Debuting on Feb. 4, New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood’s romance novel Deep End is available for purchase. While Deep End is not considered appropriate for those in high school, Hazelwood has other novels which are young adult, such as Check & Mate. While these two do not have much mention of STEM pursuits, the majority of Hazelwood’s other books do, including The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically which are nominees for Goodreads Reader’s Choice Award.
“[The Love Hypothesis is a] contemporary romance’s unicorn (treasure): the elusive marriage of deeply brainy and delightfully escapist,” said New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren.
Hazelwood has a PhD in neuroscience and recently has taken up a position as a professor in the field. In her free time, she fosters her creativity by writing romance novels beloved by many. Her experience in the STEM field allows her to create intelligent, strong and relatable main characters who also happen to like science.
“I love how [the books] have that STEM aspect,” said Ali Hazelwood fan Elise Dreby ‘27. “I think it makes those books really unique in comparison to other authors.”
In high school, it can often seem as though one must focus their hobbies and interests into a singular discipline to categorize oneself and demonstrate passion to ultimately meet success later on in life. Hazelwood’s success in life by combining different aspects of herself and crossing her hobbies prove that one does not need to distill themself to a singular portion of their identity and interests. In reality, embracing the nuances in character may actually be more beneficial than watering oneself down.
“[Pigeonholing oneself to a singular aesthetic is] especially dangerous because people are so unique and have so many facets to them,” said Jonah Kim ‘25, a STEM enthusiast and recreational writer. “Oftentimes, more than we’re actually aware of, when you actually encourage people to simplify themselves, you lose most of a person’s essence, and you don’t get to see who they really are.”
In fact, cultivating two seemingly distant interests can in turn help one another. There oftentimes tend to be traits of one hobby that can carry over to others. For instance, author Jennifer Lynn Barnes has advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry and cognitive science from top universities like Cambridge and Yale. She uses these to write captivating young adult novels about perceptive, intelligent teenagers who solve mysteries like characters in The Naturals series and The Inheritance Games series.
“My STEM knowledge has forced me to become more precise in my language, which I need in my writing. In my writing, I foster creativity and novelty which helps me innovate in [multiple] STEM pursuits,” said Kim.
Even though Hazelwood writes romance novels that may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is still something that can be learned of how she incorporates her interests and the captivating characters that result with that intersection of ideas.
“Almost all books have some value in them to consume in some lens, and although romantic novels may not have some profound take on the universe, they offer enjoyment and a lens into someone else’s thoughts and experiences,” said Kim.
