on the Brain
 
 LOATHE TO LOVE YOU
 
 Under One Roof
 Stuck with You
 Below Zero
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BERKLEY ROMANCE
 Published by Berkley
 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
 penguinrandomhouse.com
 
 Copyright © 2023 by Ali Hazelwood
 Under One Roof, Stuck with You, and Below Zero copyright © 2022 by Ali Hazelwood
 Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
 BERKLEY and the BERKLEY and B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
 Ebook ISBN: 9780593638002
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 Names: Hazelwood, Ali, author.
 Title: Loathe to love you / Ali Hazelwood.
 Description: First edition. | New York: Berkley Romance, 2023.
 Identifiers: LCCN 2022021252 | ISBN 9780593437803 (trade paperback)
 Subjects: LCGFT: Romance fiction. | Novellas.
 Classification: LCC PS3608.A98845 L63 2023 | DDC 813/.6—dc23/eng/20220502
 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022021252
 Under One Roof, Stuck with You, and Below Zero were originally published separately as audio editions, February, March, and April 2022 respectively, and then as ebook editions, May, June, and July 2022 respectively, by Jove, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
 First Edition: January 2023
 Cover illustration by lilithsaur
 Book design by Daniel Brount, adapted for ebook by Molly Jeszke
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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 Contents
 Under One Roof
 Stuck with You
 Below Zero
 Bonus Chapter
 
 _142201953_
 
 
 
 
 Under
 One Roof
 
 
 
 
 
 
 For Becca, who is the best and had the best prompt
 
 
 Prologue 
 Present
 I look at the pile of dishes in the sink and reach a painful realization: I’ve got it bad.
 Actually, scratch that. I already knew I had it bad. But if I hadn’t, this would be a dead giveaway: the fact that I cannot glance at a colander and twelve dirty forks without seeing Liam’s dark eyes as he leans against the counter, arms crossed on his chest; without hearing his stern-yet-teasing voice asking me, “Postmodern installation art? Or are we just out of soap?”
 It comes right on the trail of arriving home late and noticing that he left the porch light on for me. That one . . . oh, that one always makes my heart hiccup in a half-lovely, half-wrenching way. Also heart-hiccup inducing: I remember to turn it off once I’m inside. Very unlike me, and possibly a sign that the chia seed sludge he’s been making me for breakfast in the mornings when I’m late for work is actually making my brain smarter.
 It’s good that I’ve decided to move out. For the best. These heart hiccups are not sustainable in the long term, not to my mental or cardiovascular health. I’m only a humble beginner at this whole pining thing, but I can safely state that living with some guy you used to hate and somehow ended up slipping in love with is not a wise move. Trust me, I have a doctorate.
 (In a totally unrelated field, but still.)
 You know what