Love, in Theory

Love, in Theory by Elodie Cheesman Pan MacMillan Australia

Romy is a young lawyer working in employment law in Sydney with two failed relationships under her belt. She’s nearing her mid-twenties and feels it’s time she takes the scientific way to find her true love. She gets advice from family and friends and checks a few books that have a bit to say about the science of finding love. Then she tries to put it into practice.

She meets Hans, an engineer from Germany and he truly meets her criteria. They hit it off from the start and soon end up in a relationship. But there’s also James, who she meets through mutual friends and who meets none of her criteria. Still, a friendship develops where they meet occasionally and enjoy each others’ company. And so the story is about how it all plays out between logic and the heart.

I really enjoyed this book even if I thought Romy was a bit of an idiot at times. I guess, though, that we all fall into this category some of the time. I thought the character was quite realistic, especially as regards the way we feel pressured by society and, to some extent, ourselves, to fall in line with our peers. Romy seems to want to avoid the heartache of another failed relationship by using the “science” of love to fast forward to the happily ever after. I think it’s fair to say she learns life doesn’t quite work quite so efficiently. Although this book is essentially about love, it also is about evaluating other aspects of our lives, like work. Romy has to figure out what she really wants out of life in order to get the one she really wants.

This was a well-written read and I give it a solid four stars. I want to thank Netgalley and Pan MacMillan Australia for sharing an advanced reader copy. This review has been provided voluntarily and under no obligation.