Ali Hazelwood has taken the romance world by storm with her signature blend of STEM settings, swoon-worthy age-gap romances, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, and smart, socially awkward heroines. If you devoured The Love Hypothesis and are craving more fake dating tropes, academic rivals-to-lovers, and nerdy heroines finding love in laboratories, here are 15 authors who deliver similar vibes.
If you enjoy reading books by Ali Hazelwood then you might also like the following authors:
Helen Hoang is the closest match to Ali Hazelwood's style. She writes STEM romances featuring neurodivergent characters, steamy tension, and characters who overthink everything in the most relatable ways.
The Kiss Quotient features an econometrician heroine with autism who hires an escort to teach her about dating. Like Hazelwood, Hoang excels at grumpy/sunshine pairings, vulnerable heroes, and sweet emotional payoffs. If you loved Olive's social awkwardness in The Love Hypothesis, you'll adore Stella.
Elena Armas delivers the same slow-burn tension and workplace romance dynamics that make Hazelwood's books so addictive. Her heroes are protective and grumpy on the outside but complete softies for the heroine.
The Spanish Love Deception features a fake dating setup where the heroine asks her annoying coworker to be her plus-one at a wedding. The banter, forced proximity, and "he falls first" energy will feel very familiar to Hazelwood fans. Bonus: the hero is a Spanish engineer, keeping that STEM element alive.
This writing duo specializes in witty contemporary romances with workplace dynamics and enemies-to-lovers tension. Their academic romances particularly echo Hazelwood's vibe.
The Unhoneymooners has the forced proximity and bickering dynamic Hazelwood fans love, while The Soulmate Equation features a single-mom statistician matched with a grumpy genetics company founder—complete with STEM careers, professional conflicts, and delicious tension.
While Emily Henry's books are more women's fiction than pure romance, she shares Hazelwood's gift for witty banter, emotionally damaged heroes, and heroines with relatable insecurities.
Beach Read features two rival authors (enemies to lovers!) stuck next door to each other for the summer, challenging each other to write in the other's genre. The sharp dialogue and slow emotional opening up mirrors what makes Hazelwood's characters so compelling.
Casey McQuiston brings the same nerdy humor, pop culture references, and deeply emotional character growth that Hazelwood delivers, but with more LGBTQ+ representation.
Red, White & Royal Blue has enemies-to-lovers, fake relationship elements, and a bisexual main character who loves Star Wars. McQuiston's characters geek out about their interests the same way Hazelwood's heroines geek out about science. Their latest, The Pairing, features bisexual main characters on a European food tour.
Abby Jimenez writes contemporary romances that balance humor with deeper emotional issues, featuring career-driven heroines and swoon-worthy heroes who show love through acts of service.
The Friend Zone has the same mix of laugh-out-loud moments and tearjerker scenes that Hazelwood nails. Jimenez's heroines are strong and independent but vulnerable when it comes to love—just like Olive, Bee, and Rue.
If you loved the steamy scenes in Hazelwood's books (hello, Adam's office desk scene), Tessa Bailey turns up the heat while maintaining emotional depth and fantastic character development.
It Happened One Summer features a grumpy fisherman and a sunshine city girl in a fish-out-of-water romance. Bailey excels at grumpy/sunshine dynamics and heroes who are utterly gone for their heroines. Try her Fix Her Up for a brother's-best-friend, hidden attraction romance.
Beth O'Leary writes quirky British rom-coms with unique premises, slow-burn romance, and characters who feel like real people with real problems.
The Flatshare has a creative setup where two people share an apartment and a bed but never meet, communicating only through Post-it notes. The slow reveal of character depth and the gradual building of intimacy echoes how Hazelwood develops relationships. For workplace romance, try The Road Trip with its second-chance love story.
Jen DeLuca writes feel-good contemporary romances with nerdy heroines, community settings, and heroes who are quietly supportive rather than domineering.
Her Well Met series, starting with Well Met, features a Renaissance Faire setting with a teacher heroine and a buttoned-up lawyer hero who volunteers there. DeLuca captures the same warmth and "found family" feeling that makes Hazelwood's lab groups so appealing, plus there's plenty of witty banter.
Katherine Center specializes in uplifting romances with competent heroines in male-dominated professions—perfect for fans of Hazelwood's scientist heroines breaking barriers.
The Bodyguard features a female bodyguard protecting a movie star, flipping typical gender dynamics. Like Hazelwood, Center writes heroines who are great at their jobs but struggle with vulnerability in relationships. Try The Rom-Commers for workplace romance with screenwriting rivals.
Sophie Cousens writes charming British rom-coms with a touch of fate and serendipity, featuring witty heroines and heartwarming love stories.
This Time Next Year follows two people born on the same day whose lives keep intersecting. Cousens has the same gift for making you root for the couple and laugh out loud at their awkward moments. Her Just Haven't Met You Yet has a journalist heroine, appealing to fans of career-focused women.
Carley Fortune writes emotionally rich romances with a nostalgic quality, featuring second-chance love and characters dealing with past trauma.
Every Summer After follows childhood friends reuniting as adults, unpacking years of history and unresolved feelings. While less focused on career than Hazelwood's books, Fortune matches her emotional depth and ability to make you cry happy tears. The cottagecore setting provides a different backdrop but similar comfort-read vibes.
Annika Martin co-writes hilarious romantic comedies with alpha heroes who are secretly soft for their heroines and unique, often absurd premises that somehow work perfectly.
The Billionaire's Wake-Up-Call Girl has an enemies-to-lovers, boss/employee dynamic with a wrong-number trope. Martin's writing has the same playful tone and banter-heavy dialogue that makes Hazelwood's books fly by. The tension builds similarly through forced proximity and workplace interactions.
Sonali Dev writes diverse contemporary romances with complicated family dynamics, cultural depth, and heroines rebuilding their lives after setbacks.
Recipe for Persuasion is a chef heroine competing on a cooking show with her ex-husband as a contestant—talk about forced proximity! Dev shares Hazelwood's focus on heroines with difficult pasts finding partners who truly see them. Her characters have the same emotional complexity and growth arcs.
Meryl Wilsner writes sapphic romances with the same tropes Hazelwood fans love: fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, workplace dynamics, and characters who are disasters at feelings.
Something to Talk About features a Hollywood assistant and her boss navigating fake dating rumors that lead to real feelings. Wilsner captures that same "oh no, I'm catching feelings" panic that makes Hazelwood's books so engaging. Try Mistakes Were Made for an age-gap romance.
Sarah Hogle writes quirky, emotionally honest romances about people who feel like outsiders finding their person. Her heroines have anxiety, odd interests, and struggle with self-worth—very Hazelwood energy.
You Deserve Each Other is an enemies-to-lovers romance between an engaged couple trying to get the other to call off the wedding—a hilarious premise with genuine heart. Twice Shy features a recluse who inherits a house next to a grumpy security guard, perfect for fans of forced proximity.
What makes these authors similar to Ali Hazelwood? They all feature smart, relatable heroines; slow-burn tension with emotional payoff; workplace or academic settings; popular romance tropes like fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, and enemies-to-lovers; witty banter and laugh-out-loud moments; and emotionally vulnerable heroes who worship their heroines.
Start with Helen Hoang or Elena Armas for the closest match to Hazelwood's STEM romance style, or branch out to any of these authors for your next binge-read!
