Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

            The two-minute warning whistles, and people start trickling to the start line. A large hand wraps around mine and pulls me toward the crowd.

            “Did you come get her because you know that otherwise she’ll run away?” Reike asks.

            Levi smiles. “Oh, she wouldn’t run. More like a brisk walk.”

            I sigh. “I thought I’d successfully left you behind.”

            “The pink hair gave you away.”

            “I don’t think I can do this.”

            “I’m fully aware.”

            “The longest I’ve run so far is . . . less than 5K.”

            “You can start walking anytime.” His hand pushes against my lower back, where my newest tattoo resides. Just the outline of Levi’s house, with two little kitties inside. “Give it a try.”

            “You’re not going to slow down your pace to match mine, are you?”

            “Of course I am.”

            I roll my eyes. “I always knew you hated me.” I grin up at him. When he smiles back, my heart picks up.

            I love you, I think. And you are my home.

            Someone blows one long whistle. I look ahead, take a deep breath, and start running.





AUTHOR’S NOTE





This book is my hate letter to standardized testing. It’s also my love letter to neuroscience, Star Wars, women in STEM, friendships that hit rough patches but then try their best to bounce back, research assistants, interdisciplinary scientific collaborations, Elle Woods, ShitAcademicsSay, mermaids, hummingbird feeders, people who struggle with working out, and cats. But let’s focus on the hate part!

            I remember studying for the GRE about ten years ago, when I was applying for Ph.D. programs, and constantly feeling like I was a total idiot (which I probably am, but for other reasons). I also remember being really angry and really frustrated at the amount of money, time, and energy I had to pour into learning how to calculate when exactly two trains leaving from different stations will meet, especially when I could have used that time to read up on something that was actually relevant to my field. (Or to sleep. Let’s be real, I would have probably just taken a nap.)

            This book is, of course, fictional, but everything Kaylee says about the GRE is true, and tests like the GRE and the SATs are not only very sketchy when it comes to predicting future academic performance, but they traditionally favor people who come from economically advantaged backgrounds. Access to higher education is, as a rule, scarcer for those who aren’t traditionally privileged, and standardized testing only contributes to the problem. But in the last few years there has been a shift, with more and more institutions and graduate programs not requiring these tests for admission, and that’s a fantastic step in the right direction.

            Thank you for coming to my TED Talk, and remember: if academia ever makes you feel like you’re not good or smart enough . . . it’s not you, it’s academia.

            Love,

            Ali





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS





Publishing has very weird, very long timelines, which means that I’m writing the acknowledgments for my second book in October 2021, right after the publication of my first, and my heart is very full. Every good thing that has happened after the release of The Love Hypothesis I owe to my team at Berkley: Sarah Blumenstock, the best editor in the multiverse (who lets me add sex scenes till the very last minute!); Jess Brock, my fantastic publicist; Bridget O’Toole, my incredible marketer; and, of course, my most beloved agent, Thao Le, who brought me to them. Let’s be real: publishing is terrifying. But the constant support, hard work, and talent of these four women made it slightly less so. Plus, through them, I got to work with the best publisher in the world. Basically: to every single person at Berkley and at SDLA who helped with my books in any capacity, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I’m sorry I always turn in stuff at 11:58 p.m. on deadline days. I’m sorry I ask the same questions forty times. I’m sorry I keep abusing the caps lock. I swear I’m trying to be better!! Special thanks to Penguin Creative (in particular Dana Mendelson) and to Lilith, the cover artist of my wildest dreams. And, of course, thank you to Jessica Clare, Elizabeth Everett, Christina Lauren, and Mariana Zapata for blurbing my first book (asking for blurbs is pants-crappingly scary, guys) and for the constant encouragement.

            Love on the Brain wouldn’t be what it is without the feedback of the brilliant Claire, Julie Soto, Lindsey Merril, Kat, Stephanie, Jordan, and, of course, Sharon Ibbotson, my very first editor. Kate Goldbeck, Sarah Hawley, Celia, Rebecca, and Victoria were amazing and let me vent to them during the writing process. The Grems, the Edge Chat, TM, the Family Chat, and the Berkletes have been crucial to my survival, and I am forever grateful to have these amazing people in my life.